DIY holey shredded jumper - tutorial

Tutorial

As promised (albeit a little tardy), here is the tutorial for my shredded jumper I almost didn't make this tutorial because its so easy peasy! Also because there are already some really great tutorials on tee shredding (this is a fav of mine). But I thought I'd post mine anyway. 

You will need

Just a pair of scissors and a jumper with a fine knit. 

I was actually eyeing this one from Topshop for a while. So glad I waited because this guy was only $12 from Kmart!

Step 1: Cut

First have a look at where you want your holes. I just mapped it out in my brrrraaaiiiiinnnn but you might want to use chalk.

Step 2: Pull

Gently tug at the top section of the whole you have made. You'll see some threads come loose. 

Step 3: Shred

Following the grain of the knit, keep pulling the threads apart until you have a decent section of loosened thread.

That's really it! There are loads of shredding tutorials on Youtube so hit those up too!

Kaye xx

instructions for my Isabel Marant DIY top

As promised, here is the tutorial for my Isabel Marant inspired DIY shirt. 

I used this youtube video to sew my patch pockets. Here's the way that I did it:

1. Select your material

I bought a chequered shirt from cotton on for about $20.
I then found some fabric from Spotlight that "clashed" with the coloured checks on the shirt. The fabric was only 75c!

2. Unpick the pockets

This shirt already had pockets so I unpicked them, ready to be replaced with my "clashing" pockets.

3. Sew the top

I drew a template and outlined it on the fabric, ready to be cut.

I then sewed the top section of the pocket.

4. Pin and iron

I pinned about a 1cm seem around the other three edges, and ironed the edges to keep my pocket flat.

5. Secure and sew

I then secured my pocket on wit a bobby pin or two and simply stitched around the three edges.

So at the end of the day, I made a shirt for around $20.75, when the real deal cost $300.
WIN!

Kaye xx

Isabel Marant DIY top

This tutorial has been a loooong time coming!
I've been obsessed with this Isabel Marant shirt ever since I first saw the runway images on style.com. As part of my "new clothes resolution", I'm going to ask myself questions 2:

2. Is it possible to DIY? If so, would I be just as happy with my own creation? 

Answer: Yes and yes.

(Shirt: DIY. Shoes: 3.1 Phillip Lim. Shorts: Freez. (<------ seen waaaaay back here). Sunglasses: River Island) 

So here it is!! My DIY Isabel Marant shirt.
You can tell by my hair and the lens used in these photos that these were taken a while ago.... like I said, it's been a long time comin'!!

I'LL POST THE TUTORIAL TOMORROW! PROMISSSSEEE!

Kaye xx

DIY instructions for my breakfest top

As promised, her is the tutorial for the pinned muscle tank that I wore to Breakfest! If you missed my inspiration, you can find it here and if you missed the outfit post you can find it here. 

Most things needed for this DIY are household items which is why I love it so much! I realised that I needed more items than those pictured above, so here's the list:

You will need: 

A black crew neck T-Shirt (I got mine for $7 from Kmart)

Safety pins

Fabric scissors

Rubber gloves

Bleach

Black fabric paint

A ruler

A sponge

Sticky tape

A4 paper

An old cloth

Newspaper

1. Wash. 

Get you T-Shirt nice and wet.

2. Bleach

Use an old cloth to rub the bleach into the top. Apply the bleach haphazardly to give more of a washed look.  Then hang out the T-Shirt and let the bleach do it's thing. Keep a close eye on it because the colour will change quickly. When you're happy with it, throw it in the wash.

3. Dry and cut

 Hang your top out to dry - and admire the DIY "washed look" that you've created! It's now time to get cutting. Cut the sleeves off just past the seem - because it is a jersey fabric, you don't need the stitching as it won't fray. 

Do the same for the neckline. 

5. Make your stencil

I used the width of a 30cm ruler to make my cross. Mark it out with a pencil on A4 paper and cut it out. Position it onto your T-Shirt.

6. Sticky tape and sponge

Secure your stencil with sticky tape. Use a sponge to apply the fabric paint over your stencil. Don't forget to position newspaper inside your top to prevent bleeding on the other side. You'll also need to iron your paint on after it's dried so it doesn't come off in the wash.

7. Cut along the side stitching
Now start making room for your pins. Simply cut out the stitching on the side of your tank.

7. Pinning
Now pin it back together. I put a hard book under the fabric to make it easier to line up the two edges. Pin it all the way to the top. Repeat on the other side of the T-Shirt.

8. Finished!
And there you have it! Please let us know if you give it a go - or if you've tried your own spin on it! We would love to see some pictures of your own creations :)

Kaye xx

my completed breakfest top

(shorts: Sportsgirl. Top: DIY. Shoes: Kmart)

I finished my diy top! It's already been put into action - at the Breakfest festival! The day was kind of amazing... you would have seen a few pics while I was at the event if you follow us on twitter. I'll just finish up the tutorial and I'll post it tomorrow. Ill catch you then! :)

Kaye xx

breakfest preparations

Image credits: unknown, lovemore, topshop, unknown

This year mahaila and I are spending Christmas on opposite sides of the globe. While mahaila enjoys her first white Christmas (jealous), I am experiencing Australia's typical hot and dry Christmas. For me, this means family, friends, barbecued prawns, the beach and big glasses of chilled pear cider - we have the typical turkey for festivity purposes despite the impracticality of the heat that comes from the oven.

As much as I love our Aussie Christmas, I'm going to make a disgusting confession - the day after Christmas is (in my book) the best day of the year. IT'S BREAKFEST! Breakfest is an annual Perth music festival featuring the best artists in breaks music. After a day of presents, good food, family and fun, it feels great to dance around in the sun drinking wine with friends, listening to some amazing tunes. I don't care much for festival fashion and as its usually about 40 degrees Celsius out at the belviour amphitheatre, you don't have a choice but to just wear a loose tank top and shorts.

I want something like this, this or this but as part of my "new clothes resolution" I'm going to ask myself question number 2:

  Is it possible to DIY? If so, would I be just as happy with my own creation?
                              Answer: Yes and yes. 


I've had all of the above images saved in my "DIY" and "Inspiration" folders for aaaaages. Clearly I've never got the idea of crosses, muscle tees and safety pins out of my head - so I thought that it was about time I dominated my local Kmart and haberdashery store. These are the items I've decided I'll need.........................

Not long now.... I'll keep you guys updated!

Kaye xx

back to basics

(Silk shirt: Topshop. Jeans: Sportsgirl DIY ripped. Shoes: Asos. Bag: Guess)

I wore this when Robert and I went out for coffee together. These shoes make the weirdest "clopping" sound when I walk... I think it makes them kind of special. These jeans suffered the same fate as the jeans I posted here. They got the cheese-grater treatment. I think it stops them looking so.... clean.

CHALLENGE NUMBER TWO: PART TWO

So this is my attempt at the DIY turban that mahaila designed here. Challenge completed. Pretty successful, I think! Now trust me when I say if I can do this, anybody can. I don't have much patience and the longest I have been in front of a sewing machine is with mahaila by my side the whole time. For this challenge, with mahaila in Germany, it was just me. This is how it started out.........

Email communications:
Mahaila: I was JUST looking at some photos of turbans, do you want the headband version?
Kaye: Yeh I reckon the headband version. R u going to keep the one u make or do I get both? Hehehehe
Mahaila: i can send you what ever I make, but you need to make one too. It's pretty simple stuff. I haven't made it yet, but it won't be difficult. 

Well mahaila over-estimated my sewing knowledge. The good news is that I learnt a few things along the way:

1. The machine won't sew without the bobbin....... 
2. I now know how to re-fill the bobbin in a modern sewing machine
3. The RIGHT side of fabric means the side that you want showing.... mahaila is going to roll her eyes when she reads this, but I thought she meant "right" as in left and right (trust me, I'm not a dumb-ass, just a little ditsy at times)
4. When mahaila said to fold it, she meant LENGTH WAYS. On my first attempt, I folded it into some stupid little tube and sewed the top then had to unpick it and start again.
5. Measurements should be EXACT. After making my first one that didn't fit on my head, I decided to measure it properly. 

As mahaila previously mentioned, I wanted a turban made of velvet because I liked the fit and look of this one so much. So I went to the nearest op-shop and bought this little number for $4. I though I might use the skirt in an outfit and use the top for the turban.

I think you could make this out of a jersey or a stretch wool if velvet isn't your thing. And get creative! You could embellish the front (like on this Sportsgirl turban), or you could change the smaller section to a bow.

Email communications:

Mahaila: did you want a bow?

Kaye: I don't want a bow on it because, as much as I like my black one, I get called "cute" alot when i wear it and one of my girlfriends told me she "just wanted to cuddle me and play with me". So I'd like one without a bow this time.

We hope you guys have fun creating your own unique turban... and the cash you save by doing it yourself!! Please let us know if you give it a crack and send us pictures  :)

CHALLENGE NUMBER 2 ......How to make a turban / headband

 

OK, so this is challenge number 2.... perhaps a little later then initially planned. Our first challenge involved kaye creating an outfit around a top made by myself. This time kaye must sew a turban type head piece for herself using the DIY instructions below. 

We encourage anybody to have a go at making this piece... experienced sewer or not.... If you don't not have access to a sewing machine, hand sewing is also an good option (I used to sew by hand A LOT before I got my sewing machine. I still find myself reverting back to hand sewing at times). For information on sewing techniques (both with and without the machine) go to the Burdastyle learning section of the website.... otherwise youtube can be helpful. 

I must worn you that I definitely do not pretend to be an expert... so perhaps these dimensions/techniques won't work for you.But as you can see by the photos, it did fit my head.

What do you need?

* FABRIC - suitable for a headband. Kaye had previously mentioned that velvet is a good option as it is more likely to stay on your head. Though velvet can be difficult to work with (info sewing with velvet). You also need to consider the grain of the fabric. You need to make sure that the fabric has some stretch in it so that it can fit on your head. Test your fabric by finding the lengthwise grain (more information on grains here)

We need 2 rectangle shaped pieces of fabric measuring
Bigger section  - 22 inches (58.5 cm) x 10 inches (25.5 cm)
Perhaps measure your head first then use this measurement add 2 cms (on every side... this is the seam allowance).
Smaller section -  3.5 inches (9 cm) x 4.5 inches  (11.4 cm)
* Needle
* Thread
* Enthusiasm! Creativity (make one with a badge at the front instead or a bow!)

 1. I chose to buy a velvet top from a second hand store, Alexander Platz (Humana) 

2. Cut out the large rectangle (includes the 1 cm seam allowance)

3. Fold the right sides of your fabrics together and pin the top section (leave a 1 cm seam allowance... as shown in the photo). 

4. Sew straight across the top with a 1 cm seam allowance.

 5.  Turn your fabric inside out so that the right side is on the outside.

 5. Then make sure that the seam (which you just created) is facing upwards.

 6. Now we need to create the front section of the turban.

 7. Sew this smaller piece like the bigger version. 1. right sides together, 2. sew the seam 1 cm seam allowance. 3. turn the rights sides to the outside

 8.Bring the 2 ends together. You can either finish like the bigger section (e.g. sewing so that you don't see the seam). I chose to bring the edges together with a zig zag stitch. (If you don't want the small section to be so big on the finished headband sew a 1 cm seam or make take a cm or so off the initial small rectangle)

9. Now slip the small ring onto the head band. Make sure that the 2 seams on the 2 pieces are in alignment (we don't want to see any seams on the finished garment when it is on your head, so all seams need to be on the inside).

10. If you are happy with the width of the small section on the big section, you can bring the big ends together. Start by bringing the 2 seams together (so that we don't twist the garment) putting pins in with a 1 cm seam allowance. Work your way around until you are no longer able to continue (you will get to a point where you have a gap where you can not pin or sew.... we need to sew this section later).  Take out the initial pin that you put in (the one over the seam) so that you can continue further around. We want the seam section to be in the middle of where we hand sew.... this is the underside of the garment (aka the ugly seamed section... we want all of this to be in one area so that it is not visible when we wear the headband... I hope this makes sense???).

11. Now sew the pinned area with a 1 cm seam allowance. Then finish with a zig zag stitch on the end. 

  

12. Now pull the fabric to the outside, like shown here. You should have a small section left which we need to hand sew with a blind stitch. Before wearing make sure all of the seams are not visible. Pull them to the inner side.

Now you should have a new turban/headband to wear!

Let us know if you have made one. We would love to see it! Don't hesitate to ask questions. 

Good LUCK! Viel Spass!