Should I leave the tags in a reconstructed garment?

Today’s Crafty Business Advice Question comes from Joy.

I had a question about recon clothing.. I have been purchasing gently used thrift store clothing and or clearance items and refashioning them to sell..Do I cut  the tag out or leave it in?? For example, I have items from J Crew, Old Navy etc. I add things and cut some things out. Do I cut the tag out if I am cutting them up or refashioning them? Not sure what the laws are or etiquette.

I would cut the tags off. Once you recon an item, you’ve made your own unique piece, so the focus and credit should go to you. It’s not illegal either way, of course, so you could leave them if you wanted.

One thing you should be wary of is mentioning the brand names in your item title or description. Calling something a “reconstructed J Crew hoodie”, for example, could get your listing removed on a site like Etsy. While it’s perfectly legal for you to sell such an item, some companies are very protective of their trademarks, and they’ll have your item removed on the basis that you don’t have their permission to use the trademarked name “J Crew”.
Happy crafting!

-Lex

 

Do you have a crafty business question or just general crafty question you’d like to ask?

• Send your questions to what.the.craft[at]gmail.com with your question!
• Include your shop/blog/website URL with your question, and I’ll include it in the post if I choose to answer your question in the blog!
• (Unless you’d prefer to be anonymous. In that case, just tell me you’d prefer to not be credited!)

 

It’s Summer!

This post brought to you by Mosquito Magnet. All opinions are 100% mine.

And summer means all of my favorite things: badminton (laugh all you want, best sport in the world!), grilling (mmm… food), growing your own veggies (mmm… food), bonfires, naps in the hammock, camping, swimming in the lake… the list goes on!

I think we’ll be having our first picnic this weekend for Memorial Day. I don’t know if it’s the sun or the breeze or the fresh air, but there’s just something great about eating outside. Maybe it’s the potato salad. Yum.

Those are some of the Cosmic Purple carrots I grew in my garden last time. The little round orange one is a Thumbelina carrot. This year I’ll have purple, red and yellow carrots!

And let’s not forget the flowers! That’s a picture of my side garden. Right now I’ve got bleeding heart and rhododendron blooming, and the peonies and tiger lilies are about to burst!

There’s one major buzzkill (pun intended) for all that outdoor fun: Bugs. More specifically: mosquitoes. Especially if you’re Mosquito Bait like me. Even when everyone else insists they’re not getting bit, I wind up covered in bites.  It doesn’t matter if I’m coated in a thick layer of bug spray, I can not hide from the pesky vampires.  How can I enjoy a hot gooey S’more right off the roasting stick when I’m being eaten alive by skeeters?

That’s what’s great about the Mosquito Magnet Executive Mosquito Trap and Accessories.  No more spraying stinky chemicals on yourself! And if you purchase a Mosquito Magnet before June 1st, you get a FREE 18 month warranty! Perfect timing for Memorial Day weekend!

I’d love to hear about your Memorial Day plans and some of your favorite summer events, so leave a comment and share!

Handmade Showcase: Let’s Have a Picnic

The grass is green, the leaves are out, and the sun is shining! It’s picnic time! Bust out the grill and the hamburger buns!

Or you can sit back and relax, and have a picnic vicariously through these handmade goods!

 

 

 

 

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Tutorial: No Sew Roman Shade Style Curtains

This very clever tutorial shows you how to convert mini-blinds to a fabric curtain (similar to a Roman shade design) with NO SEWING.

Cute, quick, and cheap, just how I like it!

I’m actually disappointed I didn’t find this sooner, before I made a bunch of rod-style curtains for my windows!

Click here for the tutorial.

Tutorial: Upcycled T-shirt Rug

If you have a mountain of t-shirt scraps like me, and you hate throwing said scraps away (also me), then you’re probably always on the look-out for projects that use those scraps. This rug tutorial from Family Fun is just that.

I’ve seen other t-shirt rugs and t-shirt rug tutorials (most of which involved crocheting, which I don’t really know how to do), but this is definitely the coolest one I’ve seen. Using a hula hoop as a frame, the t-shirts are woven together. No sewing, knitting, or crocheting. Anyone with a hula hoop and some t-shirt scraps can do it!

I’ve stopped buying textile rugs because my cat has some sort of Rug Radar when he pukes. Plus, they’re a pain to keep clean. But I think one of these t-shirt rugs would make a perfect bath mat. Plus, once the rug gets funky, you can toss it out and make a new one!

Click here for the full tutorial.

Tutorial: Moss Graffiti

This tutorial from Popular Mechanics (which is actually an excerpt from More Show Me How) is one of the coolest things I’ve ever seen. PAINT WITH MOSS!

The possibilities are endless. I like the idea of writing some sort of message in moss for the neighbors or passers-by to see.

See the full tutorial here.

Get your fabric fix

I was browsing Ebay this morning, looking for some fabric for a custom dress, and I found some great new sources for knit and stretch fabrics that I didn’t have on the Fabric Suppliers list.

Check them out!

Fabric By The Roll – By the roll and by the yard, nice selection of knit solids.

Nauvoo Quilt Co – Knits and quilting prints.

High End Fabrics – Lots of printed and solid organic knits!

Churn Dash Antiques – lots of vintage fabrics and textiles!

0ptima Fabrics and Collectibles – tons of lycra fabrics

VINTAGE LACE FABRICS AND LINENS – more vintage fabric and textiles

In Fashion Fabrics – knit supplier for the UK

Fabric Attack – awesome punk and novelty knit fabrics

Boutique Knit Fabrics – super cute collection of knits. Lots of stripes and polka dots!

Tutorial: Faux Metal Wall Art

I’m a pack rat and I save lots of crap I probably shouldn’t. So I LOVE tutorials that turn junk into something awesome.

These faux metal wall plaques are made out of… you’ll never guess it… cardboard toilet paper tubes! That’s the kind of junk I usually won’t even save (mostly because if I start, I won’t be able to stop. Not because I’m above it. Certainly not. I’m an equal opportunity junk saver! There’s no junk too junky, that’s what I always say.), but now I’m tempted because these are super cool.

Click here for the tutorial at SuzysSitcom.com

A pirate! Horror!

A handmade pirate, no less! Here’s a selection of Pirate-y handmade goods that’ll make you say, “ARRRRRRRR!”

Just in time for the new Pirates of the Caribbean movie!

 

 

 

 

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Freschetta Giveaway Winner!

The winner of the Freschetta bamboo cutting board is…

Joni!

Congratulations to Joni and thanks to everyone who entered!

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