Personalize Your Clothing Lace Inserts

Supplies: 

Sharp knife 

Scissors 

Cardboard 

Garment 

Lace 

Sewing machine or needle and thread

Some of your favorite clothes - or some of your least favorite outfits - can be changed to please you when you cut them up. You won't cut the clothing so that they're ruined; that would be ridiculous. Instead, cut out certain sections of clothing and replace them with lace. You can make an old outfit look new or make a plain item of clothing look much more elegant.

Clothing cutouts can be done on tees and other shirts, jeans, dresses, and more. What's required is that you choose a place on the outfit, cut it out, and sew lace in to replace that cloth. A piece of cardboard can protect the table as you do the cutting. Lay the garment out flat, slide the cardboard between the layers, and cut the desired area with an Exacto knife, or a sharp craft knife.

Clearly, you can't just make a cut anywhere on the outfit. Some good places to cut a tee or other shirt can include a slash from the front of one shoulder, across the chest, and over to the opposite side - just above the breast. Another place that a cutout can be done on a shirt is across the back. On jeans, a cutout can be done on the front of one of the legs.

Cut the area that you want and then trim a bit off of each cut edge. The trimming will open a wider hole so that more of the lace replacement will be seen. Cut a piece of lace to be slightly longer and wider than the actual cutout. Pin the lace to the back of the garment area and then sew around it. Use a straight stitch and stay near the edge; sew around the cutout and then cut away any excess lace.

The cutouts that you do on the chosen clothes can be random or more defined. You can make a slit across a tee shirt or create a heart on the back of a dress. Make random cuts on a pair of jeans or a design of your own on any chosen article of clothing. The lace insert can be sewn by machine or by hand.

It's fun to take clothes that everyone has already seen and change them to look new again. You can do that when you create cutouts and lace inserts that give the garments - and yourself - a whole new outlook.

The Fashionable Man’s Guide to Wearing Socks

French lawyer Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin once said, "Tell me what you eat and I will tell you what you are." You can take this a step further; tell me what socks you wear -- and when -- and I will tell you whether you are in desperate need of this men's fashion guide to footwear.

The 3 Cardinal Sins of Wearing Socks (or: Don't do it!)

1. You wear sandals and pair them with socks. (Subtract extra demerit points if the socks are ankle length or black.) This is a common sight during the summer. Either commit to the well-ventilated warmth of the sandal or retreat to the relative warmth of the tennis shoe.
2. You wear socks until they fall apart. Another common mistake is the assumption that nobody will notice the hole in your sock; should you find yourself at a Japanese restaurant for a work-related lunch, your shredded footwear will become common knowledge.
3. Socks are too short for the occasion. As you sit down, your pants ride up and your socks and fish-belly white legs show. Ouch!

If you commit any one of these three footwear faux pas, it is time to read on.

Choosing the Right Color (Bonus: It can make you look taller or shorter, too!)

It has been said that a gentleman always matches his socks to complement his trousers' color. Although sage advice, throw in your lot with The Mitchelli, who advises to wear socks that either clearly contrast or complement the color of your pants. Just do not be in the middle; decisively come down on one side of the equation or the other.

By the way, if you are uncomfortable with your height, consider matching the sock color to your shoes; this will visually make you appear a bit shorter. If you would like to add an inch via optical illusion, match the color to the pants.

Choosing the Right Type

The white tube sock is to be worn only during sports activities. You can probably get away with pairing the socks with your jeans, but this is about the extent of white-sock wear. Never wear white sports socks with a business suit. In his work "The Story of Men's Underwear," author Shaun Cole quotes fashion editor Luke Day, who believed in the 1980s that wearing white socks with suits was an "anti-conventionalist approach" that had merit, was "more real" and therefore an individualist's approach. This trend died out about as quickly as the big-hair fad of the 1980s.

While white socks are for sports activities, a black-tie event calls for knee-high socks with sheen. Obviously, the color matches the trousers or the shoes. A more relaxed setting at the office calls for argyle or flannel. In these settings, knee-length socks are always better than low-cut versions or ankle-length footwear. If you want to be more formal than business-casual at the office but not quite so formal as to demand a black suit and tie, go for cashmere or silk socks.

Creative Ways to Decorate a Fabric Purse With Fringe

A vintage fabric bag with layers of fringe looks great without additional embellishments, but it can look even better when extra decorations are added. They can add amazing color, style and decorative appeal. Absolutely anyone can dress up an ordinary fringed bag using the following creative methods. What was just a basic handbag can become a stylish accessory that reflects your personal color and design preference. Whether your preferred design is elegant, grungy or something else altogether, you can create a bag that coordinates with your individual style.

Tie Vintage Lace to the Strands of Fringe

When looking for creative ways to update and decorate a fabric purse with fringe, add something elegant. Tie vintage lace to some of the strands. As the photo shows, the results are lovely and unique. However, do not overdo it. Several strands of lace that are evenly spaced on each side will be more than enough to give your fabric purse a touch of simple elegance.

Add Gorgeous Glass Beads

Loose glass beads are good for more than just making necklaces, bracelets and earrings. They are the ideal decorations for a fabric purse with fringe. String three to four beads on every seventh or eighth strand, and keep them in place with a secure double knot. Your bag can be decorated to coordinate with any clothing colors.

Braid Some of the Strands of Fringe

Strands of fringe are perfect for braiding, especially on a purse with dozens of artfully woven strings. Braid some of the strands while leaving several in between each grouping. Create a simple knot to secure each one, or attach a large glass bead with a knot to decorate the braids while keeping them from coming apart. The combination of braids and beads will look fantastic.

Decorate the Purse with Fabric or Yarn Flowers

Flowers and fringe go together beautifully, especially those made with fabric or yarn. Buy or make fabric, crocheted or knitted blooms, and attach a grouping to a corner of the purse. They can be made using any color or style of material or yarn and attached with peel and stick Velcro brand fasteners for a fast and easy update. Smaller blooms can be tied to the fringe for an accessory that is delicate, lovely and truly unique.

Source: Advanced Crafting Experience

1930s Fashion-Popular Fashion Styles During the 1930s

For those of you who read my blog, All About Fashion, you will know that my favorite fashion decades are the 1920s, 1950s, and 1960s. Although the 1930s is really not my favorite decade, the fashion styles during this era were timeless.

The 1930s. The decade of Hollywood Glamour. Actresses like Marlene Dietrich and Mae West were dominating movie screens, and taking over fashion. Fashions of the 1930s were thought to be glamorous and sensuous. This was also the era of big bands, dancing, and night life. Women quickly grew tired of the slim figure of the 1920s, so they started wearing dresses that gave them a natural, curvaceous figure, also known as the bias cut dress, which was introduced to the world by French Fashion Designer, Madeleine Vionnet.

Vionnet's main goal for her designs was to accentuate a woman's natural curves, plus, she wanted to make it easier for a woman do get dressed without having to use pins, tucks, and buttons to hold the dress in place. Women's casual looks were very easy to style with a lot of curve appeal, plus the dresses were also very flowing. Sleeves and cap sleeve dresses became very popular during this time period. Bishop sleeve, dolman sleeve (also known as the batwing sleeve), and tailored looks were also very popular. Each style contained unique details of soft, draped lines that showed a woman's natural curves.

While fashion was evolving during this time period, it was also the time of the Great Depression. The stock market had crashed in 1929, and almost all of the U.S. citizens were looking for work. During this time, more people were going to the movies, known during this time as "the picture show." It was during this time that fur became very popular (for those who could afford it).

Hairstyle during this era were worn in waves and soft pin-curls. Most hairstyles were short, shoulder-length, or pinned closely to the scalp. Some women also started dying their hair blonde. Popular styles of hats included derby, cloche, and berets.

By the end of the 30s, skirts were slightly fuller and shorter, and shoulders were wider. By 1939, WWII had begun. I hope you enjoyed this fashion history lesson. There will be more to come. 

Make Your Own Designer Panties

Supplies: 

Panties 

Craft items, such as needle and thread, lace scraps, or little bows

Okay, if you have the money to spend $40 on a pair of panties, go ahead. As for me, I'm going to have to choose something much cheaper. I simply can't justify any design that will make me spend that much money on undies. But part of the reason I feel that way might be because I know that I can take cute but inexpensive underwear and turn them into designer panties. You can, too.

There are lots of ways to make ordinary panties look like high-end undies. One of the most popular of designs is to print a word or a phrase across the butt of the underwear. That's easy to do by using rubber stamps or by drawing with paint markers. Since they contain real paint you won't have to worry about the writing disappearing as the panties are laundered. Fabric paints are yet another option for design the panties that you like.

Lay a stencil and color in the lettering or images by using a paint marker, or fabric paints and a small brush. Or, apply paint to rubber stamps and stamp on the lettering. Besides letters and words, you can create simplistic images, such as hearts, arrows, flowers, butterflies, or geometric shapes.

Instead of leaving the writing as it is, you can allow the paint to dry, and then use fabric glue to attach rhinestones. The jeweled lettering is much more impressive than the marker or paint lettering but it takes awhile to do. Roll a piece of Scotch tape to create a tiny tube and use it to pick up and place each tiny jewel. Put a dot of fabric glue onto the bottom of the rhinestone, place the jewel, and then hold it down with a toothpick as you pull the tape off of it.

If you have even minimal sewing skills you can make all sorts of designer panties from ordinary undies. Cut out one or more pieces from the panties and then sew in a piece of lace to replace it. Use the technique to make lace letters, butterflies, or other designs.

Another sewing job that you can do to make designer panties is to use a needle and thread to sew two or three small buttons down the "fly" area of the panty. Or, cut a slit and sew in a zipper. You can also sew tiny bows on the panties. They're all attractive designs that require little effort.

Designer panties are nice to have but not everyone has that kind of money to spend on underwear. Make your own designer undies and you'll have one-of-a-kind panties that will please you - and maybe someone else!