:  overview of free fashion sewing patterns, or DIY garment make-overs that I just luv’….  

Yes, I’m showing you part of my Pinterest page on Fashion :: Free Sewing Patterns, as I know many of you are not yet following me there… You can fix this right now by simply clicking that bright red button in the right hand column.

However, if you prefer to first look at the sewing patterns here, go right ahead…

Fashion Inspiration

Besides building a collection of wonderful patterns for women dresses, skirts and fashion tops, I’m also adding the occasional inspirational design image.

This is my currently most fabulous inspiration dress.

(Not that I’m about to wear it any day soon, as it is literally freezing where we lived. First time since 50-60 years this village had this much snow…. Mmmm… did we import that from Canada…

We’ve had snow here every year we lived here now, albeit that it was a token snow in the last two. The snow melted instantaneously. Not so today: already white landscapes here for a whole week. Pretty, gut makes dresses like this look ‘freezing’.)

Fashion Trends 2012

However, this dress sums up a bunch of fashion trends that I like to ride with:

1. fun / strong individuality

2. ruffles

3. show some leg but not too short

4. romantic without being frilly

5. crochet-ed

6. beaded

7. matching bejeweled clutch

8. Empire waist

Because the dress is so dramatic, it is probably relatively flattering when wearing high heel shoes .

Anyhow, most of the sewing patterns on that page are more practical, albeit trendy & stylish. Have a look.

Women Fashion 2012 ~ Free Sewing Patterns (and nifty ideas)

If you click on the image you’ll see a giant version of it, so you can read the text and look at dress details.

Meanwhile, let me link up to each of the ideas shown here:

Top row:

1/   Ruffle t-shirt make-over  = easy project

2/   Side-panels = to enlarge + jazz up t-shirts  = great idea for kids cloths

3/  Reverse applique of dalia flower = beautiful (for sale item, but you can make your own easily)

4/ Inspirational fashion image: embroidery skirt with knitted ‘fishnet’ stocking = sooo cool

Second row:

5/ Ruffle dress sewing pattern = dress looks amazing different in different fabric choices

6/ Ruffle scarf = simple 15 min. project, which makes great gift

7/  Summer dress pattern

8/  Flower aka sunburst t-shirt embellishment  = great gear, great tutorial on how to upcycle old cloths

Bottom row:

9/ Maxi dress = oh so easy, and I will make this for summer. Have just the fabric for it.

10/ Paper dress fashion = fun ideas

11/ how to embellish a t-shirt a la Antholopologie

below it: ruffle skirt tutorial

12/ inspirational fashion image: dress with jewel-studded lace top & burlesque wide tulle ruffle skirt. Seems impossible to find out anything about this dress, but it’s inspirational.

Want more ideas and free patterns?

Use the search button on this blog on the top navigation bar and jsut ask what you wish for. Chances are, we’ll have you covered. If not, hop over to Pinterest and find your answers there.  … there are about a dozen more patterns and ideas in just on just this board alone. 

Don’t forget to press that ‘Follow’ button, so you get to stay abreast of what I’m pinning there.

Copyright , Fine Craft Guild .com. All Rights Reserved. Amazing/Eco Home Decorating & Craft ideas and tutorials, for you.

great title, great book.

Part designer DIY
Part fashion
Part lifestyle inspiration guide.

I counted 27 projects in this book. All are practical and with easy (obvious) to follow instructions.

Sample Trendy Fashion Project 1

How to Make a Fancy Ruffle Shirt

(Upcycling a plain boring white t-shirt)

Sample Trendy Fashion Project 2

Get real: How about a feather skirt? I love this one. Fancy the fun of making this, let alone wearing this. My entire village here would talk about it. Ha ha… Love it.

Sample Trendy Fashion Project 3

A glamorous top with glued-on glitter… Mmm..: this is more for me…

Get Inspired

Not only does the writer Erica Domesek give us great projects to do ourselves, with step-by-step instructions; she also shares where she gets her inspiration from, encouraging us to cross-pollinate ideas and be creative ourselves.

As styles are diverse, surely not all 27 will be according to your taste.  However, they don’t need to be. If you are an avid reader of my blog, this book will be a teaser for you to apply your own creativity.

You’ll pick up some techniques, which you can take further and you restyle, refashion or reuse things to represent you, using the book as your initial starting point and how-to guide.

E.g. If you don’t like those bouncy balls in that tied pantyhose necklace, well, use something else instead. You could use some left over foam balls, or even some IKEA packaging materials, chopped up.   The pack I opened last night had a great foam cube in it that just screamed ‘craft me’ into something good !! Or, use a could of standard black/white dices instead.  All these would make great statement jewelry, riding along the lines of black/white and recycling trends. 

See it, like it, buy it:

PAPERBACK VERSION: P.S.– I Made This: I See It. I Like It. I Make It
KINDLE VERSION: P.S.– I Made This

Click Here For Other:  Craft, DIY & Interior Design Book Reviews

Enjoy free shipping on orders over $25 (conditions apply).

(ps i made this – images source: pinterest)

Copyright , Fine Craft Guild .com. All Rights Reserved. Amazing/Eco Home Decorating & Craft ideas and tutorials, for you.

Well-illustrated Tutorial
To Make Rag Heart Wreaths
as Valentines Gifts or Decoration

By guest writer Lilana

“Hello, Fine Art Craft Guild readers! I’m the “Lilly” in LOVD, Lilly Of the Valley Designs. I’m a hardly-at-home-stay-at-home wife and mom, retired rocket scientist,  jewelry-maker, project seeker, and optimist do-gooder, and daily blogger at FeelLOVDeveryday.

I can’t tell you how over-the-top thrilled I am to have been asked to share a craft project with you, let alone a Valentine’s Day craft project.

Here’s how your end result will look. Like it?

‘Craft’ Materials Needed

The best part about this project: it will cost next to nothing but will yield spectacular results. You probably already have all the items you’ll need just sitting in your closet:

- Dry cleaners wire hanger

- Old t-shirt, color of choice

- Scissors (not shown)

- Wire cutters

- Starch (optional)

Step-by-Step Instructions

♥  STEP 1: MAKING THE WREATH FRAME.

The hardest part of this project is bending of the wire hanger. Carefully unwind the wire hanger at the hook area and shape the hanger into a heart. You’ll have the hook portion at the heart’s center. Wrap the two wires into one. Take wire cutters and cut off the excess wire. You may need stronger wire cutters than those pictured. Be sure not to cut too closely to where the wires come together as you don’t want to break the connection. I actually cut the excess wire off after I tied each rag strip.

♥  STEP 2: CREATING THE HOOK.

Take the old t-shirt and cut the bottom right above the sew line. This strip will act as your hanging strip. The sewed seam will help this strip’s role from unraveling while it hangs your Rag Heart Wreath.

♥  STEP 3: CUTTING RAG STRIPS. 

Begin cutting strips starting at the bottom of the t-shirt. I made my strips between a half an inch to an inch in width and between four to five inches in length. It’s not an exact science and the variation adds character to the final result. This width and length worked so well when I tied the knot that I did not need to use the starch to force the rags to lay outwardly.

♥  STEP 4:  KNOTTING YOUR WREATH. 

Begin knotting each strip to the wire and follow along until the entire wire is covered. It is not a double knot, just a simple basic tie.

TIP:

When you get to the center of the heart where there are two wires coming together, take a rag strip and knot both wires together. Continue along until the entire wire is covered. Push each knotted strip together tightly.

This photo shows the heart’s center and knotting both wires together.

♥ STEP 5: FINISHING YOUR WREATH

Remember that rag strip you cut from the bottom of the t-shirt?

Go ahead and figure out what length you need based on where you’re going to hang your Rag Heart Wreath. Tie each end to the Rag Heart Wreath around the area where the heart begins to curve upwards.

Try to make that knot blend in with the rest of the knots already tied on to the wire by positioning it between the knotted rag strips already there.

HEART RAG WREATH

All done!

Go hang your swoonie Rag Heart Wreath and be proud; a Valentine’s Day craft that cost nothing, nada, zilch! Good for you and Happy Valentine’s Day, you savvy crafter, you!

I hope you enjoyed this simple craft. I’d love for you to visit me at my blog, Feel L.O.V.D.  Everyday, for uplifting conversation & beautiful inspiration.”

: ♥ :

And, if you enjoyed Lilly’s bubbly voice in this tutorial here, go visit her on her blog for more!  She is clearly a delightful spirit!

Thank you Lilly for this fun,

eco-friendly project!

Happy Valentines Everyone!

: ♥ :

Enjoy free shipping on orders over $25 (conditions apply).

linking up here: www.homestoriesatoz.com

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Something nifty today:
Curly grosgrain ribbons!
So cute!

I happen to fancy doing this today. Besides making darling wreaths with them, curled grosgrain ribbons are ideal to embellish a bunch of creative projects I’m working on. You need them too?

How to Curl Grosgrain Ribbons

The traditional recipe of baking curls has been around for ages:

• wrap ribbon around long pin & secure,
• soak in water,
• sprits starch
• bake in oven for 1/3 hr. 

and VOILA: a mountain of curly grosgrain ribbons.

Doesn’t that look tidy?

Ode to Nikki !!

Nikki, In Stitches, explains how to make curly grosgrain ribbons in some more details on her blog, Nikki in Stitches, and then shows how to make your ribbons into whimsical Valentines Day Wreaths.

In one word: adorable.

Image credit: Nikki’s.

Enjoy free shipping on orders over $25 (conditions apply).

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Great Idea:   Make your own envelopes for keepsakes from used dryer sheets.

Jennifer from Sunny Vanilla executed this creative idea that was the brainchild of Paula Spahr. Let me show you her works of art:

How to Make Your Own Envelopes

Step-by-Step Tutorial

Just a few steps to success for this craft project:

• she ironed the sheets,
• folded them over,
• cut the sides of the envelop flap (see picture), and
• sew a decorative line at approx. 1/4” of the edge.
• Then, she used that same contrast color for the card inside. Love that red-white striped card.

Perfectly Easy, Creative Recycling Project

Make a stack of them at a time, so as to make it worth your while to get the sewing machine out.

Jennifer made the dryer sheet envelops for (Valentine) greeting cards. However, I can see a million other uses for these handmade envelopes, either embellished with lot of decoupage, or plain. Jennifer added a pretty, simple and nice button.

source: sunnyvanilla.blogspot.com

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Just posted how to make tassels from scratch & from remnants, when I spotted a wonderful tutorial on how to make easy darling leather belts with tassels.

Such a fashion statement!

source photo & how-to:

Organized Living Solutions

.

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: shabby chic tassels like these are handmade home accents that transform a house.

This tassel is 100% recycled, and made of remnants of a sheer curtain & a shirt sleeve; a tiny bit of pre-used ribbon; and a broken bead spacer for the top.  The white ribbon from which the tassel hangs from an old shopper.  The only ‘new’ elements are 5 seed beads for a cheery finishing touch.

Click here for more

Home Decor

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This handmade romantic bolster pillow is so authentically French. It looks like the most sophisticated, delicate hand embroidery. Yet, Nan, from ‘You Could Make That’ showed us how to make this so-French pillow by simply printing the design onto fabric.

Easy-to-make accessory for a romantic bedroom!