tiny pincushions

these adorable pincushions are handy to have in your sewing kit, and make great gifts for your crafty friends.

for this quick project you’ll need a bottle cap from a 2-liter soda bottle (or something with a larger diameter if you like, depending on what size cushion you want…it should be about 1/2″ to 3/4″ deep); pretty fabric; coordinating felt; coordinating ribbon that’s wide enough to hide the sides of your cap; stuffing, batting or cotton balls; needle and thread; scissors; craft glue; and a hot glue gun

 

 

 

 

 

1. cut a felt circle the same diameter as your cap and glue it on with craft glue.
2. cut your pretty fabric into a circle. for the 2-liter bottle cap size, make a circle that’s about 3 1/2″ in diameter. add a little more for a bigger cap.
3. stitch in and out around the circle to gather it, making a bowl shape.

4. put as much stuffing into it as you can possibly fit, and tie off your thread. if some stuffing sticks out, no problem.
5. put some hot glue around the inside edges of your cap and nestle your little stuffed pillow into it, smooshing it down tightly.

6. glue decorative ribbon around the cap to hide the unfinished sides.

felt magnets

here are some little magnets that are quick to whip up. 

cut out bits of felt into shapes you like (do them freehand—it gives them more personality than drawing on them first and making them too perfect)and then glue the layers on top of each other with craft glue.

 

 

make sure the bottom leaf layer is big enough for your magnet.

stick the magnet on with hot glue,  wait a few seconds, and apply to your favorite metal surface!

play with your food

this is a friendly call to all the parents out there who like to sit behind me in restaurants and badger, curse, force, coerce, and yell at their kids to eat their food.  

how about you do something creative to get them to eat, rather than ruin everyone else’s meal?

yes, extend the humble art of crafting to your dinner table!  no need to fight your children to eat, no need to feel the disapproving looks of fellow diners drilling a hole into the back of your heads! 

do something creative every day, and if that means playing with your food so your little ones will eat it, then go for it!

otherwise i’m going to turn around and badger you to stop yelling at your kid and start eating your own damn meal.

put down that spray can

not sure if you’re one of those who view graffiti as art, but i do not.  well now, hold on a sec.  there’s some nice looking spray painting in the parking garage of the pasadena museum of art which appears to be graffiti, only presented in a visually appealing, graphic manner.  i can tolerate that.  wouldn’t want it in my home garage, but it’s pretty over there.

perhaps what i’m thinking of is referred to as “tagging”—you know, the huge and barely legible initials that are painted, crossed out, and painted over by rival gang members. i do not consider tagging a form of art.  just reminds me of dogs peeing on a light pole, marking their spot so to speak. 

any taggers interested in taking up a challenge?  rather than scribbling like preschoolers all over walls and trucks, why not come up with something a bit more creative and decorative, such as these beautifully modified wire fences?   industry meets craft!

*NOTE:  you get busted doing this, i’m not liable.  just putting something out there to make you think about doing something other than defacing our communities with your pee spray.

constructing a wooden spool rack

 

this is an exceptionally easy project, and one that’s great for when you’re feeling a little frustrated because it involves a hammer and nails. 

first, take a piece of board – try and recycle something if you can. you can paint it if you’d like, but if it’s a really beautiful piece of wood, why not leave it au naturale?  use whatever size board you need for the number of threads you have, plus room for at least 12 more.  you know you’re going to buy more thread, so you might as well have room for it.

measure out 1.5″ squares on the board, starting about half an inch from the edge. A few methods of accomplishing this:  use a quilting guide and a soft pencil to mark it out; draw a grid of squares right on it; or  just mark the dots for the corners where the nails will go in.  this one has 2″ squares – makes a nicely spaced board ideal for sylkos and bigger spools.

this second version has closer spaced nails which are ideal for spindly guttermans. use 40mm panel pins, which are like 2″ thin narrow nails with almost no head. nail them in at each mark and an angle of about 60 degrees. this is easier to accomplish if sitting down, resting the bottom of the board in your lap, and the top on the edge of a table. it’s a bit more tricky to do ones at the bottom of the board like this, so when you get to the bottom of the board, give it a 360 rotation and begin again on those rows.

two or three taps with the hammer is enough – they aren’t holding any weight and you don’t want them too short.

that’s it! then you can play around arranging your colors as you like.  You can keep it propped up on a shelf, or mirror-plate them to the wall. 

these nails are a bit short for long guttermans spools, but the wobbly effect is fun. if you want it neater for long spools, then use longer nails.

drink umbrellas

add a splash of colour to summertime thirst-quenchers with these bright and cheerful umbrellas. pop one into every glass – besides doubling as swizzle sticks, the little paper parasols help identify each guest’s drink!  clever, huh?

how to:

use wooden skewers a couple of inches longer than your glasses are tall.

on plain white paper, create any design that fits within a circle that is 2 ¼” in diameter.  if you don’t feel like making the designs by hand, do up something on the computer and print on plain white paper.

cut out circles, then make a slit from 9 o’clock to the center point of the circle.

create a cone by overlapping the edges slightly and hold them in place with glue or tape underneath

push a skewer through the center point on the inside of the cone, then use a little pva glue to stick a small bead on top to finish

fun alternatives:

for an even more exotic look, thread chunks of pineapple and other fruit on the skewer too.

use decorative-edged scissors to cut around the edge of the circles for a quirky finish.

holy coral reef, batman!

i got my first cactus when i was six (stuck at home sick with the chickenpox and my uncle bought me one to cheer me up!), and have loved them ever since. 

imagine my delight when i stumbled upon this gorgeous fusion of cactus and crafting!  this hyperbolic crochet kelp garden by the Institute for Figuring appeared at the los angeles county fair in sept 2006, and the IFF has an ongoing exhibit which you can check out at their website – click here. 

 

 

a book by margaret wertheim with instructions for making these models is available at their website as well. 

 

 

 

 

 

even if you’re an ocean fearing yarnaphobic, you can’t tell me these aren’t some of the best looking things around.

 

 

 

 

 

margaret, if i were a routine wearer of hats, i’d tip mine to you.  you really kick some serious hyperbolic crochet ass!

cross stitch and pixel art

can crafting ever be ahead of technology?  in the case of cross-stitching, hell yes…cross-stitch preceded pixel art by quite a few hundred years!

both techniques are similar in that they are based on filling in small squares with color to build up an image. 

the intersection of craft and technology produces some stellar results.  why not whip up your favorite electric socket or usb port tonight?

close up view to show cross stitches on aida canvas:

i bet the kool-aid man never saw this comin’

kool-aid is an easy, quick and fun way to create your own hand-dyed yarn.  kool-aid. you best believe. 

since powdered drink mixes are readily available and reasonably non-toxic, it makes a great entry into the world of fiber dyeing in your own kitchen. no specialized equipment is needed. i will, however, offer a few words of caution. first, avoid inhaling the powder. Second, it stains! avoid getting it on clothes and wear rubber gloves if you don’t want your hands to evidence your work for a couple of days. a little bleach or baking soda should take care of your work surface, but spreading out a garbage bag before you begin isn’t a bad idea. No need to go all haz-mat, just cover up the important stuff. 

what fibers to use:
kool-aid dyeing works only on animal fibers: wool, mohair, alpaca — even human hair! it doesn’t work on cotton or synthetics, though, so use pure wool yarn for best results. blended yarns containing a high percentage of wool do work, but the non-animal part of the yarn won’t take the dye and you won’t get very saturated colors. you can use this to your advantage: a cotton-wrapped wool boucle will come out colored with a white wrap. you don’t have to use only uncolored yarns, either. start with a natural tweed or over-dye a pastel. you can also dye rovings to great effect with this method. just card and spin a few colors together once they’re dry. you’ll feel like an artist in no time!

what you’ll need:

wool yarn tied loosely in skeins so dye can penetrate
1 package of unsweetened drink mix per ounce of yarn (for saturated colors)
large pot or microwave-safe dish

optional equipment for variegated or hand-painted yarns:
steamer basket for pot
plastic cups
large syringe or turkey baster

what to do:
to get your yarn ready, wash it lightly in mild soap and then let it soak in the sink as you continue your preparations. you don’t need to add vinegar as you would with other dyeing techniques because kool-aid is very acidic!

if you want your yarn dyed a single color, either straight from the package or using your own special blend of flavors, empty your packages of of drink mix [important: use no sugar!] into your pot or microwave-safe dish with some water. stir to dissolve. add your yarn and enough water to cover it. the amount of water doesn’t matter, but the ratio of dye to yarn does. use less kool-aid for lighter colors, more for darker colors.

there are two basic methods of setting the dye: stovetop or microwave. for the stovetop, heat the yarn-filled pot to nearly boiling. turn it off and let it sit, covered, for at least half an hour, stirring a few times. if you prefer the microwave, zap your yarn-filled dish for two minutes. let the yarn rest for a few minutes, then zap it again for another two minutes. with either method, you’ll know your yarn is ready if the water is mostly clear. [this means the yarn should have absorbed all the dye.] if it’s not, you might want to heat it again. let it cool.

when the yarn has cooled, rinse it thoroughly in water the same temperature as the yarn [shocking wool with cold water could cause it to felt]. wash the yarn in mild soap, rinse again and hang to dry.

hand-painting yarn:
hand painting your yarn is as easy as finger-painting and at least as much fun! prepare your skeins as you did for the basic method above. then lay them out flat on a plastic bag.

choose the colors you want to use and mix each one in a plastic cup with a few tablespoons of water per package. you still want to use roughly one package of kool-aid per ounce of yarn. you can use as few as two colors or as many as twelve, but you will want to be careful about contrasting colors running into one another unless dirty brown is part of your aesthetic vision.

suck up some of your beverage mix with a turkey baster or syringe and squirt it carefully onto the yarn. if a variegated yarn is what you are after, imagine your skein to be a pie and apply the dye in wedges, or stretch it out lengthwise and apply the dye in stripes. rinse the baster/syringe between colors to prevent unwanted mixing. if a more subtle, mottled color effect is what you want, pour or squirt the various colors as the spirit moves you.

depending on how big your skeins are, you might need to turn them over carefully and dye them on the back side, too. then, with plastic gloves or baggies on your hands, gently press on the yarn to move the dye through all the layers. keep an eye out for white spots, particularly where the skein is tied.

now gently pick up your skein and place it in the microwave dish or steamer basket. microwave as above or steam for 30-45 minutes over hot water (you can turn the burner off and just let it sit, covered, after it’s good and steamy). cool and wash your yarn.

kool-aid yarn pictured above is made from the following fruity flavors:

top row [L to R]:  strawberry changin’ cherry pink lemonade mandarina tangerina strawberry starfruit lemonade lemon lime tropical punch

bottom row: blue moon berry grape illusion switchin’ secret black cherry slammin’ strawberry kiwi blastin’ berry cherry orange ice blue raspberry lemonade cherry grape

rest assured, your finished products will be washable…just follow the directions for the yarn you’ve used. if you’ve washed the yarn thoroughly after dyeing it, you don’t have to worry about the colors bleeding in the wash— just give them the care you would any hand-knit item.  some fading may occur over time, particularly if they are exposed to a lot of sunlight.  though the fruity smell will fade, the bright colors will last for years!

stitch sampler – a fabulous read!

people often ask where i learned to make so many stitches.  it’s no secret…i had some help learning from lucinda ganderton! 

she’s got one of the best how-to books on making stitches that i’ve ever come across, and i always keep it close at hand.  full of beautiful pictures, very helpful illustrations and easy to understand instructions. and it’s published by dk, which is really a plus…i always enjoy the layouts of their visually stunning books, regardless of the subject  matter.  check out my favorite stitch book here!

making paper beads

thin paper is easiest to work with, like origami papers or pages from books, but you can use whatever you like.  get creative and stamp, draw or paint on plain paper and turn them into beads.  papers with really small details work well because when folded they make a beautiful pattern. 

the more coats of glue, varnish, mod podge, or whatever you use to coat them, the more glassy and glossy they’ll look. if you aren’t using them in a context where they may get wet, you could just leave them unvarnished. totally up to you. as for me, i love anything shiny. and glittered.  the ones above are unfinished and unglossed.

so what to do first?  cut the paper into a long and skinny triangular strip.  that’s the easiest shape to start with.  but be bold and experiment with the shape of your papers…different cut shapes = different shaped beads.  don’t be afraid to play around!

the easiest way to cut the paper is with a rotary paper cutter.  of course you could go the heavy duty utility knife/cutting mat/ruler route, or a pair of scissors…whatever works best for you.  you might even try quilling strips if you’re lazy.  just try to make the cuts as smooth as possible. for a different look, tear the paper and roll it lengthwise for a long skinny bead.

get your glue on: white glue or decoupage glue typically just makes a total mess because it’s too thin.  uhu glue sticks are alright, but if you try a uhu glue pen you’ll get good results because it has a narrow tip and you can more precisely direct the flow of the glue.  same with tacky glue. use a good amount so it’s sticky enough to stay rolled up.

you can roll your beads either on a toothpick or onto a piece of wire, rolling from the wide side, as tightly as you can, ending with the teeny skinny side and make sure that that end is glued down well. you can get about a dozen beads on a foot long piece of wire, and they’ll come off pretty easily. don’t try getting all creative and using wooden skewers coated in vaseline or something, because the beads will stick to that. 

now the creative part.  at this point, you could paint the beads, add sparkle ink, glitter, or whatever you like., jacquard has really great sparkly pigments that can be put right onto the bead or added to utee (a thick embossing powder) and then the bead can be rolled in it and heated.  or heat the utee in a pot and dip your beads in. use different finishes to make the beads look like metal, gems, or pearls, even glass.

if you don’t want to go the utee route, mod podge is always an excellent choice…and so many types of mod podge are available too, from matte to super glossy, to glittered…so many choices!

once you’re done varnishing, you can sand the edges a bit or sand the whole thing for another look altogether. the options are endless. make small beads that are more plain, or big ones to use as pendents, and make them into any shape. if you wanted to just layer them, you can cut out a form and go from there, or decoupage over something and drill a hole later. so many options!

don’t be afraid to try different things. this is an inexpensive and fun project, and anyone can do it…even little kids.  for those of us that save every little scrap, this is perfect. hey, i wonder how fabric would turn out?  hmmmm…

a couple of tips: use either a non-stick cookie sheet or some waxed paper so you don’t get glue and paper and gunk all over your table.  if you use the utee, it can burn you so be careful with it. baby wipes are a great thing to have handy so you can get the glue and junk off of your fingers in between beads, as well as cooling off your burned fingers!

printing on inkjet fabric sheets

did you know you can print your own designs on fabric with your ink jet printer?

just treat your fabric to some bubble jet set 2000 solution and then iron freezer paper onto the fabric in order to run it through your printer.  this is the more economical route.  but if you’re a wealthy, non-do-it-yourselfer, there are ready-to-go inkjet fabric sheets available from your local office supply or craft store.

beware…bubble jet set 2000 doesn’t work with some printers, so check the list of compatibility. there’s also bubble jet rinse available to rinse away inkjet printouts or to set dyes in bleeding fabrics.

sewing kit must-haves

the contents of a sewing kit will vary from person to person based on their preferences and the kind of work they do.  if you are new to sewing, this will give you some idea of what your first sewing kit should look like, otherwise maybe you can take away some ideas to add to your own currently existing kit.

needles

on occasion i’ll lose some needles and unexpectedly find them again with my feet, so i buy lots of cheap needles…generally the “assorted” packs you can find for less than $3 almost anywhere which have a variety of sizes.  for most sewing projects, i use the sharps and embroidery needles but that’s a personal preference. most of these packs come with a cardboard disk on the back labeling the needles with size and type. if you find you only use one type in a pack, buy a bunch of those.

needle threaders

a pack of needles often comes with a needle threader.  i only use mine when i’m sewing late into the night and getting tired. be gentle with these because they are easy to snap if you’re too rough. they’re fairly easy to operate…push wire loop though eye of needle, put the thread though wire loop, pull on metal tab to pull the end of the thread though the needle.  i’ve always been fascinated with the faces printed on these.  who is that woman?

thread

for machine sewing, i use 100% polyester or cotton wrapped polyester threads like guterman or coats and clark dual duty. for hand embroidery, it’s dmc all the way. always have on hand black and white, plus whatever color palette you’re currently working with.  

thread conditioner

while many of us were taught to use beeswax to smooth our thread, it’s the 21^st century, baby.  get some “thread heaven” (affectionately called “fairy snot” in sewing circles for it’s slightly rubbery texture and the bits of glitter mixed into the top layer.)  this stuff smoothes the thread, gives it a slight static charge and a little lubrication with means less tangles and roughhousing with your fabric. it’s also acid-free and won’t stain, run or fade your fabric or thread. fantastic stuff!

pins and pincushion

while i always hoped i would outgrow the need for pinning, the more i sew the more i need them. i like big flower-headed quilting pins because they are long and easy to find in most fabrics.  (and since they’re flat, they tend to lay on top of the carpet for easy retrieval by fingers rather than by unassuming feet!)  i also dig the plastic pearl headed pins.  my pincushion probably has about 150 pins and needles in it at the moment.

thread scissors

i dig the traditional stork scissors by gingher, but you can use any pair of sharp scissors to cut thread as you sew.  regardless of the scissors you pick, find ones that you can use effortlessly as your attention should be on getting back to the sewing, not on handling the scissors.

seam ripper

i couldn’t live long without my seam ripper, and once you do some heavy duty sewing, you’ll feel the same.  get one you like and a second or even third for emergencies. there is nothing more frustrating than not having one of these when you need it and nothing more dangerous to your project then trying to take out seams any other way.

marking tools

i have a whole mess of marking pencils and chalks, which are great for pattern transfers as well as marking pieces (“left side”, “this way up”, “snaps here”). use a toothbrush for getting markings off of fabric in case of a mistake.

measuring tape

essential for fittings all all sorts. if you are making clothes you need one of these.  i just like having one in my sewing box around because it reminds me of my granny.

a box to put it all in

any basket or box will do for holding your notions, but being able to find the thing you want while on the phone with 3 pins in your mouth and one hand holding a seam together is nothing short of priceless. look around at the various kinds of storage options and pick something that suits your style. don’t shell out $40 on your first box, get a shoe-box or plastic tub and work up to what you need. i’ve got a variety of boxes to suit my many different sewing projects.

a guide

in a perfect world, we’d all have a native guide for our sewing adventures…but in most cases we’re pretty much stumbling in the dark—lighting our way with a bit of luck and a lot of mistakes.  if you’re not the adventurous-dive-right-in-and-figure-it-out-on-your-own-type like me, get a “how to sew” book…they’re full of great tips and tricks, and will help the nervous-sewer feel a bit more at ease.

waxing fondly on 60wt. thread

did you know that 60wt thread can be used as bobbin thread as well as top thread?

as a bobbin thread:  since A size bobbins are not available in colors, you can wind the thread on the bobbins manually. and as A size bobbins can be used with all types of threads (including metallic), you’re not limited to using any specific kind of thread on them! i recommend using 60 wt thread as a bobbin thread for embroidery…when used as bobbin thread, your embroidery looks much richer and the thread is secured without grabbing the fabric. this results in beautiful curves and sharp points.

as top thread:  as top thread, it can be used for small lettering with a delicate look and lace designs for a soft and gentle finish. it can also be used for regular embroidery designs if you’d like your embroidery to look smaller and have a miniature look. overall, your project will be free from stiffness and full of life!

shooting at machine trouble – part 12: machine glitches

1. if your machine suddenly starts doing strange things like embroiders half of a design on one place in the hoop, half on another, or just doesn’t want to embroider – first turn it off. completely.

2. remove the hoop, and if your embroidery arm is removable, take it off too.

3. give your machine a 10 minute rest.

4. insert the embroidery arm again, making sure it has enough space to move in all directions. turn on the machine, and try to embroider again.