Any day soon I'm going to get cold and desperate enough to start ripping up my boyfriend's old sweaters and get working on them to create some seriously warm winter woollies.
Fireflies and Jelly guides you through the process here, from intact jumper to cute warmers complete with a decorative button. This isn't rocket science (or even advanced sewing) and as you can probably guess, the finished product is essentially a sleeve for your stems. But there's a little more to it than that to have them looking awesome, so I suggest giving the tutorial a read.
Craft and fashion often combine with some interesting results. It can go horribly wrong and it can go wonderfully weird. Hitting for the wonderfully weird but utterly amazing team, are Romance was Born.
Australian designers, Anna Plunkett and Luke Sales combine a love of kitsch Australiana, crafty construction and fine tailoring to "turn the dreaded cultural cringe on its head" and the results are crafty, kooky and downright inspiring. Take a wander through the collections on their website to see hot pink trousers with dinosaur spikes, a crocheted green beard, dresses covered in eyeballs, and squid hats complete with tentacles.
You won't find any outfits you might want to wear out dancing of a weekend but you'll certainly have fun imagining yourself doing so in one of their creations. Underneath their crazed crafty costumes there are also hints at versions you might make yourself with the kook-factor turned down a tad.
Whichever way you look at it there's inspiration all over Romance was Born. Well worth checking out.
Shoes looks so much prettier when they've got a decorative fabric lining inside, don't you think? I'm sure I'm not the only one to have bought a pair based at least in part on how much I loved the bit that nobody (but me) will ever see. Or perhaps I am.
But with that in mind, it's really easy to spruce up your shoes and give them a bit of a re-vamp with a matching fabric trim and lining. You could do this with almost any pair of court shoes or pumps, perhaps using a sample of fabric from a dress or skirt you already wear for extra coordination.
The full tutorial, with instructions on how to revamp your shoes can be found here.
If you feel the cold the way I do, you'll probably be jumping for joy now legwarmers are (apparently) back on the fashion menu after suffering years of ridicule. They're a great way to stay warm and keep wearing all your favourite skirts and dresses all year round, adding colour and interest to your outfit.
Woolen or jersey garments are what normally come to mind when you mention legwarmers, but you can make a far more chic and stylish pair using flattened fleece with button detail decor. These 'easy buttoned legwarmers' are as simple to make as their name suggests, and will earn you infinite DIY points. For the full tutorial, visit Laurpre's blog where the whole process is clearly set out.
I almost handed over good money to a well-known high street chain for a top very much like this one yesterday. I'm now very glad I didn't, because Make It and Love It have a tutorial here on how to spruce up your shirts with luxurious ruffles right here, and it's a stunningly simple process.
All you'll need to make this stylish and fashionable top is one of your favourite comfy-knit tees, pins and a needles and thread. The actual 'ruffling' process is so simple I couldn't believe my eyes when I read the instructions and there's no need even for a sewing machine. Good old-fashioned fun!
Related: Yummy autumnal berry set in pure cashmere | Wednesday Wearables: how to make a Christopher Kane style scalloped skirt
Over on The Bag Lady, I recently blogged about Miu Miu's embellished luxury socks, which are essentially a pair of ultra soft cable-knit socks decorated with beads and sequins. They weren't joking with the 'luxury' bit though, as these socks are priced at £245, which is significantly more than most sane people would spend on shoes, let alone the bit of fabric that goes under them!
So I was rather pleased to see that one cunning craftster, Carbon Couture, had taken it upon herself to make something similar, resulting in the cute, embellished socks shown above. The full instructions are here. If you wanted something a little more like the Miu Miu socks it wouldn't be difficult to alter the pattern - just start with a thicker sock and add a few extra sequins. Total cost? Certainly under a tenner!
Patterned and decorated tights are big business at the moment and once the mercury drops a little further, warm hosiery will be essential wear for anyone in a skirt. Why not make them a bit more interesting with some DIY design? There are plenty of fabulous decorated tights available to buy at the moment but dear God are they expensive!
There are so many ways you might want to decorate your tights that it would be impossible to put an exhaustive list here. But the main thing to remember is: be creative! At the moment, the wilder the style, the better: so take advantage of fashion's whim and get decorating. If you're handy with a needle (and patient) you could have a go at making some sequin embellished Doo.Ri-style tights. An easier method is just to stick them on as PS I made this have done (see above). Or, you could do as Naughty Secretary Club did and simply paint on a design of your chosing: in this case, a lovely reminder of summer! All you'll need is tulip fabric paint and some ideas.
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