Cut T-Shirts

It’s heating up! It maybe only spring but here in Arizona the temps are getting hot, hot, hot! Anyways I am sure you’ve had collections of old baggy shirts from your school or your favorite sports team. Perhaps you want to change it up or you have a great outfit idea but you need a blue muscle shirt but you want to add other elements to spice things up. Now I know 299 seems like a very odd number but if you calculate all the possible combinations you’ll get 300, however that includes the original shirt and obliviously you are trying to change this shirt, not keep it the same.

Check out this graphic from Oh So Pretty. And these are just ideas! You can cut the back of a shirt a million more ways than 2.

Or you can add frills such as bows! Check out this video from Bethany Mota for some exciting tips on making a cut tee look store bought.

#GIFTERPROBS

With Easter just around the corner many friends exchange chocolates and anything to do with rabbits. And anyone who is not a closet crafter, will know the panic-ey feeling of all of his or her friends expecting a home made gift. Depending on when you start your gifts perhaps it’s not all that stressfull, but then there are birthdays, Christmas, Valentine’s day, Saint Patrick’s day, Easter, and then you got the end of the school year and it doesn’t end! And for those who procrastinate? It’s torture. Here is a simple solution to say when you give your friends a plush bunny that you picked up for a buck, “I only make gifts for (insert holiday)” and when it comes around to the holiday you ‘specialize’ in make everyone gifts and I do mean EVERYONE. You don’t want someone to feel left out on the one day of the year every one else gets your handmade treasures. Happy Good Friday!

Stupid Questions

It’s not exactly like asking someone why he or she breathes. I mean, breathing is a necessity and sewing- not exactly. Let me tell you the story of why I started sewing. Once upon a time, in second grade I decided that I would and am going to be a fashion designer. Fast-forward two years to when I was in fourth grade. My Girl Scout troop was kind of falling apart. There were only 5 girls, including myself; two of the girls went to one school and two of the girls went to another school. And then there was me. At first I didn’t mind and then it got worse. At the time, my nickname was salt, and best friend was pepper. It was a sad day for me when I found out she was changing her matching nickname to match with someone else. Don’t worry; I don’t want to see any tears. The story isn’t over yet. So in order to try and bond with my best friend and the other girl, I decided to start taking sewing lessons and the rest is history. Now I’m best friends with both girls and I’m another step closer to being a fashion designer! Alright, back to how breathing is related to sewing. It’s been a while and now it’s just apart of me. So, after knowing someone for approximately 2-3 months, they will always ask, “Why do you like to sew?” I hate that question but it’s an inevitable one. That I can tell you will never ever have anymore of an answer than “It’s fun.” But why do I need to answer that? Maybe I have some deep emotional story of why I sew and you don’t need to know that. Instead of asking such a basic question try asking, “What has been the favorite thing you’ve made” or something “fun.”

Five Cute DIY Gifts

Every year I make all of my Christmas presents for my friends. In august, I can tell you that while I’m on my Pinterest, I am looking for the best DIYs to make for my friends. So why am I bringing this up in the first week of April? Well, I thought I would share my top five go-to gifts that you can make quickly and in a pinch. 
1. DIY Stamps Oh my gosh! Who would not want a cute personalized stamp? They could use it to add a sweet touch to a little stationary or on the inside cover of all their books.
2. Beach Bag Lets go to the beach, beach… Swimming weather is just around the corner so when you throw your first pool party of the summer, give your friends something cute to bring their towels in. Surprise your pals with a personalized beach bag! Super easy and super cheap!
3. Personalized Mug Ooo, I smell coffee! I have quite a few friends who love coffee. I made a cute mug with my initial and my best friend’s intial for her for Valentine’s Day. She loved it and all our friends thought it was just the coolest thing.
4. Candy Basket I always have seen these in stores and I’ve always been super jealous that I’ve never had one! A bouquet of candy is the perfect gift for someone who is hard to shop for! Who doesn’t love candy, right?
5. Infinity Scarf I made a bunch of my friends these for Christmas yet, and let me tell you, they were so cute! I know, I know, the weather is heating up why would you need a scarf? Well to be honest, I don’t have a good reason for why you’d want to make your friends scarfs for 80 degree weather, but hopefully you can keep this in the back of your mind.
Get excited because you are gonna make the best gifts for years!

Phone Stand Pattern

ARE YOU READY? The first “how-to” post! I mean it seemed odd that I a crafter, who has a craft blog with no crafts but I love to craft so a crafter with no crafts on her craft blog is just un-crafty. Uh did that make any sense? Okay. Lets try again. What I’m trying to say is why have a craft blog with no craft posts… Ugh. This isn’t working lets just get into it.
 Materials:
• Fabric
• Stuffing
• Poly pellets
• Iron away marker
• And Iron (or straightener, curler, etc.)
• Seem ripper
• Scissors
• Hand sewing needle




Step one: Cut a 6-by-8-inch piece of fabric

Step two: Fold fabric in half hamburger style, pin, and sew on the edge of the presser foot where the to ends meet. (Green line in the picture)
















Step three: Sew the adjacent side on the edge of the presser foot. (Green line in the picture)

Step four: Here is a tricky part. On the other adjacent that has not been sewn pull open and align the long side seam in the middle. (As pictured) Then sew on the green line

Step five: Open a small section on the long side seam. (pink to pink)

Step six: Turn it right side out and push out corners using a pen end.

Step seven: Sew a half-inch in on the side with the open seem. Leave a gap or seam rip a small space (Sew on pink lines) 

Step eight: Fill this small area with poly pellets, this was difficult to photograph. Then sew this area shut.

Step nine: Measure another half inch in and sew on the pinkish-purplish line.

Step ten: Stuff large section.

Step eleven: Add poly pellets to give a little weight to the back.

Step twelve: Hand sew the opening close.

Step thirteen: Clip threads and iron away any marks And you’re done!
Look at that! Now you have your very own little phone stand. Enjoy!

Storage Hoarder?

It’s time to come clean; my name is Kayla Scaramella and I’m a storage hoarder. I love to organize my craft supplies, however I have much more storage space than I need. Perhaps it is because I believe I am partly OCD or maybe it’s because I’m a girl and I live 3 boys- I’m not sure, but I can tell you that I need my thread on a thread rack and my 12 by 12 sheets in a scrapbook paper organizer. Any crafter loves to know exactly where everything is in his or her craft room. Now before you assume that I just have piles and piles of bins and organizers- lets just say I have piles. It’s a fact of life; any crafter you get to know enough that you get an invite to their house you’ll notice very neat desks and storage units. Are they full? Well that’s another story. I’d have to say I have about 75% of my storage space filled, but don’t worry, that 25% is devoted to the craft supplies I haven’t bought- and trust me, that 25% will be used eventually. What I believe I am is I’m trying to fill the void of being a crafter on a budget. Only cure? More craft supplies!

Crafters Everywhere

We all have those friends. The ones who like to brag about what they’ve “made”. They compliment you, only to get you to compliment them, and then they tell you all about what ever they have “made.” What does it even mean to make something? Nowadays it seems like every single teenage girl is the most creative person in the entire world and they “make” everything. In case you didn’t know, when you cut up a pair of your old jeans and turn them into shorts it is altering an existing piece of clothing. Altering jeans doesn’t measure up to a dress I made from fabric and thread. I have been sewing for five and a half years and when you show me your shirt that you tie-dyed while I’m wearing a cardigan that I spent 8 hours on, I am going to be offended. Before you call me out, yes- I have altered jeans and tie-dyed a shirt and no- I am not saying that you are not creative if you have created these things. All I am saying is that people who have actually make stuff do not like when you are begging for our attention for something we could “make” in our sleep. Next time you want to flaunt your DIY hair bow, remember you might not be the only crafty person in the room.

Websites Every Crafter Should have in their Favorites Bar

If you are a true crafter you know that sometimes you might be a little short on what to- well craft! Have no fear other crafters have already thought of a solution! The crafting community has recently developed into an Internet sensation. Some websites are devoted to just to how to’s and ways to make all of our lives easier. Popular Youtubers have flourished while sharing their DIY’s and tips. Here are a few you definitely should bookmark.
1. Pinterest.com – I’m sorry, but if you have never heard of this website before then you have been living under a rock. I’ve had my Pinterest for about two years and I can honestly say I wouldn’t be alive without it. Pinterest is a network of everything crafty. It has tips to tutorials on just about anything. Need to know how to make jewelry out of soda can tabs? You got it! And maybe you’re not on your laptop all the time or you’re not up for that much effort; that’s okay. Pinterest has an app version too. The best part? It’s free and easy to sign up! So what are you still doing here?
2. Etsy.com – Ever wish of selling a few of your trinkets online? Or maybe there is a certain craft tool you need. When my friend first told me about Etsy she said “Etsy is like Ebay, but there is no biding and is so much cooler,” and she was right! My aunt has an Etsy shop where she sells little girl bags and dresses. She has made over five thousand dollars in the past year! On top of selling on Etsy she is also a huge buyer, she constantly sends me pdfs of the patterns she buys. So if you want to get a unique gift or new scrapbooking scissors Etsy is the place to be.
3. Youtube.com – Seems pretty basic right? But Youtube is a great site to find step by step tutorials on pretty much anything. A few girls, such as Bethany Mota, have hit it big and are always posting DIY videos on everything from hair to room design. Try typing in “How to cut a t-shirt,” and thousands of results will come up. Watch a couple videos and you might be inspired to create your own Youtube to help the rest of us.
4. TheHunt.com – Now this is not exactly a DIY site but while you’re on one of MY favorite sites, (soon to be your favorites too,) and you find a cute shirt but you can’t find where it’s from. Before the tears start rolling, try this website. You can search for your desired item through existing posts or you can make a new post. Just attach a picture of what you are looking for and in a couple days someone else will help you out by posting a link to the store where your dream shirt is sold. Simple. Never lose hope ever again!
5. Craftgawker.com – This site is very similar to Pinterest. Other than a different color scheme, there are many unique crafts that are not on Pinterest. And what is wrong with having more sources for inspiration. I have an account on both, but when I find something I like I pin to Pinterest, that way I have everything in the same place. I suggest you sign up for both and find out which one you prefer and stick to it.