DIY: mission accomplished

Hey!

On Sunday night I finally got on with the two DIYs I had been contemplating, the bow brooch and the leather bracelet. I hope this post doesn't come across patronising because both of these are very simple but some of you had asked for a step-by-step to the bow brooch so I thought I'd give it a go!

The leather bracelet:

I got this belt for £1 in a charity shop.

You need to begin by putting the belt on and pulling it quite tight (a bit like shooting up, I guess, not that I'd know!). Guess how long it needs to be and leave a little extra for mistakes (it also makes it easier to put on!). Make a hole in the appropriate place with a screwdriver or scissors, this part is probably easier if you're belt isn't leather.
Then snip of the end and you're done! I've kept the extra, not too sure why but it may hit me at some point!
The bow brooch: The tools; fabric scissors (sharp!), needle and thread in a similar colour to your chosen ribbon.

I went for this petrol-blue colour but I have no idea why, it's just pretty. I got quite a thick ribbon, maybe about 2-3 inches thick.
Firstly, you need to cut a little square off the bottom of your ribbon and hold onto it. Then tie your ribbon aroung the non-opening side of your safety pin. You need to make sure and do the kind of bow where both "loops" end up at the top and both "tails" are at the bottom, I think it's the kind where you make one loop and the other one goes around and through it, rather than the "bunny ears" method...did that make any sense?!
Ok, should've rotated this picture! Next, you use the little square of ribbon to cover up the knot - I would probably recommend sweing it but I assume that glue would also work.
Then tidy up your ends, I favour the fold it in half and make cute pointy bits method.
Done!
I hope you enjoyed fashionsqueah's first foray into the world of DIY! I enjoyed it a lot actually, I find crafty things very soothing. Doing something creative every now and then lets me release the part of my brain that diminishes with each year it spends in libraries and long lectures. Last year I was really into making jewellery (especially bracelets), this year seems to be a bit more random!

Char x