Craftzine.com blog: Refashion Archives

Archive: Refashion

February 6, 2010

How-To: Ruffle Flower T-Shirt Embellishment

BlogHer user CA_Girls shares a tutorial for creating this cute ruffle flower embellishment on the neckline of a child's t-shirt, using scraps of other t-shirt material. The embellishments would be a great way to use up thrifted t-shirts or shirts with stains. (not that I know anything about kids' shirts with stains ... of course.)

February 5, 2010

How-To: Pillowcase Nightie

Here's a viewer-submitted project from Threadbanger, in which Anne shows us how to make a Valentine's Day nightie out of a pillowcase. Nice!

Read full story »

January 20, 2010

Any Size Long Johns from Wool Sweaters

Recycle an old sweater into toasty wool long johns.
By Nikol Lohr

Cotton thermals and space age synthetic long underwear are all well and good, but nothing kills the winter chills like a pair of old fashioned, toasty wool long johns. Trouble is, despite improvements in softness well known to knitters, wool still has a bad rap among the general population for itchiness. So despite the prevalence of cottony-soft merino, wool long johns have fallen out of favor. Not only are they hard to find, but at around 50 bucks a pop, they're hard to justify. But fret not! Real wool long johns can be yours for the price of a thrift store wool sweater and about an hour at the sewing machine. If you get lucky and score a cashmere sweater, you're really in for a treat!

Recycled long johns are cheap, eco-friendly, community-conscious (supporting local thrift stores), and can be made in interesting colors or stitch patterns, depending on what you find on the sweater rack. You can make them thicker (read: warmer) than the typical off-the-shelf counterpart, and you can get a custom fit. While they're not as streamlined as their store-bought brethren, you're probably wearing them to bed or under layers, so what's a few extra seams between friends?

If you've got kids to dress, the recycled long johns are especially fun, because you're more likely to find Fair Isle options in the smaller sizes on the thrift store rack.

Read full story »

January 19, 2010

Carved Baseball Bats

These beautiful carved baseball bats are by Peter Schuyff. [via Inspire Me, Now!]

January 15, 2010

Eyeglass Lens Chandelier

Sean @ MAKE points us to this recycled eyeglass lens chandelier by Stuart Haygarth. Great salvage idea, keeping unwanted things out of the landfill!

January 13, 2010

Wool "Won't Come Off" Baby Helmet from a Sweater Sleeve

Cz Webbanner Futurecraftcollective Ceb

By Future Craft Collective

When my youngest son was born it was unusually cold here in Austin, Texas. Always a big fan of baby hats anyway, I crafted quite a few different hats trying to make one that wouldn't fall off his head. I made several using a delicious dark green merino wool from an old wool dress, some with ties, some with buttons, some with snaps. They were all pretty cute, but this particular style stayed on in all sorts of predicaments and positions and kept his little newborn head warm and styling!

Read full story »

December 15, 2009

How-To: Refashion Maternity Jeans Into Toddler Jeans

Hannah of While They Sleep shares a brilliant refashion for transforming a pair of maternity jeans into cute jeans for your toddler. I especially love the embroidery on the back pockets - adorable!

November 27, 2009

Intern's Corner: Reupholstering Converse All Stars

CRAFT: Intern's Corner
Every other week, CRAFT's awesome interns tell about the projects they're building in the Craft: Labs, the trouble they've gotten into, and what they'll make next.

By Meara O'Reilly, projects intern

My kindergarten teacher Mr. Harris always kept a bin in the classroom where parents could donate old computers or typewriters; when a kid was angry or had too much energy, they'd be sent to the bin, where they could tinker and, well, tear apart the contents until they stopped simmering and started exploring. I learned a lot about basic machinery and material composition just from taking things apart with abandon.

One of two "Converse A La Mod" projects in CRAFT Volume 07 (Shoe Time!), the All-Star Fabric Swap project uses this "technique" to great effect. I'd always wanted to make my own shoes, but was intimidated to make something so structural and weight-bearing from scratch. Since this project uses an old pair of Converse All Star sneakers as a pattern or template, there's not a lot of worrying about how to re-invent the wheel (so to speak), just some fun tear-down and hands-on learning about how a classic shoe is constructed. converse pic.jpg

To test the project, I modded a pair of the high-tops in the CRAFT Labs, replacing the old fabric with a new navy blue with white polka dots. All it takes is some simple sewing and shoe glue.

Then I made a San Francisco Giants themed pair for a CRAFT event at the 2008 "Stitch N' Pitch" baseball game at AT&T Park. For the fabric, I used Giants bandanas from the team's 50th anniversary celebration, with huge SF logos and a crazy Golden Gate Bridge print.

Now that I've made a couple of pairs of these, I feel ready to branch out in the world of shoe reupholstery and design a pair for my sister for Christmas. I'll post pictures here once I give them to her, to show how they turned out!

November 23, 2009

Zipper Jewelry by Louise Lowenstein

I'm loving this zipper jewelry by Louise Lowenstein, recently featured on Book of Joe. Smart and sassy!

How-To: Sweater to Caplet

Alexis of My Mama Made It shares a great tutorial for transforming a sweater into a stylsih caplet. She even shows how to shift the way it's worn so it can take on several different styles. [via Oh So Crafty]

November 13, 2009

How-To: T-Shirt And Doily Scarf

Back in September, I shared the story of a group of Portland crafters who were rallying around to support a beloved local craft store. They've released special projects each week, showing things you can make with items you can find at the Knittn' Kitten or your own local thrift or craft store. So far, the only way to get a copy of these project sheets is to visit the Knittn' Kitten in Portland, but CRAFT has been given special permission to share the final project with our readers. This t-shirt and doily scarf from Bridget of Eyes Aflame is a great way to use up simple items you can easily find in your stash or at the thrift store. Feeling inspired by the project? Don't forget to check out and enter our Me, My Scarf & I contest for your chance to win a SINGER serger!

Download the T-Shirt and Doily Scarf Instructions PDF

Posted by Rachel Hobson | Nov 13, 2009 06:00 AM
Refashion | Permalink | Email Entry | Suggest a Site

November 12, 2009

Get Cozy with Vaska Contest

Berkeley-based Vaska, makers of botanical-based laundry soap, is holding a Get Cozy With Vaska Contest, which sounds like it's right up our alley.

Twelve winners will get $300 in cash and a page in the 2010 Vaska Cozy Calendar, sure to be a collector's item (or so they claim). The contest ends at midnight Jan. 4, 2010, with winners announced on Jan. 10. So now's the time to get making cozies! The cash would be a nice help in paying off some of my holiday debt, is what I'm thinking.

And I appreciate the fact that their PR efforts are focusing on crafters and our mad crafting skills:

"The Get Cozy Contest is a way of introducing the crafts community to laundry care products that conserve the integrity of their designs and, at the same time, we can reward them for their creativity. We know crafters will appreciate Vaska's softer, brighter, greener results," says Julia Fry, Vaska creator. Fry is a former fashion designer, whose love of textiles led her to create the herb-based detergent.

All the details, contest rules, and info on where to buy Vaska detergent can be found on their website.

Refashion Home | Next >