5 Different Handmade Necklaces - DIY: Fabric Bow Necklace

Hello my dear readers! Do you remember my last blog posts featuring the craft supplies of my cooperation partner idee. Creativmarkt? I posted a tutorial for how to make a geometrical wooden ornament necklace, an easy wire statement necklace, a project for how to make a toy animal necklace and another DIY for making a faux leather bunting necklace. This time, I'm going to show you how to make a pretty fabric bow necklace, also using craft supplies I have chosen and idee. Creativmarkt sponsored for this cooperation. Have fun making your own version of this necklace!
Here's what you need (most items available at idee.):
- Fabric & thick interfacing
- A necklace clasp, jewellery glue, tiny jewellery rings and a (cotton) string or cord for the necklace
- A jewellery plier
- A sewing machine and sewing supplies
First of all, cut your fabric into three pieces: front of the bow, back of the bow and the stripe for the middle. Moreover, cut out one piece of interfacing of the same size as your bow pieces which will then give your bow some more volume.
Put both fabric pieces for the bow onto each other, right sides facing. Put the interfacing on top. Then top stitch the three layers onto each other, leaving a small seam allowance on each edge and leave a small opening on one of the longer sides through which you can turn the piece of fabric inside out. Moreover, cut off the four tips of your piece, but don't touch the seam. Then turn the piece of fabric inside out and close the opening with a blind stitch.
Next, take the long stripe, fold it like seen on the photo above and top stitch both edges. Then fold your other piece of fabric to a bow.
Use a thin thread to fix the bow and fold your fabric strap around. Use your sewing machine to sew both layers of the strap onto each other and use a zig zag stitch to neaten the edge. Turn the strap inside out so that you don't see the zig zag edge anymore. Afterwards, take needle and thread and sew your tiny jewellery rings to the bow's top edges.
Take your cord or string and bind it to the jewellery rings.
Then you need the jewellery glue and the necklace clasp.
Glue the cord into the clasp and let it dry.
Now you are done. Have fun with your new necklace! :)
Lu
P.S.: As always, although some of the supplies for this blog post have been sponsored, this doesn't touch my opinion about the sponsor or my decisions concerning this blog post's content!

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What I wore: Restyled Floral Dress // Vintage Dress Makeover.

Dress: vintage, restyled

Bag: Roland

Hair bow: handmade

Earrings: unknown

Sandals: h&m

Hello! You know I love vintage clothes, right? :) At the beginning of the year, I found this pretty dress at a thrift shop for just a few Euros. I didn't like its shape, but I immediately fell in love with the beautiful pattern. I love this floral print and its colors, so I had to take it with me. Then the dress has been hanging in my closet for a few months before I finally found the time to restyle it.
The original dress was long and had nice sleeves, but I didn't like the shape of the dress.

I cut off the top of the dress and inserted a rubber strap. Now I have a super pretty strapless floral summer dress, it didn't cost me much (just some time to alter it :)) and it's really unique.
When we recently went to the Mauerpark in Berlin, Anja afterwards took those photos of me. :*
How to you like my dress? Or do you even like the original one better? :)
Happy day!
Lu

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5 things to do with KAMSnaps - DIY: Fabric bow belt.

Hello, hello! :) Remember my four past DIYs using KAMSnaps that I have been posting since April? :) I shared a tutorial for how to sew a fabric bow bracelet, a tutorial for a faux leather business card holder, a DIY for a cat felt needle case and a DIY for a pillow case. Today I want to share the final post out of five parts of the series called "5 things to do with KAMSnaps" featuring the awesome products of my sponsor Snaply who sent me a package with lots of awesome things from their shop that I've chosen in order to show you what to make with their products.

As I just said, this tutorial is part five of the blog posts telling you what to use KAMSnaps for. These are colorful plastic snaps which you can use for many different projects and they are so useful. So here's my idea, a sewing DIY for how to make a super cute fabric bow belt which you can then close with the snaps and wear it with your favorite dresses. :) Have fun!

This is what you need:

- A piece of fabric, fourth times as wide as you later want the belt to be and as long as your circumference of waist plus 10cm (to close it)

- A piece of interfacing (in German: eine dünne Schabracke) with the same measurements to give your belt more stability

- Two pieces of fabric (for the front and back) with the size of your bow plus 1cm seam allowance

- Also for the bow: two pieces (or one thick piece) of interfacing / batting with the size of your bow to give it some volume

- A final piece of fabric to attach your bow to the belt, about 8cm x 12cm

- Sewing machine, ironing board and hot iron

- KAMSnaps, a KAMSnap plier and a bradawl

- Scissors and magic pen

- Optional and really helpful: a cutting pad and a roll cutter

At first, use the roll cutter and your cutting pad to cut out the long piece of fabric for the belt itself. Mine was 12cm wide (fourth times as wide as I later wanted the belt to be) and 95cm long (85cm for my circumference of waist plus 10cm to close it). Then cut out a piece of interfacing of the same size. Next (as seen on the lower left photo), cut out the pieces for the bow (front and back plus interfacing) and the piece of fabric (the right one on the lower left photo) which you will use to attach the bow to the belt.

You then have cut out all the pieces that you need (as can be seen on the lower right photo): The long piece of fabric for the belt itself and a piece of interfacing of the same size, front and back fabric part for the bow plus interfacing and one piece of fabric to attach the bow to the belt.

Next, put all layers of the bow onto each other (front and back plus one or two layers of interfacing) so that the two fabric layers are facing each other with the right side. Next, sew all layers onto each other and leave an opening in the middle of one of the longer sides (between my finger, shown on the photos). Then cut off the edges so that you can then easily turn the inside out. Iron.

This is how it now should be looking now! Next, use your sewing machine and top stitch to close the opening. Afterwards, fold your piece of fabric to make it a bow and use a matching thread to wrap it around and to bind it. As a next step, take the small piece of fabric which will be used to attach the bow to the belt: fold it lengthwise and iron. Fold it another time so that the edges are now in the middle and you don't see them anymore. Iron again.

Now use your sewing machine to topstitch along the edges of the piece of fabric. Now you have this piece and your bow which is half finished. Next, take the long piece of fabric for the belt, iron it, put the interfacing on top and iron it onto the fabric. Then fold the edges to the middle and then fold the whole belt lenghtwise so that it then has the width that you wanted and that you can't see the edges anymore. Iron the belt.

Next, again use your topstitch to neaten the edges and to sew all layers onto each other and carefully close the short endings. You then should have three pieces looking like on the top right photo. Afterwards, put your bow onto the belt and wrap the small strap around both of them. Close the opening with your sewing machine and use a zig zag stitch to carefully neaten the edge.

The turn the fabric strap inside out so that it looks more pretty. Your bow is ready! :) Now there's only one final step to be done: take the bradawl to get holes into the back part of the belt where both layers are supposed to overlap and then use your KAMSnap plier to attach the snaps to the belt (according to the instructions on its package). I made several rows so that I can always adjust the length of the belt. :)

That's it, you are done!

Congratulations, you now have your own handmade fabric bow belt!

I totally adore the final result and the great color matching my floral summer dress!

Happy sewing, can't wait to see your cute bow belt!

Lu

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Shop my closet! (vintage & handmade)

PLEASE NOTE: All items have already been sold and will soon be shipped to their new owners who now own a unique piece of clothing which is either handmade or vintage and I now have more space in my closet. :) Thanks for all your e-mails! :)

Hello friends! I recently looked into my wardrobe and noticed that there were a few vintage and handmade pieces that I hardly ever wear - either because they are not my size or not my style anymore.
I decided to start a little shop my closet sale here on the blog so that all those precious pieces can find a new owner who appreciates their value and uniqueness.

Here is how it works:
When you want to have one or several of those vintage or handmade pieces of clothing, send me an e-mail to luloveshandmade(at)web(dot)de with the subject line of the mail telling which piece(s) the mail is about. You then get my payment details (paypal only!) in order to transfer the money. First come, first serve. Please read the details of the pieces carefully, because this is just a private sale of second hand / handmade / vintage pieces of clothing and there won't be any refund or guarantee!
Worldwide shipping is included in the price and the closet sale will be held according to the principle first come, first serve! :)
All the vintage clothes are of course second hand, so there might be some traces of usage, but of course they are all in good condition and party even carefully altered, shortened or patched. The two handmade pieces were sewn by me and belong to the first pieces of clothing I have ever sewn. Of course they aren't technically perfect, - I'm no professional seamstress - but were made with lots of passion and are truly unique.
If there are any more questions, don't resitate to ask them in the comment section so that I can answer them publicly. :) Thanks!
I'd love to hand those piece over to a new owner. Happy shopping!

'The Blue Summer Breeze' dress:
This pretty vintage dress with white polka dots is made of 100% polyester, the white lining consists of 100% rayon, it can be washed at 30°.. The dress is closed with a zipper in the back and has a pretty collar. I looove the look of the dress but it simply doesn't fit. :)
>>> 30€ SOLD! :)

'Flower Baby' dress
This beautiful floral summer vintage dress is made of 67% rayon and 33% cotton. Hand wash only. The dress is closed with some buttons and is rather a short dress (as it can be seen in the photo where it is worn by my pretty friend Stef), it has been shortened by me.
>>> 30€ SOLD! :)

"Dotty" dress
This bright polka dot vintage dress has buttons in the front and comes with a matching fabric cord as a belt (the red belt in the photo is not included). There is no information what the dress is made of, but I assume that it is polyester. The dress has been shortened by me, it's such a pretty and airy piece for summer and can perfectly be combine with matching shoes and a cute bag. :)
>>> 30€ SOLD! :)

"Blue Monday" dress
This one is a rather simple floral dress with a really simple shape and a small pocket on the front side. It comes with a matching cord which can again be used as a belt. The dress has been shortened by me and was made in Honduras, consisting of 55% cotton and 45% polyester.
>>> 15€ SOLD! :)

"Back to the 70s" dress
Being my first handmade dress ever, this one has been sewn last year and is made of 70s (?) fabric I found in a thrift store. This dress was part of a blog series about what to make out of vintage fabric, so this is really special to me. I only give it away because of two reasons: it's way too big for me and the colors do not really mach my clothes' color concept. :) The dress comes without the belt and I assume that the fabric is made of rayon. Wash at 30°.
>>> 30€ SOLD! :)

"Spring Flower" skirt
This skirt was one of the first pieces of clothing I have ever sewn myself. It is made of pretty floral cotton fabric and a polyester lining. The upper ending of the skirt is elastic so that you can either wear it at the hip or tight.
>>> 25€ SOLD! :)

Let me know if there are questions. All other details are provided above. :)
Lu

PLEASE NOTE: All items have already been sold! :)

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5 things to do with KAMSnaps - DIY: Pillow case.

Hello, hello! :) Remember my three DIYs using KAMSnaps that I posted during the last few weeks? :) I recently shared a tutorial for how to sew a fabric bow bracelet, a tutorial for a faux leather business card holder and a DIY for a cat felt needle case. Today I want to share the fourth out of five parts of the series called "5 things to do with KAMSnaps" featuring the awesome products of my sponsor Snaply who sent me a package with lots of awesome things from their shop that I've chosen in order to show you what to make with their products.
As I just said, this tutorial is part four of the five blog posts telling you what to use KAMSnaps for. These are colorful plastic snaps which you can use for many different projects and they are so useful. So here's my idea, a sewing beginners DIY for how to make a pretty pillow case which you can then close with the snaps.
This is what you need for a pillow with the size of 35 x 35 cm:
- A piece of fabric, 80 x 37 cm
- A pillow of the size 35 x 35 cm
- Sewing machine, ironing board and hot iron
- KAMSnaps, a KAMSnap plier and a bradawl
- Scissors and magic pen

To make it a bit easier for people who are relatively new to sewing, in addition to the photos there's a little sketch that I made to visualize the several steps of this project. Have fun and let's get started! :)

Iron the fabric and fold over the short edges. At first, two centimeters, then two centimeters again. Do this on both short sides and iron. Next, use your sewing machine and top stitch the edges that you just have folded over. Make two seams next to each other to make it look more neat.

Fold the piece of fabric so that there are 35 cm on the back and that both edges meet in the middle, one overlapping the other with 2 centimeters.
The right side of the fabric needs to be on the inside and then use pins to attach both layers to each other on the top edge and lower edge (for example where I marked it on the photos above with a little circle so that you can see the pins.
As a next step, take your magic pen (it's a pen for textiles whose color disappears soon) to mark (five) spots where you want to make holes to attach the KAMSnaps to the fabric in order to close the pillow case. Use the bradawl to make holes into the fabric's edges. Don't forget to do this with both layers and in a way that the holes are parallel for the snaps later fitting together.

Next, use your plier to attach the KAMSnaps (according to the instructions on the box they were delivered with) on both endings of the fabric case and make sure they fit into each other.
Here I marked where I attached the snaps to the fabric. Now you can use them to close the pillow case.
Finally use your sewing machine to close the top and the bottom of the pillow case (as seen on the fourth part of my sketch at the top of this blog post) with a seam allowance of about one centimeter. 
Moreover, use a zig zag stitch to neaten the edges (as seen on the lower left photo above, indicated by the pink zig zag line) to prevent the seam allowances from fraying. As a last step, use your scissors to cut off the outer corner of the edges (as shown on the left lower photo above) so that you can better turn the pillow case inside out.

That's it, you are done! :)
Have fun with your pillow case and happy sewing!
Lu
P.S.: If you don't want to sew but want to have it, you can buy this colorful ice cream pillow here in my DaWanda shop! :)

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