Make-It Monday: Make Your Own Tent Weights

When you do craft shows a lot, you experience shows in all sorts of weather.  Everyone thinks about having a good tent to keep you (and your art!) shaded in the sun and dry in the rain...but we can easily forget about wind!  And high winds can easily turn your tent into a giant kite if you don't have it properly weighed down!
So this week's Make-It Monday project  will be teaching you how to make your own tent weights... courtesy of Francesca DeCaire Glass Artist!  

"Last year, Jason and I made some weights for my EZ-UP tent. I’m not sure this is the way I would go about it today, but it works out alright and they are certainly heavy enough. We used a tutorial that I found as a guide. My weights are slightly different and a few pounds heavier, approximately 40 pounds each. Materials totaled much higher than anticipated, roughly $140.

With these weights my tent has been through gusts of wind up to 40 mph without taking flight. I have seen other tents go down that were not secured with enough weight, including one that destroyed my own tent.

Here is an example of really bad weights from a show I just did this week! Boy was I glad that wind didn’t come with the rain storm we had.

Weights or wind chimes? These would knock me straight in the head in high winds.

Here is how we made my weights.

Materials:

• One 10′ 4″ diameter PVC pipe, cut into four 2 1/2′ sections
• Eight 4″ diameter PVC end caps
• Four 12″ x 1/2″ eye bolts
• Sixteen 1/2″ hex nuts
• Eight 5/8″ washers
• PVC primer and glue
• 2 bags of 80lb Quickrete mix
• Water
• Wheelbarrow or tray for mixing cement
• Shovel and scoop for mixing and pouring cement

Make sure that the ends of the PVC pipe are clean. You can remove burs with sandpaper.

Prime the insides of 4 caps and the outside of one end of each pipe.

After the primer sets apply the glue.

Firmly attach the cap and pipe.

With the remaining 4 caps drill holes for the eye hooks.

Prime the drilled caps. Insert eye hook bolts. Thread on nuts and washers.

Prepare your cement mix. Follow the manufacturer’s directions.

Fill the pipes with concrete, we used a plastic cup. Bounce pipes many times to remove air pockets. Prime and glue top of pipes and inside of drilled caps. Attache when ready. Bounce again to remove air pockets around eye hooks.

Allow the weights to cure standing vertical.

Make-It Monday: Spiral Tie-Dye

This week's Make-It Monday project is a summery tie-dye tutorial from RNEST member Betsy of Sunshine On Water. (originally posted on her blog).

"A few weeks ago, my kids and I were in a tie-dye phase. They wanted to tie-dye and it was a fun summer project! Me being artistic, I went online and watched an hour long video on how to tie-dye shirts… it was a great video, very helpful but really long!  There were a few key things and I’ll share them with you here.  I dyed a handful of shirts, some for my kids, some for gifts and some to sell at local shows.   I have a few listed on my etsy shop,www.etsy.com/shop/SunshineOnWater, check them out!  I only use 100% cotton shirts that are prewashed!

Hand-dyed shirts

by Betsy Murray

First thing, buy a white shirt that you like the look & feel of… there’s no sense going through the work if you don’t like the style or fit of the shirt!  I suggest something that is 100% cotton since the dye will not adhere well if there are other fibers in the material (such as rayon, etc.).   Set all your supplies out on an easily washable table (we used our plastic picnic table).  You need: a spray water bottle full of warm water, newspaper, plastic gloves, rubber bands and of course your dye.  I recommend a good quality dye, it will retain the color better and you have more color options with a dye such as Dylon.

Supplies

• Put the plastic gloves on and mix your dye with warm water in a plastic bottle provided with the dye or in the aisle you purchased your dye from.  Read the dye instructions for the dye to water ratio!
• Spray your white shirt with warm water from your water bottle.  Be sure all of the shirt is covered with a mist of water.

Spray with water

• Next, using a dowel, place the it down on one spot of the shirt and twist tightly(this will form your spiral so pick a location you want the spiral to be at now!)

This is a child’s shirt. Twist to form the spiral.

Twist tightly

• Now that your shirt is twisted, it should look like the photo below… Remove the dowel carefully (HOLD onto the shirt so it doesn’t come undone)!!  Then place rubber bands around the side of the shirt and across the top.  It will look like you’re making a pie with slices.  Each slice will form a spiral.

Twisted, now add the rubber bands.

• Then squirt the dye color of your choice on a “piece of the pie” so as to stay inside each piece of pie.  Use the rubber bands as your guide.  You can do the same color on 2 pieces of pie next to each other if you want a bigger spiral. Or you can do only one color in each piece of pie.  If you have 3 colors of dye, you can use all 3 as we did on the shirt below.

Three colors of dye were used on this shirt

This one has 2 colors of dye on it.

• Keep your shirts wrapped in the rubber bands and place in a plastic bag for about 4-8 hours.
• Finally, remove the rubber bands in the sink, unwrap the shirt carefully (so the dye doesn’t drip on the floor), rinse in cold water and wring out.  Then put it in the washing machine and wash in cold water.  Be sure you DO not wash your dyed shirts with other clothes!!!  Then dry in the dryer.  Voila…. now you have a beautiful shirt!

Beautiful 2 spiral kids shirt!

There was one secret trick to tie-dying that I left out of this blog, I wonder if anyone knows what it is??  To find out take a look at my etsy profile,www.etsy.com/people/BetsyOnClover!

Have fun making your own tie-dye shirt!

Betsy~ Sunshine On Water"

September's Team Challenge Theme (2013)

Sorry we didn't have a team challenge for August.  Things have gotten away from us a bit this summer.  But we chose a theme for September's Challenge!

We're looking forward to seeing what our members come up with! (and we're sure you are too!)

Treasury Tuesday: Bright & Happy Things

After a bit of a summer hiatus, Treasury Tuesday is back!
And what better way to come back than with an Etsy Treasury full of bright, summery, happy things!  You can't look at this treasury and not smile!

Bright & Happy Things by KiraArts
featuring TheKnottyOwlShop and ChristineAndCoDesign

Be sure you click on the other links to see more treasuries! (I can't picture them all so you have to click on them to see!  If you don't, you're missing out!)

Featuring RNEST Members:

• Impossible Things featuring PeachesProducts
• Praia featuring PeachesProducts
• Beige Light Brown Ecru featuring KiraArts
• Owl In The Moonlight featuring KiraArts
• Alternative Readings featuring SewIndieShop
• I Adore Kitchen Decor featuring SewIndieShop
• Modern Vintage featuring SewIndieShop

* If you make or find a treasury that features an RNEST member, post the link on the wall at RNEST's Facebook Page. Your treasury could be featured on the next Treasury Tuesday!

Make-It Monday: DIY No-Sew Recycled Clothing Wall Pockets

It's been awhile, but we actually have a Make-It Monday post again!  

This project is brought to you by KiraArts' blog.

"I had this idea pop into my head this morning... to use the breast pocket of a men's shirt to make another version of a no-sew embroidery hoop wall pocket!  (I'm sure I'm not the first person to have this idea, but I still think it's pretty cool!)

 It's ridiculously simple.  Find a piece of old clothing with a pocket, place it how you want it in the embroidery hoop, tighten the screw, and cut of the excess fabric around the edges!  Ta-da! 

The size of the hoop depends on the size/style of the clothing item or the look you're going for (if you'll notice, I did something different with the jeans pocket).  I used a 9 inch diameter hoop for the shirt pockets.  I used a smaller size for the jeans, since it was a bigger pocket and I was experimenting with a different style for the pocket.

This is a great way to save a piece of clothing with sentimental value... like your dad's or grandfather's old shirt... and turn it into some functional wall art.  Or if you don't have any shirts/jeans lying around ready for crafting, you can just hit up your local thrift store!  (all my embroidery hoops are from the thrift store as well!)

Enjoy!"

We hope to have more Make-It Monday projects soon!  Happy crafting!