Hi there! It's always best to choose items in as usable a condition as possible when re/upcycling, since you want it to have a long second life as a new item. But it's difficult to say how much you'll be able to repair the leather on your own since I'm not sure how much your jacket is crumbling and what parts are still usable. There are leather salves and emollients that you can rub on leather to restore its sheen and suppleness, as well as repair minor cracks. Here's a how-to for repairing cracked leather: http://www.doityourself.com/stry/how-to-repair-cracked-leather
Your other option would be to take it to a leather repair shop and get an estimate on how much they would be able to fix it for, or even if they could repair it.
If it's utterly impossible to restore your leather jacket to where the material is usable as a nice leather (which would expand the possibilities for what you could use it for), you could try to use the cracked, broken-down leather as-is for your DIY...though it may shorten the lifespan of the finished product. Sometimes totebags or handbags made from cracked, worn leather have a really nice look to them...you could even paint a layer or acrylic paint on top and allow it to crack with usage to show "character." (Zatchels bags - http://www.zatchels.com/bags/collection-category/cracked-leather-collection.html - are made of cracked leather, and though different from the type of leather used in jackets, their designs might give you some ideas.) I would be inclined to re-use your jacket for a bag (even a simple one) where you incorporate the cracks that you can't do anything about. If you're looking for a pattern for a simple leather tote, this book (http://www.amazon.com/Complete-Leatherwork-Techniques-Projects-Series/dp/1843404842/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1336004129&sr=1-1) can probably help - though I haven't read it myself and the reviews are a little mixed, it looks like it would provide some basic leather bag how-tos.

Hope that helps!
xoxox
Carly

Hi there! If you're into home decor, you could make these lamps: http://inhabitat.com/cassette-tape-lamps-add-warm-analog-glow-to-any-room/ or this chair cover: http://inhabitat.com/cassette-chair-is-recycled-seating-you-can-really-groove-to/ You could re-appropriate that construction method to make a totebag like this one: http://www.etsy.com/listing/92222874/recycled-80s-90s-cassette-tape-purse. And if you're okay with slicing through plastic you could try this coin purse: http://www.chezlin.com/pursebag/cassette-tape-tutorial/ Or even use glued onto a belt buckle!! Hope that helps~
xoxo
Carly:-)

Get ready for a ride! LOL

? What dresses do you mean?

You asked me that already!! LOL Check my answers:-)

Hmmm...no-sew projects? A Pair& A Spare (http://apair-andaspare.blogspot.com/) sometimes posts projects that you can hand-sew. I sometimes come across projects that are no-sew or hand-sew, which I do include in my DIY Links of the Week Roundup. (You can usually do a sewing project by sewing by hand, though it will take you longer!) And there are a number of no-sew or hand-sew projects in the Generation T books (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0761137858/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=chicsteals-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0761137858) which are pretty good for an alternative way of putting together projects.

I wouldn't really recommend most projects from P.S. I Made This because she uses hot glue and fabric glue (*shudders*) in her clothing projects, neither of which are sturdy enough to go through washing/drycleaning/wearing your clothes long term. Please don't ever use hot glue on your clothing to hold seams together!! Big no-no.

Good luck!
xoxox
Carly

Can you dye those jeans a pastel color like what we're seeing for Spring? Mint, lavender, pink etc... Maybe bleaching first to get any blue wash/whiskering out of them?

Not having a sewing machine is pretty rough, because when it comes to denim it's hard to hand-sew unless you have a heavy-duty needle, a leather thimble, and sometimes a pair of pliers to force the needle through multiple layers of fabric. I think that you could make small accessories by hand... like a denim bow for your hair (or a headband), a denim collar, or even something similar to those Gucci animal keychains (http://bellabetina.com/post/44905922/ugly-gucci-keychain) with some beading and edge-stitching.

Could you also just cut off those jeans, add some studding (or some dip-dyeing into bright colors, and make a pair of denim cutoffs? That's probably what I would do to not use the sewing machine at all. (Here's some inspiration: http://www.runwaydreamz.com/2011shop/main.html)

Good luck!
xoxox
Carly

?? I'm not sure I understand the question exactly. Would I turn you into a...newspaper? Since I use the newspaper for laying on the floor under my painting DIY projects, I think you'd get pretty messy!;-)

Thanks! When you write that you have a shirt you want to turn, are you wanting to turn it into a romper too?
If it's really ginormous then you might have a problem with the collar fitting properly at the neck, meaning that when you fit the rest of it to you, the collar alone will look way too big and floppy. If it's too weird-looking, you might have to cut off the collar (I'm assuming it's a pointed shirt collar) and just leave the band at the bottom, which might look more natural.
You'd also have to cut off the back of the shirt so that the front is the same length as the back, and then hem to create a a straight finished edge to the shorts.

Otherwise I'd proceed exactly the same as my romper tutorial using a smaller shirt...you'd cut the sleeves off and cut into the shoulder a little so that when gathered the shoulder sits correctly on you....follow the measurements for making the shorts (14" from the cut straight bottom of the shirt), probably skipping the "add more fabric" part is your shirt is big enough to go around your legs. You probably can skip making the waistband part if the shirt top part is long enough to attach to the shorts.

It sounds like a lot but it isn't really! Good luck and let me know how it turns out!!:-D
xoxox
Carly

Ballet boots?? Do you mean the fetish footwwear (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ballet_boot)? I watched that whole video on Youtube and couldn't see them in any scene. Could you post a screenshot or something so I could see exactly what you're trying to replicate?

Without an original in front of me, I can only guess at the structure of the shoe that allows the wearer to be in constant pointe position, but it's probably similar to a ballet pointe shoe, just rendered in vinyl. Since a shoe like this requires very specific engineering to allow the wearer to walk or stand in them, these would not be something I would recommend DIY for at all. There's absolutely no way you could start with a regular shoe and just force it into a vertical shape. Even pointe shoes have a strong shank that allows the shoe to be worn on a foot in a vertical position, and these shoes require there to be space in the toebox to hold the whole foot aloft.
You could DIY the front-lacing or create vinyl spats to wear over your shoes, but if you're asking how to create the pointe-shaped shoe, super-high heel, and vertical sole, along with the underlying structure to keep the shoe in that position, I'd say it would be impossible unless you're starting from scratch. (i.e., creating the shoe over a custom last and adding custom heels, soles, and shanks.) In this case, I think there's no choice but to buy: online at Pierre Silber (http://www.pierresilber.com/balshoes.html) or on Ebay.
Good luck!

here! Or should I say: Polo!

Do you mean the super-studded Christian Louboutin heels I DIY'd a long time ago?
I'm sorry but I don't make those shoes on commission; it's someone else's design and I would feel weird to be paid to re-create it for somebody else. Plus, it took me many, many hours and tons of painful hand-studding...not something I'd like to do again anytime soon!
Hope you can find a good compromise if that's what you're looking for:-)

Was that the one on faux-aging rhinestone jewelry with a Sharpie? That was by the Glamourai - found here: http://www.theglamourai.com/2010/09/glamourai-diy-instantly-stately.html

Answered! Full post with photos here: http://chics.tl/yuFojK Thanks for your question!

I think a wider-brimmed floppy at might work a little better to more completely balance out the slim skirt of the look. But if that style of hat is your signature (like, you wear it often) then go for it!!

:-)

Yes I finished! I drafted a new pattern for it since the original one I used just wasn't working. I'll be making the pattern available hopefully before New Years'!

Today! I just announced one for a $100 gift card to Shopbop.com that is open to everyone, anywhere in the world. Hope you enter!

Ohhh:-) Thank you soooo much! I've had a rotten day and you just made my month! Thanks so much for your kind words; I truly appreciate them!:-D

Yes, actually I re-drafted the entire pattern because the pattern in the book had some issues with it. I'll be offering it for sale as a downloadable pattern soon - stay tuned! Thanks for your patience xox