August 25, 2011

DIY Chandeliers

My mom mentioned the other day that she wanted a new chandelier in her kitchen. Hers is pretty but it isn't what she is looking for (it's outdated). So, me being obsessed with refashioning/repurposing I told her I would find some great ideas on how to either change it or replace it with a DIY chandelier.









Have a wonderful day!

August 24, 2011

Rounded Fabric Flower Tutorial

Alright here comes my next fabric flower. I don't know what to call it, so if you have any suggestions let me know;) This one is extremely easy.

  • Again start out by picking fabric of choice. 

*For this flower you can use ANY fabric you want. Just know the thicker the fabric, the harder to pull your needle through:)

  • Next cut at at least 5 circles out of your fabric. (I have done 6 or 7 before and it still looks just as cute.) You pick what size  you want the circles to be; they just need to all be the same size. One of my circles is slightly smaller than the rest, but it doesn't make that big of a difference in the end.

  • Now pick thread that matches/blends in with the fabric of choice. I used red here so it can be seen a little better through the pictures. Fold one circle in half. Start hand sewing the outside edge of the half circle like this:

  • Now pull the thread tight so it looks like this:
This is what each petal will look like.
  • Continue to do this to each circle until it looks like this:

  • Next attach the end petals together by stitching the outside edges together (do it at least 3 times and secure it in the back).
  • Now you can embellish the flower however you like! You can add a rolled rosette to the middle (tutorial coming soon), a cute button, beads, pearls, etc. This beauty about this flower is how versatile it can be. Another variation is the pointed fabric flower. I will also be creating a tutorial for this one.
After adorning my flower, I cut a felt circle and glued it on the bottom along with an alligator clip and brooch pin.



Have a wonderful day!



August 23, 2011

Burned rose tutorial

This is my first real tutorial so...keep it in mind:) This is for what I call the "Burned Rose" fabric flower.

  • First off pick your fabric of choice (silk blends/polyester burn the prettiest so use these). Once you have your fabric of choice start cutting! For this flower I cut a total of 14 rectangles, varying in sizes. 

This is the size of the first two rectangles.











All 14 rectangles decreasing in length and width.

  • Next comes the fun part...playing with fire. Keep your fingers as far away from the flames as possible (Trust me, I know from experience). The fabric will burn quickly so don't leave it in the fire for longer than 2 sec.


  • Continue to burn the rectangle until it looks like this: 

  • After you burn each rectangle, start stacking/placing them how you want. Some flowers I end up using all 14, others I want less petals so it's up to you if you want to use them all. As you stack them, criss-cross them/alternate like so:

  • Keep alternating until you are satisfied with the size and shape of your rose.

  • Now it's time to keep them together. If you're short for time just hand sew all the petals together at once, by going straight through the middle of the rose (up and down at least 3 times, then secure on the bottom) or you can sew each petal together to make it even more secure. I did the second option for the tutorial. I do two petals at a time:
Go up from the bottom then back down, add two more petals and repeat.

  • The end result will look like this:
 
Now you can either leave it the way it is or add some beads/pearls to the center to make it "fancy".
Also hot glue a circle of felt to the back to hide the sewing marks, then glue an alligator clip and/or a brooch pin (i think that's what they're called).
TA DA! You're all done! Now you can add it to a belt, your hair, a purse or whatever you feel like doing:)