WRAP CROP TOP DIY

Jeremy and I have finally returned from our four-month stint in Europe.  While I’ll miss the travelling, excellent food and magical sunsets, it’s always good to come home to San Diego—and all my crafting supplies.  Contrary to most peoples’ European adventures, I usually return with an empty suitcase.  I get so tired of lugging a heavy suitcase around that I donate most of my clothes to charity along the way.  So, left with only a few items of summer clothing, I decided to start sewing my own clothes.  

This wrap crop top is perfect for summer.  The crop top can be worn 3 different ways: knotted in front; tied in a front bow; (or my personal favorite) wrapped around the body and tied at the back.  It’s the first garment I’ve ever made from scratch and without a pattern.  I harvested fabric from a second-hand men’s shirt, sized large (I love a good recycle project!).  This wrap crop top pattern will fit a U.S. size 2-4.

Materials:

My free wrap crop top pattern (includes sewing allowance, print at 100%)

Men’s large shirt / 1 yard of fabric

Matching thread

Pins

Scissors

Sewing machine

Method:

1] Print and cut out templates.

2] Cut out your fabric pieces, as well as 3 long bias strips.

3] With right sides facing sew the shoulder seams at ½ “

4]  Fold the front bottom edge ¼ “ and iron flat. Repeat and sew edge. Sew the back bottom edge the same way.

5] Fold the front angled edge ½“ and iron flat.

6]  With right sides together, sew the side panels at ½“.  Leave the side seam open.

7] Turn the side panels right side out. Fold the top seam of your side panel about an inch towards the center, creating 2 ridges. Do this for approximately 9”, tapering the fold as you go.  Iron flat.

8] Fold one ridge of the side panel down and iron. Do this on opposing sides to create the left and right panel. The flap that is ironed down will be sewn on the inside of the top. I hope my images help to explain this step.

9]  Pin the side seams of the side panel and the back of top together. Sew.

10] Pin the turned down edge of the side panel to the front of the top. Sew to ½” from bottom edge.  Make sure not to sew through the front of the side panel. 

11] Finish the neckline and armholes with bias tape and any raw edges with a zigzag stitch.

This is a really fun little crop top, which I definitely be wearing all summer long.  I’ll be making a few more garments for summer and fall, so stay tuned.

Also, don’t forget to subscribe or follow on Bloglovin to get free patterns and tutorials in your inbox.  You can also share the love by liking The Felted Fox on Facebook.

Have a great day and thanks for stopping by, Nicole. 

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FATHER’S DAY DIY GIFT ROUNDUP

With Father’s Day just a week away, I put together a list of my favorite DIY gifts for dads from around the web. I hope you find some DIY inspiration here. Gifts are always so much better when handmade... don't you agree? 

1) Faceted concrete hooks

2) Concrete lamp

3) Concrete letter bookends

4) Concrete fire pit

5) Concrete iPad stand

6) Concrete drinks cooler

1) Screwdriver coat rack

2) Wooden bottle opener

3) Wooden rings

4) Leather handle wood box

5) Wood veneer gift box

6) Wooden gift tags

7) Faux bois gift bows

1) Leather lunch tote

2) Leather iPad sleeve

3) Leather journal

4) Tripod camping stool

1) Breaking Bad T-shirt

2) Dip-dyed shirt

3) Felt laptop cover

4) Tweed wallets

5) Travel power cord roll up

1) Chocolate-dipped beer marshmallows

2) Homemade S’mores kit

3) White tiger bark with dark chocolate and mint swirl

4) Kahlua and Baileys spiked donut holes

5) Super dad pop box set

6) Chocolate almond toffee

7) DIY coffee liqueur

1) Dad rocks DIY Father’s Day gift

2) Father’s Day card by Kristy Neale

3) Photo book project

4) Map iPhone covers

5) Printable Father’s Day gift-wrap

6) Printable Father’s Day card

WEEKEND OF DESIGN: Blickfang Basel and Vitra Design Campus

A few weekends ago my husband and I were fortunate enough to visit both Blickfang Basel and the Vitra Design Campus.  Blickfang is a traveling European design exhibition featuring the work of talented, small-scale designers.  Not only do you get to peruse (and purchase) the wares, but you also get face time with the designers themselves. 

Jeremy and I foolishly considered dragging one of these enormous geometric pods back home. 

Some of my favorite designs at the exhibit included these origami inspired chairs by Matthias Scherzinger of Freudwerk and the triangular poufs designed by Antoinette Bader — I’m a sucker for hard edges and geometric shapes.

These two were just adorable.

The following day we hopped on a bus to the Vitra Design Campus in Weil am Rhein, Germany, to join in their 25th anniversary celebration.  We were treated to tours of the Frank Gehry buildings, the Vitra Haus as well as free crafting workshops.

Copper lampshades, concrete stoves, Eames elephants, Verner Panton lounge chairs ...had I died and gone to design heaven? Jeremy eventually snapped me out of my design coma with the promise of real Black Forest cake. Mmmm...yum.

The installations at Vitra Haus change pretty frequently, so I will definitely be back soon. If you’re looking for design inspiration, it’s hard to beat the Vitra campus! 

TRIBAL PRINT BACKPACK DIY

This tribal print backpack began as a pillow from India.  I loved the fabric, but I didn’t like the shape or size of the pillow.  It went into storage for a few years until I unearthed it while preparing for a garage sale.  It seemed like such a shame to leave this beautiful print hidden from the world, so I decided to create a backpack for our trip to Switzerland.

Materials:

My free template
30” x 20” Heavyweight fabric

12” x 15” Costume pleather

12” x 15” Felt

2.5 yard 1” Nylon webbing

1 yard Drawstring

2 Plastic adjusters

1 Buckle

Black thread

Pins

Chalk

Scissors

Iron

Sewing machine

Method:

1) With the wrong side facing, measure 2 ½'' from the top of the fabric and mark with a pen.

2) Fold fabric ½“ from top and iron.

3) Fold fabric another 2'' to meet the pen mark you made. Iron flat and sew edge.

4) Insert the drawstring.

5) Fold fabric in half width wise. With right sides facing, sew the edge together. Use a zigzag stitch to finish edges and prevent the fabric from fraying. The fabric should now form a cylinder with the drawstring at the top.

6) Cut two pieces of nylon webbing 6.5” long. Thread plastic adjusters onto the webbing. Fold webbing in half and sew adjusters as shown in image below.

7) Cut base pieces from template. With wrong sides facing, sew edges together.

8) Pin base and adjusters in place. The adjusters were set 8” apart. In the photograph you can see that I’ve placed the fabric seam down the center back.

9) With right sides facing, sew base to backpack. Turn backpack right side out.

10) Cut two 28” pieces of nylon webbing for straps. Pin straps at an angle to top of bag, approximately an inch from the back center. Sew in place. Thread the straps through adjusters.

11) Cut one piece of nylon webbing 3” long. Thread buckle onto webbing. Fold webbing in half and sew as shown in image below.

12) Cut one piece of pleather and one piece of felt according to flap template. With wrong sides facing, sew together.

12) Cut one piece of nylon webbing 8” long.  Pin webbing to the felt in the center of flap. Sew webbing in place.

13) Pin and sew the flap to the backpack right above straps.

14) Pin buckle to the front of backpack and sew in place.

Note: If you plan on carrying heavy items, reinforce the straps by sewing extra nylon webbing perpendicularly across strap ends.

Any questions or comments are always welcome and appreciated. Hope you have a good weekend, Nicole.

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!

To all the mothers in my life, thank you for your unending love, support and encouragement.