I have a Dutch book called
Cool Baby with really neat ideas like creating a kid rain poncho out of an old umbrella, or baby outfits out of t-shirts, jerseys out of scarves, or dresses from jean pant legs.
I have gotten so much inspiration... like the idea to create my brother a dreads shower cap out of a dead umbrella. There is really a gap in the market here but I must perfect my design. He says it drips cold water down his neck (brrrr).
Then I made baby C some dress from B's old and stained t-shirts. Unfortunately I didn't take any photos along the way to show you exactly how, but here is a rough guide.
I cut (roughly) along the red lines seen in the photo, measuring against another dress of hers to be sure the width and length would be good.
First I cut in the middle of the v-neck, then in a square around (both sides). Then enough to make a skirt using the right edge, and including the cute polo logo.
Then I pinned them together, criss-crossing the collar like you see in the finished dress. I cut whatever was left over once I pinned the skirt to the top and sewed around, making sure that the whole collar edge was caught in the seam.
Then, if the fabric is nice, you can use the rest to make bibs!
Looks like a useful book for crafty people wanting to start a creative business. One of my favourite blogs, the Simple Dollar, did a review of Craft INC. His summary in short? A good book if you have a passion for some hobby and wish to make money doing it.
My sister in law, Bridget McNulty, has written a novel, Strange Nervous Laughter, which is soon to be published in the States (12th May). The novel is based in Durban and revolves around some pretty zany characters which I found to be quite charming in their own weird ways (especially Harry who was toned down in the final edit much to my disappointment).
This was a birthday present a year or so ago (Craftivity). It's hard to find interesting craft books, but this one certainly is interesting. Aka, the crochet skull... Unfortunately I haven't made many things from the book yet - I am not fond of knitting or crochet (I need more instant gratification), and my woodwork skills are such I would probably lose some fingers. I did however make the t-shirt panties (will be posting about those sometime - no promises) and would like to make the cover picture 'chandelier' some day. This book has been sitting on my book shelf for a while, but while paging through I got some inspiration. It really deserves the high Amazon ratings.
It was my sewing buddy Kim's birthday last week and I bought her this book - Making vintage bags. It had good reviews on Amazon, and I wasn't disappointed. The bags are very cute and the instructions seem very detailed. The best thing about this book is the finishing touches on the bags (like a fabric rose), or big floppy bows, and they show you how to do it yourself. If you like bags as much as Kim and I, then I would recommend this book.
Posts
