a pretty storage DIY

if you're like me, you leave things laying around on about every surface rather than finding them a home and keeping them there.  it's terrible, but i've always been like this.  luckily, there are lots of pretty options in the way of bowls, trays, baskets, etc. to catch all of the things that never get put away!  one of my favorites to make is fabric bowls or baskets because they're easy, cheap, and pretty!

what you'll need for this project: clothesline or cotton cord (i use nylon clothesline because it comes in about 100' packages for just a few dollars), fabric, thread, scissors, sewing machine (or you can do it by hand but it will take a  lot longer).

first, cut your fabric into strips about an inch wide or a little more.  the number of strips you'll need for your bowl or basket depends on the size you want and on the length of your strips, so start of with fewer than you know you'll need, that way you don't waste fabric!

to start your bowl or basket, fold one end of your fabric over the end of your clothesline.  keep that pinched and start wrapping your strip around the clothesline at an angle.

once you've gotten a few inches of your fabric wrapped around the clothesline, pin it in place because you're almost ready to sew!  fold your fabric-wrapped clothesline so that you make a coil.  start sewing at the end, in a circular pattern, so that your line of stitched radiates out from the end.  use a zigzag stitch and be sure you're getting both sides of the clothesline.  continue wrapping your fabric and sewing.  once you get to the end of a piece of fabric, just wrap a new piece over that end and keep on sewing!

once you've gotten the base as large as you want, it's time to make the sides.  to make sides, simply fold your bottom up (with the foot still down and the needle still through your clothesline).  to get walls that are straight up, fold your base so that it is perpendicular to the table.  if you want tapered sides like i did, fold your base up at about a 45 degree angle.  then keep sewing round and round just like before!  (sorry, i got a little ahead of myself before i thought to take the picture).

continue sewing until you've gotten the walls of your bowl or basket as high as you want them.  now it's time to decide if this will be a bowl or a basket.  for a bowl, you don't need to do anything.  for a basket, it's time to make little handles.  all you do is pull up a part of your fabric-wrapped clothesline and don't sew that to the body.  backstitch what you've sewn, then move onto the other side of the handle and start sewing again.  repeat that step for a handle on the opposite side.

take a break if you need.  when i make large bowl or baskets like this one, there's no way i can do it all in one sitting.  so i get a glass of tea and flojo and i enjoy craft talk over a few whole wheat noodles.

now you're ready to finish off your bowl or basket!  just cut your clothesline a little shorter than your fabric and wrap so that the end of your clothesline is hidden in the fabric.  then just keep sewing like you have been until the end is sewn down.

and now you have a pretty and handmade place to keep little bits and pieces, and no one has to know that this isn't where they really belong!  if you decide to try this out, i'd love to see your final product, or hear what you thought!

DIY: let's ruin that dress!

do you have clothes in your closet that you just don't wear? or, like me, a stack of clothes so unworn they never make it out of that folded stack on the dryer? if you've been following me on twitter, you probably know i've really been trying to downsize and donate. i have - had, rather - a dress made from really pretty fabric, but i just couldn't wear it any longer. i never, i repeat, NEVER, have a problem with clothes being too tight in the chest, but this dress was, and i can't help but think it was to make IBTC members like me feel a little better about, uh, our smallness. so i decided to shred it up and recycle it!

for this project you'll need a dress that you want to ruin (i liked that this one was lightweight, flowy fabric so i knew it would hang nicely without being stiff), scissors, an iron, elastic, a sewing machine, and a friend to keep you company, especially if you're a slow sewer like me.

i should have taken a picture before i cut off the top half, but of course i don't think about it until after it's gone. anyway, cut that sucker up! iron out any wrinkles or creases. around what will be the waist, fold over a section larger than the width of your elastic. then make one more crease, that way you're elastic is completely hidden in a little pocket with no raw edges.

ask a friend for their opinion if you're not sure about what you're doing. or, if things are going smoothly, why not sing together? i suggest something fun like this that one or both of you can dance to should you need a break.

i like to get a section of elastic in its little pocket and then pin it so that when i pull it as i sew, it doesn't get lost (because it's frustrating trying to fish it out later). sew, sew, sew, and pull the elastic as you go. when you've sewn just about all the way around, STOP! leave about an inch open so that you can sew the two ends of elastic together, then go ahead and sew the elastic pocket closed.

you're finished! and might i suggest - assuming your skirt is printed - that you pair it with another non-matching print? i think it's more fun that way. now when people compliment you on your skirt, or ask you where you got it, you can give a shy smile and say, "this old thing? oh, i made it."

do you recycle or remake any of your clothes? if so, what have you made?

works in progress

let me preface this post by saying: i know i've mentioned it before, but i feel arrogant calling myself an artist, so i'm just going to refer to myself as a person who likes to make things. now, as a person who likes to make things, i generally don't stick to just one specialty or one medium. i'm sure that most all people who like to make things would feel a little trapped making only one thing, and as a person who likes to make things, it's only natural to branch out and have various methods in which to be creative and express yourself. so, i've been doing just that.

the first work in progress is a tote bag or two. it's been at least a month ago that i told my soul sister i've had an idea for a tote forever and still haven't made it. as much as i love the finished product, i'm never a big fan of the actual act of sewing, thus the procrastination. earlier this week i got a text from beca asking me if i had plans to make more totes, and i guess that was the push i needed to get started! the new thing i wanted to try on the fabric didn't turn out quite like i was hoping, but it's a start, and i still think something pretty neat can come from it!

no, i have not been making apples. what i have been making is fried apples. MMMMM! chris was working with a man last week who had more apples than he and everyone he knows could eat, so chris brought home several gallons of liberty apples. i made several batches of fried apples, and tonight i'm making apple turnovers for dinner delicious snacks!

last, i've been working in my sketchbook. that drawing is nowhere near complete, but it's so fulfilling to be able to draw, regardless of the subject or level of completion. i plan to add a face, obviously, and to make it a little more interesting, watercolor!

do you have any works in progress, or anything you're excited about finishing?

hey, this is really exciting... today i ran into a friend of mine from middle school. it's been over 15 years since i've seen her (whoa, that makes me feel old!), and if she hadn't said her name, i'm not sure i would have recognized her. we ended up talking for a long time, exchanging numbers, and planning to get together very soon. i know i was smiling for the rest of the day because of that. i think those are the friendships that are the most special - the ones that never change no matter how much time has gone by!

if i haven't called or emailed you, it's not that i've fallen out of love...

...it's that i've been busy. sometimes i like being busy, and i truly am thankful for the things that are keeping me busy, but i feel like there are so many things i need to do and so many people that are pulling me in different directions. that kind of sounds like i'm complaining, doesn't it? well, i promise i'm not. just getting it off my chest, i guess. anyway, if i owe you a phone call, blog comments, emails, or a large amount of money, i promise i'm on my way! aside from jewelry making, here's what's been keeping me busy...

last saturday i spent a lot of the morning working on designing, redesigning, redesigning again, printing and cutting business cards. i still haven't taken the plunge and ordered any like a real professional, but until i do, and who knows when that will be, this will be my current business cards design. i'm pleased, and i'm really liking the white background as opposed to the brown kraft paper color of my old cards.

okay, i feel like i should always give you some sort of a warning or disclaimer before i show a picture of myself. something like, "1. i do not claim to be a model, nor do i take myself seriously. 2. i feel like a dummy. if you laugh, i might cry." self confidence issues? sure. i really need to find someone to model for me. like one day a week for about an hour or two would be perfect (hint, hint anyone who lives in the lynchburg, va area). so yeah, i've made some turban headbands and i think i like them. just be sure to look at the headband and not the wearer!

next, and maybe most exciting of all, i'm bringing back dinosaur toes totes! you can thank the people who voted yes for totes yesterday on the dinosaur toes facebook page. i'm not really sure why i quit making them, but i see sewing in my weekend plans! i've got some pyramid studs and leather, and that's all i'm saying for now. i'll show you more once i get a few made!

i hope you've had a good week so far. what have you been working on lately? and, have you entered the giveaway yet? you should! you could win a $40 gift certificate!

if i were to make resolutions...

...here are some ideas:

1. Eat more vegetables without fatty deliciousness added for flavor.

2. Not get so frustrated with people in my family.

3. Break my addiction to Coca-Cola.

4. Have more date nights with Mr. Dinosaur Toes.

5. Put my clothes away after washing rather than stacking them in the chair by my bed.

6. Clean out my desk and get rid of supplies I'll never use, then not accumulate so much!

7. Do more sewing! I can get a little lazy with that, but I need to make more tote bags today!

there's a new brooch in town...

That's right, there's a new brooch in town. Say goodbye to the old ones and make way for the new brooch of brooches. Forget the flowers (well, no don't, I still love the flowers) it's all about the rosettes. I went on a rosette-making-rampage a few weeks ago, and I must confess, I'm quite smitten. I have quite a bit of satin, but it's too small to use for anything else, so I've fashioned it into rosettes full of vintage and whimsical charm.