Do It Gorgeously: How to Make Less Toxic, Less Expensive, and More Beautiful Products (16 page)

HOW TO

1.
Cut off the legs 2 inches below the crotch of the jeans.

2.
Turn the jeans inside out and sew a hem about ½ inch away from the raw edge. Cut off the raw edges with pinking shears to avoid fraying.

3.
Grab the front and back of the jeans and pull apart and turn so that the crotch is facing you. You should see a diamond shape. Sew off a triangle at the north and south tips of the diamond to create the base of the bag.

4.
Turn the jeans the right way and you’ll see you have miraculously created a bottom for your bag.

5.
Take one of the discarded legs and cut off both side seams. Measure over your shoulder to see how long you need the shoulder strap to be.

6.
Cut a 3-inch-wide strip of fabric from the leg. The length will be what you have measured.

7.
Fold in the sides of the strip to meet in the middle and then fold in half like a sandwich.

8.
Sew a hem on either side of the strap, ¼ inch from the edge.

9.
Attach the strap to the inside of either side of your bag, backstitching several times so it’s super-secure.

No-sew Perfect Baby Sling

A baby sling is ideal, especially for a newborn who wants to stay as close to your heartbeat as possible. My daughter lived in her stretchy sling until she was at least 6 months old. There’s no need to buy an expensive sling—many of which are annoying and don’t work as well as you really need them to. Making your own will take you 10 minutes!

HOW TO

1.
Using a pair of sharp fabric scissors, cut your fabric so that your piece measures 25 inches wide. Don’t throw out the remainder of the fabric, as you can use it for all kinds of other wonderful craft projects.

2.
Hang about 20 inches of the fabric over your left shoulder, then pull it down across your back until it reaches the front of your right hip.

3.
Tie the two ends of the fabric together with a strong double knot. Keep in mind that the weight of the baby will pull the sling down lower than it is at this point.

4.
Always sit down to place your baby in the sling. You should have enough fabric to create a really cozy cocoon around your baby once he/she is installed in the sling.

Baby Mobile

This is so much better than anything you will find in a store. The store-bought mobiles may look cute to adults, but babies want to see bright colors and flashing shapes—which is where your old CDs come in.