I first saw this idea on Instagram, inspired by the talented @ledressingdecindy. I had saved it to my To-Make list on my Kustom Couture IG account, and finally decided to give it a go after finding a placemat at a local market for just two euros. It turned out to be a fun and practical way to reuse something simple and turn it into something useful!

Unlike the original version, I chose to add a fabric lining that matched my zipper — a small detail that really elevates the final result.

Materials Needed to Make a DIY Placemat Pouch:

• 1 placemat (any material that holds shape)

• 1 zipper – I used a 50 cm (20 inch) neon plastic open-end zipper from Mondial Tissus

• 1 piece of fabric (same size as the placemat) for the optional lining

• Sewing scissors

• Pins or sewing clips

• Sewing machine

#1 Use the placemat as a pattern and cut your fabric lining to the same size. This will give your pouch a clean, finished look inside.

#2 Place the zipper right sides together with the edge of the placemat. Pin in place.

#3 Sew along the edge of the placemat and zipper with a 1 cm (⅜ inch) seam allowance. This will secure the zipper neatly.

#4 Place the fabric lining right sides together with the placemat (the zipper now sandwiched between them). Sew around the edge with a 1 cm seam allowance, leaving a small opening on one side. This opening will be used to turn the pouch right side out later. Don’t forget to backstitch at the beginning and end of the seam to secure the stitches.

#5 Turn your pouch right side out, so the lining is now on the outside. Partially close the zipper. Pinch the corners into triangle shapes (“beaks”) at each end of the zipper and sew across them to create boxed corners. Trim excess fabric to reduce bulk.

#6 Sew the small opening in the lining closed with a straight stitch — either by hand or using your machine.

Now that your DIY zipper pouch is done, the only question is: How will you use it?

• As a toiletry bag for your next trip?

• A makeup pouch?

• Or maybe a sewing kit bag?

The size makes it super versatile and the process is so quick, you might just end up making more than one!

I’d love to know how you plan to use yours — drop a comment below and share your ideas!

L’article Turn a Placemat into a Stylish DIY Zipper Pouch est apparu en premier sur Kustom Couture.

It’s been a long time since I last posted on my blog! I’ve gone through some very challenging years, but here I am, back and more motivated than ever to share new DIY fashion tutorials! I will try to get back into a regular posting rhythm, starting with one tutorial per month. What do you think?

I’m back with a tutorial and a pattern to sew a fanny pack!

You can’t ignore the current trend: the Fanny pack. This 90s favorite that I used to wear when I was younger is back, and I couldn’t be more pleased! Even though the internet is filled with tutorials on how to make a banana bag, I wanted to give it a try for three reasons:

• It’s still very accessible for sewing machine beginners, and it’s nice for a welcome-back, right?
• Unlike in the 90s, I won’t be buying one for this type of accessory: I prefer DIY. I have nothing against purchasing one; it’s just about showing it off proudly like a peacock and saying “I made it myself!”
• You can upcycle all sorts of fabrics with this DIY: old curtains, cushions, or an old pair of jeans…

Enough talking, let’s get to work!

For this tutorial on how to sew a fanny pack for spring, I got all the necessary sewing supplies from Mondial Tissus.

• 30 cm of your chosen main fabric, here I went with sage green velvet from Mondial Tissus
• 30 cm of lining fabric, here I opted for a beautiful 70’s printed cotton fabric that complements the main fabric
• 30cm of fusible interfacing (if the main fabric isn’t stiff enough)
• 1 matching thread
• 1 zipper (30 cm)
• 110cm of of matching webbing (3 cm wide)
• 2 32mm D-rings
• 2 Snap hooks 30 mm
• Pins
• A sewing machine
• An iron
• A banana bag pattern

1. Part preparation

• Print & cut out the pattern. The 1 cm seam allowances are already included. Cut out the following 15 pieces from your fabrics:
• Cut out the following 15 pieces from your fabrics:
  • Piece A (lower front): 1 time from the main fabric, 1 time from the lining, and 1 time from the fusible interfacing
  • Piece B (upper front): 1 time from the main fabric, 1 time from the lining, and 1 time from the fusible interfacing
  • Piece C (back): 1 time from the main fabric, 1 time from the lining, and 1 time from the fusible interfacing
  • Piece D (sides): 2 times from the main fabric, 2 times from the lining, and 2 times from the fusible interfacing

2. Apply Fusible Interfacing

Fusible interface all the pieces, following the instructions on the fusible interfacing, but do not use steam when ironing.

3. Mark the Center of the Pieces

Mark the centre of each piece with a small notch to act as a guidance mark when layering multiple pattern pieces.

4. Attach the Zipper

4.1 Attach the zipper to the lower front (Piece A)

• Pin the right side of the zipper against the right side of the lower front piece (Piece A).
• Place and pin the lining right sides together, so that the zipper is sandwiched between the two layers.
• Sew all three layers as close as possible to the zipper, making a backstitch at the beginning and end of the seam. If you have a zipper foot, feel free to use it.
• Flip it to the right side, press flat, and make a decorative topstitch along the zipper edge.

4.2 Repeat for the upper front (Piece B)

• Repeat the same steps for Piece B (upper front), pinning the zipper along the curved part.
• Pin the lining right sides together, sandwiching the zipper between the two layers.
• Sew all three layers as close as possible to the zipper with backstitches at the beginning and end.
• Flip it to the right side, press flat, and make a decorative topstitch along the zipper edge.

5. Assemble the Sides (Piece D)

• For the main fabric, pin the sides of Piece D to the sides of the banana bag right sides together. Repeat the same step with the lining, so the front of the banana bag is sandwiched between the two pieces of D.
• Sew the sides at a 1 cm seam allowance, starting and finishing with backstitches.
• Trim the seam allowances. Press the seams outward with an iron, and then make a decorative topstitch along the main fabric side.

6. Attach the Straps

• Cut two 4 cm pieces of webbing. Pass each piece through a half-moon buckle and fold each end in half.
• Position the straps at the ends of the banana bag sides, with the rings facing inward. Sew a securing stitch 5 mm from the edge.

The front of the banana bag is now ready!

7. Assemble the Back

• Partially open the zipper of the banana bag.
• Pin right sides together on the back and front of the banana of the main fabric only (do not include the lining).
• Sew the back and the front at a 1 cm seam allowance, with backstitches at both ends.
• Pin the back and the front of the lining right sides together. Sew at a 1 cm seam allowance, leaving an opening at the bottom to turn the banana bag right side out.
• Before turning it, trim the corners for a neat finish.
• Turn the lining right side out through the opening you left.
• Turn the banana bag right side out through the zipper opening.
• Close the lining opening by folding the seam allowance inwards, press, and sew 5 mm from the edge with backstitches at both ends.
• Trim any excess threads.

8. Attach the Webbing

• Cut a 1m long webbing.
• Pass the webbing through the adjustment buckle and slide the buckle towards the end of the webbing. Fold 4 cm of the webbing. If your webbing is less stiff than mine, hem it.
• Make a securing stitch in a rectangle with an X inside to hold the webbing in place.
• Insert the other end of the webbing into the first snap hook and pass the webbing through the adjustment buckle.
• Pass the other end into the second snap hook and sew the hem 5 mm from the edge.
• Place the snap hooks in the loops.

The banana bag is ready to be used! Thanks to the adjustable webbing system, you can personalize your Fanny pack and even create multiple versions to change with your mood. Get creative and add your personal touch!

What did you think of my version of the Fanny pack? Feel free to leave a little comment!

L’article Fashion DIY: Sew a Fanny Pack for spring est apparu en premier sur Kustom Couture.

I suggest you today a DIY Trousers, it is a DIY relatively simple to achieve and within the reach of all! You probably have in your closet a black denim pants not used, not worn or you simply want to modify. For me, this is the case, I found a black jean pants never worn because too basic. So I decided to personalize it by fraying the bottom of my black pants.

For this Fashion DIY, the idea is to fray the bottom of the pants, for this you will need:

• a black jean,
• a seam ripper,
• scissors,
• tweezers.

#1 Cut the hems of the pants with the scissors.

#2 Cut 2 cm off the side of the pants at the seam.

#3 Using the seam ripper, sew only the horizontal weft thread of the pants. Sew only the horizontal thread, not the vertical one!

#4 Proceed in this manner on 2 cm of both feet of the pants.

It’s done! Wear with heels or sneakers

Feel free to comment and/or share if you liked this DIY! Find me also on IG

L’article Fashion DIY – Frayed black pants est apparu en premier sur Kustom Couture.

I’m sharing with you today a zero waste DIY tutorial. It may seem complicated to some, but it’s not. It is a way of life that consists in limiting waste by opting for responsible alternatives. A movement to be encouraged when we know that 324 million tons of waste are produced each year in France. There are simple ways to adopt in your daily life to reduce this very important figure and DIY is one of them The tuto I propose today is not original, you must have seen it everywhere as a DIY addict but it is important to get the message across. I propose you to try to remove the cottons from the bathroom garbage can by creating washable makeup remover pads, I decided to offer them to the women in my family in a pretty handmade pouch too They in turn can encourage the use of washable pads  

To make reusable makeup remover pads, you need:

• 13*13 printed cotton pieces, I chose these prints: yellow palms, pink scales, pink and gold pineapples and green palms you can also recycle pieces of cotton fabric that you have at home,
• white organic terry fabric,
• pins,
• thread,
• scissors,
• a sheet of cardboard to cut out a 13x13cm template,
• a sewing machine (but you can sew the wipes by hand).

To make the ribbon pouch, you need:

• printed cotton pieces, I chose these prints: yellow palms, pink scales, pink and gold pineapples and green palms,
• 50cm of cord,
• pins,
• a safety pin,
• thread,
• a sewing machine.

Let’s start with the DIY makeup remover pad:

#1 I first created a template on a 13x13cm square piece of cardstock.

#2 Using this template, trace and cut out 13x13cm squares in the printed and terry fabrics.

#3 Place a square of printed fabric and a square of terry cloth right sides together and pin them together.

#3 Sew at 1 cm from the edge of the two fabrics and leave an opening of 3 cm to be able to turn the wipe to the right side.

#4 Cutting out the corners.

#5 Overstitch the seams using the zig-zag stitch on the machine.

#6 Turn the wipe over through the opening left and bring out the corners. Iron.

Let’s continue with the DIY fabric pouch:

#1 Cut out a rectangle 50 cm wide and 25 cm high.

#2 Overstitch the sides and bottom of the rectangle using the zig-zag stitch on the sewing machine.

#3 Fold the fabric in half right sides together and place a pin as a marker 5 cm from each side.

#3 From the mark sew 1cm from the edge and stop at the mark on the other side of the rectangle.

#4 Form a triangle with the unsewn edges and sew them on the machine.

#5 Form the hem: from the top fold the fabric a first time 1cm and then another time 1cm. The hem should be 2cm all around.

#6 Stitch at the edge of the hem.

#7 Use a safety pin to thread the cord through the hem. Spread the gathers well.

The washable makeup remover pads are ready and will be offered in their matching pouch. Don’t hesitate to spread the word: let’s reduce waste to preserve our planet.

You won’t be able to do without the softness of organic terry cloth. To wash the wipes, just do it in the washing machine to remove all traces of makeup.

I hope you enjoyed this zero waste DIY.

L’article How to Make Reusable Makeup Remover Pads? est apparu en premier sur Kustom Couture.

I propose you again a zero waste DIY to remove another element of your trash, and not the least for us women, the sanitary napkin. ological gesture, these homemade protections limit the allergies and irritations to the periodic towels. They can be used for daily protection or menstrual periods, whatever your flow.

To make this DIY washable sanitary napkin, you need:

• organic cotton, preferably dark in color for the outside of the towel (in contact with the skin),
• organic terry cloth for the insert of the napkin, it is an absorbent fabric,
• PUL, waterproof fabric which will be in contact with the panties,
• fabric clips to avoid piercing the PUL,
• snap fasteners to close the towel,
• thread,
• a sewing machine,
• two sheets to make the pattern of the sanitary napkin and its insert,
• a classic sanitary napkin,
• a pencil,
• scissors.

#1 The pattern of the washable sanitary napkin

• Glue the classic sanitary napkin on a white sheet of paper and draw the pattern around it.
• Add 1.5 cm on each side of the wings to obtain a width of 18 cm.
• Trace the middle of the model and cut out the shape.
• Fold the model in half along the middle and readjust the shape so that it is symmetrical.

#2 The pattern of the insert

• On the classic sanitary napkin, fold over the edge or cut it out (there is about 1 cm of thinner paper border around the napkin).
• Transfer this shape to a new blank sheet of paper.
• Trace the middle of the shape and cut out the pattern.
• As for the pattern of the sanitary napkin, fold the pattern in half and readjust the shape so that it is symmetrical.
• Transfer this pattern to the pattern of the sanitary napkin by placing the middles one on top of the other and 1 cm apart.

You then get two patterns

#3The Insert

Cut out the shape of the insert from the organic terry cloth as many times as you like. It depends on the flow, the more it is abundant, the more thicknesses of this fabric are needed.

If light flow: one layer, if medium flow: two layers and if heavy flow: three or four layers.

If you have several layers, sew them together with a zig-zag stitch at the edge of the fabric.

#4 The outside of the napkin

• Cut out the shape of the sanitary napkin on the back of the organic cotton fabric and transfer the location of the insert.
• Also cut out the shape of the sanitary napkin on the back of the PUL (plasticized part).

#5 The assemblage

• Pin the organic sponge insert to the back of the organic cotton fabric in the designated area.
• Sew at the edge.
• Using the fabric clips, hold the organic cotton fabric and the PUL fabric right sides together (the right side of the PUL is the unplasticised part).
• Leave an opening of 5 cm to allow the work to be turned over later.
• Sew at 1 cm from the edge.
• Cut the entire seam allowance to 0.5 cm and notch the rounded edges.
• Turn the napkin over through the 5 cm opening.
• Bring out the seams with a sharp object (I used my sewing ruler).
• Gently iron the napkin with a damp cloth so as not to burn the PUL.
• Stitch along the edge of the napkin.

#6 Closing the napkin

• The napkin is finished, just place the snaps: simulate closing the napkin and draw a mark where you want to place the snaps.
• Follow carefully the indications integrated in the box to place the buttons, I believe that it is the most complicated part of this towel :D. Be careful, the snaps should not be on the wings in the same direction to allow the closure.

#7 The Pouch

• Cut two rectangles of 32 cm length and 14 cm width in the organic cotton fabric.
• At 4 cm from each side, draw a mark. Also draw a mark in the middle of the width. Join the marks with a ruler and a pencil, then cut.
• Place right sides together and sew 1 cm from edge. Leave an opening of 4 cm.
• Remove the corners.
• Turn fabrics right side out and iron.
• Topstitch all around.
• Fold this rectangle in three.
• Draw a mark on the top of the pouch.
• Put a snap to close the pouch.

I hope this DIY to sew a washable sanitary napkin and its storage pouch will be useful for you. This DIY is not original, you may have seen several on the web. It is mostly about sharing what can reduce our waste and do something for the planet

Feel free to comment and/or share.

L’article How to make a washable sanitary napkin and its pouch? est apparu en premier sur Kustom Couture.

I propose you today a sewing tutorial around the relaxation at home:

how to sew a trendy kimono without a pattern?

The web is full of tutorials to create them and some of them are several years old. They inspired me to propose you my version. I sew this kimono to wear at home but you can of course go out with yours!

To sew this kimono, I chose a viscose from Mondial Tissus, a store available in France, it is a light fabric with a beautiful fall and the color of the fabric, you will see, is autumnal. For this type of realization, prefer a fluid fabric like viscose, jersey, cotton…

Here is the list of materials needed to sew a kimono without a pattern:

• the fabric of your choice. Here I chose a viscose fabric of 150cm x 120cm minimum, I wanted it to be long so I took a 150x155cm fabric so that the kimono would reach my knees (I am 1m70), if you want it longer or shorter, play with the height,
• matching thread,
• scissors,
• a sewing machine,
• pins,
• a ruler or tape measure,
• an iron.

#1 From the shoulder line, place a pin at 35 cm high and 25 cm wide.

To make the tutorial clearer, I suggest you follow the diagram available here.

Cutting the fabric

#2 From the shoulder line, place a pin at 35 cm high and 25 cm wide.

#3 Draw a line with chalk or place markers all along this line.

#4 At 25 cm from the edge, draw the line of the kimono sides.

#5 Cut the 4 layers according to the diagram.

#6 Pin together two layers of the sleeves and the two remaining layers of the sleeves.

#7 Pin two side layers together in the same way and then the other two layers together.

#8 For the front opening of the kimono, cut only the middle of the top layer of fabric at the fold.

#9 For the head opening, cut a length of 12 cm in each fold of fabric.

Sewing

The kimono is ready to be sewn! The sewing values are included in the cutting. Before that, serge all the edges because if you chose a viscose like me it will fray. If you don’t have a serger, use the zig-zag stitch on your sewing machine (like I did)

#10 Once the kimono serged, sew each sleeve at 1cm and the sides at 1.5cm. Don’t forget to use a stop stitch at the beginning and the end of the seam.

#11 Iron the seams.

#12 At the collar, I realized that an edging was necessary: to make it I cut a strip of fabric a little longer than the width of the opening: 62 cm wide and 8 cm high. I first hemmed it by 1 cm and then pinned (the unhemmed part) right sides together on the collar and the back. This makes for a nicer finish.

#13 Sew the bottom hem of the kimono to 2 cm then iron.

The belt of the kimono

#14 After trying on the kimono, I found that a belt would not be too much! Knowing that there was still fabric scraps, remember when we cut the sleeves and the side? To do this, measure your waistline and ideally add a minimum of 15 cm by 20 cm in width (so that the belt is wide enough). Sew right sides together for most of the waistband rectangle and leave a small opening to turn the waistband inside out. Edge the corners and iron. Turn the belt over and topstitch at the edge, this will look nice and allow you to close the opening left.

I just sewed a kimono without a pattern for the first time. And I’m pretty happy with it I’m going to wear it while working at home.

How about you, tell me how the sewing of this kimono went and how do you plan to wear it? Feel free to comment below!

L’article Fashion DIY – Sew a kimono without a pattern est apparu en premier sur Kustom Couture.

For as long as Covid-19 has been around, the importance of handwashing has been stressed. That’s why I’m offering you a new tutorial via this article:

How to create homemade liquid soap for hand washing?

To do so, I spent hours on the web to get inspired by recipes already shared and on Etsy to find the right ingredients. A real gold mine, there are creators from all over the world who offer beautiful handmade, vintage, personalized or unique products.

As I told you, hand washing is essential, both now because of the pandemic and all the time. Instead of using commercial products, sometimes too aggressive for the skin, the ideal is to do it yourself to be sure of its composition.

For the necessary material, you surely have what you need at home but I still put you the links of the designer stores on Etsy on which, I could take these products.

For the liquid hand soap recipe, you need:

• 500 ml of hot water,
• 3 tablespoons of grated Marseille soap,
• 2 teaspoons of olive oil,
• 3 teaspoons of vegetable glycerin (replace with honey if you don’t have any),
• 5 drops of Essential Oil of your choice, I chose cinnamon,
• a pretty glass bottle to incorporate your recipe.

#1 Grate the Marseille soap.

#2 Boil the water and pour it over the soap in a large bowl.

#3 Add olive oil and mix.

#4 Add the glycerin and mix.

#5 Add the drops of essential oil, once the mixture cools.

#6 Using the funnel, transfer to the glass bottle.

The liquid soap to wash your hands regularly is ready.

L’article DIY Liquid Hand Soap est apparu en premier sur Kustom Couture.