250+ Ideas, Projects & Fun For Creative Crafters!

Currently Browsing: Craft Inspiration & Resources

This section reflects my appreciation for all sorts of inspired goodness. I've gathered together a wide assortment of handcrafts and techniques...everything from sewing to crochet to paper activities using a wide variety of materials, including repurposing items.

Is there anything more rewarding than filling a home with lovely bits and bobs that you made? Handmade items are a splendid solution to perfect the exact color, size and style desired. Discover hundreds of free patterns, tutorials and "How To" projects that are sure to spark creativeness.

Each category below has a sampling of crafts available here on Tipnut. If you'd like to view everything available in a particular section, just click the banner in that summary. Have fun!

Sewing

Fat Quarter Fun: Free Project Ideas To Stitch & Sew

Easy Pajamas For All Sizes: {Tops, Nighties & Pants}

30+ Marvelous Mug Rugs & Mats

90+ Totally Free Coffee Cup Cozies & Sleeves

35+ Basket Liner Tutorials Plus Ideas For Adornment

Assorted Appliance Cover Tutorials

70+ Crafty Kitchen Dish Towels That Add Charm & Personality

40+ Door Stops to Craft: Fabric ~ Concrete ~ Wood

65+ Machine Covers & Accessories: Functional & Pretty

Handicrafts - Assorted Ideas

How To Make Homemade Bubbles: {Recipes & DIY Wands}

Matryoshka & Babushka Dolls Collection

Fall Decor Featuring Acorns: Tips & Tutorials

Getting Started With Candles: Instructions & Guide

Flower Power: DIY Vase Projects for Blooming Bouquets

Salt Dough Recipes & Handmade Festive Ornaments

30+ Creative Pine Cone Ideas

Pretty Teacups For Decor & Functional Uses

85+ Charming Fabric Flowers

Knitting & Crochet

Lovely Trims & Edgings For Embellishment

Glorious Granny Squares

85+ Adorable Crochet Flowers: {Designs & Instructions}

Handmade Winter Hats For The Family: Knit & Crochet

Terrific For Beginners: 100+ Free Scarf, Cowl & Neckwarmer Patterns

Handmade Mittens & Fingerless Gloves: 100+ Free Patterns

60+ Kitchen Chore Scrubby Patterns To Crochet, Knit & Sew

Handmade Socks Are Terrific Gifts, Here Are 45+ Projects

35+ Oh-So-Cozy Afghans

Paper Crafts

Seed Packet Printables & Templates

Journaling Resources Collection

Chore Charts You Can Craft Or Print

35+ Favorite To Do Lists To Help You Get Organized

Decorative Envelopes & Liners: {Tutorials}

20+ Thank You Cards & Notes

So Fun & Adorable! Collection Of Lunch Box Notes

For The Home Library: 25+ Bookplates To Download

Getting Organized With Labels: {A Nice Collection}

Needlework & Vintage Patterns

Scissor Pouches, Cases & Fobs: {A Great Mix}

Needle Books & Cases For Optimal Organization

The Art Of Smocking: How To Guide

Needlework Blocking, Care, Quick Tips & More

Powder hands lightly with corn starch before taking up tatting or crocheting, if the work is white. It relieves the annoyance of hands getting sweaty or sticky, and the work will come out cleaner. Better not try it with colored thread, though.
Very sheer materials when run through your sewing machine may pucker or draw despite all your efforts. Place a piece of clean paper underneath the material and stitch through. Then pull the paper off, leaving the stitching smooth as can be!
To keep crochet thread from tangling, run it through the loop in one end of a safety pin; then fasten the pin to your dress.
Put real precision in your blanket stitch--or any other ornamental stitch you use on comforters, coverlets and the like. Baste a tape measure along the edge to be stitched, and space stitches by the measure.
In knitting situations calling for an extra long stitch holder, a piece of pipe cleaner fills the bill admirably. Transfer the stitches to the pipe cleaner, bend the ends back, and the work will be securely held.
Use a white or black cotton shoe lace to hold stitches, instead of the conventional stitch holder. You can quickly cast the stitches back on the needle as they can be taken off either end of the string.
When laundering doilies or other linen pieces that need careful shaping, leave unstarched for the first ironing. When ironed and shaped to your satisfaction, dip a thin cloth in starch, wring out and smooth it over the article on the ironing board, then iron both layers dry. The doily will be nicely starched and finished.
When knitting argyle socks, use an empty egg carton to hold the yarn. The different colors of yarn will fit in the sections, make a hole above each one, thus saving confusion.
A small zippered cosmetic pouch in your knitting bag will keep the weaving needle, spare bobbins, tape measure, stitch holders and other small accessories together where you can find them.

Source: Assorted articles dating from the 1950s

It's handy to put mother's name on a few of the more ordinary type shop tools and keep them in the kitchen. Then, when she needs a screw driver, hammer, or a pair of pliers, she knows they are in a convenient place. Also, if the tool is nearby, she won't be so likely to put off a chore requiring a tool.

Fumbling for tools kept in a "catch all" kitchen drawer sometimes can be annoying. Better, why not make a simple tool holder and hang it inside a cupboard, broom closet, or basement stairway?

Almost any light-weight canvas or drill is suitable. Sport denim is especially nice because the brighter colors available add to the general color scheme of your kitchen.

Before making mine, I laid out all the tools I wanted in the holder. Then, after deciding where I could keep it (and consequently how large the outer dimensions would be) I cut a piece of brown wrapping paper the same size. On this, I arranged the tools until I had them placed as I wanted them.

To make my holder, I bought one-half yard of 42-inch width blue sport denim. Splitting this lengthwise, I had two pieces 18 x 21 inches. As 18 inches was the width, I cut from the other half of the material two strips 18 x 5 1/2 inches. These were to serve as the pockets on the tool holder.

Because my kitchen is blue and yellow, I used yellow bias tape for trimming. I bound both top and bottom edges of the upper pocket and the top edge only of the lower pocket.

Next, the bottom and sides of the lower pocket were sewn to the bottom and side edges of the tool holder. At a distance 1 3/4 inches above this, I pinned the lower and side edges of the upper pocket.

Then I sewed vertical lines to make individual columns the proper width to hold particular tools. To decide where the vertical lines would go, I went back to the brown paper pattern covered with tools.

I had two hammers which extended below the bottom of the top pocket. To accommodate these, I left the bottom of the upper pocket open in that particular column, allowing the hammer handle to extend into the corresponding column in the lower pocket. A horizontal stitching in this column in the lower pocket approximately three inches from the top served as a base to support the weight of the hammer.

Similarly, for tiny jewelers' screw drivers, I made horizontal stitchings two or three inches below the top of the upper pocket. With your own imagination, you can accommodate any specialties you may want to keep in your tool holder.

After all the pocket stitching was finished, I bound the entire outer edge with yellow bias tape, attached three bias loops along the top of the holder, and hung the completed piece on cup hooks in the broom closet.

You'll be glad you made a tool holder for yourself, and it's a novelty gift to make for any homemaker friend.

Source: The WorkBasket; March, 1959

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