I post sewing and crafting tutorials here at the Mermaid’s Den. I love making things and sharing them with you, so you can make them, too.
All in Easy DIY
In this post, I’ll show you how to make a niddy noddy out of PVC pipe. This costs around $5, and it only takes a few minutes to assemble once you have your parts. The best part is that you can use this for dyeing yarn, setting your handspun yarn with steam, or just holding your skeins of yarn before you wind them into balls. Wood niddy noddies would warp or get moldy if you consistently get them wet, so the PVC version is a more frugal option as well as more versatile.
Do you have a favorite pair of shoes that is falling apart? Soles coming off, water leaking through, scuffs and scratches? In this post, I’ll show you how to repair your shoes with shoe glue and also an easy way to waterproof your shoes. The shoe glue can fix soles that are coming away from the shoe, and the waterproofing shoe grease can keep your feet from getting wet. This is an easy, cost-effective way to make your shoes or boots last a little bit longer and give them new life.
In this post, I’ll show you how to make some super easy embroidered ornaments. I used some of the fancy stitches on my sewing machine and some pretty rayon and metallic threads to embroider these felt ornaments. This post contains a free pdf pattern and a full tutorial for making these ornaments.
In this post, I’ll show you how to make your own blending board for spinning fibers. You can make your own rolags with this blending board. You can also pull your own combed top or roving off of the board, so you have a long, continuous length of fiber from which to spin.
In this post, I’ll show you how to make your own poodle skirt using materials you likely have around the house or can find at a thrift shop. You can make a more traditional poodle skirt, or create a silhouette of your own dog to use instead! All this takes is a tablecloth, elastic, and some felt. You could easily finish it in an evening and wear it the next day. This is great for a last minute Halloween costume or just for fun!
In this post, I'll show you how to make some cute and sparkly Art Nouveau themed sewing kits out of old Altoids tins, paper, washi tape, felt, and metal stampings. You can use these to store small sewing and embroidery projects or just as trinket boxes. I've included a free pdf pattern in the body of the post with templates for the top, bottom, and inside of the Altoids tin.
In this post, I'll show you how to easily make your own silk flowers using pretty fabric and an existing bunch of fake flowers. This is a quick, no sew project that will help you use up some fabric scraps and make a beautiful and unique centerpiece. I used a die cutter to cut out my flower pieces, but you can also use free templates online to cut out your flowers. Let's make some pretty flowers!
In this post, I'll show you how to make an intricate filigree pendant from recycled aluminum soda cans. This pendant has a fun, Art Nouveau-y feel to it. The filigree piece is made using a die-cutting machine and the pendant is finished with micro bolts and a glue-on bail, so you don't need to solder anything.
In this tutorial, I'll show you how to make felt flowers and attach them to shoe clips, so you have different options to go with a felt hat. Mix and match to go with your outfit, or just to change up the look of your hat. You could also attach these to a headband, scarf, or your shoes.
In this post, I'll show you how to grow bulbs indoors by tricking them into thinking that winter has passed. Sometimes I get super lazy about taking care of my plants. I like the idea of having something pretty and flowery around, but then the weight of responsibility sets in, and I wonder if I really want to be tied to this thing for the rest of its lifespan. The great thing about bulbs is that you get all of the shiny newness and flowery goodness with none of the long term responsibility. Once the bulbs are spent, you can either plant them in your garden outside or toss them.
In this post, I'll show you how to make an easy stained glass tray from a thrifted picture frame. I had a bit of stained glass window film leftover from another project, so I used it to create this easy DIY stained glass tray
