Handmade Gifts That Are Practically Free

Handmade Gifts That Are Practically Free

More crafts for next to nothing.

Learn to Sew

Learn to Sew

This is an article I wrote on sewing for beginners.

Crafts on a shoestring

Crafts on a shoestring

Quilting

I designed one quilt on a graph and then started working on a different one. I'm weird like that. Then I also worked on a fabric pin with a ballerina charm.

Drawing Day

There's a world wide drawing day? Who knew. Evidently it was yesterday. DRAW.

beading, knitting, chatterboxes

Today on the train I learned to do right angle tubular beadweaving and tried to figure out the herringbone weave and a ring pattern. Not much luck with that as the guy in front of me chatted to the girl across the aisle for the entire 5 hour and 40 minute train ride. I don't know where they sat after we switched trains in LA but I made it a point to sit in another car. Then I sat next to a chatterbox on a cellphone. She was still talking when I got off the train in Anaheim.

I got some knitting done on my scarf during the 50 minute wait at the LA train terminal. When I picked up one of my bags later one of the knitting needles slid out but the guy behind me spotted it and let me know.

Coming home today

I painted faces for four hours on Sat. I also started a peyote stitch freeform necklace in red & purple & made some progress on that yesterday. I got two new beading books to read on the train ride home. That should keep me busy for awhile. Both are on beadweaving. Peyote Stitch Beading Projects by Bead & Button Magazine and The Art & Elegance of Beadweaving by Carol Wilcox Wells. They both have excellent photos and diagrams and lots of inspiration.
I also thumbed through Sew Somerset magazine and got some good brooch ideas using fabric and trim scraps. I may have to subscribe to that magazine.