A Time To Dye

I had a few things that needed to be black...

yellow puff sleeve hoodie, pink long sleeve dress 

green shorts, pink swimsuit cover

pink long sleeve dress, seafoam sweater

I used a whole bottle of Rit Dye in a 10 gallon bucket.  I made the mistake of doing this in my bathtub and the black dye splashed all over the white porcelain...  Luckily I had some bleach on hand.
                                                           
I ended up not doing the pink dress because I didn't think I had enough dye.  And I was right--my stuff wasn't as black as I thought it would be.  (Then again, it could be the type of fabric that is causing this.)  In fact, the green shorts came out a really ugly dark green color!  Everything else looks pretty good.  Yes, the buttons on the sweater are still seafoam, but I think it looks cool.

I really think the best method for dyeing is the washing machine.  Even though I haven't used this method yet.  The reason why I didn't do it this way is because I use communal washers and I didn't want to be responsible for accidentally f***ing up anybody's clothes...Bad karma, you know.

I ended up doing my hair after that--darker and browner than usual.  I'm not photogenic at all--I tend to make weird faces--so I'll just post an internet pic of someone else with the same color...

Even though my favorite red is this...

But I'm trying to look like this again.  Boyfriend likes it.  ;-)

One of the few good pictures of me, only because my photographer sister took it.

I use the Joico Vero K-Pak color system.  Professional coloring at home can be a bit tricky, but it's worth it.  There are abundant YouTube videos and forums where you can learn how to do it.  These are the colors I used:

          

All the while, I had the perfect soundtrack.

                                                          

Music For DIY-ing

TheCoolHunter.net has a great Weekend Playlist to help you chill out.  I think it would be great to listen to while doing a project!
I really like this one...

TheCoolHunter.net is a great site in general if you're interested in art, architecture, technology, and that kind of stuff.

I Made It - Painted Tennies

 Back from a creative hiatus!  (My absence was caused by the myriad other projects I have.)

Very simple diy:  There was a pair of white tennies hiding in my closet because I had spilled wax on them (don't ask...).  Perhaps you can see the slight discoloration on the toe?  Like many other crafters (and broke former college students) I couldn't just throw away a perfectly wearable pair of shoes.  Finally, I brought them out, dug up some turquoise acrylic paint from my disastrous supply closet, and went to work.  I had to use one of those makeup sponges because I didn't even have a damn paintbrush, but it worked out really well.  For the stripes, I used regular old scotch tape.
This is where I got my inspiration:

TOMS!

And a tutorial I once saw that is very similar to this one:

Stripes + Sequins's SaturDIY Neon Stripe TOMS

What really pushed me to get creative yesterday was this Lifehacker.com article:  How I Feel Satisfied With Every Day.  The author's simple guide to happiness is to do 3 things every day: make money, get fit & make something cool.  I already knew I needed to do those things, but the article reminded me of why--to be happy!

Not Buying It

Are you tired of how everyone is so obsessed with buying stuff all the time?  Yeah, me too.  Maybe it has to do with the time I've spent volunteering that makes me wonder, What do I actually need?  When I buy something, how long will it take for me to want more?  How many people out there actually do need a new pair of shoes because they are barefoot, and how many pairs of forgotten shoes do I have stuffed in my closet?

And then I think about the people who made the stuff.  Are they happy?  Do they have enough to eat?  Guilt.

I recently read an article in "Wired" magazine about the work compounds in China where the people live in little dorms and do repetitive work on assembly lines for 10 hours a day.  The cover screams...

Powerful imagery.  Yet, isn't it good to give people jobs?  Doesn't it benefit their lives?  I really don't know a lot about this, but I've been thinking about it a lot since I'm taking a class this semester on economic globalization.  New America Media has an article about how Forever 21 pays the garment workers a pittance.

Really, this is not my area of expertise.  I don't really know what to think about it, and I'm definitely not condemning globalization and mass-production as if it's some black-and-white subject.  I'm mostly just thinking out loud...  I'd like to hear what you have to say on this issue.

Radiohead Tee Re-do

Whatthecraft.com is full of tutorials that will inspire any DIY-er.  Plus, a lot of them are pretty simple!  I have an old Radiohead t-shirt that I can't stand to get rid of even though it is way too small--so I chose a tutorial from the list!  It is called Contour Bust/ Ruffle Bust Tutorial.  I made my own pattern as I went along, so I could easily make another one later. 

On some parts I had to improvise since the t-shirt was too small, and since I didn't want to cut the top part off because of the image on it.  So I had to add pieces on each side to make it wider.  I think this is kinda sexy anyways because it highlights your curves.  Basically, I measured how much I need to add on each side, plus seam allowance (I usually do 1/2 inch).  I also had to ad a strip to the back to make it even with the front. 

The front of the tee with the boob part cut out.

The back of the tee.

The boob part of the pattern.

Pattern for the side panels.

Cutting out the side panels.

I folded the pattern pieces in half after I cut them out, to make sure they were symmetrical.

I make my patterns out of used grocery bags.  They're free, and I feel like I'm recycling.  I haven't decided what to use for straps yet, but I think it will be more black jersey.

diy: shredded t-shirt

Check out this super cool tshirt diy by Kissankehto
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I'll be making this. http://ping.fm/Y29S3

DIY T-Shirt Transformation

I got this awesome Dick Dale tee when I went to his show at The Belly Up [in San Diego] last year.  It says "Dick Dale for President", which makes me smile.  Here's a pic of me and The King of Surf Guitar:

 

 Here's the transformed tee:

 

I'm really happy with how it turned out.  I used this tutorial from fellow Etsy-seller Lex's website, WhatTheCraft.com.  As I've mentioned before, Lex has many easy written tutorials, and has even made some videos recently.  She's a great teacher!  [I pretty much idolize her and I hope she doesn't find it creepy!]  I love taking a simple, soft tee and turning it into something of my own.  

Blogs That I Love

I'm constantly finding more and more inspiration and DIY ideas on the internet!  Here are some of my faves:
A Pair and a Spare

Gertie's New Blog For Better Sewing

Style Rookie (who doesn't love Tavi?)

Instructables

Hello!

Here I will track my daily thinkings, which will mostly be about fashion and sewing. I am an aspiring Etsy seller, and I am hoping that a blog will help me get my name out there. Plus, I like telling people stuff whether or not they're actually listening--just nod and smile! ;D

I have been doing A LOT of blog reading lately: Susie Bubble, Charlotte Taylor, Tavi, The Stroque...and last night I discovered Antimony & Lace. This has to do with "goth and dark fashion," which I am inspired by. I also love the fact that, perhaps even just for practical reasons, a goth would make her own clothes. She probably can't find exactly what she wants in stores, or if she does, it's waaaaay out of her budget--so she gets creative and customizes her wardrobe with her own size and colors!

This, in turn, relates to one of the big reasons I love Etsy: people creating one-of-a-kind clothing, much like wearable art! I can't begin to wonder why I'm obsessed with fashion, sewing, crafts, etc...but I CAN talk about it all day.