Project 366 - week 8

Party bus // Scrapbook layouts for the store // Bag // Strawberry Oak - YUM! // Glitter shoes //

 V-day roses still going strong // Cuddle with Miss Tilly

Pic of the week - It's gotta be friday the 24th. I got to meet my cousins bubba! 

Two week old Matilda. Love her. :)

DIY Knitted Sweater Fixer Upper - Guest post from Melanie

Hello fellow crafters! 


I'm Melanie, owner and CEO of Curious Little Bird, and today I'm going to talk to you about turning a beloved sweater with holes into a sweater that will continue to keep you warm for years!

I'm sure some of you out there have a knitted sweater you really love, but just can't bare to cut up and use in a different way, right? I know there are ways a plenty on the web for turning that beloved sweater into mittens, or leg warmers, but my idea is even better. 

At first my initial thought was to felt the sweater in the wash in hot water, and then transform it into a monster, but I found that the felting actually made it more comfy, and warmer, and I just couldn't cut it up. My sweater was coming apart in the cuffs where I always rest my hands on the desk, and in the elbows. The holes have gotten so big that darning them is no longer an option 

NOTE! Do NOT felt your sweater before you do this tutorial. Felting it will make it shrink big time, and unless you plan on making a sweater for your cat, dog, or baby, leave it as is. (I only felted my sweater because I thought I was going to cut it up initially, and it was so big that felting it only made it fit better). . 

This hole is as big as an average sized apple, shrunk a bit during the felting

You can see here how I tried to save my cuffs before I fixed it.

I didn't have a second knitted sweater to use for sleeves, so I took an ill fitting, thick cotton 3/4 sleeve shirt I was going to use for fabric. It wasn't the same colour, but the colour of the shirt and sweater were both rich, deep hues that went nicely together. The shirt I used had nice, thick cuffs that would be perfect for my project. 
I really like these two colours together because I like original, funky pieces of clothing that nobody else is wearing. 



Step 1 
I cut the cuffs off of my knitted sweater, right above the holes. I then cut two ovals out of the main body of my shirt to use as elbow patches. I pinned them to the sweater, and then took part of my sewing machine apart so I could use the free arm of the sewing machine. Basically we're not working flat. Once I did one elbow patch, I moved on to the second.

Step 2
Once I finished the elbow patches, I put on my knitted sweater to determine the length of sleeves I'd need from my purple shirt to make my new sleeves. I wanted to make sure they'd be long enough. I like sleeves that cover a portion of my hands, because I have really long arms. I went ahead a cut the sleeves off my shirt. Just to be safe, I cut the sleeves from the shirt all the way to the armpit. The sleeves on this shirt were only 1/2 length, so I want to make sure I have long enough sleeves in the end. I turned the cut shirt sleeves inside out, fed the shirt sleeve over top of the sweater so the sweater is inside (but still right side out), lined up the cut edges, pinned them together, and sewed the seams together. I did that for both sleeves. You can serge here if you prefer. I don't have a serger, so I used a simple straight stitch. Once you flip the shirt sleeve over, you have a nice edge, and the sewn edge is inside where it should be.

Once you've done that, you're done! Your sweater is now brand spanking new, and is ready to be worn and enjoyed!

There will be a big of a difference in thickness, but I can easily get past that. I'm so happy that 

my favorite sweater of 6 years is transformed!

Well I hope you liked my post, and you now have inspiration to go and fix that holey sweater you just can't part with!

Happy Crafting!

Want to check out more of Melanies work? Check out the links below.

Twitter // Blog // Shop // Facebook

Happiness boost. :)

Early week blues getting you down? well take a peek at these amazingly happy little creations. They are sure to put a smile on your face. :)

May beads

Burger and friends

Sugar Bunnies 379

I love doodle

Did I make you smile? :)

March Sponsor Call!

March is going to be a HUGE month in Crafted land. As most of you probably know the next issue of Crafted Mag is due out next month, this will bring a high amount of traffic to the blog. I am offering a limited number of sponsor spots this month.

Sponsor spots are all the same size and will be rotated throughout the month. This makes sure you all get equal exposure to the audience.

Why am I taking sponsors?
I am taking sponsorships to help me save up for some new design software. Mine is getting quite out of date... This is not a cheap upgrade to make. When I get this I can make Crafted Magazine really stand out from other publications. :)

Whats in it for you?
Sponsor spots on crafted are SUPER affordable. The blog gets an average of 350 views per day.
You will have the option of a guest post on Crafted and even participate in a giveaway for the readers.
I will also promote you through the Crafted facebook page which has over 500 fans as well as the Crafted Twitter feed which is growing daily.

Sponsor spots for this month are SUPER CHEAP! $5 is all it will take to get involved in the awesomeness that is Crafted.

Like I said before spots ARE limited so please if you are interested contact me as soon as possible. get.crafted@gmail.com

Unfortunately I am not able to offer sponsor swaps for this month.

Project 366 - week 7

North sydney markets // dinner with the rents // Magazine crafting // Valentines day // hint of "summer" // waiting for train // GAGA!!

Pic of the week: Well it's not the greatest in terms of photography but highlight of my week was getting tickets for Lady Gaga! Something some of you may not know about me, I am a big gaga fan! I saw her last time she came to Sydney and it was just such a sensational show! The tickets are quite expensive this time and I was worried that I wouldn't end up being able to afford tickets. So now I am totally broke until my next pay day but it will be worth it! Our tickets are not the greatest but at least we will be there! Hurrah! :D