Craft Snob

Craft Quotes to Make You Laugh: Is That a Warm Fuzzy or…

Sara — Thu, 16 May 2013 16:04:17 +0000

Craft scraps have a love – hate appeal to them. I love that fabric scraps fill voids in quick and easy crafts like making pincushions, boot scarves, and fabric flowers. But, then you have the frayed pieces of scrap that weasel their way into unexpected places like pockets, in between your toes, and in your kids’ ears. So, this brings me to the question:

And how about you… do you love or hate scrap fabric? Do you keep ‘em or dump ‘em? If this craft quote made you grin then share with your friends so they can grin, too…

Craft Quotes: Why You Should Craft Your Heart Out Printable

Sara — Thu, 02 May 2013 17:41:06 +0000

With ugly crafts rearing their ugly heads around my craft room lately (they are so much fun to pick on!) it’s easy to become discouraged from crafting, sewing, jewelry making or whatever your crafty soul fancies. But, then I have to remind myself of the gems I have created: the craft projects that leave me feeling alive, refreshed and pretty. And when this happens I feel as though my soul has grown. So… my inspirational craft words that remind me to craft my heart out.

Why should you craft your heart out? What types of projects have left you feeling alive, refreshed, and pretty? If you agree with my craft quote, then share it with your crafting friends…

Plus, if you click on the button below you can download your own 8.5″ x 11″ printable, subject to terms and use.

Little Bird Sweater Library Book Bag Tutorial

Sara — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 16:05:36 +0000

Little birds make me think of spring, so I made another library tote bag using my how to make a book bag tutorial. The base is made from a magenta sweater I found at a thrift store. If I could do it over again, I would change the complimenting floral pattern for one with colors that bring out more of the pinker side of the sweater and less of the maroon side. Pink is what I always go for if you can’t tell!

I’ve been making several trips to the library with this tote, filling it with books about canning, preserving, and of course crafting.

What makes you think of spring? Made any trips to the library lately? If so, what books make it into your bag?

5 Ways to Have Your Way with Ugly Crafts

Sara — Thu, 18 Apr 2013 16:07:33 +0000

Ugly crafts are everywhere, including my craft room. I’m not sure how they got there (yeah right!). Here are my 5 ways to have your way with ugly crafts. I’ve tried 1 through 4, but not 5. Donating anonymously gives me the most satisfaction, as I no longer have to see them and can move on to making more crafts, hopefully pretty ones.

If you could have your way with your ugly crafts what would you do?

Craft Quotes: Go and Be Pretty Inspiration

Sara — Thu, 11 Apr 2013 16:42:28 +0000

Introducing the Evie Carry All Trio Pattern

Sara — Fri, 24 Feb 2012 21:34:41 +0000

Here it is: Evie Carry All Trio. This is the first pattern I've created. I am so proud and want to share the pattern with you for free. Pure pretty-ness don't you think?

I want to share the pattern for free because I want to encourage any of you beginner sewers and those thinking about sewing to just try. I wouldn't say the purse is for beginners. Then again, if you are slow and steady, even a beginner can make the purse.

The free pattern consists of a purse, make-up bag, and sunglasses case and ranges from beginner to advanced. Start the trio with the sunglasses case, a beginner level. Then move to the make-up bag, an intermediate level. Then attempt the purse, which is an advanced level.

You can download the free purse trio pattern through facebook here. I would love to hear constructive feedback. Now get your sewing machine out!

Put a Bird On It!

Sara — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 15:15:31 +0000

Savannah from Oh So Pretty: The Diaries is here to share her Sew a Bird on it! Let's give her a round of applause for such detail. Plus a free printable bird template. Thanks, Savannah!

We had this awesome tray in our living room that had these pretty little stitched designs but, they were old and they didn't match our new color schemes so we decided to update it! We wanted to make sure we kept something stitched because it was such a cute detail so- we decided to SEW A BIRD ON IT! Really, we are going to hand sew it, "it" being a piece of scrapbook paper. And when you are done you could put your bird in a cute frame! Or if you have one of these trays, put it in there!

All you will need is:
- A piece of scrapbook paper
- Bird Stencil
- Regular Thread
- Sewing Needle
- Scissors
- Pencil
- Scotch Tape

Draw out your bird. If you don't have one already, we have this exact bird stencil available for free download on our blog here.

Cut out your stencil.

This is the front of the scrapbook paper we used. Flip the paper over to trace the bird on the back.

Place the bird on the back of the paper in the opposite direction of where you want it to face. Ours is facing right because we want it to face left in the front.

Trace the bird with a pencil. Push down a little harder than normal on the paper. This will create the tiniest bevel on the other side of the paper which will help with sewing later.

Double thread your needle with the thread color of your choice.

You can start anywhere on the bird that you want to but we are going to start at the bottom. Push your needle through the end of the bird's foot.

Pull the thread back through on the other side of the foot. This is where pushing hard on the pencil helps. When you turn the paper over look for beveled line. If you cannot find it just hold your paper up the light and the pencil marking on the back will show through. I mostly just held the paper up to the light for every step.

Push the needle through the base of the bird's leg. It will appear to be going through the middle of the foot which is what we want.

From the front it will look like this.

The beveled lines barely show up in the pictures but now you will push the needle through the top of the same leg.

And this is what it will look like at this step.

Start on the next leg- push the needle through the top of the other leg.

Push the needle back through the bottom of the leg.

This is what we've done so far.

Push the needle through the end of the foot.

and pull needle back through on the other side of the foot.

Now that the legs are done, sew the inside details.

All you have to do is stitch along the lines that you traced earlier.

This is the kind of stitch we are trying to create. When you push the needle from the back to the front of the paper, you will want to be pretty close to the last stitch. When you push the needle from the front to the back you will want to be a little further from the last stitch. If this isn't perfect, no biggie! In the end you won't even really notice the little flaws (our bird has flaws too.)

That technique creates this look.

When you finish the inside details, move onto the body of the bird.

When you have stitched everything you want to, tape down the thread to the back of the paper.

This is what the bird looks like when it is done! As you can see every stitch isn't perfect but that it what makes it great! Now you can frame your bird and use it as decor!

Again, this is what our bird looks like in it's tray!

Peyote Stitch 101: Part 3

Sara — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 00:33:23 +0000

Oh, I love stitched cuffs. Let’s make this little beauty shall we?

If you are just joining us for the Peyote Stitch 101 series you can learn about the basic supplies in Part 1 and peyote stitch in Part 2.

Gather your bead weaving supplies plus a button and a center piece (I used a rhinestone flower button).

Measure your wrist and determine how long you want to make the bracelet. Now subtract one inch. That is how long you will make your peyote stitch. For example, if you want your cuff six inches long then minus one equals five inches. The loop that wraps around the button will make up for the subtracted one inch.

Cut a piece of fireline 30 inches long. Start your peyote stitch as in Peyote Stitch 101: Part 2. Instead of stitching between every single bead, you will need to stitch between every five beads, like shown below.

Continue peyote stitch until you have reached your wrist measurement minus one inch. In the example above, your peyote stitch would be five inches long.

Tying Off

Tie a knot when you have six inches of thread remaining. Weave the end through a few beads and snip the excess thread.

Starting a New Thread

Cut another 30 inches of fireline. Weave the thread through a few beads, leaving about two inches. Tie a knot and continue the peyote stitch where you left off. Snip the excess thread at the beginning of the fireline.

Attaching the Button

Cut a piece of fireline 20 inches long. Weave through a few beads, tie a knot, and weave through a few more beads to center the needle where you want to position the button. I like the center of my buttons to be half an inch to one inch from the end of the cuff. Loop through the button and then back through the beads at least four times. Then, weave through a few beads, tie a knot, and snip the excess fireleine. Be sure to go back and snip the excess fireline at the beginning. Attach your center piece just as you did the button.

Attaching the Loop

The loop acts as a closure for the cuff by wrapping around the button. Start a new thread as described above in ‘Starting a New Thread’. Create a loop like shown below by adding beads until you reach a length of two inches. Then, tie off as described above under ‘Tying Off’. For a sturdier loop, cut another piece of fireline and stitch through the loop again.

Now you have a pretty new cuff your friends will squabble over.

Haberdashery

Sara — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 15:30:03 +0000

English class is here again. Haberdashery sounds to me like something Cinderella’s fairy godmother whispers as she waves her wand. But, no, it means little sewing notions like buttons and ribbon.

Go ahead and download this free Valentine type face. You know you want to.

Peyote Stitch 101: Part 2

Sara — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 00:45:25 +0000

If you are just joining us for the fresh petite series Peyote Stitch 101, don’t forget to catch up on the necessary supplies in Part 1.

Today we will learn the basics of peyote stitch and make a ring! Once you get the hang of it you can make one in 15 minutes. Be careful… it’s addicting.

Cut a piece of Fireline or other beading thread 30" long. Follow Steps 1-5 below. The first bead threaded is called a stop bead because it stops your woven beads from coming undone.

Before completing Step 5, measure your finger size and stitch as long you need to comfortably wrap around your finger.

Once Step 5 has been completed, rethread the 6” strand at the beginning into the needle head. Weave through a few beads, tie a knot like in Step 5, weave through a few more beads, and snip excess thread.

Tips:

When using fireline, use your fingernail to flatten the end of a strand. This will make it easier to insert into the needle head.
When starting out, wrap the thread through the stop bead two to three times for better ‘stoppage.’
In Part 1 I mentioned that I prefer fireline because it is ‘grippy.’ If you have chosen to use fireline you will be able to tell now that beads do not easily slip off the fireline once threaded. Nothing is more annoying than having my beads slipping off.
Pull the thread tight after each bead. Do not try to weave an entire row before tightening.

Meet me here next Monday for Part 3 where we will make a cuff!