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The Lil Blue Boo / Dharma Trading Ugly Knit Upcycle Challenge! (updated)

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Are you ready for a brand new Lil Blue Boo / Dharma Trading challenge?! It’s finally here: The Great Ugly Knit Upcycle! And this time the challenge is wide open (i.e. you don’t have to know how to sew, make clothing or use LBB patterns)!

My idea for this started with a challenge amongst friends: a few other upcyclers and I drew names a while back for an ugly knit swap! The only rules were that the upcycler whose name you drew had to send you some knits that they had deemed unattractive and then we had to use some of them to make something something beautiful for their child!


The Challenge:

Turn a dull pile of knits into something amazing! You can sew them, knit them, tie them, glue them. You can make a toy, clothing, accessories….whatever you are inspired by! This challenge is wide open. Dye them, paint them, bead them or just rely on their raw ugly beauty. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder right?

What are knits? t-shirts, sweaters, jersey material, sweatshirts etc.

Send me your before and after photos by midnight August 15th and the panel of judges (see below) will narrow the entries down to 10 finalists that will voted on by the whole blog world! Judging is based on the transformation from “pile o’ ugly knits” to “creative awesomeness!”

Prizes:

First Place:
$50 Gift Certificate to Dharma Trading
Singer 2932 Sewing Machine
$25 Gift Certificate to Lil Blue Boo

Second Place:
$25 Gift Certificate to Dharma Trading
$25 Gift Certificate to Lil Blue Boo

How to enter:

1. Find the ugliest knits you can stomach (old sweaters, pjs, sheets, etc)…..and create something great from them! Anything goes…clothing, pillows, toys, accessories etc. Dyeing, printing, embellishment encouraged. All entries accepted.
2. 50% of your project must be made from the ugly knits.
3. Email me a BEFORE and AFTER photo of your creation. Please no watermarks on photos….final vote will be blind and on anonymous entries! (watermarks may be added after the vote closes)
4. One entry per person.
5. All entries due by August 15th at midnight (Pacific time). All entries welcome!*
*Prize shipping is limited to the U.S. only, but international entries are welcome!

Meet the judges:
Amy from Mod Podge Rocks, Ashley from Make it and Love it, Kari from U-Create and Rachel from One Pretty Thing!




Grab this html code below and paste it into your sidebar to spread the word and to proudly show you are participating!


Recycle / upcycle some of those old ugly old knits you’ve been wanting to throw away! We can’t wait to see what you create! Leave questions in the comments section of this post and I’ll answer them there as well. Thanks!

Easy DIY Tagless Clothing Labels (& Hangtags)

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I can’t stand tags. Neither can my daughter. I have to carefully cut them out of everything. Most tagless labeled clothing you see in the store is silk screened. An easy substitute is the super soft transfer paper from Dharma Trading. The labels look and feel like they are part of the fabric!

First you have to create the text for your labels. I create the text in Adobe Photoshop or Word and save it as a picture. Then reverse it (you have to print it in reverse). I actually pull the graphic into Powerpoint, resize it small and then paste it over and over and over so it fills up a whole page. Then print it out using your ink jet printer:


Care labels and fiber content (Note: it is close to impossible to come up with a fiber content label for upcycled clothing. Technically you are supposed to say: “fiber content unavailable” or something to that effect if you don’t know). Here is a link to the FTC’s requirements.

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I precut all my sizes, brand, and care instructions and store them in containers like the one below:

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I print everything separately and mix and match them depending on the garment:

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Place them face down onto the fabric…

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……and iron as the directions say. You are supposed to use a harder surface for transfer paper than an ironing board, but it works fine for me when I’m using the perfect heat setting and I use enough pressure:

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Before the fabric cools I peel off the backing:

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Tagless clothing labels!

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You can also easily make your own hang tags. I use a heavy glossy cardstock and have Mr. LBB print them at work on his laser printer. (I’m scared of ink jet for hang tags….the ink will bleed onto the clothing if the tag were to get damp).

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I just cut them out with my rotary cutter, punch a hole and add a string! Some people just use a business card for the same idea.

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Now when people peek inside your kiddos handmade clothing they’ll know YOU made it!

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder…..

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It was a challenge amongst friends: a few other upcyclers (Shari, Sofia, Glenda, Olivia, Melissa and Lisa) and I drew names a while back for an ugly knit swap! The only rules were that the upcycler whose name you drew had to send you some knits that they had deemed unattractive and then we had to use at least 50% of them to make something beautiful for their child! I think I’m the first to finish but here is what I was sent:

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I made a simple drop waist dress but added a puffed flutter sleeve. The sleeve is a combination of inspiration from CC and a gathered Old Navy flutter sleeve.

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To make a simple “puff” sleeve I used a gathering foot on my serger to first gather up the green knit on the side that meets the neck….and then I cut my sleeve out as normal.

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To top the whole outfit off I took some strips of the same fabric used in the dress and tied them onto a simple Goody’s headband (inspired by my friend Lisa’s awesome creations she makes from LBB scraps):

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A cute, perfectly coordinated hair accessory!

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This was so much fun…especially anticipating the arrival of the ugly knit package. I have to admit I actually LOVED the knits I received so it wasn’t too much of a challenge for me…..but still fun. I’ll share what was made with my ugly knits that I sent when I receive my package back! Stay tuned…..I have a new Lil Blue Boo design challenge coming up that is very similar!

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