Craft Bump: 75 Crafty Ideas Revisited

Major cleanup work going on at Tipnut, here are several dozen craft patterns, tips & tutes posted on Tipnut over the past couple of years that are now combined into this handy list. Lots of great ideas for gifts!

75 Crafty Ideas Revisited

1. Neck Ribbon Caddy: Holds a tape measure, pincushion, small scissors and sewing gauge to hang around your neck while doing sewing and crafts. Easy to make! Perfect gift for your favorite crafter.
2. Mother’s Pin Box: Looking for a pin box? Another pattern saved by the web archive.
3. Crochet Pattern: Corner Page Keeper: Quick stocking stuffer idea, whip these up in no time flat–and handy to use!
4. Free Bed Caddy Pattern: Keep your book, eyeglasses, television remote and other essentials close at hand with this elegant caddy that tucks easily under a mattress.
5. Vintage Crafty Tip: When knitting or crocheting, keep balls of yarn and thread in an old clean teapot. Let the end come out the spout. Prevents thread and yarn tangling and rolling away.
6. How To Make A Plantation Doll: Here’s a nice set of instructions for making a plantation doll with a bit of history included. Great piece for country decor.
7. Perfect Pocket Beach Towel: A great big towel, with an enclosed pocket to hold sunglasses, sunscreen or even a paperback book!
8. Crafty Quick Tip: Cuddly T-Shirt Cushions. Fun throw cushions for the tv room can be made from your child’s favorite outgrown t-shirts. Simply sew the neck and sleeve openings closed, stuff with fiberfill then sew the bottom closed. These wash up in a snap and are hardy enough for floor lounging and pillow fights . Idea: Each child could fabric paint their names or artistic designs on the fabric before the cushion is made.
9. Rolling Towel: Sometimes the best ideas come from the least likely sources. Few of us want our own bathrooms to resemble a public restroom in any way, but the rolling hand towel loop is an excellent invention equally useful in the home for providing an always-ready drying surface. Simply stitch two linen hand towels together at both ends to form a loop. Take a half-inch wooden dowel painted in white enamel, and screw porcelain drawer knobs (available in hardware stores) into each end. Slip the towel loop over the dowel, and hang from wall hooks.
10. Make Your Own Kimono PJs: Not only an uncomplicated project to make, but how comfy to lounge around in!
11. How To Make Puppets: Some fabric, some glue, a bit of felt and you can whip up quite the characters! Nice job .
12. Cutting Quill Pens from Feathers: Very detailed instructions and pictures are included. Nice job!
13. Quick Tip: Recycle Old Blankets. Have any ratty old blankets laying around? Cover them with flannelette (cotton version of flannel) and they’ll be like brand new again–plus you’ll have family members fighting over them . Very cozy and cuddly and perfect for the family room!
14. How To Make A Cupcake Candle: Too cute! Step by step instructions plus great pictures are included.
15. How To Make A Flower Pom Pom: Making this flower pompom is really easy! It’s made just like an old-school regular pompom, but you don’t cut the ends.
16. How To Make Roses From Maple Leaves: Beautiful pictures and a great centerpiece for Fall.
17. Heart Garland: Tute from Green Kitchen.
18. Crocheted Spiral Tape Measure Cozy: Ever have those scraps of leftover yarn and you hate to toss them, yet don’t know what you could possibly do with them? Well, make yourself a little crocheted tape measure cozy-add a little flair to your project bag!
19. Knitted Corn Skillet Handle Covers: Pattern from Right Sides Together.
20. Sew Your Own Winter Dog Boots: Sewing pattern from Domestik Goddess.
21. Fabric Flowers: These flowers are easy to make. And quick.
22. Turn Valentines Into Placemats: Quick & easy tute from ParentHacks.
23. Printable Paper Rules: All kinds to choose from.
24. Quick Tip: Use Tiny Craft Bits. Save all those too-short pieces of yarn that won’t knit or crochet into anything, or the too-small pieces of fabric scraps and the tiny pieces of quilt batting for stuffing future craft projects. Everything from homemade dolls, sachets, cushions or stuffed animals will gladly take your craft bits.
25. How To Recycle Yarn: She’s put together a nice set of instructions (lots of pictures too) beginning with where to start cutting the knitted item through to how to roll it and then washing the recycled yarn hank.
26. How To Make A Basket Purse: This pattern uses a plastic woven place mat which is a different twist that I like. Nice pictures and instructions.
27. Make A Designer Post-It Note Holder: Turn an acrylic photo frame on its end to make a cute desk accessory!
28. How To Make An Envelope Accordian: This easy to make book is a handmade and personalized way to organize all of your small odds and ends. Each envelope page can hold something different such as- “to do” lists, stamps, tickets, coupons, and business cards.
29. How To Make A Water Bottle Carrier: This carrier fits a small 500 mL bottle of water. I used a Crystal Geyser bottle that was 8 inches around. The finished tube is 9 inches in circumference and 7 1/4 inches tall.
30. Ten Minute Lampshade: Basically rolling and tracing the lampshade over fabric, cutting & hot glue gun-ning are all that’s needed.
31. How To Make Pretty Designer Envelopes: Here’s a blank envelope template you can download. (Either print it on plain cardstock to cut out as a template for tracing around, or print it directly on the back of your patterned paper like I did here). Of course, you can also take apart any envelope, flatten it out, and use that as a template, too.
32. How-To Make Yards and Yards of Bias Tape: Fabric cut on the bias has more stretch than fabric cut on the straight of grain. For this reason, bias tape easily fits around corners and curves.
33. How To Make Pillowcases (pdf): Great way to use up those older sheets where the center has seen better days, but the sides are still pretty good.
34. Garden Toolbelt Roll-Up: This would make a great gift for your favorite gardener (and one for you too!). As she says on the site, this project is: Cheap As Chips, lol. I like it!
35. Fabric Card Holder Tutorial: It is very simple and you don’t need a lot of fabric. You can use it to hold your business cards, driver’s licence, library card or any other type of card.
36. How To Sew A Fold-up Crayon Pouch: Instructions are nicely done and how cute is that crayon pouch!
37. Quick Tip: Threading A Needle. For fussy threads that won’t cooperate and slide nicely into the eye of a needle, try dabbing the thread with a bit of clear nail polish and allowing it to dry before threading the needle. My ultimate tool of choice though is a wire loop needle threader, can’t beat it and they just cost a few cents.
38. How To Make Wooden Crochet Hooks: By making your own straight hooks, you will be able to make custom lengths and sizes.
39. How to make your own Peg Loom: Basic instructions for building your own peg loom.
40. From Spool-Knitting to Loom Knitting: Tutorial from CraftyPod.
41. Loom Knitting Tips: Tutorial from Yarn Gear.
42. Design Your Own Bicycle Seat Cover: If your bike seats are getting a little worn this is a fun way to have the coolest bike on the block, lol!
43. How to make a reversible journal cover: The instructions are easy to follow and the tutorial is well done.
44. DIY Paper Lunch Bag CD Covers: This is a great tip if you’re always scrambling for CD covers and you don’t need to be artsy crafty at all to pull this off in less than a minute. Basically you just pop the CD in a lunch bag (don’t unfold the bottom), cut off 1 1/2 inches from the top open end, fold over the top part of the bag to tuck into the bottom flap fold on the back. Visit the site for visuals, it’s pretty easy stuff.
45. Sewing Even Corners: This has always been a bugaboo for me (that little tag hanging over the edge), happy to find an easy fix!
46. Paper Roses: These roses are made from coffee filters, if you can believe it!
47. Amy Butler’s Guide To Interfacing: A great guide on Sew Mama Sew.
48. Towel Patchwork: A simple, cute idea for putting vintage towels to good use.
49. Double Pointed Needle Pouches: Make a pouch for each one of your double pointed needle sets and they won’t get separated again! These pouches are also great for when you take your knitting on the go an only need to bring one set of needles with you. You can embroider the needle size on the outside of the pouch, or attach a number shaped button for easy reference.
50. Tote-Able Towel Tutorial: Maybe a little late for the summer beach trips, but a good project to have on hand.
51. Quick Tip: How To Make Pattern Pieces Sturdier. Patterns on tissue paper can get a little ragged and worn out over time. To help them last longer, iron your favorite and most-used pattern pieces to freezer paper or fusible interfacing. Cut them out and you’ll have sturdier pattern pieces that will last longer than the tissue paper pieces.
52. Matchbook Notebooks: These make great party favors, stocking stuffers, little things to tuck in with a birthday card, whatever. Make them bigger and you can use them as journals.
53. Recycle Paper Into Boxes: You too can make fabulous boxes of your own with papers of all kinds for all sorts of uses from desk supplies to really great packaging and gift boxes! All you need is paper and scissors…we’ve all got those!
54. Crochet Patterns – Onion Sack: This crocheted onion bag is wonderful to place your onions in, and you will be so proud that you made it yourself. They also make unique gifts. The pattern is for the onion sack shown but with a little know how, you can make them for taters, carrots, etc.
55. How To Turn An Umbrella Into A Kite: You take apart the umbrella by removing the wires then reuse the nylon umbrella fabric and wires to make a kite. Even the umbrella handle is utilized!
56. Make A Scoodie – Sewing Tutorial: Very simple hood and scarf combo that will save your neck, ears, and hairdo this winter. A great beginner project or gift (after you’ve made yourself that is )
57. Easy Peasy Snap Wallets – Sewing Tutorial: Can you say “easy & awesome cheap gifts you can make”! They’re really cute and you don’t need to be a fancy sewer to put one together.
58. Laptop bag from a pillow case: You need a pillow sham, liner fabric, 1/2″ thick foam, a strap and basic notions to make this laptop bag.
59. How To Make Fabric Panel Wall Art: Simple and easy to do! A great idea to make a piece of wall art for your room that won’t break the bank, yet match your decor perfectly (notice the matching sofa cushions too).
60. Useful Items You Never Knew You Could Print Out – The Ultimate Guide: Plenty of goodies to be found including paper rules, ipod covers, wallets, graph paper, seed packets and more.
61. How To Make Natural Dyes from Edible Items: Start by using fruits or vegetables that stain and experiment! You can mix dye baths to make different colors. You will probably find that the colors are all — surprise — “earth” tones!
62. DIY Headband Collection: You’ll find 5 different patterns and instructions for making your own headbands, and these are nice!
63. Easy Change Purse Pattern – Sewing Tutorial: It’s really basic; all you need is two pieces of fabric and a closure of your preference. Snap, button, Velcro, magic – whatever you have in the stash.
64. How To Make A Notebook & Pencil Holder: This holder has been made to comfortably fit an A5-sized 100-page notebook. You may need to alter the dimensions for larger notebooks.
65. Organize With Quick Pockets – Sewing Tutorial: This is made from one single piece of normal dishcloth. The whole dishcloth is in this wall-pocket, i.e. no scraps left.
66. What’s In Your Wallet? How ‘Bout Tea!: Today’s feature project is a fun one from the crafster forum for a Tea Wallet (scroll down a bit to find the tutorial)
67. Knitting: Lattice Pattern Makes A Pretty Scarf: Pattern from Needle Book.
68. Sewing Tutorial: Lip Balm Cozy: Use this for lip balm, lipstick or lip gloss tubes–it will work for them all.
69. Mini Boden Inspired Bandana – Sewing Tutorial: These bandanas are truly sweet and if you’d like to try making some yourself, this free tutorial / pattern is just the ticket!
70. How To Make Custom Toggle Buttons: The process is quite easy, simply make a triangle out of a suitable fabric piece, overlock the edges (or any sort of finishing stitch will work), add a bit of fray check on the ends, roll it up, secure with glue and voila! A perfectly customized toggle button for your project.
71. Idea: How To Use Old Cooking Oil: Using a large jar or tin can, a strip of cotton cloth, empty bottle and used oil you can make yourself a cheap (basically free!) oil lamp.
72. Kool-Aid Dying Yarn – How To: If you always wondered how to create your own yarn colors you’ll find a wealth of information here.
73. How To Use A Rotary Cutter: Rotary cutting can be intimidating to the uninitiated but with a few instructions and tips it can be both safe and easy. Rotary cutting is a true time saver and makes such clean and accurate cuts that once you learn how to do it you’ll never look back!
74. Decorate Office Supplies With Fabric: With some bits of fabric, spray adhesive and gel medium you can have the prettiest office supplies evah!
75. Crocheted Coin Purse: The tutorial provides a few options for both the top opening shape as well as the bottom shape, so you can easily adjust this design to your own preferences.

I also updated the pincushion list: 44 Free Pincushion Patterns, it should include every pincushion referenced by Tipnut up till now.

*All bookmarks will forward to this handy list and comments were moved below as well.

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