hoopdeedoo: accessories

Showing posts with label accessories. Show all posts

Thursday, July 12, 2012

little pattern weights

I used up some favorite scraps the other day to make some cute little weights. I needed them to help hold down fabric while it's being cut, hold templates in place, etc.

{fabric: alexander henry apples and pears, unidentified heart print scraps, fusible fleece}

This is definitely one of those patterns where you don't really need a pattern, just an idea, and I must give credit where credit is due: Oh Fransson (aka Elizabeth Hartman). I love the blog, and her book The Practical Guide to Modern Patchwork. Practical? So very HoopDeeDoo.

To fill the weights, first I tried to use those glass flat-bottom marble thingies you use in home decor, because I have a lot of them for some reason. They aren't heavy enough. So I went with the pennies.

It strikes me as a little sad that pennies are not worth enough as currency to buy something and are now essentially filler. Poor Abe Lincoln. Don't take it personally.

And they do an excellent job of holding the aforementioned book open to the pattern I've chosen for that lovely fabric you saw the other day. :)

{find the tutorial here.}

Widget by Css Reflex | TutZone

Tuesday, April 26, 2011

{tip Tuesday} : flower headbands

I love all of the cute flower headbands for little girls these days, and my girls look great in them.

But headbands are notoriously cheapo. And little girls are not always gentle.

"mommy! I broke my headband!" (weeping and gnashing of teeth)

"not again!!! I just paid x dollars for that!!" (weeping and gnashing of teeth)

Here's my solution:

The flowers slide on and off! I made these flowers myself (see tutorial here) and added a small tube to the underside. Presto!

"mommy! I broke my headband!" (weeping and gnashing of teeth)

"no problem, honey!" (supermom grabs new headband from stash, slides flowers on it, and tosses the busted one)

Incidentally, the hem of an old t-shirt just happens to be the perfect size for these 1/2" wide headbands...

Another bonus is that this makes the flowers interchangeable, repositionable, etc. Let me know if you try it!

Widget by Css Reflex | TutZone

Friday, March 11, 2011

hoodie upcycle part trois: camera strap cover!

I've been making camera strap covers for a while now. I didn't invent them, I just put my own spin on them based on recommendations from my fabulous friend Jen, and adding my love of strip piecing.

Anyhoo, the camera strap covers have been a popular item, and I've sold the one off my camera 5 times.

Time to make another, one which I will NOT sell.

Beloved hoodie, thou hast new life.

I think I may have stumbled onto greatness here. There is NOTHING cushier on a neck than an old sweatshirt.

I added some cute raw-edge appliques and lined it with fusible fleece for even more padding.

Pardon the picture quality, but I had to use my phone for the pics. Because I totally put this on my real camera as soon as it was done. And it isn't coming off. Well, unless someone wants to pay me $200 for it or something.

Widget by Css Reflex | TutZone

Friday, February 18, 2011

This just in: Boring hoodie transformed into cute makeup bag!

In spite of my compulsive Goodwill donations, I keep a box of old clothes to cut up for projects. For some things, it's just wonderful to sew with fabric that is already perfectly broken in. And sometimes an item is stained or un-donatable in some way, but a good source for scraps.

I loved this gray hoodie; I've probably had it for 10 years. Haven't worn it in a long time, though; it just seems too short now. (weight gain? low rise jeans? who knows.) It needed a new life.

The beauty of refashioning zippered clothes is not having to sew in a zipper! Wanna try it? This is an easy project and won't take you long.

1. With the zipper closed, cut the front out of the sweatshirt. I only cut as far as the kangaroo pocket, but that's just me. You can cut this to whatever size you like, as long as both sides are the same. Using a pair of very small, sharp scissors, carefully cut between the teeth of the zipper.

2. Use a safety pin at the bottom of the zipper to guard against accidentally opening it all the way. You can hot glue the end of the zipper to make a new stop, or sew it shut. I opted for glue.

3. Cut two pieces of fusible fleece and two pieces of lining fabric the same size as your outer panels. Fuse the fleece to the wrong sides of the outer panels.

4. On your lining panel pieces, fold over the edge you will be attaching to the zipper and press. I used a 3/8" seam allowance.

5. Put the zipper foot on your machine. Making sure your outer panels are out of the way, sew the folded edge of the lining panel to the underside of the zipper tape only. Do this for both sides.

6. Open the zipper 3/4 of the way (very important!) With outer panels right sides together, sew around the edges. Get as close as you can to the zipper without actually sewing over it. Do the same with the lining panels, only use a 1/8" greater seam allowance, and leave several inches open on one side for turning.

7. Remove the safety pin. Clip corners 45 degrees and trim seam allowances; turn right side out and press. Stitch opening closed.

8. Ta-da! Your basic zip pouch. Only...it's kinda boring.

9. Aaahhh, that's better! I added a fabric flower with button embellishment, and used a piece of the hoodie tie as a zipper pull.

Now I can enjoy my comfy old hoodie in its new life as a makeup bag!

Materials list:

old zip hoodie

fusible fleece

cotton lining fabric

zipper foot

fabric scraps for flower

button

cording from hoodie tie

thread and stuff

Linked up here:

Join us Saturdays at tatertotsandjello.com for the weekend wrap
up party!

also linked up at: DIY Home Sweet Home Project

Widget by Css Reflex | TutZone

Saturday, July 24, 2010

Twenty-Minute Tote Redo!

Went to Old Navy the other day to hit the clearance sale. Old Navy's sales are garage sale cheap and often about as organized as digging through a big box of random unpriced stuff. But, just like garage sales, sometimes you find a little gem.

I found this denim tote for 8 bucks. I felt very sorry for it, because it was like the plain girl at the school dance, sitting in the bleachers while her colorful friends are getting all of the attention. But, bless her heart, she is just soooo boooooring. Let's help her out.

I had a couple of doilies I picked up at JoAnn's a while back. I can crochet doilies but for 99 cents or less why bother?

I pinned the doilies to the bag using straight pins, but I would recommend using curved safety pins if you have them on hand. I stuck myself a lot during the sewing process. Since the bag is already finished, sewing the doily on required a lot of maneuvering and folding the bag as I sewed, hence all of the sticking with pins.

Sew around the center circle first, then around the outside edge of each doily.

Easy as pie! I added a few fabric flowers too.

Now we have a cute little tote for my daughter's piano books!

Widget by Css Reflex | TutZone

Friday, June 11, 2010

give it away, give it away, give it away now

Welcome to my very first GIVEAWAY!!! I need help spreading the word about HoopDeeDoo, so I'm giving away a custom camera strap cover!

The lucky winner can choose from a cover currently in the etsy shop, or I will custom design one just for you. Or if camera strap covers aren't your thing, then we can work out something else. It's not a fun prize if you can't get what you want!

You can get a gazillion (well, close at least) chances to win! Here's how:

1. Go to my etsy shop and find something you like, then come back HERE and tell me about it!

2. Become a Facebook fan: HoopDeeDoo, then come back HERE and leave a comment!

3. Follow me on Twitter: @hoopdeedooshop , then come back HERE and leave a comment!

4. Follow this blog via the method of your choosing (RSS/Blogger/bookmark/whatever), then...you guessed it, leave a comment HERE!

5. Get a friend to do any of the above. Leave a comment HERE with your friend's name/username/pseudonym/whatever. (honor system here) You earn another chance for EACH FRIEND.

So you see, each person can earn many chances to win! Remember, the more friends you bring in, the more chances you will have. Be sure to leave a separate comment for each thing you do, so I can easily see how many chances you have earned!

Comments are officially closed at 11 pm CST Friday night, June 18, and the winner will be announced Saturday! That gives you a full week to bring in your friends!

Widget by Css Reflex | TutZone

Friday, May 14, 2010

Tutorial: T-shirt Flowers

Hmm...what to do with those old t-shirts...why cut them up and make them into cute flowers, of course! Here's one of a million ways to do it. This is a hand-sewn method.

You'll need:

T-shirt knit fabric cut into soft heart or oval shapes, roughly the size of your finished petals
(I used scraps cut from an old crib sheet for this particular flower)
Scrap of fabric for the back, or something to sew the flower to (like another t-shirt)
Thread to match your flower (here I am using contrasting thread so you can see what I am doing)
Hand sewing supplies

Start by choosing your largest hearts or ovals and folding them haphazardly. Take one and position the petals where the outside edge of your finished flower will be. Stitch into place (see my orange stitching? You may want to use more and smaller stitches. I made mine large for visibility.)
Layer another petal piece on top of the other, stitch down. Work your way around until you have the lowest "tier" of petals.
Add more layers, stitching as you go. Fold the petals in different directions and be sure to sew through all layers. Make each tier a little smaller than the last.
When your flower looks almost finished, fold a very small petal into a cone shape. Pinch the pointed end and sew through it by itself first, then attach in the center very securely.
Fluff and enjoy!

A few tips about these types of flowers:

Washing will make t-shirt fabric curl but not fray.
If you machine-dry the flower, it will curl more. It's a cute look (kind of like an old rose), but make sure you add enough layers to keep your flower looking full if you plan to tumble dry.
You can attach the flower to a scrap of fabric as shown above, then machine or hand stitch really tiny in a circle around the base of the flower to attach it to a garment. Trim around the edge of the circle to hide the base fabric.

Enjoy!

Widget by Css Reflex | TutZone

Monday, May 3, 2010

Tutorial: Seat Stuff Stasher, Part 4

Here we are! So close to the end! Let's finish this thing up.

Grab the back piece with the Velcro on it and your elastic strap. On the RIGHT SIDE of the back piece, pin your elastic strap about 1" up from the bottom edge as shown. (You do not see the bottom edge of my fabric because I used a long folded piece for my back fabric.)
Your strap end will hang off the edge. Stitch into place 3/8" from edge of fabric. Do this on the other side too.
Place your pocket layer on top of the other back piece, just as it will look when the bag is finished. If you would like to add a binding to the bottom edge later, then line up the raw bottom edges of these pieces for now. If you don't want a binding, then turn under the bottom edges 1/2" and press. (Do the same on the other back piece while you are at it.) Now pin your pocket and top back layers together, but keep the pins toward the middle of the fabric and away from the side edges.
Take your pinned pocket/top back layer and align with the back piece with the straps, right sides together. Pin both side edges. Make sure your long elastic strap is tucked between the layers. Now sew down both sides, using a 1/2" seam allowance, and zig-zag or serge the raw edges. Turn right side out and press the seams. (You can topstitch if you feel like it, or you could do French seams, or whatever floats your boat. I didn't bother because it's a trash bag holder, after all.)
(OPTIONAL BINDING) If you left your bottom edges raw, you need a binding. Cut a 2" wide strip 2" longer than the width of your bag. Put it wrong side down on the BACK bottom edge of your bag, centered. Stitch along edge with 3/8" seam allowance. Turn over, tuck in the ends.

Turn under the remaining raw long edge of the binding. Fold over the end of the bag to cover the seam line. Pin and stitch 1/8" inside the binding, on both sides as well. This should encase your raw edges and give you a nice strong bottom to your bag.
You are SOOOO close to done, my friends! Take your bag and a couple of pins out to the car and get it into place. You will remember that we didn't attach the headrest strap to the bag. Tuck under the raw end of the strap and pin it into place so the bag hangs exactly where you like. The Velcro will allow you to adjust it slightly as it may hang higher or lower depending on how much stuff is in it. (Don't forget, the Velcro also means that the bag will not rip when your preschooler decides to use it as a stepstool.)

Now quick! Take it down again just for a minute and dash inside to sew that strap into place. VOILA! You are done! Well, except for one more thing...
Grab your kids and a trash bag and clean up that car!

If you use my tutorial, be sure to comment and post a photo on my Facebook page!! Thanks for reading!!

Widget by Css Reflex | TutZone

Thursday, April 29, 2010

Tutorial: Seat Stuff Stasher, Part 3

Welcome back! I am standing in my garage, typing this up as I watch the kids play in the culdesac. Hooray for laptops!! If I can't be sewing, at least I can blog about sewing, right? Today we'll be working on the straps.

Pick up your short strap pieces. Fold them in half, then stitch 1/4" along each of the long sides.

Turn inside out and press, then tuck in the raw end 1/2". Stitch it shut.

Cut a small amount of Velcro to fit on each end of the strap, hooks on one side and loops on the other (of course), and stitch them down really well. When the Velcro is fastened, your strap should again be folded in half.

Sew one end of your strap, Velcro up, about 1 1/2" in from the edge of your backing fabric, and about an inch down, as shown.

Now pick up your 4" wide strap piece. Fold in half lengthwise wrong sides together, press. Open back up, and fold sides in to meet at the middle line you created.

Turn in 1" at one end. Fold together once more. Now your strip is 1" wide.

Stitch around three sides, leaving the raw end open. Now cut a 3" length of Velcro. Stitch the hooks part on the finished end of the strap, 1" from the end.

Stitch the loops part vertically on the backing fabric, 1/2" inside from one of your short straps, as shown.
Don't worry about the other end of this strap; we will cut it to fit at the very end.