Christmas on a budget - DIY Reversible Stocking

It's the most wonderful time of the year!

Alright, so maybe it is only November, but the crafters among us know that if you want anything ready by the time Christmas rolls around, then NOW is the time to start! So strap on those jingle bells folks, because Christmas has come early to Enthusiastitch!

Today, we will be making this:

A reversible stocking!

You will need : Your outer fabric (I've gone once again, for the trusty red velvet), Your inner fabric (I ended up choosing the tartan, but there is also a satin in the picture because at this point, I honestly hadn't made my mind up yet.), Scissors, needle and thread, pins, a scrap of ribbon (approx 20cm in length), a marker or pen, and some cardboard (not pictured).

Step 1: Draw a basic stocking shape onto the cardboard. When you are happy with the size and shape, cut it out to make your template.

Step 2: Draw around your template onto the wrong side of your outer fabric. Flip the template over, and draw again.

As I was using the remainder of a curtain, I used the original hem. However, if your chosen fabric doesn't have a ready made hem, then simply fold along the edge once and sew down.

Step 3: Cut out your two shapes.

Step 4: Place your two pieces, right sides together. Fold back the top a little, fold your ribbon in half to create a loop and place it in between your two stocking shapes with the ends of the ribbon sticking out slightly.

Step 5: Fold the tops back into alignment and pin into place.

Step 6: Sew the two stocking shapes together, remembering to NOT sew along the straight edge as this will obviously be your opening.

I did all of this stitching by hand as velvet + sewing machine = nightmare.

Step 7: Turn your stocking out and set aside.

You could, if you wanted to, stop here. This would make a perfectly functional, simple stocking. However, if you want to make your stocking reversible, continue on to the next step.

Steps 8 - 11: This is simply doing what you did earlier, only with the second fabric.

draw:

cut:

pin:

sew:

(remember, to add a hem if necessary)

Step 12: Leaving your inner fabric inside out, stuff it inside the outer stocking:

Step 13: Add a row of stitches along your hem line to secure your inner and outer pieces together. REMEMBER not to sew your top closed!

Done!

Of course, you could add any sequins, glitter, buttons, or any other embellishments you like at this point. Go nuts, it's Christmas!

Total cost: £0.00 (all materials on hand)
Total time spent; 30 minutes.

Halloween on a Budget - DIY Devil's Pitchork Handbag

I have one big issue when it comes to Halloween costumes; there are no pockets! I can't possibly leave my house without my keys, money, and phone, to say the least! And of course, carrying a bag could throw off the look of your costume altogether. So what do you do? Well, you need to carry a bag that is incorporated into the costume itself of course!

Today, we will be making this:

A pitchfork handbag to go with your devil costume.

You will need: Red fabric (I am using part of a red velvet curtain, left over from when I made Little Red Riding Hood's Cape ), scissors, pins, a marker pen, a popper, and some cardboard for the template.

I know that the picture also shows a keyring, but I changed the design halfway through so discard this.

Step 1: Draw half a pitchfork shape onto your cardboard.

Step 2: Cut out the shape. Place it onto your fabric (lining side up), draw around it, flip it and draw around it again. Make sure that your edges are lined up. This way you get a shape that is more or less symmetrical.

Step 3: Draw a second shape, and cut them both out.

Step 4: Pin your two shapes together (lining side out), and sew. DO NOT sew around the top as this will be the opening of your bag.

Step 5: Turn your shape out.

Step 6: open up the top of your bag and sew on the popper, half onto each side.

Step 7: Now to make the wrist strap. Cut a strip of fabric measuring around 45cm x 10cm. Fold in half along the width so that it now measures 45cm x 5cm, and sew. This will make sure that the strap looks good on both sides.

Step 8: Line up the edge of the strap with the bag and sew.

Step 9: Repeat step 8 with the other end of the strap. Take care to make sure that the strap isn't twisted.

Finished!

Total cost: £0.00
Total time spent:1 hour 30 minutes (hand sewn)

Halloween on a Budget - DIY Cat Ears

It's that time of year again, when our thoughts turn to all things spooky. Halloween is my favourite time of year, even if my only plans are meeting up with friends and having a good giggle. But, as everybody knows, the BEST part of Halloween is the dressing up! It's the one day out of the year when adults get to be big kids again and throw on a costume. But what if you can't afford a costume? Simple, make one!

My friends and I started a rule last year; your costume can't cost more than £5. This means that we can all afford to dress up, but it also brings it's own set of challenges, namely being, how on earth can you make a costume for under £5? Well, I say, that's the easy part! So, over the next few weeks leading up to the day itself, I'm going to show you as many ways as possible to enjoy Halloween, without breaking the bank!

Here's the first instalment. If you have a black dress (and, let's face it, who doesn't), or black trousers and a top, a simple home-made accessory can turn you into a super cute witches cat.

To make the ears, you will need:
Black felt, pink felt, scissors, glue, and a thin black headband (these can be picked up really cheaply, try the poundstore. I got 3 for £1 which makes them around 33p each!)

Step 1: Cut out two black felt rectangles of equal size (approx. 15cm x 5cm)

Step 2: Take one rectangle and fold in half along the width. Then, with the fold at the bottom cut off the tops to form a point.

Step 3: Repeat step 2 with the second rectangle, you should now have something that looks like this:

Step 4: Cut two small triangles from you pink felt.

Step 5: Glue these triangles onto the ears. Leave to dry for a few moments.

Step 6: Put glue around the edges of your ear shape, lay the headband over the top, and fold the ear over. Hold in place until the glue dries and repeat with the second ear.

Leave a moment to dry and it's all done! Easy peasy.

Draw on some whiskers and voila! Instant kitty!

Total cost: less than 50p
Total time spent : 2 minutes plus drying time.

This technique could also work for a variety of other things too! Devil horns would be easy to make if you follow the same principles but tweak the shape a little. Leopard or tiger ears would be a breeze! And how about doing the whole thing in purple (or blue if you prefer the Burton version) and go as the Cheshire cat.

Still think a costume under £5 can't be done? Well this is us last year. (Although this is after many, MANY beverages)

Richard's costume and mine cost us only £2 for BOTH! All we paid for was the facepaint or him and the mask for me, again from the trusty ole' poundstore. I simply made a cardboard template of the bat signal, cut it out from an old yellow tshirt, and stitched it roughly to a tank. The cape was a table cloth with a knot in it.

I think we made a pretty fabulous bunch.

A Little About Me

It has come to my attention that for the whole time I have been doing this blog, I've never really gone into detail about who I am, and why I do what I do; so I'm going to try to be as frank and honest as possible and say a little about myself.

My name is Tan, and I am currently twenty-nine. I live with my boyfriend of almost seven years, Richard, and my beautiful cat Von D; and I adore them both massively. 

I read a LOT, I read EVERYTHING. I've always wanted to write a novel, and have started several times, but I've never gotten to a place that I'm happy with my work. I love photography, and will photograph anything that stands still long enough, from buildings..

to wildlife and nature...

And, of course, my friends...

But the one love that you all know about already, is personal style, and I have my reasons behind that.

Growing up, I didn't have a lot. We weren't poor, but we were British poor. I'm one of four kids and most of my clothes were hand-me-downs.There was even one time that I remember vividly, when my Mother brought a whole bag of clothes from an older girl in school. I then had to wear these clothes TO school. As an adult, I can see that there was nothing wrong with that, they were good clothes with a lot of wear still in them. But as a child, when that girl in school recognised those clothes, I was mortified! That is when my love of personalisation started. I figured that if I altered the clothes, even just a little bit, the she wouldn't recognise them anymore, and it worked! That was the day it all began. I couldn't afford to buy new things, so I did the best with what I had.
Fast-forward to secondary school. This is where my life of wearing a uniform began, and I HATED it! It drove me crazy to look the same as everyone else, so much so that after school, I would wear the most outlandish outfits I could find. I was the wierd kid, I was the outcast, ON PURPOSE! Even to this day I consider it a compliment when someone thinks of me as strange.

So that is partly why this blog began, but there was another reason; I needed something to fill my time. See I have been ill for quite some time. It all started in work one day, when I fainted for seemingly no reason. Nothing was thought of it, it was just considered to be one of those things. They thought maybe I was working too hard, or not eating enough. blah blah blah. But then I fainted again, and again. Pretty soon it was happening three times a week. It got so bad that I had to leave work. It took almost six years of hospital appointments and tests before I was given a diagnosis. I have something called Postural Orthostatic Tachycardial Syndrome (POTS). Its not dangerous, but the situations it got me in could be. I got to a stage where I couldn't leave the house alone because I could faint in the street, and I'm so disorientated afterwards that I could easily get lost or wander into traffic. My mother became pretty much a constant companion whenever I went outdoors. But I figured, hey, I know what it is now, it won't be long until the doctors find a way to fix it right? WRONG! I tried multiple drugs, and I mean mutiple, but nothing changed. That is, until recently. I can happily say that I am now on a new wonder-pill that has pretty much given me my freedom back. So much so, that earlier this week I was even able to return to the workplace. I now work on a market stall selling fruit and veg. It's cold, it's tiring, but I LOVE it! I love being independent again.

The one down side though, is that now that I'm back in full time work, my blog will not be updated quite so often. I'm not giving up on Enthusiastitch, far from it! I will still be here, doing what I do, but maybe just not as frequently anymore.

Well, I hope you now have a little insight into who I am, and why this blog means so much to me. Above all else, I hope I haven't bored you. I still have plenty of projects in mind, so have no fear. The next make will be along soon.

Peace. 

Tan.

P.S you should also know that I'm Batman

Before and After - Dress to Skirt

I've had this dress in the back of my wardrobe for I don't know how long. It's another of those ones that, when I was 19, I wore all of the time. Now however, 10 years down the line, I prefer to go for a little less cleavage, but I still don't want to throw away perfectly good fabric when the simplest of alterations can put it back into circulation again.

Now, this is not the first time I've turned a dress into a skirt, but it makes such a dramatic change for so little work that I feel it deserves another outing.

See how much difference it makes? now, I'm sure I don't have to tell you how this is done, but just in case you're interested; this is what I did.

I was lucky with this dress to have an elasticated waistband, which minimised my work considerably.

All that I needed (aside from the dress itself), was a needle and thread, and a pair of scissors.

A simple chop...

...and a simple hem...

...yields a whole new garment.

And, because it's black and white, I can throw on any colour I like with it; which makes it a winner in my book!

Total cost: £0.00

Total time spent: 10 minutes.

DIY - Minute Make - Lipgloss

Have you got one of those lipsticks laying around which is okay, but it's just not quite you? Me too. Recently I changed my hair colour, and since then my make-up has had to be re-assessed. Don't get me wrong, I'm rocking the redhead! But now I find that any bright lipstick with an orange-ish tone is just a bit too clashy for my liking. Enter the most simple do-over I have ever done!

Sometimes, it helps to just calm down the colour a little; and here at Enthusiastitch, where it's a waste-not, want-not philosophy, turning your lipstick into gloss is a great way to keep it in use.

You will need: Your lipstick (the brighter the better), Petroleum Jelly, a Teaspoon, and a small pot (I used an empty pot that used to contain bronzing pearls). You will also find it helpful to have a cloth or tissue at hand as this can get a little messy.

Step 1: Using the handle of your teaspoon, scrap all of the lipstick into your pot.

Step 2: Add your petroleum jelly to the pot and mix well. It's best to add one teaspoon at a time and test your shade as you go so that you don't water down your colour too much. It took two and a half teaspoons for mine.

Step 3: Smooth out the top with the back of the spoon, it's that simple.

It makes your lipstick go waaaay further, and would work great on even the cheapest of lipsticks. I'm loving it!

Total cost - £0.00
Total time spent - less than a minute