Okay, let’s get started and make a bangle bracelet!
You’ll need a cardboard tube that can comfortably slip over your hand.  I’m using the inside of a roll of packing tape for mine.  Don’t forget that the fabric will shrink the size a little, so don’t use anything too snug.
You’ll also need a good quality white glue, preferably water-resistant.  I’m a big fan of The Ultimate.  Choose a ribbon that’s at least an inch wider than the cardboard tube.  I recommend lining the bracelet with a non-woven material like felt, faux suede, leather or real suede.
Of course, scissors, glue spreaders and …read more

 I just wanted to post a quick clarification of yesterday’s post for creating a bird Christmas ornament with sequins.
I printed the pattern out so that the body of the bird is approximately four and a half inches long:

If you want to adjust the size of the pattern, use the “print screen” button on your keyboard.  Open up your photo editing software (The Gimp is totally free and available online) and open up a new project or page.  Hit “Ctrl” “V” at the same time – that should paste the pattern into the document.  You can then adjust the size from …read more

Hand-made Christmas ornaments make charming little gifts – perfect for tucking into gift baskets or hanging on a package for a friend.  I try and create at least one hand-made Christmas ornament for my tree every year – this year, it’s a little felt bird:

This year, I’m using felt and Bettsi McCombs’ lovely “Folk Bird” pattern to make my ornaments.   I sewed three sequins onto each wing (using my free tutorial from last week) and sewed each seam using blanket stitch.  The eyes are the same beads I used to sew the sequins on.
In one evening I sewed the complete …read more

I’ve created an all-new free tutorial for you – with lots of sparkle and glitz for Christmas!
 
Sequins are a great way to add some extra sparkle to your hand-sewn Christmas ornaments – and they’re really easy to sew on too.
I’ve created a step-by-step guide for hand-sewing sequins for you – but you’ll have to wait until tomorrow to see how I’m using them in my finished project
image: © C Findlay-Harder

I recently posted a tutorial on how to create a basic yo-yo circle without any extra gadgets… and got a few questions on what to do with the yo-yos after they’re finished.
Here are a few ideas….
You could make a yo-yo necklace:

image: Coo-Koo-Ri-Koo
 
You could make a yo-yo wreath for Christmas (or a yo-yo wreath for Autumn):
 
image: Crafty Piggies
You could make yo-yo brooches or pins (or a poppy pin for Remembrance Day:
 
image: Wychbury 
I need to make myself a pair of these yo-yo earrings:
 
image: Third Eye Design
Or if you’re really feeling ambitious, you could make a yo-yo quilt:
 
image: Yo Yo Cottage
Feeling inspired yet?  …read more

I got a reader request on how to make basic yo-yo circles.  They’re a technique I’ve mentioned quite a bit here, but I had forgotten to actually write a complete how-to for you all!
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

 I’ve been going through my archives to find my favorite Christmas craft patterns from last year for my lovely readers
As always, these are my own original patterns & designs and are not to be copied or reposted elsewhere without my permission.
Here are two more fun embroidered patterns – the first is a machine-embroidered gift card holder.  It’s a great way to play around with different stitches on your sewing machine, and make a cute Christmas gift for someone special!

 This one is for my hand-embroidery fans!  It’s a crazy quilt Christmas card that I created using little pieces of …read more

Yes, I know that Halloween was just here, but I like to get an early start on my Christmas crafting!
I love making Christmas ornaments, and I ended up creating quite a few original Christmas ornament patterns last year.
Here are some of my favorite Christmas ornament tutorials and how-tos from last year.  As always, these are my own original patterns and are not to be copied or reposted elsewhere without my permission.
Dog paw-print ornament (part one and part two):

 Machine-embroidered Christmas tree ornament:

 Russian punch-needle or Igolochkoy ornament (part one, part two and part three):

 Yo-yo Christmas tree ornament:

 Happy Christmas crafting!
all images: © C …read more

This is one of my favorite tutorials – I actually wrote it a few years back, but the photos got eaten – ack!  I’ve re-written it and dug up all the photos from my old computer – boy, thank goodness for portable hard drives
Click the image for the complete tutorial:

Fiber fusion is a great way to use up little scraps of yarn, thread trimmings – or even scraps of fabric left over from fussy-cutting motifs.  You can make fiber art, wall hangings – even clothing or jewelry with it!
image: © C Findlay-Harder

This is such a fantastic idea!  Lenore has created a fabric lunch kit that straps onto the frame of a bike (and has posted a full free tutorial here)
 
I created a similar bag that would hang on a frame of a walker (it was very popular with my elderly relatives   I’m sure there are lots of different ways to use this pattern – be creative!

image: Lenore via Evil Mad Scientist Laboratories