You don’t need to have a professional studio in order to make your own jewelry, just room to store your supplies and tools and a place to work.

These days with so much choice and many mass produced goods it could be easy to over look handmade wedding crafts but for that personal and unique touch it’s the way to go.

There are so many ways you can use your craft skills when making items for a wedding.

Choose your card stock and if you want purple you can have purple or any other color for that matter! That’s the fun of making your own. You can embellish with ribbon trim, lace, scraps from the wedding or bridesmaids dresses, hearts, flowers – the choice is yours.

Don’t forget invitations to the wedding shower also. The festivities begin before the big day itself.

Or buy your invitations pre-embossed with envelopes supplied. You will be able to buy matching place name cards, menus pre-embossed also. Then all you need to do is add your decoration.

These ideas are ideal for smaller weddings but it will depend on the time you have available.

Handmade wedding stationary is hugely popular now and many handcrafted card companies will provide this service. Make your invites unique and special to your day.

The British graphic designer didn’t set out to learn embroidery, but acknowledges that "it just made sense to stitch things. Whenever I see something I always think ‘what will that look like stitched?’" In sharp contrast to the time she spends on a computer with deadlines looming over her shoulder, "it feels brilliant to spend ages on one piece — picking the colors, deciding on the type of stitches and then doing it."

But graphic design work isn’t just in opposition to such meticulously made hand-craft; it’s also part of inspiration: "in some cases if I do an illustration for a client that doesn’t get used, I will then stitch it instead.

If you are like so many of us with children, you are constantly running around to different tournaments and games.

After long hours in the sun, the kids get tired and want something fun to do. Make sure you set yourself up with a kit of supplies and start to do kids sports crafts. There are a ton of things that you can do to keep your kids and their team mates happy and calm. And hey around the holidays this is a great way to help them give gifts to someone they love.

Let’s begin with some fun lanyards. These are not just for the soccer kids, this can be done for any sport.

You will need:

- Wide shoe strings (the team colors is a good way to go) ; round wooden circles (can be found at most craft stores)

- White, black acrylic paint, you may want other colors as well.

- Paint brushes

- some dish soap and of course water

- some small containers to hold the soap and water in (this is for rinsing the brushes out.

- craft glue

- pencils

Here is what you do:

Have each kid pick a lace, a few circles (balls)

Have them design their balls this can be fun to see what they come up with, have them drawn the design with a pencil onto the circle, then paint as desired. (you will want to write their names on the back of the circles so you know which ones belong to which kids) after the paint has dried, have them glue the balls at different points of the lanyard. Once it is dry, it can be worn by any proud member of the family.

The great thing about this kids sports craft is the items are small enough you can fit all the supplies into a tote bag for easy travel.

How about some fun floppy visors.

You will need:

Craft glue

foam visors, you might want to get these in team colors or multi colors.

permanent makers

some fun foam shapes, or even round ones that can be made to look like balls for the particular sport.

To do:

Each child chooses a visor, they can then decorate the visor with their name or other designs using the markers and gluing on the shapes. Set the visors aside to dry.

This craft also takes up a small amount of room and is great for those traveling tournaments that we often go on.

How about making team t-shirts. This may cost a little more, but it makes a memorable item for the kids on the teams.

You will need:

t-shirts in the team color/s

paint pens, or fabric pens (can be found at most craft stores)

maybe some fun rhinestones or buttons, little findings (mixed packages can be found at most craft stores)

washable fabric glue for the findings.

small pieces of cardboard-about the size of a normal sheet of paper works best especially for traveling.

To do:

Have each child pick a shirt.

Give them ideas on how to decorate

provide them with all of the findings and watch the imaginations grow. The shirts may need to dry overnight, but if you are doing this during the day in open air, usually only a few hours and then the kids can just take them with them, make sure you remind them to be careful for the first day or so at least until the glue sets in.

The important thing about kids sports crafts is the entertainment value and the time spent together for each of them, it can help increase their imaginations, keep them out of trouble, and build team spirit.

Source : ezinearticles.com

At one time or another, we all have seen pictures of tall, statuesque and idyllic trees gently swaying in the wind. They often pose in front of a descending sun and give us a relaxing ‘vacation’ feeling. Palm trees are indeed majestic giants and are often idolized, crafted and collected.

Palm trees not only show up in natural southern settings, but can also be admired on prints and photographs anywhere in the world. They appear on clothing, dishes, jewelry, shower curtains, or just about any object one can think of. Mexican, Queen or Fan, palm trees are easy to find and even easier to make.

You do not need special skills or a lot of money to fashion simple arts and crafts. With everyday household materials anyone can create the most beautiful palm art. Large potato pieces can be cut into palm tree shapes and used to stamp elegant greenery on paper, fabric, hat boxes or any smooth paintable surface. Cardboard, bright magazine pages and felt can be cut and glued into various tree sizes. Add a dash of ornamental glitter and a stylish frame and you will have created a treasured heirloom. You can even decorate the frame itself. This is a fun craft project that can be done by the entire family.

Palm tree shapes are easy to copy and as a resourceful crafter you could even paint and glue various kinds of macaroni on a surface to create unusual decorations. Just make sure your wall art is out of reach of pets and children. They may think your master piece is a delicious and colorful snack. Another way to create a relaxing, tropical theme is by using palm tree appliqués, which can be found at most fabric and craft stores. They can be glued, stitched or ironed onto most items, including clothing, caps and hats, lamp shades, towels and even backpacks. As you can see, bringing delightful palm trees into your home, office and lifestyle is easier than you think.

Source : ezinearticles.com

Wool fabric is used for all kinds of clothing, couch covers, bedspreads, toilet covers, tablecloths, and more. People who can sew use wool fabric for most of their creations because it is sold by the yard and is available in most craft stores. There are different types of wool fabric that is used for different purposes. Learning to sew is more than just putting pieces of cloth together, it is about knowing which fabrics to use for different projects and which fabrics will work the best. Professional seamstresses have studied with others to learn how to create clothing and other items that are beautiful, functional, and timeless.

Wool fabric has been used for centuries. Greek soldiers used wool felt to add comfort to their helmets, while villagers used wool to make clothing and bags for traveling. Wool, which is made from the hair of animals, has to be spun in order to become yard. Up to twenty strands of animal hair are used to create wool fabric. The threads are woven into fabric that can then be cut to make clothing, rugs, audio speaker coverings, and much more. The more the wool is spun, the softer it will get. Wool that is very soft is also very valuable. Those who can create items with this wool are very talented.

Wool fabric is also used to line boxes, shelving, and other surfaces that need to be softer so that items are placed on top of or inside of will not break. More and more uses for wool fabric are discovered every day. Bedding and blankets are also created using wool or a blend of different fabrics that includes wool. Wool can keep heat from escaping because it is denser than other fabrics. But clothing still seems to be the most popular when it comes to using wool. Most active wear is made from wool blended fabric. Shirts, pants, dresses, ties, skirts, and jackets can be made from wool. The fabric is east to clean and will last for many years. It is recommended that wool blend clothing be washed in cold water to prevent shrinking. Other clothing items may have to be dry cleaned instead. This will help the item retain its shape so that it can be worm many more times. Wool fabric helps to keep people warm during the winter months and is very comfortable to wear indoors and outdoors.

Source : ezinearticles.com

Letter applique quilt patterns can be as intricate or as easy as you’d like!

There are thousands of fonts available free of charge on the Internet. Starting your letter appliqué quilt pattern search on a free font website is a good idea.

Most font websites have their styles broken down into categories, which will make your search for your letter appliqué much easier. Are you making a quilt for your granddaughter? Look in the “curly” or “cute” category.

Looking for a boy-themed font? Be sure to check out the “old school” or “athletic” fonts. There are also western fonts that would be great for a cowboy or cowgirl themed quilt, movie fonts that would allow you to replicate a favorite movie theme, etc.

Once you find the font you’d like to use for your letter appliqué quilt pattern, download it according to your computer’s instructions. If you’ve never downloaded a font, most computers have instructions on how to do so. It’s usually as simple as clicking on the “download now” button on the font website. A popup window will ask if you want to “open” or “save” — choose open.

Once you’ve opened the font file, select “extract all files.” The next popup window will ask you where to save the file. You’ll need to put it in your font folder in order to access the font later. That’s all there is to it.

Once you’ve downloaded your font, you can get back to your letter appliqué quilt pattern. Using whatever program you generally use on your computer, type the letter you want to use for your appliqué quilt. Select the letter by highlighting it and change the font to your downloaded choice. Alter the size to fit your needs for the letter appliqué quilt pattern and print out the letter. That’s your pattern.

Iron on a fusible webbing to the back of your selected fabric. Use your print out to cut the letter from the fabric. Now the letter can be iron onto your quilt top. There are a number of wonderful products on the market to help control fabric fraying. Check with your favorite craft or fabric shop and pick one. Adding an anti-fray product helps to insure a long-lasting professional finish to your letter appliqué quilt pattern!

Once your fray inhibitor has been given sufficient time to dry (usually 15 to 30 minutes), you will be ready to move on to stitching.

You may hand stitch, using a blanket stitch to complete your letter appliqué quilt pattern. With a sewing machine, you made decide to either zig-zag or run a satin stitch around the border of your letter appliqué quilt pattern.

Other options exist for machine embroiderers who digitize. Upon sizing the letter to use for the appliqué, highlight the letter and choose to add an outline around it. A four to eight point outline generally works best. While the letter is highlighted, change the inside color to “none.” This will leave only an outline of the letter.

Complete the digitizing process and the embroidery machine will do most of the work. Machine embroiderers won’t need to use fusible webbing or cut the letter out of their selected fabric. Instead, they’ll simply lay their fabric on top and the embroidery machine will stitch an outline that will attach the fabric to the quilt. When they remove the fabric from the machine (but not from the embroidery hoop!), thim away excess fabric, then add a fray prevention product. Leave it to the embroidery machine to complete the applique with the stitching the machine embroiderer selected during digitizing.

Whether you create your letter quilt by hand, sewing machine or embroidery machine, letter appliqué quilt patterns are one of the best ways to give a unique, personal gift. Don’t forget to observe copyright laws when using free fonts. Some font authors don’t mind and others will allow you do to sell products featuring their fonts if you contact them to ask permission.

Source : ezinearticles.com

These thoughtful, inexpensive keepsakes are easy to make and personalize for any friend or family member.

I decided to make mini cloth-covered photo albums for my mother and mother-in-law. These instructions apply to any size photo album–you just have to measure the album to get an idea how much fabric you’re going to need.

Materials:

- 3-ring binder/photo album (doesn’t have to be new–you are going to be covering it)

- Pages for photos (add when album is finished, or you might get glue on them)

- 1 large sheet white poster board

- 1 can spray adhesive (3M works well)

- Craft glue or glue gun

- Scissors and/or rotary fabric cutter

- Fabric –1 piece long enough to cover the outside of the album, and 2 pieces to cover each of inside covers. Allow extra inch to fold over edges of album.

- Silk flowers, appliques, beads, ribbons, lace (optional)

You will need three pieces of fabric. You want the piece on the outside of the album to be one piece that folds around the outside of the album. Leave 1 inch of material around the edges.

Use spray adhesive (available at most craft stores) to glue the fabric. Make sure to lay newspapers all around you and spray carefully or you’ll end up with a big sticky mess. Also try not to let your fabric stick to the newspaper. Spray the glue directly on the outside of the album- -one side first, then the spine, then the other side. Smooth the fabric as you go, gently smoothing out any wrinkles quickly beforeit dries (you have a few minutes). You should now have the outside totally covered with fabric with 1 inch extra all around the edges of the album. Glue the extra inch of material on the sides down to the inside of the album. Now fold the top and bottom edges down and glue in place. The inside of the spine will still be visible after the inside covers are in place, so fold the extra inch at the spine in half first, then again and glue in place. The remaining exposed top and bottom edges will be covered with the inside covers.

The next step is to make the inside covers. Cut 2 pieces of poster board approximately 1/8-inch smaller (on all sides) than the inside covers of the photo album. Make sure to lay them in the photo album after you cut them to make sure they’re the right size. You want to make sure the album can still open and close easily when they’re in place. Cut 2 pieces of fabric to be 1/2-inch bigger (on allsides) than the pieces of poster board. Using spray adhesive, glue each piece of poster board to a square of fabric. Fold over the remaining ½ inch of fabric on the top, bottom, and sides, and glue to the back of the poster board. You should now have completed inside covers with no exposed fabric edges. Using spray adhesive, glue the inside covers into the inside front and inside back of the photo album,again making sure the album can open and close easily. You’re done! Now you can add the pages for the photos. Here are some more options:

- If the album is big enough, you can cover a photo mat with fabric and glue it in the center of the front of the album. You can purchase the mat already cut, or you can make your own out of extra poster board, making it any size you want.

- If you want to have lace around the edges, glue the lace around the edges of the album after covering the front of the album with fabric, and before gluing in the inside covers. The inside covers will hide the bottom edge of the trimming. Glue in place with craft glue or a glue gun.

- Embellish the cover with appliques, beads, and silk flowers. Glue in place with craft glue or a glue gun.

After you practice on one of these albums, you’ll see how easy it is and you’ll be able to see all the millions of possibilities. These albums can as fancy or simple as you want, and can cost a lot or next to nothing. I made one for my sister as awedding present that cost about $50 after I bought the nice fabric, appliques, lace, etc.

For Mother’s Day, however, I found some mini photo albums on sale 2 for $3. They hold up to 4 x 6 photos. I’m going to find a photo to cut down a bit to fit on the front cover, one for my family, and one for my husband’s. If I get in a bind for time I will try to find some fabric on sale (should only require approximately ½ yard each for the small albums). If I have time I’ll do a little yard sale shopping and try to pick up some fabric that way. If you sew or do many crafts, you may already have some fabric on hand. It’s also a good idea to stock up on different sized albums when they’re on sale. Keep on the lookout for extra trimmings on sale and at yard sales. Don’t forget the unconventional, like sequins and buttons. These thoughtful albums make great gifts for all occasions.

Source : ezinearticles.com

As the name clearly indicates, craft fabrics tell tales of lasting work and flawlessness of man’s talents and are constructed expending a good deal of the maker’s time, and diligence demonstrating human craftsmanship, of the classic type, which went into it. They lie entirely reverse to the mass produced, machine-made textiles, like a depiction of the hard and formidable hands-on effort which went into its creation, yet are very delicate, the personification of rare craftsmanship, a feat a machine could rarely ever aspire to reach. This contrives to make all of these craft fabrics special, and shows us an extremely rare approach to connect to associate with human nature. Every fabric tells a story, as if it’s a piece of art (which it is) and makes people realize the elaborateness of patterns and motifs which go into producing a magnificent design.

Craft fabric are made use of in clothing, bedding, room design and also several other functions on top of that. The uses of the craft may not be dictated through the characteristics of the material, but they are ways to imitate the customer’s manner of seeing their work and the precision they intend to put in the same. Like, the spreading of a tablecloth, made of craft fabric does not just fill in colors to the dining table but also gives depth to the sublimity of fine dining. It evokes atmosphere of bygone times or present, that make the diner’s experience intense. In fact, it is but knowledgeably proclaimed that food consumed in a positive manner, reflects goodwill within the person.

Handmade clothes and items made from craft fabrics are sought after due to more detailed patterns.. Dresses created of craft fabrics are remarkably unusual and more attractive, from the regular lot. They are able to garner you immediate public attention, the philosophy which the craft is based on, makes the gives the impression of being extra cool.

A constant misconception exists that just the elderly people get attracted to the crafted look of a cloth, and that is absolutely baseless. The crafted cloth is available to each and everyone, from lively young teens to responsible grownups, and there’s nothing at all dated about wearing one. You will discover different ranges at your disposal, from the large market that is present today. These vary on such basis as textiles utilized, amount of craftsmanship involved and the general finish of the end product.

Another misunderstanding regarding crafted apparel is that it is “third world”, which is demeaning. The idea of home spun cloth covering someone you care for, is a fuzzy sensation, it doesn’t make a difference where the tradition arises from, it’s more essential if it is suited to you and your style.

Already too much has been stated of the Earth’s loss of cultures and natural heritage. The crafts goes back to ancient times, frozen in timeless stories, that describe the everlasting human craving to stay alive and its capacity to create. Craft textiles are therefore not only a symbol of the worksmen, but additionally the marked impression of human nature impressed on the Earth.

Source : ezinearticles.com