Basic Tools and Techniques What’s in your sewing basket? ……………………………… 8
What’s in your jewelry box? ……………………………… 10
What’s in your craft tote? ………………………………… 12
Basic techniques …………………………………………… 14
Chapter 1: Alter Your Style Project1:Convert favorite jeans to capris …………… 20
Project2: Summer’s over T ……………………………… 24
Project3: Shorts to skirt ………………………………… 28
Project4: Beach wrap and backpack ………………… 32
Project5: Sweatshirt to shrug …………………………… 36
Project6: Moody T and emoticon tote ………………… 40
Chapter 2: Alter Your StuffProject1: Multitasking charmer ………………………… 46
Project2: Friends facebook …………………………… 52
Project3: Photo booth mini scrapbook ………………… 56
Project4: Tote-ally my bag ……………………………… 60
Project5: Remember it! bracelet ………………………… 64
Project6: Snappy embellishment ……………………… 68
Dedicated to my grandmothersOne taught me to love and respect books, and the other taught me that I can make almost anything from almost anything – and never to throw away a pretty scrap or finding because “you never know …” Their spirits unite in this book of my crafts. –KB
The craft-project designs in Altered You! are copyrighted. Please use them for your education and personal enjoyment only. They may not be taught or sold without permission.
12 11 10 09 08 1 2 3 4 5
Printed in the United States of America
Distributed to the trade by Watson-Guptill
Visit our Web site at www.BeadAndCraftBooks.comSecure online ordering available
Publisher’s Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Buckingham, Karin. Altered you! : alter your style—your stuff—your space! / Karin Buckingham.
p. : col. ill. ; cm.
ISBN: 978-0-87116-260-1
1. Handicraft for girls—Handbooks, manuals, etc. 2. Fancy work–Patterns. 3. Sewing—Patterns. 4. Jewelry making—Handbooks, manuals, etc. I. Title.
TT171 .B83 2008745.5
20 Altered You!
Convert favorite jeans to caprisDo you have a pair of jeans that fit your waist but are too
short? Crop the pant legs to just below the knee, and use
decorative trim and simple embroidery to embellish
your new capris!
WHAT YOU NEED• Pair of jeans• 2 in. satin blanket binding• Roll of narrow fusible
Use a cut-off pants leg from the capri project, add a strip of fabric and some ribbon, and you can stitch a cute drawstring purse.
WHAT YOU NEED• Jeans leg• Scrap fabric• Ribbon• Beads (optional)• Sewing basket
Pins, thread, scissors
Sew the purse:
1Measure the circumference of the pant leg, add 1 in., and cut a piece
of fabric to that length by 5 in. wide.
2Fold the fabric ½ in. on each short side and press. Stitch a line about
1⁄4 in. from the fold to secure.
3Fold the fabric in half lengthwise. Press.
4With the right sides of the fabric and the jeans together, align the
cut edges and pin the fabric to the jeans. Make sure the jeans’ side seam lines up with the folded and stitched edges of the fabric. Stitch 1⁄2 in. from the cut edges (A).
5Turn the whole thing inside out, flatten it with the seams at the
sides, and stitch a straight line along the bottom edge. Backstitch to secure
the stitches at each corner. Turn it right side out.
6Thread a ribbon through the channel in the fabric, slide a few
beads on the ends if desired, knot, and you have a purse!
7Decorate the purse with fabric paint and glitter, if you’d like.
Embellish:
1Measure around the leg opening, add 11/2 in., and cut a piece of the satin blanket binding to that length.
2Adhere a strip of fusible webbing to the binding on each edge and on either side of the center crease (B). Fold
one end edge in ½ in. and fuse with an iron, according to the manufacturer’s directions (C).
Vocabulary: The raw edge of fabric is the cut edge. The inseam of pants runs from the crotch to the hem, along the inside of the leg.
Crop:
1Try on your jeans (with the shoes you’ll wear with the capris), and decide on the new length. Have a friend measure up from
the floor (using a yardstick), and make a small line to mark the new length with chalk in the front and back of each pant leg.
2Take the jeans off, and connect the marks with invisible marking pen or chalk. Cut the jeans on the line (A).
DID YOU KNOW? Capris get their name from the Italian isle of Capri, where this style of just-below-the-knee pants was introduced in the late 1950s. They were popular in the U.S. in the ’50s and ’60s, but went largely underground for decades until they were revived in the late ’90s. Now it’s rare to see a store’s summer collection without them.
A
B
C
E F
D
A
Vocabulary: Circumference is the distance around a circle.
A few variations: Change the length, trim the pocket edges, add hot- fix crystals!
It’s best to avoid sewing over pins. As you come to a pin, slow down, pull it out, and continue stitching.
3Turn the jeans inside out. Find the inseam of the jeans (the seam that
runs down the inside of the leg). Align the raw edge of the jeans leg with the crease in the binding, and place the end of the binding ½ in. from the inseam. Press to fuse the binding over the inseam and along the cut edge (D).
4When you return to your starting point, overlap the raw edge with the folded edge. The folded edge should align with the jeans’
inseam. Press again to fuse the binding to the inside of the jeans.
5Turn the jeans right side out and repeat to fuse the binding to the outside of the jeans (E).
6Repeat steps 1–5 for the second leg.
Go further:Use a stencil or pattern, embroidery thread, and fabric glitter to add detail to your new capris (F). See the patterns on p. 92 for ideas.
Alter Your Style Projects 23
52 Altered You! Alter Your Stuff Projects 53
Friends facebookTransform an inexpensive business-card file
into a book for school pictures. Simply alter
the cover with fabric, glue, craft paper, and
charms, and you’ll have a handy scrapbook
for wallet-size pictures.
WHAT YOU NEED• Business card file• Fabric • Ribbon and trim• Letter beads• Decorative pin with
