Monday 30 March 2015

Very Meow - How to DIY a Roschterra cat face fur jacket

Animal Fun (clipped to polyvore.com)


Continuing with the faux fur trend, otherwise known as the DIY inspiration that keeps on giving, I decided to give the street style-friendly Roschterra cat face jacket a try. With its animal motif it namechecks not one but two fun fashion trends and it's super easy to make. I know, as a furry piece it is quintessentially wintery in its general theme, and yes, the clocks might have gone forward but in real terms, when it comes to braving the sort of elements you're likely to find at 50-or-more-degree latitudes, it simply means coming out from underneath the parka and jumpers and going lightweight on the outerwear - and in so doing, allowing for more creativity in the way of statement pieces.

You will need...


* I used white, yellow, blue, orange and peach.

Not pictured

Printer and A4 page (optional)

Gold paint pen

Pencil and A4 page (if you don't have a printer)


Difficulty


Very Easy

It's cutting and sticking without even needing to colour in.


Time

About an hour.

Tip: Using a printer would make the project quicker.


Get your fur on

Print out the following template over an A4 page and cut along the lines with a scalpel.
Alternatively, put your artistic skills to the test and draw the design - or whatever design you want to collage onto your jacket  - onto a sheet of A4 paper.



Place the template on the wrong side of each differently coloured piece of faux fur fabric and, using the gold paint pen, trace each shape twice - remember to turn the paper over between each one so that the shapes in each pair mirror each other.


Cut each piece out.



Place the template on the jacket and trace the outline as best you can. Trim the fur as far down as you possibly can. Turn the paper over and repeat the process on the other side.

Stick each piece in place using craft mount.



Sunday 22 March 2015

Boxy clever - How to DIY a Chanel Cassette Clutch




A photo posted by Charley H (@chiccheatcharley) on



As a practitioner of DIY fashion, the novelty statement clutch trend proved too tempting not to try. For my take I plumped for a perspex box upcycle inspired by a vintage Chanel clutch. I say vintage - I believe 2010 was the year!


You will need...




 I got my plastic cut here.

Not pictured

Black lettering (optional)

Black adhesive paper

Scalpel

Compass and pencil

Black pen



Difficulty


Very easy

While it does help to have a steady hand and to be a dab hand with a scalpel

Time

About an hour.  

Crafting out of the box



To make a template for some 'reels,' draw four circles with the compass - one inside the other, in descending order of size. Using a fat black felt tip pen, outline the two outer circles and draw some lines between them. Colour in between the next two circles and draw some tiny lines on the inside.

Cut the shape out, then trace the outline and cut that out. It might help to use a fine-tipped clutch pencil for precision.

Peel away the backs of the adhesive paper and stick the 'reels' down.

Glue the plastic rectangular pieces in place, making sure they're concentric and line up with each other.

I added lettering and a chain (okay, the box I bought came with one, hurr hurr!) and while it's up to you to add whichever knick-knacks you see fit, that's about it really. Ans with that, you're ready to hit the street for a statement style shoot - as I'm sure you do!  




Monday 16 March 2015

You've pulled! - How to crochet a DIY Moschino Cheap and Chic cropped knit mesh pullover

Meshing things up a bit...

 I'm giving it some grunge this week with a crocheted homage to Moschino's cropped knit mesh jumper from their Cheap and Chic line. They had me at that brilliant mustard hue (which I just happened to have in wool form in one of my ever-filling drawers) and an opportunity to crochet. Crocheting is one of the most enjoyable ways to DIY a coveted garment; it's repetitive enough to breeze through by feel whilst delighting at some of the most horrific uses of the television or film medium on the planet without the pedantic mathematical precision of knitting, Crocheting is knitting for self-confessed slackers like myself - an oasis of vegetative calm in which I can turn my brain off yet still make respectable headway on a project. It's the sort of craft where you can simply count stitches instead of having to look down at your work. And so, until the day they (or perchance I) come up with a type of craft you can do through some sort of perverse telekinesis whilst playing computer games, crocheting will retain a place in my minuscule heart.



There have been visual mumblings of netting and crochet as a trend, the most recent of which was at Zadig & Voltaire during Paris Fashion Week, hence why I thought there to be no time like the present for netting yourself your own mesh wardrobe staple.

You will need...

A 4mm crochet hook.

Two balls of sunflower wool. I used Bonus DK wool - colour number: 978


Difficulty



Very easy

Don't be put off by the pattern, it's really not as hard as it looks. You just need to know how to do a triple crochet stitch and a single crochet stitch, but don't worry if you don't, as I'll be hyperlinking some useful video tutorials.


Time

A few days or a few weeks' worth of leisurely evenings when you just want to drift away in front of the television and a crochet hook - naturally!


Hooked on crochet...

Start your front panel by doing 50 single crochet stitches.







Then, do the first triple crochet stitch:



You might notice that in the video, the presenter does the second triple stitch on the next chain link along; just to be difficult, we're not going to do that - you need to put your hook into the third link along and do the triple stitch as normal. After that, you need to do two basic chain stitches and then put your hook pack into the base of the previous triple stitch, and do another triple stitch into there. Got it? Here's an explanation, just in case.



That's how you get the basic sequence going for the main pattern.

Front and back panel pattern

To make the front panel - a process you need to repeat to make the back panel - you need to do a chain of 50 single stitches along the bottom (as stated previously), then start on a row of diagonal triple crochet stitches.

You need to do 23 rows of diagonal crochet stitches in total.

Tip: If you're struggling to read the pattern, click on the image and zoom in.



Once you have made a front and back panel, you need to attach them along the sides (15 rows up , if that makes sense - like you see in on the pattern) and at the shoulders (7 triple stitches in on each side - again, like in the pattern). Finish off the armholes with an extra row of chain stitches along the edges.

To make the sleeves


Repeat the process with diagonal stitches, following this pattern:



Tip: If you're struggling to read the pattern, click on the image and zoom in.

Start by doing a chain of 44 stitches to make the cuffs.

Crochet 25 rows of diagonal triple stitches to make the sleeves. Do 7 more rows of diagonal triple stitches that are narrower by one stitch each side (like in the pattern) so that they form a trapezium shape.

Join the straight sides - but not the sloped ones - by crocheting them together.

Repeat this process to make another sleeve.

When you have made both sleeves, attach them to the armholes along the top.






Thursday 12 March 2015

DIY Paree - what to make of the Paris Fashion Week shows

The final destination at the big four fashion capitals didn't disappoint on the inspiration front!
Concluding my fashion week-themed DIY round-up, I picked out a few key trends and inspirations for quick, easy projects from Paris Fashion Week. From the tales of the intricate and ornate at Dries Van Noten to the resurrection of Derek Zoolander at Valentino, the Paris shows refused to do things by halves. Thankfully, however, some of the stand-out looks wouldn't be such a tour de force to replicate, including the multicoloured fur patterns and '80s-style patchwork. Check out my guide and see where the inspiration takes you.

Sunday 8 March 2015

Seven DIY-able things - a few more DIY ideas and trends from MilanFashion Week

A few more crafty thoughts from the home of high-quality glamour.
I meant to get this entry out earlier but owing in no small part to a busy schedule and copious distractions - some enjoyable and some not so welcome - it took until today for a recap of Milan Fashion Week and some DIY ideas you might have missed. So, if you fancy some novel projects to peruse, hover your mouse over the picture for a few quick, easy ideas for emulating the likes of Prada, Gucci, Emporio Armani, MGSM, Versace and Aigner.

Monday 2 March 2015

D&G to DIY - six fast, easy DIY ideas from Dolce & Gabbana's Autumn2015 collection

Oh, mamma!
A label not known for blandness and understatement, Dolce & Gabbana gave us an opulent homage to motherhood. While the show was focussed on the making of tiny people, my beady DIY eye spotted a few - somewhat quicker and easier - ideas for things to make or to use for some glamorous inspiration.