patterns & tutorials – Page 5

Saving a Paint Brush from Becoming a Paint Stick

Working on the mural reminded me of my first painting professor and of the importance of brush cleaning. After 50 different people worked on the mural (awesome) all our brushes were trashed. Paint up the handles, crusted, dirty, and half dry. Is there any coming back from that? We had about 10 nicer brushes and some fine tipped brushes of mine that I was intent on saving from being paint sticks.

crochet - patterns & tutorials

Crochet Pattern: Sunny Skies Sun Hat

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I love working in my garden in the summer, but after about 10am it becomes blistering hot. This hat is made out of a grass like material called raffia and keeps the sun off your head, ears, and neck. At the same time keeping you cool by letting the breeze through the open stitch work.

Working with Raffia can be challenging to work with unless you know a few simple tricks that will make it slide off the hook. In this pattern I keep you right on track.

fabric - journal - nosew

April Stash Bust: Fabric Scraps Meet Button Kits!

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Those last little scraps of fabric are always the hardest to use up. I’m always looking for more ways to use them up. Well I think I just found my favorite way! Buttons! Fabric covered buttons in fact.

crochet - patterns & tutorials

How-To: Refresh Your Yarn Scraps with Braiding

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I can easily figure out ways to use a half a skein of this and a half a skein of that, but it’s those last 2 yards that leave me stumped. Today I’m going to show you how by braiding yarn, you can refresh the life of your yarn scraps! And of course some fun project ideas to use those braided pieces.

fabric - nosew - patterns & tutorials

Guest Post: Fabric Wrap Bracelet Tutorial

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Today’s project is brought to you by the creative force behind Poppy Chic Designs, Taryn Sisco. Make sure to check out her super fun items in her etsy shop and on her blog. These cute little bracelets are super sweet and fun to make too. Whenever I wear one people always ask where I got it… well now you know!

embroidery

Yarn Yardage Leftovers: Crewel Embroidery

I’ve been cleaning out my apartment one space at a time. Today was my studio. After collecting all my butterfly bobbins of wool, I was confronted with a shopping bag full of random colors. Some people may see this as overwhelming, depressing, and challenging. (What to do with all these […]

journal - knitting - patterns & tutorials

Free Yarn Stash Pattern: Knit Honey Bunny

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This sweet little bunny was first published in the spring of 2008. It’s a unique construction because the base of the little hopper is knit like a heel flap. The first time I made him, I used some vintage acrylic and the last few times I used leftover cotton. You can use just about any worsted weight yarn for this project. I’ve even seen people use faux fur with some pretty fun results.

embroidery - nosew - patterns & tutorials

Free Project: Plastic Canvas Wash ‘n’ Go

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Taking my lunch to the office has become second nature to me, and part of that is keeping a place setting around the office. It’s just easier than toting it back and forth. But it’s not easier to keep them clean. That is until now! Check out my awesome plastic canvas box!

patterns & tutorials

ReRelease: H2O Slinger Duo

It’s getting warm. I’m thinking about riding my bike. When I went to scramble up all my bike gear, I realized that it’s about time I refresh the design and wording of one of the original Craft Leftovers Patterns. It’s still pretty much a jpeg, one of the last of […]

crochet - feature - patterns & tutorials

Free Pattern: Particularly Pink Crochet Dishcloth

I had so much fun crocheting up this little dishcloth. I was looking for something to brighten up the dull chore of washing the dishes. I had quite a few little bits of orange, blue and white. And a whole lot of pink and gray. I love the way it […]

crochet - patterns & tutorials

ReRelease: Aceraceae Cowl

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In fall 2008, I made this really sweet neck warmer inspired by the autumn trees. Since we are heading into spring, I thought it would be a good time to dust it off, spruce it up, and re-release it.

embroidery - patterns & tutorials

Embroidery Pattern: Crafty Buddies: Hand Stitching!

More crafty buddies for your stitching pleasure! These cute little guys will jazz up any craft bag, knit basket, or make a nice framed embroidery piece for Your Crafty Buddies studio wall. You can get the Hand Stitching Crafty Buddy Set here and the original Machine Stitching Crafty Buddy Set […]

crochet - patterns & tutorials

Re-Release: Crochet Winter Headwrap

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Keep your ears warm with this quick project. It can easily be made in one evening. Using just 50 grams of worsted wool it’s great for using up those balls of yarn residing too long in your stash. Jazz it up with some of your favorite buttons and you are ready to go.

howto - redress

Redress: Pillows Part II: Recycled Stuffing Material

Last week I posted about my fight with pillow stuffing and how I’ve gone on a quest to figure out what works best. Shredded Paper Shredded Fleece Plastic Bags All Sorts of stuff – bits of yarn, thread, fleece, paper, and dryer lint. After making 4 small pillows and stuffing […]

fabric - patterns & tutorials

Mr Stub’s Pencil Pouch: Free Sewing Pattern

mrstubs04 I have a very bad habit of loving new pencils. When my pencils start to get short and stubby, they tend to get forgotten in the bottom of my art box. Well no more. I made this cute little pouch just for my short pencils. Now I’ll slip them all in there and make sure to use them up before digging into my new pencil stash! With a bag this cute, how could I not grab it first?

howto - redress

Apartment Redress: Say goodbye to lumpy pillows: Part 1

I’ve made a few pillows over the years. Seriously, just a few. And I’ve not liked a single one. It’s not that the designs weren’t cute, they were. It was that they were lumpy. With each one I tried a different way of stuffing them: Pillow stuffing method 1: Huge […]

howto - journal

Picking the Right Hook and Needles

{Note: I’m totally sick today, so I’m taking the day off. Today’s post was originally published as a guest post for Craftzine in September. Enjoy!} One of the things that many experienced yarnies take for granted is how to know what hook or needles to use for the yarn you […]

fabric - patterns & tutorials

Sewing Pattern: Laundry Bags

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I got these plastic bags for christmas and opted to repurpose them as laundry bags. After load 6, they started to rip. It turns out that being made for soft plush light weight pillows = not being able to hold a bazillion pounds of laundry.

All the same, I loved the simple structure of the bags. It would be a snap to whip up more bags made out of more sturdy fair. And, taking a little inspiration from a Target bag, I added a flap with a snap so I can fold them up for storage and keep them in The Laundry Loader I made last year. Once it gets warm again, I think I’ll even stencil the washing symbols on each bag. :)

nosew - patterns & tutorials

How To: Pomanders!

Though I’ve always thought pomanders were a great idea, it wasn’t until yesterday that I actually made my own! It was one of the activities at the Winter Art Camp at the Octagon Center for the Arts. I was invited to stay after my activitiy was over and join in […]

crochet - destash - patterns & tutorials

Free Crochet Pattern: Lanel’s Mitts

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I wear fingerless mittens so my fingers can be fidgety while wearing them and warm. It never fails that while I can use my fingers without gloves, my hands are freaking cold. No more. Taking inspiration from my nerdy star trek loving side, I made fingerless mittens that make my hands feel like Riker’s must have while disguised as a Malcorian.