The Ultimate Vampire Resource and Directory

NOt just to be environmentally friendly or to live more "green," although those sentiments are very nice. But for those of us who enjoy crafts (and being cheap, there I said it) recycling and reusing ordinary items that would normally wind up in a landfill in order to make crafts is a very win-win thing. There are a million sites out there will even more ideas, here are just a few.



Scrapbooks Using Paperbags from Grocery

http://www.livestrong.com/article/157916-ways-to-recycle-paper-bags/



Squidoo: Recycle and Reuse: Household Crafts

http://www.squidoo.com/recycle_lensography



How Can I Recycle This?

http://www.recyclethis.co.uk/



Kaboose: Recycling or Reusing Materials to Make New Crafts

http://crafts.kaboose.com/recycling-or-reusing-materials-to-make-new-crafts.htmlhttp://crafts.kaboose.com/recycling-or-reusing-materials-to-make-new-crafts.html



CraftGossip.com: Recycled Crafts

http://recycledcrafts.craftgossip.com/category/dont-throw-that-away/

Making your own nightshift is so easy, you don't even need a machine.



I've seen so many folks waste money on nightgowns and pajamas. It is nice to have that special nightie or two; and if you are a fella, and some just don't feel comfy without some boxers, shorts or pants on..but for those who don't mind a "shift." It is so incredibly simple to create that you don' t even need a pattern to accomplish it.



All you need are to lengths of cloth a couple of inches longer than your intended length. Some will be more comfortable in something knee length, other in something ankle length.



Also the fabric should be wide enough to reach from shoulder to shoulder. You can establish all of these measurements simply by holding the fabric up to yourself.



The only tools you should need for this are: a sewing needle appropriate to the type of fabric you are using (denim needle for denim, thinner needle for more delicate fabrics), thread (using a color that matches the fabric you are stitching is advisable unless you want the contrast and are confident in your stitching abilities), straight pins (safety pins will work, but are more difficult to use), and scissors (in case you need to trim excess fabric and to cut thread.)



With those simple tools, you need merely to mark with pins where you arms and head will go, reverse the fabrics and pin the sides and the area that won't be open for your head at the top of the fabric.



Sew along the pinned areas, being careful to leave open the arm and neck holes.



To finish, hem up the bottom and the area around the neck and armholes by folding the fabric (still reversed) along the edges and pinning them back, then sewing where the pins were.



Be sure to knot the final stitches, and if you are unsure of your stitching, sew over you original seams a second time.



Flip the garment rightside out and slip it on. Wallah, you have a nightshift. :D



Now, if you have experience in sewing, it's simple to add embellishments, sleeving, collar, panels, pockets etc. If you are quite new at sewing, you may find the following site useful: http://sewing.about.com/od/techniques/tp/handsewing.htm



Why waste hard earned money on something you are unconcious in for just a few hours? Besides, you might just find fabric that is far more comfortable than what is offered at your local stores.



Hope you find this of some use!