[The project:]

The project: Make something new out of recycled materials. Tin cans, shampoo bottles, old greeting cards, etc. If it's "junk" it's fair game! Naturally some components might be new (like glue or paint) but try to use as much "post-consumer" waste as possible.

I just finished this cardigan:

(I had to tweak the colors in photoshop so you could see the details.)

This is what it looked like originally:


1. I sewed a line (using a really short stitch length) about 3 inches in from the cuffs, hem and neckline and two lines about 6 inches apart down the middle.
2. I cut up the middle (making a cardigan out of a pull-over), cut off the cuffs, hem and neckline.
3. Using a seam ripper I shredded the egdes into 3/4" to 1" strips stopping at the lines I had sewn in step 1.
4. I put the sweater on inside out and pinned the arms and sides to give it a more fitted shape and then sewed along my pin lines:

(The little white dots are my pin-heads.) I also sewed a tight zig-zag stitch along the arms and sides before cutting off the excess material since it's a more crucial seam than the seams to stop the fraying.
5. I added a little clasp to the front. (I originally wanted it to be worn loose but because the original sweater was so huge on me it falls off my shoulders without it being clasped in the front.)
6. I've been throwing it in with every load of laundry to get the edges more frayed and they are getting there, but it's still sort of in-progress.

I was inspired by the sweater Sarah McLachlan is wearing here: http://www.rollingstone.com/photos/bigphoto.asp?gid=8283&s=1&e=5&seq=4&cf=381

My egdes didn't get quite as frayed as the sweater she's wearing but I don't know if I could get the egdes like that without the sweater really being *made* with that intention in mind.

[EARTH DAY]

EARTH DAY is April 22nd so what better day to start a Recycling swap?!

The project: Make something new out of recycled materials. Tin cans, shampoo bottles, old greeting cards, etc. If it's "junk" it's fair game! Naturally some components might be new (like glue or paint) but try to use as much "post-consumer" waste as possible.

The dates:SIGN UP CLOSED. You will be notified of your recipient by April 22nd. You will then have until May 8th to send your creation.

The info to PM me:
Screen name:
Real name:
Snail Mail address:
Age (optional):
Your favorite means of craftiness:
Any other info you'd like to share to help your partner get a better idea of what you would like:

I have a few simple little bags and other crafts I've made that I'd like to sell and I'm thinking of going through e-bay. Do you all think that e-bay is a good place to sell things like shoulder bags and other msc handmade stuff or would I be better off to try to sell them this summer at my garage sales?

Does anyone have experience selling their wares on e-bay? Pros? Cons?

(P.S. I'm not thinking of doing this as a business or anything at this point - just looking to unload some of the stuff I've made but don't use and get a little cash to support my wicked craft addiction.)

I just finished a piece I call...
Our Lady of the Chocolates

Here is a link:



(I'll try to get a direct image here soon...I'm trying, I promise!)

It is a shrine made from a cake pan with blue velvet curtains and a Madonna/Goddess made from foil chocolate wrappers. She resides in a Godiva chocolate box graced by foil (chocolate-wrapper) roses.

I know how to embroider on plain old cotton fairly well, but I have troubles with stretchy fabrics. I want to embroider (and add beads & sequins) to t-shirts and tanks, but I don't know how!  

When I put the fabric in the embroidery hoop I do it just so it's taut - but not stretched but then when I go to wear the shirt it doesn't stretch right where the embroidery is (naturally.) BUT if I put it in the hoop it so it's stretched, when I take it out it's all lumpy. Some of that lumpy-ness goes away when the shirt is worn but since my shirts stretch differently in different places (darn boobs anyway) it looks goofy.

Is this a lost cause?  

I made an apron embroidered with "Suzy Homemaker" on it and just finished it up today.

I have some metal trays from the thrift store that I want to decoupage but I want them to be durable... I usually use plain old white glue to decoupage, but I don't think that will be tough enough with metal.

Do you guys think Mod Podge would work or should I go with something like Varnish or Acryllic Laquer?  

I've been addicted to making these little bendy fairies. (A friend showed me how to make them and I think she got the instructions on-line somewhere, but I'm not sure where.)



1. Take a pipe cleaner and bend it in half.
2 & 3. Pinch the top of the bend and fold up the two ends (leaving a little nub where you were holding it.)
4. Bend the two ends down (these will be the arms.)
5. Fold those ends back in towards the center.
6. Follow steps 3 & 4 for the remaining ends forming legs.
7. Tightly wrap 6-strand embroidery floss around the bend on the leg (about 1/4 inch on either side of the bend.
8. Fold the leg up and continue wrapping the floss around and up the leg. (It takes a bit of practice to get the floss wrapped tightly and evenly so that none of the pipe cleaner fuzz pokes through.)
9 & 10. Follow steps 7 & 8 for the two arms and other leg.
11. Wrap the floss around the tops of the legs and base of the arms to form a body.
12. Glue a 10mm bead to the top of the body pushing the small part you pinched in step 2 into the hole of the bead.

Then you can add the hair and clothes! I made clothes for them out of pieces of ribbon or silk flowers and added hair from more embroidery floss.

I made a TON of these little dolls. You can see them here:
http://www.geocities.com/annareillyart/AR_Fairy_Dolls.html

I love to wear bracelets (especially the little elastic beaded ones) so I have a TON of them and had trouble storing them.

I bought a wood coffee-mug rack from the thrift store for about $1, sanded it, painted it with acrylic craft paint and a coat of acrylic varnish. (Although with all the bracelets on it you can't really see my paint job! LOL)

This is the result:



It would also work for necklaces and/or hair ties.