DIY Archives - Page 6 of 7 - Everything's Famtastic

March 5, 2020June 26, 2021

Why Sewing is Good for You (Yes, Even for Beginners!)

Welcome back to Everything’s Famtastic! I don’t know whether you saw my post last week? You know, the one where I interviewed a great bunch of sewing bloggers, about how they got started sewing? Well, that turned out to be Part One of my interview with them all. You can read that post here and learn about what made these women, first learn to sew.

People new to the sewing world (sewing newbies, as I affectionately say) often ask themselves questions like “What should I sew as a beginner?” or “How do I get started sewing?” and “Why is sewing a good hobby?” or “Why is sewing good for me?”.

sewing, pin, pinterest, sewing project, beginners sewing, sewing is good for you

This post- my Part Two of interviewing these ladies- is full of plentiful ideas to answer exactly those questions! (Be prepared to have your creative curiosity awakened!! 😉)

February 27, 2020September 25, 2021

What Makes People Start Sewing?

sewing, sewing project, sewing tips, pin, pinterest

Wowsers! These past couple of weeks have been busy around here. In between being sick myself (hello ear infection and sinusitis!) I have been frantically sewing costumes for the kids to wear to Karneval celebrations. In fact, for the most part, the children dreamed up the costume ideas for themselves. Heck, Miss 8 even designed her own dress, pointed at the sketches and said “This!”. Yes ma’am!

Now that the rush of Karneval is over and the more sober time of Lent is upon us, I can get back to working my way through the ~~endless mountains~~ organised piles of fabrics 😉 to complete some cool, everyday clothes for the kids. Maybe even something for myself! *gasp*

In this now less-time-pressured week, I find that I am REALLY enjoying sitting down at the machine again. Not that churning out original kids’ costumes isn’t fun. But since there were no patterns as such, and a lot of planning, guesswork and occasional cross-fingers-and-hope-for-the-best involved, it’s nice to have a clear pattern and no deadline to work with.

Which got me thinking back to some of my first ever sewing projects and why I took up sewing in the first place. I mean, why is it that sewing is so beloved by so many people? (Witness the gazillions of pins in Pinterest or sewing memes on Instagram).

What makes people start sewing at all???

February 13, 2020October 10, 2021

How to Sew a Terrific Tiger Costume

(Even if You Don’t Have a Pattern!)

In today’s post I am going to show you how you can create a totally cool tiger costume, without actually having a pattern for a tiger costume. “Huh? How does that work?”, you ask. Ahh, that’s the magic of sewing! 😉

Perhaps you’re even asking why it is that I am sewing a tiger costume or why I am sharing this with you today.

diy, sewing, sewing project, nähen, tiger costume, tiger kostüm, sewing for kids, childrens' costume, kinderkostüm, pin, pinterest

Well, answering the second part of that is easy. Why share? Because I am not one to keep a good sewing tip to myself! I love to support you in getting creative with your sewing machine and sewing things that will make you smile! And I love a good work-around; when the pattern doesn’t match exactly what I’m trying to achieve, then it’s the pattern that has to change, not my goal. That’s why I’m eager to share so many sewing ideas, tips and cheats with you (you can find more under the “Sewing” category on the menu bar above ☝).

And why am I sewing a costume at all? Well, Karneval is coming in a couple of weeks! In case you’re not familiar with what Karneval in Germany means (especially from a non-German’s perspective), be sure to check out my post here. Karneval is a BIG deal in many parts of Germany and for the cities’ colourful parades, getting dressed up in costumes is practically a must (at least for children it is!!).

Because I am able to sew, and for the time being my kids actually like and enjoy what I can create, I am the one responsible for coming up with the goods. Hence the DIY, sew a tiger costume as my current sewing project.

I promised to show you how to make one without a pattern, right? Well then, read on…

December 12, 2019November 8, 2021

How to Make the Prettiest Paper Christmas Star Decoration

Oh my! Christmas is coming! And fast! Do you remember back when you were a kid and asking “How many more days til Christmas?” and your parents answered with something like “Still 6 weeks, kiddo!” and you thought it would just Never. Ever. Arrive.?

These days, as a big ol’ grown-up, 6 weeks goes by SO quickly, and Christmas is over before you know it and suddenly your kids are asking you “How many more days til Easter?!?”.

pin, pinterest, christmas, crafts, christmas crafts, diy, paper crafts

This year I am feeling a bit slack with the Christmas preparations, especially on the creative and decorative side of things. But I am determined not to have Christmas arrive without me having made some effort.

As fate would have it, just the other day my son came home from kindergarten and presented his latest masterpiece- a beautiful, intricately folded paper Christmas star. If I was only going to manage one new craft project with the kids this Christmas, I knew that this would be it.

Christmas Star, DIY, Crafts, Paper Crafts

And once I had decoded the pattern, I just knew that I would have to share the secret of the Christmas star with you! (Spoiler Alert! It’s not as difficult to make as it looks!) Read on to learn how you can make your own gorgeous paper star this Christmas.

November 21, 2019May 24, 2024

How to Sew a Patchwork Infinity Loop Scarf

diy, diy sewing, sewing project, loop scarf, infinity scarf, patchwork infinity scarf, tutorial, how-to

Last week I was feeling fired up and feisty, what with all those totally powerful inspirational quotes! “Go get ‘em!” was the message I was pumping myself up with and bringing you along for the ride too 😉. What?!? You didn’t see it? If you feel like you need a bit of motivating to pursue your goals, then be sure to check it out here because it will really give you the kick up the butt you’re after!

And what now? Well, It’s official. The cold weather here in Germany has continued it’s march towards winter. So while I may be energised and motivated, I am also damn cold!!! The days are getting shorter and shorter, so much so that the kids are walking to school by the light of the moon. And a flashlight. 😉 For the sunshine-y Australian girl in me lousy, grey, cold weather = ~~time to hibernate~~ time to find fun projects I can accomplish indoors.

If you’re into sewing like me, but also trying hard to not waste too many materials while you’re at it (Hello! #reducereuserecycle), you’ve probably got a stack of odd-shaped, leftover pieces of fabric hoarded away “for later”.

Do I have the PERFECT sewing project for you!!! (And I’m gonna show you how to do it!)

*** drumroll please… ***

November 7, 2019August 15, 2023

Simple Plastic-Free Swaps You Can Do Now

Oh my gosh! The past week has been crazy around here. And not just because the children may or may not be recovering from their Halloween-induced sugar highs. No, mainly because I have been working my butt off behind the scenes putting some systems in place to get Everything’s Famtastic running better AND of course, trying to come up with some cool stuff for you. (Keep an eye on this site in the coming weeks or even better, you can subscribe to my newsletter to make sure you don’t miss a thing! **wink wink**)

So, it’s been a few weeks now since I interviewed my friend Birgitta about her (and her family’s) plastic-free lifestyle. You can read her story here . Personally, I’m no eco-warrior. But I’m also no climate change-denier. This planet we call home has a population focused on consuming, resulting some serious problems for which we all need to take responsibility.

In our family, we are open and honest about being NOT plastic-free… Yet. Like, I can clearly confess that the Halloween booty collected last week by the kids was 100% NOT environmentally friendly. What will all those wrappers and miniature sizes of everything. They had tons of fun collecting (and slowly eating) it all, no doubt. But the amount of plastic was, well, shameful.

Hearing Birgitta talk so passionately about why she refuses to have plastic in her house and how she makes it possible in a family of 4 really spurred me on to Do.Something.

I thought it might be helpful to you (and me!) to revisit the tips she shared with us and to check out the small steps that ANYONE can implement quickly and easily to reduce their plastic waste. Come on, let’s take a look…

October 29, 2019October 6, 2021

More DIY Easy Halloween Costumes Anyone Can Sew

sewing, sewing project, diy sewing, diy, diy costume, halloween, halloween costumes, pirate, bat, ninja, ninjago

Hi there! Have you been psyching up for Halloween? Or rather, are your kids getting crazy for Halloween? Let’s be honest, in the end, rambling through the neighbourhood trick-or-treating is more for their benefit than ours. Right? Nevertheless, I will admit that I am also getting a little excited.

When I prowl the neighbourhood with my kids on the 31^st October, it’s not as though I’m going to have a fistful of lollies thrust my way. (*Psst!!* There are however, a couple of neighbours who like to share a quick slurp of some fiery type of liquid that is definitely NOT for the little ones! Nudge nudge, wink wink)

What I do enjoy is watching the kids each year get bolder and more adventurous and confident, relishing the thrill of dressing up and dashing so free-spirited around the neighbourhood after dark. And we bump into so many of their friends also doing the rounds, so it’s practically like a street party. 😊

I know that last week I posted here a few home-sewn DIY Halloween costumes. But guess what I also enjoy?

October 22, 2019October 6, 2021

DIY Wicked Halloween Costumes You Can Easily Sew

I could have sworn we just enjoyed summer holidays and now all of a sudden Halloween is upon us. For most kids, Halloween means 2 things: costumes and lollies!

And when my kids think of costumes, what they really mean is “Mama’s GOTTA sew me one!!!”. 😉

halloween, halloween costumes, costume, diy costumes, sewing costumes, sewing, sewing project

Are your kids hankering for a really cool costume? That you are apparently going to make?!? If you are a #sewingnewbie perhaps you are feeling the pressure to come up with something great, while not necessarily knowing where to start. Even if Mama doesn’t think that Halloween is a really big deal, it’s a sure bet that the kids do!

Fear not! I would recommend you go grab yourself a hot beverage (coffee is my poison!), find a comfy chair because I’ve got a bunch of creative Halloween costume ideas just for you! They won’t break your budget, won’t take too long, but they will give you that satisfying feeling of a job well done.

October 1, 2019November 9, 2024

What It’s Like to Live Plastic-Free (and How You Can Do It Too!)

In case you have been living in a dark cave for a looong time, you have surely noticed the ever-increasing amount of news surrounding climate change, food production and wastage, plastics polluting the oceans and much, much more.

Now I don’t know about you, but a lot of this news scares me. And to be honest, it’s intimidating. What are we humans doing to the planet? To the environment? Why is it that so many goods are needed for our ever-increasing consumption, while at the same time landfill is stuffed with ever more food and plastic waste? And what can I, what can any of us, do about it?

Have you ever heard terms like “plastic-free” and “zero-waste” before? I am certainly aware of these concepts. Ask my whether I actually live plastic-free though, and I would probably um and ah and say how desperately I wish I did, but that I haven’t started. Yet.

I’m all for upcycling (such as in these sewing projects) and recycling (like giving new life to old toothbrushes). But still…

I needed to find some more information, something which I could latch onto and quickly implement to kick-start a plastic-free way of living. What does it even mean to live plastic-free? Would it be hard?

I decided to speak with my friend, Birgitta, as she is one of the only people I know who really does live plastic-free. And has done for a while. She would surely have some ideas for me!

Lucky for all of us, she was happy for me to share her story and some of her top tips with you! Plus, she shares one of her favourite recipes with us 😉. Read on to find out how Birgitta got started and how she successfully maintains a plastic-free household.

August 25, 2019June 26, 2021

Sewing + Upcycling = Win

sewing, sewing projects, diy, diy sewing, upcycling

Yo, hello! I hope you have all been having a Famtastic week! Here it was the last full week of summer school holidays. Just a couple of days left and then we are thrown back into the (so very, very early, every morning) school schedule.

I truly imagined having some time to pursue my own hobbies these holidays. Yes, snigger at me, if you wish. But I really had fantasised about getting some sewing done. Leggings for the girls, a shirt for me, perhaps a shirt for Master 5. Let us take a moment to contemplate whether I did any of those things…

**3 milliseconds later**

Alas, NO. I did not. Is this how it is for you during school holidays too? Imagine squeezing in some Mama time and end up with perhaps a microscopic amount of Mama time?!?

Anyway, I did, however, repair a stack of holes in children’s clothes. “Wow!” I hear you say. Yes, I find that neither fun nor satisfying. What I DO enjoy is creating handmade clothes and other goodies. Like shirts and leggings and skirts.

What I have been experimenting with more recently though is UPCYCLING in my sewing projects.

So what is upcycling anyway? And why would anyone want to do it? Hint: Upcycling does not mean riding a bike up a steep hill 😉.