Jan 5, 2012 | DIY
From time to time I get “how do I DIY this…?” questions from my readers, and I’m always glad to help out! Though I may not be able to actually make the item in question (due to time or materials constraints), hopefully I can at least offer up some advice to put you on the right path to making it yourself. I received this question on one of my posts from last week:
I have a request, since you are the best of the best, could you maybe make one of these?
Well I don’t know about the best of the best <*blushes*> but I do know how to translate high-priced into DIY-able!! And for $518, that Marcus Lupfer sweater is just begging for it!!;-)
The absolute easiest way to DIY this? Find a sequined handbag and sew it onto your sweater. Seriously! This would give you a working purse attached to your clothing – how neat. Also, since it’s after the holiday season, many sequined evening bags are on sale. Ebay is also a great source for the sequined, vintage-style pouches that this one looks like.
If you don’t want to literally sew a bag onto your sweater…when it comes to sequined and beaded stuff, there often isn’t a way to do-it-yourself with sequins…unless you want to sew all those little sequins on yourself. (I did this for a top I wanted to DIY, and it took forever.) The results are indistinguishable from the original because of the handiwork, but I think it’s a contradiction of the idea of quick-and-easy DIY.
So to DIY this relatively quickly, but still as faithfully as possible to the original, you’ll have to compromise a bit. There’s still a lot of hand-sewing involved…and you potentially could stick a lot of this on using Jewel It! Embellishing Glue…but I’d really recommend sewing as much of it as you possibly can, unless you want stuff peeling off your sweater as your wearing it. Also, because of all the beaded and sequin trims involved, collecting all the materials for this could get pretty expensive. Here’s my list of recommended materials and how to:
Materials:
*gray sweater
*2 black tassels
*1 short plastic-tooth black zipper
*stretchy sequin trim in black, silver, and purple (I’ve used this before in my Sequin Bow Belt Tutorial)
*lightweight gold curb chain
*silver beaded trim (I think this trim from M&J Trimming is a pretty good match!)
*pre-strung silver bugle beads (not the kind loose in the bag; to save you some trouble)
*black acrylic paint
How-To:
1. Use marking chalk to sketch out the size and shape of your bag on the sweater, and mark where the zipper would go.
2. Hand-sew the silver beaded trim from the top of the bag diagonally towards the shoulder, and also on the other side of the bag under the arm.
3. Hand-sew the silver sequin trim to the area below where the zipper will be. Cut short strips and place them vertically, slightly overlapping.
4. Use the acrylic paint to color in some of the sequins in a quilting pattern. Allow to dry.
5. Take strips of the black and the purple sequin trim and weave them together (like a basket-weave) to make an interlocking diamond pattern. Hand-stitch at the overlapping areas to secure.
6. Hand-stitch this interlocked rectangle to the top part of the bag area on the sweater.
7. Cut the top of the zipper accordingly, and hand-stitch the shortened zipper to the sweater, covering up the edges of both areas of sequins.
8. Attach a tassel to each end of the gold chain, cut the chain in half, and-stitch to one side of the bag.
9. Hand-stitch strings of bugle beads in-between the colors in the top part of the bag.
If anybody else out there has a “How do I DIY…?” let me know in the comments, or ask away on Formspring.me! (leave the URL of the inspiration piece, please!)
Thanks for your question – hope that helped!
xoxox
Carly
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Dec 6, 2011 | DIY
How many of you have tried your hand at screenprinting before? I honestly didn’t know much about it until I designed a top for my now-defunct RIVETED clothing line back in 2007. I wanted the top to have a pretty chandelier screenprint on it, and I would decorate it with crystals. Screenprinting, no problem! I thought. Boy was I wrong. (more…)
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Sep 17, 2011 | DIY
Today I have the pleasure of welcoming Stacie, whom some of you may already know from her blog Stars for Streetlights, which I’ve featured a few times in my DIY Roundups. Or you may have seen how amazingly talented she is by seeing that jaw-dropping DIY Fendi Rose Dress she made awhile ago, or DIY Jeffrey Campbell Tick Studded Espadrilles. She’s a crafty one, alright!;-) We’ve been following each other’s blogs for some time now, and when she contacted me about a possible guest post I was so excited! Take it away, Stacie!
Hi everyone! My name is Stacie and I am a new writer over at Affordable Style and I am so happy that Carly has let me guest post on her blog today. I have followed Carly’s blog for over two years now, (it was actually one of the first blogs I found in the beginning stages of my blog obsession). Carly’s blog is always packed full of great ideas and DIYs that make me want to leave my computer and get craftin’.
A little about me: I just graduated from college in Indiana and started working at Affordable Style—this is my first big guest post. I’ve always loved blogging and finding inspiration in little nooks and crannies around the blogspot and internet world. Part of my job at Affordable Style is to write for Affordable Scarves. It’s really fun, I get to write about anything from alternate scarf uses to 37 Ways to tie a Scarf. A pretty great gig for someone who loves DIY projects and tutorials as much as I do.
Today I am going to show you a really, really easy tutorial on how to make a flowy vest from a scarf. Originally I saw this tutorial on Studs & Pearls (she’s another great DIY fashion guru). You can use any scarf you want from pashminas, shawls, or even square scarves. (Thrift stores are a great place to find scarves if you do not have a specific look in mind.)
DIY: How to Make a Vest from a Scarf
What you need:
-1 scarf (I used this pashmina because of its autumnal colors.)
-Scissors
-Sewing needle or sewing machine
-Pins
Step 1:
First you need to lay your scarf out on a large surface and find the middle. This will be the back of your vest.
Step 2:
Next, you need to make the cuts in your scarf for your arms. It does not have to be perfectly exact, but I measured 4-5” down from the top and made 12” angled slits that look like the lines in the photo.
Step 3:
After you have made your cuts, it is time to pin back the slits towards what will be the inside of your vest. Make sure the rough edges are being pinned onto the side that you don’t want to show off. You don’t necessarily have to sew the slits down, but I think it looks a lot nicer and it will make sure your scarf does not tear more or unravel.
Step 4:
Here is what my scarf looked like after I sewed the edges back. I have a machine that can do little funky designs, but you can do a simple zigzag stitch on most machines and it will look pretty nifty as well. (My sewing machine was the best graduation gift from the best mom ever. :))
One thing I love about the scarf vest is the little collar that the scarf creates if you leave a few inches at the top. Plus, if you want to wear your vest as a scarf again, the scarf drapes and folds so that it is hard to see the cuts!
Another shot.
GIVEAWAY!
Now we have a great opportunity for a Chic Steals reader!
If you want to win this scarf, just visit Affordable Scarves, pick out your favorite scarf, and comment below! You can get an additional entry by tweeting about the giveaway, and if you blog about it, we’ll give you two extra entries! Just leave those links in the comments below as well.
Thank you so much to Carly for having me, and good luck to everyone with their scarf DIY’s! Have fun makin’ stuff. 🙂
Cheers,
Stacie
Thanks so much to Stacie for this great tutorial!
So if you’d like to win this pretty Fall-inspired scarf-turned vest…
1. Leave a comment below with your favorite scarf from Affordable Scarves.
2. Tweet this giveaway and leave the link to your tweet IN A SEPARATE COMMENT.
3. Re-blog this giveaway and leave the link to your blog entry IN A SEPARATE COMMENT.
Total: 3 entries per person allowed.
All extra entries (Tweets and re-blogs) MUST be left in separate comments or they WILL NOT BE COUNTED.
Entry period ends Sunday, September 25, at 11:59 P.S.T.
Good luck!
xoxox
Carly
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FTC Disclosure: I have not received any compensation for this post, except for a vest handmade by the guest poster which has been offered for giveaway to one of my readers. Read my full Disclosure Policy here.
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Sep 2, 2011 | DIY
Nude shoe + Leather paint = Colorblock Pump
(photo: ASOS PATCHI Cylindrical Heel Platform High Shoe)
90’s-style clunky boots + Belts (glued on with Loctite Vinyl, Fabric and Plastic Glue
= Motorcycle Boots
(photo: Balenciaga Cut-Out Flat Boots)
White blouse (back cut away) + Lace curtain (thrifted) = Lace-Backed Blouse
(photo: PUFFY Roll-Up Sleeve Lace Back Shirt)
Shirt collar (cut off a white shirt) + Scrapbooking stickers (fixed with Aleene’s Glitter and Gem Glue) = Embellished Collar
(photo: TopShop Cream Mixed Stone Collar)
Sweatshirt + Chiffon (hand-stitched to seams, laid over front) = Mixed-Media Sweatshirt
(photo: Alexander Wang Silk-Chiffon Paneled Sweatshirt)
Black cord + Brooch (pinned in center) = Bolo Tie Necklace
(photo: Vintage Zuni Thunderbird Bolo Necklace)
Embroidery thread + Grosgrain ribbon + Bangles = Colorful Wrapped Bangles
(photo: JewelMint Garden Patch Trio)
T-strap sandal + Glitter (adhered with Mod Podge or Tulip Fashion Glitter Bond = Glittery Sandals
(photo: Jeffrey Campbell Foxy Glitter Sandal)
Happy DIY’ing!
xoxox
Carly
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Aug 9, 2011 | DIY
I had the opportunity to guest post for the blog Seamingly Smitten today, and I’m thrilled! They are hosting a 12-day Sew Chic Upcycling event with guest posters every day – and a ton of tutorials on how to upcycle, re-use, and re-purpose just about anything you could think of. In my post I show you how to turn a sweater into something sporty and Alexander Wang-inspired…with the addition of some mesh fabric from a thrifted football jersey. Please check it out below!
Thanks, Jenny, for having me! And definitely check out all the other guest poster’s tutorials, as well as the long Linky list at the end of the post for tons more inspiration.:-)
Happy DIY’ing!
xoxox
Carly
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