Do It Gorgeously: How to Make Less Toxic, Less Expensive, and More Beautiful Products (28 page)

HOW TO

1.
If your pillowcase opening has a casing (a turned-over hem), you can go to step 2. If not, turn the pillowcase inside out, fold over the top edge, and sew a 1-inch casing all the way around.

2.
If you have a sewing machine capable of making buttonholes, sew in 2 buttonholes on either side of your casing/hem—4 in all.

3.
Cut the ribbon in half and thread each piece through the buttonholes on either side of the case. Knot the ends of the ribbons and pull tight.

If you don’t own a sewing machine, follow these steps:

1.
Fold over (into the opening) the top edge of the pillowcase 1¾ inches.

2.
Sew a seam to create a casing all the way around. You can use a basic running stitch.

3.
Using a seam-ripper, open the outside side seam of the pillowcase (in the casing) ½ inch to create a buttonhole.

4.
Attach a safety pin to the end of one long piece of ribbon and thread through the hole, all around the casing, and out through the hole again. Knot the ends of the ribbon together.

Undies Drawer

The drawers that house my bras, panties, socks, camisoles, and all that good racy and lacy stuff can get pretty chaotic. It’s extremely irritating to never be able to find a pair of panties to match that bra you love, or to have to scrabble around in vain to try to find the one thong panty that you can wear with those low-rise jeans. I recommend getting your drawers in order. This little project will not only make your mornings easier, but it’s a strangely therapeutic—dare I say,
soothing
—activity. Do it on a day you feel bored, frustrated, or depressed, as it’ll give you back a little of the control that you may be craving. The feel-good bonus is that you’ll be reusing a shoebox rather than buying more plastic.

HOW TO

1.
Empty out your entire underwear drawer/drawers on the bed.

2.
Sort everything into piles:

3.
Your shoeboxes are going to act as drawer separators. Make two lines of bras in each box. Fold each bra by nestling the cups into each other and sort each line by color. I used one box for fancy bras and one for everyday bras, and color-sorted each one accordingly.

4.
Fold all your fancy panties and boy shorts in half and stack them in two rows inside the shoebox (as you’ve seen them stacked in Victoria’s Secret in those pull-out drawers). You may want to use a separate box for your thong panties, as they’re impossible to fold.

5.
The last box will be for your socks. Ball them up and sort them by color.

Sexy Recycled Cashmere

I know a couple of designers here in Los Angeles who recycle cashmere into mouthwatering little cardigans. The great news is—so can you! You don’t need to be a clothes designer at all. It’s one of the easiest projects imaginable.

HOW TO

1.
Most of the work lies in imagining your creation by playing with all your supplies. The most important thing is to find a cardigan you can work with. I once found a baby blue cardigan in a flea market that was missing buttons, had messed-up cuffs, and a couple of huge holes in the front. I cut off the cuffs and sewed some beautiful cream velvet ribbon onto the seams to create ¾-length sleeves. I wanted to go a bit rock and roll with it, so I decided an appliqué (made from another sweater) skull and crossbones would be perfect for covering one hole and a pale pink rose for hiding the other. I added pearl buttons and rhinestuds in the skull’s eyes. Everyone comments on these because they shine at night. It’s become my all-time favorite cardigan.

2.
To make an appliqué under 5 inches across, you don’t need interfacing.
^*
Simply find a scrap of cashmere and draw your design on the
wrong
side of the cashmere with a marker. (Practice a few times on a piece of paper first.)

3.
Using a really good pair of small, sharp fabric scissors (this is vital), carefully cut out your design.

4.
Pin it onto the cardigan and either machine or hand sew it on with a short running stitch. It’s a bit tricky on the machine, as you need to keep the stitching only a couple of millimeters away from the edge of the appliqué.

5.
If your appliqué is larger than 5 inches, use some lightweight iron-on interfacing to give it a bit of structure and stop it from sagging. Simply cut out a large square of the cashmere that you’re using for your design and iron the interfacing onto the back.

6.
Draw your design over the interfacing. Cut it out and you are ready to sew it on.

T-shirt Yoga Pants

I can always get my hands on a bunch of old T-shirts in size XL. Either my husband is throwing them away, or I can find them in the thrift store. Look for T-shirts with words or interesting designs on them. Whatever lettering or image is on the chest of the T-shirt will be on the side/front thigh of your yoga pants. I live in my T-shirt yoga pants—they’re comfy and cool.

HOW TO

1.
Lay out your T-shirt on a flat surface. Using a marker, draw the design using the measurements that you see in illustration 1. If you are a size L or XL, add 4 inches to the width measurements. Cut out the shape and set the sleeves aside.

2.
Stitch up the sleeve holes. Cut open both side seams up to the armholes.

3.
Grab the center of each piece (front and back) and pull apart, so that the center becomes the sides of the pants and the crotch and legs come together. Pin the inner legs and crotch together and sew in one continuous line. Make sure you backstitch the beginning and end of your stitching so it won’t run.

4.
Cut the sleeves into two rectangles measuring 4 to 6 inches wide. These rectangles will become the turnover waistband.