A Touch of Custom

Recently while window shopping around on Etsy, I came across some super cute child sized wooden hangers. I thought they would make great props for photographing some of my kids garments that would look better hanging instead of laid out for a flat-lay. Then I thought it would be great to add an extra detail to them using my logo.

When I originally purchased the hangers I messaged the seller to make sure they were unfinished wood so I could have them printed. Unfortunately, once I received them I found out they were not unfinished and my original plans fell through. So it was time to come up with a plan B.

I had seen people use temporary tattoos to add embellishments to plates or cups and then seal them to make them last. I decided if it worked for that it’d be worth a shot to try them with my hangers. So I ordered some of this print at home temporary tattoo paper from Amazon. It is intended to use with a Silhouette cutting machine (which I do not have), but it worked with the printer I have so I went for it.

To get the most out of the two sheets that come in the pack I created a Word document with as many logos as would fit based on the sizing I was looking for. It’s important that you print your images mirrored so that after you apply them the wording or image faces the proper way. If your image doesn’t include words or can be reversed then you can skip that step.

Next, I cut around an individual logo and applied it directly to the hanger per the instructions. This is where a cutting machine would come in handy, but I was able to manage without just fine using my scissors. There is a small halo of film around my image based on how I cut them. If you have a Silhouette you may be able to avoid some of this halo by allowing the machine to cut out the images more precisely. But I’m happy with the overall effect I was able to achieve with them.

Once I find my sealing spray I’ll be giving them a quick coat to protect my images. I can’t wait to start putting these little guys to use! If you decide to try this out I would love to hear how it went for you in the comments below.

Thanks for reading, and until next time, happy crafting!

Wendy

P.S. Kids love temporary tattoos, even if it’s one of your mom’s logo…

The Valencia Dress Hack

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After all the sewing I have been doing for my kids with Project Run and Play, I decided it was time for a little selfish sewing. I’ve had my eye on the Valencia by New Horizons Designs (aff) ever since it released, but never had the opportunity to snag it and sew it up. Now that I found myself with some extra time, combined with the need for something fun for an overdue date night, I decided to give it a go… with a bit of a twist. Here’s how I hacked the Valencia into a stunning faux wrap dress.

Before cutting out my final pieces I graded my sizes based on the instructions included in the pattern. The final look required a few more alterations, but by grading before I cut fabrics I gave myself a head start on achieving my desired fit.

After my pattern pieces were graded, I laid them out on my fabric. I used this soft, navy stretch velvet from Aurora Designs Fabrics (aff). It had the perfect amount of stretch to fit the pattern, and the color and texture added to the luxuriousness I feel when wearing it.

To transform this top pattern into a dress, I used an existing body con dress I had in my closet to help me extend my pieces to a dress length. Be sure to add in seam and hem allowances when tracing an existing piece.

The front was pretty simple, but the back pieces required a little figuring out due to the gathers on one side. I used the body con dress to match the length of the front on the side where they would meet. Then for the gathered side I followed the pattern piece and then went straight down to match the hem length. (If I do this again I would probably angle this cut out and add a little more flare to the angle which will help the crossover pieces not pull the side seams to the back – I’ll explain why that’s important in a min…)

Here you can see I used the lengthened front piece as a guide for the side seam of my crossover back pieces to ensure the hemlines met up properly.

After all my pieces were lengthened and cut, I assembled the pattern per the instructions. I used a basting stitch to gather the sides of the crossover pieces and then put it on my mannequin to see where I wanted them to sit and how gathered it should be. I then basted the side seams together and tried it on for a fitting.

As you can probably see by now, my crossover doesn’t quite match up with the original pattern. When I had this hack planned out, I intended to keep the crossover in back as per the original. Unfortunately because of how I angled my cut following the pattern piece for the gathered side it caused the crossover back to pull the side seams to the back, which didn’t flatter me quite as well as I’d hoped. But as Bob Ross says, “We don’t make mistakes. Just happy little accidents.”

In a moment of curiosity I flipped the dress around and had the crossover in the front… then bam! It was love. Now that the orientation was set, I decided I wanted the top of the dress to be a little more fitted. So I pinned the seams to my desired fit, then I messed with the gathers a little to make sure they all fell the way I wanted. Finally I was able to sew up my side seams and put the finishing touches on this piece.

Here is my finished look!
I’m all set and ready for date night!

I’d love to hear what you think and if you’re interested in trying this hack for yourself. Let me know in the comments below! Also, check out another New Horizons make I did earlier this year here.

Until next time, happy crafting!

Wendy