Active Arts & Crafts Posts
How To: Make an eco-friendly grocery bag from an old t-shirt
There are many ways to reform your old t-shirts, but this is an easy way to use yours. By taking your unused t-shirts and adding a few stiches here and there, you can create a reusable bag that can be carried along with you during shopping trips to the grocery store or bookstore.
How To: Sculpt a flower vase from waste paper pulp
Finding the right vase is almost as hard as finding the right flowers to go into that vase. The shape has to be aesthetically pleasing but it must be functional, too, able to support the lengths of various types of flowers.
How To: Make your own paper with flower petals
You can turn all your paper trash - from paper towel rolls to cereal boxes to paper scraps - into treasure by watching this tutorial, which takes all these usually thrown away materials and blends them with flower petals to create a gorgeous looking paper.
How To: Recycle a cereal box into a stationery set
Cereal boxes make great craft materials during the winter holidays, standing in for the much harder to bake and make gingerbread for faux gingerbread houses and making excellent durable ornaments.
How To: Pour pulp and press it into paper
So you're midway through the paper-making process, with the pulp in your blender ready to go. In order to turn pulp into an actual, solid piece of paper you must complete a few more steps.
How To: Stencil caulk onto greeting cards
Caulk is not the first material you'd think of using when crafting a birthday card, but when guided onto the paper in neat designs as created with the help of brass stencils, caulk motifs can be quite beautiful and tactile.
How To: Make a Doo. Ri. inspired floral tank top
Doo.Ri. is a young Asian American designer who has made waves in the high fashion world with her minimalistic, modern designs with a touch of feminine delicacy and sass. With a very Japanese-infused style aesthetic, she creates pieces that are coveted and frequently warm by Hollywood starlets.
How To: Make watermarks in paper for security
Don't fret too much if your watermark is barely noticeable when you're finished with this project - the less obvious it is, the better a job you've done. Watermarkers are present in many types of paper, especially the monetary kind. If you hold up a ten dollar bill you'll see a watermark of Thomas Jefferson's face on the right, proving the bill is real.
How To: Create a watercolor effect using rubber stamps
Even as early as first grade art class, you learn that watercolor/painting is an entirely different category from stamping, which basically requires a stamp pad and rubber stamp. But this tutorial blurs the line between the two art forms in the most attractive way possible.
How To: Make a tattered heart t-shirt from an old t-shirt
You've probably heard of people who say they have "two left feet" when it comes to trying to groove on the dance floor, but you can also have two left hands (if, you know, you're a right hander) when it comes to sewing and crafting.
How To: Sew a drape neck halter top with Whitney Sews
To us, old T-shirts are just space clutterers, with too much history for my of us to throw away but taking up too much space in our closets to want to keep. But for crafters they're the Holy Grail of crafting supplies.
How To: Make a "One Tree Hill" Peyton-inspired tank top
Are you a fan of the CW's "One Tree Hill"? Profess your love for this long-running television hit by creating this character-inspired tank top! Based on a reconstructed tank worn by Peyton during a fight with Lucas in the fourth season, this shirt is really lightweight for summer and you can layer it on top of another tank top if you need the extra warmth.
How To: Create a flattering A-line bubble skirt
Don't worry, while this episode of "Whitney Sews" does indeed teach you how to create a bubble skirt, we're not talking about the haute couture kinds featured on Alexander McQueen's last runway show (God rest his soul) and on other catwalks, ballooned out like a pure sphere and making even the skinniest size 00 models look like they're packing some in the back.
How To: Create bunting from old fabric scraps
No matter how often you sew or how many projects you complete, you can't possibly find a use for EVERY single scrab of fabric lying around. Your first thought is probably to throw them away, but there is indeed a project you can do that only requires the smallest of fabric scraps.
How To: Recycle old t-shirts into decorative bunting
Ah, bunting. In the crafting/Etsy world, bunting is one of the simplest pieces of decor to make as well as one of the cheapest, yet because of its minimalistic simplicity it's also one of the prettiest crafts ever.
How To: Embellish your clothes and accessories with buttons
Minimalist accessories are quite in right now, with interest being added by textures, cuts, and sleek designs. But sometimes a girl just wants to have fun with her clothing and accessories! In this episode of "Whitney Sews," Whitney will teach you how she embelishes wallets and other goodies with tiny buttons.
How To: Create a fashionable shrug from an old t-shirt
Do you have a t-shirt lying around the house with the most gorgeous sailor stripe pattern but is simply too small to fit you now? Don't despair; in this episode of "Whitney Sews," you'll learn a method for creating a shrug out of an old t-shirt.
How To: Create cute underwear from old t-shirts
You've probably seen old t-shirts being turned into dresses, miniskirts, and if you're a fan of Gianny L, even two-piece bikinis, but you've probably never even thought about it transforming them into underwear. It may seem a bit odd at first, but making these intimate pieces from t-shirts means you can customize the pattern as well as the type of cut (cheeky, granny top, or thong?).
How To: Turn a skirt into a long, breezy summer dress
Like billowy, bohemian tops or billowy dresses that go aflutter in the wind? Then this is the perfect DIY fashion tutorial for you. Using a long old skirt you can probably find by digging through your own closet or your stylish mother's treasure trove, you will learn how to refashion the skirt into a full-body dress by simply adding some spaghetti straps.
How To: Sew a simple floral summer skirt with Whitney Sews
During the summer, we all want to focus more on getting out into the sun and having an adventure than putting on layers of makeup and spending hours figuring out if, indeed, our Calvin Klein riding boots go with our Marc Jacobs sailor shorts.
How To: Sew a flowery, flowy spring top with Whitney Sews
Here at Wonder How To we LOVE spring buecause it allows us to indulge in the girliest of girly prints - flowers, hearts, crunchy granola hippie peace signs and happy faces - without restraint and without looking like a seven-year-old ready for church.
How To: Sew a sleeveless cardigan from an old t-shirt
Cardigans are pieces you can throw on with just about any outfit, from a cute miniskirt and tank top to long skinny jeans paired with a bohemian-style top. And with this episode of "Whitney Sews," you'll learn how to create a brand new hot pink cardigan...from an old t-shirt!
How To: Create a Halloween flapper costume from an old t-shirt
Halloween is such a fun time of year. Whether you're dressed up as a classic hook-nosed witch, slutty Playboy bunny, or Jessica Rabbit, the spooky holiday allows you to indulge in your wildest fantasies and look hot while you're at it.
How To: Create a cute jewelry drawstring bag with Whitney Sews
$4.95 jewelry boxes from Wal-Mart are probably not the chicest containers in which to put your prized sterling silver Tiffany's ring. Place your high fashion rings, bracelets, and necklaces in a similarly high fashion satchet by watching this tutorial.
How To: Create a reversible summer vest with Whitney Sews
A vest is an indispensible cover-up during the summer, not as thick or as stuffy as jackets because they let your arms, neck, and chest breathe, but still warm enough to keep you well covered during nippier summer nights.
How To: Crochet a solid granny hexagon for left handers
Crochet hexagons are a great way to amp up your crocheting skills since they advance on your knowledge of how to crochet triangles by mandating that you crochet six triangles at once, all stitched together.
How To: Crochet a basket weave stitch for left handers
The name of this crochet stitch says it all. Called the basket weave stitch, it consists of cubes of intersection vertical and horizontal yarns to create a unique pattern reminiscent of basket weaving.
How To: Crochet a single rib stitch for left handers
Are you a left-handed crochet addict who's tired of finding only right-hander oriented YouTube crochet tutorials and having to put a mirror up to the screen to get what the heck is going on?
How To: Tie a black and white wide Solomon bar
In this video by knot tying collective Tying it All Together, you'll learn how to create a wide Solomon bar knot, which is composed of two differently colored ropes that brush against each other in near parallel formation.
How To: Origami a snail from a kitchen paper towel
Bounty paper towels claim they can absorb up to 3X more than ordinary paper towels, but they can't transform into cutesy little snails unless you lend them a helping hand (or two).
How To: Origami a cute standing dog
Are you tired of folding the same old flapping cranes and teeny lucky stars? Break out of your folding mold by trying a new origami fold for a change. In this video, you'll learn how to fold an origami dog that stands, barks, and even fetches its own water (okay, maybe not the last two).
How To: Do a crochet stitch A pattern for summer
Any good crochet artist will tell you that most crochet patterns can be mastered more easily simply by sticking to one color yarn. Once you begin adding different colors to the same stitch, it becomes an integrative process as well as a learning one.
How To: Knit socks
Socks may be one of the lamest gifts you could get someone, especially a child… or a boyfriend or girlfriend. But there is one exception… homemade knitted socks. Make these super simple, handcrafted socks for everyone in your family.
How To: Make fingerless mittens
If you've ever worn gloves, you know that doing certain tasks with them on can be quite a hassle. Not only are you not able to grip things properly, but sometimes it makes it difficult to press buttons or text message on a phone. So in this next tutorial, you'll find out how to make fingerless mittens.
How To: Make a coffee cup sleeve and stitch markers
Get your sewing tools ready, because it's time for another great tutorial. In this video you'll learn how to make two cool objects easily. One being a stitch marker that helps mark a certain place in a row when knitting. The other object is a coffee cup sleeve that is perfect for making sure you hands don't get burned. A big improvements over the ones that you can throw away and never use again.
How To: Drape the front and back bodice on a dress
For beginners, sewing can be a confusing a difficult hobby that requires patience and the right tools. Whether you're adding a button on a shirt or creating a dress from scratch, being detailed and precise is important.
How To: Sew a flat-felled seam
If you're into making clothes from scratch and need help with sewing a flat-felled seam, then this video is for you. In the tutorial, you'll get an in-depth explanation for how to sew one using your machine. This seam s generally used on jeans and it's usually not visible on the clothing. It's a very strong seam and requires some work in completing. So check out the video above and good luck!
How To: Make a cool looking pouch from scratch
Making your own clothes or items from scratch has its advantages. One being able to wear clothes that don't cost very much and will fit you perfectly and the other being that you can design them to look like whatever you want.
How To: Sew three different zipper applications
Having zippers on your clothes can be much better than having buttons or anything else. They're sturdy and can close up any gap with one swipe. If you plan on making your own clothes from scratch, it's important to know how to sew zippers onto your clothing.
How To: Make several seams with your sewing machine
You may or may not realize it, but there are certain seams that are used when making clothes. Each seam as their advantages for keeping things together, so it's important to know them when making your own clothes.