Hey y’all,

Okay, you Bohemians who are afraid of sewing machines: This would definitely be ranked in the list of easy sewing projects! It was hand stitched. I thought hand sewing would be more appropriate

for this homespun item. Of course, if you want to be a speedy stitcher, you can use your Singer or Brother or whatever sewing machine you have to machine stitch for a faster result. 

I found this idea on Pinterest. It’s from Magnolia Pearl. I LOVE Magnolia Pearl! But, have you seen their prices?! T-shirts are $95 and $125. A cotton denim pullover with fading, distressing and mending is $275. A cotton Jersey T with a pocket is $140. I figure I can do a lot of this kind of stuff myself! Lol.

Mine’s bigger than theirs, but I like both. I like this idea so much that I’m sure I will make more of different sizes and colors. I’m really fond of this option to a statement necklace. It would go with a whole different feel of boho chic outfit.

Categories:

• Hand Sewing
• Sewing for Beginners
• Easy Sewing Projects
• Sewing for Kids

How I Created My Patchwork “Facade”

‘Betchur wonderin’ about the photo above…Lol.

When I was tryin’ to figure out what to call my creation, I thought of the old-timey false fronts of stores of a century ago. The fronts were built bigger and covered the whole front of the building. The false front was called a facade, pronounced fəˈsäd.

And, so it is with my patchwork piece: It covers the whole front of a top or blouse. 🙂

This is such a great way to add a bohemian look to any blouse, changing it from just a blouse to your own version of bohemian fashion.

Let’s Get Started!

Step 1:

First, I gathered two doilies and several scraps of fabric that were like and kindred to each other.

I’ve been into tea staining lately, so I brewed up a salty tea concoction…just enough for what I wanted to stain.

How to Get Tea Stain

I added salt to the hot water before I put in the (2) large tea bags. It seems to cause the dye, or, in this case, the tea, to penetrate the fabric better. I put in a couple of tablespoons of salt.

I steeped the tea for about 15 minutes and took out the bags. Then, I stirred in my cloth pieces, leaving them in the simmering potion—in the pot on the burner on low, for 15-20 minutes.

Fix the Stain

Before rinsing, I laid them out in the kitchen sink and sprayed them with Rit Color Stay dye fixative, and let it soak in for a few minutes. Then, rinsed them.

Step 2:

After they all got dry, I started to assemble my piece, starting by sewing straps to the main top doily. You can see that I sewed them onto the sides of the doily rather than the top, ’cause I wanted a drapy effect.

The straps are from a lace curtain panel I used in another project: This is the hem I cut off. Or, you can use other types of lace.

Step 3:

I attached a few of the little ones together…all by hand sewing.

Step 4:

Then, I simply laid them in the way I wanted, placed pins in various places to hold them together, and started sewing them together.

I also added a couple of irregular squares of upholstery fabric.

I left the lace bunches hanging freely, after sewing down the top of them.

The bottom strips also hang freely.

Step 5:

I anchored down the straps by attaching them on the sides of the finished project, a little ways under where my arms would go to make arm loops, because it’s a larger piece, to hold it better in place.

…and that’s it!!

Please pin the image below to your Pinterest DIY or fashion board. Thank you!!

More TUTS n TIPS

My Style Gallery

SHOP DIY Bohemian