DIY Life

Everywhere you look, you see someone wearing a skull cap or a bandana. Cowboys, whether in movies or real life, wear them tied across their face to keep the dust out of their nose and mouth. They also keep them tied around their necks to wipe the sweat off their face. My dad used a bandana as a handkerchief.

I came across an article on Wisebread, written by the very talented Myscha Theriault. She writes about bang up ideas for bandanas, and sends you off to read the many links that accompany her awesome article. I absolutely love her article and I too have put many of the fascinating ideas to use.

I like the fact that Myscha mentions using bandanas as no sew window valances, as I had written a blog for DIY Life about that very thing back in July. Some of her other ideas I like for using bandanas include making toddler pants and a toddler dress, no sew pillows, using bandanas to wrap up a homemade gift and making a beach bag. Be sure to read the article, as it will keep you busy with things to do with bandanas for quite some time, and give you lots of ideas for Christmas gifts.

No sew projects are always fun and this idea couldn't be easier. All you need is a piece of jersey knit fabric and your scissors to make this simple scarf. The only possible thing about it that could be at all hard is cutting a straight line.

Jersey knit scarves are becoming very popular and can be fairly expensive. Now, thanks to the Altered Cloth blog you can make your own and save money. Especially if you already a\have some extra jersey knit fabric sitting around your house left over from another project.

The nice thing about jersey knit is that you don't need to finish the edges so you can make this scarf and not worry about it unraveling. When I saw this idea I wasn't sure the rough edge was a good idea until I looked in my closet. I saw how many shirts I have that have the unfinished edge and realized that this would work.

Apparently this rough edge thing is all the rage and you will be uber cool if you make yourself this no sew scarf. Plus its made of super soft jersey knit so you'll be comfy too.

The cost of curtains and valances can be very expensive these days. Thrift stores, white sales, flea markets, and remnant bins are perfect places to find inexpensive window treatments that don't require any sewing.

Here are some fun and easy ideas to make your own window valances:

Got an old pair of jeans just lying around? Why not turn them into a new stylish pair of shorts? It's really simple. Dig out those jeans you've been holding onto and increase your summer wardrobe with these easy instructions:

1. First, take out your old jeans (designer ones and all), lay them out flat on the table and measure the length you'd like your shorts to be. The inseam should be no shorter than 3" and no longer than just above the knees ... any lower and we wouldn't be making shorts!
   
2. It's time to cut them. Make sure you cut as straight as possible ... try to use scissors that are sharp or you'll be struggling through the material.
   
3. It's easy, but not that easy. At this stage they look, well, cut ... so you still have more to do. The idea is to make people think you bought these cool new shorts, so you're going to want to throw them in the washer and the dryer. This will give them that frayed looked -- and lucky for you -- that's what's in style this summer.
   
4. Now take them out of the dryer ... not what you were expecting? I know it looks like one tangled mess. But it's not, so just cut off all the white pieces of thread and leave the frayed part of the jeans.
   
5. That's it! Now you have a brand new pair of very cool shorts. And, now that you've saved all that money ... you'll be able to buy a shirt that goes with them.

DIY Tip: This works for the kids as well. In fact, most boys and girls grow faster in length than they do in width, so if you've got growing children, I highly recommend this. I think I turned at least 10 pair of last years jeans into wearable shorts for my kids this year.