DIY: Waitress Apron

DIY: Waitress Apron

Supplies:

• Fabric (I chose two contrasting fabrics)
• Scissors 
• Sewing machine or strong glue 
• Ribbon
• Iron

I like many other teenagers work to put gas into our vehicles and because we have no experience in anything big and important we are forced to work minimum wage jobs.  I am one of those teenagers... 

Personally I love waitressing but if you do not feel the same way an easy way to make going to work a little less terrible is to make your wardrobe more fun :) At my work we wear ALL black. Black top pants and shoes, our aprons are even black...

I am sorry but that's a crime!  So I asked my manager (which I strongly suggest you do before you make this) if it was okay if I made a fun and cute waitress apron.  She said yes! :) I was honestly kind of surprised but I wasn't going to question it :) 

This project can be altered to fit your style and you can do as much or as little to it as you want.  I kept mine pretty simple because I know my boss wouldn't be to happy if I went any crazier. This project can also be a no sew.  I recommend finding a strong fabric glue that is a quick dry but you can try hot glue.  I chose to sew because it will be stronger.  

Step one: cut two pieces of fabric 

Piece one: 22" long and 13" tall 

Piece two: 22" long and 7" tall 

I chose two contrasting fabrics but you can use the same if you would like. 

Step Two: Fold over raw edges

Use a one inch seam allowance and mark it on the two short sides and one long side.  

The top will be folded over and the two sides will if that explains it easier. 

Take notice!

For the small rectangle you only need to pick 1 long side to hem the rest can be left alone. 

I just wanted to show you guys how I did it. 

 So fold the side over to the 1" line you marked out 

 Then just fold that in half and iron down. 

Step Three: Sew the folds down

(or glue)

Step Four: Pin right and wrong side together

Usually when you sew you put right sides together but in this case you need to but the RIGHT side of the little rectangle facing down on the WRONG side of the big rectangle 

If you are just gluing yours go ahead and just glue down the three sides of the little rectangle LEAVING THE TOP OPEN!

Step Five: Sew

Just like the gluers did sew the bottom and the two sides and make sure you keep the top open

Step Six: Turn inside out

If you did it right you should have both your right side of your big fabric and ur little fabric facing you. 

(before turing inside out you may have to trim off some access fabric) 

Final step(S): Sew pockets and sides and add ties

See were I marked the lines? sew 2 lines down the little rectangle to make pockets. Your measurements may be different then mine but try to make them even.  

You will also have to go down the edges of the apron because your big rectangle will have fabric that still needs to be folded over.  (you will understand what I mean when you make it) 

Now add a way to tie it! 

You could make your own ties from fabric or just buy some ribbon (that's what I did) Just sew to the edges of your apron and you are officially done!

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Well there you have it! I really really really hope that wasn't to confusing.  I was trying to simplify it as best as I could.  If you have any questions just comment and I will try my best to answer them! 

If you attempt to make this or your own version I would LOVE to see it.  Tag me in a picture of it on instagram @DIYNATION7797

DIY: Watermellon American flag shirt

DIY: Watermelon American Flag T-shirt 

This is a great way to recycle an old t-shirt and an easy way to get rid of awkward fabric scraps you have laying around.  My inspiration was a watermelon but you could use any color combo you would like.  

Cuttin to the chase: 

I will go into detail how I made this step by step but for those of you who are just going to skip threw and look threw the pictures and go on your own here is the short version of what I did.  

1. Gathered scraps 

2. Placed in desired form 

3. sewed in place 

4. Drew on "watermelon seeds"

For the rest of you I will go into detail step by step with pictures :) 

Supplies:

• Fabric scraps (red pink and green for watermelon)
• T-shirt 
• Fabric markers or paint 
• Sewing machine or sewing needle in thread

Step One: Place your fabric scraps

There is no right or wrong way to do this guys just go crazy and get an idea of what you want it to look like.  

Step two: Sew down

If you feel more comfortable pinning yours down that is fine but I wanted a very frayed crazy organic look so I just started tacking down with no particular meaning.



Step Three: Draw "watermelon seeds"
Again no rhyme or reason just add the effect of watermelons.  Also keep in mind your maker or paint you use cannot be washable because when you put it in the washer it will just wash right out.



Step four: Cut sleeves 
This step is completely optional but I was going for a very ragged look and I wanted a tank style.  Maybe try a crop top style?

I paired it with high waisted Gingham shorts I thrifted for 99 cents and a fruit patterned bow I made. 

Hope you guys enjoyed it! If you happen to make this project or a similar project I would LOVE to see it.  Tag me in pictures of it on instagram @diynation7797

DIYs of the month

DIY's of the month:

I think the feeling of spring being here has really kind of cleaned out my brain with the smell of fresh air and let in plenty of new ideas.  This was really good for me because this month has just not been the best month (I will save you the details) but I find the best way to get through some terrible weeks is to just craft out the bad feelings.  

Unfortunately my brain works in 5 million directions when I do this so I never think of taking pictures step by step I just JUMP right into it afraid I am going to loose the idea or I just get to excited I cant stop mid thought.  

Since I did not save you guys any of these ideas special because they were more spontaneous I will just kind of show you a few of the DIY'S and maybe you will be inspired to make something similar or maybe it will spark up another idea.  

Craft #1

80's tacky necklace transformed into a spring statement piece

DIY #2 

Silver platter perfume tray 

DIY#3

I have recently grown my jewelry collection to a HUGENORMOUS size.  Which that is great but I was completely out of space to put it all considering all my other jewelry holders were full to the brim.  So what do I do? I make a stick into one of the cutest jewelry holders I have ever owned in my life.  

I really hate jewelry boxes I like my jewelry to be free and shown off so this was perfect.  All I did was add frame hanging backs and nailed some nails into it....

Yes... it was that simple... 

Sometimes the most simple things are the most beautiful 

This stick actually has a story if you would like to hear? no? well than don't keep scrolling... 

in 8th grade I went to conformation camp. It takes place out in the wilderness and one of the activities we did was finding a big stick like this one for example and than sand it down and there was some bible story to go with it basically I kind of had a few meaning full prayers mixed into this stick.  

Well I know everyone else who went to the camp with me just used theirs as firewood but for some reason I couldn't bring myself to get rid of the dang thing because the lady who taught us the lesson told us to take it seriously and cherish it and what not... typical old lady lesson but I kept it for this long I might as well make something of it right?  .....and so I did! and I am soooo glad I did. 

DIY #4

Upcycled vintage maxi to circle skirt 

DIY: #5

Easter dress with vintage fabric 

DIY #6 

Garters

The proms in my area are all going on right now so I made several of my friends garters 

DIY #7

Vintage fabric cheer bow 

DIY #8

Shotgun shell corsage and boutonniere 

DIY #9

Hemp necklace

I actually did not make these but I bought them from my friend who made them. Hemp is a cute way to add some boho to the wardrobe and whats not to love about chokers.  There a great "different" piece to have in the wardrobe.  

Thanks for reading guys! I hope to have an actual DIY up soon and I am sorry I was away for so long.  Prom is Saturday so expect a post about that by nest week! Also I think I have a good idea for a DIY I am going to show for you guys.  

Tea Time: Internet Companies

Tea Time:
Internet companies

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Hey guys! The reason for this tea time today is kind of to apologize about how I have not posted anything in around a week or two now.  The reason for this is because I do not have any internet at my house at the moment.  I will save you the ranting details about how terrible internet companies are.

Long story short someone bought our internet company and so we don't know when we will have internet again.

The worst part of it all is that the only other place I have time to get wifi at is at my school.  I am not technically supposed to be blogging while I am in school so there is only so much I can do while I am here.

Some of you may have noticed some of the formatting on my blog has changed... and it looks quite terrible.  welllll the day I was reformatting my hole blog and going to change a hole bunch of things was the day the internet got shut off.  :(

So I apologize for what it looks like and I also apologize for the lack of posting.  The MINUET I do get my internet back will be when I fix the format and post a few blogs.

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Some things to look forward to:

• Prom is this weekend so expect there to be a post on that
• Easter outfit 
• DIY's of the month 
• Thrift haul and video along with it 
• TWO! shoe unboxings 
• 3 DIY'S depending on if they all go as planned 
• and a few ideas on what to do with your left over plastic Easter eggs 

DIY Prom/Wedding Garter

DIY: Garter

I have prom in two weeks! I have been dreading it but I did get a great DIY out of the process :) This project does require a bit of sewing skills but it still is quite a simple project and can be done in 20 minuets.  It is also very cost effective so if you have prom or a wedding on a budget this is the garter for you! The best part about it is that it is super custom to match your style or color them in the best way possible.   

At first I wanted a vintage garter but did not find any I liked.  But than I thought oh wait I could just make one out of vintage fabric!....buut I ended up scratching the vintage fabric idea and ended up making it pink camo with vintage lace and  a sparkly bow.  All the things that resemble me :) 

                                                              

Turns out all the other garter tutorials out there actually kind of suck so I made my own variation of one.  There will be other tutorials listed at the end of this blog post if you would also like to give those a try as well. 

Supplies:

• Fabric of choice (at least 20-30" in length depending on the size of your leg) 
• Lace or ribbon 
• Scissors 
• Elastic 
• Measuring tape 
• Iron 
• sewing machine with matching thread 
• Chalk or other marking tool
• Embelishments (charms, bows, flowers)

You can customize how you are making this by changing up the type of fabric and lace you use to make it more personal to you. 

Step one - Cut elastic, lace, and fabric 
YOUR FABRIC AND LACE WILL BE 3" BIGGER THAN YOUR LEG AND YOUR ELASTIC WILL BE 7" SMALLER THAN YOUR LEG

To cut elastic:
Take the measurement around the area you would like to place your garter.  Mine was in my mid thigh it was 26".  Simply take the measurement around your thigh and subtract 7" from it.  

For example:
26" (distance around my thigh) - 7" = 19"

19" is how long I cut my elastic

To cut Lace:
Measure around were you would like your garter to sit and add 5"

For example:
26" + 5" = 31"

I will cut my Lace 31"

To cut Fabric or ribbon:
For this all just do the same steps you did for your lace they need to be exactly the same size.
Except for your fabric it needs to be 3" WIDE



Step two: Iron raw edges 

Simply take your Iron and fold in the edges. (wrong sides together)  Be sure not to over fold no more than a cm wide or your garter will not be wide enough for your elastic. 

If you don't feel confident with this small fold cut your fabric wider to give you more room to fold raw edges over.  The reason we do this is so the fabric does not fray and it looks more professional. 

If you choose to use ribbon you can skip this step



Step three: Sandwich the lace
Put the lace on the edge of your fabric on one side and fold over the other side.  Line up the fabric edges together while the lace is "sandwiched" into the two fabric sides.  PIN INTO PLACE.  

This part is a little time consuming but this is one of the most critical parts so make sure you take your time. If this does not look good your garter will not look good.  



Step four: Sew
Sew the fabric and lace sandwich together were you pinned. 



Step Five: Insert elastic
To insert elastic simply attach a safety pin to one end of the elastic and feed it through the tube.  

You will want to add a pink to the other end of the elastic and pin it to the fabric so while you are pulling it threw it bunches up and does not slip out.  



Step Six: Sew elastic
Now remove the pins and sew the ends down.

Step Seven: Attach ends together
Place it right sides together sew down the line than turn right side out and you are done! 

(unless you decide to add a bow or other embellishments like I did)

Step Eight: Add Embellishments
I chose to add a bow but you can add whatever you want to yours or nothing at all.  Simply hand sew on whatever it is you desire.  If needed add glue to reinforce the seams because that many layers of fabric can be tricky to sew to. 

Here are a few other Garter Tutorials that are slightly different than this one check them out for other variations:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9_JRJi1Y9Wc

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y-McfdKLoKI

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7gXrToS4EvE

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vT3yRfPacTg

All of these are slightly different to make it easier for you to find the style that suits you

Thanks for reading guys! If you make your own version of this garter I would love to see it so tag me in pictures of it on instagram @DIYNATION7797