(Non) Sewing rewind: Sewing Basket edition #2! ~ Diane's Vintage Zest!

(Non) Sewing rewind: Sewing Basket edition #2!

Last week I shared a few goodies that I made for my sewing basket: my pincushion cuff, sewing machine quilt, and the tailor's ham & seam roll.  This week, I wanted to share more items that all sewists need, which I made at home to save a penny or two.

Get ready to meet my ironing board, pattern weights, and dress form!

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In this post:




Pattern weights

There are a million and half tutorials out there for making pattern weights.  Some people don't mind spending $12 for 4 weights at the store, while others use soup cans, etc.  I am neither of those people!  I like to save money, and I prefer something pretty (besides I make my soup from scratch)!

Enter the ribbon-wrapped pattern weight.  Since making these, I would consider using fabric instead, but at the time I didn't have many cute scraps.  Besides, my mom had tons of ribbon she was itching to get rid of at the time.  Maybe one day I will redo them with a different scrap of fabric from each project I've done!



I ended up having to buy washers from Home Depot, but I bought a bulk box that was much cheaper in two different sizes.  The pink weights are smaller for pieces that are narrow, such as straps and belts.


Stacked neatly!


I left little loops on each one as a handle, but you don't really need them.  And for storage, I keep them in a washed takeout container probably from my favorite Thai restaurant.  :)




Overall, they get the job done, and I think cuter than the ones you can buy at the store.  And definitely cheaper!



Ironing Board

The next two projects, you've seen a lot of already actually!  I decided to make myself an ironing board after seeing a girl in class struggling to iron out a large pattern piece.  I hadn't made garments with a commercial pattern yet, so I decided to make this before attacking my first piece of clothing.

I used the tutorial found here, and it was super easy and clear.  Some of these are pictures I took with my phone, so hopefully you can still make it out.  I used a striped fabric that helps me to line up my fabric and pattern pieces and I also made the board bigger than the tutorial called for.

It was super easy to make, and my guy even liked helping me by using the staple gun.


Nothing special to look at here, but...

DIY Ironing Board on Diane's Vintage Zest!  #sewing #tutorial


Voila!


DIY Ironing Board on Diane's Vintage Zest!  #sewing #tutorial


It's sooo easy to iron out my pieces now!

And I can lay my cutting mat on it to cut fabrics.  I just have to be careful not to cut into my ironing board, but it hasn't happened yet.


DIY Ironing Board on Diane's Vintage Zest!  #sewing #tutorial


And in action with my pattern weights!


DIY Ironing Board on Diane's Vintage Zest!  #sewing #tutorial


And it leans against a wall for easy storage, and as an added bonus hides bookshelf clutter because it's so large.


DIY Ironing Board on Diane's Vintage Zest!  #sewing #tutorial


My friend also made one of these, and instead of using the grip liner just made it double-sided.  That would be a great idea too!  One patterned side, and one more subdued perhaps.




Dress Form


*Update* View my tutorial to make your own here.

I wanted a dress form, but $200 was way out of my price range.  Therefore, I went to Pinterest and found this pin.  I decided to make the dress form, and did so with aqua green duct tape.  If I had to do it again, I would make it with a neutral shade, like white and stuff it with even more newspaper!  It is definitely smashed up in places.

I read that lots of people name their dress forms, so say hello to Jade!



DIY Ironing Board on Diane's Vintage Zest!  #sewing #tutorial


 The pole is a hat rack from IKEA, but I definitely did some editing when it came to the hooks.




The nice thing is that I can hang items both above and below, as well as having the support of the hooks below for the form itself.  However, the metal at the bottom is great for stubbing my toe on!


DIY Ironing Board on Diane's Vintage Zest!  #sewing #tutorial


All in all, I am glad I have these fun toys to play around with for now.  Some I will have to upgrade or redo in the future, but they work perfectly for me now.


Anybody have any sewing items they have made or repurposed?



DIY Ironing Board on Diane's Vintage Zest!  #sewing #tutorial


31 comments:

  1. That's a wonderful idea!

    Thanks for sharing at the Creative HomeAcre Hope.

    http://back2basichealth.blogspot.com/search/label/creative%20homeacre%20hop

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  2. Using stripes for your ironing board was so smart! Great dress form and fabric weights too. Our Simply Create Link party is going on right now. I would love to have you link up, as I'm sure my followers would like to see what you created too. Hope to see you soon!

    Melissa

    redflycreations.com

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  3. The pattern weights are very cute and practical, but I LOVE the giant ironing board idea. Especially since it can be double-sided and just lean against the wall (or in your case hide a messy shelf!)

    Thanks for sharing these tips.

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  4. I would love for you to share your favorite posts and link up at my TGIF Link Party.

    http://apeekintomyparadise.blogspot.com/2013/05/tgif-link-party-2.html

    The party opens Thursday night and closes on Wednesday night at midnight.

    Please, invite your friends to party too! The more the merrier!

    Hugs, Cathy

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  5. Thanks for sharing at Wednesday's Adorned From Above Blog Hop. Join us at 8:00PM tonight for this weeks party.

    Debi and Charly

    http://www.adornedfromabove.com

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  6. Great idea! For some reason, I have always pinned my patterns down (I am 100% self taught, trial and error sew-er) and it takes FOREVER. These are too cute, thanks for sharing!

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  7. These weights are perfect for pattern cutting! Coming over from Two Yellow Birds Decor Party. Best wishes, Linda

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  8. I love the weights. I usually use the change I find lying around. But that looks much prettier and maybe I could use my loose change to buy the washers.

    Sarah M Schultz

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  9. Of course! It ended up great thanks to your tutorial. :)

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  10. Very nice, thanks for the linkshare!

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  11. Great ideas! Thank you for sharing this on Wildcrafting Wednesday! Hope to see you again today at:

    http://www.theselfsufficienthomeacre.com/2013/05/wildcrafting-wednesday-21.html

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  12. Clever!! Thank you
    for sharing with the Clever Chicks Blog Hop this week!



    Cheers,

    Kathy Shea Mormino

    The Chicken
    Chick

    http://www.The-Chicken-Chick.com

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  13. Hi, Diane! I saw your giant ironing board on "Made By Me" - love it!! What a fantastic idea - I need one!! Thanks for sharing!

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  14. Great ideas. My mom got rocks out of the river and painted them for weights. I don't sew. :( Thanks for sharing on the HomeAcre Hop. Come back and join us this week: http://everythinghomewithcarol.com/self-sufficient-homeacre-hop-and-green-circle-grove-giveaway

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  15. Cute idea! My mom did the same thing for napkin weights at picnics. :)

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  16. Love the ironing board idea! Having a larger surface would work so well on the days I need to press my king-sized duvet cover.

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  17. Definitely! We had four shirts laid out on it just before a 5K race to put our team name on them with iron-on letters. It was a mad dash because we couldn't think of anything until the last minute!


    But with three people (one person arranging letters, one ironing, and one unsticking the paper), we got it done lickety split! Otherwise, we would have only been able to do one at a time on a regular ironing board. Also, we didn't have to deal with the shirt slipping off like crazy, because of the sporty material.


    It definitely came in handy then!

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  18. Great tips and idea.. Thanks for sharing!

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  19. Thanks! I'll head over when I have a moment. :)

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  20. Great stuff you made! Does it hurt when you take off the duct tape?

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  21. Thanks! No, the plastic wrap layer underneath protects from an unintended waxing session. :) However, it does make it incredibly hot, so you have to move fast!

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  22. I really should make myself some pattern weights instead of using whatever is close to hand... scissors, sticky tape dispenser, etc. Slowly moving over from pinning. I'd love you to share your great makes at our Ongoing Linky that's just for Sewing Accessories...
    http://www.threadingmyway.com/2013/02/threading-your-way-sewing-accessories.html

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  23. Ha! Honestly, my scissors and TV remote come in handy as a makeshift paper weights. :) Sure, I'll head over and link up!

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  24. What a great idea - I need to try this. My husband goes to Home Depot every weekend - I am going to tell him to get me some of the washers next time he goes.

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  25. These are all awesome projects! I especially like the little loop on your weights. I need to start using mine more often I think. If you're looking for another place to share your projects, stop by Etcetorize and join our Make it Monday party. (There's a giveaway for linked up entries.)

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  26. These are such great ideas! :)

    Thanks for joining the Link Up this week!

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  27. Love the weights. Thanks for sharing with Adorned From Above's Link Party. Have a great week.

    Debi @ Adorned From Above

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  28. Great ideas. I need a larger ironing board to help me iron those large yardages too. Thanks for linking up to Gingerly Made!

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  29. Some great inspiration! I have to do the ironing board thing and a few more pattern weights would be handy. I've been wracking my brains for a better solution for my dress form too as the current pole isn't working, thanks so much.
    Stella Lee

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