I really, really, really love scarves! Over the last 15 years I have accumulated quite the collection. I’ve dreamt about scarves being on sale and me carrying bags of $5 scarves and pashminas out of the store. Sometimes, I even wear a scarf in the heat of the summer.
This tutorial is how to make an infinity scarf out of a pashmina or regular scarf. I will also give you some details if you are just using new fabric.
You will need:
- an old scarf/pashmina or piece of fabric (20″ or wider x 80″ approx.)
- scissors
- pins
- needle and thread
- sewing machine (optional)
- iron (especially if your scarf has been neglected for a while and crumpled like mine)
Do you like to upcycle?
You can make an infinity scarf out of old clothes, bed sheets, a soft blanket or scarves or new fresh fabric.
Iron and Measure
Start by ironing the creases out of the fabric/scarf.
If you are using new fabric for this project use a piece that measures at least 18 x 70 inches (45cms x 177cms).
My scarf was 26 x 69 inches (66 cms x 175 cms). It was even shorter after I trimmed off the fringe and I think its a great length-finished its 66 inches long. I prefer it to be extra wide too.
Trim off the tassel bit on the end if your scarf/pashmina had trim.
Fold the fabric in half lengthwise with the good side facing inward.
Pin the fabric along the edge of the long side.
Sew the length of the long side.
Pull one end of the tube through to meet the other end and match up the seams. Next, pin the ends together to make the tube into a circle. Be sure to only pin through two layers.
Sew around the top, but don’t sew it closed. Leave a gap of a few inches to pull the scarf through.
After you pull the scarf through that small gap, get your needle and thread and hand sew the gap closed.
Now its ready to wear. Get the dog leash and take your dog out for a walk. Show your gorgeous new scarf upcycle to your neighbourhood!
I really enjoyed reinventing my scarf! Thanks for reading this post, feel free to comment if you need more detail!
Have you seen this post from last winter?! I made a similar scarf but with a zipper pocket to hide your cell phone or passport. Great idea for travelling!
How to Make an Easy Infinity Scarf with Zipper Hidden Pocket
Make a Beach Bag from a Beach Towel and Hand Towel in 10 minutes
The weather is hot and trips to the beach or swimming pool or splash pad are about to become a nearly daily part of our keeping cool routine. So why not turn your big beach towel into your beach bag! Its such an easy project too. If you have a sewing machine you could have this sewn up in 10 minutes.
You will need:
- a beach towel
- a hand towel
- 4 feet length of ribbon/strapping/cord/shoe lace
- basic sewing materials (sewing machine, thread, pins, scissors)
This vibrant beach towel is from Walmart for $8.00.
Happy Childhood Memory Moment…
When I was a youngster my grandma took me and 2 of my sisters and 2 of my cousins on a camping trip. What was she thinking taking 5 girls aged around 10 to 13 year old, on a trip like this. At a family gathering when they announced the trip was being planned, they produced beach towels and toiletries bags for each of us. My towel had hot air balloons on it and she had sewn in a bit of fabric and written my name on it. As much as I loved that trip-I cherished my bag and towel all my own. Sigh…I love my grandma memories…someday I should tell you about when we made horseradish for my big sister’s wedding reception….hilarious!
Back to the project at hand….
So this week I pick up two lovely bright beach towels for my girls. I also spotted some hand towels and bought those too-just simply because our hand towels keep disappearing.
So I’m unloading the newly purchased summertime items. Beach towels, hand towels with a nice ribbon on it, sunscreen, bug spray…and I think, wait a second! Drop everything and get out the sewing machine! LOL
First of all we need to see if that gorgeous yellow hand towel will fit width wise on my beach towel. Take two bag handles from it…yes we can!
So with a big and little towel and the ribbon ready here is what you do…..
Place the hand towel on top of the beach towel right sides facing each other.
Cut the strapping materials into two pieces 2 feet long each (24 inches or 60 cms). Look around to see what you have…shoe laces, webbing, braded trims.
Starting with the beach towel fold in half and mark the middle with a pin. Make a semi-circle with the straps and pin them to the towel.
Since my ribbon has the print on only one side I made sure this was showing on the good side of the towel. Also I tucked the ribbon ends under so they look finished and secure when sewn.
Next lay the hand towel on top of the beach towel and match up the location of the handles on the beach towel. Pin in place. I left the tag on the hand towel to remind me which side was my good side and which was the back. I did cut it off later. As you can see the towels don’t match up exactly the same width-one was 1/2 inch wider on both sides. It doesn’t matter!
Tuck the ends over so there won’t be fraying from the ribbon or strapping materials.
Sew it in place. I usually go around in a square for my stitching on straps to bags. If this was my own bag I would likely put on proper tote bag webbing straps and use a square of fabric or a face cloth to add a pocket or two. That is because I carry everything but the kitchen sink. I would also consider putting a hidden pocket somewhere on it to hide my keys and cell phone.
But since these towel bags are for the kids, the ribbon handles I used will be fine.
Next we will put the hand towel on the beach towel and pin them in place-Right sides facing in!
Sew down the side of the hand towel, then turn to sew the length and up to the top. See photo below. Now you have a bag!
Now you have a bag!
It might look wrong at first. I made 2 of these and at this point I think…uh oh did I do this right? But alas it is fine. Just turn the whole thing inside out and put the tail of the beach towel inside the bag. Add your sunscreen, hat, water bottle, snacks and goggles and off you go!
Here is a picture of the second bag. It’s going to be hot day and sunny day here. Perfect beach day!
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T-Shirt Refashion – Add details from baby clothes to jazz up plain clothes!
Upcycle your favourite baby clothes by sewing them on as appliques onto new clothes!
My girls had some super cute baby and toddler clothes. Not too eager to move away from the preschooler stage – I had a really hard time passing on certain items. I just loved them so much! Some of my favourite tops had sequins and buttons and adorable little features. Here are two examples of this that I saved for a few years so that someday I could re-invent and re-use it. At long last….today was the day!
Yesterday I found this plain pink hoodie for $8.50. Good quality but very plain. Meanwhile, this tiny top from the toddler years, was in my stash of things I could imagine getting a second chance.
Cut out the part of the t-shirt that you want to save. I knew this would end up an odd shape because of the printed flowers at the bottom so I didn’t include all of it. Trim it into the shape that you like and lay it on the shirt to see how it looks.
Next we attach it! I pinned the black butterfly part of the t-shirt like an applique and got ready to sew it to the pink hoodie. Notice the direction of the pins is actually the wrong way. I should have them facing the other direction because I want to sew clockwise around this. Pinning correctly helps your project go smoothly and saves you getting jabbed by a pin. Ouchie!
Be very careful to only sew one layer of the shirt. Knowing that this is possible I still managed to do it twice!
Zig zag stitch around the applique going in a clockwise direction. Use a matching or complimentary thread color. On this project I chose pink thread to match the hoodie.
It was a beautiful spring day but it was chilly. Perfect for a hoodie! My model loves it and even got a puppy kiss!
I love to recycle, repurpose and reinvent new things. This sort of project I could do over and over. It’s so easy! Don’t think that this is just for kids. If a garment has a great picture or embellishment on it-why not salvage it by sewing it onto something else.
I searched high and low to find a good picture of one of the girls wearing the shirts used in this post but there always seemed to be something blocking the embellishment. Here they are at Grandma and Grampa’s having a tea party and using the good china. M is wearing the little black top but you can’t see it. When I look at the photos of them it makes me so nostalgic for their younger days. It’s probably why I save their shirts…happy memories of years gone by.
Thanks for taking the time to read to the end. I hope you enjoy your day!
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How to Make an Easy Infinity Scarf with Zipper Hidden Pocket
I love scarves! I find a cute pattern or fabulous colored scarf on sale and I can’t help myself! Then I hoard them. So I had an idea to make a scarf with a hidden pocket and thought, instead of using new fabric why not make it with an older scarf I had not used in a long time.
The hidden pocket scarf idea I stumbled upon the last time I was travelling abroad and wanted to be able to keep my passport handy-but hidden while on the journey. Now I am thinking about how handy it would be to walk the dogs with keys, ID and phone hidden in a zipper section of the scarf. Maybe it would be a gift idea for a tween or teenager who isn’t into purses and needs to carry her personal items.
Here are just a few of my older pashmina scarves. I have bins and bins of them.
For this project you will need:
- Scarf or Fabric
- Short Zipper (7 inches or 18 cm long)
- Sewing Machine
- Pins
- Scissors
I happened to have a small RED zipper so I chose the red scarf. I love it when a project uses old things I have around rather than buying new supplies!
If you are using a pashmina trim off the fringe.
You can also make the zippered infinity scarves out of old clothes, a soft blanket or scarves or new fresh fabric.
For this project I would find a bit of fabric that measures at least 18 x 70 inches (45cms x 177cms).
My scarf was 26 x 69 inches (66 cms x 175 cms). It was even shorter after I trimmed off the fringe and I think it’s a great length-finished its 66 inches long. I prefer it to be extra wide too.
You will need a zipper approx. 7 inches or 18cms long.
Fold the scarf in half, so its long and skinny with right sides facing together. Decide where you would like the zipper to sit. I put mine a few inches from the end. Using pins, mark the ends of where the zipper will go.
Pin along the rest of edge.
Sew along the long edge. Stop sewing where you marked the zipper will be.
Open the gap you left for the zipper and pin one side of the zipper in place. The right side of the zipper should be down facing the right side of the fabric.
Sew the zipper into place on the first side. Flip it over and pin and sew the other side in place.
Close the gap at the end of the scarf by sewing the seam together.
Now test the zipper. It’s opening smoothly. Yeah! Leave the zipper open.
Pull one end of the tube through to meet the other end. Match up the seams and pin all the way around the tube.
Sew all the way around the edge. Be sure to only sew through two layers – we’re making the tube into a circle. Sew the two layers together all the way around.
Pull the scarf out through the open zipper hole.
Great Job! Now try it on!
Use the zipper pocket to hide your phone or passport or other lightweight items. Your belongings will fall down toward the bottom of the scarf. That is cool with me since its easy to grab.
Tuck the zipper towards your body so its not noticeable.
This is a great solution for where to put your things when wearing leggings that have no pockets. Or travelling in an area where you are concerned about pickpockets. Or dog walking….It’s just plain convenient too.
I really enjoyed reinventing my scarf! Thanks for reading this post, feel free to comment if you need more details!
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Sew a Super Easy to Make Felt Crown – Add to your dress up clothes!
How to Make an Easy Felt Crown!
I went to Dollar Tree this time to get a few time things and got these vibrant colours of pink, 2 shades of purple and turquoise. They charged $1.25 which is a lot more than Michael’s $.59 each. But I was there and the colours were so appealing….A piece of craft felt can cost $.50-1.25 depending on where you are buying it. For each crown you will only need 2 rectangles of felt-I used different bright colors. You will need some gems, scraps of felt and your hot glue gun, This time we are going to use the sewing machine.
If you would like to use do this project without sewing follow this link….http://mybrightideasblog.com/make-no-sew-felt-crown/
Make a template using an 8 1/2 by 11 standard piece of paper. Measure 4 1/2 inches from the bottom and draw a line. Draw another line 2 inches below that. Put a mark every inch along both lines. Then using your ruler create a zig zag. This measurement should make it possible to do this twice on a felt rectangle that measures 9′ x 11 1/2″. To make sure you don’t cut into the other half you could cut the felt in half lengthwise before you cut the zig zag, If your felt isn’t as wide as mine just shorten the bottom portion of the template…it doesn’t need to be that thick. Do the same with the second color that you have. This extra layer will stiffen the project so it can support the gems. It also makes it really pop with the extra color.
Next overlap the two colors a bit and pin them together. Sew all the way around the bottom, side, zig zag and other side. Overlap one side to the other and sew a seam to connect them. The other seam will be open so pin Velcro strips so the size is adjustable and easy to get on and off. If you don’t have Velcro you could just fit the crown to the child’s head and sew that seam too. Cut pieces of felt out of scraps to place under the gems. Using the hot glue gun, glue the felt to the crown and the gem on top.I only put gems on the front of the crown, but you could put them all the way around. You could also add a strip of ribbon or gold trim around the bottom to decorate it further.
Sewing Diy- Extend the Length of a Short Top with Lace
Have you got a great shirt that has gotten too small and you aren’t ready to say good-bye to it? Adding a bit of lace to the bottom is so easy and will make all the difference on how much longer it will work for you. Great for growing girls….also helpful for adults…I have a 100% cotton tank top that is going to have a similar extension as it now is a crop top…just from regular laundering it shrunk inches!
For this project you will need:
An awesome shirt you want to save
A piece of stretchy lace that will be as wide as the top
Sewing machine, thread, tape measure etc etc
Iron the t-shirt and the lace before you start. This lovely, shimmery, sequin butterfly top is 14 inches wide (36 cms) along the bottom seam when laying flat. So the lace would need to be 28 inches (73 cms) wide plus one extra inch (2.5 cms) for a seam allowance. Check to make sure this will be a good match in width.
Fold the lace in half and sew the edges together. Turn it inside out.
Lay the lace on the bottom of the t-shirt and decide if you would like to sew it on top of the bottom edge or underneath. My lace has a nice look to the top so it didn’t need to be hidden. Lay the lace down flat and put a pin on each end…this will help you to line up the pin to the side seams.
I pinned the lace on top of it all around the top. After I took this photo I decided that the t-shirt would be on the left of the sewing machine so all the pins needed to be turned around. Since the t-shirt and the lace have some stretch you can pull and stretch it a bit if things aren’t lining up well. After you sewed all the way around you are done. Try it on. Can you believe that only took you 10 minutes!?!? Well done!
We love this sequin butterfly top enough that we would probably cut the butterfly off and sew it onto another shirt when its just too small.
Easy to Make-Microwavable Hot / Cold Rice & Lavender Packs
Microwavable Rice and Lavender Hot or Cold Pad
Need to soothe aches and pain, bumps and bruises? Nothing brings comfort like a microwave rice hot pack! Add a hint of lavender to your hot pad for a calming effect.
If you are sporty with muscle aches or have bickering children that make a certain shoulder muscle tense you need a cloth bag of rice that you can microwave. Everyone needs a few of these in the house. Keep one in the freezer for when you need a cold one (great if a doozy of a headache is coming on) and another ready to go for the microwave when you need a hot one. Even if there are no muscle pains at the moment if you are feeling sick or can’t seem to shake off a chill its wonderful that in 3 minutes in the microwave you have a soothing warm compress…and don’t get me started about cramps….
You will need:
- A piece of cotton 12 x 20 inches (rather than buy new why not upcycle an old pillowcase or piece of clothing you don’t want-or something from the sewing scrap basket)
- Sewing machine
- Needle and thread
- Funnel or juice bottle turned into a funnel
- 3 lb bag of uncooked long grain rice
- 3 tablespoons of dried lavender (this is optional-if you are sensitive to smells start with 1tbsp-it should be subtle and soothing) you can buy lavender from the bulk store or health food store
Choose a calming fabric in 100% cotton. You only need 12 inches x 20 inches (30 cm by 51 cm) so its a great way to use up a scrap remnant from another sewing project.
I love this soothing pattern. Just looking at it calms my headache.
Cut the fabric to size and iron flat.
Fold in half.
Sew around the edge.
Sew around the fabric leaving a 2 inch opening.
Turn the fabric inside out.
In a large bowl, combine 3 cups of rice and 3 tablespoons of lavender buds. Lavender is completely optional. I found that the lavender was very strong smelling when heated, so I decreased it to 1 tablespoon.
I picked up lavender at the health food store.
Using a funnel fill the bag with the rice and lavender mixture. Fill to approximately ¾ full.
I didn’t have a funnel with a wide enough neck so I pulled a big juice jug from the recycling bin and cut off the bottom half. It’s the perfect funnel for this project.
You don’t want it jammed full because its going to be wrapped around your neck or across your forehead so you need some flexibility. Leave 1/4 of the tube empty. Pin the end securely.
Try it out! How is the flexibility? See how comfortable it is with the current amount of rice. Add more or remove some to make it more to your liking.
If you are happy with it….Tuck the unfinished ends in and hand stitch it closed.
Hot Pack Instructions- To make it a hot pack just microwave for approximately 2 minutes depending on your microwave. It may need another 30 seconds but test it to see what is right for you. My sized rice pack and microwave seem to be perfect at 3 mins. Be careful not to make it too hot for skin. It should be lovely and soothing. (Not for children-Use at your own risk)
Cold Pack-Place the rice pack in a ziplock bag and put in the freezer. Amazing for headaches or bumps and bruises.
Mini Packs and Pocket Warmers-To make pocket warmers cut a piece of fabric 3 x 5 inches (or old lost sock) to be approx. 5 inches long. Follow the instructions above. For microwaving heat for 30 seconds to start and test out the perfect length of time for your hand warmers.
I always store my rice packs in a ziplock bag to keep the dust off. Do not microwave it in the plastic bag.
Remember to make a spare one for your desk at work and make a few extras to take to friends with the flu with some chicken soup. Ohhh, you’re such a good friend…
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Sew Your Own Shopping Bags for Produce Fruit and Vegetabes – Very Easy!
Using reusable shopping bags has been the trend for years now when carrying your groceries home. But have you noticed that some stores are encouraging you to bring cloth bags for the produce too? I have seen this trend at my local bulk store.
Of course, if you ‘ve been going to the farmers market, cloth produce bags makes so much sense. They often have the container of plums set out and then toss them into a plastic bag for you. They don’t even weigh it. Now that I have made these bags, I want to go the extra distance to the Saturday farmers market!
Fabrics you could use for this project include… cotton, curtain sheers, tulle, sheer nylon….consider though that if your going to a store that will be weighing your produce the heavier the fabric the more you will be paying each shopping trip. Choose lightweight!
On my first trip to the fabric store I was shocked at the cost of nylon….$20 /meter?!? Youch! So I purchased a meter of tulle (wedding veil and tutu sheer fabric) costing a low, low $1.99 per meter. This seemed sensible so I could make them without thinking about how costly any errors will be. I do plan to make them in a few fabrics though including nylon so I can see how different materials hold up with wear and tear. For today’s project I’ll stick with 1 metre (or 1 yard) of toule and 2 meters (or yards) of thin white cording. You could also use ribbon. This is enough to make 4 or 5 bags depending on the size you choose to make.
The first step is to decide on your bag size preference. Grab your ruler and eyeball what these sizes would look like.
6×9, 8×10, 10×13, 12×18, 18×24
Add an inch for the fold over for the string or ribbon to go through. I want to try a bunch of options…. but for this post I will keep it simple. This one in the photo ended up being 11 inches by 12.5 when finished. I’m not very picky about the sizes-as long as it is big enough to fit 6 apples I’m happy.
Fold the top edge over 1/2 inch and sew across. This will form the drawstring casing to tie the bag up.
Pin the fabric together-this is slippery stuff- and sew around the sides and bottom. Start and finish sewing just under the casing to the bottom of the bag. I used a straight stitch, then trimmed it fairly close to the stitch and then sew around again with a zig zag stitch to tuck the ends in. If you are using nylon or sheer curtains they will fray if you don’t zigzag.
Attach a safety pin to the end of your ribbon or string and pull through. Tie a knot at the ends.
Attach a safety pin to the end of your ribbon or string and pull through. Tie a knot at the ends.
Fingerless Mittens from Socks? Super fun!
Have you noticed the weather is getting chilly again and your little fingers are getting cold. But where are last years mittens??? Don’t ask me….I have a drawer with 10 single mittens and gloves that I just can’t figure out where the partners have gone to.
Not to worry! It is so easy to make fingerless gloves/mittens from a pair of socks! Find yourself a clean pair of old socks that you can upcycle….or treat yourself to a new pair of socks.
You will need….
- socks
- scissors
- needle
- thread
- felt scraps
Start by resting your hand on the sock and seeing where your thumb will be and the length of your fingers compared to the end of the socks. Mark a little “o” where the thumb hole will be near the bend in the sock.
Cut a small hole at the bend in the sock heel for the thumb and across the top for the fingers.
Try the sock on your hand and see if you thumb fits comfortably. If it’s too small make it a bit bigger.
The lovely thing about socks. is they are stretchy and comfy. Having your finger tips free means you can type a text, count change for the parking metre and blow your nose without taking off your mitts. Gross…. I know but cold and flu season will be here soon!
Hemming isn’t necessary, because it is knit fabric, so let it roll a bit. So literally, that is all you do to make the fingerless mitten or glove.
Now choose a little something to be the applique on the front of each hand.
I tried this handsome dog but he was too big.
Decide where you want to put the applique and pin it in place.
A quick running stitch is all you need to attach the heart to the mitten.
There, now the mitten applique is in place. You are done!
Easy to add a flower with a button.
Stars are easy too.
Brrr. That was a cold day! Hmmm…hot chocolate!
Sew a Super Easy to Make Felt Crown – Add to your dress up clothes!
Felt Knee Patch – Little birds Cover Holes in Pants
These are way cuter than the big rectangle patches I had to patch up the holes in my pants when I was a kid. Trust me! In my frugal family, growing up with 4 sisters, holes were mended, socks were darned…things were not thrown out if they got a hole they were put in the mending basket-next to the sewing machine. Every item of clothing was in the process of being a hand-me-down and would be again as soon as we had outgrown it.
I love felt! Its so easy to create an applique just for fun but if your kiddo has a hole in her pants its a fast way to patch it up. Choose a shape and colour and sew it on. Yellow stars, red hearts are classic but if you want to get more complicated then do so. Layers of flowers tempted me on this project but then I remembered she might be in gym class on her hands and knees and be wishing I didn’t put little beads on it.
So I chose a simple bird for these leggings. There was only a hole in one knee but I thought they should match. One looked lonely.
I drew a very easy bird on paper so I could cut out the pattern easily. It looks like a big paisley with a small paisley for a wing and a triangle beak. Normally a little bead would make a great little eye for the bird but I was thinking of her crawling on her knees and that could hurt so I just cut a little circle and used a knot in the thread to make it look like an eye.
As soon as I had Miss M put the freshly mended pants on she noticed there was still a hole on her bum. Hmm….I hadn’t noticed that…good thing I made extra birds… This would look really cute on the back pocket of some jeans!
