Geekly Chic Around the World

I recently had an hour of free time and spent it trolling through Instagram hashtags looking for projects made with my Riley Blake Designs Geekly Chic prints. Here are some fun things I found!

Records Pillow and All-Stars Pillow made by Olivia of Hermit Crab Stitchery in Toronto.

Brookfield Bag made by Crystal using a pattern by Sara of Sew Sweetness.

Camera Quilt made by Connie from Sew Dayton in Dayton, Ohio.

Ellie Travel Case made by Nancy using a pattern by Heidi Staples.

Make It Snappy dress made by Ashley.

Mix Tapes dress made by Annika of Three Little Peas.

Records Corset Top made by Tamara.

Records Diaper Cover made by Emily of June Buggs Hatchlings.

Records & Tapes Dress made by Jane of Janey Babe Handmade.

Making the Cut...or Not

A couple weeks ago I saw a Facebook post from online retailer ModCloth regarding a contest they were hosting called "Making the Cut". They were asking designers to submit up to five patterns, and the lucky winner would have their design printed on fabric, which would be made into a dress to be sold on their site. I thought creating some prints that would fit with the retro ModCloth aesthetic would be a fun challenge, so I put together some mockups. Then, just before uploading my entries, I read through the legalese (which admittedly I should have done before investing the time!). Basically the small print claimed ModCloth would obtain sole ownership of all submitted designs, not just the winning pattern. Thus, not wanting to relinquish all rights to patterns I could otherwise use, I decided not to enter. But I love the mockups, so I thought I'd share them anyway.

TBT: Rhinestones, Crisscrossing

On a recent thrifting excursion, I found another '80s issue of Brigitte, Germany's answer to Seventeen magazine. This one, from August of 1984, included a fun idea for embellishing a collared shirt with sequins and beads. I love the geometric pattern in which they were applied, and the contrast of the almost computer circuit-board look on the plaid flannel. Now all I need are some high-waisted jeans and I'm set! I quickly did a translation of the text using Google Translate:

Also sporting checked blouses can embellish with shiny beads, sequins and stones: Here they were arranged graphically. Material of mine.

Find & Keep Project #1: DIY Bleached Tee

A couple weeks ago I started reading Beci Orpin's book Find & Keep and, while I've finished the main text of the book (I couldn't put it down!), I have only just started the 26 projects in the book.


For the first project, "Fun with Dyes & Bleach", I decided to use the bleach method to customize a T-shirt for myself, and one for a friend celebrating her 40th birthday. This is a relatively easy project, and only requires a few materials:

Plain, dark T-shirt, washed and dried

Newspaper or scrap paper

Piece of thick cardboard

Bleach and a bowl to pour it in

Rubber gloves

Objects to apply bleach

In her book, Beci uses a small paint brush to dot the bleach onto her tee. I decided it might be fun to use some small plastic lids to apply the bleach. I've been saving the lids, which cannot be recycled, so that someday, when I have enough of them, I can use them to make a funky chandelier. So after covering my work table with several large sheets of newsprint, I picked out various sizes of lids. I inserted the piece of cardboard inside the shirt, so that the bleach would not bleed through to the back side of the shirt. Then I put a tiny bit of bleach in a small bowl.


Next, I started dipping the lids in the bleach and stamped the shirt in a random pattern. I was worried at first that nothing was happening, but slowly the color started to come out. Occasionally I would pull up the shirt and look up through the top from the inside. I could tell by how translucent the rings looked from the inside that it was working.


Beci says in the book to leave the bleach on only about 20 minutes. It took about an hour for my shirts to really bleach as much as I wanted. I would suggest keeping an eye on your shirt while the bleach is working. Using too much of the bleach, or leaving it on too long, could cause the fibers to disintegrate.


Let your shirt completely dry. You can then turn the shirt over if you want to do the same thing to the back. Once you're happy with your shirt and it has dried, you can wash and dry it as usual, though I washed mine separately for the first wash, just so no bleach would harm any other clothes.



Please note that not all fabrics dye the same way, so you might want to test a small drop of bleach on a test spot of your shirt to see how it works.
Enjoy!

Favorite Links Friday

Gearing up for the holidays. Loving the new Spoonflower gift wrap. Planning a contest/giveaway (stay tuned!). Listing some interesting links.

1. How to make an infinity scarf the lazy way
2. Party marshmallows
3. Beau coop
4. Vintage sheet duvet cover
5. Making a reversible bag (includes freebie PDF pattern)
6. Literally the best thing ever: Madonna

Enjoy, and have a great weekend!

Timeless, Classic, and Colorful: J.Crew Color Palette

Since the early '80s I have loved flipping through the J.Crew catalog, with all the piles of perfectly folded preppy sweaters in every color of the rainbow. The design of the catalog certainly hasn't changed much throughout the years...totally classic! Here's a page from the November catalog that caught my eye. A bright, cheery color palette for those drab winter days!

Friday Fotos & Faves

This week was a bit easier, after crunch time last week, trying to finish my tea towel calendar design, and then changing its look in the 12th hour (I am my worst client). Glad to have a little extra time now to think about next week's contest, and do a little social media as well. Here are some things I thought you all might enjoy.

1. DIY headless head-holding costume
2. The great little book of needles
3. snug.magnets
4. Custom box template generator
5. DIY clothespin chandelier
6. Sixties paper dresses

Enjoy, and have a great weekend!

Friday Fotos & Faves

Some things I saw this week: cheeseburgers and fries, not-baring-his-midriff (!) Morrissey on Jimmy Fallon, a pumpkin that looked like a three-lobed brain, a pocket volcano, and "virgins"... What did you see?

1. Scrappy felt iPad cover
2. The dramatic transformation of Hong Kong's skyline
3. DIY Tea Towel Tote Bag
4. Handmade fabric deco tape
5. DIY cross-stitch chair
6. Secret style icon: Lady Miss Kier

Enjoy, and have a great weekend!

'80s Flashback: Typography Shoes

When I was in high school...ahem, 25 years ago...Keds were pretty popular. Most girls wore plain white with thick, shin-high, scrunchy socks. But I found a pair that suited me better, and I laced them with white and green shoestrings--yes, two different strands on each shoe. Recently I saw a pair for sale on Etsy and rushed up to the attic to find an illustration I had drawn of mine, way back in the day. Below are pictures of those shoes, and the drawing, as well as two other pairs from that same Keds collection. Ahh, the '80s!

Target 50th Anniversary: Past Is Present

Target is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year with an incredible campaign of street window graphics. Allan Peters and his Target in-house team used modern-day images of models and put them in front of original 1960s Target advertising graphics to create the perfect blend of past and present. LOVE IT!

Keep Your Feet Sweet!

I tend to have a lot of black and gray in my wardrobe, so I like to brighten up outfits with handbags and...colorful socks! Not to mention, with all the rain here in Seattle, any color added to everyday life is good, and necessary! The Swedish company Happy Socks makes colorful, artsy unisex socks and women's tights, and there are so many styles to choose from! I think they're a fun source of pattern and color inspiration, too!

Make a Woven Belt Using Square Knots

While we're on a vintage crafting roll, here is a project from the November, 1932, issue of Popular Science. It would probably take me the whole summer to make this belt, but would provide some relaxation and distraction. However, if you're into macrame and making friendship bracelets, this might be a cinch. The finished belt looks really cool--I'm wondering how different colors of cord, or even twine or hemp, would look... (Click on the image below to pull up a larger version.)

Friday Fotos and Finds

This week found us in the typical toddler-happy places: the playground, the sandbox, the farm...plus an emergency trip to IKEA and an outing to the mall to ride a selection of retro coin-operated rides. You can see some snapshot highlights here. In between I was able to find some interesting little tidbits for your free-time pleasure:

1. 39-page advertisement for Apple Macintosh computers in 1984 Newsweek magazine
2. Canned air from Paris
3. H is for Hamburger ceramic plate
4. The five weirdest fashion trends in human history
5. Modern cross-stitch patterns
6. Cute DIY decorated jars and bottles for flower vases

Enjoy! And have a great weekend!

Speaking of Shoes...

About a month ago someone pinned a photo of a pair of Marimekko Chuck Taylor Converse sneakers on Pinterest, and I was obsessed. The one Scandinavian shop in downtown Seattle did not have the red Unikko ones I had my eye on, so I ordered them from the Marimekko store in Vancouver BC. The package arrived wrapped in logo paper and was adorned with a big red Unikko flower sticker. The shoes come with an awesome matching storage bag and even a pair of orange shoestrings! Here are some photos, complete with lattice laces (which I also learned from a Pinterest pin), and two friendship pins from my crafty gal pal Amy.

What's not to love?