2. Easy and creative jumper revamp

This is so easy and at the same time gives so much character to a plain jumper, that I just had to do it. Took me in total half hour. What i did was to sew in the star designs. This of course allows for lots of different designs according to different preferences :) I folded the thread 4 times to ensure it's thick enough to be noticed. When passing the thread through the jumper, I noticed I had to be very careful not to full hardly on the thread so the material would not be gathered.

And voila! An eye catching jumper just like that! I got so many little things thanks to this! :)

DIY - From turtleneck to lace panels top

 So, a while ago I came across an old turtleneck (top left pic is an internet image of a very similar turtleneck to the one I had), which I have forgotten at the back of my closet. Doesn't this happen to all of us?! :) I like and wear  turtlenecks a lot, but this particular one felt very warm and never wore it too much. So,  given I was really in the mood for a diy I thought I would take my chances at reconstructing this. I had a lot of spare lace and didn't really mind ruining this as I wasn't wearing it much.
The idea was to have panels going on the sides and up the sleeves (top right pic - and now I've learnt not to take white on white pictures, sorry....). Midway through the project I thought to add the lace collar too for more of a ladylike touch.
This project was done a couple of months ago, so unfortunately there are no step by step pictures, but I will do my best to explain what I did. Also, I made some images myself to try and help with the intermediary steps and of course will answer any questions about it. Another thing I should mention is that this took a really long time to complete and needed a lot of patience from me because I don't have a sewing machine, so had to sew everything by hand!

Materials:
- needle and lots of thread, the same colour as your turtleneck.
- lace - this should not only fill in what you originally cut form the turtleneck, but allow a bit of fabric on the sides, to adjust on the way.
- scissors.
- pins.
- tape measure.
- I added some pearl like beads on the collar.

Steps:

1. Think where you would like your lace inserts to go, and put pins in to mark it. If you think it would help, use a pencil to draw on the inside part of it.
2. Take a deep breath, get your courage together and cut alongside the pins you had put in at step 1, as in:

I also cut off the neck at this stage, thinking I will make it like a sweater type top :) Plus, it's easier to handle if you cut the neck off from the beginning - given we'd put in pins and have to turn it inside out and what-not. Save the turtleneck in order to construct the collar out of it.
3. Measure the length between the underarm and the bottom end of the jumper. Cut a piece of lace of that length + a few inches allowance. Also the width of the piece of lace depends on the fabric of the jumper and the style you want to create (loose, fitted etc).
4. Measure the length between the underarm and the end of the sleeve. Again, cut off this length + allowance from the lace fabric. For the sleeves, make sure you cut the lace in a triangular shape, so it narrows as you go towards the wrist. This way the sleeves will follow the arm shape and not be bell-shaped (unless you are going for that style ;) ).
5. Pin the lace on the jumper, making sure that the ends of both materials join on the inside of the jumper. This can be a bit of a tricky and time consuming procedure, as you'd have to make sure that everything aligns well and is of the same dimensions. This is where the allowance comes in ;)
6. Sew, sew, sew - carefully sew everything on, of course on the inside of the jumper. When you reach the ends of the sleeves and the bottom of the jumper, turn the lace inwards to make a seam.
7. Sew the underarms. Here, what I did (after thinking a lot how to join the 2 parts together) was just to sew it across (from the back of the jumper to the front), see pic:

8. Cut all the excess fabric you are left with on the inside.
9. Now, for the collar, I made a little image demonstrating this step:

a. Cut open the turtleneck
b. Draw the collar shape you want on it and of course allow for extra fabric. Measure the neckline on the jumper in order to have the same dimensions. Cut out your collar
c. Cut the same pattern on the lace material
d. Sew the lace on the collar
9. Attach the collar to the top by sewing it along the neckline. Also, I sewed it all along the rounded part too, so it stays fixed on the jumper.
10. Attach embellishment - I added pearl beads, but something of a different colour, for contrast, could work just as well.
The finished results:

 This was for me a very big project to undertake and I am very pleased with how it turned out. Any comments and opinions are more than welcomed! Thank you.

DIY - Stud, Stud, Stud!! Handbag and Top

I like studded things! (that's a great way to start a new post :) ). I mean, I don't like it when people dress head to toe (headband, top, jacket, bag, jeans, shoes) in studs, but I do think a stud here and there can really make something a bit more edgy.
Seeing I had a studded belt from my young years :) I decided to take all of the studs out and keep them for some projects. And two of the came fairly easy to me:
1. A vintage handbag, that was otherwise in great condition, but I thought could do with a bit of a modern twist.
2. A top, which was ok on it's own, but I thought why not add something to it. The top goes well with a belt, as it is flowy, but hope the pics are ok as they are.

Both these projects were fairly easy to complete. The bag studding was a bit time consuming, as the material is a bit thick, so I had to make sure the studs will stay in place.
So the materials are:
1. Studs!!
2. Pliers or, as I used, a nail file (to cling the studs in)
3. Optional: glue - I only used this on the bag material



Now the easy part, steps:
1. Find the place on the items where you want your studs to go. Arrange  them without putting them in, so you'd get a feel of the final design. It's useful to put pins in the places where you'd want the studs to go, so the design doesn't deform half way through.

2. If the material is dense and thick, use the nail file to make tiny (I stress, tiny) holes in the fabric, so the stud legs would go in easily. I only did this on the bag.
3. Place the stud on the material and press it on.
4. On the back, using the pliers/nail file bend the stud legs inwards to make it cling to the fabric.
5. Voilà! Studded anything you can think of!

I used a bit of glue to reinforce the studs on the bag. They hold very well. Wore it many times and they did not fall off! yey
Now, for the before and after pics:

For a cuter element to it I added 3 studs on each side of the shoulder strap.

Hope this is useful, and I would like to hear some opinions on this :) 

I also have something else already done involving studs, but it deserve a post on its own :) x