Fabric bowls are quite a popular craft these days, with kits and pricey specialty templates available in lots of fabric stores.   You don’t actually need those expensive plastic patterns – Imagine Fabric has put together a great how-to on creating your own fabric bowl from scratch!

All you need is a basic gridded quilting ruler, your standard sewing supplies and a heavy-duty double-faced (meaning there is glue on both sides) stiff interfacing.  And your fabric of course…

Now if you’ll excuse me, I want to make a dozen of these as Christmas gifts

image: Imagine Fabric

Post from: Blisstree

Easy How-To: Sewn Fabric Bowl

Oh look, it’s a cute little pin that looks like a child sewed it:

Actually, I’ve taught 5 year olds to sew who had neater stitches than that…

And then I took a look at the price.

These brooches retail for $188.00, US funds.

That’s right, pennies worth of fabric and sloppy stitching will run you the cost of a big grocery shop or a good pair of shoes.

I think I’m in the wrong business…

images: Yoox

Post from: Blisstree

That Brooch Is How Much??

• While we’re discussing sewing tattoos, check out this gorgeous stork scissor tattoo that Liesl of Liesl Made just got.
• Win a fantastic prize package from U-Handblog – perfect for creating your own handmade purse!
• During April, Noreen is challenging all her readers to share their face of joy – it’s got to have some yarn in it somewhere too.
• Loreen Leedy shows how she created a realistic cat in fabric applique.
• I know it’s spring, but I couldn’t resist posting this how-to for a pretty spiral scarf.

Happy Crafting!

image: C Findlay-Harder

Post from: Blisstree

Crafting Around the Web

I definitely want to try this out now – how many ways can you think of using those flowers?  I can sure think of a few ways…

Post from: Blisstree

How To Make Japanese Folded Flowers

While Tangled Thread isn’t a quilting blog (go to Quilting & Patchwork for that one!) making art quilts is one of my great passions.  I seem to create at least one art quilt as a Christmas gift for someone in my family every year.

Last year it was my brother & sister-in-law’s turn – this year it was my parents:

photo by Noreen Crone-Findlay

My brother took the photos of my parent’s pets and I Photoshopped them.  The photots were then printed directly onto specially treated silk sheets (the silk sheets are fused to paper and are treated so that you can run them through your printer).  I appliqued the photos onto fabric, stitched them onto the background (which was created by appliquing more strips of fabric onto a “sandwich” of fabric and quilt batting).  I then mounted it onto a stretcher frame and covered the back with more fabric.

I also enjoy giving home-made candy at Christmas.  I bought some yummy black organza that had been printed with silver snowflakes – which I thought would make a great way to wrap the candy:

image: C Findlay-Harder

I cut rectangles of the fabric, wrapped the cellophane-bagged candy in it and then topped it all off with a matching silver ribbon.  The organza tended to fray a little so I trimmed off the ends with my pinking sheers.

Voila!  Quick, easy and festive wrapping – just the way I like it

Post from: Blisstree

The final Christmas projects round-up

Yes, yo-yos are fun and easy and no, you don’t need any fancy plastic tools to make them

Am I obsessed with yo-yos?  Oh yes…

I’ve got the complete tutorial here, or just click on the photo

image: © C Findlay-Harder

Post from: Blisstree

how-to of the day: round yo-yo circles

The “Sew Sweet” giveaway runs from now until October 31st – and you can enter every day!

Just pick which gift package you’d like to enter:

 Or the…

Enter your information and you’re entered

Good luck!

images: Fabric.com

Post from: Blisstree

Sew Sweet giveaway from Fabric.com