Upcycle Sewing: Men's Dress Shirt into...

In the sewing and fashion world, upcycling is the new black, or more correctly, the new recycling. This hot new trend is the practice of taking an existing garment or material (such as a discarded dress or bedsheet) and breathing new life into them by aid of a bit of creativity and a sewing machine, of course. 

Salvaging fabric from second-hand garments, or clothes that have almost been forgotten in the back of your closet, is a fun and easy way to add a few new unique pieces to your wardrobe, while feeding your own creative drive and personal style (but without breaking your bank.)

Sewing Studio is existed to offer a variety of Upcycling Classes this summer, all taught by our newest instructor Shalley Chapman. Shalley is a recent recipient of the coveted Silver Medal in Skills USA for her upcycling clothing projects. 

Below is a picture of two of Shalley's charming skirts crafted from the sleeves of men's dress shirts.  In our 'Upcycling Men's Shirts' Class, offered on July 24th, Shalley will guide you through the steps of creating your very own upcycled skirt and you will leave knowing you helped Mother Earth out a little that day.

CLICK HERE FOR OUR CLASS SCHEDULE, and don't forget to sign up early. Space is limited.

Thanks to Pinterest (and lots of creative sewers allover the web), we have a few more fun upcycling project tutorials to share and they all begin with a discarded men's dress shirt!

Turn a men's dress shirt into an adorable hand bag. 

Tutorial by One Month to Win It.

Upcycle dress shirt sleeves into Toddler Harem pants.

Tutorial by Prudent Baby.

Joyful Upcycled Summer Dress

Tutorial by How Joyful

Men's dress shirt into little girl's dress

Tutorial by This is me Inspired

Men's dress shirt cuffs into wine bottle gift bags.

Photo courtesy of Etsy/Pinterest.

Upcycle men's dress shirt and necktie into cute summer top.

Photo courtesy of Etsy/Pinterest.

Men's dress shirts into aprons.

Photo courtesy of Pinterest.

Visit Us on Pinterest for more Upcycling Inspiration

 

Mother's Day Fabric Corsages

Mother's Day is right around the corner. Like, right around the corner. Like, this Sunday around the corner. Now, we're certain that you've not only thought of what you're getting your Mom, but you've already purchased it. But, for that tiny percentage of you that haven't, we have some cute corsages that you can make.

That's right, you can MAKE these. They're not only beautiful, they're extra thoughtful and last longer than live flowers.

The links will take you to our Pinterest. To find the tutorial, simply click on the picture there. If you don't know what Pinterest is, then you should read our previous post on the matter.

Pocket Full of Posies Corsage

Fabric Corsage

 Pretty Corsage

A More Crafty Look

Wrist Corsage

iSew, you sew

Yeah, it's a cheesy way to title a post. But what would you call a post that merges technology and sewing crafts? We all love our gadgets. We all have computers, smart phones, GPS, MP3, etc. We wouldn't give them up for the world because they're what makes living in the future futuristic.

That doesn't mean you can't merge your technological passions with your old fashioned sewing sensibilities. Take a look at these fun projects to see ways you can be tech savvy in your craft room.

There's a nap for that

QR Quilt

 

iPad Cover

Padded iPad Case

Laptop Sleeve

 

Fat Quarter Projects

Now, if you're a quilter, then you know what a fat quarter is used for: a quilt. But, would it surprise you to know that it's not the only use for those easy to buy little swatches of fabric? Here are some interesting projects culled from Pinterest (really, you guys gotta get on that site). Just click on the link below each picture to be taken to the tutorial.

Fat Quarter Clutch Purse

Fat Quarter Coasters

Fat Quarter Apron

Fat Quarter Scarf

Fat Quarter Box

Fat Quarter Stuffed Owl

Last Minute Easter Crafts!

Easter is just a few days away, but that doesn't mean you can't still complete a few fast and fun sewing projects!

Just click on the link under the picture to be taken to the tutorial.

Sewing Carrots for Easter Bunny

Bunny bows!

Fabric Covered Eggs

Easter Coasters and Placemats

Bunny Sachet

Marshmallow Bunny Plushie

Easter Bunny Basket

Felt Easter Eggs

The Sewing Studio is on Pinterest!

What? You don't know what Pinterest is? Well, it's high time you did. It's the singularly most exciting site to pop up on the web for creative minded individuals. Simply put, it's a visual collection of the things you love.

"But, I have bookmarks," you're probably saying. And that's true. But take a moment to look at your bookmark folders. They may be neatly organized, they may not. But all you'll see are words, usually the "title" of the page. You may have bookmarked that page because you liked one image, and the title may not even describe that image, so it could be months before you even remember that particular piece of inspiration.

With Pinterest, you "pin" an image to one of your "boards" so that you can instantly look at all of the images that inspire you. As seamstresses, we're incredibly visual people, so it's far easier to see the things that inspire us rather than read about them.

To get started, you'll need an invite from someone who is already signed up. And you're in luck, we're signed up. If you'd like an invite, just drop an email to chad@sewing.net and he'll get you set up with an invite. We want all of our customers to enjoy this site, so we'll get you started.

Once you get the invite, you'll need to sign up using either your Facebook account or Twitter account. It makes logging in simple and easy.

And then you're in, and you can create a few boards. They'll be default boards already, but you can rename those. You can create as many boards as you want, but name them something interesting and fun to grab other pinners' attention. You probably want to have boards for things like "Quilting Inspiration" or "Bonnets for My Baby's Head". Whatever you're sure you want to sew or create in the future, start a board so you can start pinning pieces of inspiration.

For instance, you may have an idea for a quilt, and you like a panel from a quilt you saw on a blog, and you like the colors you found someplace else, you can pin all of those little pieces that will eventually comprise your new quilt to a board called, "My New Quilt".

There are two ways to find inspiration and pin it to your boards. First, you can install a "Pin It" button in to your internet browser. That way when you're surfing the net, reading your regular sewing and quilting pages, you can pin things you like.

The second way, and the most addictive way, is to explore other people's boards and find pictures they've pinned, and then "repin" those pictures to one of your boards. This is what makes this a "social network" because you can follow other pinners and see everything they pin.

There are also smartphone apps to keep you pinning on the go. We've been too busy exploring other people's boards to play with any of those apps, but we will. If you have, and have tips for using them, please add them to the comments section below.

Trust us, it's EXTREMELY fun and INCREDIBLY addicting. If you're not careful, you'll spend too much time finding inspiration and planning new projects and have no time to actually complete new projects!

If you'd like to see our boards, head on over to our page and take a look around.

Valentine's Day Sewing Projects

What better way to show someone how much you care than with a gift from the heart? Valentine's Day is the perfect occasion to spread some love, and these quick and beautiful projects are wonderful to give to all those special people in your life. 

Click the links below each picture for a tutorial on how to easily create each craft, and don't forget to stop by The Sewing Studio for a little fabric inspiration to see these projects through to completion.

Raggedy Heart Pillow

Valentine Pennie Pockets

Felt Fortune Cookies

Heart Shaped Zippered Pouch

Ruffled Flower Pillow

Heart Shaped Pot Holders

Valentine Raggedy Heart Coaster