By Sewing Contributor Jessica, from the blog Life Sew Good. 

Day 3:  The Table Runner or Banner

You have table cloths, so why not just use what you already have and make it more special with a handmade runner? You don’t need a sewing machine for this one; all sewing is done by hand.

You Need:

• Felt
• Scissors
• Craft/Button Thread
• Needle
• Pins
• Fabric Pencil (optional)
• Leaf Template or Cookie Cutter (optional)

If you want, google “leaf templates” and you will have plenty of options to print for this project. You will need a bigger leaf and then littler football-shaped leaves. I used a Wilton leaf cookie cutter for my template.

Cut leaves out of felt. I used 10 “big” leaves and 6 “little” leaves. However, you can make as many as you want to make it longer, shorter, or fuller.

If desired, you can hand embroider words that represent what you are thankful for (i.e., family, friends, faith). If may be easiest to use a pencil to draw the word you want, then hand stitch over the top.

Lay out leaves in the order you like and pin together.

Using a running stitch, sew leaves together. It’s helpful to occasionally lay it out to make sure it’s straight!

If you want to make it a banner instead of a table runner, stitch a piece of hemp cord onto the ends and hang.

Project 3: Complete!

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

This is a very easy redo for a tote bag. All you’ll need for it is a t-shirt with a front or back you like, and a tote bag you’d like to dress up a bit. Your t-shirt front needs to be a little larger than the front of the tote.

First, flatten your tote bag so you can either draw around it to make a pattern, or cut around it, if you’re not worried about snipping an edge.

Now, lay your t-shirt out nice and flat. Put the pattern or tote on top of the tee, and cut, leaving ¼” to ½” extra all the way around to turn under. Turn under the edges to make the tee piece exactly the same size as your tote.

Most tote side edges are top-stitched or bound in seam binding. This makes them kind of separate from the body of the tote itself, which is why this is such an easy refurb. Starting at one upper corner of your tote bag, pin the tee piece right to that edge, and do a tight, close zigzag stitch all the way around.

That’s all there is to it–easy peasy, lemon squeezy!

(Note: My tee shirt front, as you may have noticed, was actually a bit short, so I let the hemmed lower edge be the upper edge, and blind stitched it across the top, rather than zigzagging. If you’re going to do that, make sure the shirt’’s design looks okay upside down!)

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

I’m not an embroiderer. Sure I pick up the odd assortment of embroidery floss now and again to add some pizzazz to knee patches or little boy ties, but on the whole, I don’t get around to a whole lot of embroidery. Which means that I don’t have a very good way of storing the thread. Instead, I tend to toss the leftovers from projects in with my ribbon and by the time I need it again, it’s such an unholy mess that I usually have to toss it out and buy more. My kids are seriously into friendship bracelets this summer and that means that, once again, I’ve had to go out and stock up on embroidery thread, but this time, I’m prepared for the onslaught of little colorful bundles of string. I’ve got clothespins. This method of storing embroidery thread is so simple and useful, you’ll wonder what you ever did without it!

Here’s what you’ll need:

• Clothespins
• Embroidery floss

1. Open the clothespin and then close it with the end of the thread on the inner part of the top, near (but not in) the smallest holes.

2. Start winding. Wrap the entire length of thread around the clothespin, keeping the thread between the spring and the large hole.

3. When you have reached the end, tug it through the end of the clothespin toward the larger hole. You can open the pin slightly iff necessary but you should be able to pull the string into place without opening the pin in most cases. The pin will hold the end in place until needed. When you want a section of thread simple pull it out from the end of the pin and unwind the length you need before refastening the new end!

By Sewing Contributor Jessica, from the blog “Life Sew Good”.  

Making your own appliqué is not hard, but it does take some practice to make it look good.  To make your own appliqué, all you need is Heat & Bond, fabric of your choice and something that needs embellishing!

Here’s what you need:

• Heat & Bond—make sure it’s the kind you can sew on
• Fabric that you want to use as part of your appliqué  **Make sure you pre-wash it!!
• Scissors, Iron, sewing machine
• Clothing, towel, bag or anything you want to appliqué on!

1. Cut out a piece of fabric you want to use for your appliqué.  I found this bird & love it! Notice I decided to keep the fabric between the legs.  I decided that they are small enough that they would get when I sewed between them; thus, easier and better looking in the end if I left it.

2. Using your Heat & Bond’s instructions, apply your piece to your project.

3. Here’s the harder part that sometimes takes some practice. You need to choose a stitch to sew around the edges of your appliqué. You have some options. If your machine is pretty basic with few stitches, go for a zig-zag. If you have lots of options, you may want to play with what you think looks best. I chose to use #11 on my machine. After using different stitches, it was my favorite.

4. Starting in a less-conspicuous spot of your design, sew around the entire outer edge, making sure your stitches are always catching your appliqué.

Here’s another example of an appliqué a friend did on a towel:

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

Several years ago, I inherited a small treasure-trove of craft items, including two little plastic doo-hickies that purported to be needle threaders. I looked at the odd little gizmo and thought, What in the world? How could that possibly thread a needle?

But I decided to actually read the directions, and give it a shot.

Let me explain first that my eyes aren’t the greatest. My usual method of threading a needle is to hold it up and look for the eye. Sometimes I can see it, so I do the threading like anyone else would. Other times, it just looks like a bit of featureless wire, but I know there’s an eye there somewhere, so I just start poking the thread at the place where the eye should be. If I think the thread has made it through, I try moving it from side to side, and if it won’t jiggle sideways, I know the needle is threaded. It’s a bit trying, this non-visual trial and error. Finding a “machine” that would take actually being able to see well out of the equation would be a Very Good Thing.

So here’s the gizmo:

Am I the only one who’s never seen one of these before?

Lay the thread across the V.

Drop the needle in the chimney.

You don’t have to worry about which direction the needle’s eye is facing. The threader turns it, if necessary.

Press down on the little paddle.

If you look closely, you can see thread and a fine wire poking out now, above the paddle. The thread I used was rather thick, so the wire shredded it just a bit where it pushed it through, but I just cut that part off later.

Pull the thread through.

Release the paddle, and grab the thread, pulling it through until the free end comes through the hole in the gizmo.

Lift the threaded needle out.

The “chimney” of the needle threader is slotted at the back, so when you lift the needle out, the thread comes with it, and you’re holding a threaded needle in your hand.

Is that the coolest thing, or what? It is, hands down and eyes closed, my new favorite tool.

I’ve actually been thinking a lot about favorite tools this month, trying to choose, if I had to, which tool tops the rest. I’m enthralled right now with paper punches… My spot welder is a true treasure…The laminator is useful in so many ways….

Then it hit me: The one tool that is absolutely essential, completely ubiquitous (sorry—it’s just such a fun word!), and so basic to our lives that it’s virtually invisible is…

SCISSORS!

Scissors rule. Scissors for paper, for fabric, for tin, for food, for hair, and nails. Scissors for clipping the stems of flowers, or shaping hedges. Scissors with straight-edged blades, or pinked, or fancifully shaped. More types of scissors than you can shake a project at.

I gave six pair with fancy edges to my granddaughters. I keep a folding pair in my purse. There are scissors in every room of my house except the living room. A quick walk through my daughter’s home showed me three pairs, without even opening a drawer. My husband is remarkably unhappy if he cannot readily find a pair. Our children get their own when they’re kindergartners, or younger, and use them throughout their lives.

I wouldn’t recommend hugging them, but have you treasured your scissors today? I do believe they are part of the very fabric of the Universe. Where would we be without them?

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

We are all about handmade gifts in our house this year, right down to the pets, because they are part of the family too, right? And while we could, and probably will, make some homemade dog treats for our precious puppy, we also decided that a new dog collar would be a fun present for her, and luckily, they are easy to make. You’ll want to vary the size of the strapping according to the type of dog you have, smaller dogs will require thinner strapping and vice versa. For our very average sized dog we used 1 inch thick strapping.

Here’s what you need:

• Nylon strapping – measure around your dogs neck and then add 6 inches. 
• Grosgrain ribbon, the same length, but about half the width of your strapping
• Buckle with an opening that matches your strapping
• D ring with an opening that matches your strapping
• Sewing machine
• Heavy duty thread
• Pins
• Scissors

1. First pin the ribbon onto the strapping, centering in it evenly all the way down. 

2. Stitch just inside the edge of the ribbon on both sides to secure it to the strapping.

3. Slide one end of the buckle onto the strapping. Fold the raw edge under and sew in place by either sewing back and forth several times or sewing an X where the strap overlaps.

4. Slide the D ring and the other half of the buckle onto the other end of the strapping. Secure around your dogs neck to determine the size.

5. Stitch the second buckle into place and then fold the remaining strapping (trim if necessary)  under and slide the D ring between the end and the buckle, sewing it into place and finishing off the other end.

By Sewing Contributor Jessica, from the blog “Life Sew Good”.  

For quite some time, I have been meaning to make an Advent Calendar.  I searched online and knew I wanted to do something that I hung up in my home.  I love the blanket stitch and decided to incorporate that somehow.  I finally came up with the idea of using round circles and decorating them like ball ornaments.  Here are the pieces:

I like them a lot, but they took a lot of time and effort.  After further brainstorming, I decided to give you the tools to make these, without the commitment of making 25 of them! 

Instead of making a calendar, consider making personalized tags or ornaments.

Here’s how . . .

First, you will need:

• Paper
• Pencil
• Pins
• Felt or fleece
• Round object to trace
• DMC Thread,  I used size “5″, although you can use all the threads of size “25″.
• Ribbon, rick-rack, or other decorative pieces of your choice

1. Trace your round object (or use a compass) onto a piece of paper.  Use this pattern to cut 2 circles of your felt or fleece.  In this illustration, I used fleece.

2. Using your thread and a large-eyed needle, hand-stitch what you want on one piece of your fabric.  It could be a person’s name, or you could use a words like:  love, joy, peace, wish, snow, or Christmas.  Just use the thread continuously. 

3. When you are done, knot your thread in the back, looping the needle through your stitches twice.  On the second loop, push your needle through, pulling tight against the fabric, forming a knot.

4. On the same piece, you can uniquely decorate it according your style!  I simply made a bow and sewed it on.

5. It’s time to use our blanket stitch.  Place your blank piece of fabric underneath your decorated one, wrong sides together.

6. Begin by pushing your needle from the between the pieces through the bottom piece. 

7. After pulling it all the way, bring your needle around both pieces, then push it through the top piece and pull it all the way through the bottom piece.  Pull it though, but leave a little bit of space.  This will create a loop over both pieces.

8. Bring your needle around both pieces again, and  this time push your needle up through the loop you just created. 

9. Pull it through, then push your needle into the top piece, pushing through both pieces again.  Pull your needle all the way out the bottom piece, but don’t pull too tight. 

10. Bring your need around to the front again, pick up the loop with your needle and push back though both pieces again.  Repeat.  Repeat.  Reapeat.  ***Note:  I actually only stitch the 2 pieces together about 2/3 the way around, (leaving the top open), then continue the blanket stitch ONLY on the top piece.  For the Advent Calendar, I will put treats inside.  For a tag or ornament, you could choose to do either—leave it open & stick a little piece of chocolate or a candy cane inside OR use the blanket stitch to bring both pieces together all the way around.

11. It should look like the picture below when you are done.  To finish, you will make your last stitch overlap the first stitch, like you see in the photo.  Tie off your thread as directed in step 3.

12.  At this point, stitch a little loop of ribbon onto the bottom piece.  You can attach a string or more ribbon to tie on a tree or on a gift!

And there you have it!  A sweet, personalized tag or ornament that one can treasure forever!

By Sewing Contributor Jessica, from the blog “Life Sew Good”.  

She’s done it again!  Besides making beautiful fabric, Valori Wells scores a “10″ on this note card pattern on making placemats and napkins. 

Although I was very uncreative by using the same fabrics she used on the cover of the pattern, the fabric was so fantastic, I simply had to make it.  When I was making this, my sister walked in, hoping I was making these for her.  Sorry, sister. 

The true beauty of this pattern is the simplicity.  You have no paper pattern, just a little card with instruction with the piece dimensions to cut.  When it’s rectangles, it’s a breeze!  My recommendation:  make sure you have a rotary cutter and mat; this will make your life much easier!

Once you have your pieces cut, it’s a matter of 7 seams, including top-stitching.  I did not do the optional embroidery stitching, but in the picture, it’s beautiful and really adds a nice decorative touch.  Make sure you’re prepared to make the entire pattern by buying embroidery floss ahead of time. 

As with all the sewing card patterns, they are really a card size, which are perfect to giveaway.  As someone who spends way too much on fabric and patterns, I would LOVE to receive a pattern with the fabric to make it for gift.  In fact, I think that’s going to be Christmas gifts for a few fellow crafty friends! 

For an inexpensive, super simple, perfectly sized pattern, this is a perfect one.  With Thanksgiving just around the corner, making a few new placemats and napkins would be such a nice touch for your dinner table.

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

I’m always on the lookout for cute hair-clips for my daughter. She likes to have something on each of her pigtails every day or at least adorning one of the stretchy headbands that are a new addition to her mounting pile of accessories. These felt circle flowers are cute and easy and fit the bill perfectly, plus I can make them in any color combination, which is good, because we’re very into matching these days, right down to the hair bobbles.

Here’s what you need:

Felt in two colors plus a scrap of a third

Fabric pencil

Fabric Scissors

Hair Clips

Needle and thread

Hot glue gun and glue sticks

1. Draw two circles on each of the colors of felt, alternating the sizes so that each is slightly smaller than the last. Draw a slightly smaller still circle on the scrap of the third color. They don’t need to be perfect circles, just as close as you can.

2. Cut out all the circles and stack them so that they alternate in color and go down in size as the pile stacks up with the odd color out last.

3. Using the running stitch, sew just inside the edge of the smallest circle and through all the layers to create the flower. If you want, you can also add a few green leaves to the back and sew them into place at this point as well.

4. Add a generous drop of hot glue to the topside of your hair-clip, making sure that you aren’t gluing the two parts of the clip together, and press the flower into place so that the clip is completely hidden. Hold for a few seconds until the glue is set.

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

I’ve got a lot of pumpkins around my house. Part of it is that we host a pumpkin carving party every year, so with each Halloween season we seem to end up with a few more pumpkin themed decorations. But I can’t help it, it’s my favorite season and I love pumpkins and gourds in all shapes and sizes. So make room for just one more with this rustic wool and/or felt pumpkin!

Here’s what you need:

Felt and/or wool scraps – at least ten 4×10 inch pieces
Template
Fabric Scissors
Sewing machine and thread
Poly Fil

1. Cut 5  template pieces from your felt and wool. Retain scraps to make stem later.

2. Lay two fabric pieces wrong sides together and sew up one side from one point almost to the next. (if you are doing this without a machine, use embroidery thread and a running stitch)

3. Open up the two pieces and lay a third one in against one. Stitch up one side in the same manner. You’ll want the seams to face out for this project.

4. Continue until you have created a pumpkin shape. Trim all seams with pinking shears.

5. Stuff the pumpkin with polyfil.

6. Use the scraps to shape a short stem, twisting the fabric and stitching it into shape.

7. Insert one end of the stem into the opening at the top of the pumpkin and stitch closed.

* Hint * This could also make a cute paper weight if filled 1/3 of the way with beans before finishing it off with the stuffing.

By Guest Blogger Aimee, from the blog “Supermom Moments”.  

Supermom Moments evolved after many discussions with each other sharing our best insights on homemaking, parenting, planning, teaching, playing, and sometimes simply surviving. We soon discovered that although we can’t claim to be super all the time, we each had our moments. By sharing our successes (and some of the funny moments when we fell flat on our faces), we hope to inspire others to find their inner superhero a little more often. 

Throughout the year I buy my kids various holiday shirts. They get so excited to wear them, and it helps us celebrate the holiday all month long. So, this year Liam and Harrison requested mummy shirts for Halloween. Yesterday I made their mummy shirts. Ready to make your own? Download our free pattern and directions. If you want a little more help, the directions below include pictures.

Supplies you’ll need:
Black shirt
White knit fabric
Black knit fabric 
Orange knit fabric scraps
Fusible webbing (such as Pellon Wonder Under)
White thread
Black thread
Scissors
Iron 
Sewing machine
Mummy pattern 

1. Wash and dry the shirt and fabric. 

2. Cut out a white circle, black stripes and black circles. Also, cut yourself a large black square to appliqué the face onto. 

3. Cut out a circle of fusible webbing just smaller than the white mummy face circle. According to manufacturer directions, adhere the white circle to the black square. 

5. Using a tight straight stitch, sew down the middle of each black stripe beginning and ending on the edge of the white fabric. Be sure to double stitch the ends carefully, as you don’t want to accidentally sew the stripes onto the black background fabric.

6. Add the eyes and mouth stripes. Straight-stitch large zig zags across the eyes for added texture.

7.  Once all the pieces are sewn onto the mummy face, carefully trim the black stripes to match the white circle. Also, trim the black square into a circle about ½” larger than the mummy’s face, all around.

8. From the fusible webbing, cut a circle just smaller than the black circle the mummy’s face has been appliquéd onto. Follow manufacturer directions to adhere entire mummy face to shirt. Using your white thread, sew 3 circles around the mummy’s face. The first circle should be on the white portion of the face, work your way out onto the black fabric for the remaining circles.

9.  Using orange fabric scraps and your black thread, straight-stitch large zig-zags across the orange fabric to adhere it to the shirt. Repeat on the back center of the shirt, just under the neckline.

10. Carefully clip all the loose threads. Wear.

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

The throw pillows in our house are the most often changed part of our decor. For something small, throw pillows can have a big impact on the style and color scheme of a room. It’s also very easy, and very affordable to change out your pillowcases every season, or even every month, to suit the changing weather or your changing likes and dislikes.

If you’re in the mood for a little pillow switch-up, forget hidden zipper and blind stitching closed seams, this style of pillowcase is simple, quick and easy enough that even novice sewers can feel confident in a great outcome.

Here’s what you need:

Pillow insert (size of your choice) or Poly Fil
Sewing machine
Fabric scissors
Thread
Fabric – you’ll need the height of your pillow + an inch by three times the width of your pillow

1. Fold over and press each of the short ends of the fabric. Fold again, press and pin.

2. Using a zig-zag or decorative stitch, sew across each end to create a finished hem.

3. Center the fabric over your pillow with the right side up. Using the pillow as a size guide. Bring one hemmed end of the fabric over the top.

4. Repeat with the other side. This creates an overlap on the back of the pillowcase. Pin the top and bottom edges

5. Stitch along the sop and bottom edge. Turn right side out and press.

6. Insert your pillow and toss it on the couch or bed for a new pop of color!

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

My daughter loves, LOVES a certain very expensive brand of kids shoes that feature sparkles and beading and flowers. She received a pair as a gift last year and wore them until they were so tight they made her feet blue. Alas we finally had to pass them on before her feet were permanently a size two! Ever since she has asked and asked for more “sparkly beady shoes!” and while I’d love to buy her some, they are a little more than I’m willing to pay for shoes for someone who grows several inches a year. Until her feet stop growing so fast, we had to find another solution. And when I ran across these little flowered shoes on the clearance rack the other day, I knew just what to do to satisfy my girls craving for sparkly beady shoes!

Here’s What You Need:

1 pair of tennis shoes  - preferably printed with flowers
Thin, sharp needle
Seed beads
Thread

Decide how you want to decorate your shoes. You can outline flowers, put beads in the centers of flowers or fill in individual petals or shapes. Stitch in and out through the fabric of the shoe at your starting point and tie off the tail. Slip one or two beads at a time onto the needles and stitch into place. Continue until you have enough of the shoe beaded to satisfy your own little sparkle fanatic (or until they can’t wait any longer to wear them!)

By Sewing Contributor Jessica, from the blog “Life Sew Good”.  

Have you made a burlap pillow case yet?!  If not there are instructions here.  But maybe a few ideas will inspire you further.  While the burlap may not be what you cuddle up to, it adds great texture to a room.  In addition, it is so versatile.  I wanted to inspire you with a couple of ways that you could decorate your pillow! 

The look below is attained by making  simple yo-yos.  I’ll give you a brief description how to make them, but honestly, Heather Bailey has put together a wonderful illustrated tutorial here.  I made mine a little different, just because I wanted the raw edges in the middle.

 First, decide how big you want your yo-yo.  You will want to trace a circle onto your fabric using a fabric pen that measures twice the size of the yo-yo you desire, taking into consideration a seam allowance.   I wanted to make different sizes, so I used an 8″ bowl and a 5″ cup.

After you cut your circle, baste about 1/4″ from the edge.  Pull the bobbin thread, gathering the fabric tightly so the raw edges come close together in the center.   Tie off the threads and trim the ends.  Flatten the yo-yo.  That’s it!

To permanently attach them, it would be easiest to sew them on by hand before you sew the side seams of the pillow together.  I decided that I want to be able to remove them, so I simply safety pinned them onto the pillow.

If you want the look of the gathered fabric you saw in the first photo, you will need to do this step before sewing the side seams of the burlap pillow cover.  Simply take a fat quarter of fabric and gather the 22″ sides by using a basting stitch ¼” from the edges (just like you made the yo-yo).  Pull the bobbin thread, gathering the fabric to the dimensions you like on the fabric—probably about 8″.  Tie off the threads once you get to the desired length of gathers.

Press 18″ sides ½”, then ½” again.  Pin fabric to burlap.  Sew 18″ sides first, then sew the side seams of the pillow with a ½” stitch, following these directions here.

The pillow below has several embellishments:  the first and obvious is buttons!  Buttons are awesome because you can find them anywhere and there’s a million different looks you can have using them as an embellishment.  Use a few or many, big or small.  Be creative—perhaps more creative than my square!!! 

Green flower:  Using at least a 1 ¾” ribbon, gather by basting a stitch ¼” from the edge and pull the bobbin thread, gathering one side of the ribbon.  Then wrap the ribbon in circular motion, making a flower.  You can sew the flower on, hot glue gun, or for a less permanent solution, just safety pin it in place.

Blue flower:  Using at least a 1 ¾” ribbon, gather the ribbon by basting through the center of the ribbon, then pulling the bobbin thread.  Simply fold the ribbon over itself in different directions until you get a look you like.  To hold together, hand stitch the flower together through the center of the flower.  Again, sew it to the pillow, or hot glue gun, or safety pin it on! 

Be creative.  If I make another one, I think I’ll dye the burlap.  Add color, dimension, and texture, then send in a pic of YOUR creative pillow!!

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

My grandma has the most beautiful tea towels in her kitchen that are hand embroidered by her grandma. There are used for decorations and have become an antique over the years. All the towels have their own design of a flower, tea pot or piece of fruit, with a detailed, scalloped edge.  My grandma has had these towels in her kitchen for as long as I can remember, and I’m sure they will make it to my Mom’s kitchen sooner or later.

I wanted to decorate my own tea towels. My great, great grandma is the last one in my family who knew how to embroider, so I had to teach myself!  I went to YouTube and watched tons of videos on beginning to embroider. The video I found most helpful was from Threadbangers. They interviewed Jenny Hart, the designer of Sublime Stitching and she explains how to get started with embroidery.

Jenny gives step by step details on how to get your pattern on your cloth, setting up your embroidery hoop, picking out needles and floss and a beginning split stitch. The video finishes with some DIY ideas from their Austin, TX viewers. I really like the Sublime Stitching Patterns because they are very modern and fun. I think I’m going to try the Sushi Bar pattern first…

Welcome Guest Blogger Ricë Freeman-Zachery, writer and fabric artist and from the Blog “Notes from the Voodoo Café”.

I have the best job in the world: I get to sit around in my pajamas all day and call up artists and ask them nosy questions and then write about them. And then, in my spare time, I get to make fabric art. Every now and then–about once a year or so–I get to write a book–my newest one is “Living the Creative Life: Ideas and Inspiration from Working Artists”, and you can read more about it here. Art, writing–all without having to leave the house! What more could anyone want?

The Joys of Hand Stitching

I don’t know about y’all, but I have a ton of stuff I don’t use. Like, just for instance, four sewing machines, including the olive green Elna my mother used to make all my clothes when I was a kid. I have my trusty all-metal Kenmore from 1977. I have a heavy-duty Singer. And I have my shiny new Janome. Oh, I’m not saying I never use them: I use the Kenmore for doing all those things I would never dream of doing by hand, like mending seams. But that’s not what I think of when I think of “sewing.”

When I think of sewing, I remember learning to sew under the ironing board in my mother’s sewing room, playing with the scraps she handed down to me from her sewing table. My efforts weren’t pretty, but I learned to love the act of joining two pieces of fabric with a needle and thread.

I have never had any discernible domestic talents. None. Ask my husband. Although I took Home Ec in 7^th grade and made an apron and, at the end of the semester, a little dress, that was as far as garment construction went for me. I didn’t make any of my clothes in high school-my mother did that. What I did do, though, was to stitch on the clothes I had-lines of embroidery, stitched names, butterflies. Although I was too young to get the full benefit of growing up in the 60′s, I discovered Native Funk and Flash when it first came out in 1974, and, for me, that changed everything. The idea of altering your clothes to make them into personal talismanic garments seemed to be about the coolest thing anyone could do. I started then, with a bunch of work shirts and jeans, and I’ve never stopped.

What is it about hand stitching, about pulling thread through fabric? It’s not about fancy stitches-I know only three embroidery stitches:  I know the running stitch, which is like saying I know how to breathe; the split stitch, which is so sturdy it will still be holding on when the fabric around it has worn to threads; and the French knot, which I learned just to show off. For me, it’s not about doing rows of fancy little stitches. For me, it’s about altering something, making something new, with nothing but my hands and a rainbow of floss.

And here I’ll admit: it doesn’t even have to be embroidery floss. When I did make clothes from scratch, my favorite part was always the hem, and it was always a blind hem, done by hand. There’s something about creating a perfect, invisible hem that just made me happy. Yeah, I know that sounds pathetic, but what can I say? I love to stitch. I love to sew, and I love to mend, and I love to decorate-if I can do it by hand, I’m happy. One of my favorite things in all the world is to sit on the front porch and stitch. The only thing that keeps me from being my great-great grandmother is that I’m stitching words and appliquéing skulls rather than creating little daisies on the edge of a pinafore. It could be scary, but there’s something comforting about imagining myself flowing into old age with my needles and a bag of bright thread.

It’s calming. It’s meditative. It’s downright Zen.

And it’s the height of being hip: taking scraps of fabric, or clothes faded by years of wear, and keeping them alive  by working on them with your hands-that’s about as green as you’re going to get. Zen and hip? What more could you want?

Click here, for more posts from Ricë.

Welcome Guest Blogger, Jenny Hart, founder of Sublime Stitching.

Vintage Lamp Hoodie

So, by now you either have the new patterns in your stitchy little hands, or are anxiously awaiting them. Wanna project idea? How about this one using the Vintage Lamps and Glow-in-the-Dark thread? What a bright idea…

x – x – x – x – x

Who: You!

What: Hoodie w/ Vintage Lamps and Glow-in-the-dark (GITD) thread

When: Right now! Or, when you have time. Give yourself 1-2 hours

Easiness Level: Beginner to Intermediate

You’ll need:

 * Vintage Lamps patterns

* GITD Thread (optional, but nice touch!)

*Floss in Pastel Palette (or your choice)

* Stabilizer (optional)

*Basic embroidery supplies of needle, hoop and scissors

* White hoodie, light-colored cotton jacket
(or a shirt you like)

Vintage Lamp Pattern

A transfer tip: The best results for getting a pattern on knit fabrics is with an iron-on transfer or transfer pen. Carbon transfer paper, while great for smooth fabrics like cotton weave, just doesn’t take too well to spongy, soft surfaces. Dangit!

Oh and: I worked with a hoop on this project. When working with stretchy fabrics on a hoop, be careful not to overdo (overstretch) it. if you really stretch the crud out of your fabric, your work will scrunch up in a way that will make you go boo hoo when you take it off the hoop. There will be no boo’ing and hoo’ing. 

INSTRUCTIONS
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Instead of going over the instructions for getting a transfer pattern on fabric (those instructions come in each pack) or the basics of embroidering, I’m going to show you how to do whipping for the glow-in-the-dark accent. Let’s whip it! We’ll whip it good! (You had to see that one coming.)

Embroider the design completely. I worked everything in back stitch, which is so easy, but looks so, so…embroidered. After you’ve finished the embroidery, re-load your needle with GITD thread. I chose to match the color of the GITD thread to the color of each lamp for maximum stealthiness.

Whip It! Come up from behind your fabric just like you would to begin embroidering. Then, pass your needle and thread under and over your stitches, always keeping your needle to the topside of the fabric (not piercing the fabric). Your stitches will wrap around the worked embroidery like so:

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!

This contest is closed, a winner has been shipped the kit.

Sometimes we just don’t have the time to make crafts totally from scratch! And you know what, you don’t always have to make projects from scratch! Here are some quick and easy ideas for those little holiday gifts you need to give.

• Buy plain cloth napkins and add the handmade touch of embroidery, felted flowers, buttons, or beading.
• Buy pillar candles and add the handmade touch of decorative paper, punched shapes, craft jewels, or paint.
• Buy small baskets and add the handmade touch of melt and pour soaps, potpourri, or chocolates.
• Buy inexpensive frames and add the handmade touch of a paper cast, scrapbook page, or collage.
• Buy blank cards and tags and add the handmade touch of embellishments like buttons, lace, or stickers.
• Buy T-shirts and add the handmade touch of silk embroidery, needlepunch, or fabric painting.
• Buy small purse blanks and add the handmade touch of ribbon roses, beading, or felted shapes.
• Buy plain cell phone totes and add the handmade touch of beading, jewels, sequins, or dimensional paint.

Do you have some quick and easy gifts you make for the holidays?  Share your ideas with us!

My second thought when bad weather is headed our way is how will all the people that must evacuate and ride out the storm in shelters do under such stressful constraints. I wonder if anyone thought to bring crayons, paper, or other creative activities for the kids and the big kids too.  I’d go nuts if I had to go to a shelter and not have anything to do with my hands.

I have an emergency craft box in my studio. The plastic container holds a set of watercolor pencils, crayons, markers, coloring sheets, a stack of rubber stamped images (using watercolor or permanent ink), 2 skeins of yarn, a knitting loom, and a small pair of sharp scissors. 

All of the items are placed in large zip-lock plastic bags, then into the box. I use the zip lock bags to help me keep everything organized within the container. I can grab them quickly and throw it into the car if we ever need to evacuate from our home for any reason. You can do so much with those basic supplies and there is something for all age groups. This type of kit is helpful on rainy days, snow days, and times when it’s not practical for children to go outside to play.  I don’t have to go searching for this or that; it’s all in one place.  I sometimes take this kit on long car trips too.

 Here are some of my favorite sites for printable coloring pages:

Let Me Color

Family Corner

The Kidz Page