Tag Archives: DIY

MAKE IT / vegetable dye & block print teatowel

13.10.14

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Lately I have become re-obsessing with mustard.

It all started with a linen tee-shirt that I picked up on holiday. And as with all my obsessions it usually begins in the wardrobe and takes over the home, or vis versa really. But with the hunt for the perfect mustard linen escaping me at every turn, I decided to take matters into my own hands.

After countless hours scouring pinterest for guides to vegetable dyes and tapping into the knowledge of my mother I began, armed with turmeric, Onion, Teabags, salt, hot water and a large tub ( note, iron can change the effect of the dye, so best to use a good old plastic bucket )

Taking my cream linen from The Fabric Store I cut them into shape, 70cm by 50cm pressing and hemming the edges.

After a process of trial and error, I found that to create my perfect mustard I would need a concoction of 1/3 cup iodised salt, 1 teaspoon of turmeric, 30 teabags and 15 cups of boiling water. Mixing thoroughly, allowing 10 minutes to steep then leaving the tea towel completely submerged for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. After wringing them out, leave them to dry ( Make sure you dry in the shade! The sun affects the final colour outcome )

Once dry it was time to wash, this is where it went a little down hill for me. After washing my tea towels and drying them again, I found my deliciously rich mustard had faded to a softer muted shadow of its former self. Sigh. But after a few curse words and another coffee they began to look better. Time to jazz them up a little.

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Enter Das fabric paint in white and a block of wood ( pretty handy when you live in a construction zone ) I used the side to dip in the paint and press on the linen. Rocking it gently to get an even cover. Once again patience is a vertue. Wait for it to completely dry, then press with a hot iron on both sides for how long your particular paint tells you to.

There you have it, beautiful linen tea towels in your very own shade and print! And my moral of the story for you is have patience, it goes a long way. Happy dyeing!

Until next time, BlackbirdBLOG signature

MADE // Linen Apron

02.10.14

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Firstly, this is more of a show and tell than a DIY, there was a lot of ad-libbing that could get very confusing. But hopefully it inspires you to make your own!

I am a compulsive maker and forever bobbing around letting the craft tides move me to my new venture. The latest wave to hit is pottery. After attending my first class and being made to wear a plastic bib I was all like ” Oh hell no..” and quickly realised I was in need of a hard-wearing ( and cute ) apron. I had been drooling over the likes of these and these for far too long, it was time for action. Enter my pal’s over at The Fabric Store and some delicious oatmeal linen.

I used an apron that I already had to trace the pattern off, but if you don’t have one you can follow this simple pattern here ( that one is even adjustable! Faaaancy )

The prerequisites were a large pocket with a few compartments, tie in the front and a cute little knotty part. And because I am terrified of buttonholes, I decided to simply sew one end of the neck tie of the front and knot to cover it. Sneaky huh.

I do hope you are inspired to make your own! Or could just go and buy this beauty seeing as I haven’t been terribly helpful with the DIY.

Until next time, BlackbirdBLOG signature

The Anima Pant & my rekindled love.

09.07.14

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I have been a bit quiet here as so late, for obvious reasons I have been taking some time out….ish. Trying to get my head around not having our Coco Darling with us, and slowly trying to recover from birth and so on, it is a bloody long road I will tell you that.

In the process I have gone back to the sewing machine. Sewing and I have always had a rocky relationship. I love the outcomes of sewing, but putting time into the relationship, I had no patience for that. We went on a few dates, things could have got serious, but I didn’t want to put in the effort and we lost touch.

But it seems sewing was that ex boyfriend that hunts you down on Facebook to catch up, only this time I said yes.

So here we are again, we had a awkward start, but we seem to be falling in love again, and I like it. I was always the one who just went at it like a bull at a gate, no thought, no patience, just make it happen, and it wasn’t pretty, remnants of half finished garments sat in a ‘ try again one day’ box. But now, it’s a little different. Maybe it is because I am older and wiser, or maybe it’s because I met Papercut Patterns. Either way, there is rekindled love. Starting with the Anima Pant. I am making mine out of some stretch satin from The Fabric Store, I have decided to use the backside as the front side so it’s nice and dull, topped off with merino cuffs. Comfy and stylish. Dream.Come.True.

I will live in these. When I get back from the outrageously hot Thailand and Vietnam that is. Yep, three weeks of vacation coming our way. More on that next time.

So get out the sewing machine and rekindle that love. And while you are at it you can enter to WIN the full catalogue of Papercut Patterns and a bunch of beautiful fabric from The Fabric store by entering the Amina Pant competition.

MORE INFORMATION HERE & HERE

Until next time, BlackbirdBLOG signature

MAKE IT // brass curtain tie back

22.05.14

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The master bedroom is getting there, and one of the last things I wanted to do was to make some sheer curtains, to add privacy and to give it all an extra lux feel. Who doesn’t love a little glamour in the bedroom ah girls?

First job was finding the perfect fabric. Something that fell beautifully, was sheer, but opaque enough and colour perfection. Of course my dear friends at The Fabric Store were beyond helpful and amazing and found perfection amongst their rolls of fabric.

Next, I needed to make the tie back.

Here is how I created mine.

ONE

YOU WILL NEED //

A brass swivel eye snap hook, Available at your local hardware store.

Cream cotton cord, I got mine from my local Emporium.

Scissors.

Needle and thread.

TWO.1

METHOD //

Measure loosely around your bunched curtain, double that measurement and this is the length of your cord.

Next, pull the cord in half, with your two loose ends in the middle, loop the cord through the eye of the snap hook, using a cow hitch knot.

Finally, Take your two loose ends, overlap and stitch the needle through both. Loop around, stitch again, repeating until the ends are secure and won’t pull apart. At this point, if you don’t want thready ends, use a long length of clear tape and wrap it around the join.

And you’re done! Simple, cost effective and looks bloody grand, Tick, tick, tick.

Until next time, BlackbirdBLOG signature