Sometimes leotards and swimsuits are so thin that you wish they had a lining. So, here is how you can hand-sew a layer of lining into garments made of stretchy fabric, such as spandex (also known as elastane or Lycra). (Note: Please click on the photos to enlarge them for a close-up view of […]
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Cutting out detailed designs from felt is not easy. But with a few simple tricks, this daunting task becomes quite doable. I made the Grease-inspired Pink Ladies applique shown above by cutting out the black letters from felt. These instructions describe the process I used, and the same tricks can be used to cut out […]
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Repairing a cardigan or any knitwear with rips around snap fasteners may seem daunting, but here is an easy solution to this problem – remove the snaps! Snap fasteners (sometimes also called press studs) are convenient interlocking disks that snap together. But because they pull the fabric or knitwear around them whenever they are […]
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Flat needle felting is a very easy way to create 2D designs on textiles. My daughter created the above flower design on wool felt, and then framed it with an old embroidery hoop! Above is a wool sweater that I shrank (by mistake!). But, since it fit my daughter in its new size, we […]
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Converting clip earrings into stud earrings requires only a few easy steps! My daughter had some clip earrings, which she liked very much but could not wear after she had her ears pierced. So we decided to transform them into stud earrings. The main thing which you will need is a few earring posts […]
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If you have a child with long legs and a small waist, you probably have bought a pair of pants that are just the right length but are too wide in the waist. This can happen even when the pants have adjustable waists. Here is an easy way to fix this problem by taking […]
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Summer vacations at the beach provide a great opportunity to collect seashells. Then, once back home, you can make beautiful crafts with them. This year, we made seashell choker necklaces and earrings from the treasures we found while on vacation. We decided to use some small seashells with holes to make our shell jewelry. […]
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Decorating shirts with your own appliques is a great way to transform boring plain shirts into one-of-a-kind outfits! This is a fun project for children, as well as for adults. Then when finished, you can wear your creations! If the children are old enough to use an iron and sew with a sewing machine, […]
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Redecorating hair clips is a simple and fun sewing project for children and grownups alike. If you have hair clips with chipped paint or broken decorations, this is a great way to renew them. In addition, the fact that the finished barrettes are wearable is a big motivational factor for young crafters! As long […]
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Recently, one of my pairs of jeans went “rrrrip!” at the right knee. It happened around when I was preparing my previous post, on DIY Hot-fix Rhinestone Pattern Making. Because I had made a free downloadable peace symbol rhinestone pattern for that post, I decided to take advantage of the same pattern to make […]
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