Richly Ruffled Dress

I'm ecstatic to have Jenn from A Jennuine Life today to offer a super duper fab tutorial! Be sure to check her out on her site and show her some Liberate Creativity Love! Come back soon Jenn!

Richly Ruffled Dress

Level: Beginner to Intermediate

Time to complete: Depends on ability, but you'll have fun doing it!

Topic: Clothing, Children, Sewing

Shamrock Button Shirt

Hi, I'm Valerie from Occasionally Crafty!  On my blog, you'll find fun projects for home decor, clothing, accessories, and more.  Today I'm going to show you how to make a cute St. Patrick's day shirt.  I know it's coming up quick, but seriously, this only took me a little over an hour to whip up!  And the great thing is, you can adapt this idea, using different shapes, for any holiday!


Level: Beginner
Time to Complete: Expect less than an hour
Topic: Clothing, Children & Sewing

Materials needed:
Shirt
Shamrock template (see below)
Green buttons- various sizes
Needle and coordinating thread, embroidery floss, or glue (if you don't sew)


Directions:
1.  Cut out your shamrock template to use on your shirt.  I traced a clipart image. You can print out mine by right-clicking on the image below, then save it to your computer, resize as necessary, and print.  Or just trace your own!

2.  Trace your shamrock onto your shirt.  (Shh---I used a pencil because I knew it would be covered up, but if that makes you nervous- go for the disappearing ink fabric marker from the craft store).

3.  Determine placement of your buttons.  I only had two sizes of buttons, so I had to adjust from my template a little.  

4.  Hand stitch each button to the shirt.  This is EASY but a little time consuming.  What worked best for me was to put a tiny dot of hot glue on the back of the button and press it into place.  Then, after all the buttons were adhered where I wanted them, I used a needle and embroidery floss to attach the buttons to the shirt.  Hot glue will not hold up in the wash, so this makes them secure.  Feel free to experiment with fabric glue and such if you don't want to sew!

5.  Put it on your little lass and let her dance around the yard.  Or snuggle by the heater if it's still cold where you live :)

Thanks for having me here today!  Have a happy St. Patrick's Day, and I hope to see you all around my blog soon!

The Inaguration Cardigan

Wanna see some talent? Get ready to be awed by our guest bloggers today! Shwin & Shwin have had me addicted to their site since I first laid eyes! I would marry their talent if I could and their sweetness is divine! Cross our fingers that they'll come back to visit us more than once because one time is certainly not enough!
Check it out!

Level: Intermediate
Topic: Sewing, Clothing, Children
Tiime to complete project: Expect 1-4 hours


We are so excited to do our first post of Liberate Creativity! In honor of Presidents Day we thought it would be fit to share our Inauguration Cardi with you! The perfect little cardigan for any age, that adds a little sophistication to any outfit.
Want to make on too? Great let's get started! First with the pattern:



Bandana Apron

Steph from Somewhat Simple has been kind enough to offer a super funky and fun tutorial to make an unforgettable apron! I adore the idea of making simple aprons to match my outfit! LOVES! Make sure to check her entire site out at www.somewhatsimple.com (after you read this tutorial of course!). Happy weekend to all!

Level: Beginner

Topic: Clothing, Accessories, Sewing

Time to complete project: Expect 1 hour or less

I saw this idea on Martha Stewart. 

Not only is this the easiest thing you will ever make, it is super cute and will come in handy!

There are a ton of cute aprons out there (it seems like a new trend or something!) and I have made some and love them, but I wanted something a bit different than the full-body ones I have hanging in my pantry- something I could wear while entertaining that wouldn't cover up the outfit I chose very carefully to wear to the party. After all, what's the point in looking cute at a party if you have an apron covering your clothes, right? Enter "half-apron" and better yet, make it coordinating and matching to my party outfit and suddenly it all seems perfect!

Items Needed:

Bandanna- standard size is about 22 inches square

Ribbon- enough to fit around your waist and tie a bow from behind. Make sure you burn the edges of your ribbon to keep them from fraying.

Straight pins- unless you are better than me and can sew a straight line without using them.

Directions:

Step 1: Measure to find the center of your ribbon and place it on the center of your bandanna. If your bandanna has any words on it, like "Made in China", you might choose to cover those up with your ribbon.  Pin your ribbon to secure, then continue pinning along the length of the bandanna in the center of your ribbon.

Step 2: Sew both the top and bottom of your ribbon in a straight line. If you have a cute color thread, you might want to pick a cute stitch and do this along the ribbon for added detail. My thread was clear, so I just kept it straight since you wont be able to see it anyway.

Step 3: Oh wait, youre done! There is no step 3!!! Maybe step 3 will be "Throw a Dinner Party!" and use your new apron!

I love the idea of making these for each holiday too- bandannas come in every color, so you could make a black one with orange ribbon for Halloween, a brown one for Thanksgiving, a red and green for Christmas... seriously, do you need me to name all the holidays and their coordinating colors? Quit reading and start creating!!!

Stephanie Dulgarian

somewhatsimple.com

Making Girl Slips

• Level: Intermediate (you need to be able to sew a zigzag stitch and backstitch)
• Topic: Children, Clothing
• Time to complete project: Expect 1 hour or less!

i there, creative folks!  My name is Chris, and I write a blog called Pickup Some Creativity.  I have many sewing and crafty tutorials, free templates/patterns, and fun ideas to help spark your own creativity.  I also host a monthly series called Sewing 101 to encourage new sewists to jump in and try something that brings me a lot of joy.  I love the crafty blogging community, and appreciate all the fun things I have learned from so many others.
Today I am sharing a simple project that was important to me as a mom of two girls.  I cannot find slips for my girls anywhere!  I want them to be modest and for their dresses not to stick to their tights.  The other day, I found a ladies' slip at Goodwill, and I had a "lightbulb moment".  The result is this tutorial.

Clothing Designer Kate from Katetowers on Etsy

Meet Kate. Kate is an amazing artist & designer. You're assignment is to go to her Etsy site, KateTowers because, well, you just should! A trillion thank you's Kate for taking the time to answer some questions for Liberate Creativity. I'm mad in love with her custom pieces!Kate's photos, interview and site should certainly get your creative juices flowing!

Q: Tell us a bit about yourself:
A: if you asked me 4 years ago i would have said i'm an artist. but now i'll say i'm a mother and an artist. because right now it's all about finding the balance - and taking care of the kids comes first. i'm very passionate about what i do and there is never a lack of ideas - just a lack of time. i am also very passionate about my kids, so hopefully i'm using that same burning creativity in my child rearing, lord knows i need it!

Q: What events and/or people have led you to become an artist?

A: i have made some kind of art for as long as i can remember. both of my parents are very creative and art projects were always encouraged. there was never any holding back as far as running with it. i feel lucky that they understand how important art is in ones life.i never studied apparel design formally but sort of fell in to it and fell in love with it. it feels very sculptural to me.  i've been very experimental with the whole process.

Q: How do you come up with your creative ideas?
A: they are constantly burning in the back of my head! i think creativity just sort of hits you, rather than coming up with ideas. it's rare that i'm "searching" for something to inspire me.

Q: What’s your quirkiest attribute?

 A: hmmm, this is a hard one. i'm fairly quirky.  i talk really fast - sometimes i think this is a result of my east coast roots but really it's probably because i have ADD and am trying to keep up with my thoughts, spit them out before i forget.

Q: What would you say to someone who says they aren’t creative?
A: i think everyone is creative in their own way, just as people are smart in their own way. creativity doesn't have to come out on paper - it can live in the mind alone. i think when someone says this they mean more that they aren't crafty with their hands - just a guess anyway.


Q: Where are your items available for sale?
A: most of my pieces are one of a kind, so also very limited. i can only produce so much with my own two hands so right now i'm only selling privately out of my studio and on etsy. i ran a clothing store for 8 years here in portland so i sold there and to a few select boutiques. i hope to do this again in the future when i have more time and can produce more.

Q: What project/s do you currently have on your plate?

A: i'm working on a few custom pieces and just starting to design some completely new things for a small collection. i don't do typical seasonal collections, but rather a group of pieces that compliment each other or have the same feel to them, a theme. i've sort of just bee working on what i like to call "survival" pieces for the last few years. i know i sound like a broken record when i say how little time i have due to being a mom, but it really has put a hold on things. i think i am feeling sort of desperate to challenge myself again, make a comeback of sorts. we shall see.