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Happy Sunday cats! 

I'm writing to you from the bottom of my bed... I'm having an anthology fever. But rather than break my record on Candy Crush, I'd rather write to you a little, just to loosen up my fingers and get your neurons firing. Because I saw that this little dress caught your eye in my post on the Gambettes Boxso here's a little DIY to make yourself a gift-wrapped dress before the holidays! A simple and effective customization that will give your sweaters or classic dresses a real makeover... And then, as Christmas approaches, if you're short of ideas and money... Think of bows! I advise you to buy quality grosgrain because, ultimately, materials are important to the final result. But I'd like to write a really big article on the quality of materials to use! A big kiss and see you tomorrow, my little rabbits! 

 

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Duration: A few hours...

Cost : Less than 10€ (without the dress) 

Difficulty : Easy, really easy, and once you've tied your first knots you won't be able to stop.

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For this DIY, you'll need:

  • - A dress, in this case a Asos,
  • -5cm wide grosgrain, 30cm per knot,
  • -1cm wide grosgrain about 5 cm,
  • -Thread to match your grosgrain,
  • - glue, scissors and a ruler.
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Start by cutting 30 cm of black grosgrain. Between your fingers, form a loop, like the Sidaction logo... Shape the loop so that it's symmetrical.

 

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Then fold the loop in half to mark the middle. Don't hesitate to force the fold to obtain a mark when you reopen your loop.

 

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Then take some thread and a needle, and start securing your loop together in large stitches, threading the whole needle through the middle of your loop.

  

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Once your needle is out, gather your loop into a knot! To secure this knot, make a few turns with the remaining length of thread and finish with a stitch in the middle of your knot.

 

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Cut the ends of your knot at an angle to finish it off. From the 1 cm grosgrain, cut a length of about 5 cm.

 

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You'll use this length to finish your knot. Place a dot of glue in the center of your knot and wrap the grosgrain around it. Finish with another dot of glue on the back, and hold firmly for a few moments while the glue dries.

 

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If you've chosen synthetic grosgrain, good for you! All you need to do is burn the ends of your ribbon with a lighter to prevent the grosgrain from fraying. And if, like me, you've used a cotton grosgrain, that's another story... But not much more complicated. Apply a thin line of glue to the ends of your ribbon, and wait for it to dry before gently cutting away the unsightly threads.

 

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Repeat these operations as many times as you wish to have bows on your piece to be customized. Then, using the needle and thread, secure your bows by hand. And TA-DA! To clean your dress, wash it inside out! 

 

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Thanks to Julie Perrot for these photos! 

December 07, 2014