Think Crafts Blog - Craft Ideas and Projects - CreateForLess

By Recycled Craft Contributor, Anitra from the blog “Coffee Pot People”.

I’m told the average woman tries on sixteen pairs of jeans to find a single pair that fit properly. I’ve lived that, and a whole lot of other women I know have, too. So when my favorite jeans sprang an air leak across the knee, it was nothing short of a disaster.

I sat and looked at the raggedy tear, and sighed. Looks like a great big old mouth, I thought. And then I smiled. I couldn’t wait to get busy patching them.

Here’s what you’ll need to do the same:

• Buttons
• Beads
• Scrap of red fabric
• Thread

Do you see faces? I’ve been playing with my buttons and beads! Buttons with beads in their centers for eyes, a triangular bead for a nose, ring beads and metal spacers as another eye option–raid your sewing and bead boxes, use your imagination, and have fun!

Then you can get down to business. Measure the tear you’re going to patch.

Cut a piece of red fabric that’s about 1/2″ larger all around than the tear in the jeans. If it looks like the fabric will fray, finish the edge with a row of stitching, or use something like Fray-check on the raw edges. Then turn the jeans leg inside-out, and pin the patch in place.

Make sure you haven’t pinned through both layers of the jeans leg, and sew all the way around the patch. (Optional: Blow mental kisses and hugs in the general direction of whoever invented free-arm sewing machines!) Again, make sure you’re sewing through just the patch and the torn jeans layer.

Now, ordinarily, you’d want to sew as close to the tear as you could, and you’d want to make it as invisible as possible, but don’t do that this time. You’re creating a mouth, and you want the red to show, and even gape open a bit when the knee bends, so sew near the edge of the patch.

Turn the jeans right side out, and play some more. Lay them flat and arrange your selection of beads and buttons to create a monster face. When you’ve decided on one you look, lightly mark the placement with a pencil, and sew in place by hand, using sturdy thread.

I haven’t actually finished my jeans yet. I can’t decide which face to use!

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Yesterday we sat down and looked over all the entries for this year’s Handmade Halloween Costume Contest by CreateForLess. We had so many creative entries that it was very difficult to choose the winners!

1st Place Winner of $150 CreateForLess gift card goes to:

Alexandria H. from Centerville, TN

I made this costume for my niece who loves to wear dresses. There are six parts to it. The chemise is made of cotton broadcloth with white lace around the neckline that had the scalloped edge dyed bright pink. The stays are made from a heavy cotton fabric with a dark burgundy jacobean print on it, trimmed with green ribbon and gold binding. The paniers are made from pink taffeta. The dress is made of ivory antique satin with an embroidered stomacher, and ruching edged with green ribbon. The stomacher is beaded with pearls and decorated with gold buckles through which ribbon was passed. The sleeves are trimmed with a wide lace which had the scalloped edge dyed pink. Hand made embroidered appliques are scattered along the ruching and the sleeves. The necklace is made from the matching embroidered satin and edged in green ribbon with a pink bow and buckle in the center. The mask was made to match the dress and was constructed of paper mache, covered in ivory satin, decorated with white and silver glitter, edged with handbraided silver trim and finished off with white feathers and an embroidered applique flower.

2nd Place Winner of $100 CreateForLess gift card goes to:

Anthony L. from Northglenn, CO

I created this custom from plastic and rivets. It is Ironman from the movie and comic series. I used a lot of hot glue, and LED lights.

3rd Place Winner of $50 CreateForLess gift card goes to:

Melinda D. from Coralville, IA

My 3 year old daughter decided that she wanted to be Hello Kitty for Halloween and I decided to go for “Mom of the Year”! I started by sculpting the head shape out of high density foam. I used an electric knife to cut the foam. Next I sewed a fuzzy white cover to fit. I used a small amount of doll/toy stuffing to fill in the ears and round out the cover to give it a very smooth face. I made a “breathing and vision” section out of sheer white fabric to show a finished look. I attached the eyes, nose and whiskers next. The final step was to sew and attach the green bow to match Hello Kitty’s dress. Her outfit is a white pair of tights, a white turtleneck, a simple green dress and a pair of white gloves. My daughter is so excited to go trick or treating and show it off at her preschool Halloween party!

Honorable Mentions:  

I’m Expecting Barbie, it was hard to find maternity Halloween costumes so I decided to make this one.
Supplies:
Cardboard Box, front panel & arm holes cut out
Hot Pink Wrapping Paper
Shrink Wrap (just up to neck)
Ink Jet Printed Logos & Text
Pink Dress
Blond Wig
Pink Accessories

Submitted by: Christina F. from Burnsville, MN

What costume could be “Sweeter” than everyone’s favorite childhood treat?? That would have to be a BIG HOMEMADE Chocolate CUPCAKE!! Our sweet daughter, Rachel, dreamed only of being a fluffy white Cupcake for Halloween this year. So we Frosted her with fluffy white fabric, covered her in sparkly RAINBOW SPRINKLES and topped it off with a HOT PINK CHERRY! The only thing missing from this picture is the delicious Cupcake body lotion she is wearing to even make her smell of the sweet goodness! With lots of creative thought and hard work we made her sweet dream, of being a Yummy Cupcake, come true!

Submitted by: Jennifer P. from Northville, MI

This is a Civil War era dress I created from two fashion times, one 1863 and the other, 1866. I drafted my own pattern in order to capture the exact look I was going for, and I used iridescent green taffeta, creamy striped organza, and matching satin taffeta for the pleated trim. I finished it off with hand-looped pearl beads centered in the gathers of the skirt, and pearl jewelry appropriate to the time.

Submitted by: Jacqueline H. from Centerville, TN

Click here to view more of our favorite entries on our Facebook Page!

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Please welcome guest blogger Tracey from “Imagine That Quilts” and the blog “Peppermint Patcher”.

Have you ever considered using photographs as a means to personalize a quilt?

There are products on the market that allow you to use your own home printer to print directly onto special fabric sheets. You can print any photograph from your computer onto these fabric sheets. Once you’ve done that you can use the fabric like any other and cut it, stitch it into or appliqué it onto a quilt.

There are several points you should consider before printing your photos onto these fabric sheets.

1. Check the size of your photographs. The fabric sheets generally come in the same sizes as paper that can be fed through a printer. Make sure that your photograph is not bigger than this size. You may need to take the photo file into some photo manipulation software to do this.
2. Look at the contrast levels in your photo. If your photo is very dark or very light you may not be able to see it well once it prints onto the fabric sheet. Again using photo manipulation software can help with this. It may also help to make the photograph black and white. This allows you to easily see the contrast.
3. If you plan to stitch the photograph into a patchwork make sure you leave plenty of seam allowance around the photograph. Don’t just leave the traditional quarter inch as this doesn’t leave any room for error. Give yourself at least half an inch, just to be sure.
4. If you are using a fussy, patterned fabric around the photo consider adding a border around your photograph before printing. Most photo manipulation software will allow you to add a border around your photos. You can add a narrow border before printing to give the outline of the photograph definition. It’s easier to do this before printing than it is to stitch a narrow strip of fabric around the photo.

Now don’t just assume that because cameras take rectangular photos that you have to put rectangles into your quilt. Why not think outside the square and unleash your creativity? You can fussy cut around a photo printed onto fabric.  In the same way that you might fussy cut around a print on a quilting fabric to create an appliquéd scene you can create an appliquéd scene around a photo.

I take photos of children’s faces and print those onto fabric. At Imagine That Quilts you can see how I use appliqué those faces onto bodies and create imaginary scenes around them. My nephew becomes a pirate, my niece a fairy. This makes a highly personalized quilt. These quilts are loved and adored by their recipients!

So why not give it a try? Follow the directions provided with the fabric sheets and make some quilts that are truly unique!

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General Crafts Contributor Amy, from the Blog “Mod Podge Rocks!”

The gifty time of year is here - fall has begun, and your presence is required at many a cookie exchange, autumn get together or holiday bash.  It was only in my twenties that I discovered the delight of hostess gifts, and now I give them religiously.  When I can, I prefer to give handmade hostess gifts, and so I created these mini canvases to give to my friends.  A lot of my pals have craft rooms or just good taste (hee!) and like to receive little surprises from me that they can decorate their spaces with.  I aim to please.

These gift canvases are my style, but please adopt them to fit your own (or the hostess’s).  All you need is two hours before you have to be somewhere, and you’ll have enough time to whip up a fantastic little treasure for the hostess.  She’ll love it.

First you’ll need to gather these supplies:

• Canvases - I used 4″ x 4″
• FolkArt Acrylic Paint, coordinating colors
• Mod Podge Gloss, 8 oz.
• Scrapbook paper, 1 sheet per canvas - I used K & Company’s Berry Sweet papers
• Embellishments - I used K & Company’s Berry Sweet collection, as well as a few buttons and rhinestones from my stash
• Craft Glue
• Flat Paint Brush
• Craft Knife and Mat
• Ruler

Start by trimming your paper to fit the canvases.  My craft mat had a ruler guide so I was able to quickly measure and cut a 4″ x 4″ square.  If your mat doesn’t, simply measure with a ruler.  This is the easiest cutting you’ll ever do - I whipped out three 4″ x 4″ squares from three different pieces of paper in about five minutes!  Set the paper squares aside.

Paint your canvases with the acrylic paint and flat paint brush.  You don’t have to paint the entire top of the canvas since you’ll be applying paper over it.  Get the sides well and don’t forget the back.  I applied three coats to each canvas.  Allow them to dry.

Now that each canvas is dry, apply the Mod Podge.  Use a medium layer and coat the entire top - don’t forget to cover the corners well. 

Apply the paper and smooth it down thoroughly with your fingers or a brayer.  I even turned the canvas over and smoothed it down that way.  If Mod Podge comes out the sides, that is fine - simply wipe it away with your brush.  Apply the papers to all canvases and allow to dry for 15 - 20 minutes.

Now add the embellishments with craft glue.  Get creative!  You probably have about an hour left before your party, so get together some buttons and random embellishments from your stash.  Attach them with the glue and allow to dry while you continue to get ready.  Right before you leave, throw everything in a bag and have a great time!

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By Crafts-a lot Contributor, Mable who is an avid reader of craft blogs & magazines and has aspirations to improve her crafting skills.

What I love about crafts is the personal touch they add to your space, because you can create something unique and customizable. What I love even more is the spirited touch that holiday crafts add to your home. Well in this case, spooky touch!

With Halloween this weekend, it’s time to get ready! First I made a banner to hang above my front door to decorate the front where the trick or treaters will be. I also make sure to get the good candy so I can be one of the ‘cool houses’! Can’t take any chances with those trickers!

So I decided to make the Making Memories Spellbound Garland Kit. The kit came complete with 4″ Black glitter letters that spell out “All Hallows Eve”, 15 background squares, 10 chipboard shapes, 10 assorted buttons, 5 die-cut flowers, 5 yards of Black twine, and 1 sheet of adhesive foam squares. It was a breeze to put together because everything was all cut out, so I just got the fun part - decorating! All it takes is some glue to put the letters on the background squares. Then I added the buttons, die-cuts, chipboard shapes with the foam squares.

These Ravens add a little spook and glitter, and are easy to put anywhere. I hung some in my entry way above door. There are short wires on the back, so I attached some to frames, wall hangings, and even my plants!

Next I got Pumpkin Paper Mache Masks to decorate. I used Halloween Scrapbook paper and decoupaged the hat with mod podge. The Halloween 12×12 Paper Stack came with 24 designs that were bright, glittery and perfect for Halloween. I started with the polka dot paper for the top of the hat. I wanted a dark hat with some color. Next I choose the glitter spider web designed paper for the brim and used bright puff paint to bring out the webs.

My pumpkin looked bright and cheery so I decided that my pumpkin should be dressed up as a clown!

The masks are fun and very easy to decorate! You can use anything, be creative!

And look how nicely these masks are decorated! These are the cutest pumpkins!

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Kid’s Craft Contributor, Gillian from the blog “Dried Figs and Wooden Spools”.

After building myself (and my daughter) a brand spanking new hair clip holder last week, I set out to fill it with, well, hairclips. And as always, I was astounded by the price of clips in stores. Now I know very well that I could make the clips myself, but I don’t always have the time to carefully wrap each clip with ribbon and embroidered little doo dads to stitch on top. But I do, I realized, have time for hot glue. So with a selection of ribbons, plain hairclips, buttons that match my daughters fall wardrobe (she’s into orange and green at the moment) I set off on a fifteen minute-hair clip extravaganza.

The key to this is to have all your supplies ready. And that doesn’t need to be hard. Next time you’re ordering supplies or shopping at your craft or fabric store, grab a few rolls of inexpensive, sold by the spool ribbon and a few packages of buttons that coordinate with the colors your child wears the most. I generally keep a selection of thin ribbon in a variety of colors around for general pony tail and or braid tying so I’ve gotten into the habit of grabbing a spool here and there when I see it on sale. Another great source is scrapbooking supplies. I picked up a bag of cardboard diecuts for this go round and loved the result.

Likewise, grab a package of plain hairclips of the variety that work best for your child’s hair. Personally I love the look of alligator clips but they do not stay in my daughter’s hair, nor do those cute little dinky bendy barrettes. For my purposes, I have to stick with the full sized bendy clips which, while not the cutest things in the world, offer a lot of surface area for decorations and stay all day and into the night in her hair.

With your glue gun ready, spread your supplies out and go to work. Mix and match and stack and glue the buttons and ribbons in different combinations. If you have a pigtail girl and are making two of each, be sure to flip the clip on one so you have mirror images. At the end of ten minutes or so you should have a nice pile of hairclips that will last you well into the fall months.

A few notes about the project, roughing up the back of the buttons and the tops of the clips with a little sandpaper can help the glue adhere more securely. You can also use a strong craft glue for this project, allowing, of course, for a longer dry time. And speaking of dry times, dont forget to be aware of your work surface when using hot glue. I glued a few clips to the table while pressing the button on. Good thing hot glue scrapes off easily!

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By Crafts-a lot Contributor, Mable who is an avid reader of craft blogs & magazines and has aspirations to improve her crafting skills.

I think a good, solid crafting session lasts at least an hour. A crafting afternoon is fun and stress relieving and is my favorite thing to do! I’ve noticed between my office job and my crafting hobbies, I’m sitting a lot.  And I feel old saying this but my lower back was starting to feel that. I wanted something to help with the back pain and relieve back stiffness. My co-worker suggested, The Gypsy Sit Upon.

I have to be honest; I was a bit surprised with the Sit Upon when I first saw it. It’s a purple, plastic pillow with nubs on the top. It measures 13″ across and 2″ thick. When you first sit down on it, you lean side to side because of the pliable plastic and air pockets. You actually have to use your muscles to sit up straight. It feels similar to balancing on an exercise ball, but you don’t have to worry about rolling over! The box said it helps to relieve back pain and fatigue by strengthening core muscles and improving posture. The nubs keep your chair cool and the description said that it helps improve blood circulation.

After a few days of sitting on the Sit Upon, I noticed some sore muscles. Muscles I didn’t even know I needed to sit up straight. So I knew it was strengthening my core, which lead to sitting up straighter. I didn’t notice how much I slumped over my desk until I was up higher! After a week on the Sit Upon my back was considerably less stiff after a crafting afternoon and now I take it to work with me to use in front of my computer. My back pain has never been unbearable, just sitting at lengths made me stiff and sore. Once you get used to it, you will start to notice a difference.

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