It’s done! My sweet hubby made me my super huge silk screening table / ironing board I’ve been dreaming about! I know most people wouldn’t have a use for such a large table but it could definitely be done on a much smaller scale too.
First, he took an old conference table from his office and added 2 sheets of plywood to the top to make it extra wide:
I love the fabric flower headbands that you see popping up now….but I am super picky about the way the flowers are rolled. I was determined to find a way to make them in a shabby chic style but with minimal sewing! Here’s my tutorial on how I make mine:
Materials Needed:
Fabri-Tac or other tacky fabric adhesive
Chenille Pipe Cleaners
Felt
Head Band
Glue Gun
Fabric Scraps
To make a flower, first I start by connecting two chenille pipe cleaners together. I’ve found that two make the perfect size flower:
For each flower you need a 20″ x 2″ fabric scrap. Start by putting a long bead of Fabri-Tac along the strip:
Starting at one end start rolling the fabric around the pipe cleaner. The key is not to roll to tight or too perfect….just kind of haphazardly roll your fabric up:
If you run out of fabric before you get the pipe cleaners covered just add another piece in as you go:
Once the pipe cleaner is covered with fabric, start at one end and begin rolling the flower into a spiral shape, adding in a small bead of Fabri-Tac every few inches as you go:
You’ll develop your own technique for rolling as you go….I have kind of a roll, roll, then twist technique to make mine look a little fuller and shabby:
As you get to the end of your flower, tuck the “tail” under the flower with a dab of Fabri-Tac and use a small clothespin to secure. Let the Fabri-Tac set for about 30 minutes.
I like to mix all different textures of fabrics….one of these flowers was a cotton gauze, one part of a upcycled golf shirt and another was some floral knit.
You can make ribbon “leaves” by twisting pieces of ribbon, secure with a pin, and add a dab of Fabri-Tac:
Once all of your flowers have had time to set, add a large amount of Fabri-Tac to the bottom of each flower but keeping about 1/4″ to 1/2″ away from the edge of the flower:
Place your flowers down onto a piece of felt in the shape that you prefer:
Add in your ribbon leaves between the flowers and felt before the glue has a chance to set, adding more Fabri-Tac if needed:
My favorite part? I like to “mash” all the flowers together for about a minute so that they don’t look too perfectly round and so that they form into one another. With the pipe cleaners inside and the Fabri-Tac they will retain some of this “mashed” shape once you let go:
One your glue has set, carefully trim the felt around the flowers so it isn’t visible when the flowers are right side up:
Take your headband and determine where you want it placed and using a disappearing ink pen, mark either side:
Add hot glue along the entire length of felt……
….and press your headband into place:
Your finished no-sew fabric flower headband! It might take some practice until you get it just right but you’ve got to start somewhere!
A perfect addition to any outfit:
A fun way to experiment with different knits, fabrics and textures!
On our road trip this summer I found some hair accessories in a store that were tie dyed…but they were so expensive I was determined to make a bunch of them myself!
The perfect ponytail holder:
Foldover (FOE) elastic is perfect for accessories because it is extremely strong, it has high elasticity and you can dye it! The biggest plus? It doesn’t get tangled in hair easily…and with Boo’s crazy hair we love “friendly” elastic. It’s also nice that foldover elastic costs about 30 to 50 cents a yard.
First, I took the elastic:
Then I folded the elastic several times and placed rubber bands tightly around it in several places:
I mixed up a small amount of pink and purple fabric dye in two squirt bottles….
…and applied the dye directly to the elastic:
I place the tie dyed elastic in a ziplock overnight for the dye to set in. To dye a few pieces just one color I just added dye directly to the baggies (the left and center baggies):
The next morning I took the elastic out of the baggies and rinsed the excess dye out.
I added a small amount of dye fixative to a bucket of cool water……
…..and let the elastic sit for about 10 minutes just to ensure I wouldn’t have any dye bleed later on.
Finally, I set the elastic pieces out in the sun to dry:
To make the accessories, I just looped a piece of elastic, then tied a tight knot at the end and then clipped off the satin elastic at a decorative angle just below the knot:
I used a tiny amount of fray block to keep the ends of the elastic from fraying over time:
We use these satin elastic bands for so many things….Boo has her own preferences:
I use them for my hair but also to keep my journals and address book closed:
A pretty way to keep some like items together:
My favorite idea? Make a bag of several sizes and colors for a handmade gift…or better yet a bunch of bags for party favors or stocking stuffers!
Note: This tutorial is only recommended for accessories. Many types of elastic will not hold dye due to their fiber content. The foldover/satin elastic typically has enough natural fiber in it to react to dye.
