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My friend Lisa (Ellebows, you know her) sent me these photos of her little girl wearing a Lil Blue Boo twirl skirt. Trying to add more to my Etsy shop, but there have only been a sporadic few since I’ve been SUPER busy finishing my new pattern and my SYTYC submission due tomorrow!
A new screen design!
I love different color camouflage…but could someone please tell me what someone in pink and purple camouflage is trying to blend into? A Dora Episode?
Anyways, I was trying to come up with a simple way to make something that kinda looked like camouflage. Below is what I came up with and it worked pretty well for the look that I was going for (click here to see how I did the hearts):
Step 1: I took some white cotton interlock fabric and soaked it in 2 gallons of water with about 1/4 cup of table salt in it. Then I took the fabric out, squeezed the excess water out and set it aside.
Step 2: I cut a 3′ x 3′ piece of plastic sheeting (the kind that you use for a drop cloth when painting).
Step 3: I took a packet of iDye and a small 8oz squirt bottle……
…..and stuffed the small iDye packet into my squirt bottle. (This is the BEST invention ever by the way…..iDye is in a small water soluble plastic bag that dissolves in water. I LOVE this because I don’t dye my hands!) The dye color I used it a light Kelly green….it looks very dark in the bottle because I had it so concentrated.
Step 4: I filled the squirt bottle with hot water and shook it until the dye was completely dissolved….it will be VERY concentrated.
Step 5: I gathered up the wet cotton fabric by sliding it along the plastic sheeting….
…and using string I tied it tightly together.
Step 6: I tied the fabric together in several places so it eventually looked like this:
Step 7: I took the dye and covered the fabric starting at the strings. Once I coated one side, I then turned the fabric over and douse the other sides….covering the entire piece with a generous amount of dye.
Step 8: After covering all the strings, I used the rest of the dye to completely cover the sides of the fabric (this photo shows the fabric before being completely doused)……
…….and then I rolled it up in the plastic sheeting and left it overnight.
After 24 hours, I unrolled the fabric, rinsed in in the sink and then put it in the washing machine for a complete washing. Basically the strength of the dye slowly bleeds through the fabric overnight….the final untouched areas will be dyed as you wash out the fabric and as it goes through the washing machine! Voila….faux camo!
This tutorial is part of a series for the Lil Blue Boo / Dharma Trading Challenge running this month. If you haven’t checked it out yet please do! All levels of design/sewing/printing encouraged to enter!
Seriously, sometimes the most random things will spur ideas. This little heart print was inspired by a Burlington Coat Factory commercial (ever seen their logo?). This is why I need to keep a notebook by my bed….so in between Jersey Shore, The Bachelor and Lifetime Movies I can jot things down!
I’ve been printing the hearts on soft cotton interlock for some Valentines skirts and dresses:
Just having fun with it and mixing the hearts into different prints.
Someone emailed me and requested a twirl skirt so here it is:
Can you guess what my other new pattern is?
I’ve had a few St. Patty’s requests too…..so I dyed and screened a few variations of this too (tutorial for dyeing to come soon):
Speaking of random. A friend brought his daughters over last night to play with Sienna while he and my hubby painted something. Checking on the girls I found that they had somehow convinced Sienna to dress up as a Kangaroo….doesn’t she look thrilled?
What is the most random thing that inspired an idea for you?
This was my entry into week 7′s “gift” theme in the SYTYC contest. These are some small gifts I made for Christmas presents. I transferred images onto small pieces of wood and made them into necklaces, bracelets and key chains. I love them because they can be for girls, boys, adults or children. Each piece is about 1” tall and matched with coordinating leather cord or a key chain attachment.
Here are a few I made the kiddos….a robot necklace for my nephew (you can get the robot image here), a star-shaped super hero necklace and a princess and frog necklace with a distressed image from the movie for Sienna:
I made one for myself too…..a distressed piece with the latitude and longitude coordinates of where my husband, myself and my daughter were born:
They are super easy to make. You can find these little wood pieces in the woodcraft/dollhouse section of the craft store.
I printed out some tiny images and took them to the office store to be copied in reverse (you have to use a copier because of the dry toner).
Then I took one of my favorite mediums, Golden Soft Gel…..
….and spread a thin layer on one of the wood pieces.
Then I placed one of the images face down onto the gel, burnished it with the end of a paint brush, and then let it dry.
Once it was dry I wet the back with water….
….and used my finger to rub off all the paper. The image is left behind in the gel.
Then I marked the top center and drilled a small hole using a tiny drill bit. You can spray or coat with varnish after this step if you like.
Just add a jump ring and a some leather cord or string and you have a perfect gift for someone special!
This technique is super easy and great for designs that are not too detailed. You can cut a simple design into contact paper (you know, the adhesive vinyl used for lining shelves and covering text books!) and start screening in a matter of minutes. For more detailed designs and small lettering I recommend the Photo Emulsion Method. Below I’ve put together 3 tutorials for the following three designs using contact paper and screen printing techniques:
Using Contact Paper to Create a Simple Design:
Step 1: Start with a blank screen printing screen:
Step 2: Cut a piece of contact paper slightly larger than your screen…..
….and draw out your design on contact paper. Note: either draw your design on the front of the contact paper or make sure you reverse the design if you are drawing it on the paper backside. I made this heart design for Valentines day dresses:
Step 3: Cut out your design using a razor or Exacto knife.
Step 4: Adhere the contact paper to the bottom of the screen (on the non-recessed side).
Step 5: Lay the screen down on the fabric you want to screen the design onto (recessed side up):
Step 6: Place a small glob of screen printing ink on your screen and using a squeegee pull the ink across the design. (I used Versatex ink for these prints because there are more colors available).
So easy a 2-year-old can do it!
Step 7: Carefully lift your screen off and you have your finished design!
Let your design dry and then use an iron to heat set the ink.
Cleaning: I use a sink sprayer to make sure all the ink is removed from the screen….and as long as the contact paper remains on the screen you can reuse it!
Using Contact Paper to Create Stripes:
Step 1: Cut strips of contact paper and adhere to the bottom of the screen. Note: I actually used electrical tape for this project because it was the perfect size.
Step 2: Place the screen down onto the fabric either diagonally or straight depending on the angle of stripes you want.
Step 3: Place a small glob of screen printing ink on your screen…..
……and using a squeegee pull the ink across the stripes.
Step 4: Carefully lift up your screen and move it to the end of your stripes to start another set.
I like the distressed look so I did my stripes a little haphazardly, but you can be as careful and tedious as you want to be in order to get them perfect.
Using Contact Paper to Create a Distressed Plaid Design:
You can also use different sizes of stripes and screen separate colors to create a simple plaid design.
Step 1: First I started with the large stripes. I cut 3″ strips of contact paper and placed them on the bottom of the screen as shown.
Step 2: I screened my first set of stripes….
….then turned the screen 90 degrees to create new stripes perpendicular to the old ones. Then I set the fabric aside to dry.
Step 3: I cut new strips of contact paper to create smaller sets of stripes……
….and screened them in the exact same way using a different color. I used the size of a small plastic ruler as a “mini” squeegee.
A distressed plaid design! So easy…I didn’t even measure the stripes…just a rough estimate.
This one was perfect for a plaid dress!
This tutorial is part of a series for the Lil Blue Boo / Dharma Trading Challenge running this month. If you haven’t checked it out yet please do! All levels of design/sewing/printing encouraged to enter!
The SYTYC Contest is on hiatus this week. I still have to come up with a project by tomorrow for next week! Here was my submission last week for the “mitten” theme: little matching mitten cork stamps. It didn’t get the most votes but I am still in the game! I used them to create some stationary for a Santa letter….
….and a simple piece of artwork for our guest room night table.
Wine corks are the perfect size for making miniature stamps. (click here to see some others I have made.) I start by slicing off one end of the cork so that I start with a perfectly flat surface:
Then I draw my shape:
And cut straight down around the edges of the shape:
And then carefully cut and chip off the pieces from the sides:
Then just dip them in some paint and stamp away!
When I was little I had such a fascination with snow globes…….I imagined a tiny enclosed living world inside.
This was my submission for the “snow” theme in the SYTYC contest a few weeks back. I personalized it for a friend’s daughter which I think makes it a special gift idea. I used some remnants of the snow white fabric I had for it but you can use this tutorial to make a shirt in any theme you want.
To make something similar you will use the following techniques: freezer paper stenciling, fabric paint, fabric pens, applique and iron on transfers. The key is layering all the different techniques in the same order!
Step 1: I traced a round globe shape…..
……and sketched a base.
Step 2: I sketched out the location of the globe on a t-shirt using a disappearing ink pen.
Step 3: For the clouds, I sketched the cloud shape on a small piece of freezer paper and cut them out. (I use a razor blade for this but I recommend using an exacto knife for safety).
Step 4: I placed the cloud stencil on the the globe and ironed to adhere it to the fabric. (Click here for more details on freezer paper stenciling).
Step 5: Paint your clouds using fabric paint (I prefer Jacquard brand, it washes well and is soft) and let dry.
Step 6: I took a scrap of themed linen fabric…..
….and applied fusible web to the back of the castle and to part of the linen with no print on it for the snowglobe base.
Step 7: I cut out the castle and base shapes (with fusible web now on the back) and treat the edges with fray check or thread glue.
Step 8: I placed the snow globe base and castle onto the shirt (after peeling off the back paper from the Wonder Under….
…..and ironed them on according to instructions.
Step 9: I used a ready-made ornate iron-on transfer…..
… to decorate the base of the snowglobe.
Step 10: I stitched all the fabric shapes to the shirt to secure them.
Step 11: I used a black Fabric Mate pen to draw in some snowflake shapes and to add an initial to the flag (also a fabric applique) flying above the castle.
Step 11: I applied safe rhinestones as the last embellishments.
Step 12: I cute a “globe” from clear vinyl PVC (you can find this is the table cloth cover section of your fabric store) and stitched it on top of my snowglobe.
Note: Vinyl is VERY hard to sew because it grips the foot and the machine. Try placing a piece of tracing paper in between the machine and the vinyl when sewing. It will rip cleanly off when you are finished and you can see through the tracing paper as well so you can see what you are sewing!
Step 13: I printed out the personalized message on iron-on transfer paper. Make sure to print your image in reverse! I always come up with something generic to print on the rest of the paper so I don’t waste any like clothing labels or size labels.
Step 14: Cut out your image to transfer and iron onto twill ribbon. Treat the edges of the ribbon with fray check or thread glue. (I also like to print several different sizes just to make sure one of them is the perfect fit!) Stitch your personalized label to the front of the globe base!
One finished snowglobe! Just make sure to wash on gentle cold and lay flat or hang to dry!
Please feel free to email me if you have questions!
Two new prints today: a little hedgehog and a frog prince (just in time for movie!)
Sienna is going tomorrow to see the movie The Princess and the Frog with her grandparents.
I’m hope to do a few with a crown applique as well.
He’s got rhinestones for eyes and on his crown.
I added a little rhinestone and bow to this hedgehog (or is it a porcupine) to make her a girl.
Both little animals are actually a font by Pixel Farms. I love all their cute little creatures. Just search on Google….there are several places to download them. I redrew the frog though to make his mouth smaller and added toes and a crown. Now I’ve got to get to work on Sienna’s dress so she can wear it to the movie tomorrow!
You can make the frog prince yourself if you want. I’ve attached the edited graphic below. Just make sure to link back if you use it. Thanks!
Remember when pocket protectors were the ultimate geek status symbol? Not anymore. Here is new little screenprint I am adding to some dresses: full pocket protector complete with crayons, a pencil and a little sock monkey thanks to my friend Lisa’s suggestion.
Here it is on a simple bubble dress (in my etsy shop):
Geek IS the new chic! I’m all about teaching my daughter that being different, smart and a little nerdy is not just okay….it is awesome!
Sienna had her little pajama Christmas party at her “pre” pre-school today. I made these t-shirts for her teachers. I made one for myself and I guess I didn’t realize that some screenprints look different on kiddos than they do adults. While the little matryoshka lady is still pretty cute….my chest makes her appear a little plumper than normal (and I don’t have much of a chest). I used t-shirts from Old Navy….and I love them because they are so soft and LONG (I’m 5’11″ tall….so I’m always on the lookout for ANYTHING long).
*I sure am glad the back of this photo is blurry…..so you can’t see the laundry bomb or the mess of a bathroom I have going on. I don’t even close my drawers anymore which drives Mr. Lil Blue Boo crazy (new year resolution).
I also delivered some Christmas presents. Do you have items in your shop that just won’t sell? I sure as heck do. But….clothing that the Etsy buyers have rejected is going to make some little girls and boys VERY happy. Shelter from the Storm is getting a a huge bag of samples and items I’ve taken down from my store…..they are all tagged and packaged to look good as new. It has been a rough year for a lot of people….just an idea if you are looking for alternative ways to give back.
Well, back to sewing. Sienna is still napping from her big morning…STILL wearing her pajamas. I’m also working on a BIG idea for January with my sponsor Dharma Trading that I can’t wait to roll out to all of you! You are going to love it I know! I must keep a secret…I must keep a secret…..argghhhh
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