Jacquie's Up-Cycle Nation: Beachy Bunting

 Today's bunting idea sprang to life as I was moving office clutter to the trash bins in the garage.

These old CD's and DVD's have been clogging up my office drawers and glove compartment for years!  I finally threw this shiny stack in the recycle bucket this morning. Good riddens!

But as I headed out of the garage, past the charity donation pile, the summery blues of my husband's cast off dress shirts caught my eye! Suddenly, visions of pin stripe buntings danced into my head!

 I would need those CDs after all! 

 With a few additional sewing supplies, I was ready to roll out some bunting!

Each CD will need 3 strips of fabric approximately 1.5-2 inches wide by at least 12-18 inches long.  The longer the strip the better, but when using scraps cut from garments getting consistent lengths  can be difficult.  I used the ripping method (cut a small start line and rip fabric instead of cutting entire strip with scissors).  This leaves a soft, natural edge on the fabric.

Insert a strip through the CD's center hole.  Use a finger to hold down end of starter ribbon and begin wrapping fabric strip around top of CD and back through center hole. 

Continue wrapping in a counter-clockwise direction, overlapping the previous layer each time.  As the fabric thickens in the center, use the pointy end of skinny paintbrush to assist in poking fabric through the center.

 Tuck the strip end under the previous layer, using the paintbrush handle to secure in place.  Start the next strip on top of the on top of the previous end.  Wrap over tucked layer for extra coverage.

Once the CD has been covered in fabric, use a needle and thread to attach button centers.  Start with a stitch to hold the last tuck in place at center.

With chosen button in center , stitch the button to the CD with stitches that go through to reverse side of  the hole. 

 On reverse side, secure a second button over center to hide stitches.  Secure to button on front by stitching through CD center hole, through front button holes, and through back button holes.  Essentially sewing button to button like a CD sandwich.  Continue until both buttons are secure.

Once all the CDs are finished they are ready to be attached to the twine.

 Using a loop stitch, attach the CD to the twine. Reinforce loop by stitching at least three repeat loops on each CD.

 From the stitched location on the twine measure out 10 inches and attach the next CD.  Continue doing this until all the CDs have been attached.

Now your office drawers are freed up, those corporate power stripes have been softened up, and your fab new bunting is ready for showing off!

LOVE  &  UP-CYCLE NATION!!

Jacquie Wheeler

Hand of Bela Peck

http://www.etsy.com/shop/Handofbelapeck?ref=si_shop

http://handofbelapeck1759.blogspot.com/

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Hand-of-Bela-Peck/294397987277061?ref=hl

 

 

Jacquie's Up-Cycle Nation: A Time To Dye

When new needlework projects require the sumptuous tones of over-dyed threads, spare the expense of buying all new skeins and make your own! 

Any crafter who uses embroidery floss knows how quickly skeins multiply in plastic bins- often resulting in an overload of same colors and tangles of so-slightly-used threads.  These poor neglected bundles usually end up in the trash or charity bin.

The OH-SO-CHEAP Supply List:

*Rit dye *embroidery floss *table salt *small plastic bins from the recycle bucket  *gloves

 *drying rack

This is a perfect outside craft for the summer! Throw on some rubber gloves and get down and dirty in the grass! Dye will stain hands and clothes so wear an old tee shirt or apron and don't skip the gloves.

Fill  small plastic bins with water, Rit dye, and salt.  As a general rule I use one teaspoon of salt per 1 cup of water.  I also like to create shades by adding different amounts of dye to the bowls.  Mix dyes to create signature colors.

Go solar and let the sun heat the water!

When the water is hot from the summer sun:

- Prepare the floss by twisting each skein into a small, loose knot. 

-Dip one end into color

-Dip opposite end into color

-Dunk center knot into color

Dip quickly for light shading.  Soak longer for a dark saturation. 

Update those off-beat shades by experimenting with color and techniques.

Unknot the skein and rinse with cold water until water runs clean.  Dry on a rack (or tree branch) in the sun.

It is wise to re-rinse the thread once the dye has dried- just to be sure the floss is colorfast.

Once the floss is dry examine the color.  Threads can be re-dyed for extra variegation or dipped into a secondary color for added depth. 



The thread used the anchor below was created by putting light gray DMC floss into light blue dye.  Once the thread dried it was re-knotted and dipped into navy blue dye to create a wide color tone range.

 In this colonial piece the color variegations are more subtle to give the work a period feel.

After each skein has achieved just the right color I rework the skein and attach a label.  The final step involves the fun of naming the new colors.  I usually choose colors akin to the current season.  For this summer batch I chose names like summer grape, ocean waves, lichen and iris.

Bundle up and give as a sweet gift for your stitching friends or keep for those fab new summer projects of your own!

 

LOVE & UP-CYCLE NATION!

 

Jacquie Wheeler

Hand of Bela Peck

http://www.etsy.com/shop/Handofbelapeck?ref=si_shop

http://handofbelapeck1759.blogspot.com/

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Hand-of-Bela-Peck/294397987277061?ref=hl





Jacquie's Up-Cycle Nation: That 70's Bowl

 

Summer is when outdoor spaces come to leafy life with vibrant floral accents.  But shopping for all those fab showy planters can leave one feeling a bit withered in the purse. A can of spray paint and a vintage metal basket can turn drab into fab!

 The 1970's are still in that no man's land of not-quite-cool-yet-vintage. If there isn't an outdated metal basket in the attic, pieces can be scored for pennies at yard sales and thrift stores.  This iron-work fruit basket is sturdy and the curly swirlies make it a no-brainer for conversion to a hanging basket.

All you will need:

vintage iron work basket (or modern wire basket)

spray paint

moss mat

4 pieces of twine

S hook

assorted plants

Spray paint wire basket in a well ventilated work-space, or outside. This particular project needed 2 coats due to the metal curls.

 Cut mat to fit inside basket.

Pour in a base layer of potting soil.

Tightly pack in flowers and apply a light top coat of soil. 

I went with sweet potato vine and basil.

Attach strands of twine at 4- 5 equidistant points on the basket.  Pull strings tightly to center and knot approximately 6 inches above top edges of basket.

Because this basket has a pedestal base, I can't resist hanging a few vintage lamp crystals (left over from last week's project) to catch the sunlight.

Using an S hook, hang plant in a sunny location and enjoy!

 

LOVE  &  UP-CYCLE NATION!

 

Jacquie Wheeler

Hand of Bela Peck

http://www.etsy.com/shop/Handofbelapeck?ref=si_shop

http://handofbelapeck1759.blogspot.com/

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Hand-of-Bela-Peck/294397987277061?ref=hl

 

 

 

Tuesday Tutorial - Keep The Kids Busy

With summer break upon us it's often challenging to keep the kids occupied during the summer months.

 I found a few tutorials to help us along the way.

This one just looks like a whole lot of fun... Actually my kids play something similar with their grandma. Here fishy, fishy. Instructions for this cute fishing game can be found at www.minieco.co.uk

How about making some cute t-shirts? with sandpaper? Sounds and looks like fun to me. You can find out how it's done at www.alphamom.com

Ever try spool knitting? It looks like it could be fun for adults and kids as well. There are instructions and a video tutorial for this at www.craftsanity.com

This last one is ALWAYS fun. I remember doing this when I was a kid (back when the dinosaurs roamed the earth - lol). Stilts made from cans and string. You can find out how to make your own at www.zakkalife.blogspot.com

Enjoy those kids and enjoy your summer!

Deena Davis

www.byyourhands.blogspot.com