[identity profile] g2ek-librarian.livejournal.com
Hi all!
Over the past couple months, one of my obsessions is making book clutches out of old unwanted books. They're not as cool as the   SUPER COOL ones on Etsy, but they're actually pretty handy. And since it was so fun to make, I'm holding a craft event in San Francisco, inviting people to come make book clutches with me. It's on Tuesday, October 16th from 3-5pm at the Chinatown Branch Library.

What do you think? 
clutchbanner
(Fake Cut to my Journal for more pictures, plus tutorial and event info!)
[identity profile] rains-opacity.livejournal.com
Hey Craftgrrls (and guys!). I'm a long time community lurker but this is my first post.

Basically, my boyfriend is a huge fan of the game Darksouls. He's a big fan of the character Sif; a large wolf who eternally guards his master's tomb and carries a large sword with him.

My boyfriend has a dog (an American Eskimo) and has said before he'd like to have a plush sword toy for her to play with so he can take pictures of her as Sif.

Now, I'm not amazing at sewing (I'm really new to it), and I'd be hand sewing the project, but I'd like to try to make one. I've made flat teddy bears before, so I figure something basic like that would be okay. I've done some searching for inspiration and haven't been able to find any patterns for plush swords that I've really liked. Could anybody point me in the direction of sewing resources that could help me get on my way?


Beyond the Cut are Reference Pics )
I figure I won't be able to do the different patterns on the handle of the sword, but if I could get the basic shape of the sword itself, I'd be super happy. And of course, I'll post the finished product here!
[identity profile] dunderklumpen.livejournal.com
It's maybe not the most sophisticated embroidery but a project I worked on for some time. It's a name book for my goddaughter's 1st birthday - each letter of her name on one page and an animal which starts with the letter (in German).

I whined a bit in the entry about the actual sewing of the book but I liked the stitching very much. I still struggle with the satin stitch and the chain stitch but hey... it was good training.

For the entry I minimized the pictures. If you want to see them bigger, let me know.

Here's Jil's Book
[identity profile] ariadnescurse.livejournal.com
Hi all! I'm a new member, saw the comm on the spotlight page and couldn't resist :) I've always loved working with crafts, and would love to hone my still pretty newbie skills into something that actually produces worthwhile stuff ^_^

I'm currently in the process of teaching myself crochet, and picked up the chain, slip stitch, and single crochet last night. I'm learning the half double right now, and will hopefully move onto the other stitches tonight. My question is, does anyone have any tips? Any secrets of the trade? My biggest problem so far is learning to tell the chains apart, and my left hand gets cramped sometimes from holding the string. I know that last bit will get better with time though. Also, any favorite patterns that would be great for beginners to practice on?

The other question I had was on sewing machines. I happened to mention to the boyfriend last night that I almost bought the stuff to make a throw out of Green Bay material, but the size would have taken me forever to hand stitch. That resulted in a whole planning session on where best to put the machine, and would I actually use it, and you get the general idea :D I've worked with sewing machines when I was younger - my grandmother taught me sewing, knitting, and basic crafts, and I grew up on her antique sewing machine - but the new ones completely mystify me. Any recommendations for good brands, best prices, what kind of thread I need, should I buy a kit to go with the machine? Basically, what would you do, if you were going out to buy a sewing machine?

TIA, crafters, for any and all advice and suggestions! I'm very excited about the crochet, I've knitted for some time now but have always been drawn to crochet, and the idea of making my own blankets is beyond cool :)

ETA: THANK YOU so much to everyone for the incredibly helpful tips and suggestions, on both the sewing machines and crocheting. I've learned a ton from this post, and I'm just getting started. Y'all rock!! :)
[identity profile] oh-meow.livejournal.com

waves 1

Here's the embroidery I've been working on for my my installation in my MA Illustration exhibition. The whole thing (islands and sea) took me about 70 hours. I am thoroughly sick of embroidery at this point. It's part of an interactive exhibit about Greek Mythology.

And what I did with it ... )
[identity profile] inna68.livejournal.com
We are going to NY to visit my sister and her family. These are some presents we are taking with us (and yes, they are all handmade).


Read more... )
[identity profile] lindapendant.livejournal.com
Photobucket

I made these quick and easy fabric flowers that can be used for many different things such as hair accessories, embellishments on t-shirts, scrapbooking pages, hang tags, and more.

Photo tutorial here. )
[identity profile] lindapendant.livejournal.com
I'm a little obsessed with how my pantry looks (it's a sickness), so for some time, I have been wanting to do something about how flour, sugar, and rice is stored. I decided to use old fashioned cotton sacks, so I made this one today.

Flour Sack 002

I will be making a tutorial for this very easy beginners project when I make the other sacks. For those who don't need a tutorial, basically, I measured the sack, cut out front and back, sewed it up and formed boxed corners on the bottom edge. I hemmed the top edge and then sewed in a strip of velcro. To keep the sack from sagging as the flour is used up, you can stuff it with grocery store bags if you are as fussy as I am.

The image is transferred after construction so that it can be properly centered.

I found the image in a google photo search, cleaned it up in Photoshop and used the transfer technique that is explained here.
[identity profile] lindapendant.livejournal.com
I sewed up some French lavender sachets and tucked them into a matching gift bag this morning.

Mother's Day Gift 001

More photos here )

hair ties

Apr. 20th, 2012 12:46 am
[identity profile] devious-angel3.livejournal.com
So lately I have seen elastic band hair ties that are simply a piece of elastic band knotted into a loop. They would be ridiculously easy to make myself, except I can only find plain white elastic at all of the craft shops near me. I know I could just die some, but really I don't want to have to go through all of the work to do it. So craftgrrl I come seeking your knowledge of where to buy colored/ patterned elastic to make hair ties similar to these: http://www.lilblueboo.com/2011/08/jar-o-elastic-hair-bands.html
[identity profile] mumms.livejournal.com

Hi all! Just want to share this great idea to use leftovers and upcycled materials.
This journal was made by my stepfather. He used leftover gabric pieces for the cover.
 


+3 photo... )
[identity profile] inna68.livejournal.com
I added few things to my Breakfast set: little silverware box and a hot pad.
Plus one more iPad cover (this time for my boyfriend) and a small bag to keep the haircuting thingy in. Everything is done from the tapestry samples.















[identity profile] oh-meow.livejournal.com


whales

I made some whales using this tutorial I found on Pinterest. The big one is a cushion for our sofa, and the small ones are gifts for friends.

sofa picture )

Here's a (not so great) photo of the cushion on our sofa. My boyfriend says he wants a manatee shaped one now.

9

Feb. 20th, 2012 05:19 pm
[identity profile] inna68.livejournal.com
My gift to My Love for Valentine Day. I know, I screwed up the proportions, but it is still recognizable. I know how to make it better now (if I ever decide to make another one ;) ) http://www.instructables.com/id/How-to-make-a-9-Doll-from-the-movie/



.
[identity profile] rooftopscandal.livejournal.com


I've been seeing pictures of these all over pinterest and really wanted to make one for my crafty little sister!

Read more... )
[identity profile] bestill.livejournal.com
I can't drop the feed dogs on my little Janome sewing machine, and I want to do some free-form sewing. Does anyone know how I can do that with the feed dogs up?
[identity profile] arcanica.livejournal.com
There's a lot of nifty tutorials for paper tape dress forms. I've made one, but it's hard to use since it's not on a stand. Tried standing it on my desk--not so good. So! Anyone got any tips on how to create a stand for one?
[identity profile] petatron.livejournal.com
i've been trying to make a simple shirred summer dress. for some reason my fabric won't shirr. i've never shirred anything with this machine before, i've only had it for a few months.

i've tried winding the elastic on the bobbin tight and loosely, i've tried a straight stitch on the longest setting, i've been told to try a small zig zag and that didnt' work either.
i've even tried two different types of elastic thread.
it just won't shirr.

someone tell me what i'm doing wrong. or point me in the direction of something helpful. i've googled the crap out of this, and i can't find anything helpful.
[identity profile] chellyisme.livejournal.com
So a few months back I posted that I was going to be making my best friends baby presents all by hand, well a month and a half late but they are done! click the cut to see them

Jude's Presents )

So what do you guys think? the Balls and the cat are my first plushie things.

And hopefully by the time Nov comes around I'll have a tetris quilt to show you guys!

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