DIY spring bag!

Hey friends!

We are welcoming spring with this easy tutorial for the ultimate spring bag! There's not a better way to follow this season’s soft colors trend, than transforming this vinyl skirt into a lovely everyday bag! Yes, you have heard it right! An amazing bag out of an old skirt! The process is really easy and all you need is a skirt and a sewing machine!

Photo 1

This is the initial look of the skirt and my scissors

Photo 2-3

In order to make the straps i cut the hem at about 5 cm.

Photo 4-5

Time to sew the bag! Place the fabric inside out and with a pencil draw the stitches. I was lucky that my skirt had already inside the linen fabric so that made the process even easier! To avoid the square shape, sew the corners of the fabric to give it a rounded shape.

Photo 6

Stitch the straps of the bag on the inner part and you are almost done. Now you can turn the inner part inside the bag.

 Photo 7-8 (optional)

This step is optional in case you want to make the bag more secure. You can buy this magnetic clasp from the stores that sell sewing supplies. For the insert make small holes on the inner part of the bag and press the studs to stable it. Your magnet clasp is ready.

Photo 9

In less than 20 minutes you will be holding your brand new shopping bag! Wear it with your jeans and a flower top! So why don't you visit your closet and maybe you will find your next bag among your old skirts!

Good Luck!

xxx

MikaLina

DIY: Christmas Party clutch!

Hello Friends!

We are 12 days away from Christmas! We are already in Christmas mood and we can't wait to gather with family and friends. Today we are showing you how to make a dazzling evening Christmas party clutch bag in less than an hour! This amazing clutch is what you need for a Christmas night out! 

Γεια σας φίλες μας!

Μας μένουν 12 ημέρες μέχρι τα Χριστούγεννα! Είμαστε ήδη σε Χριστουγεννιάτικη διάθεση και ανυπομονούμε να βρεθούμε με την οικογένειά μας και τους φίλους μας. Σήμερα θα σας δείξουμε πως να φτιάξετε ένα εντυπωσιακό βραδινό τσαντάκι σε λιγότερο από μία ώρα! Αυτό το απίθανο τσαντάκι είναι ό,τι χρειάζεστε για ένα Χριστουγεννιάτικο πάρτυ!

 

For the clutch you will need two pieces of different fabric. We used a silver fabric of mixed polyester and mohair quality for the outer part. For the inner part instead of a lining we used a thick denim fabric because it makes the clutch more stiff.

Για το τσαντάκι θα χρειαστείτε δυο ειδών υφάσματα. Εμείς χρησιμοποιήσαμε ένα ασημί ύφασμα από πολυεστέρα και μοχέρ για το εξωτερικό μέρος. Για το εσωτερικό αντί για φόδρα χρησιμοποιήσαμε ένα χοντρό ύφασμα τζιν.

We place both fabrics facing one another and we cut them in the dimensions we want. Then we place the upper side of the silver fabric interfacing the denim's light blue side.

Τοποθετούμε τα δύο υφάσματα το ένα πάνω στο άλλο και κόβουμε ακριβώς στις ίδιες διαστάσεις. Έπειτα τοποθετούμε την καλή πλευρά του ασημί υφάσματος αντικριστά με την ανοιχτόχρωμη πλευρά του τζιν.

We sew with our sewing machine the two pieces of fabric leaving the one side open. After finishing the sewing, we turn it inside out until the outer side of the silver fabric appears.

Ράβουμε στην ραπτομηχανή γύρω γύρω αφήνοντας το επάνω μέρος ανοιχτό. Αφού τελειώσουμε το ράψιμο, γυρίζουμε το μέσα έξω μέχρι να εμφανιστεί η καλή πλευρά του ασημί υφάσματος.

Then we iron the side stitching very well. Now we have to sew the bottom side of the clutch. From the outer side of the silver fabric we fold the fabric up to the point we want and we pin it. It's time for sewing again! We sew both sides very well.

'Επειτα σιδερώνουμε καλά τις ραφές και στις δύο πλευρές. Τώρα πρέπει να ράψουμε το κάτω μέρος της τσάντας. Από την καλή μεριά του ασημί υφάσματος διπλώνουμε το κάτω μέρος στο ύψος που θέλουμε. Στερεώνουμε με μία καρφίτσα και πάμε πάλι στη ραπτομηχανή! Ράβουμε τις δυο ακριανές πλευρές πολύ καλά.

After sewing our clutch will look like this (see photo above from left). Now we will turn the inside out again and we will sew the finishing around the upper part. You fold the fabric carefully and you sew it. 

Μετά το ράψιμο το τσαντάκι μας θα είναι όπως επάνω στην πρώτη φωτογραφία από αριστερά. Τώρα θα γυρίσουμε το μέσα έξω πάλι και θα πάμε να ράψουμε το τελείωμα στο επάνω μέρος. Το διπλώνετε προσεκτικά και το γαζώνετε.

Now let's go decorate our clutch with a nice motif. We place this lovely heart shaped motif onto a similar fabric with the clutch's outer fabric but in a more dark color. We sew it carefully (by hand) our motif onto the second fabric and then we cut it around in a heart shape. Then we sew it on our bag's flap (by hand again).

Τώρα πάμε να φτιάξουμε το μοτιφ μας για να στολισουμε το 'καπάκι' της τσάντας μας. Τοποθετούμε αυτό το όμορφο μοτίφ καρδιάς πάνω σε ένα παρόμοιο ύφασμα με αυτό της τσάντας μας, σε πιο σκούρα απόχρωση όμως. Το ράβουμε προσεκτικά γύρω γύρω και το κόβουμε ακολουθώντας το σχήμα της καρδιάς. Έπειτα το ράβουμε στο χέρι πάνω στο ΄καπάκι' της τσάντας μας.

 

This is the clutch we made! We loved the result! You can make similar clutches as a gift for your friends. We are sure they are going to love them! It will be a handmade gift they will appreciate. 

Αυτό είναι το τσαντάκι μας! Το αποτέλεσμα μάς άρεσε πολύ! Μπορείτε να φτιάξετε παρόμοια τσαντάκια και να τα κάνετε δώρο στις φίλες σας! Είμαστε σίγουρες ότι θα το εκτιμήσουν αφού θα είναι και από τα χεράκια σας...

Many Kisses to all of you!

Πολλά φιλάκια σε όλες σας!

Tailor Spy

Handmade wedding pouch with embroidery!

Box made by http://elenartista.blogspot.gr/

Hello friends!

It's been a while since we've posted anything in our blog lately but we have our hands full planning a beautiful wedding in May...For this reason we decided to post a wedding DIY for all the girls who dream of a totally DIY wedding. In Greece it is used to give to all guests a wedding pouch with sugared almonds after the ceremony. Wedding pouches are a wedding "must" and they can be found in a variety of shapes, from a tulle pouch to a small jar or anything you can imagine. Today we will show you how to make a classic wedding pouch of crep-de-chine for your dreamy wedding. 

What you will need is a piece of a good quality fabric such as satin or crep-de-sin. Also, you will need some embroidery, pins, scissors etc. 

Take a ruler and draw the pattern of the pouch. Mine was 15x12 cm. Grab your scissors and cut it.

Turn the piece of fabric on the other side and your embroidery up side down. Carefully stitch the embroidery on the upper side as shown in the photo.

Now after stitching the embroidery turn the piece of fabric on the front side. This is how it will look like. 

Repeat the same process on the other piece of fabric. You will end up with two pieces. Cut the excess embroidery and lets proceed to stitching.

Start your stitching from the embroidery. Stitch both sides and the bottom.

Don't forget to finish your seam with a zigzag seam.

Fill your wedding pouch with yummy sugared almonds and wrap it around with the ribbon that matches with the colors of your wedding. Here, I used a see-through ribbon for a more classy touch. The result is a romantic wedding pouch that will impress your guests.

For the photo shoot I used this lovely heart shaped box made by http://elenartista.blogspot.gr/

 and they lived happily ever after...

Kisses

Tailor Spy

Denim shortscut!

Hello friends...this is our last week before our summer vacations, at last! Our spirit is high as we dream to spend the next weeks on a beautiful beach with good friends. I hope to get some tan and relax my mind from the past and furious winter. As we are in the middle of summer and the tempereature has risen, this week I am presenting an easy DIY denim pants refashion into a pair of super, stylish and fresh-looking denim shorts!

This project was really easy and quick. You will do it in no time, I assure you. So let's start.

Photo 1
All you need is a pair of denim pants, a lace, a ruler and a pair of scissors and pencil, of course...

Photo 2
First step is to cut a triangle from both side hips app. 10cm from bottom hem. A ruler and a pencil are very useful for this! 

Photo 3
Then we cut the pyramid we previously draw by pencil. 

Photo 4
We measure the lace ribbon we need for each side of our pyramid and we cut it. I also placed this lace ribbon all around the bottom hem because it looked nicer like this.

Photo 5
We carefully stitch the lace ribbon all around the bottom hem and our super denim shorts is ready to wear!

Your final work should look like this...You will notice a stitched flower in gold at the right side. This was made a long time ago with thick thread. This is a nice idea to refresh an old pair of denim pants. I kept it because it looked nice...You can try it, too! 

Many thanks to my model FKappou for posing! 

I hope you like it!

xxx

Tailor Spy

Sewing project : Breezy skirt!

Skirts are fun, are easy to wear and the most comfortable garment in the summer! But why is it so hard for me to find the ideal skirt? Indeed, when I go for shopping, it is very difficult to find a skirt that fits me well. Most of the fashionable skirts are either too short for me or made out of polyester fabrics (too hot in the summer). I made this lovely midi skirt out of a dress and I'm very happy about it. It took me less than a half an hour and I am sure I'm going to wear it all summer!

I discovered this old dress in my mother's closet. She never throws away anything! In her closets I usually "dig up" many hidden treasures...The quality of the dress is so great! It is a light viscose which makes it so cool and fresh for the Greek hot summer! 

Photo 1 & 2
I carefully removed the back zipper of the dress and then I cut it 2cm above the waist hem in order to stitch the waist hem later.

Photo 3, 4 & 5 
I chose a zipper with the new length to stitch at the back of the skirt. Then I stitched the one side of the zipper and then the other one. I finished the skirt by making the waist hem. The skirt is ready! 

 

So what do you think?

 Kisses
Tailor Spy
 

Lets get nautical - Easy DIY shorts sur mesure!

Ok, I am sure you've seen dozens of you tube videos how to make a pair of shorts sur mesure, but I wanted to share with you my way of making it. I enjoyed the process so much that I've made 4 pair of shorts so far! Now I am wearing my shorts feeling proud that I made them myself. Hope you enjoy this sewing project! (I am a self-taught sewer, so please do not judge me too hard!! I am still learning...)

Photo 1

To draft your own pattern you need a pair of shorts you've got and you like the fitting. You  fold the front part and put it on the pattern paper. You draw its shape on the paper with a pencil and it's ready. You repeat the same process for the back part because it is different from the front side.

Photo 2 & 3

So you end up with two side patterns. One for the front and one for the back. Make sure you leave app. 2cm seam allowance when you cut it. Important notice: this pattern is suitable for stretch fabrics only. Now, cut out the drawing from the rest of the paper and we move on...

 

Photo 4

It's time for some action! Fold your fabric in half and place your paper pattern on it. I started with the back part.

Photo 5

Now cut out your fabric! You must repeat the same for the other part.

Photo 6

Lay the front part together and sew where I've pinned. Repeat the process for the other side too.

Photo 7

After sewing, it should look like this. Ok, now take the front side and the back side and lay the right sides together. Next, sew up the outter leg seams A and B and then the inside leg seams C & D. 

Photo 8

Do not forget to do the zig zag stitching. It will prevent the fabric from fraying. 

 

Photo 9

So, now it is time to make the hem at the waist. You fold the fabric and sew it at the inside part of the waist. You leave approximately 5cm open for the elastic band. 

Photo 10

Pin the elastic band and start passing it throught the tube. To find the suitable length of the elastic band, measure the elastic band around your waist. I simply put on the shorts and set the correct length for my waist. Now, cut out the excess elastic and stitch the two sides. Then sew the open seam and a new pair of shorts is ready for you to enjoy summer!  

Kisses!

Tailor Spy

http://heartifb.com/2013/06/01/ifb-project-98-whats-your-summer-style/