Diwali special-Recycled Home Decor

Welocme to the world of creativity!

Hope you all are in a festive mood.DIWALI! The festival of lights. You can see diyas, crackers, sweets and decorations everywhere. Even I was busy decorating my home for Diwali.

When I came back home from my native, after a short vacation; I was surprised seeing the changes that has happened to my home. The complete house has been renovated,new paint ,new curtains, new cushions....Ohhh! This new look encouraged me to decorate my home and I have added some of my creativity to make it more beautiful.

This diwali, I would like to share some of my ideas to decorate your home using the same old thechniques called recycling. Till my previous post, I have been mainly using clothes for my creations; and here after I'll introduce some of amazing crafts made of papers, used bottles, and jars. One more thing I want to tell you is; before dumping anything into the waste bin, look at it with a creative eye. You can defenitely make wonderful decorative items out of it and also save both money and the environment.

My first recycled craft - A wall hanging!

Here I have used the paper quilling technique .Good idea to recycle the old newspapers and magazines.

Take some colorful papers from old magazines.Make paper sticks out of it by rolling each one of them from one corner to the other and apply glue at the end. Make paper quillings by rolling these paper sticks in clockwise direction. Now paste the quillings on a wooden board or frame or thick card board and its ready! We can make variety of designs using these kinds of quillings.

Instead of paper quillings, you can also try pasting some of your favorite photos from the albums and make a creative gallery wall.Nice memories on the wall!

Next is Flowers!decorate your home with flowers.They are always beautiful to see and creat a happy atmosphere.

Here I have used A4 sheet papers to creat a flower. If you want, you can use newspapers too.Cut the papers into 4 equal parts and try to make cone or funnel shape out of it(use it as petals). Now take a round cardboard piece and paste the petals in a circular direction one after the other. Once the outer part is completed, fill the inside area in the same way and colour it according to your taste. Try to make variety of flowers in different shapes and sizes.It will make your home really beautiful.

Lamp shade! Can you guess what the material is?

Its a plastic bottle!You may have seen lot more videos of making diyas in this diwali occassion. So I thought of sharing something different. Recycling plastic bottles into lamp shades. Isn't it cool? Try to make it.Its very simple and inexpesive.

Take any juice bottle and cut it using a knife according to the bulb size. Remove the bottom part. Using scissors make the edges smooth. Decorate the bottles using paint or pasting sequences or making small holes. You can use it for normal bulbs or CFL or LED lights.It looks good at night time.

So what are you waiting for?

Party all night...party all night...party all night....WE DO PARTY ALL NIGHT!! ;)

If you like my post, give a thumbs up!HAPPY DIWALI.....:)

A sequel to Upcycling!

La La Lalala....La La Lalala...Lalalalala.La......

Hey! u may be thinking what happened to me? Hmm........well, I loved Shakira's new attempt as always. I am talking about the world cup football music. Hope u all enjoy FIFA WC2014?


Last time we were talking about the recycling of clothes. I got very good responses from most of you and that inspired me a lot ; hence I thought of a sequel to it. Here I would like to share some more creations of mine. 
 
Creativity rocks.........

• Table mat: 
   
  
  
  In everyone's wadrobe, a large amount of space has been taken up by your old denim. Am I right, then you should try this creative idea for decorating your table. Have you ever thought of making table mats from old denim? 
   
  It is very simple and will add charm to your table.Cut square pieces out of your denim and sew the edges. If you want, you can decorate it by sewing the pockets on to the mat; where you can keep your cutlery and napkin. 
   
  If you are using an elastic cloth( denim); sewing won't give you a nice finish to the sides. So better use glue for a great finish to the edges.
  
  
• Toys/Pillows/Cushion covers:
  

Ta-daaa, here comes my next one - denim toys for my daughter. Kids love to play with these kind of stuffed animals. If you are making a cute animal cushion,try to make your kids favourite cartoon characters. You can use unwanted clothes to stuff inside the pillows and toys. 
 
You can also make cushion covers from your old curtains or any other thick cloth. These ideas will help you to increase the space in your wadrobe. (ofcourse then clutter your living space with all these toys . Hehehe.. )


• Skirts/frock: 
   
  
  
  These are all time favourites of every women. Now-a-days skirts with different patterens, length and materials are available in the market.If you make a bit effort these are very easy to stitch.The things you need are - A sewing machine, an old saree or denim (clothes of your choice )and a small piece of elastic. 
   
  The first one which I shown in the picture is a skirt I made from a salwar(the lower portion of it). And the second one is a denim skirt. Here I cut the bottom portion of my jeans( almost 3/4) and an added piece of cloth with frills.
  
  You need a miniskirt? The easy way is find an old jeans, measure the suitable length from the waist to down and cut straightly. You can stitch the edges, if you want a neat look or else frayed edges are also fine.These kind of ideas will give your old denim a new look.Try it, it works!
  
  
• Rag Rugs: 
   
  
  
  Torn clothing into rug is a good example of recycling.Now-a-days carpet making canvas are available in the market. If you buy a kit, everything will be there inside. Or else what you have to do is cut small squre pieces of clothes from a denim or T-shirt and just hook your strips onto the canvas mesh. This way you can make a lot variety of designs.( it depends on the colours of ur strips). 
   
  What I have shown in the picture is - a rug made of old T-shirts. Instead of canvas, I used is a thick towel. I palced the strips one above the other on the towel and stitched it. Rug is ready!
  

Hope you liked my new ideas. See you next time with few more .....till then enjoy the Samba.. !

Upcycling- A Design Mantra!

Upcycling! Yes! One of the best ways to reuse old products.

When we talk about fabrics, the main problem we all will be facing is; where to keep our old clothes? Or what to do with it? You know, half of the space in my wardrobe has been taken up by these old clothes. When I was thinking what to do with this old stuff, the idea of recycling came to my mind. 

 

Recycling is one of the best solutions to reuse our old cloths. Especially for beginners in sewing. Because you will get a chance to experiment your talents in old clothes before going to an expensive one.

Used clothing can be donated to charities, sold, restyle or create new fantastic things like bags, clutches, slippers, toys, mats, blankets, rugs, pillowcase, curtains, fashion accessories etc. It is not only help you to reduce expenses but also give more space to your closet.

In this post, I would like to share some of the possible way to reuse your old cloths. Hope this will inspire you to make your own creations........

Ya,one more thing for your kind information, you may get rare chances to see my super model here after. You know why? Earlier she used to ask me a piece of chocolate for one pose, but, nowadays the demmand has increased to one full packet. Oh god! To a poor blogger, this is not affordable...... ;) So I am taking that daring step too.

 

 

How is my hobo T-shirt bag? looks cool....right ?Do you want to know how I made it?

Take an old T-shirt from your wardrobe, cut and remove the Sleeves,neckline and one inch bottom area. Now stitch the bottom area or make strips in the bottom and make knots, how I shown in the picture. Your bag is ready!

You can call it Messenger bags/Mobile bags/Sling.....etc. These I made from old jeans, t-shirts, and salwars. Very simple steps. If you want you can bind the edges of opening by using a zipper,Velcro or fabric hook. I made a little one for my daughter too. She is using it for collecting money.....he...he....What an idea sirji!

Here comes my recycled trendy denim bag! 

You can use old denim, trousers or pants to make it. If you add a belt to this bag (using denim cloth ), it looks more appealing. So, hope you all enjoyed these ideas, I will be waiting for your comments and suggestions. 

 

Creations are never ending..... See you next time with something new....till then, bye.. !

Learning the basics : Stiches

Hey, sorry for making you wait so long. How is 2014? Of course there will be ups and downs in every year, but I wish this year could bring some magical moments, fun and happiness in everyone’s life.

I had a very busy schedule in the previous months. For me it’s a travelling year. We had a few family trips in the beginning of this year and also in the mid of March. 

Every year, March is very special to me.

It’s my daughter’s birthday on March 16^th! She turned 2 this year. We celebrated her birthday at Yercaud, with some of our friends. It was a wonderful trip.

Let me talk about my passion. This time, other than my creations, I would like to talk about the basics stitches available in my sewing machine, Usha Janome Allure. You may find more or less options in your machine as well.

In olden days, we have seen people sitting hours and hours to make a single outfit with handmade embroideries.  Due to the inventions in automatic sewing machines, all these tedious jobs became easy and time saving. Most sewing machines come with a variety of decorative stitches that we rarely use!  


 The basic stitches available in my machine:     

   My basic sewing machine has some of these pretty stitches!

 

Straight or Flat stitch: These are made without crossing or looping the thread. It is a simple embroidery stitch used for basting (Basting is long easily removable stitches), topstitching.

Zigzag Stitch:  It is a back-and-forth stitch used where a straight stitch will not suffice, such as in reinforcing buttonholes, embroidering and in temporarily joining two work pieces edge-to-edge.

Tricot stitch: The needle takes three stitches to one side and then three stitches to the other side. This stitch is suitable for darning tears, sewing on elastic, and making decorative effects.

Blind hem and stretch blind hem: The blind hem stitch is designed to hem woven fabrics. It's perfect for window coverings or anywhere you want a clean finished edge. The stretch blind hem stitch has an extra zigzag. Both stitches have decorative applications, too.

Over edge stitching (Over lock): This is a kind of stitch that sews over the edge of one or two pieces of cloth for edging, Hemming, or seaming. It is ideal for sewing swimwear and stretch velour because it provides the greatest amount of elasticity and strength.

According to your need, you can adjust the stitch length and thread tension. That is what I have shown in the first picture.

Decorative Stitches:

Decorative stitches are generally wider and use more thread than simple stitches, so they have a greater chance of making your fabric pucker. You can try stabilizing your fabric with spray starch or use stabilizer or hoop while embroidering. There are mainly 4 types of stabilizer available in the market. (Cut away, pulls apart, washable or heat away). 

Smocking is one of the major embroidery styles in European countries. It is a decorative element in children and women's clothing.

So, are you ready? Try these stitches in a plain cloth or your dresses. Make it elegant and funky. PS: You need to have an automatic machine as well.. :) 

See you next time...till then, HAPPY SEWING!

 

SAY CHEERS TO CHRISTMAS AND NEW YEAR!!!

It’s time to say good bye 2013; before that, there is one greater day to celebrate-CHRISTMAS!

Christmas - a time of celebration, rejoicing and fun. There are lot of things making the day so special;  like family get-togethers, cards and presents, Christmas dinner, decorations, Santa Claus, Christmas trees, cakes....etc.

When I think about Christmas the colours that come in my mind is Red and White. Talking about New Year, silver and gold are definitely classic colours to boast on the New Year Eve. What do you think?

Today, I am going to share some of my experimental cute outfits (I hope so), which I made for my daughter! It is very simple and I took the measurements from her old dress. Here I haven’t explained anything in detail. Once I become an expert in cutting and stitching, I will definitely teach you the basic steps, and also put the pictures and videos of it...:)

So, let’s begin! My super model is ready!

                                                       Look Riveting in Red!

The halter neck looks good on both kids and teen girls. The halter style can be used on evening dresses, wedding dresses, swimming suits...etc.

                                                                Pretty in black!

Black goes well with any other colour. Plain black makes the wearer appear thinner and more sophisticated. Hope you got some new styles and ideas through this post.

Every day is a fashion show, and the world is your ramp!

Let’s celebrate!!! “MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY NEW YEAR”