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Crafting

Archives for November 2013

Self-taught Sewing
Hello, crafty people. I thought this was a good place to ask something I've been thinking about for a while now. I'd like to have a go at making handmade clothes, although I've never used a sewing machine. If I perhaps bought a second-hand machine and wanted to teach myself, how would I best go about doing that? Is there…
Fabric Envelopes
Hi. I posted this on another board but realised it should be on crafting. I am currently making fabric envelopes for each of my grandchildren. They are made in 1 of 4 different Christmas fabrics. On the front there is a ponytail label which says Santa. On the back there is a sender label which has their name on. The plan…
Sewing machine
I was never taught to sew ( that's my excuse) but at the grand age of 34 I've bitten the crafting bug and have begun making some really basic filled heart cushions etc. I'm debating getting a basic sewing machine as my skills are limited and wondered if anyone can give me any pointers, I don't want one that's rubbish, but…
Does anyone know how to make candles?
I've been asked for a candle making set for Christmas and I don't want to get a rubbish one! Does anyone out there make them and can you offer any advice?
Snaps for Crackers
Hello everyone! Can anyone tell me where I can buy the snaps for making Crackers? (not online) I've seen a box with all the bits in the £1 shop but they were for mini crackers and I want the large ones. :)
3for2 rule change at hobbycraft?
Hi everyone, I have no idea where to post this but thought it might be of help to someone, so wanted to share. I bought two lots of 3 for 2 wool at hobbycraft and instead of working out the best deal for me (like at Boots, when it lumps the more expensive stuff together) it gave me the two cheapest free. Eek. The shop…
glue for felt?
Can anyone recommend a glue that will glue two bits of felt together, it needs to be a strong hold. thanks
Lights for market stall
Hi I have a craft stall at Greenwich Market and Im in need of lighting of some sort for my stall. Ive googled camping tent lights, electric lights for stalls, etc but my searches are not bringing up what Im looking for. Its mostly LED lights which don't seem as if they will be bright enough or I would have to buy at least…
Crafting sites for kids?
My dd is 6, she is very creative and spends almost every spare minute making something or other! I want to encourage this as much as I can. So for christmas we have got her a sewing machine and got one of those huge Santa sacks filled with crafting goodies, so she can turn her hand at pretty much anything she wants to…
Help - knitting query
Hi all you crafters :) my mother in law likes to knit bears, door stoppers etc and has asked for wool / yarn for christmas. Now she only does this as a hobby as she has - what the grandkids call - a very shakey head - and this is the only thing that seems to keep her head under control so she only uses the cheap wool /…
stash busting - I will use my mountains b4 buying more!
Ok now I'm sure I cannot be the only crafter to be drowning in mountains of crafty goodies am I? I have piles of paper, cards, embellishments, beads, fabrics (in fact you name it ive probably got it!!) everywhere. No room is sacred in my house my craft stash is in pretty much every room including the loft and the sheds…
craft fair fillers
I have in my infinite wisdom agreed to running a stall at my daughters xmas fayre.:eek: I have made about 8 stuffed mice, 6 stuffed owls, a few stuffed xmas trees, will be doing more of those but they are time consuming so really need some good, easy, cheap table filling stuff I can do in between, have loads of empty jars…
Help! Knitting disaster
Please help. I have been knitting a hat for my FIL for Xmas and whilst carrying it around in my backpack the needle has snapped in half with the knitting still on it!! :( I have tried to rescue the stitches and thread them back onto the pieces of the needle but I'm not sure if I've got them all. I've tried to search online…
New venture-cake stands
Hi all, I am just starting to find my feet with crafting, both my parents were crafters and made their living this way. I never thought I was any good at anything crafty but having been on maternity leave for the last few months I have really got stuck into learning new things and am finding out I can do more than I ever…
Wooden advent calendar "blanks"
I was searching online for a wooden advent calendar to buy when I came across this site with a good selection of plain versions for customising: http://www.craftmill.co.uk/plain-wooden-boxes-decoupage-blanks/wooden-advent-calendars
Polymer Clay, anyone?!
Hi all, Just wondering if we have any crafters in here who like to work with polymer clay? I've just had the most amazing weekend with polymer clay artist Birdy Heywood where she taught us to make dragons from clay. Thought I'd share the pics of the ones I made with you :) Hope you like them! Kevin :D
embroidery / flexi hoops
Does any one know a good place to buy these? I need about 6 to use for Christmas presents. Not too bothered what size they are but smaller would be better (won't take so long to stitch then :) ) Thanks
What to do with random bits of holiday fabric
Hi, I have a bad habit of buying random bits of fabric when I am on holidays, with good intentions of doing 'something' with them. They are generally good quality, like rough silk, and usually with a distinctive colour or pattern. They tend to be in the red/orange/gold area, but not actually matching each other. But I…
Fabric for a nursery glider
I'm after a bit of advice. I was given a glider chair for free and I'd like to do it up to fit in with the rest of the nursery. We're spray painting it white to match the rest of the furniture but I'm stuck at which fabric to get to make a cover for the removable cushion. The current cover is fleece but I'm not sure what…
Craft wars on TLC channel
A new program has started on TLC called Craft Wars, it follows the same format as cupcake wars and similar programs but with a giant cupboard of Micheals craft stuff (oh how I want that cupboard and content!). I only saw the first half of the Halloween episode and wasn't blown away but hopefully other episodes will be…

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