Have you ever seen a great looking shirt at a second hand store or garage sale, but didn’t buy it because it had somebody’s logo on it?
Well, now you can treat yourself to that shirt and upcycle it by crocheting simple flowers to cover the unwanted logo.
The other day, I was looking at my summer clothes (finally – what a long winter!)
And, I realized that I needed a new black t-shirt.
My old ones  are beyond wearing, and are destined to become fabric strips for weaving.
They’ll also become rags and other ‘green’ options.
Later that day, we were at a garage sale, …read more

Butterflies are one of my most favorite motifs to work with.  When a friend requested more ideas of what to make with triangles woven on the potholder loom, I was inspired to design this butterfly:
You’ll need to get out your potholder loom, and your spool knitter  and less than an ounce of yarn in wing colors and less than an ounce of black yarn for the body.
If you haven’t seen my video on
how to weave a triangle on the potholder loom
then, click on the link  above, because you’ll need to know how to do that.
For this butterfly, I combined a …read more

The other day, we were racing off to the city, and I tore out of the house
with my potholder loom, yarn  and stuff in a project bag .
As we rolled down the road, I was not happy to discover that I had left my weaving hook at home. Oh rats! That would mean ~no weaving~ for me.
No no no  no no no!
Luckily, I had an extra chopstick, so I knew I would be able to carve another weaving hook by upcycling the chopstick into a weaving hook.
When we got to the grocery store, my husband loaned me his pocket knife …read more

Recently, I was given a copy of a wonderful old book: Spool Knitting by Mary McCormack.
It is a treasure. It’s 100 years old and has delightful photos.
I find it interesting that Mary McCormack consistently calls the spool knitted cords, ‘webs’, rather than cords.
I think that this is probably because she likens a child (she always uses ‘he’ as the supposed spool knitting  child, never ’she’, sigh) to a spider spinning a web.
Her projects all involve spool knitting yards of cord, mostly on 2 peg spool knitters, and then stitching them into shapes that are then assembled for the finished project.
To …read more

A Reader Shares Her Sewing/Quilting Room Organization
Patti, visiting Quilting and Patchwork, shares videos showing frugal organization of her sewing area.

Collage Workshops
Some links to collage workshops.

Fabric covered notebooks
Chloe is using fabric to cover notebooks – they’re great for gifts or just as a treat for yourself.

Fingerprint Mini-Mosaic with Scrabble Tiles
A tutorial from guest poster, TheScrabbleGal

Instructions for a Tatted cord
Last week, I made a tatting shuttle and this week I’ve tatted the cord for a necklace (also made from a tatting shuttle that I carved)

Layers Upon Layers
When your …read more

Christmas in July?
Chloe has issued a challenge to start your Christmas or holiday crafting now!

Favourite Art Supplies
Sharing some of my favourite art supplies to use in my journal. So, what are your favourites?

Frugal or “Green” Quilting Tips
In these days of saving money and being environmentally friendly, quilters have some tips to contribute.

How to Make Mint Matchbook Party Favors
Have you seen these cute little matchbooks as wedding or party favors? Each matchbook contains an after dinner mint and is inscribed with the occasion, date and/or some significant saying.

…read more

“A Blast from the Past” Includes Pioneer & Patriotic Quilt Designs
Mary Emma Allen at Quilting and Patchwork names a number of patriotic and pioneer quilt designs and quizzes you on them.

Barbara Brabec and Me: Helping Crafters to Be
If you want to craft for profit, you should know about Barbara Brabec and Eileen, whose motto is “The Artful Crafter – Helping Crafters to Be”.

Crocheted Friendship Finger Puppets
Finger puppets are great gifts, and they are wonderful for summer travels. Crochet up a handful or two of these charming little finger puppets …read more

A butterfly T shirt with reverse applique, recycled weaving and spool knitting
Here’s a great way to reclaim scraps of weaving to embellish garments and accessories

Creations from Organic Artist Paul Schick
Paul transforms twigs and more. You’ll love the earthy feel of his work.

Layers Upon Layers
Be ready to ooooo and aaaaah over Bonnie Meltzer’s mixed media pieces!

Shortcuts for sewing shirts
Chloe from Tangled Thread shares one of her quick & easy shortcuts to save you time when you’re sewing shirts.

Turn Off the (Mod Podge) …read more

It’s Artsy Blogger Link time! Here’s a whole new crop of lovely links!
10 Ways to Save Money Quilting
Guest blogger, Karen Weideman, at Quilting and Patchwork provides some great tips for saving money on your quilting.

Creative Therapy
Another great visual journal inspiration blog

How to Craft for the Retiree Market
If you craft for profit, you need to know your market. Read Eileen’s market tips for selling in an area with a lot of retirees.

Jewelry from favorites fabrics
Use fabric motifs to create embroidered pins and brooches

Peace …read more

It’s Friday, and the 13th at that! It’s a good day to check in with the crafty bloggers and see what they’ve been up to this week!
Decoupage Beach Memory Box
Put your beachcombing mementos in full view all year round by arranging them on a pretty decoupage box.

Experience Time Travel with a Quilt
Now that your children are home from school, experience some “time travel” quilt related adventures with them.

Father’s Day craft ideas
Make a special hand-printed t-shirt for your Dad this Father’s Day

Spool knit a magical little ‘Fairy Window’ for making wishes
Here’s a …read more