craft project Archives - Stephanie Corfee

Recycled Tee-Shirt Bracelets: Tutorial

June 10, 2011 by StephanieCorfee

After cutting up a bunch of old tee-shirts to make some Li’l Blue Boo tunics for myself, i had a whole buncha scraps….and some shirts i still hadn’t sliced into! So i shredded up a pile of strips and made these super-easy, super-quick, braided summer bracelets.

Here’s how:

Gather some tees, scissors, tape and a needle & thread. i used 3 different colors, one for each of the strips in the braid, but you can use all the same, 2 and 1….whatever looks good.

Cut off the hem of each shirt and then cut a width-wise strip about 1″ wide. Cut the side seams off.

Stretch each strip a bit until it starts to curl into itself and form a bit of a tube. This conceals the cut edges and gives some bulk to the strip of knit. Its key. (my magenta piece is actually one of the drawstrings from my 3rd shirt….why not use it?)

Stitch the 3 strands of fabric together using a simple slip stitch and keeping the end somewhat flat.

Use some tape to hold the stitched end to your work surface. Leave the needle and thread attached for now.

Braid the strips. Try to keep a nice, even width to your braid.When you get to the end, use another piece of tape to secure the ends while you complete the next step.

Wrap the braid around your wrist to determine length. Be sure it fits as you’d like it to. You don’t need to make it bigger to fit over your hand. It will stretch. Grab the needle and thread which are still attached to your first end and begin slipstitching the tail end together also, trying to keep it somewhat flat.

Then stitch the 2 ends together. You don’t need to be very neat. The stitches will be covered.

Use a scrap of leftover knit to tie a simple knot around the seam to cover your stitches and add a decorative touch. A few stitches will hold it in place.

If you prefer, you can also tuck the tails under and stitch for a cleaner finish as shown in the photo at the top of this post.

That’s it! Try combining prints and solids and patterns. Stack them up your whole arm! Make super wide ones with bulkier strips of knit or dainty, thin ones with little slivers of knit! Sew on a few beads or tie on a few metallic ribbons for sparkle! It’s the perfect summer craft on a budget!

$5 and BELOW – Charm Bracelet Collection #1

April 18, 2011 by StephanieCorfee

Last week i asked for comments and ideas for printable downloads and so many of you came through big time! One reader named Felicia suggested shrink film charms to make a child’s charm bracelet. It was such a great idea, i actually couldn’t wait to get started with my first color-able collection! i’m thinking i’ll create 6 collections in all and post them sporadically over the next few months. That way, you can add to your bracelet little by little.

You can buy inkjet shrink film in 8×10 sheets in tons of places online and then just print the graphic directly onto it. Here is the official Shrinky Dink® brand’s version.

Or, if you prefer, you can just buy standard 8×10 blank sheets (not inkjet compatible) and use a lightbox to trace the charm designs onto the translucent film. i’ve had some types that are more translucent than others, and you may not even need a lightbox : )

i’ve designed these for use as bracelet charms to collect, swap and share. The 3.5″ starting size of each graphic will shrink down to about 1/3 its size creating a 1″ charm. A 1/4″ hole punch (used BEFORE baking) will shrink down to the perfect size to thread a jump ring, ribbon or cord through. The possibilities are endless!!

So have fun creating lots of Shrinky Love and please post photos of your creations on my Facebook page.

BUY NOW! IMMEDIATE PRINTABLE DOWNLOAD – $4.00

– if you purchase the shrink film, directions will be included. Directions are also readily available online and as a downloadable PDF here. : )

tutorial – Stenciled Rocker Ties for Little boys

December 7, 2010 by StephanieCorfee

My son cracks me up. Sometimes he wants to look “crazy.” Mismatched socks. spiked up hair, clashing colored clothes, and most recently, ties over his t-shirts. He started with some bias tape from my craft drawer that he made me fashion into a tie with his Star Wars tee. Then he moved on to my husband’s ties. They hang down to his knees! i was determined to give him some of his own for christmas and he said he really wanted his name, lightning bolts and a rockstar tie…..hmmmm.

The following tutorial shows what i came up with to get some smiles this Christmas.

i’ll start by saying that finding little boys’ ties that aren’t clip-on is HARD! But i found one standard and one “ZIP” tie that is pretty cool and coop will like since he can tighten and loosen it himself.

1- i started by actually scanning the ties in and using their exact width, point angle, etc, to make a template in Adobe Illustrator. Then i created the art i’d use. i went simple on the name tie and included more detail in the guitar tie (keep in mind you have to cut these shapes with an x-acto knife later!) Little boys ties are just the right size to fit the graphic diagonally on a piece of letter size paper. Phew! i used Full Sheet crack n peel label stock to print my templates.

2 – once printed, i sat down with my x-acto and started carving out the reverse areas of my stencils and sticking them onto the ties. For floating pieces, i just laid the template down on the tie and used it like a puzzle to guide where i placed the bits.

3- i secured and re-secured all the sticker edges as much as possible and left the ties overnight…..because i was tired and it was 2am….not b/c its a necessary step : )

4 – i picked up some soft fabric paints by Tulip, including a neon yellow that just seemed fun!

5- after experimenting with a stippling brush and foam stipplers, i went with the foam. The bristles of the brush were too coarse and kept catching on the silky tie fabric.

6 – i randomly dipped and painted until all the open areas of my designs were covered. ya’ll know how to stencil, right?? Pouncing, no dragging! : )

7 – wait for the ties to dry. i hate being patient!

And after a bit of torturous waiting…here they are!

i hope they go over big on Christmas! It will be so hard to wait til then to see his reaction!