What's even cooler than making something yourself? Being able to say you're wearing the efforts of a bunch of your family on your back - a garment laden with meaning and love. So if you've got one more afghan or baby blanket than you actually need or a load of lovely creations Aunt Beatrice left you that are sitting and gathering dust, here's an idea.
Why not breathe new life into them by making something useful? All fabrics (even shop-bought ones) start with knitting at some level, so it's not unreasonable to consider the possibilities of sewing with handknitted (and crocheted) fabrics. Julie Finn has some top tips on how to get the most out of your blankets, doiles, afghans, or whatever you're working with.
This fun and easy method of decorating your tights gets around the usual problems associated with working on super-thin fabrics by suggesting you keep the tights on while working on them - a neat solution as long as you've got a very steady hand and don't mind risking a few ouchy moments!
The result is some seriously funky custom legwear based on current catwalk creations that will give your outfit a cool DIY twist. Full instructions can be found over on Park & Cube
Related: Custom 'basketball' shoes at Australian Fashion Week | how to make stud-pocket jeans
These crazy basketball-adorned shoes look sure to put a spring in your step!
Spotted on the feet of stylist Ms Fitz at Australian Fashion Week by Alice Euphemia, the sandals look customised to me so if you want to replicate this look I suggest you rock up at your local toy store and equip yourself with a few of these. If you're packing spiky enough heels they should go throuh first time... [Via Shoewawa]
Related: How to customise shoes with acrylic paint
I love the random, multi-coloured pattern on this pair of plain trainers: it's an effect created by using fabric decoupage, and is the perfect use for leftover bits of scrap material. The same technique could be used to decorate tennis shoes, espadrilles, ballet flats or any old shoes that deserve one final lease of life.
For full instructions on how to jazz up your own shoes using this method, check out this tutorial.
Related: How to customise footwear with studs | How to customise shoes with acrylic paint
Unless you're one of those crazy Gothic Lolita kids, you may not find this type of fashion entirely 'wearable', but so many crafters are searching for these girlish, Japanese patterns that I thought I'd investigate.
The 'bustle skirt' shown here is based on Victorian styling, and gives a wonderfully OTT Alice in Wonderland look. chiaki_ayumi posted up the full tutorial here on Livejournal, and had lots of Goth-Loli types squeeing with delight in response. For many, many more patterns in this vein -- or just to feast your eyes on some extraordinary costuming -- check out Cosplay.com.
Related: Gothic Lolita mini top hat pattern | Make Cosplay cat ears with the Alternative Martha Stewart
We had such a great response to our make your own wedding dress post, that I decided it would be interesting to see just how many people had actually gone ahead and put their own bridal gown together from scratch. It's fascinating to see the results, some of which cost less than $10 to make.
Click on the image below to start the gallery.
Seeing this amaaaaazing slice of denim on the Jak & Jil blog this morning had me crossing out all my To-Do diary entries for this weekend and instead slapping in one big new one: DIY.
This should be a fairly easy one if you've got the gear already... Simply rip up a pair of your old jeans (whether you want to bleach them out first, is your prerogative) or find a pair you like (the ones pictured above are £45 from Topshop) and then get busy with your stud gun. The resident Shiny craftsters suggest MacCulloch and Wallis and Kleins as two places you can go to for studs, or they also recommend perusing eBay for some good crafty deals. [Via Catwalk Queen]
[Image: Jak & Jil]
Related: How to customise boots with studs | How to make a gem-encrusted sweater
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