Upcycled Crafts

This week, I'm sharing some ideas I've collected from the internet for craft remakes with ladies from my neighborhood. I worked on making a sample of each so I can give my two cents on the projects.

Here's a list of the links and the photos of my projects, along with my two cents for those of you that missed it or aren't in the neighborhood:

The Hooded Towel
I've posted a link to this tutorial before. I have to tell you it's the best addition I've made to bath time since I bought those bath crayons. It's so much easier to dry off the little guy with more towel to work with. The hood keeps the towel in place while I dry.

This time around, I made the towel more fun by adding some cookie monster eyes. Just cut 4 circles of white, sew 2 (right sides together) leaving a little opening for turning. Add a bit of stuffing and stitch on some black felt circles for the eyes. I just hand sewed them to the hood. It's now his beach towel.

Next time, I think I'll use a green towel and make a frog.

Here's the tutorial.

Baby Headbands from Knee-High Nylons

This tutorial came from a youtube video. It's really easy to do and the headbands are soft and stretchy. You can get knee high socks from the dollar store even. I also read a post somewhere about a lady that used girl's tights and got 4 headbands from each pair.

Check it out here.

Pillowcase Bag
This one is a Martha Stewart idea. The tutorial doesn't give a lot of details so let me know if you have questions.

I didn't actually have a pillowcase that wasn't being used as a pillowcase, so I cheated and made a pillowcase from some fabric I liked, then cut it for the bag.This would be a fun project for a beginner, or a cheap and easy gift.

Find the project here.

Skirt to Apron

I won't lie. I don't wear aprons much. When I do, I need the full body coverage - not just one of those around the waist things. But I had a skirt that I really liked. There was a tear starting below the zipper that I couldn't get to stop. It wasn't big enough on me that I could sew the skirt together outside the tear. It was either make it an apron, or kiss it goodbye.

So now I have an apron. It's cute enough that I'll probably throw it on a few times a year just because. I can totally see me pulling out a Thanksgiving turkey wearing it. (I won't put it on until it's time to take it out though, so it stays nice for the picture :)

Check out the tutorial here. This lady also has some other fun things you can look at while you're there.

Baby Leggings
This was one of the remake projects that I didn't think I would use. I don't like them much for boys. Now with a girl on the way, I think I'll keep a pair to try out. Sadly, I don't have a baby around to see if they work very well. The good news is that they're super easy. I had a harder time finding knee-high socks in summer than I had sewing the leggings.

Here's the tutorial.

Pants to Skirt
This idea is from the same woman that made the tutorial for the hooded towel. She's got a whole slew of tutorials you can look at. She posts a few more every week so keep an eye out.

This project seems like a great way to use pants that get holes in the knee or that get too short even though the waist still fits. The thing that I loved was that all the trickier parts of making a skirt (the zipper and pockets) are already done for me. All I had to do was add a little fabric and I was done.

See the tutorial here.

Men's Tie to Boy's Tie

I put this one last, because it was the last one I finished. It was the trickiest one for me. I bought two ties from the thrift store and used one for a "practice" round. This turned out to be my problem because the fabric was thin and cheap and old. It made it a lot harder to work with, I just couldn't get my knot to look decent.

I finally gave up and started cutting the higher quality tie. Once I got the angles right and pressed it, the rest was pretty easy. So if you try this one, find a tie that feels like it has good quality.

I think this tutorial would come in handy if you're planning a wedding or family pictures or something and you need a boy's tie that matches the mens'.

In this tutorial, the author uses elastic band to keep the tie around the neck. I had visions of my son pulling on his tie all day and stretching it out or choking himself. I used a strip of matching ribbon and a little Velcro instead. He has a tie that closes with Velcro that he wears with no problems. I figure this makes it a little more adjustable anyway.

Check out the tutorial. Isn't her little boy so cute in his tie? I wonder where I can find pinstripe pants?

If you like taking one thing and making something else - or if you just like getting ideas for any kind of craft - check out this blog. It's full of ideas and there are new ones every day.