SELF-MADE STYLE.

do you make stuff to wear? showcase your talents.

this is a good place to post sewing and knitting projects but also for jewelry and leatherwork and friendship bracelets and whatever else you can think of. i think hand-made things, crafted for yourself or given as gifts, are some of the best accents to style that exist and this is a thread to celebrate them.

also this is on my mind because fall is here and that means many more indoor hours of being crafty, i am hole punching cardstock as we speak to make the components of a tablet weaving loom

anyway, i'll start it off with a pic of some pocket squares i made last year. the b&w and multicolor madras are made from old, much beloved shirts, the navy/white/red from thrifting fabric

http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lmcixqwMJ41qjnwvko3_1280.jpg

http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_ln5fnh36kI1qjnwvko2_1280.jpg

another

WHOAAAAAAAA

nice!

my friend is gonna get me hip to this weaving technique, which should hopefully result in narrow patterned bands to use for belts, bracelets, key fobs, etc. i'm pretty stoked.

Old pic of me in a hat, pattern by my favorite knitwear designer, Stephen West

http://images4.ravelrycache.com/uploads/Abbigail/76721621/westward_medium.jpg

Another Stephen West piece

http://images4.ravelrycache.com/uploads/Abbigail/30079327/IMG_1063_medium2.JPG

My goal for homemade style is not to look like I made my own stuff

I do not succeed at it

elmo do you just trim squares and hem the edges?

haha i <3 everything you have to rock that scarf w/ the confidence you bring to the hat

no joke that scarf is fantastic!

knitters start dressing in a deranged way eventually
they lose touch with what non-knitters would wear
it happened to me a long time ago but I'm in denial

xp you're too nice

abb, pretty much! i did the edges in a rolled hem, it's the only hand-sewing technique i know how to do

You know who has kind of a homemade style vibe
is Neelix
all those arty quilted tunics like made by some postmenopausal Unitarian with a shelf of Sewing with Nancy VHS tapes, batik dying things at home

http://warriordoc.com/startrek/images/Voyager/Neelix.jpg

from the Starfleet Butterick catalog

lol yeah he's like the intergalactic high school textiles/crafts teacher

http://i.imgur.com/HDA87.jpg

a cute little belt i made for my sister's birthday. she's 7.

i'm a bit worried that i made the belt too small / short. it's about 27" long which i think should be more than enough but i'm just guessing and second-guessing. this is the 4th thing i've made on the inkle loom, and i'm just getting a handle on how to manage my weft tension to keep the selveges even. it's pretty fun, though! and this one looks decidedly less crafty than the first couple things i wove.

i mean it's still pretty damn crafty lookin' but hey

Cute! 27” should be fine for a 7yr old

so yeah i've been into this lately, very much

when i quit smoking in december i started doing a lot of crafty things and came to start making a lot of friendship bracelets, keeping my hands occupied with repetitive motions turned out to be a key coping skill

also i recently finished a sewing class and made myself 2 neckties, both summer madras, and they look pretty damn good if i say so myself. i plan to continue honing my sewing skills but don't really have my workspace set up in my new apt yet

the plan for the rest of the year involves borrowing a friend's table loom and weaving my own fabric which i will then turn into neckties. i have ambitions.

wow, that is ambitious!!
i need to keep my hands busy too, totes understand that, and have been toying with the idea of starting with simple curtains because honestly, i don't want to pay for the ones i want to have.

oh definitely! most curtains are dead easy and it's amazing how much you'll save

anyhow to conclude my blog post I will post some pictures of things i made itt from my instagram account

http://distilleryimage8.s3.amazonaws.com/90c3bd98bcff11e2a3b222000a9f1696_7.jpg

http://distilleryimage11.s3.amazonaws.com/d8a5acc2c8ce11e2902222000a1fa52b_7.jpg

some ties

beautiful! beauuuuuutiful. nice photos too.

i wish i had better sewing skills but i guess the only way to work on them is to try something really really really easy (curtains) and be happy with the results, right?

here is one of many many bracelets i have made because i am secretly a tween

http://distilleryimage9.s3.amazonaws.com/f94ae8f2c27f11e2aef922000a9f3c05_7.jpg

that is obv not finished but you get the idea

anyway, lots of other stuff here, follow me if you like crafts: http://instagram.com/elmo_argonaut

LL, i say go for it. even if you aren't 100% satisfied the worst that can happen is that you will have temporary curtains

there is a fabric store around here that has a huge bargain loft where everything is $1.99/yard, it is the best place and i have made most of my curtains with discount fabric

honestly, moving has put me back into my pennypincher mode and i'm thrilled by the idea of making the cutest cheapest curtains within my reach -- there's a great fabric store within walking distance and i am anticipating spending some time there. for me ideas are not the problem, it's finishing them to completion/perseverance. so if i can make something fast and easy and also cute and cheap? i am hoping that this will snowball a little until i have curtained the whole place, and then next proj.

so it will happen, starting next week

Nice looking ties!

I used work as an industrial sewing machine operator in a necktie factory and I believe your ties would have passed inspection.

xp oh shit are you walking distance from Vogue Fabrics?????

I AM

a long walk, but a pleasant one

ENVIOUS

Here's a no-sew curtain tutorial if the sewing part of curtain making feels intimidating: http://www.younghouselove.com/2010/02/nursery-progress-getting-the-hang-of-it/

I used work as an industrial sewing machine operator in a necktie factory and I believe your ties would have passed inspection.

incredible

Amanda I found your curtain fabric.

Alternatively, Elmo, I found some good pocket square fabric.

http://www.fabricinspirations.co.uk/acatalog/Ready_For_Action_Black.html

oh my
i was thinking of something more yellow-velveeta orange but that sure has its charms

omg their flowers and foliage selection is O_O
want all!!
esp
http://www.fabricinspirations.co.uk/acatalog/img_quilting_2595_1.jpg

want fireman curtains plz

Ha, I just saw that fireman fabric on Amazon this weekend. They have quite a variety of designs:
http://www.ahfabrics.com/