Rain's DIY Fashion Blog

Suddenly there is a stain or tear on your favorite shirt. You can either repair it or pitch it, right? Instead, let's try to look at these unfortunate incidents as a new beginning. How about reinventing it instead? Recycle your clothing to create a headband from a sleeve, earrings from scrap fabric and a belt from a neck tie.

• Recycled Clothing Projects

Okay, so I was eating lunch at my desk a few days ago. Since I eat like a preschooler, it was just a matter of time before the alfredo hit the pants. Fortunately, I have a co-worker that always keeps a Tide to Go pen on her. I'm sure there are generic brands, but the actual Tide pen seems to be quite popular. After much panicked arm waving, I was granted use of her pen. I should probably stop procrastinating and get one of my own.

More Stain Removing Ideas

Last Tuesday, my mom bought me tickets to see Ringo Starr at the Fraze Pavillion in Kettering, Ohio. As a life-long Beatlemaniac, it was very exciting for me to see my favorite of the Fab Four up close. No, seriously, just breathing the same oxygen and belting out 'Yellow Submarine' at the same time was enough to make me have to pinch myself. I swear he saw my sister and I looking at him through binoculars and recognized our rabid hoots and hollers enough to point at us. Twice.

Outside the show at the merch booth, however, I was not excited by the cost of my would-be Ringo souvenirs. Was I really standing there deciding whether to buy a $20.00 mug or $5.00 fridge magnet? At these prices, the Ringo tote bag was a slim $25.00, but still out of the question for my frugal tastes.

I went home and exercised my shopping frustrations by making my own tote bag using the Ready Made Tote Kit. I ended up with an original bag that still expressed my love for all things Ringo. See how I made it.

• Make a Beatles Bag at Home.
• See my review of the Ready Made Tote Kit I used to make my tote.

With the success of mega-department stores like Wal-Mart, there are a lot of people complaining that not enough goods are bought locally. In America, our economy is not in the best shape right now, which means that we should be selling and buying more to ourselves to keep cash flowing in our nation.

When you buy goods that are made in China, your dollar leaves America to live elsewhere. You can do your part keep your dollars in the American economy when you buy clothing, jewelry and accessories made by DIY people just like you.

• What you need to know before you buy handmade clothing.
• Browse DIY Fashion for Sale

Photo Courtesy of Jen Teixeira

'Ode to the Mullet', 'Snips Ahoy', 'Natural Sass', 'Strip Search'. These are a few of the project titles from Generation T: 108 Ways to Transform a T-Shirt by Megan Nicolay. Generation T is a compilation of t-shirt surgery projects. Some of these you have probably seen before, but with 108 projects, you're sure to find something new. Read my review to find out what my thoughts were while playing with this book, and find out how to get it cheap online.

• See What's Inside Generation T: 108 Ways to Transform a T-Shirt

• Compare Prices for Generation T, as low as $5.99!

I recently visited Kings Island near Cincinnati, OH to ride the new Firehawk coaster. During the 2 hour wait, I had plenty of time to take in what both tourists and locals were wearing to keep cool for a day at the park.

The hottest item at the park was the mini backpacks. While the older set and un-hip moms clung to their pooch-tastic fanny packs, the younger group remained clued in to the hideous dork effect. With a mini backpack, you can stash your stuff and even wear it backwards on most rides. I saw a couple of cute handmade mini-packs that were customized with The White Stripes and Yoda patches.

• Make your own mini-pack and slap a patch on it.

Right now, I'm strutting my wry sense of humor with this picnic tote that has a funny face on the front made up of bacon and eggs. It is so off-the-wall that I get lots of comments on it. I bought it at Target for $10.00, but realized when I got home that I could have easily made it myself.

Avoid the $10.00 price tag that I paid and get this bag for free. I've made bacon & egg templates for you to print and use for appliqué patches. This tote is perfect for summer, and I'll show you how to make the whole thing in a matter of minutes.

• Get the tote bag instructions and free bacon & egg templates.

I went to Corbin, Kentucky last weekend for a small vacation of sorts to Cumberland Falls. Along the way, I visited the first Kentucky Fried Chicken on the planet and one of my tank tops developed a mysterious stain. I didn't realize this until I unpacked it two days later. After many stain removal attempts, I was on the verge of tossing my shirt before I got the idea to simply cover up the stain with my own spray paint additions.

There are lots of ways to make an old shirt into a new shirt, whether you are trying to cover up a stain or breath new life into a top that just looks tired.

• Altered Shirts and Tops Gallery and Instructions.

It's true, you can crochet just about anything. For an original swim wear look, try a crocheted bikini.

It is not easy to find this kind of bikini in department stores, so you have a good chance for an original look on the beach. Just don't pass this pattern on to Grandma. No one wants to see that.

Nothing says you're aware of the holiday more than a red, white and blue tie dyed t-shirt.

My advice is to make this shirt, then cut it to fit you with some laced-up sides as a tank top. This way, you don't look like Uncle Mel in his patriotic t-shirt.