tutorial Archives - Page 44 of 61 - Ashley Hackshaw / Lil Blue Boo

Mini Screens and Clothing Labels (A Tutorial)

December 8, 2010 by Ashley Hackshaw

I’m so excited to launch a small trunk show line this coming spring for my tiny clothing line….but phew, SO much work. My biggest concern with branching out from my online store was that I had to come up with a way to better label my clothing so it meets FTC requirements. I don’t like putting any type of tag in Lil Blue Boo clothing for comfort reasons (Boo is pretty sensitive to anything with tags)…..so I came up with an easy way to silk screen all the information using little handmade “mini” screens:

I found these little $1.00 wood photo frames at my local craft store and knew right away that they would make the perfect little screens. I purchased about 20 frames and I ordered a pack screen printing fabric sheets.

Step 1: I cut the screen printing fabric large enough that it would wrap just around the edges of the frame.

How to make mini silk screens (to make your own clothing labels or small silk screens) via lilblueboo.com
Step 2: I used binder clips to stretch the fabric as tight as I could across two sides of the screen.

Then added 2 more clips on the other sides. It is important to work across and around the frame to get the fabric as tight as possible.

I stretched the opposite corner last to pull out every last bit of slack.

Step 3: Using waterproof wood glue……

……I used a brush to apply a thick layer of glue all the way around the wood screen, using pressure to work the glue through the fabric.

After the glue was COMPLETELY dry, I removed the clips and applied glue to the spaces where the clips had been and then once the glue was dry I trimmed all the excess fabric off using a razorblade.

Step 4: I applied emulsion to each frame using a tiny squeegee (the one I am using is from the Yudu line).

…and stuck push pins into the bottom for the screen to rest on as it dried in the dark.

NOTE: You can find my entire photo emulsion silk screening tutorial here for all the details of this process because I am kind of glossing over a few details:

Step 5: I set up my registered trademark, sizes, and clothing information for each label and printed it onto transparency film:

Each label was exposed onto a screen. I made one screen for every clothing size that I regularly produce:

Washing out the emulsion after exposure:

Now with a little ink and a tiny squeegee I can easily add my logo, size, Made in USA and all the care instructions to every piece of clothing!

Very professional looking!

It might seem daunting to make so many screens, but if you do it in an assembly line manner it isn’t as much work as you think. It took me one Nanny McPhee movie with Boo to stretch and glue all of these screens!

Total cost for 20 screens? $47

Spray Painted Leggings (A Tutorial)

December 7, 2010 by Ashley Hackshaw

I helped Boo make some spray painted leggings this weekend….she was so excited to be the designer of her own clothes!

Materials needed:
2 bottles of Simply Spray
A pair of white or light colored leggings
A stencil or doily

Note: The stencil is actually a “glimmer screen” from Tattered Angels. We have a bunch of these screens….the designs are great. But you could easily use a doily or some lace.

The process is easy, lay out the stencil and mist the fabric paint over top of it. Move them around as you go.

If you don’t blot your stencil in between layers you’ll get the big splotches like you see on ours as the paint drips off….but we happen to like messy happy mistakes. Let the front dry and then flip the leggings over to repeat on the back side. Simply Spray paint doesn’t need setting, just wait a few days before washing!

The proud designer:

Cabochon Accessories (A Tutorial)

November 30, 2010 by Ashley Hackshaw

Little resin cabochons are so cute as little earring studs…..and so easy to make. Perfect for little Christmas gifts, present toppers, even party favors!

I’m making these little gifts to pair with gift certificates for Boo’s teachers at school. I bought all of the materials from Snapcrafty’s store on Etsy….I’ll warn you, these little resin cabochons are addicting!

Materials needed:
Resin cabochons (I used 10mm vintage roses for the example)
Silver plated earring posts and earnuts
Permanent adhesive like (E-6000)

For each earring, put a small dab of glue on the back of a cabochon.

Add the earring post to the back and let sit until the glue sets.

To make a simple display card for the earrings, you need thick pressed watercolor paper or cardstock, some stencils and spray paint.

Lay the stencils across the paper and spray a light layer of paint across the top of them:

Let the paint dry.

Cut the paper into smaller pieces:

On a plain piece of cardstock, print off any text you would like to add:

Cut out the test from the cardstock and glue or sew these pieces to the decorative background:

Use a tiny hole punch to add a hole for each earring:

Add the earrings to the card and secure from behind with the earnuts:

Place the card and earrings into a clear plastic gift bag (I only had large bags so I cut them in half and sewed one end shut). A finished gift or favor!

You could also add a larger cabochon to your card or a small box for decoration:

Pretty Packaging of Cabochon Accessories DIY Tutorial Process via lilblueboo.com

I used this card to hold an array of colored hair pins:

Cabochons come in such variety that you can make all kinds of easy accessories with them!

I bought a variety pack of these hair pins……

……to make a variety of cute floral hair accessories (I used 12mm mini rose cabochons for these):

Endless possibilities! Rings, pendants, barrettes etc!