Make your own equipment and accessories

[Isk8NYC]

I know we have some crafty people on this board that look at spending $20 on a pair of cute skate stuffers and think "I can make that."

Please share with us your best ideas on things to make for a skater.

[Isk8NYC]

I'll start off with my homemade smell/dampness aborbers.

Small kids' sized sock
Aquarium/Activated carbon (Pet store - comes in different size packages)
Dessicant / Silica Gel Crystals  (Craft store - used for drying flowers or save the "DO NOT EAT" packets from shoes and purses)

Fill the sock about halfway with a 50/50 combination of the carbon and silica.
Tie a tight knot or sew the top closed.

Keep this in your skate bag to absorb any moisture and prevent odors from getting out of hand.

I've made these with larger socks and actually put them inside stinky skates like the Stinkeez, but far less cute.  (I guess you could sew on buttons and make a sock-monkey out of it, lol)

I always leave my bag a little big unzipped to let air circulate, which also helps get rid of odor.

[SillyAdultSkater]

I filled socks with perfumed baby powder, it also seems to work really well, although you need a sock-within-a-sock construction to keep the powder from getting into your skates.

I posted some for soakers, OTB tights and boot covers in the sewing thread yesterday, it's here: http://skatingforums.com/index.php?topic=17.msg136#msg136

Now for something I'd like to know:
Does anyone have a good way of making scrunchies without having an ugly thick seam? How do you make a scrunchy without an ugly thick seam? Also, how do you make those pompom scrunchies, like http://www.ilovefashionnews.nl/ilovefashionnewsonline/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/scrunchie.jpg ?

[kiwiskater]

Has anyone tried the tips for sk8 care from the ice mom blog? I was thinking of trying the home-made stinkeze & soakers

[FigureSpins]

I've made knockoffs - they work fine.  Either save silica gel packets from shoes and purses or buy flower drying crystals at a craft shop.


This is a great blog post on make your own soakers!

http://queenofspandex.net/figure-skating-how-to-make-soakers-flingies-blade-covers/

The author also offers a book about Sewing for Skaters.  Construction techniques are pretty easy and low-level, not really upscale finishing techniques.

http://spandexsimplified.com/SkatersTOC.html

[jjane45]

I guess by now everyone knows I swear by DIY gel pads

[xoxo_tw]

Last project I made was Pirate Hello Kitty fur Boot protectors...

using black fur faux fabric, and some silver trims... The pirate Hello kitty,   was glued using crushed colored glass on a piece of plastic backing with safety pin.

Image here:

http://crystalise.tw/xi/pirate-kitty-boot-protectors

edit:  they was not made for the roller skates in the photo,, thats just what I had to put them on for the photo...  they was intended to fit a smaller pair of Ice skates. the Silver trim is supposed to hang on the ice ,  too cover the blade....

[WaltzJump413]

I guess by now everyone knows I swear by DIY gel pads

How do you make them?

[AgnesNitt]

I swear by Pingi for drying out skates and skate bags. Okay, it's not homemade, but they never ever leak, and you can renew them in the microwave.

Here's my post, and one of my reader's posts after he tried them out..  He mentioned that his homemade solution had issues. Sometimes, commercial is best.

[WaltzJump413]

I posted some for soakers, OTB tights and boot covers in the sewing thread yesterday, it's here: http://skatingforums.com/index.php?topic=17.msg136#msg136

I love the idea of homemade OTB tights--thanks so much for sharing!

[jjane45]

How do you make them?

just cutting a large piece of gel pads into the shape you want. search for "akton" in the forum

[WaltzJump413]

just cutting a large piece of gel pads into the shape you want. search for "akton" in the forum

Thanks--I'll look that up.

[WaltzJump413]

SillyAdultSkater--I made my own OTB tights, based on your idea. I used "George" brand tights that were opaque and 3 sizes too big. They cover my skates (even though they're actually mens' skates since I have wide feet for a girl) well. I love the look of them.

Thanks so much for the idea! They ended up costing about 1/2 the price of store bought tights. It was such a great idea

[Qarol]

SillyAdultSkater--I made my own OTB tights, based on your idea. I used "George" brand tights that were opaque and 3 sizes too big. They cover my skates (even though they're actually mens' skates since I have wide feet for a girl) well.

When I first learned to skate in high school, my mom took lessons with me. She had to wear men's skates for a different reason. Her feet are super narrow but super long. 12AA. I guess they don't make women's skates in that size.

She used to joke about how she was gonna smack the next kid to ask her why her skates were black. 

[xoxo_tw]

I bought 2 kilos of metal studs in different colors and shape this summer,    I just made a pair of skate boot covers and tried them out. Supposed to be: Our clubs Logo, Batman, Pikachu and Hello Kitty  ^)_^

http://crystalise.tw/xi/hello-kitty-boot-covers

[WaltzJump413]

How did you attach the rhinestones/studs?

The Hello Kitty one is very cute. 

[xoxo_tw]

How did you attach the rhinestones/studs?

The Hello Kitty one is very cute. 

Hi !  thank you...

They are attached with philips head screws from the inside.
   I layed out the studs in the pattern I wanted on a sheet of paper, then marked the center for each stud. 
  Placed the paper over my piece of cut out leather, and punched a hole, then i screwed in the stud. 
In total,  I kinda spent 1.5 hour to complete each figure .

[WaltzJump413]

 Neat!

[accordion]

I've made several sets of shakers with matching towels for my daughters. Also made numerous pairs of skate pants or leggings for them. The only thing I've made for me is a big loose top that covers my himself and fans out when I turn.

Working on a jacket for me now.

[DressmakingMomma]

I've just ordered some D3O pads from ebay to make a pair of crash shorts for under dd's skating pants. As elements are getting more difficult she's had a couple of falls onto her hip so I figure it is time. I ordered a shoulder/elbow for men pad set made for motocross jackets for $40 that I plan to cut down and layer into hip and tailbone pads. I already have lots of leftover beige lycra, so the padding is the only cost. I'm hoping to have enough left over that I can sew her a fleece hat with padding hidden between layers for extra protection just in case she smacks the back of her head on the ice - which is what I worry about. The pads should arrive sometime next week, giving me enough time to alter up a pattern.