Make this OTT sash to celebrate any and all women in your life

I honestly don't have words to begin to describe how much my mum means to me, but I do have a sewing machine. Haha! I thought this year it would be fun to celebrate this incredible woman — in royal fashion. So I sewed my little heart out and presented my mum with a royal-inspired sash with patches and cute pins that reminded me of her. We laughed and cried when I gave it to her. It's silly and over-the-top but I know it will live in a shadow box frame in her house and she'll wear it time to time. This DIY will basically make you MVP of your family. You're welcome!

It's perfect for honouring any woman in your life, anytime of the year — think of crafting this for sisters, BFFs, aunts or other mother-figures for their birthdays, bridal or baby showers or any time you want to show your appreciation for who they are!

I picked the sewing machine because every year my mum would sew my sister and I AND our two neighbours' Halloween costumes. We were everything from a full crew of care bears to ghost busters. Being a mum now, I can't believe how much love and sweat she put into that. My mum has always been my rock and has guided me with kindness and love, so I chose the compass as a symbol for her guidance. The bindle patch is a funny little memory my mum and I have. She caught me crawling out my window once with a bindle. Inside the cloth was fluff and stuffing, no useful supplies. We laughed so hard at how impractical I was and still am.

Here's what you'll need:

I got all of these materials at craft stores such as Philistine, Fabricland, Michaels, and Value Village. And you can shop the 'slowly but surely' patch here.

• Roughly ½ metre of royal blue sateen, about 1.5 metres long
• Iron-on patches — Pick things meaningful to your giftee or your relationship with them
• Measuring tape
• Scissors
• Thread to match your sash material
• Needle
• Straight pins
• Sewing machine
• Iron
• Decorative lapel pins
• Ribbon and compass (to use my example!)

Here's how to do it:

1. Let's begin by making our sash! I loved the idea of this feeling regal so I went with a royal blue. Fold your material in half lengthwise with the matte side facing up. I decided how wide my sash would be by basing it on the largest patch I have. Make sure to add ¼ inch to the sides to compensate for where we will be sewing — I wanted mine to be 3.5 inches wide so I measured 3.75 inches.

2. Cut the material down the length. Now trim the ends on an angle.

3. Pin around the edges to prepare for your sewing on your machine.

4. Prepare your sewing machine and use a thread that matches your material. Sew around the edges of your sash leaving a small opening at one end.

5. Next, turn the sewed sash inside out by pulling the fabric through your opening.

6. Once inside out, iron flat. Hand stitch the opening closed with a needle and thread using a loop stitch technique. 

7. Now we can play with the placement of our patches and pins. I wanted mine to have a fun Girl Guides meets royal sash feel so I kept it busy and colourful, but elegant. Once you have your patches arranged, secure them to your sash with your iron. I added decorative lapel pins in a few empty places. I like the idea of adding a compass with a bow to secure the ends together once draped on the body. My mum has always guided me through thick and thin so I loved this sentiment.

8. Okay now prepare yourself for the waterworks and present your sash to your person. It's so fun to share the love!