I made a cuff from a belt!

When I made my boot cuff last year, I made another one, from the other boot, and gave it to my sister.

 Here we are showing them off together.

She liked it so much, that she gave me this belt last year to turn into a cuff for her.



Here's a closer look. It has cute, ruffly, patent leather detailing.

This was a difficult one. Unlike my sandal cuff where I added the soft leather pieces for the snaps, I decided to use the same belt material for the snaps. It was so super thick that I had to cut some of the insides of it out in order for the snap to go through. It took a while but it finally came out pretty good except for the red snap! I had started with the red snap months ago and when I got back to this project last week, I realized I ran out of red snaps!

I like the way it came out. My sister doesn't even know I finally finished it. She'll know now! Soon, I'll post a picture of her wearing it. 

What do you think?

T-Shirt Reconstruction: Small T-Shirt into Draped T-Shirt:



 I showed you this Evita black t-shirt back in 2008 in this post. It was a giant shirt I had made smaller. 

Well, low and behold, some time has passed since then, and now I have to make it bigger! it simply got too tight on me. I used a simple drape method to add to the sides.

Here it is now:

I love it! I wore it all summer. Tutorial to come next week!

Flash Light Shoes

I love these flash light shoes! How would I even begin to make them?

This photo is from the August issue of Marie Claire magazine in an article detailing the kooky creations of some of the designers who auditioned for the 10th season of Project Runway which ended last week.  The article does not reveal the name of the designer, whether they made it or not, but I would definitely have let them compete, only to see what else they could have come up with. 

I need these shoes! As a mom who likes quirky fashion, I could kill two birds with one stone.  I could stomp around the house looking  cutting edge while searching for all the toys, socks, cups (you name it) that wind up under the bed. Part of the caption for the photo read, "perfect for finding monsters under the bed." I could use them for that too.

Tutorial: Make a Cuff from a Sandal

As promised, here is a simple tutorial that will teach you step by step, how to make a cuff from an old sandal (or a new one, if you prefer) . I took the pictures during the course of three or four days in various stages, that is why you'll see different backgrounds, sorry about that!  

1. So, here are my sandals, pretty beat up. I wore them for two straight summers all the time! They've been through sprinklers, dirt, sand, concrete, you name it! They were only $10.00 which probably explains why they broke after 2 summers!

2. Turn them around and there’s a hole in the sole. This made it easier to cut them.

3. So I cut all around the sandle.

4. This is what I’m left with.

5. I fit it around my wrist to see what it looks like.

6. It’s a little too long so I cut a bit. Yours can be whatever length you like.

7. I cut the point off too.

.

8. I try on again. I like it.

9. Now I have to even out these strips

10. Much better

11.Now I take out my soft piece of leather and measure. I will be putting snap closures on these pieces. I need four pieces the same width as the length of the cuff.

12. These are the bottom pieces, Good side facing down

13. Now put the top pieces on top of the other two, good side facing you, to see how they measure up. The strips will be sewn, sandwiched in, between the two pieces.

14. Okay, now take the top pieces off and start with one side. Sew the strips onto the bottom of the leather piece, the one with the good side facing down. Note: I have a singer factory machine and I use a number 16 needle to sew this. I am not sure how it would go with another type of machine. Please make sure your machine is able to sew leather.) Then do the other side.

15. Now put the top piece, with the good side facing you, on top of the strips (remember, we are sandwiching the strips in between these leather pieces and then sewing). Start sewing as close to the edge of the leather strips as possible (NOTE: I used brown thread because I had it in my machine already and I thought the subtle color contrast would look nice. I also decided to add rows of stitching for a quilted effect. I liked the way it came out. Now do the other side

16. This is how it looked. A bit uneven so I had to cut around to make it an even rectangle.

17. Now to add snaps. I bought these snaps in bulk from DesireMeNow, check out her shop! The tool I bought separately.

18. The package will give you instructions on how to apply the snaps so I won't bore you. One thing I will tell you is that it is easier to apply the snaps if you make a hole before applying the snap. You can buy a leather whole punch but I just used an ice pick. Works
just as well.

 Here it is front and back.

And now on my wrist.

A couple of shots worn with an outfit. I love it! You can still wear it in the fall with 3/4 length sleeves.  It's a little superheroish. But hey, with all I do, I can be considered a superhero mom. I wouldn't wear two at the same time though. Don't want to be mistaken for Wonder Woman!

So get out those old sandals and start working! Leave a comment and let me know what you think of this tutorial. I always welcome feedback. 

From Sandal to Cuff

This is what I worked on yesterday. Last year I made my sister and I cuffs from boots, you can see it  here and get the tutorial. 

Now I am on to sandles. I have had this idea in my head a couple of months after one of these sandles got a hole in the sole. I think I purposefully buy cheap shoes so they can break and I can make something from them. Well, I love the way they came out! Tell me what you think. More pics and a tutorial coming soon!

Serenity Prayer T-Shirt Reconstruction

I love it when the message and the medium come together! This was one of my very first t-shirt transformations. Someone gave me this t-shirt ages ago and, of course, I didn't wear it because it was super big. I did love the saying, though,  The Serenity Prayer:

God, grant me the serenity to

accept the things I cannot change

Courage to change the things I can

and the wisdom to know the difference.

My oldest was about two years old and newly diagnosed with autism, when I rediscovered sewing again. Sewing refreshed me as a mother of special needs kids. It gave me a much needed break from visual schedules, tantrums, ABA, etc. Looking back, I didn't consciously choose this shirt for my first recon project but how appropriate and timely was it, no? I sure needed this saying at this particular time. The shirt chose me.  

Have you ever had a project that chose you?