Huge woolly jumpers are often lurking quietly in draws soaking up the smell of moth balls and lamenting the fact that they will never escape to be worn at fancy parties. It's a sad tale that happens in many a crafty household. But wait. There is a way to give giant jumpers a second life.
Craftser member Frithalouise show you how to turn the humongous into something hot and handmade in a matter of hours. Wielding a sewing machine, some scissors and a bit of clever work with pins (avoiding stabbing yourself is a necessary step) jumper becomes sassy little dress.
See the full how to here.
New life for the drawer-lurking jumper and a new outfit for you. Everyone, but the moths, is happy.
Winter is most definitely upon us which sadly means it's all a bit drab and grey out there. Flowers won't be poking their heads out of the soil until spring but there is a solution which also gives you some eco-warrior points: easy to make fabric roses.
Fashioned from all manner of unwanted fabrics cut from clothes that are past their wear-by date, Queenly Things' fabric roses are elegant and ever so simple to put together. Making them in a variety of fabrics means you can end up with fabulous posies of colours and textures.
Pin them to your winter shades to add a bit of colour, stick them in a vase for a bit of year-round floweriness or get sneaky and plant them in a neighbours window box for a bit of seasonal floral confusion.
See the full Rose Parade tutorial here.
Christmas and the onslaught of the January sales have probably left you a bit out of pocket so to save some pennies how about turning something old into something new? Second Runway is an eco-friendly fashion show in Minnesota where they're doing just that and making it look rather fabulous as they do.
In the Second Runway video Lisa Venne takes a square scarf she's hunted down in a Goodwill shop and turns it into a skirt with minimal sewing up. She takes you through the whole process of cutting, folding, sewing and adding elastic in eight minutes turning scarf to skirt.
The remainder of the video is dedicated to Ms Venne accessorising her new creation with various other finds from the charity shop and has a few tips on what goes with what should you be feeling a bit fashion clueless.
You can see more about Second Runway on their website where there a lots of other ideas for recycling your wardrobe.
Being a girl with a graffiti knitted heart I have fallen madly in love with these Domestic Trophies but the very talented artist Rachel Denny.
The trophies are "a playful take on traditional hunting and gathering for the hearth and home". The one of a kind pieces are deerhead-shaped polyurethane foam, steel and clay covered in shredded sweaters and other knitted goods and they are eerily lovely. Much of her recent work is fibre-based too so the whole site is well worth wandering through.
I particularly heart the Red Zipper Buck and the gorgeous Nordic Knit if anyone fancies buying a Crafty Crafty writer something nice for Christmas.
Yet another lesson in how knitting is no longer content to slouch at home on the sofa in front of the tv or hide in the world of horror that is Bridget Jones' Christmas Jumper fear.
Bzzzzt. Bzzzzt. Pop. Christmas light fail. It's that time of year again when you get to thinking about untangling those Christmas lights and wrapping them round a dead tree. Magic. But those pesky bulbs seem to have fragile hearts and are constantly giving up the ghost. What to do with a handful of burned-out Christmas lights bulbs?
Singing "I'm dreaming of a green Christmas..." Reloved Designs shows off her ever so fabulous Burned Out Lightbulb Brooch on Craftster. The brooch is a simple but very effective cluster of bulbs, beads and shiny stuff that will certainly grab fellow Christmas party-goers by the fake antlers and turn them elf green with envy.
That's not the only recycled string to Reloved Designs handmade bow either.
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If one word could sum up the trendiest jewellery styles out there at the moment, I think that word would simply be 'big'! Accessories for autumn are chunky and proud, and if you take the time to make your own pieces using recycled t-shirts, you'll certainly have reason to wear them with pride.
The ragged jersey necklace on the left is my absolute favourite, and is the work of Peter Pan Complex on Threadbanger. The two views of the chunkier number on the right (which will definitely come in handy if this awful, unseasonal cold weather continues!) is by Chictopia.
This lovely bridal gown is absolutely charming. Or should that be Charmin? Far from being a priceless designer number, the dress just won this year's Cheap Chic wedding contest and is made entirely from toilet paper, tape and glue.
Its maker, Ann Kagawa Lee of Honolulu, Hawaii, took inspiration from the film "Gone With the Wind" and Japanese Origami. Judges likened it to an Oscar de la Renta gown, and awarded her a $1000.00 prize for her efforts. Visit the competition site to see the runners up, and some amazing close-up images of Ann's dress and hat! [Via Bridalwave]
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