by Maggie Kmiecik | Mar 16, 2017 | Make It
How cute is this knit storage solution? This simple knit basket pattern is so easy to work up, you’ll be able to clear up some clutter quickly! The garter stitch makes gives this pattern a little ridged, cozy look perfect for making a home feel warmer. The pattern comes in a few different sizes so you can make one for all your storage needs around the house. How adorable would a small knit basket be as a centerpiece on your dining room table?
Garter Ridged Knit Basket Pattern
MATERIALS :
Bernat Mega Bulky
(10.5 oz/300 g; 64 yds/58 m)
Small:
Dark Grey Heather (88042) 2 balls
Medium:
Light Grey Heather (88046) 3 balls
Large:
Aran (88008) 4 balls
Size U.S. 15 (10 mm) knitting needles or size needed to obtain gauge. Stitch marker.
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by Tanner and Courtney | Mar 15, 2017 | Make It
I know we all have that one tote bag collecting dust in the back of our closet that we bought thinking it would match everything and have years of use. Well, today you can give new life to that plain old tote bag with this easy fashion DIY. This project for a DIY Stitched Leather Tote Bag will save that bag and show your personality and style! With a simple template and some embroidery thread, you can customize your own perfect tote bag in minutes. Making personalized items like this one is a great way to get away with cute, crafty gifts for your friends too! Matching bags for your besties? Perfect!
DIY Stitched Leather Tote Bag
Here is what you will need to make one:
Supplies
- a leather or pleather tote bag
- “work” printable
- scissors
- embroidery floss in 4 colors
- large needle
Step One: Cut out the letters from the printable and arrange them on the front side of the tote bag. You may want to use some removable adhesive to keep them attached during the stitching process.
Step Two: Thread the large needle with the first color of embroidery floss. Pick a place to start on the W and do your first stitch from the inside of the bag to the outside. I chose to use the longest possible stitches that still maintained the shape of the letter. You could also do a bunch of short stitches- it is up to you!
Step Three: Continue stitching around each letter using a different color embroidery floss for each one. Be sure to start and end with knots on the inside of the bag.
Step Four: Remove the paper letter cutouts to reveal your finished design.
Step Five: Cut any excess embroidery floss off from inside the bag.
And you’re done! See how easy that was. We totally don’t blame you if you end up making 5 more of these ASAP. Just write out your words in a doc and print them out or find good examples online! It’s so easy.
We know you’re digging out your old bag right now. You won’t believe how much of a difference this simple embroidery DIY makes on your tired tote bag. You’re sure to get tons of compliments on your amazing DIY abilities. We hope you enjoyed this tutorial and when you finish up your first bag, share your pictures on our Facebook page!
by Simone Collins | Mar 13, 2017 | Make It
Looking for a quick way to make your little one feel like a superhero? This DIY no-sew cape is the perfect quick and easy craft that will make your kids feel awesome and make you look like the superhero. This project happened because my little guy loves superheroes, but his favorite change all the time. It’s impossible to keep up. With the no-sew toddler cap project, I can just whip up the superhero of the moment as long as I’ve stocked up on a few solid colored t-shirts. This is a great toddler craft too since you’re using fabric markers! It’s less messy than paint and they can fill in the lines you draw.
No-Sew Toddler Superhero Cape
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SUPPLIES & TOOLS:
DIRECTIONS:
- Pre-wash your t-shirt. Do not use fabric softener.
- Cut off the sleeves of the t-shirt. Remove the entire front of the t-shirt.
- Fold the remaining collar and back of the t-shirt in half and lay on a large surface. Cut the fabric at a slight angle from the bottom to the collar to create a cape shape.
- The remaining collar will go over the head and the back of the t-shirt will lay down the back as a cape. If the collar is too loose for a child, you can cut the collar in half and attach Velcro to adjust.
- Place a piece of cardboard on your work surface and lay your cape on top. This will ensure that the ink will not transfer to the backside.You can use a pencil draw your design, but that isn’t necessary.
- When using the DecoColor Fabric Marker and Deco Just Glitter Premium Marker, you should depress the tip of the marker on a piece of scrap paper first to get the ink started. Make sure to shake the marker well with the cap on. If you feel your marker getting dry while you are using it, you can depress again on a piece of scrap paper. While using with these markers, do not depress the tip.
- Using a ruler or tracing a pattern, draw a lightning bolt on the back of your cape.
- Create an outline for the lightning bolt with DecoColor Fabric Marker in black. Allow to dry for 30 minutes.
- Fill in the lightning bolt with a yellow DecoColor Fabric Marker. Allow to dry for 30 minutes.
See how easy that was? You can turn the whole family into cape-wearing superheroes in one afternoon! I love this craft because anything that’s no-sew Share your finished projects on our Facebook page so we can see how awesome they turned out!
by Maggie Kmiecik | Mar 10, 2017 | Make It
How adorable is this fox basket crochet pattern? I’m obsessed with this cute DIY storage solution. It’s so adorable for an eclectic living room or kids room. This free crochet pattern works up quickly but requires some intermediate skills to complete. Think about the possibilities! Using a different color for the top, this fox can turn into a hedgehog or a raccoon. You can even complete this crochet pattern in shades of brown and make yourself a bear basket! Our heads are spinning with ideas. If you have some advanced crochet skills, you can even make a whole set in different sizes. The download for this pattern only comes in one size, but if you’ve created this same basket in bigger or smaller sizes, let us know in the comments!
I love working in Lily’s Sugar’n Cream for projects like this because it’s the perfect yarn for home decor projects. It’s stiffer and a little sturdier than apparel yarn, so I always get great results when making dishtowels, coasters, baskets, and other crochet items to use around the house. This pattern can of course also be made up in your yarn of choice as long as it’s the same weight, but I highly recommend checking your gauge if you’re working in a different yarn. Actually, I highly recommend checking your gauge either way because, let’s face it, it’s really helpful in removing frustration down the line.
Get the pattern at the link below and start crocheting some adorable baskets!
Lily® Sugar’n Cream® (2.5 oz/70.9 g; 120 yds/109 m)
- Main Color (MC) Soft Ecru (01004) 2 balls or 192 yds/175 m
- Contrast A Country Red (01530) 2 balls or 180 yds/165 m
- Contrast B Black (00002) 1 ball or 3 yds/3 m
Sizes U.S. G/6 (4 mm) and U.S. J/10 (6 mm) crochet hooks or size needed to obtain gauge.
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by Simone Collins | Mar 8, 2017 | Craft Tutorials
If you’re a home decor fiend who gets frustrated at not being able to find the right kitchen towel for a special event or season, this is the project for you. Create pretty floral wreath, hand drawn kitchen towel in your perfect color scheme! Custom kitchen towel not only make your home feel cozier, but no one else will have a set like yours. They’re the perfect way to start building in your own personal style to your home decor.
This tutorial we walk you through using our favorite fabric markers to create a pretty floral wreath for your kitchen towels, but you can use the same method for tote bags, napkins, and so many other fabrics. After the kitchen towel, I used the same design to make a matching placemat set for spring. Floral never fail for spring, right?
Easy Custom Kitchen Towel Tutorial
Skill Level: Beginner
Approximate Crafting Time: 1-2 Hours
Supplies & Tools:
DIRECTIONS:
- Pre-wash your towel. Do not use fabric softener.
- Using a bowl or template, draw a circle in the bottom, center of your towel using a pencil. This will be the guide for your wreath.
When using the DecoColor Fabric Marker, you should depress the tip of the marker on a piece of scrap paper first to get the ink started. Make sure to shake the marker well with the cap on. If you feel your marker getting dry while you are using it, you can depress again on a piece of scrap paper. While using with this marker, do not depress the tip.
- Start with one type of flower and draw three of them around the circle guide. It is easiest to start with your largest flower designs.
- Add more flowers, again working in threes of the same design around the wreath.
- When you feel as though you have enough floral elements, using the green DecoColor Fabric Marker, go over any pencil lines that remain from your guide.
- Fill in around the wreath with leaves where necessary.
- Allow your towel to dry for an hour. Then heat set by placing a piece of cloth over your design and ironing it on a low setting.
We’d love to see what ideas, colors, and designs you came up with. Share your finished projects on our Facebook page so we can see how awesome they turned out!
by Simone Collins | Mar 3, 2017 | Make It
If you live in a big city, chances are there has been a recent crackdown on plastic bag usage which is great for the planet and tote lovers alike! Turn your plain canvas totes into awesome, custom DIY hand lettered tote bags with all your favorite sayings on them. All you need to create a DIY grocery store tote is a plain canvas bag and some markers. I bet you never thought being more environmentally friendly and cutting down on plastic could be so stylish?
We used a simple canvas tote for this DIY, but you can repeat this with any light colored bag that you already own or even a bigger canvas shopping bag. I take them to the grocery store with me all the time and even keep a few in my car at all times just so that I don’t forget to have a bag handy. It’s been really great in cutting down the amount of plastic that my family uses! Once I got into the habit, I can’t go anywhere without my grocery bag.
Hand Lettered Tote Bag Tutorial
Supplies & Tools:
We’ve included affiliate links to make it easier to get your supplies. You can find our privacy policy here.
Directions:
- Pre-wash your tote bag. Do not use fabric softener.
- Insert a piece of cardboard inside the bag. This will ensure that the ink will not transfer to the backside
- You can use a pencil write out your message first, but that isn’t necessary. When using the DecoColor Fabric Marker and Deco Just Glitter Premium Marker, you should depress the tip of the marker on a piece of scrap paper first to get the ink started. Make sure to shake the marker well with the cap on. If you feel your marker getting dry while you are using it, you can depress again on a piece of scrap paper. While using with these markers, do not depress the tip.
- Write out the word “Awesome” in all caps first using the Deco Just Glitter Premium Marker. I like to lay a ruler on my bag where the bottom of the letters should line up. This will keep your wording straight. Tip: If you want to ensure that your word is centered, start the word with the middle letter, in this case ‘S’. Then write the rest.
- Once you’ve written the word once. Go over the lettering a second time to add additional glitter, optional.
- Using the DecoColor Fabric Marker, write out the rest of the phrase above “Awesome”.
- Allow your bag to dry for an hour. Then heat set by placing a piece of cloth over your design and ironing it on a low setting.
There you have it! It’s that easy to spice up your totes with your favorite quotes, designs, and more to create a perfect collection of custom matching bags. Are you a book lover or do you wish that your bags were labeled by what you use them for? Grab some markers and create your dream bags in a snap! Who doesn’t love 15-minute craft projects, right?
If you’re like us, your head spinning with ideas already. Share your finished bags on our Facebook page so we can see how awesome they turned out!
