With knots, studs and eyelets bang on trend, this season, it's fair to say there's a distinct flavour of DIY in vogue - and wouldn't it be rude for me not to try it, myself? I plumped for curtain rings to add some oversized, statement eyelets to an old coat of mine. Let's just say that it you want to put some purpose into a re-purpose, you need to go beyond the standard clothing fastenings and think big. Thankfully, making such a statement couldn't be simpler.
You will need...
Sewing machine
Curtain ring tape of the right length to cover the desired area (you may want to measure first)
Curtain rings (again, the right number to cover the desired area is always helpful!)
A garment made from non-stretch fabric. Also, avoid sheer or flimsy fabrics.
Fabric scissors
Craft mount Difficulty
Quite easy
It does help to be dexterous with a sewing machine, as the curtain ring tape can slip when you're trying to sew it in place, even after you've glued it down. Apart from that, it's a quick, straightforward project.
Time
My project took about half an hour and, while it's a relatively quick and easy task, it may take you longer depending on what you want to do and the area you want to cover.
Make it hole
Place the curtain ring tape where you want your eyelets to go and stick it in place with craft mount.
The craft mount alone is unlikely to hold the tape in place, so you need to sew it down. As you can see, my eyelets ran along the bottom so I aligned the edges of the tape and my stitching with the hem. You need to be careful for this part, as the tape can slip quite easily and it's difficult to keep your stitching neat.
Finally, cut out the holes and insert the rings from the front or 'right side' of the garment. Mine just snapped in with in-built catches but you may be using slightly different rings, in which case, you simply need to follow any instructions provided (obviously, just saying!).
This season's quirky customised jeans trend was too tempting not to try myself, so I thought I'd share some tips with you from my latest project. One among many advantages of having your own place is to have the luxury of bleaching jeans, like the dangerous rebel that I am, without aggressive parental opprobrium and disapproval. Never mind the carpet-mauling potential bleach has for sending the neurotically house-proud into a frenzy, it was more a case of having to sit through my dad's classic anecdote of his failed attempt to bleach his prized pair of 'baggies' back in the '60s; after dousing them in bleach and leaving them out to dry, they disintegrated in his hands as he picked them up from the washing line! Thankfully - and perhaps because trusty denim essentials are made from tougher substances these days - it was never enough to put me off. I have ways of avoiding such a scenario, which I thought I'd share, along with a few more ideas for re-purposing a pair of old jeans.
