Artful Thursday #16 – Mother’s Day Banner Bunting Tutorial

Wow, I hadn’t realized I’ve had 15 posts until now.. Artful Thursdays have been an inspiration for me to de-stash and be extra creative each week; thanks again go to Julie Collings for this fantastic idea.

This is a quick project that I thought would look great hanging on a window or across a door for Mother’s Day. I started off with two equal sized pieces of fabric. These happened to be about 11” x 18” :

I folded the fabric in half and, on a piece of paper, measured & cut out a triangle that would fit in the space. It was easy to use this as a template to cut out as many as would fit from the fabric:

Sewing with right-sides together, I quickly seamed up the two long sides of each triangle:

I turned each triangle right-side out through the top and pressed flat with a hot iron:

Next, I returned to my paper triangle template and drew out the letters I wanted. I used the triangle as a guide for how big to make the letters. (You can also print out text or trace letters from a book or stencil.) Once I cut out the letters from the paper, I was able to trace them onto the right-side of some fabric that I had prepared with paper-backed fusible webbing. You could also iron on freezer paper to add some stability to the fabric letters, or use pre-purchased felt ones. Next, I ironed-on and sewed around each letter to secure it and add details. My original plan was to do this stitching by hand and use embroidery floss but I wanted to keep this a quick project:

Lining the triangles up, I pinned them between the folds of a scrap of quilt binding from my stash and quickly sewed it all together.

I felt they needed a little more punch of white, so I added the crochet flower & now they’re ready to be hung for Mother’s Day!

Look for this at the Craft schooling Sunday link party, too – lots of fun!

Happy Artful Thursday.

I’ve never done any Mother’s Day decorating before, what about you? If you’ll be making one of these, be sure to add a link to your pictures and share!

Tool Tuesday - What Do You Awl Do About Knots?

First question – do I let Stuart keep naming these posts? Do either of us have southern accents?  Does anyone think this is funny??

More seriously, I’m glad he wrote this one.  For years I’ve been using an ice-pick (a nice worn one that I got at an antique store for a buck) and calling it my awl.  I use it to poke holes in things (if you follow my crafting, you know it truly is that random.)  Maybe I need to upgrade to something more ergonomic, with a cute bulb handle.

Since our first Tuesday Tool post, there have been quite a few comments about awls. An awl is useful in many ways, but it is almost essential for working with thread.

In addition to loosening knots in thread and rope, awls can also be used to help set up complex decorative knots and for thread work. For either of these applications, it is important to have a strong and sharp awl since a blunt or bent tip can easily snag and damage delicate thread and cordage.

What to look for:

Aside from the crafting or sewing awls that you may be familiar with, there are two basic types of awls - a scratch awl as shown above with a small bulbous handle, and a heavier duty steel awl that resembles an ice pick.

Scratch awls are designed for laying out marks in various types of materials. This means that their strong tips can handle the side loads encountered when working with heavier materials, such as leather cord. However, this also means that some awls are going to be thicker than others or with a shorter taper (such as in the one above), making them less for crafting.

You should have good luck finding a simple awl as shown above for about $4-7 at most home improvement stores.

In additional to awls, what other types of tools do you use when working with thread, yarn, and cord?

Sunday Crafting & Reader Tool Round-Up

Check out creativejewishmom’s international party, if you click the link above you’ll see some great projects each week.  I just added my Mini-matchbox Makeover to her list of links and you can join in, too!  I especially love last week’s links, there are some great projects there.

Two weeks ago I posted a request asking everyone what kinds of tools they use, or if you had any questions & then followed up with a guest blogger post from Stuart of ToolGuyd (Getting Hot with Heat Guns).    I’ll be continuing the tool posts on Tuesdays, tailoring them to crafting needs.  Here’s a (short!) summary of tools that you submitted:

• awls
• Soft & hard hammers
• computers and printers
• jewelry pliers and cutters
• small iron
• jewelers chasing hammer and anvil
• sewing machine
• tabletop magnifier
• alligator clips
• Dremel
• torch
• bone folders
• paintbrushes
• glue gun
• soldering iron
• paper cutters
• scissors
• Xacto blades
• scroll saws

& more…

Nobody mentioned checking the country of origin for their products (& I know I have international readers here, would love your feedback!)  but it seems most try to buy things locally instead of big box stores.

Safety issues will be addressed, too, when necessary, there's no need for us to be afraid of our tools!

And Thea had some questions – one addressed in this past Tuesday’s Tool post & the other, Stuart replied to in comments - “Solder is pronounced like "sodder" in the US, and I have heard not heard it pronounced differently by British-English speakers.”

 

Artful Thursday – Earth Day – Recycled Matchbox Crafting

Matchboxes. You often used to find these at restaurants and when I was young, as favors at weddings (so strange to think of this now.) Now I find them stuffed into the back of drawers in my kitchen and was thinking Earth Day is the perfect time to Reduce, Reuse, Recycle. I’m going to Reduce the clutter in my house, Reuse something and Recycle it by giving it a new purpose!

After just a few minutes of looking around my kitchen and workspace, I was able to come up with three of these matchboxes and a stash of papers/wrappers/calendars that I’ve been setting aside as I come across their cool graphics.

I measured the outside and inside of each box and cut out my papers accordingly, making crisp folds along the edges:

After that, it was a simple matter to use some glue or double-sided tape to fix each one around and inside the boxes. On some I added a brad, on others, beads, for a decorative pull element at one side of the drawer:

Here’s one I turned into a mini emergency sewing kit – great to keep in a purse, desk drawer or the glove compartment of a car:

Wouldn’t this be handy for the tooth fairy? Much easier for her to find those teeny tiny teeth under a pillow if it were stored in something cute like this:

How about a pretty little box with a fold-out message inside:

You can decorate these with anything in your craft room, I found lots of little stickers and embellishments around to use. How about a box for… matches?….

And just one more, rubber-stamp embellished and filled with treasures for friends to share:

I made these charms ages ago and had just been waiting to make a cute box like this to put them in. These will be listed in my etsy shop for sale later Friday afternoon now!

Happy Artful Thursday.

If you make a covered matchbox, be sure to put your link to pictures in the comments and share!

I also added this to the Craft schooling Sunday link party - check it out!

Tool Tuesday – Getting Hot with Heat Guns

Thanks to guest blogger Stuart from ToolGuyd,  who will be responding to your tool questions on Tuesdays in response to your feedback from last week’s post:

Last week we announced that there will be a new series of crafting tool posts on Tuesdays. We received quite a few great comments to that post, including one from Thea, who asks: "what's the difference between a heat gun and a hair dryer?"

The main difference between a heat gun and a hair dryer is that a heat gun is much, much more powerful. A heat gun will typically feature a heating element and a fan to provide a uniform stream of super-heated air. Heat guns can be used for a variety of tasks around the home, and have many crafting applications, including:

Paint removal
Applying heat shrink tubing or film
Softening adhesives & removing stickers
Softening certain plastics prior to bending or forming
Melting embossing powder

A hair dryer can sometimes be used in lieu of a heat gun, but this generally isn't recommended.

In addition to electric heat guns, many crafters use small butane powered torches for heating applications. These micro-torches sometimes feature shields and attachments that make them more useful for heating and soldering applications.

Heat guns and micro-torches are not exactly interchangeable, but you can sometimes improvise if only one of these two tools are available.

There are also specialized heat guns available for project-specific applications, such as embossing. An embossing heat gun will typically be much smaller than a general purpose heat gun, and often features a more focused and lower temperature heat source. Amongst other things, these heat guns are used to melt embossing powders, and so they are designed to move less air to avoid blowing powder all over the place.

A micro-torch can do the same job as a dedicated embossing craft heat gun, but if you use it often, you will need to refuel it periodically. On the other hand, a micro-torch is more versatile than an embossing heat gun and can be used for a much wider range of applications.

Generally speaking, if you rarely use a heat gun, you may be able to get away with using a micro-torch, crafting heater, or even an ordinary butane lighter, but such improvisations will often result in lower performance and poorer results.

General purpose heat guns can be found in the paint department at hardware stores, with better ones featuring multiple heat settings and attachments. Industrial models usually come with integrated bases that allow for hands-free operation.

Micro-torches will sometimes include heat gun, soldering tip, or hot-knife attachments, and standalone their well defined blue flames allow for precise heating.

Specialty heat guns can be found at craft stores and many online merchants.

Wagner Starter Heat Gun with Accessories via Amazon

Bernzomatic Micro Torch via Amazon

Uchida Embossing Heat Gun via Amazon

Please be sure to follow proper safety protocol when using these and other such heating tools. It is also wise to only consider heat guns and other high temperature tools from established manufacturers and brands. This isn't the type of tool to cheap out on with generic non-branded import models.

 

 

As crafters, we all might use heating tools in different ways. What types of heat guns have you used for your projects, and in what way?

Monday Mash-Up

Seems like every Monday I have lots of little things to say, maybe this will be my regular feature…

Discovered that one of my necklaces had been included in this fantastic Gallery, check it out:

Results of -Blog Comment Feedback- Poll:

Once you’ve left a comment at a blog, most of you “Like a reply at your own blog”, or subscribe to email follow-ups yourselves.  Nobody was very interested in email replies, so, I’ve taken note!  Thanks for your input.

Potential:

I’m waiting and waiting for things to bloom here. 

EcoEtsy Team Awesomeness, you don’t want to miss this:

“Handmade for Earth Day Auction”

Handmade for Earth Day Auction starts on Monday April 19, 2010 at 12:00 AM EST and ends on May 2, 2010 at 11:59 PM EST.

I love Mondays, a time to start a new week and get things going.  What about you?  Tomorrow will be the beginning of Tool features (see here if you’re not sure what I’m talking about.)  Hope you all have a great week!

April Featured Blogger – MagdaleneJewels

It’s that time of the month where I check in with EtsyBloggers and visit to see who’s the Featured Blogger.  This month is the charming MagdaleneJewels.  She has a great poem in her sidebar:

Life is too Short

Life is too short to wake up with regrets.
Love the people who treat you right.
Forget about the ones who don't.
Believe everything happens for a reason.
If you get a second chance, grab it with both hands.
If it changes your life, let it.
Nobody said life would be easy,
They just promised it would be worth it.

She is also the proprietress of two etsy shops, Magdalene Jewels & Magdalene Knits, and I’ve picked out some favorites to share with you.

Because I love red & thought this was so nice:

And because it snowed(!!) here yesterday & we’re expecting some more tomorrow morning:

I hope you all enjoy your weekend!  I expect to be stuck inside a lot with bad weather, hopefully I can catch up on some crafting and projects that I’d like to finish.  Most likely I’ll be browsing around the internet though.  What about you?

Artful Thursday – Making it Personal

Crafters have no problem cutting up thrifted clothing, or re-fashioning something old to make it new again, but do you ever tweak something that’s brand new?

I got this bag while on my recent visit to San Francisco:

(Yeah, I’m the mean mom that wants my teens to be appreciative of all they have…)

Today I didn’t have lots of time to get crafty, so I packed my embroidery floss, a roll of beeswax (I think it keeps the thread from knotting up and makes it slide easily) and a needle.  I had 30 minutes to myself & this is what I did:

Now they’ll know I mean business.  (Maybe I need to cross out the “Institution”, too?)

Happy Artful Thursday.

Do you ever modify something new?

What Tools Do You Use?

We all use tools; from needle and thread, some scissors, sometimes a glue gun.  What kind of tools do you use all the time? Sometimes?

In my workspace I have my:

• sewing machine
• jewelry making pliers and cutters
• wrenches
• heat gun
• soldering iron (wiring my art for electricity - want to see, get a laugh?  - go back in time.) 

In the basement workroom there's:

• a vice
• Dremel tool
• screwdrivers
• hammers, chisels
• X-acto blades
• saws (regular & coping)

I've used these all in my crafting adventures.   I'm a hack and tend to grab whatever is nearby for my purposes, making it work somehow (like, here).  I’m not always comfortable using them – layering on the goggles and face masks when I’m unsure what will happen – but when I’m determined to get a project done, there’s not much that will stop me.

I know I have a few readers outside the U.S. - do you tend to buy tools that are made where you live or do you have another preference?  My inclination is to "Buy American" even when I can find less expensive items at the store.

Why am I asking all this??  Because I've invited Stuart from ToolGuyd to offer a few crafting tool tips and suggestions every Tuesday for the next few weeks.  I thought that it would be best to make this series somewhat interactive, so please ask some questions, send any topic suggestions or requests you have, and tell us a bit about the tools that you use in your crafting projects.

So, give me your feedback and let's get to know our tools a little better.  Be on the lookout for tool shopping and selection tips, usage examples, and perhaps a giveaway or two!

It’s a beginning

Monday - the beginning of the week, and here are the beginnings of some projects. Haven’t been going too well or I would have been more chatty about them…

Working on the tank+dress reconstruction from last week. I’ve since detached the skirt from the top and need to re-sew it on, stretching the top as I go and adding ties at the waist. It was terrible trying to get this on my girl, there is no stretch in the skirt and I forgot about that little detail. Will take tips if you have them about sewing knits to woven fabrics. I can see the potential in this and it shouldn’t be too hard to complete this week.

This is the top that I thought would be so much fun (and quick) to knit for myself. In case you were wondering, it’s that big red thing that I’m holding out. I’ve cast this on so many times, decided to knit it in the round, swatched, tried and tried again, and today I’m starting a version in crochet. This is the most bizarre thing – ever. I guess some yarns are just NOT made for certain patterns. One more time, that’s it. Going to crochet some tonight.

I’ve been working outside of my home for a few days and just being lazy while things pile up. Still waiting for that mojo that I was hoping for since my last post.

A Monday Mash Up

I cannot tell you where all the time has gone, but it’s gone.  Gone!  Here are just a couple of things I’ve been working on - I feel like lots have been slipping by the wayside and I haven’t been focusing on things that I need to be doing.  Maybe tomorrow I can jump back into productivity …

Freeform Crochet-Along, done!  But now what to do with it???? I was thinking a pillow since the textures feel so great, but I don’t know if I want to spend the time to do this – would have to add a backing and tack it all down – maybe if I find a pillow around here that I don’t like anymore I can use it as a base.  For now I will keep it in my scrap basket – maybe I’ll just add on more stitches when I want to experiment.

Doing a gauge swatch is important.  Very important.

I’ve cast on and started this sweater three times now.  First time, with no gauge, the back was 4’ wide.  Yes, 4 feet.  That’s 1.2 meters.  I’m not the slimmest person, but that was ridiculous.  Didn’t even look until an entire day had passed, knitting all the while, finished a ball of yarn and realized I had only made it up about 4”.  So frustrating – will I ever learn from my mistakes?  Did a gauge swatch, switched from size 7 to size 5 needle and went from size XL to knitting a size S.  Still too large (not by much, sadly), so going to rip it out and do it over, in the round this time, finagling the pattern a bit to make it work.  Thanks to the brains of a friend who stopped by and saved me mid-day from giving up all together.

Refashion project to do with my girls:
      A thrifted, stained, out-dated dress to be merged with a tank top…

Have you dropped by with your opinion yet?

By the wayside are: some embroidered cuffs, half-embroidered; a few little quilted things I’ve been planning; and crochet/beaded rings that I’ve been wanting to make.  I have to buckle down and get working, what kind of unproductive spring fever is this?