Embellished Black Fleece Hat and Scarf
This project started out for me with a worn black fleece hat I had used for more then a few winters. The hat is very warm and very comfortable to wear, and since I have a big head it’s sometimes hard to find a nice winter hat that fits just right. I had some thick corduroy fabric I had previously purchased for making some armrest mats for our couch, but ended up using it for other projects, one of them being a cell phone case for my husband and the brim of the black fleece hat featured in this blog post.
I started by first measuring the hat’s circumference and height because I needed to go all the way around the rim of the hat. I also made sure to include enough fabric to fold over and into the inside rim of the hat. Once I pinned the fabric to the hat, I cut it and started sewing the fabric to the hat. After the corduroy fabric was completely sewn onto the hat, I was very happy with the results and decided to add a little sparkle by sewing on a few seed beads to a very small area on the front of the hat.
I measured the leftover fabric and decided to sew a band onto the bottom ends of my black fleece scarf. I was very glad that I could give my old hat a new look and it was especially nice that I could make a matching hat and scarf set.
This was a fun and easy project for me to do and the embellishments are endless. You can use old earrings, an old pin, knitted pieces, or even feathers if you wanted to, and although I enjoy sewing, you could always use fabric glue or hot glue to adhere your pieces. Remember to have fun and enjoy your embellishing projects to reflect you. So if you have an old hat you just can’t part with, retrobellish it and reinvent it.
Embellished Black Fleece Hat
Embellished Black Fleece Hat Top View
Embellished Scarf To Match Hat
Purple Blouse To Embellished Jacket
This project started out as a blouse I picked up at a local resale shop. I really love the style and deep plum color of this blouse, especially the iridescent colors it reflects under different lighting. And as interesting as this fabric is, the iridescence made it difficult to capture the deep plum color in the photographs below, but the true plum color is visible in the silky threading of the beaded trim.
What gave me the idea to embellish this blouse, and perhaps convert it to an evening jacket, was that the fabric color was a perfect match for a great trim I had bought months ago at a clearance sale. I’m a big fan of sparkly beaded trim embellishments and this beautiful trim happened to be such a bargain. It was so amazing to have found a trim and (months later) a blouse that matched so perfectly in this shade of deep plum purple.
I measured the blouse and trim, and was glad that there was more than enough trim to not only complete this project, but to sew onto both cuffs as well. To prepare the blouse, I washed and ironed it, removed all of the buttons (but not the cuff buttons). I then pinned down the collar to the inside of the blouse leaving just a half inch of the collar showing above the collar line. I then started hand sewing the pinned down fabric flat to the neckline.
Because the trim was ten yards long, it was heavy and bulky, so I decided to first pin it onto the blouse. I pinned one trim end to the front left edge of the opening up towards the collar, around the neckline, and then back down the front right edge of the opening (over the area where the buttons used to be). Once the entire trim was pinned in place, I cut the trim away from the edge end. Then I started hand sewing the trim to the blouse (which took me three evenings).
This was a simple and inexpensive project to do. I enjoyed working on this project and am very happy with the results. It’s amazing how a pretty trim converted the look of a blouse into a jacket.
Adding Trim To Jacket
Finished Purple Jacket
Faux Zebra Fabric Hat Box
This whimsical piece started out as an old hat box that I had lying around for years. I even used it to store my craft paints at one time. About ten years ago, I got the idea to use some remnant pieces of animal print fabrics I had bought at a clearance sale at Minnesota Fabrics.
I measured this oval-shaped cardboard box and then measured the fabric. I carefully cut the fabric for the (outside) top and bottom of the box. Then I cut one long narrow strip of the fabric to cover the side for the top and a much wider strip of fabric for the side bottom part of the box. I also had some gauze-like zebra fabric that I used to line the inside of the box. This gauze-like fabric was very light and sheer yet it also had a visible zebra print that was very similar to the print on the heavier zebra fabric (that I used on the outside of the box).
I used hot glue to adhere the fabric to the box, yet I was careful to dispense very small dots of glue so as not to make it too bulky. I managed to smoothly glue the heavier fabric onto the outside of the box and the gauze-like fabric to the inside of the box. I then glued a black satin cording on the entire top edge of the box all the way around. I still love the way the box looks and I use it to store my little bottles of perfume that used to clutter my dresser.
Faux Zebra Fabric Hat Box
Faux Zebra Fabric Hat Box Inside Fabric
Faux Zebra Fabric Hat Box Bottom View
Embellished Navy Blue Blouse
This is a soft stretch cotton blouse that has a gathered v-neckline. Because the gathered neckline has a lot of texture, I thought it would look even more interesting with some sparkle in between the little creases of the gathered fabric. I had some iridescent bugle beads that reflected blue and purple hues of color. I sewed on a few bugle beads and saw how nice they looked, so I kept sewing them on.
When I sewed on the beads to about a three inch section of the neckline, I was really happy with how different the blouse looked. This project did take a while to complete, but after sewing a little while each night for about a week, I can say that the results were worth it. I still wear this blouse with jeans, but it’s nice to have given my blouse a fun and pretty new look.
Embellished Navy Blue Blouse
Closeup Of The Navy Blue Blouse Neckline.
Abstract Autumn Leaf Pin
Autumn is a fun time of the year for crafting seasonal pieces from fall color pieces to nature inspired embellishments. This leaf pin was inspired by all of the beautiful fall colors of the leaves all around us. I recently made a fall wreath from silk maple leaves and had a few sprigs left over. I cut the most colorful leaf from the sprig, which was a beautiful red orange color. I had some sheer brown organza which I intended to use over the leaf to blend with the bright red color, but not cover its brightness completely. I also thought I might try sewing on some sparkly copper and brass toned beads over the surface of the leaf.
I took my pinking shears and cut out two squares of brown sheer organza, which measured 4-1/2″ X 4-1/2″ (slightly larger than the leaf). The leaf measured 4″ X 4″ at its widest points. I centered the silk maple leaf on the two cut pieces of organza and with pinking shears started cutting the organza loosely following the shape of the maple leaf (leaving that slightly larger margin of organza). Once I finished cutting out the leaf shaped organza pieces, holding the leaf and organza pieces together, I hand sewed a few copper colored beads through the organza pieces and the leaf, which helped to anchor everything together. I then used larger brass toned beads near the base of the leaf. I then sewed on a pin closure on the back, but if you’d prefer, you can also use glue on the pin closure. I then took some gold glitter fabric paint and outlined the organza shaped leaf and made a few little vein designs on the leaf for a little more sparkle. I was very pleased with the way the pin turned out and will enjoy wearing it on my jacket and sweaters.
Making Autumn Leaf Pin
Autumn Leaf Pin