beaded window hangings

pandashouse.com


Today in my creative crafts class we made wind-chimes. It was a relaxing and creative experience that produced an incredible range of pieces. It was also popular and people could see how they might make more chimes or go on to dream catchers and hangings.

I thought the hanging above was gorgeous. It would be easy to make with dowelling, beads and jewellery threads and could be used to improve a window with a poor view.

You would need lots of beads so why not head off to the junk store or craft shop and buy them. Another enjoyable and practical session whose results could be given as gifts or used in the home. A great way of using up an excess of beads and charms.

Cost of being crazy - how much is the right price?

I made this junk jewellery bracelet from buttons beads and odds and ends. It looks like something that was made from inexpensive items but when I added them up, or worked out what they would cost to buy new, it was expensive. with my time and sundry costs I wasn't sure how to price this item so that it was fair to me and a customer.

Getting the money right is important.

What would you pay for one off hand-crafted items?
What do you charge for your creations?
Are you satisfied that the stuff you use to make your products is considerately sourced?
Do you lack the confidence to ask for what something is worth?

Just some of the questions crafters and makers ask themselves each day.

Windchimes - why not

Picture shown by LTreatDesigns. For sale on pinterest.




When I meet up with my craft group after the holiday we will be making windchimes. We are excited about this and with good reason. They can be made from all kinds of things including keys, shells, broken pottery and beads. You can make them using simple construction skills or jewellery making skills as in the example above. I am making mine using beautiful twigs from outside and hanging them with some tiny (one-bite) metal cake tins that I never used and I hope to post the results. All skill levels and all ages can be involved in this. Get looking for stuff and have a go. Consider your neighbours though and don't have something too loud and clanking!!

www.LTreatDesigns.com

http://uk.pinterest.com/explore/wind-chimes/

Needle felting - using multi needle tool

Making felt is such a pleasure. Watching a fabric being transformed right in front of your eyes into something else never loses its appeal. I use felt in my classes and would describe it as a forgiving fabric. It doesn't fray or need a hem, it can be manipulated, sewn onto and into, it comes in dozens of shades, kids love it and it looks and feels great. 

Making it is as varied a concept as using it. You can make felt with wool tops soap and water or you can felt woollen clothes in your washing machine. Felting needles enable you to make tiny detailed items with very little fuss and the smallest amount of material. you can felt wool onto lace and lace onto wool, you can make small items such as snowflakes or you can put designs on bags or jumpers. 

I will be returning to felting with my class soon and we will be looking at needle felting to make designs on purses. I don't have a video of me making felt but I've added links to two great sites. Once you watch them you'll be inspired to do it yourself.



Have a look and then try.

www.youtube.com/user/gypsyfelting
www.youtube.com/user/dharmatradingco

Books before bread.

                                           Just a few of the books my Dad bought.


My dad believed in the spiritual and educational value of reading and put his money where his mouth was by buying a large collection of books for us to read as children when there was barely enough money to buy bread. A long long time has passed and I still haven't read them all. I keep promising myself to get on with it but there are so many things to do in life and so many other books.

My plan is now to decorate each book once I have read it. They are not valuable antiques and my children read via hand held devices and won't want to carry them through life as I have done.

In the spirit of adventure and creativity I intend to do these books justice by reading them and re-purposing them in a thoughtful, respectful and creative manner. Where possible, something on the new cover will reflect the story within. I'm going to be binding and gluing, using ribbon and found objects and photographing the results.

I welcome suggestions and pictures to spur me on.

Do you have some books that you don't need and would like to decorate. Have a look. You could use pages in decoupage and card making, or you could cut into them.

At The John Ryland's Library in Manchester - quite near to me - winning entries for bookbinding and re-modelling competitions are displayed for the public to admire. I might visit and be inspired.
Cutting into the books is also an option...requiring a plan, a steady hand and sharp tools.

I'll let you know how I go on.

manchester.ac.uk./library/rylands

craft tutorials

I can teach crafts sessions to you in your home or at your premises. Any thing from simple projects right through to sessions involving more than one idea is possible. 

You might want to offer CPD to staff, treat friends or employees, incorporate craft activities into training or include a crafting session as part of a celebration or event.

You can make all kinds of jewellery, create abstract pictures, paint pebbles, make dream catchers and garlands, experiment with fabric dyes...and more

Prices will vary according to what you want to make and the length of the session. I'm                                                                                happy to discuss what you need.

hyacinths made from paper

Curly Hyacinths. I made lots of them while demonstrating their construction and someone asked if they could have them to use as a table display at her son's party. I said yes and she took all but these two specimens!



I took three extra craft classes last week. One was for trainee teachers, another for adult carers and a third was a drop in taster session. For each I was asked to do Easter paper crafts. Adults don't want to do the same things as children, they want to take part in activities that challenge and please them or that they can use in their family life or work so I set about thinking what they could do.

Spring is in the air and I thought paper flowers would be a good project. Many of the ideas I looked at involved long processes or were surprisingly complicated. In the end I went onto youtube for ideas and found Curly Paper Flowers made on the site linked below.

They were fab!! They looked hard to make and yet were straightforward. Better still they looked like real flowers. I made some with vintage music paper and wrapping paper but the best ones were made with simple A4 copier paper in mid green (stems) and pinks and purples (flowers) as above.

If you were making a lot of these flowers, to resemble a bouquet, it wouldn't cost much at all. The only equipment you need is scissors, paper, glue, a glue brush and a skewer or something similar to make the curly flower heads. 

Have a look at all the superb ideas on this site and the instructional videos that are clear and simple to follow.

Thanks IdunnGoddess. The people in my classes enjoyed your work!!



youtube.com/user/IdunnGoddess

Jackson Pollock style

When my boys were young I used to encourage their artistic instincts with what I called Jackson Pollock painting. JacksonPollock.com  If you get a chance to see Jackson Pollock's paintings when they tour your city then do. They are large and quite dazzling.

Emulating some of the splashing and dripping techniques used by Pollock, my sons decorated rolls of wallpaper that were spread out on the grass outside. It's a great project for one child on his or her own or as many as you can fit around the paper. It's messy and you don't know what you're going to get but it is enjoyable.

And it's not just for kids and rolls of wallpaper. The Jackson Pollock style can be used on furniture, walls, t-shirts, floors and objects. I had a large bowl that I found very plain. I also had some left over lime green and olive green emulsion paint that I'd used for decorating. I painted the bowl in one colour then splashed on the second colour. I then varnished it. I find that the technique gives the best results when the paintbrush doesn't come into contact with the surface being painted. Drips, drizzles and splashes are more interesting than daubs. Try for yourself and see. 

Have a look for items you can decorate. You could use pieces of card and frame them or use them as greetings cards. 

Cover yourself and any things that you don't want to be painted. If possible do this project outside!

Fabric pictures

Fabric pictures have been a popular project in my class lately. It doesn't matter too much about level of skill as abstract pictures can be created and what I would call naive art images work really well. In order to make one you will need a piece of backing material. A good size to work with is A4 like a piece of photocopy paper. Look on pinterest.com under fabric pictures for some ideas, or dig out your old photos and use them as inspiration. Magazines may too have images to inspire you.

Draw your picture on scrap paper so that you have an idea of what you are doing. Find fabric scraps to make up the elements of your picture. The above (unfinished) picture is hand sewn using braids, ribbon, felt and hand stitching on silk. Sew by hand or machine or glue your work in place.

Frame the picture or hang it on a twig or piece of dowelling. If it's sturdy then use the work to make a pillow, pencil case or bag.

Some images that enable lovely pictures are mountains, beach huts, lighthouses, simple boats. suns, moons and stars, lips, houses, the sea, simple prams, flowers and little birds.

Have fun!

Button bracelets and more

Making jewellery with buttons that have holes is easy and the potential for unique pieces is endless. Buy new buttons, make your own or rummage around at home for the buttons that have been saved over the years.

Use elastic, strong jewellery thread or some of the jewellery cord available at craft shops. You can tie the cords and hide the knots or attach jewellery fastenings/clasps.

Why not make brooches, earrings, bag charms, key rings, necklaces, bracelets and ankle chains. That's just to start.

The above bracelets are made with four-hole buttons that have been threaded with two cords of elastic and tied.

I make them with all my groups and have made them with men as well as women. I would say that women are the most enthusiastic button fans but en like them too. My work has also introduced me to people who have button phobia and can't stand to e near them.

A fascinating world made more so by buttons.

button-art.com

scrunchies

hair-scrunchies.com


Hair scrunchies are fun to make and easy. The ones above were made by cutting strips of fabric and tying them firmly around a length of elastic. once the elastic is as full of tied fabric as possible you can trim it to your taste.

The above scrunchies are small and will twist around a pony tail. Make bigger ones in bridal fabric that can fit around the head of a bridesmaid. Use summer colours for someone going to a festival.

I also make them to fit around wrists. These can be made in bridal colours, fabric to match a prom dress or festival bracelets.

All you need is:-

Elastic - slim
Strips of scrap fabric or fabrics to match an outfit
Sharp scissors

Great for personal use, gifts, fundraising sales, weddings, proms and in craft classes.

paper mache

I've been making paper mache bowls this week and hope to make other paper mache items. Whenever I've mentioned this people make two remarks

I used to do that at school.

Is that where you paste strips of paper over a balloon?

Yes - that's paper mache but there are other methods and lots of potential. I've been making pulp to make bowls. You can used strips of paper and glue over chicken wire frames to make objects.

You can add to existing items to change their look or use or to decorate them. It's a lot of fun and not as messy as it sounds. Also inexpensive too. I would avoid magazine paper as they don't absorb well and newspaper if pulped gives a grey sludgy pulp. Coloured paper is more rewarding. In the bowl in the picture I used odds and ends of decorative paper from a craft class. There was more red than anything and this is what I got. No need to paint it. I'll enhance the surface with some gold acrylic paint and then varnish with marine paint.

paper mache craft 

Chinese makers used paper to make glossy, highly decorated furniture and decorative items of a very hight standard and durability. You can look at them on line and often can find examples in museums.

chinese paper mache furniture

For your own bowl you'll need 100g of paper ripped into pieces and steeped in warm water for a couple of hours. Boil it,  blend it with a hand held blender and get rid of excess water. Mix in 2 dessert spoons of PVA glue and it's ready to use. Line a bowl with cling film and press the pulp into place. Use cellulose cleaning cloths to help you to press it into shape and dry it further. Leave it to dry thoroughly then remove from the bowl to paint and varnish.

Great fun - have a go. 

Crazy Quilting

Crazy quilting and crazy paving have a lot in common. They each rely on the use of odds and ends of material to be put together to make a pattern. Crazy quilting has had many uses and revivals. Poor women in the past used odds and ends that were left to make a much needed blanket. Rich girls, perhaps a touch bored as they learned the skills needed to make good matches used silks and satins to make their own crazy quilts.


It's easy to do. You can work on a large cloth surface or on smaller sections that can be sewn together when you have enough. Scraps of fabric are positioned next to each other on a light cotton surface. They are pinned in place and tacked. the edges are made neat and secure with embroidery stitches and suitable embellishments. A colour scheme and theme can be chosen or a happy rag bag selection. It's a fantastic way of using scraps and working inexpensively and it's an opportunity to use several skills.

The finished quilt top if it is strong and neat on both sides can be used as it is. It can also be backed and finished with wadding and binding. 

Crazy designs can be used on lots of other projects. Make a cushion, a quilt, a phone or laptop cover or a pocket on a child's dress. Make a wall hanging, picture or card and experiment with fancy papers.

I need to add a name to the example above and will when I find the name of the lady who sewed it. This piece was done for me and added to a large storytelling quilt that I made and took into schools.

wikepedia crazy quilts.co.uk