Everything on this list is from one of my favorite indie pattern companies. The patterns I’m pointing you to are free, but I’ve also included plenty of suggestions for other patterns you can purchase from these companies. It’s important to show these indie companies some love!
Fortunately, those stained, snagged, or simply outgrown tights don’t have to go into the wastestream! Here’s how to upcycle your old tights in a myriad of ways.
And homemade hair accessories, especially when they’re crafted from the scraps and stash of your craft supplies, or upcycled from other items, are an easy, fun way to add some personality to your wardrobe.
Scrunchies are one of my favorite stashbuster projects. Like the other projects that I mentioned, scrunchies are very forgiving, so you can fudge fabric dimensions as needed to fit your scraps.
If you, too, are beholden to a continually evolving set of brand-new tights all year, every year, this little hack won’t cure your heartbreak, but it might make you feel maybe 3% better, at least if you or someone you love also has hair that occasionally needs to be tied back.
Don’t let a wicker basket’s unfortunate appearance blind you to how versatile it can be for containing and organizing your clutter in an attractive way. Read on for a selection of easy tutorials that remake, remodel, and otherwise transform any ugly wicker basket into the perfect home accessory.
It’s easier than you think to cut ceramics with a couple of standard tools, and there are loads of ways to finish off the pendant to your taste.
It’s shiny!
It’s free!
It’s environmentally unfriendly!
What it is?
It’s a drawstring backpack!
Are you a messenger bag person or a backpack person?
Burlap flowers look really cool!
If you’re just getting started on creating your own cloth masks, or if you’re looking to switch up your go-to pattern–or add a handy accessory, OR make a matching cloth mask for a kid’s teddy bear!–then check out this list of my favorite DIY cloth mask patterns and tutorials.
If you’ve got some ribbon scraps in your stash (bonus points if they’re silk), then you, too, can try out kanzashi-style ornaments!
Because you don’t want your stuff to fall out!
Do you want to look like Queen Elizabeth I or Marie Antoinette?
If you, too, love foxes so much that one could eat somebody you love and you’d still forgive it, then I have your next Halloween project. Or convention cosplay. Or, you know, just dress-up outfit–I’m not here to judge you.
I turned the vintage BINGO board into a jewelry organizer. It was a quick and easy project and it turned out great.
A vest is one of the easiest and most accessible clothing items to sew.
Want to make something beautiful on a bead loom but you don’t quite know where to begin?
If you’ve got a fun collection of patches, you don’t have to a) hide it away in a drawer, or b) pay a professional framer to display it for you.
Go get all those band patches back on your denim jacket where they belong!
A DIY tutu is one of the easiest ways to make an outfit look fancy.
Find a project to excite and inspire you, and you’ll be happy to keep your eyeglass case out of the waste stream and make a new, useful second life for it.
A knit hat is a great knitting project, whether you’re a beginning knitter or a seasoned professional, because there is a knit hat pattern to suit everybody.
Whichever kind of felt you prefer, you can settle happily into any of the felt crafts below, knowing that whatever you make, it will be a great choice for the environment
You should probably be wearing an apron.
Madame de Pompadour lent her name not just to the bouffant hairstyle, but also to the practical yet lovely little drawstring wrist bags that allowed one to both wear a fancy ballgown (with no room for pockets!) and carry a lipstick and some cash for gambling with.
Bridge and Beyond is an organization that provides warm handmade goods for individuals experiencing homelessness in Central Ohio.
Marchers and supporters for the Women’s March on Washington, D.C., on January 21, 2017, have inspired an international craftivist movement called The Pussyhat Project.
Your friends and family have enough hats by now. Make your next one for Halos of Hope, an organization that puts handmade hats on the heads of cancer patients.
Here’s how to repair a child’s ballet shoe, the quick and easy way. You can even teach your kid to do this herself, so she can fix her own ballet shoe next time it breaks.
Looking to sew some summer sun hats? Check out this list of my favorite patterns and tutorials for all ages and sizes!
I am now obsessed with sun hats.
It’s pretty common to need to shorten a chain, and especially common to need to shorten a chain on a lovely piece of delicate jewelry, when you’re the most afraid of messing up.
Yes, it sits on your hand just like a ring. Yes, it really colors!
Because who cares if it came from Goodwill if it’s got your own personal dragon logo painted on the pocket?
Repairing clothes with embellishments on them sometimes requires a bit of finesse. Here are three methods to repair embellished clothing, so it looks good as new!
