Do It Your (Damned) Self!

Hello again followers! Sorry it has taken me so long to get another post up.  Been working far too much and it hasn’t left a lot of time for crafting, but here I am with a fun and easy project.  The best part is it is NO SEW!

It’s getting warmer, but I know I still love layering and scarves are something I can’t live without.  Even when it’s 90 degrees out!  So I wanted to give this summer scarf a fun and lighter feel by using an old cotton t-shirt. This is great way to repurpose shirts you love that might have a hole or a small stain. We’re all about repurposing things here!

Step One: As usual.  Gather your supplies.  This time it’s super simple: an old t-shirt and some good scissors! That’s right, no sew and no measure! (I used an old organic cotton sleep shirt that had a small hole in it!) *Tip: If you want a longer scarf or you want to be able to wrap the scarf twice, use a larger t-shirt.*

Step Two: Cut the shirt straight across right under the armpits and then cut the bottom seam off. This will leave you a tube of fabric.

Step Three: Now you are going to start cutting strips of fabric to create the fringe.  Decide how much fabric you want on the inner part of the scarf. I wanted a decent amount since I wasn’t going to wrap this scarf twice. You want to cut the strips at about 1/4 - 1/2 inch a piece on both sides. Eye ball it, they don’t have to be perfectly even, just get it close. *Tip: It goes much faster if you cut through both layers at the same time!*

So it should look like this when you’re done:

Step Four: Now you are going to tie a knot at the end of each of the strips you cut. 

Step Five: Not really a step, but put that baby around your neck. You’re done! Pretty easy right? And it looks awesome if I do say so myself!

I might show some variations on this project later if we want to get fancier.  Lemme know what you guys think! 

Now, Do It Your Damned Self!

Jamie

Hey followers! I’ve added a function for you to submit things.  If you’ve DIYDS I’d love to see it! Submit them!  Also, please let me know if there is anything you want to see or any suggestions/criticisms, etc. you might have.  I want to be able to make this blog the best it can be!

I’m currently working on the next DIYDS and have been talking to people about collaborations and contributions! Can’t wait to share them with you!

Thanks so much for following! 

x Jamie

Hello again followers! And thank you so much to all of my new ones! I’ve gained over 90 followers in just over two days so I’m pumped and wanting to give you guys another DIYDS project.

So here it is: An easy way to hem your pants, or anything really.  Simple enough for really anyone to do and it should take less than an hour! I’m only 5’1 so this skill has come in extremely handy in my life for just about everything.  Usually I will buy pants that look something like this:

Step One: As usual, gather your supplies.  You’re going to need your pants (or whatever you are hemming), good scissors, thread (again, whatever colour you want, but matching thread is best!), pins, measuring tape, straight edge/ruler, marking chalk or something that you can mark your fabric with that will wash off or rub off and as always the optional iron and ironing board (highly recommended!).

Step Two: Decide how much you want to chop off.  I recommend putting on the garment and using the measuring tape to get an exact measurement. You might want someone to help you measure! If you’re doing your pants, I recommend measuring from your hip down the side seam to where you want your pants to end and the inseam of the pants (from your crotch to where you want them to fall). So you will have two different measurements. You will then add 1 inch to both of those measurements which is going to be your seam allowance. For example: mine were 35” and 28” so they would then be 36” and 29” total.  This is obviously up to you depending on your height, if you want capris, jhorts, what have you. (If you are hemming a skirt or a dress, you will just need a consistent measurement around the perimeter of the garment and the steps are very similar, you’ll just have one measurement instead of two!)

*Optional Step* If you want a cuff, decide how many inches of a cuff you want and you’ll add that to the end measurement.  If you want to fold the cuff over twice you will double the measurement.  In that case if you wanted to add a cuff that was 2 inches and you wanted to fold it over twice you would add 4 in (as well as one inch for the seam allowance).

Step Three:  Now you need to take off your pants (ha) and lay them on a flat surface. Then you are going to take your ruler/straight edge and draw a straight line across from one mark to the other with your chalk marker.  Then measure from the bottom of the pants to the top of each mark and the middle of the line to make sure the line is consistently even across.

Step Four: Next you’re going to line up the bottoms of the pants so they are as even as you can get them.  Then take out your GOOD scissors and cut across the straight line.  You want sharp scissors while doing this, especially if you’re cutting denim so that you cut a nice clean line.

Step Five: For the next few steps I recommend you turn your pants inside out.  Then you are going to fold and pin the newly cut edge of the pants at 1/2 inch.  Take your measuring tape out after you’ve folded and pinned and make sure that it is consistently pinned at 1/2 inch around each pant leg.  You want these to be even! *Note: At each of the side seams there is going to be a finished seam that is already pressed in one direction.  Make sure you fold the seams going in the direction they already are when you fold the pant legs up or you will create unnecessary bulk*

Step Six: Time to head over to that sewing machine! *Make sure you have a needle that is strong and sharp enough to sew through denim* Sew a basic straight stitch 1/8 inch away from the raw edge (see photo). After you’ve sewn around the bottoms of each pant leg I highly recommend pressing (ironing) each of them.

Step Seven: Now you are going to fold the bottoms up again so that the raw edge is now folded and hidden inside.  It should fold over to about 1/2 inch again.  You are going to run another basic straight stitch around the pants 1/8 inch away from the top seam so it will look like you have two stitches, but when you turn the pants right side out you will only see one. Then PRESS so that you have nice, crisp seams.

Step 8: This really isn’t a step, but turn those babies right side out and put your pants back on!  Newly hemmed pants are yours to behold.

Hope that was a useful tutorial for you guys! If you have any questions or comments, please let me know and as always I would love to hear any requests you have! Thanks so much for following me!

Now, Do It Your Damned Self!

Jamie

unforgettablyinoubliable asked: Hello :) I think your blog is fantastic, the bag is wicked, I cannot wait to try it myself! I love the way you make your instructions clear and how they're set out, i love the layout, i love the title... i love the blog! keep it up!

Thank you so much! You just made my day! I’m so happy people are liking the blog. I look forward to living up to your expectations! Let me know if there is anything you want to see on the blog as well! I love a good challenge! (So many exclamation points!!) x Jamie

As a gift to all of my new followers! (THANK YOU!) I decided I’d post another DIY today!

Last year for my birthday I did this “backwards” french manicure and got a lot of compliments, including the male waiter at dinner.  He loved it for some reason!  So I thought it might be a fun thing to share.

Step One: As usual, get your supplies together.  You need two colours of nail polish.  This works better with fun, bright colours.  You could use natural tones, but I don’t think it has the same effect. You are also going to need a top coat, nail polish remover (preferably acetone based) and a small paint brush.

Step Two: Paint your nails with the base colour.  I used a Neon Pink by Savina from Nordstrom (the sticker with the name of the colour fell off!).  

Step Three: Next you’re going to take the small paint brush and dip it into the accent colour you chose.  I picked “Black on Black” by Sinful Colors Professional from Sally Beauty Supply.  Next you are going to draw a backwards “c” or a “half moon” on the bottom of your fingernail.  This should resemble the white “half moons” you naturally have on your nails.  It’s easiest to draw the “c” first, then fill it in afterwards.  You can definitely just use the brush that comes with the nail polish, but I find that I have more control with the smaller brush.  They also make nail decorating polish with smaller brushes and longer handles that might work as well.

After you paint your nails with the paintbrush make sure to pour some of the nail polish remover into something (the top works really well!) and rinse out your little brush, if you want to use it again that is.  I also usually go through and use the regular brush from the nail polish to make the “c’s” darker and cleaner looking.  They should look similar to the picture above when you are finished.

Step Four:  The final step is the easiest! Wait until the polish dries and paint on the top coat.  I used a “High Gloss Coat Hardener” by Beauty Secrets from Sally Beauty Supply. You want to wait for it to dry especially if you use a darker colour on top of the base colour because the clear coat can drag the darker colour into the base and ruin all of your hard work!  

And voila! Sorry the pictures are kind of crappy. Still new at this.  Hoping to get better as I progress! Hope this is useful and fun for you guys to do! Again, I’d love some feedback or requests for any other projects you want to DIY.

*Tip* I suggest doing this right before showering because if you mess up and get it on your skin it will come right off in the shower and your manicure will look very nice when you are done! However, make sure your nails are completely dry before you shower, otherwise you will ruin them!

Now, Do It Your Damned Self!

Jamie 

Hello followers! All two of you so far I think. This is going to be my first entry in this blog.  I have a ton of old band t-shirts lying around…. leftovers from my “scene kid” days.  I refuse to part with them, for some reason, so I felt like I should re-purpose them.  I try my best to always bring re-usable bags to the grocery store, but the cute ones I find are always pretty pricey and some of them aren’t machine washable.  This bag is super easy to make (I’ll show you how to fancy up some of the steps if you want) and it’s a great way to re-use something you already have.  Also, as I mentioned before it’s machine washable! You could use it as a book bag or something similar as well!

This project should take you an hour or less, even if you aren’t great on the machine! It uses just a basic straight stitch for the entire project.  Definitely a good project for a beginner!

Step One:  Get together your supplies.  You will need at least one (old band) t-shirt, good scissors, thread (any colour you want), pins, seam ripper (optional), pinking shears (optional), sewing machine (technically optional, but you don’t want to do this by hand, trust me!), iron and ironing board (optional)

I chose an old Alexisonfire shirt that I had laying around.  It is kind of wrinkly and dusty, but you can definitely use a new shirt for this project if you wanted.  Since this is just for groceries I don’t really mind just using it as is.

Step Two: With your good scissors, cut off the sleeves and the collar.  Try your best to cut as straight as possible and as close to the seam as possible.  If you cut it and have some of the seam left, go back through and try to cut it off.  This makes it much easier to create the new seam.

Step Three: Cut the collar seam down a few inches deeper and to create an even opening on both sides.  Depending on where the graphic is printed on the front you might want to be careful how deep you cut it.  You need to cut past where the natural collar sits because it makes the opening larger and helps to create more functional “handles.”  *You need at least a half an inch leeway on each side of every unfinished if you are going to finish the seams*  

Optional Step: This step is definitely optional, but useful if you aren’t an experienced at sewing.  Take your pinking shears (pictured below) and cut around every unfinished seam.  This is a nice way to “finish” seams without sewing them. It is a nice way of cleaning up unfinished seams and with some fabrics (not cotton) it will help prevent fraying.  You can just leave seams completely unfinished if you would like as well. 

Step Four: Next you are going to sew around the edges at 1/4 inch of all of the openings the armholes and neck-holes. (Note: I used white thread for the seams so it would be easier to photograph, I recommend using thread the same colour as your shirt, especially if you aren’t experienced with the machine.  It hides mistakes!)

Step Five: (You may skip this step and move on to Step 6 if you do not wish to make “finished” seams) Next you are going to finish the handle and bag opening seams.  This is going to be what is called a “rolled” seam.  The stitch made during the last step is going to help you to “roll” the seam.  You will need to fold the fabric at the stitch and then sew at another 1/4” (or slightly less) around the seam to finish it.  You should have no unfinished seams visible after this is done.  I also recommend ironing the seams when you are finished. (optional) 

Step Six:  Ok! You’re almost finished.  So you can do this one of several ways, I’m going to show you the “fancy” way to finish the bottom seam, but you can easily pin the bottom of the shirt together (inside out) and just sew straight across, closing the hole.  If you choose to do this, you can stop here!  You will just need to turn your shirt right side out and you are done! I’m going to finish the bottom seam with something called a “french” seam, which is a little more complicated, but will ensure a sturdy and cleaner looking seam.

First you are going to pin the bottom of the shirt with it turned right side out, i.e. you are pinning the “wrong” side of the shirt together.  Run a stitch across the bottom at 1/2 inch. To give myself a little more fabric to work with at the bottom, I took out the finished seam with my seam ripper and ironed it out.  This gave me about an extra inch of fabric to work with, thus making my bag a little bit more roomy and the seam less bulky.  Again, just optional.

Step Seven:  After sewing the bottom of the shirt shut, you are then going to “grade” the seam and cut the corners to reduce bulk and create a crisper corner.  You are going to cut the bottom of the seam 1/4 inch from the stitch and diagonally at each corner.

Step Eight: Now, turn the shirt inside out.  You will most likely want to iron the seam so that it lays flat.  You will again, sew a straight stitch across the bottom at 1/2 inch.  This should encase the unfinished seam.  You should not be able to see an unfinished seams on the inside or the outside of the bag now. 

You’re done!  This is what the bag might resemble in it’s finished state. 

Alright! My first post is done.  Let me know what you think.  I would love to hear some feed back of course.  I look forward to getting my next post done!

Now, Do It Your Damned Self!

Jamie

Alright ladies and gentlemen, I’m gonna try this.  Hopefully it will be as fruitful as I believe it will be.  I think it’s a great way to share some of the stuff I already spend my time doing and possibly teach others how to spend an evening like an old lady like I do!

I am really hoping I can get a lot of feedback.  I’m planning on doing this with video, pictures and text.  We’ll see what works best for the different projects.  If I don’t do do something correctly, miss a step or don’t explain something well enough, please let me know.  I also want suggestions as well.  I’d love to know what you all want to know how to make/do/mend, etc.

The first few posts I’m planning on making are going to be:

-How to hem your own pants (BECAUSE I’M TIRED OF DOING ALL OF YOUR DAMNED PANTS MYSELF!)

- How to give yourself a backwards french manicure (this one was requested already)

- And one way to re-use all those damned band t-shirts you have lying around.  (It can’t just be me that has so many…ha)

Like I said, PLEASE let me know what you want to see.  I want to make sure my readers are pleased with what they see.  

THANK YOU! I look forward to starting to post very soon!