Blah, I'm horrible at regular posting. I'm just not a picture-taker, it doesn't occur to me in the moment to take photos of what I'm doing or seeing. That's why I hang out with people who are and do! :) Anyways, here are a couple of photos of some of my most recent projects:
1. Battle Vest
I'll take some more detailed photos later, but here is one of my battle vest. It started as an oooold project in high school, with badly printed iron-on patches and sleeves, but I pulled it out again and revamped it for my first MDF this past May (omg awesomest time eveeeeeeer!)
For those of you who don't know what a battle vest/jacket is: http://metal-battle-jacket.tumblr.com/
I'll take some more detailed photos later, but here is one of my battle vest. It started as an oooold project in high school, with badly printed iron-on patches and sleeves, but I pulled it out again and revamped it for my first MDF this past May (omg awesomest time eveeeeeeer!)
For those of you who don't know what a battle vest/jacket is: http://metal-battle-jacket.tumblr.com/
2. Baby Moccasins
For those of us crafters without small ones, the crafting-sphere on the web can sometimes be frustrating. I just want new crafting ideas that don't involve babies! But, luckily, a friend decided to procreate and now I had an excuse to make the cuuutest teeniest widdle shooooes!
Ahem.
I followed the pattern from this tutorial here, because I liked the simple style the best, and modified it so that they had fringe instead of scallops. The neat thing about these, I think, is the elastic in the ankle part which allows you to stretch the shoes open to put in tiny little feet. I think I've mentioned before how Michaels has these bags of leather remnants for sale? Well mine had a sheet of the softest brown leather that was just perfect for the project. Also, I used the thickest piece I could find for the soles, to keep little feet safe when learning to walk (idk if the shoes are big enough that she can wear them at that age), but this meant sewing the shoes to the sole part differently, so that the seam wasn't so bulky and impossible. I left the ankle band outside of the top part of the shoes, because the holes on the back and on the top didn't quite match up, but now that I'm looking at the tutorial again, I think that's how it's supposed to be...oh well, I like the little beads.
For those of us crafters without small ones, the crafting-sphere on the web can sometimes be frustrating. I just want new crafting ideas that don't involve babies! But, luckily, a friend decided to procreate and now I had an excuse to make the cuuutest teeniest widdle shooooes!
Ahem.
I followed the pattern from this tutorial here, because I liked the simple style the best, and modified it so that they had fringe instead of scallops. The neat thing about these, I think, is the elastic in the ankle part which allows you to stretch the shoes open to put in tiny little feet. I think I've mentioned before how Michaels has these bags of leather remnants for sale? Well mine had a sheet of the softest brown leather that was just perfect for the project. Also, I used the thickest piece I could find for the soles, to keep little feet safe when learning to walk (idk if the shoes are big enough that she can wear them at that age), but this meant sewing the shoes to the sole part differently, so that the seam wasn't so bulky and impossible. I left the ankle band outside of the top part of the shoes, because the holes on the back and on the top didn't quite match up, but now that I'm looking at the tutorial again, I think that's how it's supposed to be...oh well, I like the little beads.
3. Re-dying my leather boots
This was another pre-MDF project. I love these boots and have had them since college. But the poor things were scuffed to all hell, and faded(not to mention kinda falling apart, but shhh)
I started wishing that they were true black boots, not gray, so I asked the local shoe repair store if they dyed shoes. Nope. So I looked up how. Turns out, it's super easy!
I bought leather stripper and black leather dye for maybe $15 online and found some black shoe polish at CVS. A mini-tutorial:
1. Strip the original finishing off of the leather with a cloth and stripper liquid. You may think you have to get it ALL off, down to the original leather, but you don't. I originally did and used the whole bottle on one boot. Had to do the second one with nailpolish remover, which, it turns out, work almost as well. Just get the top shiny coat off. Let dry completely.
2. Sponge your leather dye all over with the applicator that's usually included. Don't be stingy, and be sure to do 2 coats. Allow to dry thoroughly.
3. Using shoe polish that matches your dye(i.e. black on black), follow the instructions that come with the polish.
4. Enjoy everyone's compliments on your new boots, and enjoy even more telling them that they're the same old boots, just redyed. Take that, unhelpful shoe repair shop!
This was another pre-MDF project. I love these boots and have had them since college. But the poor things were scuffed to all hell, and faded(not to mention kinda falling apart, but shhh)
I started wishing that they were true black boots, not gray, so I asked the local shoe repair store if they dyed shoes. Nope. So I looked up how. Turns out, it's super easy!
I bought leather stripper and black leather dye for maybe $15 online and found some black shoe polish at CVS. A mini-tutorial:
1. Strip the original finishing off of the leather with a cloth and stripper liquid. You may think you have to get it ALL off, down to the original leather, but you don't. I originally did and used the whole bottle on one boot. Had to do the second one with nailpolish remover, which, it turns out, work almost as well. Just get the top shiny coat off. Let dry completely.
2. Sponge your leather dye all over with the applicator that's usually included. Don't be stingy, and be sure to do 2 coats. Allow to dry thoroughly.
3. Using shoe polish that matches your dye(i.e. black on black), follow the instructions that come with the polish.
4. Enjoy everyone's compliments on your new boots, and enjoy even more telling them that they're the same old boots, just redyed. Take that, unhelpful shoe repair shop!
Better photos to be posted soon! I need to make one of those photographically-inclined friends take a bunch of good one of my boots and vest.