DIY or Die
My closet is a delightful mess. I'm always in the process of throwing things out, mending or keeping fabrics I might use later. I started altering and making creations out of fabric in high school. Mostly because I was bored and needed a creative outlet.
Little easy projects are what I do best. I can't pull a Project Runway, totally deconstruct a garment and turn it into something else. But I could learn if I wanted to. Chopping off sleeves is my specialty. Somehow I always find shirts that I like but they don't fit in the arms. If I can't move my arms in a shirt then I'm never going to wear it. This trick only works if the shirt has seams where the sleeves connect to the shirt.
I've had plenty of mishaps along the way. One general rule of thumb is not to try out a new technique on a piece you really like because you might hate the result. Then you've ruined it. Always try out new techniques on fabrics you don't care much about.
DIY Cases
I made my first Kindle case out of my old Lifeguard sweatshirt. I thought it would be a good use of the fabric and it keep the Kindle cushioned from the outside world. To secure the top flap of the case I used a heart button which I thought went well with the Lifeguard insignia on the front. It held up pretty well over the years but I decided to make another one.
The second Kindle case I made out of black floral print denim from Urban Outfitters. I bought high waist cropped denim skinny jeans before they were popular. After I wore them a couple of times I realized: 1. I didn't really like the jeans just the fabric and 2. I don't really like cropped pants. I like shorts and pants. Anything in between just feels weird on my legs. So I tried chopping them into shorts. I liked them a little bit more but still didn't wear them too much. When I rediscovered them at the bottom of my closet one day they didn't fit anymore. That is the perfect time to DIY!
I made my first and last cell phone case for my first smart phone that wasn't an iPhone. I used a white shirt sleeve as the main piece and a fun sheer print from a shirt I was tired of wearing because it had a strange gap in the back. Only women's shirts are made to be paired with another shirt underneath so you have to buy more. The shirt was grey, white and black so I used bright pink thread to add a pop of color. It worked pretty well until I got a new phone that wouldn't fit into the case anymore.
Cutting up Vintage Tees.
My boyfriend, now husband, gave me several old shirts he didn't care about getting ruined, or made unique, with my scissors. I tried out a bunch of fun slashing and cutting techniques which made some of them look cool and others look like a cat tore it to shreds. I am fully prepared to blend in to any crowd at a metal show with plenty of options from Slayer to Pantera. Pictures coming soon!
Latest Project
My latest DIY project is tassel earrings. They seem like they should be easy enough to make so I put off buying a pair I found online for now. From light internet scouring I found some DIY examples from Honestly WTF and The Stripe. I wanted to make some red ones for the Fourth of July but the idea came too late for me to pull it off this year. Red is my favorite for accesories when adding a pop of color to any outfit. I already have a couple of red statement earrings which my husband thinks I never wear.
What are your favorite DIY projects? Let me know in the comments. Check out my Instagram where I will debut these earrings if they ever get made.
