December 18, 2008
Crafts, Quilting, Sewing
2 Comments
This kit is just too too cute! You can’t help but smile when you open the box up and find all the precious surprises inside! The projects are on beautifully done cards with a photo on front, open to the instructions, and some project’s instructions conclude on the back of the card. You are given most of the supplies needed to create each of the 15 little projects! You will need to gather some basic crafting tools from your own stash: embroidery needle, hand sewing needle, fabric scissors, fabric marking pen, tape measure, ruler, pencil, straight pins, and fiberfill. Patterns are included full size. Once the kit’s supplies are done, you can just add your own scraps of fabric and felt and continue to make the cool projects!
Small plush creatures and minatures are so hot right now in all crafting categories! And who doesn’t fall in love with tiny little treasures? This kit is just plain fun! It can also travel well and makes a great gift. My favorite project was the Party Cake. I made several to give to my sewing friends as a pin cushion!
The Party Cake front card cover is inspiring.
I give The Softies Kit the CreateForLess 5 Star Glue Gun Award!
Would you like to win this kit?
Be the first person to e-mail me at Maria@thinkcrafts.com and this kit will be yours. Please put the name of the kit you want to win in the subject line of your e-mail to me. I will reply back to the first e-mailer requesting a mailing address. Please don’t post any personal information on Think Crafts!
November 10, 2008
Scrapbooking, Sewing, Techniques and Mediums
No Comments
Above is a mini scrapbook page I created for a pet scrapbook I’m keeping. I used fabric paper and just did a little primitive stitching around the edges. I wanted to add stitches for texture and to highlight the quilt in the photo. This page was featured on a segment of Creative Living (PBS) for CreateForLess.
I love sewing. Machine sewing or hand sewing, there is something very soothing about working with fabric, thread, and a needle. I gathered up a few random tips I’ve learned from my scrapbook sewing experiences and these tips can also be used for other paper crafts!
- When using a sew machine always use a scrap piece of paper (the same weight as the paper you want to use for your scrapbook page) and run some test stitches to get the feel of how your machine sews the paper.
- Experiment with the stitch width of your machine for different looks.
- Sewing machines do a great job for sewing a border.
- Sew on a pocket for your page. Randomly sew across, up, down, and diagonal creating a unique background paper.
- Use any decorative stitches your sewing machine might have.
- Always make sure there is no adhesive on the front or back of anything you are sewing through. Adhesive can jam up your sewing machine.
- When hand sewing you might have an easier time if you paper punch small holes where you plan to hand sew. It’s much easier than hoping your needle can pierce the paper evenly.
- Threads and fibers can be used to dangle charms, paper roses and small buttons.
- When hand sewing you might want to lightly trace your pattern or design onto the scrapbook page or cardstock (for a card).
- Try using embroidery flosses and threads, tapestry yarn, tatting thread, metallic threads and specialty yarns. The variety makes for a fun textured page or card.
- To keep fibers from unraveling dab just a touch of clear paper glue to each raw end. You can also use a fray stopping liquid.
- A dab of clear nail polish will hold any knot and keep it from coming through the paper. Make sure the knot is to the back of your scrapbook page.
- Try mixing colors and textures of fibers for a page. Use thick fibers to frame your title, captions or photos.
- Don’t throw out your scraps of threads and fibers. Keep them in a small box and use them for smaller projects.
- Pulling a thread over beeswax or thread conditioner will keep the threads from tangling and knotting. Beeswax will stiffen thread, while thread conditioner will soften threads.
October 10, 2008
Crafts, Holidays & Seasons, Kid's Crafts, Sewing
1 Comment
I love fall and best of all, Halloween. There is nothing better in life than getting to dress up as you please and get candy at every door you knock on! Come on, that’s just “sweet”!
As a child my whole family got involved to celebrate Halloween. My older brothers dressed up as policemen, women, and werewolves! They went to school parties for Halloween, but I got to go with my friends door to door collecting treats. We carved pumpkins, spun spiderwebs from polyfil, hung pillowcase ghosts on the front yard trees.
I remember my homemade costumes well. My mom used to help me. One year I wore lederhosen and pretended to be a German gnome. That one was easy as my mother was German and even made me a felt mustache! Another year I went as a hobo with my treat bag attached to a long wood branch. I also was a princess one year and the scarecrow from the Wizard of Oz. But the best was a fairy with a magical wand of dowl rod, construction paper star, and glitter. I loved waving the wand as neighbors dropped a piece of candy or two in my fairy dust bag!
CreateForLess is having a Halloween Costume Contest! Here’s the scoop!
What’s your all-time favorite handmade Halloween costume you’ve ever created? That one you’re most proud of because you made it by hand, instead of buying it at the costume shop? From kids to adult costumes, funny to scary, we want to see your creativity. Enter our Handmade Halloween Costume Contest for your chance to win one of these amazing prizes…
- 1st Place: $150 CreateForLess Shopping Spree
- 2nd Place: $100 CreateForLess Shopping Spree
- 3rd Place: $50 CreateForLess Shopping Spree
Click here for details on how to enter. Contest deadline is Nov 2, 2008. I’d love to see some handmade costumes posted here too! Come on, share!
June 4, 2008
Scrapbooking, Sewing, Techniques and Mediums
No Comments
A stitch in time and sew special, needle and thread
can be the perfect embellishment to a project.
Supplies Needed
Scrapbook Page, Collage or Card
Sewing Machine With Thread: Needle should be one used for delicate fabric and tension set for delicate fabric.
Sharp Hand Sewing Needle: Needles are either blunts (not a sharp point) or sharps (yep, you guessed it).
Sewing Threads: Use a quilting thread or other quality thread designed for needlearts so that the thread will hold up without breaking or splitting.
Fibers: This is usually specialty yarns that are colorful and full of textures.
Tips
- When using a sew machine always use a scrap piece of paper (the same weight as the paper you want to use for your scrapbook page) and run some test stitches to get the feel of how your machine sews the paper.
- Experiment with the width of your machine stitches for different looks.
- Sewing machines do a great job for sewing a border, sewing on a pocket for your page or just randomly sewing across a background paper.
- Use any decorative stitches your sewing machine might have.
- When hand sewing you might have an easier time if you paper punch small holes where you plan to hand sew. It’s much easier than hoping your needle can pierce the paper evenly.
- Threads and fibers can be used to dangle charms, paper roses and small buttons.
- When hand sewing you might want to lightly trace your pattern or design onto the scrapbook page or cardstock (for a card).
- Try using embroidery flosses and threads, tapestry yarn, tatting thread, metallic threads and specialty yarns. The variety makes for a fun textured page or card.
- To keep fibers from unraveling dab just a touch of clear paper glue to each raw end.
- A dab of clear nail polish with hold any knot and keep it from coming through the paper. Make sure the knot is to the back of your scrapbook page.
- Try mixing colors and textures of fibers for a page.
- Use thick fibers to frame your title, captions or photos.
- Don’t throw out your scraps of threads and fibers. Keep them in a small box and use them for smaller projects.
