Contrast pocket singlet with embroidered message

Difficulty:

Cost:

$5 for a singlet

It's that time of the year again, Christmas is coming!

Hello hello, Ali here.

I don't know about you, but when it comes to Christmas shopping there is one big group of family members and friends that I always find super hard to find prezzies for - boys!

Whether it's boyfriends, brothers or dads, boys just aren't easy to sort out for Christmas.

You might remember our Badass Pockets post from a while back, when we made super cool tees for Tom and Nick? The tee-shirts were very popular and we've had lots of requests for more. So I decided that another contrast pocket tutorial was in order, just in time for Christmas. 

That special boy in your life will love this personal and very cool new piece of clothing, I know mine did!

I've added a little bit of extra special into this tutorial too so you can embroider a little message or saying onto the pocket too.

Materials:

Singlet

Scrap fabric

Tools:

Quick unpick

Scissors

Sewing Machine

Iron

Needle and thread

Method:

Start by unpicking the original pocket off the singlet.

So you end up with an outline on the singlet and a pocket template.

Place the removed pocket on top of your contrast pocket material, using it as a pattern piece to cut around.

Sew around the entire pocket with an overlocker (serger) or zig-zag stitch to finish the raw edges and prevent fraying.

Next, iron a 2cm seam around the entire pocket.  

Then fold the top of the pocket down again as shown below.

Now sew along this top seam, making a lovely little pocket shape.

Now it's time to embroider on a wee message, yay!

Start by writing your message onto a pocket sized piece of paper so you can make sure it's the size you want it to be. 

Then, using fabric chalk or a pencil, rule some guide lines that you can follow while you embroider. 

** Steeze = Style with ease 

Then embroider away!

I used a white cotton thread on my pocket so it wouldn't stand out too much, and was just a subtle detail.

Lastly, pin your pocket onto the singlet, in line with the outline of the original pocket and sew around all edges except the top, you don't want to sew it closed!

There you go, you're all done!

Below are some pics of my boyfriend Tyler modelling his new singlet.

Looks pretty good right? Steezy even!

Happy embroidering!

Covered Box (and Sewing Kit)

Difficulty:

Cost:

Approximately $3 for the box

Under $10 if you have to buy sewing kit items

Hi! Amy here again, I'm still stuck in Dunedin and still procrastinating from studying for my exams. This covered box was so easy to make and is super cute. I put together a bunch of items that I think are necessary for a basic sewing kit, and in this adorable box the kit would make a great gift. The box covering can be a bit fiddly but because of the slow drying nature of PVA you can fiddle around with the material until you get it right. 

Tools:

Scissors

PVA glue

A paint brush (for glue application)

Materials:

A small box

Material

Method:

Step one- Begin by cutting out two squares of material, one for the lid of the box and one for the box itself. Place the box on your fabric and cut around it, leaving a wide border; it needs to be wide enough to cover the outsides and the insides of the box. 

Step Two- I began by covering the lid first, but the first few steps for covering the box are the same. Paint glue onto the top of your lid and place it in the middle of the square of material, smoothing the material so there are no lumps.

Step Three- Next, paint glue onto two opposite sides of the box. The glue should cover both the inside and the outside, fold your material over these sides and smooth. 

After waiting for your glue to dry for about ten minutes, paint glue onto one of the uncovered sides and fold in the fabric, like a present. You should be left with the side of lid looking like the picture below. 

 Paint some more glue on the inside of the box and tuck your material in. 

From the outside your box lid should look like this. Paint some more glue on the inside of the box and tuck this piece inside the lid. 

Repeat this step for the other uncovered side of the lid. It doesn't matter that the flat inside of the lid is quite messy, this will all be covered up later. 

For the box itself, repeat steps one to three first. This is where it gets slightly fiddly. On the first uncovered side of the box paint your glue in a pattern like the one below and fold the two opposing sides of material inwards.

Then, paint the interior of the box completely with glue, and fold the material in to cover the glue. 

At this point, you should be left with a weird mohawk of fabric down the middle of this side of the box. This must be trimmed (like all real mohawks) so that the excess fabric doesn't get in the way.  

Then, as with the lid, fold the left over fabric like a present and glue it in place, both the inside and the outside. Repeat these steps on the remaining uncovered box side. 

After all the sides are covered the inside of the box should look like this. Again, this is very messy, but it doesn't matter as it will be covered. 

The final steps for both the lid and the box begins with cutting out two squares of fabric that will fit snugly into the bottom of the box and the inside of the lid. Then, smother, and I mean, the more the merrier, the uncovered sides of the box in glue. The glue smoothes the fabric that is already there so that the surface you glue the smaller square of fabric onto is even. 

Place the square of fabric you cut out over the glue and after repeating this step for the remaining uncovered bit, you're finished! 

Are you guys excited that I made a gif! I'm so excited and although it's slightly uneven (that first picture...) I'm proud of my first gif! 

The items that make up my sewing kit are;

A pin cushion, complete with pins

A tape measure

An old cotton reel with various cottons on it; black, white, blue and grey are common colours

A small plastic bag that contains the spare buttons that have come with various items of clothing

A needle wheel

A teeny pair of scissors

Of course this is just a basic, beginner sewing kit, you could add whatever you think you may need. 

Happy sewing and gluing!

Olympia Le Tan inspired wallet

Difficulty:

Cost:

The wee book I used cost me $6.50, I wouldn't recommend spending more than ten dollars on a book for this DIY although you may have to trawl second hand book shops until you find something you like the look of. 

Hi there, it's Amy. Unlike Ali, I am still in the throes of exams, she got to go home aggggeeees ago! So it's rather dangerous because she has entrusted me to venture alone into the realms of craft and see what I come up with. I have been inspired today but the fabulous Olympia Le Tan clutches that are seen in the hands of the rich and famous! Fortunately, the wee wallet I created cannot even put a scratch on the price tags of the real deal.

I would quickly like to mention that my mother is a librarian so yes, I fully comprehend that many of you may think I am ruining a perfectly good book. In response I would like to say...

 but, fashun?

Tools:

A craft knife

A glue stick

A ruler

Materials:

A hard cover book

( I got three!)

Method:

The book that I chose to use has beautiful gilded pages so I wanted to try and preserve those. I began by ruling one cm margins on the first page of my book. 

Then, using a craft knife, I cut down into the pages of the book along the lines I had ruled. This step is really the trickiest, you have to keep going until you have managed to cut through all the pages. I pegged my book together at the corners to ensure all the pages stayed together. 

When you have cut out the pages you should be left with a thin border of pages. It does not matter at all how ruggedly you have cut the pages (as you can see I hacked away until the job was done) as this will all be covered up later. 

The final step is to take some of the cut out pages and line the inside of the hollow you have created. I cut up the pages into different sizes to create a decoupage look. It is important that you line all sides of the hollow, as this is ultimately what will hold all your pages together.

You may have to line an area more than once, if you make a mistake, or don't like how it looks, you can always put another layer of paper over it, that's my philosophy anyway. 

Fin! This book is the perfect size for an iPhone and there is room left over for a few credit cards and a lippy. This book would make a fabulous gift, or, as my flatmate Petra suggested; you could use it to hide your phone in and text in class without the teacher noticing. 

Enjoy that book destruction! (Sorry Mum!)