Sure you wander out with your iPod because you love music but if you really really love music a tiny electronic device doesn't really tell the world. If you really want to shove your love for harmonious melodies out there then adding a piano key bag to your accessories does exactly that.
The full Piano Key Bag tutorial appears on Craftster where the justifiably enthusiastic creator of the bag, atomikpop, talks you through the whole thing from handle to lining. The bag brings together knitting skills, some sewing up and the finding of almost painfully cute buttons to set the whole thing off.
She even suggests it could be knitted in the round for those of you who, like me, run for the hills whenever anything involving a needle and neat sewing up rears its ugly head. Love it.
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.
Umbrella, gloves, hat, scarf, book, iPod, mobile phone, knitting, lip balm, packet of tissues; there seem to be more and more things to take with you these days and impractical little clutch bags, trendy as they are right now, don't have the room.
Rather than saddle yourself with an ungainly backpack you can keep things pretty but stay practical with Between the Lines' Ruffled Messenger Bag.
You'll need two sets of fabric for this one. One for the outside of the bag, one for the lining. You'll also need to be handy with a sewing machine or scarily handy with a needle and thread (though I think it unlikely sheer finger power will get a needle though hardy fabric suitable for bagmaking).
The tutorial explains each step with simple instruction and photographs of each stage from lining the bag to creating the ruffled edge.
See the full tutorial online 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.
Everybody knows that pirates are just about the coolest things ever so why stuff them into the Halloween pigeon hole (or should that be crow's nest)?
You can be pirately at Christmas too and a scurvy way to begin would be with a barnacle-blasting pirate stocking to collect all your Christmas booty in.
The stocking is as quick to craft as running someone through with your rusty pirate sword so you'll be able to whip it up in no time. It also has a few flowery options for pirate wenches out there who like to lure people into a false sense of harmless girlie security before threatening them with a plank walk if they don't hand over all their chocolate dubloons.
For the full how to see the tutorial on Extremely Crafty and get a bit of yo ho ho into your ho ho ho this Christmas.
Oh my. How cool are these soft, stuffed ornaments? Made by South African crafter Jezze, they'd be suitable for handing on a tree, from the mantelpiece or anywhere else you want to add a bit of festive spirit at home.
If you want to find out how Jezze did it, check out her blog here. You could make your own versions featuring whatever designs and as many bright fabrics and colours as you like - but I rather like the gentle subtlety of this set.
Just remember to leave a big enough gap to be able to get the stuffing through!
It's ever so very cold out there as winter sets in. The hats, scarves and gloves appear once more and all is cosy with the world. With one small problem. I'm standing at the bus stop on the way to some fabulously festive Christmas shindig and I'm late. As usual. I fumble my iPhone out of my pocket with my warm woolly be-gloved hands and set out to text the usual apology to the poor sap who thought I might arrive on time. I poke in vain at the screen with my cosy digits. My iPhone shakes its virtual head. It isn't having any of it. To use my touch screen I am going to have to deglove and take the chilly consequences.
Just when you thought you'd have to choose between frostbitten fingers or impolitely turning up late without warning, along comes Instructables. Grathio's tutorial on how to make a glove work with a touch screen.
Phones and other gadgets with touch screens need the electricity your body makes to complete the circuit which tells the screen where you are touching it. The solution is simple. You sew conductive thread into the fingertips of your gloves and leave enough thread on the inside of your glove to connect your finger with the thread that is sewn outside the glove. Simple genius.
Best of all if you don't tell people you've done it you can completely mess with their heads as they wonder why on earth their iPhone isn't working properly. Hours of confusing fun to while you through chilly bus stop waits.
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