Here’s a fun craft I shared on Hands On Crafts for Kids– using plastic utensils to make a resist for spray-dyed shirts. It’s a lot less mess (and more immediately gratifying) than tie-dying. It’s a great group craft for scouts, school groups, even family reunions! And you can change the colors to match your school, season, or holiday. Enjoy! PS- don’t forget to visit my Kids Crafts YouTube playlist for more great segments from the show, and you can watch a […]
24 Ideas to Use Up Fabric Scraps
Another confession: I hoard fabric scraps. Sometimes is the color, sometimes it’s the texture, sometimes it’s just that it’s a bit of a piece of clothing or reminds me of something I can’t let go of yet. So I hold on to a ton of fabric scraps! Today, I have a ton of great ideas for using up fabric scraps- some from me, but a bunch from other talented crafters/bloggers/designers. SO many great ideas here! So…now are you […]
DIY Travel Accessories Tutorial
Thanks again to Fairfield World for sponsoring content on CTD. Please visit their site for more product information and free projects! As I was preparing my post about Poly Pellets and Micro Beads for Fairfield World, I got inspired to get out my machine and make a few things. I had a pair of my daughter’s old leggings and knew that the knit fabric would be great to recycle – so I created a travel neck pillow AND a stress/sleeping […]
Book Review: Never Been Stitched by Amanda Carestio
I have been sewing a long, long time. More than half my life. But that doesn’t stop me from keeping my eye out for books for beginning sewers, like this book “Never Been Stitched” by Amanda Carestio, with the contributions of others. I have lots of friends who want advice on learning how to sew. And since I can’t send them to my mom’s house to learn on a hand-crank Singer like I did, I like having some basic books […]
Nancy Zieman Trace n Create Tablet Keeper Pattern
When I was first asked to review the Nancy Zieman Trace n Create Tablet Keeper Pattern, I had mixed feelings. I have a Samsung Galaxy 10 Tablet that needed a new case – it was suffering in an iPad case that was a poor fit. But, I’m not a fan of templates. Still, I thought I could give it a shot… I like my finished result, but there were some hiccups along the way… but, first things first. Here is […]
How-To: Craft a Hanging Scissors Organizer from Recycled Neckties
Hooray! Today we have a guest post from a lady I totally admire for her recycled crafting mission! Thank you Becky for being our guest today on CTD & sharing a totally practical and CUTE craft using recycled neckties. Take it away… Hi there! My name is Becky Striepe, and I am a freelance writer and vegan crafter who’s life’s mission is to make green crafting and vegan food accessible to everyone! You can find my craft projects […]
Recycle Crafting: Runway Re-View Challenge
If you’ve been to CraftTestDummies even a handful of times, you know that I love to craft with found/recycled objects. (Or make “outsider art”- we don’t get hung up on semantics here.) I was invited to participate in a challenge for the Original Sewing and Quilting Expo– a “Runway Re-View”! Here were the challenge guidelines: Dress form was provided. 80% of the materials must be recycled. No more than $20 could be spent on the “new” materials. ….and really, that […]
How-To: Fabric Flower Guest Book
This craft ran last year on CraftsUnleashed.com- but I thought you all might like to see it here on CTD. Get your fabric scrap ready, and make a guest book/open house/autograph book that will be a treasured keepsake! Yesterday I showed you how to use recycled fabric to make shabby-chic flowers. Today, I’m going to show you how a few of these blooms and some pearly accents can transform a standard guest book into a personalized centerpiece. You’ll need: Victoria […]
How-To: Recycled Fabric Flowers
This post originally ran on CraftsUnleashed.com last year- but I thought y’all might like it here, as well! Get your fabric scraps ready and craft it up! I love to be able to recycle- it means I can stretch my money and save more for my craft shopping! Well, this handy-dandy flower is made from recycled silk or taffeta (I got mine from a relative who sews prom gowns) but you could just as easily rip up an old […]
How-To: Stenciled Mug Rug featuring Stamper’s Big Brush Pens
Yesterday I showed you how I altered fabric with Gelatos™ Colors from Design Memory Craft and made a sassy sunglasses case. Today I’m gong to continue the fiber arts theme, but focus on a different product from Faber-Castell: Stamper’s Big Brush Pens. Just to refresh you memory, here is some information on Stamper’s Big Brush Pens: • Perfect for even, crisp and controlled stamped images • India ink won’t bleed through paper crafts, cards or journals • Unsurpassed lightfast quality • […]
How To: Sunglasses Case From Custom Fabric Featuring Gelatos™ Colors
Have you ever looked at a craft product and wondered “How else could I use it?” I asked myself that very question last week while I was playing around with some Gelatos™ Colors in the Design Memory Craft Collection from Faber-Castell. Now, just as a refresher here’s a bit of info on Gelatos™ Colors from Design Memory Craft: Gelatos™ Colors are creamy sticks infused with brilliant color. The color slides easily onto papers and can then be dissolved with water to […]
Tee-Shirt Upcycle: Yes, I Am a Roller-Derby Fan Girl
As my post implies, YES- I AM a roller-derby fan-girl! So I had to get my fave teams t-shirt to wear to the next bout. But of course, it was a plain ol’ boxy tee. Not so cute. So I decided to upcycle it. Do you know the difference between “upcycling” and “recycling?” Recycling is taking an item destined for the trash pile and turning it into something new and/or useful. Upcycling is when you redesign or refashion an item, […]
How-To: Luggage Accessories Using Recycled Neckties
It’s no secret- I love recycle/”green” crafts. There’s something about taking something that is headed for the garbage or donation bin and then transforming it into a new, useful or beautiful object. Today’s tutorial is both useful AND beautiful- we’re going to make luggage handle cozies and tags from old neckties- the wilder the print, the better! With these colorful accessories, you’ll never wonder, “Is that my luggage?” ever again! Let’s get to it! To make one set (a handle […]
The Best Bean Bag How-To & Dinosaur Train Fabric
Sometimes the things I do are purely for selfish reasons. You see, I have this nephew, and I love it when he smiles. And right now, Dinosaur Train REALLY makes him smile….. so I accepted some fabric from Quilting Treasures so that I could make him something cool with it… so I could get some free SMILES!!! See how selfish I am? So anyway, I got this lovely fabric from the nice folks at Quilting Treasures. Apparently there’s a new […]
Hand Dying with Indigo- Pretty Bird Burlap Tote Tutorial by Melony Bradley
Jenny’s Note: Today we have another fabulous guest tutorial by the talented Melony Bradley on behalf of Jacquard Products! I don’t know about you, but I can’t seem to get enough of birds. And burlap. When I created these wool felt bird clips and wedding table markers, I immediately fell in love with them and decided that I had to see them on some burlap totes. Enter Jacquard Products Indigo Tie Dye kit, which I played with this past Saturday. […]
Happy Leap Day – Frog Art Celebration
Happy Leap Day! What better way to celebrate then with some great froggy art? So many crafty froggies….. have fun with it!
Mixed Media Tag Books
I like a challenge. And every now and then, I mark off some time in my schedule to participate in some swaps that get my creative juices flowing. I’ve taken to making tags, and when video went up on Joggles.com about making tag BOOKS, well….. I was in. I used a bunch of my mixed-media tags for the pages, and made fabric covers and bindings. But it’s just easier to show you….so I recorded these two videos of my completed […]
How To: Craft a Chic Bib Necklace from Fabric Scraps
Today I’ve got a show-stopper statement piece that I designed for ConsumerCrafts.com. It was originally featured in their downloadable Jewelry eBook, available by clicking HERE. Bold is IN- and you’ll make a statement with this stunning bib! I used black stones, but you could use any color that matches your outfit. You will need: (6) Scraps of Silk (each 1 ½ x 18 inches) (2) 6 x 9 inch Pieces of Felt Cuttlebug Embossing Machine and Nestabilities Dies (optional) Large Black […]
Guest Tutorial: Hand Scripted and Painted Bird Ornaments and Giveaway
If you are looking for a last minute Christmas tree decoration or Christmas gift, here are some chic and fun bird ornaments to make using supplies you likely already have in your stash, plus Lumiere paints from Jacquard Products. Created by Mel Designs, these birds were painted with Lumiere (read Jenny’s review of them here) and hand scripted with a Tee Juice Marker. Starting with 6″ muslin squares, use a paint brush and metallic Lumiere paints in Citrene, Metallic […]
How To Cut Fabric with the Cricut Die Cutting Machine
You know that the Cricut is an amazing tool for cutting paper, and last month I showed you how it can cut polymer clay. But did you know that you can also use it to cut fabric? With just a little preparation, you can cut fabric appliques with the Cricut to make fun, low-sew projects! Last year, I made these cute placemats using my Cricut, some fusible webbing- then I stitched it down with my sewing machine. Really, the key […]
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