DIY - Anthropologie Inspired Bracelet

I really like this bracelet from Anthropologie for two reasons: cute and colorful; as well as easy to make! Here is the inspiration.

Here is my version:

Here are the simple steps to make a single wrap bracelet:

1. Gather supplies: 2mm cord (about 20 inches long), fabric glue, a strip of fabric (about 1.5" x 18"), button, embroidery floss, and nylon cord (so it can melt to seal the knots). 

2. Thread the cord through button, half way.

3. Lay the button end of cord on the strip like below. Smear fabric glue on the fabric's wrong side, under the cord. 

4. Fold the fabric over the cord, and press down onto the glue. 

5. Smear more glue onto the wrong side of the fabric and wrap the fabric around the cord. Keep glue and wrapping. Check for the length of your bracelet by wrapping around your wrist.   

6. When you get to the length you want, create a loop that is large enough for the button to go through. 

7. Cut the cord so it will be hidden under the fabric. Add more glue to the fabric and wrap it around the cord once and then trim the fabric, adding more glue to seal it in place.

8. Tie a length of the embroidery floss on one end, then wrap it around until you get to the other end and then knot it.

9. Start at the other end (button side) with another length of floss and then wrap it down to the loop side. And then tie it.

10. To secure the fabric, loops, and floss, use about a 15 inch piece of cord and use a macrame knot about 6 times on each side. Click here for directions. Only you just take the 15 inch piece and tie it on the top and that creates the two outside strings you need to macrame, with the bracelet being the two middle pieces.

 11. Trim the cord to about 1/2 an inch, then melt the ends with a lighter. When the cord forms a little ball close to the bracelet, blow out the flame and then touch the ball to make it into a little button. It will be hot.

12. And that's it!

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Bedroom Makeover

Our bedroom has never really functioned well, especially the bedside tables. We have a lot of books, so we had two low bookcases for tables. They worked great for storing books; but the tops were too narrow for lamps, jewelry, magazines, clocks, reading glasses, etc. So at our garage sale, we got rid of them, without anything to replace them. We just knew we didn't want them anymore. So this is what our bedroom looked like: with books piled up against the wall, a lamp on top of a stack of books, basically a mess. This is a before photo. I intentionally didn't make the bed, which is similar to a person's face for a before picture of plastic surgery. They are rarely smiling. So my bed isn't smiling. We made the plain padded head board from an old sheet to drape quilts on, and then safety pinned them in place, but it looked too feminine and a bit dated.

Before

So, since I like to be as efficient as possible, I made a list of all the things we needed our bedside tables for: reading, storing books/magazines/etc, storing jewelry, writing, charging phones/tablets, last minute work stuff (checking email before going to bed or making tomorrow's to do list), etc.  So that means we needed desks. Desks? Yes, desks. They provided everything we needed as well as making our bedroom a little more practical with another quiet place for working, writing, and reading. 

After

The Bed

I kept the head board, but I covered it with some scrap fabric I had around (tutorial coming). I know that the chevron pattern is pretty trendy right now, but I had a large piece that would work just fine. The black pillows are from Ikea, but I made the other pillows: the pocket yellow trimmed grey ones (tutorial blog coming soon), blue with black stripes, and the yo-yo black pillow (leftover from Zoe's dorm room). The coverlet, quilt and bed skirt are from Target.

The Desks

The desks I bought from Overstock.com. They look vintage, the top is glass, so it's easy to clean. When I made them I actually reversed the top, since it wasn't as shiny as the other side.  The lamps are from Ikea. I also got a little magazine storage bin for Scott's side, as he likes to go through his magazines at night: New Yorker, Bicycling, and Believer. The chairs are from Target. 

Most of the baskets/boxes are empty. I fill them up with items from my closet that I don't wear anymore so it's convenient to send off to Goodwill.

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Permanent Papel Picado Banner

I am working on spiffing up my art show display table for the Tucson Open Studio Tour on November 10 & 11.  So I made a table cover and it was missing something.  Well being that it is the time of year for Dia de Los Muertos, I was inspired by the tissue paper cut-out banners. I wanted the same festive look, but a little more enduring.  Here is what I came up with:

Supplies & tools:

Cotton fabric & thread

Sew in interfacing

Paper (I used just printing paper, but water soluble water would have been better)

Cord (I used clothesline rope)

Sewing machine

1 - I drew out a pattern on the paper, remember it's supposed to look like a cut-out so you need to think of shapes that wouldn't fall out if cut out. Also, they tend to be symmetrical as if they were cut out of folds.

2 - I then sandwiched four layers: the bottom/back layer, the interfacing, the "hole" layer, then the top fabric layer and finally the pattern.

3 - I cut around the paper, leaving a flap from the top fabric layer, that would fold over to create the tube to run the cord through.

I folder this over to the back before I stitched all the way around.

4 - I then sewed around the whole paper about 1/4 of an inch inside.

Sewing along the paper, with the top fabric layer folded under to create the tube.

5 - Next I sewed on the pattern, following my lines as best I could.  I sometimes needed to use free stitching, by dropping the feed dogs and removing the sewing foot. This takes some practice, but I have done it enough when quilting, though I am not a pro.

6 - Remove as much of the paper as possible by soaking it in the sink.

7 -  I then washed it in the washing machine to try to remove all the paper.  Not all of the paper came off, it's especially noticable on the darker fabric.  Water-soluble paper would work better.

8 - Then I carefully cut out the top layer (the yellow in this case), inside all the sewing shapes.

Here is the finished banner:

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Art Show Table Covering

I have been invited to have a table at the Tucson Open Studio Tour November 10 & 11. I did it last Spring, pretty spontaneously, but this year I decided to step up my game and make my display a bit more spiffy, starting with a table cover.  Based on my experience last year, I decided to add some pockets and loops.  Here is the process:

1 - I chose fabrics I already had in my stash. You can easily spend more on your display then you can making during the show.  I cut the black fabric one inch wider all away around the folding table.

2 - I made some tabs and pinned them at the both front corners and the middle.  These loops will make it easier to hang signs down the front.

3 - I then made four pockets to hold things like pens, phone, money, scissors, business cards, etc. These things needs to be accessible, but not cluttering the table.

4 - I then pinned the muslin around the edge.  I had the muslin overlap at the back to provide access to storage under the table.

5 - Here is what it looked like so far.

6 - I added a ruffle along the bottom.

7 - Here is the final - though it needs some fancying up.  And I have an idea - stay tuned.

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