Garlands

Difficulty:

Cost:

$0

Garlands are a super quick and easy way to liven up any room. These ones are extra easy to make and use materials you probably already have lying around. 

Plus they add a really personal touch to your room because you can make them any shape, colour and size you like! They also make a beautiful and personal gift. 

Tools:

Needle and thread

Materials:

Paper

Magazines
Anything that looks pretty!

Method

The first and hardest part is choosing the shape you want to use. 

We considered elephants, daisys and the ever popular triangle before Ali finally settled on a cat shape (classic)

Then cut that shape out of all of the pretty things!

We used a couple of old magazines, white paper, gold tissue, a 2012 cat calendar of Ali's and an old tissue box she had kept because she liked the sail boats.

Now arrange them prettily and you're ready to sew them together.

You can hand stitch them or use a sewing machine if you have one handy.

The easiest way to hand sew these is to keep your thread attached to the reel and slide each piece towards the cotton reel as you sew it on.

And meow you have a super cute cat garland, yay!

Amy also made these lovely garlands using magazine circles which adorn her adorable room.

Happy garland making,

No-sew couch cover

Difficulty:

Cost:

Sheets- $4

This is the couch that Amy has at her flat.  These old sofas are typical of student flats and can be a bit of an eyesore, especially when you're in the pursuit of cute.
Luckily for you we've come up with this crafty way of covering a couch with vintage sheets, yay!
 As an added bonus there is no sewing involved and it is super cheap.

Materials:

Two bed sheets

We picked these vintage sheets up at the op-shop for $2 each

Method:

Take the seat cushions off your couch and drape one sheet over the whole couch.
Then tuck the sheet in so it's nice and secure around the arms. Make sure the sheet is nice and even everywhere and covers all of the right places.

Lay out the second sheet and lay your two seat cushions upside down on it, side by side. 

Now start wrapping the cushions like a present!

Fold the sides of your sheet up over your cushions, then fold in the corners of the fabric at each end.
Next, fold this over the top of your wrapped up sheets. 

Flip your cushions over the right way and squeeze them back on to the couch. Smooth out and tuck in any extra fabric. 

Finished!

It's quite an improvement we think.

Enjoy covering those couches!

Patches, Pansies and Pom Poms

Difficulty:

Cost:

Elbow patches - $1

Pansies - $3

Pompoms - $5 

+ your sweater of choice

Yikes, it's getting cold down here and we were both in need of some winter clothes to see us through the dark months ahead. We're not yet facing the snow, sleet, frost or ice yet, but we thought some cute sweaters would give us enough warm fuzzies to keep us toasty for when we do. 

We created three different sweater designs, the first using an old jersey, giving it a new lease of life and the second and third using eight dollar Kmart jumpers, eight dollars! 

So first up, our old sweater revamp.

Elbow Patches

Materials:

Fabric

Sweater

Tools:

Scissors

Pins

Sewing machine or needle and thread

We picked up these amazing grey corduroy pants at an op-shop for $1, to cut up and use for elbow patches. We will use the fabric in later DIYs, we are sure.

Method

Firstly, cut out your elbow patches. We used a plain oval shape but you could use any shape, how cute would hearts or stars look? 

Next, while wearing your sweater, place a pin on each elbow. Use these as guides so you know where to place your patches when you have taken your sweater off. Pin your patches onto your sweater. Put your sweater back on and check they are in the right place. 

Finally, sew your elbow patches onto your sweater. We used a machine as it is much quicker and using a zigzag stitch secures the patches on well. You could also hand sew them on if you don't have a machine. 

That's one sweater DIY done!

The Sweaters!

These are our eight dollar (eight dollar!) Kmart Sweaters. This fabulous wallpaper background is at Ali's house. She lives in a flat that is so old it's classified as a heritage building! The bonus is the incredible wallpaper in some of the rooms. The lovely model here is Amy, super excited about our bargain sweaters.

Ali's sweater DIY; Pansies

Recently I was browsing the magical wonderland that is Pinterest and came across some gorgeous pansies made out of icing, ready to adorn some gorgeous cake somewhere. Naturally, I fell in love. But what's better than icing pansies on a cake? Felt pansies on a sweater! 

Materials:

Felt

Wool

Cotton

Tools:

Scissors

Needle

Method:

Cut out your petals.

You will need three small cream circles and one larger, coloured oval per flower.

Arrange your petals into a pansy shape.

Sew three or four loops of yellow woollen thread coming out from the centre of the flower.

These loops also act to join the petals together.

Do the same with your cotton thread, alternating lengths of loops. 

Repeat a bundle of times and you have a pretty bunch of pansies!

Then all you have to do is sew them onto your sweater. I used the same black thread and focused my stitches in the middle of the flower.

And there you have it, a super cute pansy sweater.

Perfect for garden parties and frolicking in meadows.

Amy's Sweater DIY; Pompoms

I  recently saw a photo of Tavi Gevinson in a magazine and she was wearing this amazing oversized navy sweater with giant multi-coloured pompoms on it and I wanted it so much! Here is my take on that amazing sweater.

Materials:

Wool

Tools:

Scissors

Fork

Needle and thread

Method

Start by cutting a small length of wool, about 10 centimetres long.

Thread the wool between the middle two prongs of the fork.
Push the wool down and make sure to hold on tight to the two ends, you'll need them later.

Next, wrap your wool around and around and around the outer prongs of the fork until it is quite thick. 

Then use the first bit of wool that you put on the fork to tie a knot around the new bunch of wool. 

It helps to have another finger available to help tie the knot extra tight.

Next, slide your wool bundle off the fork. 

Taking the scissors, snip through all the loops, Make sure you get them all, you may have to go over an area more than once as the loops can be tricky. 

Finally, you need to even out your pom-pom. Using the scissors, snip around the outside of the pom-pom, making sure the fluffy bits are all a regulation length. 

Ta-Da! A finished pompom! Now make a few more and you are ready to sew them on to your jersey. Choose a pattern that you are happy with and using a needle and thread, hand stitch the pompoms onto your sweater. 

This is the finished product! A beautiful pompom sweater! I decided to place my pompoms on the arms in quite a random fashion. 

Happy Sweater DIYing