Archive Category: 'Crafts'

• Homemade Oilcloth Lunch Bags: Today’s feature is from Tumbling Blocks with a tutorial for How To Make An Oilcloth Lunch Bag: Make Your Sack Lunch, a lunch bag tutorial You will need: 1/4 yard (not fat) oilcloth. I got mine at Sew Mama Sew. Modern oilcloth is pretty much like vinyl and not oiled cloth 1/4 yard thin batting 1/4 yard other plastic [...]
• How To Make Gel Candles – Easy Oven Method: Try making a small batch or two of these to get the swing of things, then setup an assembly line to whip up several at once. How To Make Gel Candles Materials Needed: Gel Wax Liquid Dye for Gel Wax (optional) Gel Safe Fragrance Oil (optional) Zinc Core Wick (pre-tabbed) Glass container to hold candle Prep Materials: Large Pyrex Measuring Cup Metal Spoon (for stirring) Candy [...]
• Homemade Cat Toys – Free Crochet Pattern: Today’s feature is from Full of Fluff with a free crochet pattern: Happy Cat Candy I had been thinking about making toys for a while now and had been doing some research on the way the cats see and interact with the world. Cats do not see colors the same as people. Contrast and pattern are [...]
• How To Make Handmade Designer Bubble Mailers: Today’s feature is a professional secret revealed from 27 Things: Make Your Own Bubble Mailers… Make Your Own Bubble Mailers I love making my own mailers! It adds a personal and stylish touch to all my orders and it’s helped me stand out in the marketplace. A few months ago, I decided to open a second shop [...]
• Free Vintage Embroidery Pattern – Kitten Towels #2: Here is this week’s vintage embroidery pattern from the set started last week: Free Vintage Embroidery Pattern – Kitten Towels. It’s from the 7 Motifs For Day-Of-The-Week Towels set by Superior Transfer Design. You’ll find stitch and pattern instructions detailed in the page above. You can download this week’s pattern here: Tuesday Kittens Embroidery Pattern. Please [...]
• Homemade Gift Baskets – The Ultimate How To Guide: Have you always wanted to learn how to make beautiful homemade gift baskets or have a large running list of basket themes and gift ideas at your disposal? Then this is the ultimate How To guide for you! Today’s tip is jam packed with videos for how to make gift baskets as well as lovely homemade [...]
• Free Vintage Embroidery Pattern – Kitten Towels: Here’s a treat for embroidery fans – This vintage pattern comes with seven different designs, one for each day of the week. I’ll post a freebie from this set one day each week that you’re welcome to save and print for your collection. This is a sweet set–kittens! Here are the full set of instructions directly [...]
• How To Change Sizes In Knitting Patterns: To Change Sizes This is done very simply by knowing your measurements. Then knit a swatch to make sure your tension is same as in directions. Then multiply the number of stitches per inch by the number of inches you wish any part of the garment increased in size and add the required number of stitches. Watch [...]
• Free Vintage Crochet Shoe Tote Bag Pattern: Here’s a pattern of a crocheted shoe tote bag from a 1965 issue of The Workbasket. I’ve scanned it into a pdf file, feel free to download it. It takes approximately 210 yards (1 skein) in any desired color. Use a plastic crochet hook, size J or any size hook which will result in gauge given. Free [...]
• Reuse Plastic Bags – Fuse Them!: Today’s feature is from Etsy Labs with a great tutorial for How To Fuse Plastic Bags: Do you have one zillion plastic drugstore and grocery bags under your sink, or perhaps smushed into a drawer? Ever wanted a cheap and easy use for them? One that leaves you with an intriguing and useful homemade craft supply? [...]
• Red Heel Sock Monkey Pattern: I happened across an original copy from Nelson Rockford (including a like-new pair of socks attached, yay!). Who says there’s nothing but junk to be found at garage sales, hehe. I made a copy to store on Tipnut, the full pattern is a single pdf file so you can download and save it for yourself if [...]
• Retro Doll Pajama Bag Pattern: PAJAMA BAG Size: 44″ long Materials: 36″ cotton: 1 yard print for body and cosmetic bag, 1/2 yard rose, scrap of purple scraps of rose, white, turquoise felt 14″ neckline zipper 2 buttons 2 snaps 12″ chain medium-weight cotton yarn starch stuffing for arms, legs and head turquoise ribbon Use 1/2″ seams except on zipper. Directions: For body pattern, which includes seam allowances, draw a right-angle triangle 8 3/4″ wide [...]
• Fabric Burn Test Chart: Today’s feature is from Ditzy Prints with a full page chart for unknown fabric testing–Fiber Burn Chart: To identify the fibers in an unknown piece of fabric, cut off a snippet — it’s best if it’s about 1″ long and a triangle at most 1/4″ wide (try to cut from one of the already cut ends [...]
• The Beehive Aladdin Heel – Knitting Hack: This is a two page spread from an old Beehive knitting pattern book detailing the instructions for replacing a worn out heel without unraveling the foot as well as replacing a worn out toe. I think it’s from the 1940s, it’s pretty old. Click the picture on the left to view a larger, readable size; (then click [...]
• Craft Tutorial: Charming Corkboard Wall Pocket: Today’s feature is from Craft Apple with a tutorial on How To Make a Corkboard Wall Pocket: Materials Needed: 12″x12″ piece of 1/4″ corkboard tile (available in office supplies at Target for around $4/4-pack, or art-supply stores for around $10/4-pack) 11 3/4″ x 11″ cardboard piece (I cut mine from an old box) 11 1/2″ x 11 1/2″ [...]
• Block Printing With Eraser Stamps: This is an excerpt of an article detailing how to make your own stamps from erasers and use them for stamping projects (on paper, fabric and other items). How To Block Print With Eraser Stamps Though stamps are, of course, limited to size of face of eraser, they are easy to make and work very well [...]
• Create A Craft Idea Digital Catalog File: Here’s a simple way to keep track of all those great projects and ideas you come across online, no special software necessary! Create a folder on your computer: Craft Ideas Inside that folder, create a folder for each category: Christmas, Easter, Gifts, Quilting, Sewing, Crochet (whatever works for you) Place a text file in each folder named: Index Whenever [...]
• How To Print On Fabric With Computer Printer: Today’s feature is from Sewing Star with the easy to follow instructions for How To Print On Fabric. Breaking it down: Use a 200+ thread count piece of fabric Iron fabric to the plastic side of freezer paper (cut both to fit 8.5 x 11) Place freezer paper backed fabric in the printer (fabric side up to be printed [...]
• How To Dry Flowers: A Collection of Tips: After yesterday’s Homemade Potpourri information, I thought this collection of flower drying methods and tips was a perfect follow-up. Tips For Drying Flowers Collect flowers first thing in the morning (after the dew is gone) and at least two days after a rain. Handle them carefully so they don’t get bruised. Choose flowers that have reached near [...]
• How To Make A Lavender Wand: Today’s feature is from GardenGate Magazine with nice instructions for how to Make a Lavender Wand: After it is dried, the heads and buds of lavender can be used in soothing sachets, potpourris and bath bags. Or you can save the entire stem and use it in flower arrangements or as a fragrant fire starter for [...]
• Homemade Potpourri 101: The Three Components of Potpourri Fixative: These do the best job of absorbing the different fragrances so things keep smelling nice for a longer period of time. Potpourri fixatives are things like oak moss and orris root. Fragrance: Essential oils, fragrance oils. These are applied to the Fixatives so they’ll retain the fragrance for a longer period of time. [...]
• Make Your Own Rub On Transfers: Today’s feature is from Rubber Stamping Fun with the instructions Fantastic Rub-On Transfers From Stuff Around The House! Get ready to have a blast making custom rub-on transfers. We spent hours researching the best way to make smudge free, rub-on transfers that could be used in scrapbooking and rubber stamping craft projects. We had a wonderful [...]
• How To Hem Jeans – Super Easy: Two handy features here showing how to hem jeans. The first tip is from Kansas A with Hemming Jeans, A Tutorial… I can’t even begin to tell you how many needles I’ve broken while trying to hem jeans. At one point I was going to don safety glasses to protect my eyes from flying needles! But [...]
• How To Make Origami Kusadama Flowers: Today’s feature is from The Peace of Paper with the instructions for Origami Kusadama Flowers (updated link to cutoutandkeep.net since thepeaceofpaper website is no longer active): The Japanese word kusudama comes from two Japanese words kusuri (Medicine) and tama (Ball) They were often used with incense of potpourri. These days they are used more as decorative [...]
• How To Make Rose Water: Recipes & Tips: Rose water (also spelled Rosewater) can be used in cooking as well as a rich beauty aid. Try some as a facial toner or astringent, in your bath water or as a facial splash (refresher). Notes on Preparation: Rose petals must be freshly picked and have no pesticides or chemicals used on them. Pick the roses just after the [...]