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Fortunately, even something as complicated-looking as a bra is quite possible to be DIYed at home. With the right bra patterns, and the clearest tutorials, you CAN make your own bras! Here are some of my favorite bra patterns and tutorials: How to shorten a bra strap. Sometimes you don’t need an all-new bra–you just need the one that you already own to do its dang job already. Here’s a mod that will make a bra with too-long straps just right for your itsy-bitty shoulders....

We talk a lot about sustainable fabrics around here, both as part of our Fab Fabrics series and when we’re sharing tutorials. A quick scan through our archives turns up the usual suspects: hemp, organic cotton, recycled felt, jute, linen, and – of course – vintage fabrics. But every once in a while we run across a fabulous fabric that’s from more of an offbeat source. While not all of these fabrics are available commercially, I think it’s a lot of fun to go back and look at the interesting developments in the world of fabric....

Planning a baby shower? Take onesie decorating to the next level with this cute baby shower craft idea! This baby shower craft uses one very special craft supply to skip the stitchery and create baby crafts that anyone can do. What is the magical craft supply? It’s something I’d seen many times at the fabric store but always passed by: permanent fusible web. It’s basically tracing paper and a thin coating of fabric glue all in one, and it makes for the simplest appliques on the planet....

You might think that running a crafty business is all about hunkering down in the craft room, but even indie brands need a strategy. As the former owner of a crafty business, I can tell you: there is so much more to selling handmade aprons than sewing kickass handmade aprons. Even when they’re made from vintage linens and have pockets shaped like cupcakes, your handmade product isn’t going to sell itself....

Do you have a boring light fixture that you would like to revamp? Turn it into a modern chalkboard light fixture! A few months ago, I found a cheap light fixture for $9.00. I loved it’s “bones” but it was too boring for my taste. After going back and forth between decoupaging it and painting it, I found the perfect solution– chalkboard paint! Here’s how I transformed my boring light into chalkboard awesomeness:...

Clementine Art feels the same way that’s why they have created a line of safe art and craft products with kids in mind. Clementine Art has safe markers, natural glue, natural soy crayon rocks, soy crayons (that are shaped for little hands to hold), really safe finger paints, and natural modeling dough. If you have been looking for crafty safe art supplies for little ones Clementine Art is your answer....

DIY Dresses off-the-shoulder dress. Off-the-shoulder dresses are VERY 1970s. Look for a frumpy dress with a big print or wild pattern, and follow this free tutorial to give it a vintage-style off-the-shoulder look. Boho tunic. You can do SO MUCH with a vintage bedsheet… like sew this tunic that’s perfect for both a 70s party AND everyday living! scarf maxi dress. Vintage-look scarves are relatively easy to thrift. Here’s how to turn three of them into a maxi dress that will look just right at at 70s party....

In our last makeover, we talked about how nice it is to store your craft supplies in vintage containers instead of mass-market plastic bins–this was basically an excuse for me to show off my thrifted Pyrex, the Fiestaware coffee mug that the handle broke off of, and the other mug that PROVES that I did, indeed, go to Space Camp. Today, however, we’re getting our inspiration board on. We are going to cover a ratty corkboard with a rockin’ T-shirt (Funny story: I never lost the baby weight after my second baby, and now my entire pre-baby rockin’ T-shirt collection basically gets to be turned into other stuff....

The folks at Atlanta Veg Fest asked for volunteers to run some crafts for kids. This fruit and vegetable stamping project is a test run for my table at the show. When the Veg Fest peeps put out the call for crafty volunteers, I went through some possible crafts for kids in my head. What felt just perfect about this project was that it shows all of little vegetarian and vegan kiddos another way to enjoy their fruits and veggies and teach them about food waste....

Salt dough is one of those crafts that is begging to be reclaimed by the indie crafter. Traditionally the provenance of children or the unironically countrified, salt dough has been used to make so many kindergarten turtles and faux braids of onions that it’s ready for a makeover. Fortunately, salt dough is also an oven-baked clay that is made of natural materials (unlike FIMO or other plastic clays), which makes it a green craft for children or adults....

Over at our sister site Green Living Ideas, Andrea Bertoli is working on a Homemade Home series. It’s packed with DIY ways to kick toxic products to the curb and replace them with homemade, healthier alternatives. She released this visual guide to DIY cleaning products earlier this week, and I have to say, it’s rocking my socks. The graphic she created doesn’t just get into the basics of DIY cleaning products....

Want to get crafty for your spoiled pet? Try these DIY pet projects like handmade toys, beds, and clothes! If you love your pet as much as I do, you’re probably constantly buying products for him or her. I have a teacup Chihuahua-yorkie mix that is super spoiled! Unfortunately, there are lots of products on the market that are not great for my pup or the environment. Instead, I want to focus on making my own toys, treats, and other items for my sweet pup!...

Got an old pillowcase in your crafty stash? Turn it into a pair of DIY tea towels in less than half an hour! We love crafting with pillowcases around here. An old pillowcase gives you just the right amount of fabric for making all kinds of things, from grocery totes to aprons. If you’re a beginner in the sewing department, you’ll also like that the relatively small piece of fabric is much easier to work with than wrangling lots of yardage....

Founded by husband and wife team Anna and Peter Burns, Eco Emporia came to be after the couple was inspired by the craftspeople they met on numerous travels around the world. “Reusing and recycling is a way of life for many people around the world,” said Anna. “It’s about making the most of limited resources and income. As a result they create something new, useful and often ingenious. I remember being most impressed by the Uros people on Lake Titicaca in Peru....

Ten14 Textiles prints bold, geometric designs on a variety of different organic fabrics and even offers custom design for a fabric that’s 100% unique! Josi Severson was a fashion design major at the Academy of Art in San Francisco, but when she learned about print and textile design, she was smitten. She started getting into textiles about six years ago, and Ten14 grew out of her love for fabric and design....

Normally when we think about fabric, we picture lovely bolts of yardage, ready to cut and shape, but there are lots of notions and less conventional materials that we sew and craft just like fabrics. Zippers are a great example, but the typical store bought sort aren’t the most eco-friendly option. Zipper tape (the part that you sew into your garment) is usually made of polyester, a petroleum product. The zipper and pull are often plastic, and if they’re metal there’s no guarantee that it was responsibly mined....

Living here in Austin, I can attest that under the right conditions, bamboo doesn’t need the care (read: water) that even organic cotton does in order to thrive. There are yards all over the city where bamboo planted as a privacy screen has busted out all over. It’s like kudzu, only taller. So the idea of using bamboo for fabric is extremely appealing. Plant it, ignore it, harvest it, fabricize it....

Next » Watercolors 1. Watercolors Pepper Paints shows us that, with a few household supplies, you can create a rainbow of watercolors which will have children creating for hours. The ingredients are simple and safe, and you can create an endless array of colors. Encourage kids to come up with their own colors and name them for an even more interactive project. Next » Playdough 2. Playdough This was a standard craft in our house and I’ll never forget how much fun I had using it....

I’m here to disabuse you of that faulty notion. Trashion fashion isn’t just for kids, and it isn’t just for the runway, either–you, too, can create fashionable garments out of trash for your own wear, and you can look amazing while doing so. The best part of trashion is that it’s totally original and totally you. You’re not meant to make a duplicate of that same Target T-shirt that everybody else is wearing, not when you can rescue something from your own community’s waste stream and upcycle it into a garment that looks outstanding on you and you alone....

Whether you’re lovingly creating handmade gifts for your whole list or decided to shop for most of your gifts this year, a little handmade gift wrapping adds some extra heart. Here are some DIY gift wrapping ideas that cost less and waste less. Need handmade gift ideas? I’m working on a mega-roundup for next week with all sorts of holiday gift ideas for all sorts of recipients. Stay tuned! The list below is part of Important Media’s “More Love, Less Stuff” holiday event....