women-clothing Archives - U Create

Watermark Tee Tutorial

Kari Sweeten — Thu, 04 Aug 2022 12:01:00 +0000

Hello U Create readers! I am so excited to be guest posting here today with y watermark tee tutorial. It just so happens to be my first guest post and I’m still a little shocked that it’s here at U Create, one of my favorite blogs!

A little bit about me..

I’m from a little town called Keller, Texas.

I’m a junior at Texas A&M University (whoop!).

I’m working on my education degree and expect to be an elementary school teacher in just two short years.

When I’m not busy studying for classes, I love to sew. In fact, I’m all about DIY fashion.

I just started blogging in May and have already met all kinds of wonderful women, I hope you’ll stop by and say hi too!

Watermark Tee Tutorial

What I love about this project is that it’s completely customizable. I used favorite quotes to decorate my shirt but you could also use song lyrics, bible verses, favorite book excerpts, etc. You can also choose whatever color you like. I think it would be a very kid-friendly project as well. There are so many possibilities!

Materials:

Elmer’s Blue Gel Glue (it must be the blue gel, white won’t work)

Fabric Dye (RIT is my tried and true brand)

A white cotton Tee, Tank, Dress, etc.

Tutorial:

If you’re unfamiliar with Batiking, it’s a method of dyeing fabric in which you create a design with a dye-resist. When you dye your garment in cold water, all will be colored except where you’ve placed your dye resist. In traditional batiking, you would use wax as a resist. I tried this out and found it to be messy and difficult to control. Using store-bought glue is much more convenient and very easy to control.

Step 1: Prepare

Wet your tee with cool water and place a water-resistant board between the layers of fabric. I used the lid of a bin.

Step 2: Design

I’m not much of an artist, so what worked best for me was writing favorite quotes right across the front of the shirt.

Source

You could also try drawing a simple design like my very amateur sailboat:

Let dry completely. This will take several hours.

Step 3: Dye

Your dye bath should be prepared using cool water. Experiment with different amounts of dye until you find the right concentration. Keep in mind that the color that comes out of the dye bath will be a couple of shades darker than the dry, finished garment.

When you get the color you want, lay your tee flat to dry.

Step 4: Wash

When your tee is dry (to let the dye set) soak it in cool, soapy water for about 15 minutes. This soak washes the extra glue out. Throw it in the washer and dry as you would normally.

Step 5: Wear and Enjoy!

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Lined Paper Tee Tutorial

Kari Sweeten — Wed, 31 Jul 2019 12:01:00 +0000

I’m pretty dang excited to be guest posting on U Create, of all places, with an easy and fun project for you. Just in time for heading back to school, I came up with this cute top:

My name is Rachel, and I blog over Maybe Matilda. I’m from small-town New York, currently living in Utah with my soon-to-be-chiropractor husband and our soon-to-be-one-year-old son. When I’m not sweeping up Cheerios, I love sewing and crocheting for my etsy shop, and sharing what I make on my blog.

I think this lined paper tee is such a fun way to bring out the inner student, and possibly even encourage a little bookishness in a little one (maybe that’s a stretch, but a girl can hope, right?).

It’s really simple to put together, and you can easily make it in any size. And how cute would it be if you embroidered or stamped your child’s name or a favorite quote onto the lines?

Here’s what you’ll need to make this tee:

a white tank, tee, or onesie

masking tape

foam brush

blue and red acrylic paint

fabric painting medium (available at craft stores–you’ll find it with the paint supplies)

To start, place some cardboard between the front and back of the top so your paint doesn’t bleed through to the back of your shirt, then place your tape in straight horizontal lines across your shirt to mark the areas where you’ll paint your blue lines. I put my first strip of tape right beneath the sleeves. I spaced the tape strips about 1/4″ apart from each other, but only painted in every other open space (on an adult size tee) to create a little more distance between the lines. For my little guy’s onesie, I painted in the spaces between each tape strip.

Mix your blue paint and fabric painting medium according to the directions on the medium (usually a 2 to 1 mixture of paint to medium), and lightly sponge it between your tape strips. A little goes a long way, so try not to get too heavy-handed with your brush. (And personally, I really like the look of a lightly painted, sort of splotchy paint line!)

(You can see here that I only painted in every other open space for the adult tee. For a baby/toddler top, you can paint in each open space.)

Give it some time to dry, then carefully remove the tape. Place two long strips of tape vertically down the left side of the shirt where you’ll paint your red line. Again, place the strips about 1/4″ apart, and make sure they’re running straight down the tee so you don’t end up with a wavy line.

Mix your red paint with the fabric painting medium according to the directions on the package, and sponge it on as you did for the blue lines. Let it dry for a while and carefully remove the tape.

If you’re making a baby onesie, don’t forget to lift up the shoulder flap to tape and paint underneath it!

Make sure you read the directions on your fabric painting medium to find out how to finish your shirt–you’ll probably need to let it air dry for 24-48 hours, then iron it to set the paint. You can just turn the shirts inside out and toss them in the washing machine, and the paint holds up just fine.

Have fun sporting your lined paper tee, and I hope you’ll swing by and visit me at Maybe Matilda!

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14 Maxi Dresses and Skirt Tutorials

Kari Sweeten — Tue, 13 Mar 2018 05:01:00 +0000

Who loves the comfort of a maxi dress or skirt?

I do! I’m also looking forward to spring and so I thought I’d compile a list of some of the best maxi tutorials out there!!

The hardest part?

Choosing which ones to create….

The first skirt is this long one that is great for a beginner! Sarah makes it look like a piece of cake to create!

Maxi Skirt Tutorial by Colors and Craft

DIY Chiffon Maxi Skirt by Melissa Esplin

Change up the direction of the pattern and make this MisMatched Maxi Skirt by iCandy Handmade!

Created this tiered maxi skirt by Sew Much Ado!

How fun is this wrap maxi tutorial by Me Sew Crazy!

If you’re looking for a more fitted band instead of a roll top band this is a great option!

High Waisted Maxi Skirt Tutorial by Colors and Craft

DIY Maxi Skirt by Elle Apparel

Simple Maxi Skirt Tutorial by Simple Simon and Company

I had to include this adorable toddler version. Nat makes these using $5 tank tops from Walmart! What a great idea!

Toddler Maxi Skirt Tutorial

Library Maxi Skirt by U Create

Now let me show these fabulous maxi dress tutorials…

How comfortable does this tee shirt dress look?!

Tee Maxi Dress Tutorial by It’s Always Autumn

DIY Maxi Dress Tutorial at While Camden Sleeps

Turn a knit sheet into this fabulous maxi dress using this tutorial from Dandelion Drift!

I also love this version on JoAnn’s site.

Spring Maxi Dress Tutorial

Get that sewing machine out of the closet and create a comfortable skirt or dress for Spring and Summer!

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DIY Embellished Bow

Kari Sweeten — Tue, 26 Apr 2016 15:21:12 +0000

I like to have a little embellishment on my clothes or shoes. My initial idea was to make an embellished bow for my basic black ballerinas. After I made the bow, I found out that I can easily attach it to decorate an elegant basic top, a dress or even a skirt as well. On the pictures below, you’ll have some ideas on where to put these beautiful and unique bows.

(DIY Embellished Bow Ideas pictures)

For the tutorial you’ll need

A piece of Ribbon
Needle & Thread
Hot glue or tape
Seed beads
Pins
Scissors

STEP 1

First choose the length of your ribbon and add an extra half inch to it (the extra is needed for overlap). With a 7.5 inch ribbon you’ll have an average size bow, like the one I made.

STEP 2

You can use a pin to keep the edges on place, while threading the beads. Or overlap the two edges using hot glue or double sided tape like I did.

STEP 3

Take the needle and your chosen beads. Double the thread and tie the ends of the thread in a knot.

STEP 4

Press down the ribbon. Start threading the beads on the edge of the ribbon. Pass the needle through the underside fabric, once you reach the right side of the fabric add two beads. Push them down on the bottom of the thread and position them as you like. Next push the needle back down into the fabric.

STEP 5

After determining the location of your next seed beads, bring the needle back up. Thread two seed beads again over the needle and push the needle back down into the fabric. Continue adding beads by repeating this process. Make sure not to thread the middle of the ribbon and secure the thread in the end.

STEP 6

So now it’s time to stitch the middle.

STEP 7

After you have stitched through, scrunch and pull tight, tie the thread three times or more around the ribbon. Since you still have the needle, thread enough seed beads and wrap them around the middle of the ribbon. Secure the thread after wrapping them. Cut the thread and make any adjustments if necessary.

Ideas for embellished bows…

POST BY:

Tringa from DIY Clothes

Make sure to see Tringa’s other projects like…

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Infinity Scarf Tutorial – plaid & lace!

Kari Sweeten — Thu, 04 Dec 2014 05:06:21 +0000

Hello UCreate readers!! I am so excited to be here today!

My name is Bev and I blog over at Flamingo Toes. I love making handmade gifts – and I especially love them when they are fast and inexpensive but they don’t look like it! Today I’m sharing this 15 Minute Plaid and Lace Infinity Scarf and it is sooo quick and easy to sew up. You could make up a bunch in an afternoon and take care of a whole group of gifts at once!

This scarf is a fun combination of two plaid flannel fabrics paired with some pretty crochet lace. The lace makes such a great contrast with the flannel! My favorite part about it though is how soft and cozy it is. I think I’m keeping this one and making up another to give away!

This tutorial is super easy! Here’s what you’ll need:

(You will want to pick these up when the fabrics/trims are on sale or you have a coupon)

1/2 yard two different plaid flannels
1/2 yard wide crochet lace
1/2 yard thin crochet lace

Choose one of your flannel fabrics to the be the smaller fabric and cut 12″ off the end. So the piece will be 18″ x 30″.

Lay the short ends together of the two pieces so the right sides are together. Sew across the seam. Lay your wider lace piece over the seam so it overlaps it just a bit. Sew down the lace along the top and towards the bottom to hold it in place.

Fold the piece in half so the right side is inside. Line up the long side edges and sew together.

Turn the scarf right side out. Press under the open edge on the smaller flannel piece about 1/2″. Place the other open edge inside the open end with the pressed edge so the pressed edge overlaps it. Lay the smaller lace over the fold. Sew the pieces of the loop together, continuing to overlap the edges as you go, until you can’t feed any more fabric together. (The scarf should still be “hollow” in the middle – in other words the seam should not go through all the layers at once). Finish sewing the opening closed by hand.

And that’s it! Now you have a super cute and stylish scarf for a gift – or to keep and wear while you go Christmas shopping!

I hope you like it!

I’d love for you to come say hi over at Flamingo Toes!

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How to Make a Tulle Skirt

Kari Sweeten — Tue, 22 Jan 2013 01:10:00 +0000

Abby over at Sew Much Ado shows us how to create this beautiful tulle skirt!

Perfect design for many ages, too!

Tulle Skirt Tutorial

Abby is such a fabulous seamstress. Check out her many other free patterns, HERE!

Do you have an idea/tutorial that you’d like to share with us? We would love to promote your creativity! Contact us HERE.

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Library Maxi Skirt Tutorial

Kari Sweeten — Sat, 04 Aug 2012 14:37:00 +0000

Supply List:
1 yard knit fabric for main body of skirt.
1/2 yard knit fabric for the trim and hem.
other sewing essentials

Lay out your main fabric {blue} and fold in half…if it’s not already folded from the fabric store.
Determine the waist size you want the waist and divide it in half. My model: 27/2 = 13.5”
Add a half inch for seam allowance on each side which means you will add an inch to your final number. My number: 14.5”
So with your fabric laid out nice and flat, find your number {from above} on your measuring tape and let’s get cutting.
Lay your measuring tape on the fabric centering your number like this:

Divide the number {14.5”} by 2 to find the middle of your measuring tape. Mine: 7.25” Put a pin at this mark.

Remove your tape measure and fold the fabric where you just put your middle pin mark making sure the 1” pin and the 14.5” pin touch.

Straighten it all out and let’s cut the angle of the skirt now.
There is no fancy math required here. I just added wanted a slight angle so I added 5 inches to my 7.25. So the bottom would be 12.25 inches.
Measure down the length you want your skirt; mine was 24”. At the 24” mark measure 12.25” from the fold and lay your ruler down connecting the 1” mark at the top of the fabric with your 1” mark at the bottom and cut.

Now for the hem and the waistband.
I cut the waistband 7.25 {folded} x 3.5”. I kept it straight in line with the waist, but the hem I cut it so the angled cut kept going.

Pin the hem piece to the main body {right sides together} and sew a 1/2 seam. Do this to both pieces.

Line up the seams and pin one sides of the main body and the hem with right sides together. We are going to do a 1/2 seam up each side.

Because you are using knit, you don’t have to hem it. I really wanted a finished look on this maxi skirt so I hemmed it.
Iron the hem down a 1/4 inch and pin. Sew a stitch a little less than a 1/4 inch and then sew another on about 1/8 inch from the hem.
Looks great, right?

Let’ do the waistband. Pin the sides right sides together and sew a 1/2 seam down each one. Now you have a circle.
Fold it in half and attach it to the top of the main body with plenty of pins. Sew a 1/2 inch seam around and iron flat.

You have a beautiful and VERY comfortable Library Maxi Skirt!

Enjoy!

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The Petal Top Tutorial

Kari Sweeten — Mon, 27 Feb 2012 17:00:00 +0000

Hi! I’m Jill from Made it on Monday and I’m so excited to be here today!

My blog is all about crafting, sewing, creating and inspiring, but mostly sewing. I have a tendency to fall in love with clothes but not their prices. So one of my hobbies is pouring over pictures of name brand clothes and then coming up with a way to recreate them. I started my blog when I was working part time and the mom of a new baby, desperately needing a new way to express my creative side. I’m now home full time with my two-year-old and excitedly looking forward to a new baby this October. The blog-related constant through these life changes has been that my projects need to be quick and simple. The bulk of what you’ll find can be made in one day.

The Petal Top Tutorial

The Petal Top is a knock-off of the Ann Taylor Georgette Petal Top which retailed for $88 when it was available. I first discovered it over at The Chloe Conspiracy. You can make one as well, for whatever you’re willing to pay for two yards of fabric.

It really was a simple top to make with the most time consuming aspect being the petals.

My favorite element of it is the corsage-like cluster of flowers at the neckline.

Want to make one yourself? All you’ll need is two yards of fabric and thread. I used a soft, somewhat flowy material from a bolt my mother-in-law found at a thrift store. Anything thin or sheer would work well.

I started by using a tank that I like the cut of as a pattern. Since my material didn’t have any stretch to it, I made sure and set the existing top in from the fold about an inch, and then cut an extra inch outside of the top to make sure I had enough for seam allowances. I then used the cut out front as the pattern for the back (to be sure my shoulder widths and arm holes matched up), but narrowed it by about an inch and a half since you don’t need as much material in the back. I kept my neckline high in the front and even higher in the back.

The next step was cutting out the petals. You need to keep them big. You can see from the pattern sitting on the front of the shirt just how large the petal is in comparison to the shirt. I originally made another top and used a CD as the pattern for the petals. Big mistake. I now know how to make a Big Bird looking costume. Perhaps if I had intended this to be The Feather Top rather than the Petal Top…

After carefully studying my inspiration picture, I noticed that there were about 15 large petals on the front of the shirt, and about 15 more small petals. I cut out 16 large ones and ended up having a few left over. For the small petals, I did use a CD as my pattern and kept them exact circles, and cut out 18 of them.

I then used my rolled hem foot to finish off all the edges of the petals since my material frays a lot. If you aren’t familiar with a rolled hem foot, you can check out my tutorial on using one HERE. It is seriously my favorite sewing foot. Using the rolled hem around the curves was a little tricky, but I eventually got the hang of it.

Once all my petals were finished, I started laying them out on the right side of the shirt front. I layered three for the bottom row and pinned them down.

Then sewed along the top in a straight line. Then I pinned the next layer down, making sure there was plenty of overlap so the stitching line would be hidden, sewed it down, and continued this way until I had four rows, or up to just above the bust line. If half of a petal ended up hanging over the edge of the shirt, I simply cut it down the middle and used the other half in another row.

You can see in the picture above where the last row of petals was sewn on.

I then pinned down a row of the small petals and sewed them to the shirt. All remaining petals and flowers wouldn’t be added until after the shirt was constructed.

Because my fabric doesn’t stretch at all, I needed to add a slit to the back so I could slip it over my head. Then the shirt was simple to construct by sewing the back and front, right sides together, at the shoulders and then side seams. Once all your seams are sewn, trim off any excess petal. I then hemmed the top and finished off the arm holes and neckline by first serging my raw edges and then folding them in and sewing them down. If you don’t have a serger, simply do a double fold to hide the raw edge and sew.

I finally added the last row of petals from one shoulder seam, around the neckline and to the other shoulder seam, with about a quarter inch of the petal extending above the neckline. They were sewn down (this line of stitching is exposed). My hope is that as I wear the top, the top part will fold over the stich line.

And the final step—my favorite one—was adding a cluster of flowers.

I used my remaining small petals (about six of them) and simply pinched the circle in the middle and pinned it down. I clustered them together and then just did a small amount of stitching to the center of each one to hold the flower in place.

I love the way the top turned out and am so excited to bring a little spring to my wardrobe with it! If you make one, I’d love to see it too! Just stop by and let me know.

Thank you so much for having me today, Kari! I loved being here!

I’d love to have you come visit my blog, check out what’s inspiring me on Pinterest, or take a look at my Etsy shop, Ruffles ‘n Such. But for now, I’m excited to share with you my latest sewing project.

Jill has amazing sewing skills and check at these beautiful ideas over at Made It On Monday, too…

Also find Jill here:

Shop

Facebook

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Sweater into Cardigan Tutorial

Kari Sweeten — Mon, 08 Aug 2011 15:27:00 +0000

I’m thrilled to be a guest today and present a super easy tutorial —

how to transform a sweater into a cardigan

This is a great way to use old pieces from your wardrobe and update them for a new look. For my project, I used a crew neck cardigan that is fairly light weight and has a nice tight weave to it. I chose fabrics from my scrap pile to bind the cut edges with. I hope you find creative uses to adapt this project to fit your own fabrics and sweaters!

STEP 1:

Cut the front of the sweater straight down the middle. Be sure to measure so that your line is straight and even. Cut with a rotary cutter.

STEP 2:

Choose a main fabric to bind the cut edges. I chose a quilting weight fabric left over from another sewing project. Cut two fabric strips 6″ wide by the length of the cut edge of the cardigan plus 1″. For example, the front opening I cut in my cardigan measured 19.5″, so I cut two fabric strips measuring 6″ x 21.5″ each.

STEP 3:

Choose a coordinating accent fabric, if desired. Cut two fabric strips 3″ wide by the length of the cut edge of the cardigan plus 1″.

STEP 4:

Press the short ends of the main fabric under 1/2″. Fold in half lengthwise and press. Now fold the raw edges to the center and press again.

For the coordinating fabric, press the short ends under 1/2″ and fold and half lengthwise and press.

STEP 5:

Now position the cut edge of the sweater inside the fold of the main fabric. Position the coordinating fabric on top of the sweater, with the cut edges aligned along the cut edges of the sweater. You may slightly adjust the coordinating fabric to allow for more or less fabric peeking out from underneath the main fabric. Pin all of the layers in place every couple inches to keep the fabrics from shifting as you sew.

Repeat for other cut sweater edge.

STEP 6:

Now topstitch along all four edges of the main fabric piece. I chose to use a 1/8″ seam allowance, but a 1/4″ allowance will also work.

Repeat for the other bound sweater edge. If desired, you may use one or two hook and eye closures to keep the cardigan semi closed as you wear it.

You are all done!

There are so many fun variations that you can do for this project, like using ribbon instead of fabric, replacing the coordinating fabric with lace, or layering an additional coordinating fabric.

Make sure to stop by Jen Giddens website and blog to see many of her beautiful patterns and tutorials!!

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DIY Shoe Makeover

Kari Sweeten — Thu, 26 May 2011 06:01:00 +0000

Hi lovely Ucreate readers! My name is Sibylle (but everbody calls me Billie) and Funkytime is my digital playground. I am a graphic designer/ stylist/ ~~regular~~ German girl with a passion for Photography, DIY Stuff, decorating, fleamarkets & pretty vintage things … I am also married to Thomas and we have two kids, Louisa and Noah. We’ve been traveling quite a bit, from Germany to Los Angeles to Canada… our next destination will hopefully be Australia, because our dream is to be in a tattered old cottage by the sea!

Today I will show you, how to transform some $15 plain cork wedges using fabric and mod podge.

Total cost for the makeover including shoes were $25. It took me about 4 hours to finish both shoes. – Cork Wedges – Fabric (not too thick) – Ribbon – Bows – Mod Podge – Felt 1.-2. Lay fabric on the shoe. 3. Trace the edge, where the denim hits the wedge. 4. Cut along your trace. 5. Cut fabric on the upper part, you have to kind of guess the shape. Later you can adjust. 1.-2. Brush mod podge evenly with a medium sized brush on the denim of the shoe. 3. Start gluing fabric from the bottom to the top. Glue as you go. 4.-5. *Optional* Lay piece of fabric against the inside of the shoe and trace, cut and glue. 6. Make little cuts in the curves, so the fabric does not make folds. 1.-2. Brush the buckle with mod podge. Cut 1inch x 3inch piece of fabric and wrap around the buckle. 3. Cut a 2 inch white piece of fabric, fold it in half and sew a ruffle. 4.-5. Attach the ruffle to the shoe by sewing it. *I know, this is a real pain in the butt!* 6. Cut ribbon to the right length, lay it over the ruffle and sew to shoe. 7. Cut fabric for the peep hole, glue on to the shoe.

The mod podge can get a little stiff when it’s dry, so to make it comfortable in the back, glue a piece of felt to the strap. Last but not least: Paint your toenails red, slip your feet into your new creation and walk the walk! Enjoy jealous looks from other girls….;-)

Like what you see?

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Thanks Kari for having me!

Cheers,

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