What to do with an empty can:

I was cleaning up after lunch today and went to put away the can of Gatorade my husband had used but found that it was empty.  I rinsed it out and got ready to recycle it when I thought, "Hm, maybe I can recycle it into something useful!" 

If you have young girls at home, you know how messy the "hair" drawer can get.  It spews barrettes, bows and ribbons every time I open it.  It's so overwhelming that I hardly use any of the accessories because I just don't want to take the time to organize them all.

I had a bright idea!  Let's use this old can to make an organizer for our bows!

This would also work for any other organizing need and the great thing about it is that it's free!  You just use the leftover fabric scraps and ribbons you have around your house.

Here's what you need:

1.  Cleaned coffee/Gatorade/large can

2.  Remnant piece of fabric large enough to cover the can

3.  Ribbons/trim to beautify!

4.  Hot glue gun

Step 1:  Cut your fabric with enough leftover to tuck under the bottom and into the top of the can.  I left about 3/4in for the bottom and about 2in for the top (just so I didn't see the can looking right at it).

Step 2:  Wrap and glue the fabric around the can.  It's nice to have a fabric that has a bit of stretch/give so you don't have to be perfectly lined up each time you glue.  I used a light linen I had leftover from this project.  I only glued the beginning edge along the whole height of the can and then the very end the same way.  I didn't glue anything around the top or bottom edges since it will be tucked under/over later.

Step 3:  Pull the bottom edges of fabric over the bottom edge of the can and glue.  Don't worry about trimming all the strings.  You can if you want to, but I like the homemade/rustic look of leaving them.

 
Step 4:  Turn the can over and tuck the top edges of the fabric inside the can and glue.  This can be a little difficult depending on how much fabric you left to tuck in.  Go ahead and trim some off if it's too hard to reach your glue gun inside the can.

Step 5:  Add ribbon and trim however you want!  Since it's almost Springtime, I wanted to use some organic and Springy colors.

Final Product:

 

I clipped some flower clips I made around the top for easy access.  I glued a bit of ric rac around the middle and left portions unglued and away from the can's surface so I can clip barrettes and bobby pins to those instead of digging around inside the can to find them.  I'll probably store combs and bigger things inside the can.

a home for my yoga mat

I'm feeling quite refreshed and happy after practicing yoga last night--so much that I'm still thinking about it almost 24 hours later.  Well, why not do something yoga-ish then?!

So I made this.  With no pattern.  This is all you have to do:

1.  Measure your mat's length and circumference.  Add 3 inches to both measurements.  Example:  My mat's circumference is 13 inches and is 24 inches long.  My fabric measurements are 16" by 27".  I just used a piece of scrap fabric from another project. 

2.  Cut a strip (matching or not) about 3" by 27" (the same length as your first piece).  If you want a wider strap, go with 4" by 27".

3.  Cut 2 circles using an object in your house that has the same circumference as your mat + 4" (so mine is 17").  I used a tray for a bunch of blank DVDs.  Keep the circles together with right-sides out.  Baste if you want. I hate basting and pinning so I usually don't.

4.  Sew the strip, right-sides in, length-wise.  Sew one end of the strip closed.  Turn right-side out.

5.  Sew the main piece of fabric, right-sides in, up the side.

6.  Sew the circle pieces to the bottom of your main piece (circles are still right-sides out and back to back, main piece is still right-sides in).  I didn't pin mine, I just held the edges as I went.  It's easier if you keep the circle piece on bottom and your main piece on top as you go around the edges so you can use circle as a guide.

7. Hem upper edge of case. You can either add a drawstring here or add a snap or button for closure. Or leave it open. Totally up to you!

8. Turn your work right-side out. You're almost done!

9. Attach the strap about 3" from bottom and top (tuck the edges in on the open end of the strap before sewing to leave a clean edge).

Namaste

project #5 (special request)

baby leg warmers

Here is a cheap, easy way to make your baby some leg warmers. I, for one, am not willing to spend $11 or $12 bucks on a pair of leg warmers when I can make them in 5 minutes for a few bucks. These make great gifts and are very simple to make. Let's get started!

what you need:

1. A cute pair of knee high socks. If you're making leg warmers for newborns, use a pair of girl's knee highs. For older babies, use women's knee highs. I have even used my husbands worn out socks to make some for my daughter. Just make sure the foot part isn't threadbare. It's OK if there are holes in the toes and heels because these parts will be cut out and discarded.
2. Coordinating thread

here's how:

1. Cut the sock in a straight line just above the heel line. The leg part of the sock will be the main part of your leg warmer.



2. With the remaining part of the sock, cut in a straight line just below the heel and again just above the toe. Make sure you have straight edges on both ends of the remaining piece. This will be the upper cuff of the leg warmer.



3. Fold the cuff piece in half, right sides out, lining up the raw edges.



4. Find the raw edge of the leg warmer and tuck it inside the cuff piece lining up all 3 raw edges on top. Align the pattern as desired (it's not really necessary to align solids or stripes but argyles or other patterns might require a bit of tweaking).




5. Pin in place.



6. Sew around the end completely. Make sure you catch all 3 raw edges in your seam.

VOILA! You have an adorable leg warmer!! If you want 2, which I suspect you will, repeat steps 1-6.

tip #1

how to sew a perfect circle

I'm currently working on a project for my mom for mother's day. I don't think she reads this blog so hopefully I'm not spoiling anything--but just in case, I won't get to detailed on what the project is until it's complete. Anyway, for this project I needed to know how to sew a perfect circle. I'm not about to ruin it by trying to sew a circle just by following the circle I outlined on the fabric.

Thanks to my dear friend Google, I found perfect instructions on how to do this...and I don't have to buy any fancy gizmos! Just for clarification--I take no credit for this tip but I thank whoever came up with it!

Here's how:

1. Find the radius of your circle (forgot your geometry? That's half the diameter)
2. Get a thumbtack and some masking tape.
3. Let's say my radius is 2 inches. I'm going to place my thumbtack 2 inches to the left of my needle and tape it down using the masking tape (just stick the thumbtack through the sticky side of the tape and tape the thumbtack to your machine).
4. On your fabric, find the center of the circle and place it on the thumbtack.
5. Now sew your circle! The fabric will rotate around the thumbtack, allowing you to sew a perfect circle. No guiding necessary!
   

project #2

tie-dye...always an experiment

Sophie had some white onesies and I needed some tie-dye. The great thing about tie-dye is that you can't really mess up and the final product is always different!!

The Process:

1. Mix your dyes according to package directions. This may require a little customizing and cutting corners if you don't want to mix the whole package of dye. You can also buy a tie-dye kit. For this project I used Dylon, which can be purchased at Wal-Mart or any craft store. I only mixed half of each package which still ended up being WAY more dye than we needed. TIP: Don't mix dye in bowls that you love because they may leave them stained. (I learned this the hard way and have stained my pink Williams-Sonoma mixing bowls.)
   
2. Tie your shirts/clothing. There are numerous ways to do this depending on what effect you want. The ever-s0-popular spiral look is achieved by pinching the fabric where you want the center of the spiral to be, then spinning the fabric in one direction until you have a tight wheel of fabric. Secure with rubber bands. It doesn't really matter how many rubber bands you use. The dye will seep under the bands so they don't really provide a barrier to color. For other ideas on tying, go here or just search the Internet.
   
   
3. Start dying! We used cups to pour the dye onto the fabric. It may be easier to use squirt bottles. We didn't have any so we improvised. You can also use a spray bottle to get a little splatter action going. TIP: If you want part of the fabric to remain white, don't POUR the dye on, just drizzle it. The dye tends to soak in really easily so go easy.
   
   
4. Wait. Place each article of clothing in a separate plastic bag to keep it moist. For maximum results, let the dye sit for 24 hours before washing.
   
   
5. Wash. First, you'll want to rinse the fabric in COLD water while it is still tied--until the water runs fairly clear. Then untie, and rinse again in HOT water until clear. Then wash your fabric in HOT water, using your regular laundry detergent.
   
   

These are simple directions compared to some you'll find on the Internet. I found that this process worked perfectly, however, and I had no need for the more technical instructions (like using soda-ash or synthrapol).

Pictures of the final products:

project #1

t-shirt recycled into yoga pants

Rundown: Take an old t-shirt, cut, sew, embellish, et voila!

Here's How:

1. Get a t-shirt and cut 2 pant legs. Cutting from the long edges or your shirt will allow you to keep the seem already sewn there and use it for the outside edges of the pant legs. Here is a horrible drawing to help you see where I cut from. Next time I'll remember to take pictures of the process.
2. Turn the 2 legs inside out and sew each leg up the inside leg.
   
3. With the legs still turned inside out, sew up the crotch. Its a good idea to go over the crotch twice to make sure it withstands the wear.
   
   
4. There are 2 options for the waste, OPTION 1 - with pants turned inside out, fold the waste band down and hem, leaving about 1 and 1/2 inches open to slide elastic in. Then sew up opening after adding elastic. OPTION 2 - cut another strip of fabric long enough to go around entire waste and tall enough to fold down when wearing. Turn pants right-side out. Pin (I rarely pin but often pay for it) the waste band along the waste of the pants on the outside and stitch. I hope this makes sense. Leave a comment if you have questions. I used OPTION 2 and made it up as I went so don't be scared to get creative. There is no right or wrong here!!
   
   
5. Embellish your pants however you like! I created my own appliques and used double-sided interfacing (glue on both sides) to stick them to the fabric using my hot iron. Then I hand-stitched with embroidery floss to secure the edges. Get creative with your stitches! There are lots to choose from!
   

Here are some pictures of the final product.