crafts

Pillowcase Tote Tutorial

8:47 PM S. H. 0 Comments

Don't you love shortcuts?, especially when the end result looks anything but quick and easy!
Because this reusable shopping tote is made from a pillowcase, it’s halfway finished
before you even start it. Using a standard pillowcase allows you to skip some of the
cutting and sewing steps you’d normally encounter—which means less time fussing and
more time creating! The bag is surprisingly strong and takes up almost no space when
folded, making it a great shopping bag or extra travel tote.

finished measurements
18 3/4" x 26" (47.5cm x 66cm)
supplies
• Standard pillowcase
(approximately 20" x 30" [51cm x
76cm])
• Iron and ironing board
• Ruler
• Seam ripper
• 2 packages (8 yards) [7.3m]
1/4"- (6mm-) wide double-fold
bias tape in contrasting color
• Sewing machine and thread to
match pillowcase and bias tape

1. Iron the pillowcase to get out all the
wrinkles. Fold the pillowcase in half
lengthwise with the opening at the
top and the fold on the right. On the
folded side edge, mark a point approximately
15" (38cm) from the bottom.
On the opposite side, mark a
point approximately 16" (40.5cm)
from the bottom. On the top edges
mark points approximately 3 7/8"
(10cm) in from each side. Draw the
bag handles as shown, connecting
each side point to the top of the pillowcase.
Use a ruler to help draw
straight lines and to keep the straps
2 1/4" (5.5cm) wide for the most part,
until they begin to curve toward the
side edges. Open the pillowcase up;
it will look like a tank top.
2. Using a seam ripper, rip out the pillowcase
hem at the top of all the
straps and iron flat.
3. Fold the pillowcase in half again, as
before, and trim straps so the whole
piece measures approximately 29"
(74cm) from the bottom of the pillowcase.
I love shortcuts, especially when the end result looks anything but quick and easy!
Because this reusable shopping tote is made from a pillowcase, it’s halfway finished
before you even start it. Using a standard pillowcase allows you to skip some of the
cutting and sewing steps you’d normally encounter—which means less time fussing and
more time creating! The bag is surprisingly strong and takes up almost no space when
folded, making it a great shopping bag or extra travel tote.

Beauty Tips,

Perfume Bottles

8:48 PM S. H. 0 Comments

A perfume bottle can mean many things to many people. But in business terms perfume bottles can make or break your products success. Some people may think that it is a minor detail in the big picture, a mere feather in the crown of the booming perfume industry. But there is truly so much more to perfume bottles than just what meets the eye.

At its most basic, a perfume bottle is a mere receptacle. Most people would agree that "it's what's inside that counts." This is true. But even if you have the best quality of product in any form, if it is encapsulated in grime or an unattractive container, no one will buy it. In order for a perfume to smell good, it has to look good first.

The perfume bottle is the initiator of customer loyalty. Before the customer sprays some liquid on his or her pulse points or sniffs the aroma in the air, he or she will first have to be attracted to the perfume bottle's design.

Perfume bottles communicate different moods. Formal people will enjoy rigid designs and subtle classic colors, whilst younger females are more likely to love those in bright pinks and voluptuously shaped containers.

The bottle must not just represent the company which made the perfume, it must also mirror the target market's desires and aspirations. You cannot expect a perfume bottle designed for corporate people to be something that will get the teenager's attention. Nor can you expect pastel-colored and eccentrically shaped perfume bottles to generate the approving eye of more conservative groups.

Placing the bottle amidst a sea of others in a department store or A-line boutique is like entering your perfume in a beauty pageant, and rooting for it to garner first place in the hearts of perfume aficionados. The perfume bottle is the ambassadress of the perfume brand. It will represent not just one product, but the entire line of products that are associated with who produced that perfume bottle's contents.

Nonetheless, a perfume bottle is still a receptacle, so it must also maintain its functionality despite all the variations it can come in. A strong base to keep it standing and some symmetry and material that will preserve the scent for prolonged storage periods is also something that customers will want to see.