Stitchin' Secrets

Along with being involved in the different craft shows around my area, I also entered myself into the Elk County Fair art show to display some of my sewing projects. For example, this top left picture shows bookmarks that I had sewn with embroidery thread and plastic canvas. The sunflower bookmark even won a first place ribbon after the judging was complete. Boy was I proud! I was only thirteen at the time and already had made a big accomplishment. I played by the rules and ended up on top. This was also a great learning experience for me as it taught me about ethical business practices, which will become very helpful to me in my future endeavors. Towards the end of my high school year, I also sewed another project, this time a keychain cheerleader as I was one for eight years of my life. A picture of this cheerleader is shown below.

Steps:


1. You can buy each supply individually including embroidery thread, plastic canvas, a needle, etc. or it is also possible for you to buy a small kit from WalMart or any craft store with everything included.


2. Once you acquire all of your materials, you should begin by learning some of the basic stitches that will be used. For example, the cross stitch is one of the most basic stitches, usually worked in horizontal rows. Bring the needle up in the bottom left corner and cross diagonally to the top right. Continue this to the end of the row, then return in the opposite direction.


3. To begin a thread, let the thread extend 1" on the back side of your stitch. Hold the end in place so it is overcast with the first several stitches sewn. This will keep the thread in place without having knots or string hanging off the back of your design.


4. To end a thread, secure the thread by weaving it through several stitches on the back side of your project, then cut away the excess thread.


5. Simply follow the pattern based on different colors and you'll have a great finished project in no time!!



Tips:


-If your needle turns dark, the finish has worn off and the needle should be thrown away. A dark needle will discolor the thread.


-Do not carry your thread to a new spot. Always end the threads and begin in a new area.This will eliminate any messy areas and make your piece look more professional.


-For the neatest results, make sure all your crosses are in the same direction. Your stitches should be same on the back as well as on the front.


-14-mesh plastic canvas is most commonly used for projects of this type.


-Once your design is finished, you can turn it into a variety of things including: pins, magnets, bookmarks, key chains, etc. or any other creation that comes to mind.

Quilling Questions?

Paper quilling is the art of rolling and shaping strips of paper to create beautiful designs. I first found out about this through an article in a magazine which then led me to a website. I was very impressed with many of the designs I had seen, so I read the directions and it sounded easy enough. Many different designs can be made and used to embellish frames, cards, invitations, birth announcements, gift bags, gift tags, and even scrapbooks. Above are some pictures of some frames and decorative objects I have done, the top one even used as a wall hanging.

Steps:

1. Acquire the necessary supplies and tools needed. This includes quilling paper, a needle tool or slotted tool used to roll paper, glue, ruler, scissors, and tweezers. Once you have created a few different shapes and designs from rolling the paper, you can decide on what you are trying to design, whether it be a picture frame, scrapbooking page, or a wall hanging, and then buy the remaining supplies for your specific project.

2. The very simplest standard shape, often used to make a flower center or bud, is a tight circle. To roll a tight circle, cut a strip of paper to the length specified in the instructions. The longer the strip, the bigger your circle will be.

3. Moisten one end of the strip slightly, and place that end against your index finger.

4. Position the tool at the end of the paper, and press the paper around the tool with your thumb. Roll the paper without turning the tool, keeping the edges as even as possible.

5. Slip the needle from the roll's center, grasping the roll with your fingers to keep it from unwinding.

6. Apply a small amount of glue to the strip's end, press the end in place against the side of the roll, and hold the shape until the glue sticks.

Tips:

-There are so many different shapes and designs to choose from so pick one that best fits your needs or style.

-Once you have made a few different objects, including hearts, flowers, leaves, and other shapes, you can arrange and glue them to your final piece.

-It may be beneficial to buy a quilling designer board. They are inexpensive and well worth purchasing as the upper surface of it has many different molds to ensure you are molding the correct size.

-Tweezers are a great substitute for your fingers when you're positioning tiny shapes during assembly and adjusting coils in loose circles and eccentric shapes

-For more help on quilling, check out this great site: http://www.handcraftersvillage.com/quilling.htm

Fun with Foam

These foam wall hangings are also easy and fun to make if you are interested in finding a new craft or you need some decorations to spice up your home, whether it be with the holidays or seasons. I found this idea online and even bought a book to make it easier for me. Since these can be easily created, I also sold them at the craft shows that I attended. I guess I have always been quite the entrepreneur, from selling lemonade, Girl Scout cookies, candy bars, etc. as a child to designing and creating a variety of different crafts for sale as a young teenager, and now continue to do them as hobbies in my spare time as an adult. Back in my teenage years, I was already very commonly navigating the internet to help me find these ways to make money. I have always been very imaginative, coming up with my own ideas of items to design and create, and then marketing them to customers. My overall experience with being involved in these craft shows was a wonderful one. Not only was I successful at make a few extra dollars, but people were very impressed by my enthusiam and motivation to get ahead early in life. I also gained alot of valuable experience by learning communication, customer service, and other interpersonal skills.




Steps:

1. First, you should obtain your supplies, including various colors of foam, scissors, glue, permanent markers, 22-gauge antique bronze wire, wire cutters, and any other decorations you may want to use.


2. Next, you want to find a pattern that you like, whether it be from a book from a craft store, online, or even your own drawing made into a pattern based on your experience and skills.


3. Begin by tracing each of the pieces of the pattern onto the corresponding color of foam. After cutting out all of the pieces, lay them all out in position to make sure that their sizes are appropriate and match the pattern.


4. Glue the pieces together in the correct position. Allow about an hour or so for the glue to dry.


5. After everything is dry, you can go back to your project to put the finishing touches on it, such as glitter, paint, etc.


6. When you are completely finished, cut a 1-2 ft. piece of wire, depending on the length you want. Wrap the wire around a pencil or pen to get the looped effect. Then pull the wire apart as necessary to get your desired appearance. Poke a small hole through the top of the foam and hook the wire through the hole and secure.



Tips:

-If you need two of the same piece, such as wings, trace one then flip it over and trace the second one so that they match appropriately.

-When adding paint to your creation, make sure to test out the paint on a piece of paper to get rid of any air bubbles which could affect the appearance of your final project.


-If you make a painting mistake, let the paint dry thoroughly, then peel it off and repaint.


-Use wire cutters to cut the wire since it is thicker and will not cut easily with scissors.

Pin Perfection

During my early teenage years, I was very interested in doing my own little craft projects as my mom was big into things like that also. She even entered herself into craft shows to sell items she had made. Since I was growing up quickly but yet was too young to get a job, I thought this was the perfect thing for me to do to help me make a little extra spending money. Along with selling my bracelets and wall hangings, I also made pins out of seed beads and safety pins to sell for several different occasions. They are pretty easy to do, but take a little time and patience. I bought a book with several different patterns in it and I followed them to make pins of things ranging from flags, pumpkins, shamrocks, hearts, etc. to flowers, animals, and words.


Steps:


1. First you will need to buy seed beads, safety pins, 1 1/16 inches for the safety pins and a 2 inch safety pin to hang the others on.

2. Next you should find a pattern of whatever you wish to make either by buying a book with patterns inside or by finding a pattern on the internet.

3. Simply follow the pattern by adding seed beads of the correct color and amount onto the smaller size safety pins.

4. Keep the pins in order until you have done every row in the pattern.

5. Use a nail file or flat head screwdriver to stretch open the loop of the largest safety pin. Each smaller pin must then be wrapped around to the other side of the large pin to ensure that these pins will stay in order and not fall off.

Tips:

-The seed beads can vary in size so make sure to try to keep them all the same size as best as possible so the picture on the pins does not become distorted.

-Most designs have 10-15 safety pins hanging from their big safety pin to create the desired image, with anywhere from 9-12 beads per pin, which can vary depending on if you change the size pins you use.

-It helps to spread the beads out onto a paper plate so its easier to see what you have to work with.

-When looping the smaller safety pins onto the bigger one, start with the pin in the very last row on the right side of your pattern.

-Be patient! It takes time when working with such small items.

-Once you get good at this, you can begin to draw your own pictures, then turn them into color-coordinated patterns to use for more pins.

Brilliant Bracelets


Friendship bracelets are easy to make, look great on your wrist, and best of all, they can be made into very inexpensive but stylish jewelry. Being that I am a college student and have many expenses, I was looking for a cheap way to accessorize my outfits to match many different colors. I began to make a variety of different bracelets with solid colors and then added more of a unique pattern as I got more practice and became better at making them. I then began adding beads to the bracelets to give them even more pizzazz. Once you understand the basic instructions on how to make the bracelets, you can then expand your bracelets into anklets or necklaces, for example, or give them your own creative touch.


Steps:


1. Buy embroidery thread or floss to begin your bracelet. You can usually find this at Walmart, Michaels, Joann Fabrics, or any of your other local craft stores.


2. To measure your string, wrap the string around your wrist 2-3 times. This should give you a fairly accurate estimate of the length that will fit your wrist correctly, but you can always add extra length if you plan to make your bracelet bigger.


3. Cut all of your other strings to the same length. You can have as many different colors as you like, with two at the least. The more different colored strings you add, the wider your bracelet will become.


4. Tie all of the strings together with a knot, leaving about an inch of string which will be used to finish off the bracelet.


5. Begin by taking the first color and crossing it on top of the other strings in the shape of a 4, then taking the string around the back of the other strings and through the hole to make a knot. Repeat this step more or less than 10 times depending on how long you want each color to be in your bracelet. Once you have finished your first set of knots with the first color, repeat this step with all of the remaining colors.


6. Continue this process alternating the strings until you reach your desired length. Tie a knot at the end of the bracelet. The two ends can then be tied together to hold the bracelet on.


Tips:


- Taping the end of your bracelet to a table or desk is helpful in keeping the bracelet in place while you are making it.


-For easy removal, you can tie a loop at the top of your bracelet and then tie a bead on at the end to allow the bracelet to hook together and come apart whenever necessary.


-Pull the strings tight when wrapping a color around them to ensure that the pattern will not become deformed because of knots occurring in the wrong place along the string.


-Give them to all of your best buds for even more enjoyment!!

Scrapbooking

Secrets

Do you love taking pictures to remember all of the fun times in your life? But now, are there tons of pictures piling up collecting dust in a box under your bed or in your closet? This was a problem I came across when I was packing up my stuff to move off campus into my very own apartment. I am an extremely neat person, so I was looking for a way to organize all of my things so I wouldn't have boxes of clutter everywhere. This is why I decided to start scrapbooking. I sorted through all of my pictures to find the nice ones I wanted to include in my scrapbook and threw away the rest of them so I knew exactly what I had to work with. Next I organized them according to different school years and then activities within each year.
For example, below are some pictures that I have scrapbooked from the 2007 Regional SIFE Competition. As a brief background, SIFE, or Students in Free Enterprise, is an organization that I am involved in where we help local businesses and teach several different age groups about areas of business, such as market economics, success skills, entrepreneurship, financial literacy, and business ethics. We then go to a regional competition in Cleveland, OH to give a presentation on our projects and are judged against the other schools in our district. In March 2008, we placed 2nd runner up in our league and won the individual topic competition for Business Ethics along with a nice $1,000 prize!!!

Steps:

1. Organize all of your photos and mementos according to your preferences. This could be by the people you are with, location, time of year, etc. Your scrapbook can contain a variety of things including pictures, movie tickets, programs, cards, or whatever you may like as long as it will lay flat inside the book. You can also write special stories, poems, or phrases on your pages.

2. After separating the photos into their different categories, count them in order to determine what size book you will need. You can have a whole scrapbook with theme, such as a vacation to Disney World. However, you could also have several themes within your scrapbook, such as one with pictures from all of your fun times with friends or family.

3. Next you should buy a book, whatever size will meet your needs. Other items that would also be useful to buy are colored paper, stamps, cut-outs, stickers, markers, glitter, scissors, and glue.

4. When your ready to begin, carefully plan out each page before glueing it so you don't make any mistakes. Choose a complementary background and add other embellishments to your photos, such as frames, stickers, ribbons, glitter, etc. to spice up your pages.

Tips:

-Look at other scrapbooks to get some cool ideas for your own scrapbook.

-Don't work too hard!! It's about having fun and letting out your creative side.

-It may benefit you to buy a scrapbook-making kit to save on money.

-Acid-free and lignin free products can keep your pictures from turning yellow.

-Be careful you don't cut the only copies of your family photos. Make color copies instead.

Welcome to the Wonderful World of

Creative Crafting Techniques!!

This blog contains a lot of useful information on some of my favorite craft projects. Along with a brief background of the craft and how I got involved, I also include some simple steps and tips to help you create the project yourself. Finally, my blog is organized according to various crafts, each post containing information about a different crafting technique.

Hope this is helpful and enjoyable for all!! :)

When you are finished reading, get out there and start your own craft project. This is great time to let your creativity flow.

To view a short video on creativity, click the play button below.