Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Granny square joining tutorial
Just a warning before we get started with the tutorial, there's LOTS of pictures and I may go into too much detail, but that's just what I do. ;-) Anyway, if there aren't enough details or if my description is confusing, please don't hesitate to email me or leave a comment.
There are loads of methods of joining (granny) squares, my method is just one, and may not even be the best. But I like this one because once you get it -and to be honest, there isn't that much to get!- you can do it without much thinking. And I also like how the joining 'seam' looks almost seamless. Especially if you use the same colour as the final round in each square.
If you have particular layout for your blanket, lay out your squares in that pattern.
Then stack your squares so you can keep track of what goes where. Unless you are fortunate enough to be able to leave the squares on the floor for the duration of the joining of your squares.
Because of how this method works, it is best to have as few squares in each stack as possible. For example, there's 70 squares in my blanket, 7 x 10, so my stacks are 10 with 7 in each. Don't worry, if this sounds weird, it will make sense later.
Take the top square and put it on the left and then the next square and keep that on the right.
Now put those 2 squares together, with the back of the squares facing each other. The one on the left is showing the back, the one on the right shows the front. When you work in rounds, crochet work does have a front and back.
Chain 3 in the corner of the front square (from now I shall refer to it as the yellow square, just because I can).
Then make 3 dc/trebles in the corner of the purple square (the back one).
It may take a bit of getting used to holding the 2 squares while you work them, but this might give you an idea. This works for me anyway.
Next make 3 dc/trebles in the next space in the yellow square.
Then 3 dc/trebles in the next spaces in the purple square.
Continue in this manner, from front to back until you get to the end. In the corner space of the purple square only make 1 dc/treble. Then bind off. Keep doing this for the rest of the squares in the stack. And when you've done one stack, do the next one. And the next one and.. you get the picture.
The squares will look a bit wonky on one side, but that will be sorted out later on.
And aren't you glad you have as few squares as possible in your stacks? It is a bit tedious joining each square - it will get better later on.
Oh, just in case you are wondering why you don't do ch 3 + 2 dc/trebles in the first corner, this is why: it would stick out in a weird way that is in no way helpful. So don't do that, m'kay? ;-)
Right, so you've got all your (short) rows all joined together? Now it's time to join row with row.
It's the same principle as joining square with square.
Lay the rows together with backs facing each other.
Then do as before, starting with ch 3 in corner space of the front row, 3 dc/trebles in the corner space of the back row. Then 3 dc/trebles in each space, alternating between front and back.
When you get to the join between 2 squares, the space created by the ch 3 in a corner should be treated like any other space, so make 3 dc/trebles in that too. Continue joining the row, front, back, front, back and so on. Ending with 1 dc/treble in the last corner space, which should be in the back row.
How fun is that? Just zooming along, joining the rows? Far better than the individual squares, right?
And there you have it, 2 rows joined. Now you just have to do that with all your rows!
Once everything is joined together, make atleast one 'granny' row around the edge, it will help straighten the edge and it will make it look more finished. Seriously, you've spent all this time making your blanket, you should take the little bit of extra time to finish it properly.
Just a warning before we get started with the tutorial, there's LOTS of pictures and I may go into too much detail, but that's just what I do. ;-) Anyway, if there aren't enough details or if my description is confusing, please don't hesitate to email me or leave a comment.
There are loads of methods of joining (granny) squares, my method is just one, and may not even be the best. But I like this one because once you get it -and to be honest, there isn't that much to get!- you can do it without much thinking. And I also like how the joining 'seam' looks almost seamless. Especially if you use the same colour as the final round in each square.
If you have particular layout for your blanket, lay out your squares in that pattern.
Then stack your squares so you can keep track of what goes where. Unless you are fortunate enough to be able to leave the squares on the floor for the duration of the joining of your squares.Because of how this method works, it is best to have as few squares in each stack as possible. For example, there's 70 squares in my blanket, 7 x 10, so my stacks are 10 with 7 in each. Don't worry, if this sounds weird, it will make sense later.
Take the top square and put it on the left and then the next square and keep that on the right.
Now put those 2 squares together, with the back of the squares facing each other. The one on the left is showing the back, the one on the right shows the front. When you work in rounds, crochet work does have a front and back.
Chain 3 in the corner of the front square (from now I shall refer to it as the yellow square, just because I can).
Then make 3 dc/trebles in the corner of the purple square (the back one).
It may take a bit of getting used to holding the 2 squares while you work them, but this might give you an idea. This works for me anyway.
Next make 3 dc/trebles in the next space in the yellow square.
Then 3 dc/trebles in the next spaces in the purple square.
Continue in this manner, from front to back until you get to the end. In the corner space of the purple square only make 1 dc/treble. Then bind off. Keep doing this for the rest of the squares in the stack. And when you've done one stack, do the next one. And the next one and.. you get the picture.
The squares will look a bit wonky on one side, but that will be sorted out later on.And aren't you glad you have as few squares as possible in your stacks? It is a bit tedious joining each square - it will get better later on.
Oh, just in case you are wondering why you don't do ch 3 + 2 dc/trebles in the first corner, this is why: it would stick out in a weird way that is in no way helpful. So don't do that, m'kay? ;-)
Right, so you've got all your (short) rows all joined together? Now it's time to join row with row.It's the same principle as joining square with square.
Lay the rows together with backs facing each other.
Then do as before, starting with ch 3 in corner space of the front row, 3 dc/trebles in the corner space of the back row. Then 3 dc/trebles in each space, alternating between front and back.
When you get to the join between 2 squares, the space created by the ch 3 in a corner should be treated like any other space, so make 3 dc/trebles in that too. Continue joining the row, front, back, front, back and so on. Ending with 1 dc/treble in the last corner space, which should be in the back row.How fun is that? Just zooming along, joining the rows? Far better than the individual squares, right?
And there you have it, 2 rows joined. Now you just have to do that with all your rows!
Once everything is joined together, make atleast one 'granny' row around the edge, it will help straighten the edge and it will make it look more finished. Seriously, you've spent all this time making your blanket, you should take the little bit of extra time to finish it properly.
scribbled by Carina 6/16/2009 07:49:00 PM
Please note: as of December 2009 this blog has moved to carinascraftblog.wardi.dk,
and commenting has been disabled on this version of the blog. If you would like to leave a comment please follow
the link and use the archive or label links to find the post in its new place. Also, if you have followed a link or
bookmark to this post, please update it as this 'old' version may not stay live forever. Thank you.
Thursday, June 04, 2009
Granny square tutorial
As promised, here is the granny square tutorial! I am sorry it's taken me a little while to get it to you, but here it is at last! The best thing about the granny square is that you don't have to fiddle with trying to get the hook into stitches (only a tiny little bit, anyway), it is all crocheting into chain spaces. Which makes it very quick to do once you get the hang of it.
This is of course just one method of doing it - there are plenty others to be found on the interwebs and in books (and maybe from your actual granny?!). But it's the method that works for me. I hope the explanation makes sense. If not, please leave a comment or email me and I'll try to make fix it.
Also, I have included both the US and the UK terms (in italics) for the stitches. Normally, I'd use abbreviations for the stitches, but I know a couple of you might want this in other languages, so I have written it all out to make it a bit less confusing (I hope!) when it goes the likes of Google's translator. ;-)
First, make a chain of 4.
Then, make a double crochet/treble in the chain stitch furthest from the hook.
Make another double crochet/treble in the same chain stitch. Now you have the first side completed.
Chain 2.
Make 3 double crochet/treble in the same chain stitch. Chain 2 again, make another 3 double crochet/trebles in the chain stitch and finally chain 2.
Join with slip stitch/single crochet in the top of the original chain and then slip stitch/single crochet your way through the top of the double crochet/treble stitches - as indicated by the arrows. Make sure you go through both of the 'legs' of the V of the stitch.
Now you get to the chain space. If you are continuing with the same colour, as I am here, just make a slip stitch/single crochet around the chain and then chain 3.
However, if you are changing colour, make the slip stitch/single crochet into the first chain stitch, then make a slip stitch/single crochet around the chain and then chain 3. This should ensure that your second colour is fastened properly.
You should now have someting that looks like this.
Make 2 double crochet/treble in the chain space, then chain 2. Make another 3 double crochet/treble in the same chain space. That is the first corner completed. For the following corners, make 3 double crochet/treble, chain 2, 3 double crochet/treble in each chain space.
You should now have something like this. Slip stitch/single crochet into the top of chain 3 you did at the beginning of the round. Then, like you did in the last round, slip stitch/single crochet through the top (arrow) of the double crochets/trebles to get you to the first chain space.
Repeat the first corner of the previous round, then make 3 double crochet/trebles in the next space and continue like this until you get to the end of the round. Every other round will be like this one, but with an increasing number of space between the corners. You should not make chain stitches anywhere else but in the corners.
I hope the explanation was clear enough that you now have something fairly like this. Please keep going! Make it as huge as you possibly can. Or stop now and make more little ones that you can stitch together. :-)
As promised, here is the granny square tutorial! I am sorry it's taken me a little while to get it to you, but here it is at last! The best thing about the granny square is that you don't have to fiddle with trying to get the hook into stitches (only a tiny little bit, anyway), it is all crocheting into chain spaces. Which makes it very quick to do once you get the hang of it.This is of course just one method of doing it - there are plenty others to be found on the interwebs and in books (and maybe from your actual granny?!). But it's the method that works for me. I hope the explanation makes sense. If not, please leave a comment or email me and I'll try to make fix it.
Also, I have included both the US and the UK terms (in italics) for the stitches. Normally, I'd use abbreviations for the stitches, but I know a couple of you might want this in other languages, so I have written it all out to make it a bit less confusing (I hope!) when it goes the likes of Google's translator. ;-)
First, make a chain of 4.
Then, make a double crochet/treble in the chain stitch furthest from the hook.
Make another double crochet/treble in the same chain stitch. Now you have the first side completed.
Chain 2.
Make 3 double crochet/treble in the same chain stitch. Chain 2 again, make another 3 double crochet/trebles in the chain stitch and finally chain 2.
Join with slip stitch/single crochet in the top of the original chain and then slip stitch/single crochet your way through the top of the double crochet/treble stitches - as indicated by the arrows. Make sure you go through both of the 'legs' of the V of the stitch.
Now you get to the chain space. If you are continuing with the same colour, as I am here, just make a slip stitch/single crochet around the chain and then chain 3.
However, if you are changing colour, make the slip stitch/single crochet into the first chain stitch, then make a slip stitch/single crochet around the chain and then chain 3. This should ensure that your second colour is fastened properly.
You should now have someting that looks like this.
Make 2 double crochet/treble in the chain space, then chain 2. Make another 3 double crochet/treble in the same chain space. That is the first corner completed. For the following corners, make 3 double crochet/treble, chain 2, 3 double crochet/treble in each chain space.
You should now have something like this. Slip stitch/single crochet into the top of chain 3 you did at the beginning of the round. Then, like you did in the last round, slip stitch/single crochet through the top (arrow) of the double crochets/trebles to get you to the first chain space.
Repeat the first corner of the previous round, then make 3 double crochet/trebles in the next space and continue like this until you get to the end of the round. Every other round will be like this one, but with an increasing number of space between the corners. You should not make chain stitches anywhere else but in the corners.I hope the explanation was clear enough that you now have something fairly like this. Please keep going! Make it as huge as you possibly can. Or stop now and make more little ones that you can stitch together. :-)
scribbled by Carina 6/04/2009 10:30:00 AM
Please note: as of December 2009 this blog has moved to carinascraftblog.wardi.dk,
and commenting has been disabled on this version of the blog. If you would like to leave a comment please follow
the link and use the archive or label links to find the post in its new place. Also, if you have followed a link or
bookmark to this post, please update it as this 'old' version may not stay live forever. Thank you.
Friday, May 22, 2009
Eraser stamp tutorial - Part 5
Here is the fifth post in the eraser stamp carving tutorial. I am not an expert on this subject, but hopefully my trials and errors will help you get off to a good start. I've broken things down into the following bites:
1: carving medium, i.e. erasers etc.
2: the tools you need to carve your stamps.
3: methods of transferring your design to the medium for carving.
4: inks.
5: carving.
It's finally time to carve your stamp! You've got your lino cutter and an eraser with a design on it. It is quite easy to carve a stamp. And if you much it up? It's just an eraser, chuck it in the bin and try again!
Right, start off by deciding (if you haven't already) what part of the stamp will show up coloured and what will be white/not coloured. Then cut around the design so you know where the edge of your stamp is. Use the smallest blade for this.
If you can, it is best to make the carving in as few cuts as possible to avoid 'seams' in the lines which may make the cuts look 'jagged'. Note how I cut around each petal in one go. Oh and feel free to add stuff to (or rather cut away from) your stamp, like I've done in this example.
When possible, use a larger blade to carve so you can cut away larger chunks at a time, saving time. When cutting, cut away from the lines to avoid ruining the stamp if your knife slips.
Before you start carving the 'fluff' around the stamp, have a look at it and see if maybe some of it can simply be cut off, like in the picture above. You are often able to cut off corners like this. To, literally cut corners and not have to carve so much. Also, this way the back of your stamp is more similar in size to your actual stamp which makes it easier to align if you're doing repeats of the same stamp or with other stamps.
When you think your stamp is done, do a test to make sure you haven't missed anything. Or maybe there are tiny bits you want to change. Notice how there is ink on the eraser outside of the actual stamp? If it doesn't show up when you stamp it, don't worry about it. But if you are going to stamp on fabric it is probably a good idea to remove as much of this as you can because the stamp will 'sink' deeper into the fabric.
Now your stamp is done, have fun playing with it! Experiment with different inks (if available) and surfaces. Make patterns. Use it as a temporary 'tattoo'. Seriously, if you don't stamp on yourself by accident, do it on purpose! ;-)
Now, here's one I made earlier: have some ice cream!
I hope this series of stamp tutorials was useful to you. And I hope you'll share some pictures of your stamps!Labels: eraser stamps, tutorial
Here is the fifth post in the eraser stamp carving tutorial. I am not an expert on this subject, but hopefully my trials and errors will help you get off to a good start. I've broken things down into the following bites:1: carving medium, i.e. erasers etc.
2: the tools you need to carve your stamps.
3: methods of transferring your design to the medium for carving.
4: inks.
5: carving.
It's finally time to carve your stamp! You've got your lino cutter and an eraser with a design on it. It is quite easy to carve a stamp. And if you much it up? It's just an eraser, chuck it in the bin and try again!
Right, start off by deciding (if you haven't already) what part of the stamp will show up coloured and what will be white/not coloured. Then cut around the design so you know where the edge of your stamp is. Use the smallest blade for this.If you can, it is best to make the carving in as few cuts as possible to avoid 'seams' in the lines which may make the cuts look 'jagged'. Note how I cut around each petal in one go. Oh and feel free to add stuff to (or rather cut away from) your stamp, like I've done in this example.
When possible, use a larger blade to carve so you can cut away larger chunks at a time, saving time. When cutting, cut away from the lines to avoid ruining the stamp if your knife slips.
Before you start carving the 'fluff' around the stamp, have a look at it and see if maybe some of it can simply be cut off, like in the picture above. You are often able to cut off corners like this. To, literally cut corners and not have to carve so much. Also, this way the back of your stamp is more similar in size to your actual stamp which makes it easier to align if you're doing repeats of the same stamp or with other stamps.
When you think your stamp is done, do a test to make sure you haven't missed anything. Or maybe there are tiny bits you want to change. Notice how there is ink on the eraser outside of the actual stamp? If it doesn't show up when you stamp it, don't worry about it. But if you are going to stamp on fabric it is probably a good idea to remove as much of this as you can because the stamp will 'sink' deeper into the fabric.
Now your stamp is done, have fun playing with it! Experiment with different inks (if available) and surfaces. Make patterns. Use it as a temporary 'tattoo'. Seriously, if you don't stamp on yourself by accident, do it on purpose! ;-)Now, here's one I made earlier: have some ice cream!
I hope this series of stamp tutorials was useful to you. And I hope you'll share some pictures of your stamps!
Labels: eraser stamps, tutorial
scribbled by Carina 5/22/2009 04:09:00 PM
Please note: as of December 2009 this blog has moved to carinascraftblog.wardi.dk,
and commenting has been disabled on this version of the blog. If you would like to leave a comment please follow
the link and use the archive or label links to find the post in its new place. Also, if you have followed a link or
bookmark to this post, please update it as this 'old' version may not stay live forever. Thank you.
Thursday, May 21, 2009
Eraser stamp tutorial - Part 4
Here is the fourth post in the eraser stamp carving tutorial. I would not call myself an expert on this subject, but hopefully what I've learnt will help you get off to a good start. I've broken things down into the following bites:
1: carving medium, i.e. erasers etc.
2: the tools you need to carve your stamps.
3: methods of transferring your design to the medium for carving.
4: inks.
5: carving.
There are many, many brands and types of inks you can use with your stamps. What ink you want to use depends entirely on what you are going to stamp on and the size of your stamp.
Generally, ink pads are the size of the ones in the picture above. The small square ones are approx. 2.5 x 2.5cm (1" x 1") and the large one is 7.5 x 4.5cm (3"x 1.75"). But even if your stampis larger than the ink pad you have to hand, you will still be able to ink it up - as long as the ink pad is raised!
Some ink pads are multicoloured or have glitter in them. There are even some that are fluorescent.
The main difference to bear in mind with the ink pads is that some of them are only for use on paper but others can be used on a number of surfaces, like wood or fabric (and paper). So if you know that you will be using your stamps on fabric it might be an idea to get the kind that is suitable for fabric from the start.
If you do stamp on fabric remember that your will probably need to set it so it won't run when washed. This is usually done in the oven on low heat or by ironing the stamped area. Your ink pad should come with instructions for doing this (please check these before you start 'cooking' your fabric!).
If you want to make larger stamps/carvings which are no longer easily covered with (even) the raised pads, you will need to get your hands on a roller (sometimes called a brayer) and some proper ink in a tube (or a tub). But that is a whole different topic, which I won't go more into here.Labels: eraser stamps, tutorial
Here is the fourth post in the eraser stamp carving tutorial. I would not call myself an expert on this subject, but hopefully what I've learnt will help you get off to a good start. I've broken things down into the following bites:1: carving medium, i.e. erasers etc.
2: the tools you need to carve your stamps.
3: methods of transferring your design to the medium for carving.
4: inks.
5: carving.
There are many, many brands and types of inks you can use with your stamps. What ink you want to use depends entirely on what you are going to stamp on and the size of your stamp.Generally, ink pads are the size of the ones in the picture above. The small square ones are approx. 2.5 x 2.5cm (1" x 1") and the large one is 7.5 x 4.5cm (3"x 1.75"). But even if your stampis larger than the ink pad you have to hand, you will still be able to ink it up - as long as the ink pad is raised!
Some ink pads are multicoloured or have glitter in them. There are even some that are fluorescent.
The main difference to bear in mind with the ink pads is that some of them are only for use on paper but others can be used on a number of surfaces, like wood or fabric (and paper). So if you know that you will be using your stamps on fabric it might be an idea to get the kind that is suitable for fabric from the start.If you do stamp on fabric remember that your will probably need to set it so it won't run when washed. This is usually done in the oven on low heat or by ironing the stamped area. Your ink pad should come with instructions for doing this (please check these before you start 'cooking' your fabric!).
If you want to make larger stamps/carvings which are no longer easily covered with (even) the raised pads, you will need to get your hands on a roller (sometimes called a brayer) and some proper ink in a tube (or a tub). But that is a whole different topic, which I won't go more into here.
Labels: eraser stamps, tutorial
scribbled by Carina 5/21/2009 06:23:00 PM
Please note: as of December 2009 this blog has moved to carinascraftblog.wardi.dk,
and commenting has been disabled on this version of the blog. If you would like to leave a comment please follow
the link and use the archive or label links to find the post in its new place. Also, if you have followed a link or
bookmark to this post, please update it as this 'old' version may not stay live forever. Thank you.
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
Eraser stamp tutorial - Part 3
Here is the third post in the eraser stamp carving tutorial. I am not an expert on this subject, but hopefully my trials and errors will help you get off to a good start. I've broken things down into the following bites:
1: carving medium, i.e. erasers etc.
2: the tools you need to carve your stamps.
3: methods of transferring your design to the medium for carving.
4: inks.
5: carving.
There are several methods of transferring your chosen image to the eraser/medium. But nomatter which method you use, remember that what you carve into the eraser will be reversed when you stamp your little heart out. This is especially important to keep in mind if you're making numbers or letters.
The simplest way to get an image onto the eraser is to draw it straight onto it. If you are using a gel pen you can even check your stamp before cutting anything if you try stamping the eraser before the ink dries. Like in the picture above.
Drawing (freehand) like that may not be for everyone; there may be details in your design that it's not so easy to copy without 'help' or you don't feel you can draw (this is, of course, not true, but it would take too long to explain here why you can draw even if you think you can't).
What you can do, then, is transfer the image using a (soft! B4 or softer) pencil, a scrap of paper and a pen. Trace around your eraser and draw in the area with the pencil until it is completely covered. Then cut out your little square.
Place it on top of your eraser with pencil side down. Draw your design on the blank paper (or trace a drawing or a word or whatever).
Depending on how much pressure you apply, and how good you are at not getting a lot of pencil smudge all over your eraser - I am not so good at this part as you can tell! - you will now have a fairly good image that you can carve. If you are a bit messy, like me, it may be necessary to loosely draw over the design with a pen. This also helps prevents smudging the lines of the design while cutting the stamp.
My favourite method of transferring the design to the eraser (or other carving medium) is sort of a further development of the above pencil one. It is less messy and a bit more colourful! I use (Saral) transfer paper which comes in several different colours. I usually use the red one.
Using some kind of translucent paper, draw your design on the paper, then turn over the paper as in the picture above. The design is now reversed so it will come out the right way when you use the stamp. Place the transfer paper on the eraser with the coloured side facing down, place your paper on top and trace the lines of your design. Be careful not to move the papers while drawing.
Once you've traced your whole drawing, remove papers and you are ready to carve your stamp.Labels: eraser stamps, tutorial
Here is the third post in the eraser stamp carving tutorial. I am not an expert on this subject, but hopefully my trials and errors will help you get off to a good start. I've broken things down into the following bites:
1: carving medium, i.e. erasers etc.
2: the tools you need to carve your stamps.
3: methods of transferring your design to the medium for carving.
4: inks.
5: carving.
There are several methods of transferring your chosen image to the eraser/medium. But nomatter which method you use, remember that what you carve into the eraser will be reversed when you stamp your little heart out. This is especially important to keep in mind if you're making numbers or letters.
The simplest way to get an image onto the eraser is to draw it straight onto it. If you are using a gel pen you can even check your stamp before cutting anything if you try stamping the eraser before the ink dries. Like in the picture above.Drawing (freehand) like that may not be for everyone; there may be details in your design that it's not so easy to copy without 'help' or you don't feel you can draw (this is, of course, not true, but it would take too long to explain here why you can draw even if you think you can't).
What you can do, then, is transfer the image using a (soft! B4 or softer) pencil, a scrap of paper and a pen. Trace around your eraser and draw in the area with the pencil until it is completely covered. Then cut out your little square.
Place it on top of your eraser with pencil side down. Draw your design on the blank paper (or trace a drawing or a word or whatever).
Depending on how much pressure you apply, and how good you are at not getting a lot of pencil smudge all over your eraser - I am not so good at this part as you can tell! - you will now have a fairly good image that you can carve. If you are a bit messy, like me, it may be necessary to loosely draw over the design with a pen. This also helps prevents smudging the lines of the design while cutting the stamp.
My favourite method of transferring the design to the eraser (or other carving medium) is sort of a further development of the above pencil one. It is less messy and a bit more colourful! I use (Saral) transfer paper which comes in several different colours. I usually use the red one.
Using some kind of translucent paper, draw your design on the paper, then turn over the paper as in the picture above. The design is now reversed so it will come out the right way when you use the stamp. Place the transfer paper on the eraser with the coloured side facing down, place your paper on top and trace the lines of your design. Be careful not to move the papers while drawing.
Once you've traced your whole drawing, remove papers and you are ready to carve your stamp.Labels: eraser stamps, tutorial
scribbled by Carina 5/20/2009 04:02:00 PM
Please note: as of December 2009 this blog has moved to carinascraftblog.wardi.dk,
and commenting has been disabled on this version of the blog. If you would like to leave a comment please follow
the link and use the archive or label links to find the post in its new place. Also, if you have followed a link or
bookmark to this post, please update it as this 'old' version may not stay live forever. Thank you.
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
Eraser stamp tutorial - Part 2
Here is the second post in the eraser stamp carving tutorial. I am not an expert on this subject, but hopefully my trials and errors will help you get off to a good start. I've broken things down into the following bites:
1: carving medium, i.e. erasers etc.
2: the tools you need to carve your stamps.
3: methods of transferring your design to the medium for carving.
4: inks.
5: carving.
To start with, you can easily use an x-acto knife (or similar sharp knife). It is great for making stamps with all straight lines and stamps that haven't got too many fine details. But I am fairly certain that soon you will start to get ambitious and all straight lines just won't cut it anymore (ha ha, cheesy pun) - ya wanna make spirals and flowers and letters and all sortos of other curvy and delicate things.
This is when you want to get your hands on a lino cutter (as the name suggests, it can also be used for cutting linoleum - you probably had a go at this in school?) You usually buy them in a set consisting of a handle with a number of blades that you can change depending on what kind of line you need to cut.
I am lucky to have the lino cutter (the one on the right) my mum got when she was a (little) girl, but unfortunately, the wooden handle is worn and doesn't hold the blades properly. But the blades are the perfect sizes for making my stamps.
In fact, the blades in the new set are quite a bit larger than the old ones. Notice the difference between these two blades, they are the smalles in the new (left) and old (right) set. Quite a difference! So you want to make sure that your lino cutter set has atleast one blade that can make very delicate details. You won't really need anything too wide. And it is easier to cut a wide area with a skinny blade than a fine detail with a broad blade.
Another note on the blades (and hence the cutter as well, I suppose) if you are hooked on making your own stamps and know that this is something you are going to enjoy, please (please!) do yourself a favour and get a decent set. I bought my new set cheap on eBay and that was a mistake because the blades are not very good.
You can probably tell that there are a couple of nicks in the middle one in the picture above. From cutting the soft rubber of an eraser; not very good. (Luckily, I really only needed the handle.) Speedball and Staedtler Mastercarve both make lino cutters and I would encourage you get one of those (or other quality brands). Yes, they will be more expensive, but it is worth it.
So, your main cutting / carving tools: a lino cutter and an x-acto knife. A self-healing mat is also a good idea so you don't cut into your table.Labels: eraser stamps, tutorial
Here is the second post in the eraser stamp carving tutorial. I am not an expert on this subject, but hopefully my trials and errors will help you get off to a good start. I've broken things down into the following bites:2: the tools you need to carve your stamps.
3: methods of transferring your design to the medium for carving.
4: inks.
5: carving.
To start with, you can easily use an x-acto knife (or similar sharp knife). It is great for making stamps with all straight lines and stamps that haven't got too many fine details. But I am fairly certain that soon you will start to get ambitious and all straight lines just won't cut it anymore (ha ha, cheesy pun) - ya wanna make spirals and flowers and letters and all sortos of other curvy and delicate things.This is when you want to get your hands on a lino cutter (as the name suggests, it can also be used for cutting linoleum - you probably had a go at this in school?) You usually buy them in a set consisting of a handle with a number of blades that you can change depending on what kind of line you need to cut.
I am lucky to have the lino cutter (the one on the right) my mum got when she was a (little) girl, but unfortunately, the wooden handle is worn and doesn't hold the blades properly. But the blades are the perfect sizes for making my stamps.
In fact, the blades in the new set are quite a bit larger than the old ones. Notice the difference between these two blades, they are the smalles in the new (left) and old (right) set. Quite a difference! So you want to make sure that your lino cutter set has atleast one blade that can make very delicate details. You won't really need anything too wide. And it is easier to cut a wide area with a skinny blade than a fine detail with a broad blade.
Another note on the blades (and hence the cutter as well, I suppose) if you are hooked on making your own stamps and know that this is something you are going to enjoy, please (please!) do yourself a favour and get a decent set. I bought my new set cheap on eBay and that was a mistake because the blades are not very good.You can probably tell that there are a couple of nicks in the middle one in the picture above. From cutting the soft rubber of an eraser; not very good. (Luckily, I really only needed the handle.) Speedball and Staedtler Mastercarve both make lino cutters and I would encourage you get one of those (or other quality brands). Yes, they will be more expensive, but it is worth it.
So, your main cutting / carving tools: a lino cutter and an x-acto knife. A self-healing mat is also a good idea so you don't cut into your table.
Labels: eraser stamps, tutorial
scribbled by Carina 5/19/2009 04:10:00 PM
Please note: as of December 2009 this blog has moved to carinascraftblog.wardi.dk,
and commenting has been disabled on this version of the blog. If you would like to leave a comment please follow
the link and use the archive or label links to find the post in its new place. Also, if you have followed a link or
bookmark to this post, please update it as this 'old' version may not stay live forever. Thank you.
Monday, May 18, 2009
Eraser stamp tutorial - Part 1
As promised here is the eraser stamp carving tutorial. Or rather the first part. I wouldn't call myself an expert on this subject, but hopefully my trials and errors will help you get off to a good start. I've divided it into 5 parts so I can tell you all that I know without having the post being longer than most people's arm! ;-)
I've broken things down into the following bites:
1: carving medium, i.e. erasers etc.
2: the tools you need to carve your stamps.
3: methods of transferring your design to the medium for carving.
4: inks.
5: carving.
Right, let's get started!
It is called eraser stamps because you cut them from erasers (to start with, anyway!) And most erasers work for this purpose. Although, you should stay clear of erasers that are too stiff or grainy. The best ones are smooth and rubbery - you can bend them without them breaking. Like in the picture below. Fortunately, erasers are fairly cheap so you can afford to experiment!
Pound shops (dollar stores) are a great place to get cheap erasers. But beware that one day they might stop selling that perfect eraser (this has happened to me a couple of times!) - so if you find a favourite, get plenty while you can!
Erasers are fine as long as your stamps are small enough to fit one them. But one day you will wake up wanting to make a stamp that is, say, 5x5 cm and that just won't fit on (most) erasers! What do you do then?
Luckily, there are a few companies that make 'slabs' of cutting media. These are some of them: Speedball, Staedtler Mastercarve and PZ Kut.
Other than the erasers, I have only tried the Speedy-Carve from Speedball (the bubble-gum pink one, they have a white variety but apparently it isn't as good). It comes in blocks of different sizes that you can (obviously) cut into smaller bits according to the size of your stamp. Speedy-Carve is a little bit on the thin side, so you may need to mount it, i.e. glue it to a wooden or acrylic block.
If you can, do experiment with different brands, you may prefer one over the others.Labels: eraser stamps, tutorial
As promised here is the eraser stamp carving tutorial. Or rather the first part. I wouldn't call myself an expert on this subject, but hopefully my trials and errors will help you get off to a good start. I've divided it into 5 parts so I can tell you all that I know without having the post being longer than most people's arm! ;-)
I've broken things down into the following bites:
2: the tools you need to carve your stamps.
3: methods of transferring your design to the medium for carving.
4: inks.
5: carving.
Right, let's get started!
It is called eraser stamps because you cut them from erasers (to start with, anyway!) And most erasers work for this purpose. Although, you should stay clear of erasers that are too stiff or grainy. The best ones are smooth and rubbery - you can bend them without them breaking. Like in the picture below. Fortunately, erasers are fairly cheap so you can afford to experiment!
Pound shops (dollar stores) are a great place to get cheap erasers. But beware that one day they might stop selling that perfect eraser (this has happened to me a couple of times!) - so if you find a favourite, get plenty while you can!Erasers are fine as long as your stamps are small enough to fit one them. But one day you will wake up wanting to make a stamp that is, say, 5x5 cm and that just won't fit on (most) erasers! What do you do then?
Luckily, there are a few companies that make 'slabs' of cutting media. These are some of them: Speedball, Staedtler Mastercarve and PZ Kut.
Other than the erasers, I have only tried the Speedy-Carve from Speedball (the bubble-gum pink one, they have a white variety but apparently it isn't as good). It comes in blocks of different sizes that you can (obviously) cut into smaller bits according to the size of your stamp. Speedy-Carve is a little bit on the thin side, so you may need to mount it, i.e. glue it to a wooden or acrylic block.If you can, do experiment with different brands, you may prefer one over the others.
Labels: eraser stamps, tutorial
scribbled by Carina 5/18/2009 04:08:00 PM
Please note: as of December 2009 this blog has moved to carinascraftblog.wardi.dk,
and commenting has been disabled on this version of the blog. If you would like to leave a comment please follow
the link and use the archive or label links to find the post in its new place. Also, if you have followed a link or
bookmark to this post, please update it as this 'old' version may not stay live forever. Thank you.
Friday, May 15, 2009
Crochet tutorial - Lipbalm holder
I need my lipbalm close to me at all times. Also when I'm on a plane. Especially when I'm on a plane! But sometimes I forget to put it in my pocket and then poor Tony has to get up and rummage through the carry on bags to find it for me. He's tall, rummaging through stuff in the overhead locker is his job, obviously!
And even if I do remember to put it in my pocket, that is no guarantee that it is easily accesible if you're wearing your seatbelt. And it's not such a good idea to have it in a pocket, so close to your body heat.
Well. I have solved my airplane related lipbalm problem and made a crochet holder/necklace type thing. I thought maybe you could use it too, so there's a pattern for it below. It is really easy and a good little project for using up scraps of yarn.
(I made my holder with a size 2.5 mm crochet hook and yarn that requires a 3.0 mm hook to get a tight 'fabric')
1. Make a magic ring like in June's tutorial, making 6 sc in the ring, join with ss.
2. Ch 2, make 1 sc in same stitch, then 2 sc in each of the remaining stitches, join with ss.
3. Ch 2, make 1 sc in same stitch; repeat [ 2sc, 1 sc, 1 sc] until you have gone all the way around, join with ss.
4. Ch 2, 1 sc in each stitch, join with ss. Repeat this round until the holder is as tall as your lipbalm.
5, When you join in the last round, don't bind off, but starting making a chain in the appropriate lenght, join on the opposite side of the opening of the holder and then make one sc in each chain going back, join at the start of the chain. Bind off. And you're done!
Depending on the width of your lipbalm and what size yarn you use, you may have to adjust the number of stitches and such. But is easy to experiment with... :-)
I need my lipbalm close to me at all times. Also when I'm on a plane. Especially when I'm on a plane! But sometimes I forget to put it in my pocket and then poor Tony has to get up and rummage through the carry on bags to find it for me. He's tall, rummaging through stuff in the overhead locker is his job, obviously!And even if I do remember to put it in my pocket, that is no guarantee that it is easily accesible if you're wearing your seatbelt. And it's not such a good idea to have it in a pocket, so close to your body heat.
Well. I have solved my airplane related lipbalm problem and made a crochet holder/necklace type thing. I thought maybe you could use it too, so there's a pattern for it below. It is really easy and a good little project for using up scraps of yarn.
(I made my holder with a size 2.5 mm crochet hook and yarn that requires a 3.0 mm hook to get a tight 'fabric')1. Make a magic ring like in June's tutorial, making 6 sc in the ring, join with ss.
2. Ch 2, make 1 sc in same stitch, then 2 sc in each of the remaining stitches, join with ss.
3. Ch 2, make 1 sc in same stitch; repeat [ 2sc, 1 sc, 1 sc] until you have gone all the way around, join with ss.
4. Ch 2, 1 sc in each stitch, join with ss. Repeat this round until the holder is as tall as your lipbalm.
5, When you join in the last round, don't bind off, but starting making a chain in the appropriate lenght, join on the opposite side of the opening of the holder and then make one sc in each chain going back, join at the start of the chain. Bind off. And you're done!
Depending on the width of your lipbalm and what size yarn you use, you may have to adjust the number of stitches and such. But is easy to experiment with... :-)
scribbled by Carina 5/15/2009 09:21:00 AM
Please note: as of December 2009 this blog has moved to carinascraftblog.wardi.dk,
and commenting has been disabled on this version of the blog. If you would like to leave a comment please follow
the link and use the archive or label links to find the post in its new place. Also, if you have followed a link or
bookmark to this post, please update it as this 'old' version may not stay live forever. Thank you.
Thursday, February 12, 2009
Tutorial - Cushion covers
This is what our sofa looked like until yesterday. Well, the sofa looks exactly the same, but the cushions have changed:
Not at all goundbreaking (it's really just an envelope style cover) but a little bit different anyway. Now, before we get started can we just get over the fact that I so couldn't be bothered to iron the fabric for the back of the cushions? 'Coz I'm lazy like that. But of course, YOU should totally iron your fabric if you want to. But it's cool if you're lazy like me. Ahhh yeah.
Anyway, on with the show.
What you need: the cushions you want to cover. 3 pieces of fabric (1 for the front, 2 for the back) the size of your cushion for each cushion. You can use the same fabric for both front and back or do different ones like I have. Plus one piece of contrasting fabric which must be about 1/3 longer than the longest side of your cushion and about 10cm / 4" wide.
There aren't any exact measurements that I can give you, because it depends on the size of your cushion. You'll just have to wing it. That's what I did. Right now I'm just pretending that I know what I'm doing. I won't even mention that I had to adjust the size (was too big) of the cushions after sewing them and turning them right side out and putting them on the cushions... ;-)
Put one of your back fabrics on top of the front one. This is just so you have something to 'measure' the back against, you won't be doing anything with the front piece just yet. Fold over about 1/3 of the fabric and pin it.
Sew across it a few times, either with a matching or contrasting colour, whatever strikes your fancy. It doesn't have to be terribly neat either, it will be covered anyway.
Turn it over and cut off any excess fabric.
Place the back piece on top of the front piece again. Then place the other back piece on top of that and fold it at an angle. Not too steep an angle, though. And not from a corner either.
Cut off the small folded bit (if that makes sense..?) and measure the diagonal: this measurement + about 5 cm / 2" will be the length of your small piece of contrasting fabric.
Cut that piece of fabric and pin it to the diagonal edge. Sew the two pieces together. If you are using fabrics with right and wrong sides, please make sure that you sew right sides together...
Trim the seam and fold the contrasting fabric to where it almost meets the seam. Pin in place.
Stitch on top of the contrasting fabric. Use the same colour. Or a different one. But you might want to try and do as straight lines as you can to make it look all nice and neat.
Place the front fabric with right side facing, place the back piece with the contrasting edge on top with right side facing down.
Then place the other back piece on top of that. Again with right side facing down. Please note that the two edges must be towards opposite ends! Pin everything together and sew all the way around your fabric sandwich. Trim the seams and snip off the corners - without cutting the corner seam! Turn inside out (maybe a quick iron as well?) and place your cushion inside. Job done! Repeat for as many cushions as you need.
As you can see below, I used 3 different contrasting edgings that all go with the front fabric (I think so anyway!). This way there are LOADS of possibilities for mixing things up. I DO like multi-function!
Labels: home life, sewing, tutorial
This is what our sofa looked like until yesterday. Well, the sofa looks exactly the same, but the cushions have changed:
Not at all goundbreaking (it's really just an envelope style cover) but a little bit different anyway. Now, before we get started can we just get over the fact that I so couldn't be bothered to iron the fabric for the back of the cushions? 'Coz I'm lazy like that. But of course, YOU should totally iron your fabric if you want to. But it's cool if you're lazy like me. Ahhh yeah.Anyway, on with the show.
What you need: the cushions you want to cover. 3 pieces of fabric (1 for the front, 2 for the back) the size of your cushion for each cushion. You can use the same fabric for both front and back or do different ones like I have. Plus one piece of contrasting fabric which must be about 1/3 longer than the longest side of your cushion and about 10cm / 4" wide.There aren't any exact measurements that I can give you, because it depends on the size of your cushion. You'll just have to wing it. That's what I did. Right now I'm just pretending that I know what I'm doing. I won't even mention that I had to adjust the size (was too big) of the cushions after sewing them and turning them right side out and putting them on the cushions... ;-)
Put one of your back fabrics on top of the front one. This is just so you have something to 'measure' the back against, you won't be doing anything with the front piece just yet. Fold over about 1/3 of the fabric and pin it.
Sew across it a few times, either with a matching or contrasting colour, whatever strikes your fancy. It doesn't have to be terribly neat either, it will be covered anyway.
Turn it over and cut off any excess fabric.
Place the back piece on top of the front piece again. Then place the other back piece on top of that and fold it at an angle. Not too steep an angle, though. And not from a corner either.
Cut off the small folded bit (if that makes sense..?) and measure the diagonal: this measurement + about 5 cm / 2" will be the length of your small piece of contrasting fabric.
Cut that piece of fabric and pin it to the diagonal edge. Sew the two pieces together. If you are using fabrics with right and wrong sides, please make sure that you sew right sides together...
Trim the seam and fold the contrasting fabric to where it almost meets the seam. Pin in place.
Stitch on top of the contrasting fabric. Use the same colour. Or a different one. But you might want to try and do as straight lines as you can to make it look all nice and neat.
Place the front fabric with right side facing, place the back piece with the contrasting edge on top with right side facing down.
Then place the other back piece on top of that. Again with right side facing down. Please note that the two edges must be towards opposite ends! Pin everything together and sew all the way around your fabric sandwich. Trim the seams and snip off the corners - without cutting the corner seam! Turn inside out (maybe a quick iron as well?) and place your cushion inside. Job done! Repeat for as many cushions as you need.As you can see below, I used 3 different contrasting edgings that all go with the front fabric (I think so anyway!). This way there are LOADS of possibilities for mixing things up. I DO like multi-function!
Labels: home life, sewing, tutorial
scribbled by Carina 2/12/2009 07:27:00 PM
Please note: as of December 2009 this blog has moved to carinascraftblog.wardi.dk,
and commenting has been disabled on this version of the blog. If you would like to leave a comment please follow
the link and use the archive or label links to find the post in its new place. Also, if you have followed a link or
bookmark to this post, please update it as this 'old' version may not stay live forever. Thank you.
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Tutorial - Bag strap slider
Right, finally getting my act together and writing this tutorial for using/attaching a bag strap slider. It is easy, easier than it might look anyway! One thing worth mentioning before we begin: make sure your strap will actually fit in the slider. This may be self-evident, but there we go, I said it anyway. Oh and, in case you're wondering, I got my slider from U-Handbag.
Take one end of your strap and pull it through the slider. Then stitch the end onto the strap. Back of the strap end to back of the strap. In this picture the front of the strap is the blue side and the orange is the back. The strap end after the slider can be as long or short as you like, but I find that if you're using a sewing machine to stitch it, you need room to move.
Now pull the strap though the loop on the bag (I used a D ring but you could have a round one or a leather loop or whatever), with the back of the strap (orange side here) facing you and the front (blue) facing the bag.
Pull the unattached end of the strap through the slider with front side facing you.
Finally, pull the unattached end through your other loop and attach like you did with the first one. And that's it. You're done!Labels: bags, sewing, tutorial
Right, finally getting my act together and writing this tutorial for using/attaching a bag strap slider. It is easy, easier than it might look anyway! One thing worth mentioning before we begin: make sure your strap will actually fit in the slider. This may be self-evident, but there we go, I said it anyway. Oh and, in case you're wondering, I got my slider from U-Handbag.
Take one end of your strap and pull it through the slider. Then stitch the end onto the strap. Back of the strap end to back of the strap. In this picture the front of the strap is the blue side and the orange is the back. The strap end after the slider can be as long or short as you like, but I find that if you're using a sewing machine to stitch it, you need room to move.
Now pull the strap though the loop on the bag (I used a D ring but you could have a round one or a leather loop or whatever), with the back of the strap (orange side here) facing you and the front (blue) facing the bag.
Pull the unattached end of the strap through the slider with front side facing you.
Finally, pull the unattached end through your other loop and attach like you did with the first one. And that's it. You're done!Labels: bags, sewing, tutorial
scribbled by Carina 1/21/2009 11:44:00 AM
Please note: as of December 2009 this blog has moved to carinascraftblog.wardi.dk,
and commenting has been disabled on this version of the blog. If you would like to leave a comment please follow
the link and use the archive or label links to find the post in its new place. Also, if you have followed a link or
bookmark to this post, please update it as this 'old' version may not stay live forever. Thank you.
Saturday, August 23, 2008
Yellow mobile - a tutorial
Don't you just love it when you have an idea that is REALLY simple and easy, but then it takes you FOR-LIKE-EVER to actually do it? Yeah, me too. I had the idea to make this yellow mobile thing BEFORE my parents came over, so we're looking at atleast 3 weeks ago. I did manage to paint some watercolour paper yellow. But that was as far as I got. Until the other day when I FINALLY got my act together and made it. And it's really quite easy. So easy I thought I'd make a tutorial for it! ;-)
Take some watercolour paper and paint it with your favourite colour or another colour or a combination or use some coloured card. However if you colour the paper yourself it has the added bonus of both colour and white which looks rather nice. Cut your paper into squares and rectangles of different sizes.
Cut the corners with a corner rounder. You may need a small one for the smaller squares. Or you can skip this step entirely. I just like round corners and would like to apply them to more things in life.
Punch holes in your squares with a needle. Do some across and some lengthwise so you get a variation on the square theme.
Thread a needle and string your squares. Remember to tie the thread around the square at the top and bottom. I'm not sure how to explain this properly, but I'm sure you'll figure it out. And your method might be better than mine anyway. The point is, though, that if you don't secure the top and bottom, you'll end up with all your squares lumped together at the bottom of your string.
And that's it. Now you just need a place to hang it. I did this by sticking it to the shelf over my desk with a piece of clear tape. Rather clever, eh? ;-) The desk is right next to the telly, so the mobile is kept in motion by the heat from the telly.
Don't you just love it when you have an idea that is REALLY simple and easy, but then it takes you FOR-LIKE-EVER to actually do it? Yeah, me too. I had the idea to make this yellow mobile thing BEFORE my parents came over, so we're looking at atleast 3 weeks ago. I did manage to paint some watercolour paper yellow. But that was as far as I got. Until the other day when I FINALLY got my act together and made it. And it's really quite easy. So easy I thought I'd make a tutorial for it! ;-)
Take some watercolour paper and paint it with your favourite colour or another colour or a combination or use some coloured card. However if you colour the paper yourself it has the added bonus of both colour and white which looks rather nice. Cut your paper into squares and rectangles of different sizes.
Cut the corners with a corner rounder. You may need a small one for the smaller squares. Or you can skip this step entirely. I just like round corners and would like to apply them to more things in life.
Punch holes in your squares with a needle. Do some across and some lengthwise so you get a variation on the square theme.
Thread a needle and string your squares. Remember to tie the thread around the square at the top and bottom. I'm not sure how to explain this properly, but I'm sure you'll figure it out. And your method might be better than mine anyway. The point is, though, that if you don't secure the top and bottom, you'll end up with all your squares lumped together at the bottom of your string.And that's it. Now you just need a place to hang it. I did this by sticking it to the shelf over my desk with a piece of clear tape. Rather clever, eh? ;-) The desk is right next to the telly, so the mobile is kept in motion by the heat from the telly.
scribbled by Carina 8/23/2008 05:14:00 PM
Please note: as of December 2009 this blog has moved to carinascraftblog.wardi.dk,
and commenting has been disabled on this version of the blog. If you would like to leave a comment please follow
the link and use the archive or label links to find the post in its new place. Also, if you have followed a link or
bookmark to this post, please update it as this 'old' version may not stay live forever. Thank you.
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
Easy tags - a tutorial
Here's a quick way to make some pretty tags/labels for.. well, anything you fancy, really!
It's REALLY easy and requires no fancy equipment. No fancier than a computer and a printer. And a craft punch (or whatever it is called), but that's not absolutely necessary.
Find some text (or write something yourself), paste it into a document in Word or whatever word processing program you use. I used The Princess and the Pea by Hans Christian Andersen. I guess it doesn't matter terribly what the text says as the idea is to use the text as a decorative element and you won't really be able to read (a lot of) it. Now format the text to your liking; font, size, colour. I used a font called Jane Austen. It's quite pretty, I think! I love handwriting fonts. Maybe because allegedly my own handwriting isn't so, er, legible.
If you do use the craft punch, it is best to make the text go as far out to the edges of the paper as you possibly can on your printer. But even then you may have to cut the edges slightly or you'll get a part of the tag which has too much blank paper. Punch out, or cut out, your tags and you are done!
One word of advice, use card, not printer paper because that might be too thin and would disturb the writing on the back of the tag.Labels: tutorial
Here's a quick way to make some pretty tags/labels for.. well, anything you fancy, really!It's REALLY easy and requires no fancy equipment. No fancier than a computer and a printer. And a craft punch (or whatever it is called), but that's not absolutely necessary.
Find some text (or write something yourself), paste it into a document in Word or whatever word processing program you use. I used The Princess and the Pea by Hans Christian Andersen. I guess it doesn't matter terribly what the text says as the idea is to use the text as a decorative element and you won't really be able to read (a lot of) it. Now format the text to your liking; font, size, colour. I used a font called Jane Austen. It's quite pretty, I think! I love handwriting fonts. Maybe because allegedly my own handwriting isn't so, er, legible.
If you do use the craft punch, it is best to make the text go as far out to the edges of the paper as you possibly can on your printer. But even then you may have to cut the edges slightly or you'll get a part of the tag which has too much blank paper. Punch out, or cut out, your tags and you are done!
One word of advice, use card, not printer paper because that might be too thin and would disturb the writing on the back of the tag.Labels: tutorial
scribbled by Carina 7/15/2008 08:26:00 PM
Please note: as of December 2009 this blog has moved to carinascraftblog.wardi.dk,
and commenting has been disabled on this version of the blog. If you would like to leave a comment please follow
the link and use the archive or label links to find the post in its new place. Also, if you have followed a link or
bookmark to this post, please update it as this 'old' version may not stay live forever. Thank you.
Friday, May 23, 2008
No foundation chain crochet tutorial
Did you know that you can make crochet rows without the foundation chain? It was news to me until very recently. But bloody 'ell, what a brilliant concept! The reason this is so great is that when you make a foundation chain first, it can sometimes screw with the tension at the beginning of the project, making it tighter than the rest of it. The ripple blanket I made last year is an example of this. But I had no idea, then, that it didn't have to be like that. Mad woman that I am, I'm actually considering frogging it and doing it all over again! ;-)
Anyway, here's the tutorial. I've made it with double crochet (US term), but it can easily be adapted to any stitch size. If you have any problems or questions, don't be shy, I'd be happy to help.
1. Make 3 chain stitches.
2. Yarn over and pull a loop through the first chain (just like if you were making a double crochet stitch).
3. But in stead of finishing the double crochet stitch, pull another yarn through the loop closest to the tip of the hook, to make another chain stitch.
4. Then finish the double crochet stitch like normal.
5. You now have double crochet stitch with an extra chain at the bottom.
6. Yarn over, pull loop through the extra chain, pull yarn through this loop and then finish the double crochet stitch. Repeat this until your row is long enough.
Now we are starting to see a pattern, right?
Here's what a (small) no foundation chain row looks like.
And here are example swatches of no foundation chain and foundation chain. Can you tell which is which? ;-) It's not easily shown in a picture how the no foundation chain make the tension in the beginning row less (err) tense. But believe me, it is so.
Did you know that you can make crochet rows without the foundation chain? It was news to me until very recently. But bloody 'ell, what a brilliant concept! The reason this is so great is that when you make a foundation chain first, it can sometimes screw with the tension at the beginning of the project, making it tighter than the rest of it. The ripple blanket I made last year is an example of this. But I had no idea, then, that it didn't have to be like that. Mad woman that I am, I'm actually considering frogging it and doing it all over again! ;-)
Anyway, here's the tutorial. I've made it with double crochet (US term), but it can easily be adapted to any stitch size. If you have any problems or questions, don't be shy, I'd be happy to help.
1. Make 3 chain stitches.
2. Yarn over and pull a loop through the first chain (just like if you were making a double crochet stitch).
3. But in stead of finishing the double crochet stitch, pull another yarn through the loop closest to the tip of the hook, to make another chain stitch.
4. Then finish the double crochet stitch like normal.
5. You now have double crochet stitch with an extra chain at the bottom.
6. Yarn over, pull loop through the extra chain, pull yarn through this loop and then finish the double crochet stitch. Repeat this until your row is long enough.
Now we are starting to see a pattern, right?
Here's what a (small) no foundation chain row looks like.
And here are example swatches of no foundation chain and foundation chain. Can you tell which is which? ;-) It's not easily shown in a picture how the no foundation chain make the tension in the beginning row less (err) tense. But believe me, it is so.
scribbled by Carina 5/23/2008 07:00:00 PM
Please note: as of December 2009 this blog has moved to carinascraftblog.wardi.dk,
and commenting has been disabled on this version of the blog. If you would like to leave a comment please follow
the link and use the archive or label links to find the post in its new place. Also, if you have followed a link or
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Sunday, May 11, 2008
Porcelain decoration tutorial
Wow, you really like that cup, huh?! :-) Thank you very much for all your comments about it! Seeing as you're asking how I made it, here's a wee tutorial. It is very easy.
This is the magic wand pen that you need. Its the Pebeo Porcelaine 150. You should be able to find it (or something similar) at you favourite craft shop. Then you need something you want to decorate, which doesn't have to be white - and it might actually be fun to add something to an already decorated object!
Clean your mug (or whatever) with some white spirit, make sure it's dry and then you're ready to have fun! I suspect it is best to keep your greasy little fingers off the surface you want to decorate, so be careful how you hold it. Don't worry if you make a mistake when drawing on your mug, you can wipe it all off with water!
Once you're happy with your design, leave your mug to dry for 24 hours. Then put it in a cold oven and once the oven has reached a temperature of 150°C/300°F bake your mug for 35 minutes. Let your mug cool down in the oven. And that's it! Sooo easy, right?
I'm already pondering what to draw on next. Maybe my plain green mug..! Let me know how you get on with this, I'd love to see what you come up with. :-)Labels: drawing, mugs, tutorial
Wow, you really like that cup, huh?! :-) Thank you very much for all your comments about it! Seeing as you're asking how I made it, here's a wee tutorial. It is very easy.
This is the magic Clean your mug (or whatever) with some white spirit, make sure it's dry and then you're ready to have fun! I suspect it is best to keep your greasy little fingers off the surface you want to decorate, so be careful how you hold it. Don't worry if you make a mistake when drawing on your mug, you can wipe it all off with water!
Once you're happy with your design, leave your mug to dry for 24 hours. Then put it in a cold oven and once the oven has reached a temperature of 150°C/300°F bake your mug for 35 minutes. Let your mug cool down in the oven. And that's it! Sooo easy, right?
I'm already pondering what to draw on next. Maybe my plain green mug..! Let me know how you get on with this, I'd love to see what you come up with. :-)
Labels: drawing, mugs, tutorial
scribbled by Carina 5/11/2008 06:32:00 PM
Please note: as of December 2009 this blog has moved to carinascraftblog.wardi.dk,
and commenting has been disabled on this version of the blog. If you would like to leave a comment please follow
the link and use the archive or label links to find the post in its new place. Also, if you have followed a link or
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Wednesday, February 13, 2008
Tutorial: Sketchbook cover
As promised, here's the tutorial for making the zippered sketchbook cover. This will be very lengthy, with lots of pictures and explanations of things which you might know already, because you're a lot smarter than me. If you have any tips for doing some of the steps quicker/easier in future, please leave a comment or email me; after all, I've never learnt to do this, I'm making it up as I go along. ;-) Also, can we just start out by having a giggle at the fact that all the pictures have '2007' on them, when clearly it's 2008?! I really can't be bothered to change that now! Anyway, on with the tutorial - and remember, if you have any questions or problems, just send me an email. Here we go:
What you need: fabric (I can't tell you exactly how much as that depends on your sketchbook, but you'll need enough to cover it twice (outside & lining) + 4 times the width of the side 'panels'), zipper, which obviously must be shorter than your sketchbook, elastic (optional), scraps of felt and all the usual stuff you need for sewing.
First wrap your outer fabric around the sketchbook while shut, cut the fabric so you have a piece that's about 1cm bigger than the sketchbook on all sides.
Now place the outer on the lining fabric and cut a piece the same size. Now you have two pieces!
Next you will need your measuring tape. Measure the height of your outside fabric + add a couple of centimetres. Write that number down. Yes, the sides will be taller than the outer fabric, this is exactly what we want.
First measure the width of your book, decide how wide you want the side panels to be. I think a little smaller than half the width is a good size, but it's up to you. Remember to add 1 cm seam allowance (x2). The sides are folded double so the actual size is twice the width of the desired width (if that makes sense). Now get your fabric and fold it in half and cut two pieces using the number from this and the previous step.
Ok, now it might get a bit daunting, we're going to add the zipper! Actually, it's not really that difficult, as you will see.
First, fold your outer fabric around your book and tuck in the sides with a couple of pins, just stick them in between the pages. Now place the zipper where you want it. Make a mark at each end of the actual zipper bit.
Next, draw two narrow triangles and mark a line between the points of the triangles.
Cut the two sides of each triangle (but for heaven's sake, don't cut the bases which are parallel with the top and bottom of the book) and along the line between them.
Now fold and pin the sides and triangles like in the picture above. If you're in a hurry, you can iron the folds or do like me and leave it for a little while and go have some lunch.
Alright, pin the zipper to the fabric, make sure that the fabric is about 3 mm from the zipper 'teeth'.
Go to your sewing machine and change the foot and quite possibly the settings on your machine. If this is the first time you're using the zipper foot, you probably want to check your manual. As a quick reference, above you can see the normal foot (1) and the zipper foot (2) for my machine.
Sew on the zipper, stitching a couple of millimetres from the edge of the fabric. When you get to the zipper pull, stop sewing and lift the foot with the needle still in the fabric.
Like so. Pivot the fabric so you can pull the zipper pull away from you. Straighten fabric, foot down and then continue sewing.
And there you have it, one zipper successfully installed. Don't worry if the ends are a bit wonky. We'll take care of that in the next step.
Cut a circle from your felt scrap, cut it in half and stitch on at the ends of the zipper. If you want to further decorate your cover, this is the time to do that as well.
Now you have almost all your pieces ready for assembly. Outside (1), lining (2) and sides (3&4).
You just need to cut your elastic -if you want one- measure the height of your book + the thickness x2 and that is the length of the ('relaxed') elastic you'll need.
Place your outer fabric with right side facing, place one of the sides on top with the fold towards the middle. Pin the elastic to the opposite side of the outer fabric, with 1 cm hanging off at each end. ~ This constellation means that the elastic will go on the back of the book when closed; if you want it to be on the front, reverse what you see in the picture above. ~
Place the last side on top of the elastic, place the lining on top of everything and pin it all together. ~ If your lining has a printed side, make sure that you put it wrong side facing you. ~
Turn and then sew everything together with the wrong side of the outer fabric facing you. Leave a gap at the bottom for turning. As you go over the elastic, go over it a couple of times to make sure it's attached properly.
Trim the fabric and cut the corners. Turn inside out and sew together the turning gap.
Put the cover on your book, close it and pin along both sides of the spine (or draw on it with a pen that will disappear). Remove the cover and go back to you sewing machine.
Sew down the middle between the pins. This is to stabilise the cover, but also to make the pocket on the front. I think it looks nice using a large stitch and a contrasting colour thread, but that's entirely up to what you fancy.
Repeat a couple of times (or more, depending on the thickness of the book) on both sides. And that's it. You're done! Hooray! Now pat yourself on the back and then send me a picture so I can see your cover. :-)Labels: sewing, sketchbook, tutorial
As promised, here's the tutorial for making the zippered sketchbook cover. This will be very lengthy, with lots of pictures and explanations of things which you might know already, because you're a lot smarter than me. If you have any tips for doing some of the steps quicker/easier in future, please leave a comment or email me; after all, I've never learnt to do this, I'm making it up as I go along. ;-) Also, can we just start out by having a giggle at the fact that all the pictures have '2007' on them, when clearly it's 2008?! I really can't be bothered to change that now! Anyway, on with the tutorial - and remember, if you have any questions or problems, just send me an email. Here we go:
What you need: fabric (I can't tell you exactly how much as that depends on your sketchbook, but you'll need enough to cover it twice (outside & lining) + 4 times the width of the side 'panels'), zipper, which obviously must be shorter than your sketchbook, elastic (optional), scraps of felt and all the usual stuff you need for sewing.
First wrap your outer fabric around the sketchbook while shut, cut the fabric so you have a piece that's about 1cm bigger than the sketchbook on all sides.
Now place the outer on the lining fabric and cut a piece the same size. Now you have two pieces!
Next you will need your measuring tape. Measure the height of your outside fabric + add a couple of centimetres. Write that number down. Yes, the sides will be taller than the outer fabric, this is exactly what we want.
First measure the width of your book, decide how wide you want the side panels to be. I think a little smaller than half the width is a good size, but it's up to you. Remember to add 1 cm seam allowance (x2). The sides are folded double so the actual size is twice the width of the desired width (if that makes sense). Now get your fabric and fold it in half and cut two pieces using the number from this and the previous step.Ok, now it might get a bit daunting, we're going to add the zipper! Actually, it's not really that difficult, as you will see.
First, fold your outer fabric around your book and tuck in the sides with a couple of pins, just stick them in between the pages. Now place the zipper where you want it. Make a mark at each end of the actual zipper bit.
Next, draw two narrow triangles and mark a line between the points of the triangles.
Cut the two sides of each triangle (but for heaven's sake, don't cut the bases which are parallel with the top and bottom of the book) and along the line between them.
Now fold and pin the sides and triangles like in the picture above. If you're in a hurry, you can iron the folds or do like me and leave it for a little while and go have some lunch.
Alright, pin the zipper to the fabric, make sure that the fabric is about 3 mm from the zipper 'teeth'.
Go to your sewing machine and change the foot and quite possibly the settings on your machine. If this is the first time you're using the zipper foot, you probably want to check your manual. As a quick reference, above you can see the normal foot (1) and the zipper foot (2) for my machine.
Sew on the zipper, stitching a couple of millimetres from the edge of the fabric. When you get to the zipper pull, stop sewing and lift the foot with the needle still in the fabric.
Like so. Pivot the fabric so you can pull the zipper pull away from you. Straighten fabric, foot down and then continue sewing.
And there you have it, one zipper successfully installed. Don't worry if the ends are a bit wonky. We'll take care of that in the next step.
Cut a circle from your felt scrap, cut it in half and stitch on at the ends of the zipper. If you want to further decorate your cover, this is the time to do that as well.
Now you have almost all your pieces ready for assembly. Outside (1), lining (2) and sides (3&4).
You just need to cut your elastic -if you want one- measure the height of your book + the thickness x2 and that is the length of the ('relaxed') elastic you'll need.
Place your outer fabric with right side facing, place one of the sides on top with the fold towards the middle. Pin the elastic to the opposite side of the outer fabric, with 1 cm hanging off at each end. ~ This constellation means that the elastic will go on the back of the book when closed; if you want it to be on the front, reverse what you see in the picture above. ~
Place the last side on top of the elastic, place the lining on top of everything and pin it all together. ~ If your lining has a printed side, make sure that you put it wrong side facing you. ~
Turn and then sew everything together with the wrong side of the outer fabric facing you. Leave a gap at the bottom for turning. As you go over the elastic, go over it a couple of times to make sure it's attached properly.
Trim the fabric and cut the corners. Turn inside out and sew together the turning gap.
Put the cover on your book, close it and pin along both sides of the spine (or draw on it with a pen that will disappear). Remove the cover and go back to you sewing machine.
Sew down the middle between the pins. This is to stabilise the cover, but also to make the pocket on the front. I think it looks nice using a large stitch and a contrasting colour thread, but that's entirely up to what you fancy.
Repeat a couple of times (or more, depending on the thickness of the book) on both sides. And that's it. You're done! Hooray! Now pat yourself on the back and then send me a picture so I can see your cover. :-)Labels: sewing, sketchbook, tutorial
scribbled by Carina 2/13/2008 11:14:00 AM
Please note: as of December 2009 this blog has moved to carinascraftblog.wardi.dk,
and commenting has been disabled on this version of the blog. If you would like to leave a comment please follow
the link and use the archive or label links to find the post in its new place. Also, if you have followed a link or
bookmark to this post, please update it as this 'old' version may not stay live forever. Thank you.
Tuesday, December 04, 2007
Beady heart ornaments
Hey, here are some super easy ornaments I made a couple of weeks ago (I only just got round to adding the ribbons today, ha!).
All you need is beads in whatever size, colour or shape you fancy, wire that is thin enough to go through your beads and some ribbon.
Put beads on your wire, "tie" the ends together, but leave a bit of wire so you can make a loop. Shape your beady wire into the shape you want. Attach ribbon; I made a bow at the bottom of the loop and then attached another bit of ribbon at the top for hanging on the tree.
Told you it was easy. ;-) There are some more beady hearts in this Flickr set.
Hey, here are some super easy ornaments I made a couple of weeks ago (I only just got round to adding the ribbons today, ha!).All you need is beads in whatever size, colour or shape you fancy, wire that is thin enough to go through your beads and some ribbon.
Put beads on your wire, "tie" the ends together, but leave a bit of wire so you can make a loop. Shape your beady wire into the shape you want. Attach ribbon; I made a bow at the bottom of the loop and then attached another bit of ribbon at the top for hanging on the tree.
Told you it was easy. ;-) There are some more beady hearts in this Flickr set.
scribbled by Carina 12/04/2007 03:25:00 PM
Please note: as of December 2009 this blog has moved to carinascraftblog.wardi.dk,
and commenting has been disabled on this version of the blog. If you would like to leave a comment please follow
the link and use the archive or label links to find the post in its new place. Also, if you have followed a link or
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Wednesday, November 07, 2007
Recycled paper lanterns - a tutorial
Yay! It looks like the FTP upload has been fixed. Nice one, Blogger.
Anyway, here's a fun little thing you can make for Christmas - and at other times if you want, of course. I used to make loads of similar ones when I was little. Paper lanterns, made from recycled privacy envelopes.
What you will need: old envelopes (you know the kind you get bills and bank statements in, they usually have some kind of lovely print inside) or other paper, scissors (fancy ones if you have them, I used pinking sheers) and a glue stick.
First 'clean' your envelope, you don't want the window bit, so you end up with a rectangle. Fold it 2-3 times on the long side. Make sure that each section is the same width so you don't cut into the wrong bit by accident.
Now cut along the folds. You can for example make triangular cuts, which will turn into diamond shapes or just make straight cuts close together (they will open up when you glue the lantern together).
Now you should have something kinda like this. If you made triangular cuts, that is. Make sure that all the folds are straight so they will stay bendy.
If you want you can cut along the top and bottom edges. Glue the short edges together and that is your lantern! Squash it down a bit so the folds 'stick out' a bit. Do it better than what I've done in the picture here. ;-)
Now get some tea-lights - please use a glass votive or something similar, you really shouldn't put the lantern over the light as it is (even if I've done that in the picture below!), fire and paper don't go together, m'kay?
Depending on the colour of your paper, it might be nice to use a votive in coloured glass, to add an extra bit of colour. Right, that's it. I hope you enjoyed this wee tutorial. :-)
Labels: recycle, tutorial, xmas
Yay! It looks like the FTP upload has been fixed. Nice one, Blogger.
Anyway, here's a fun little thing you can make for Christmas - and at other times if you want, of course. I used to make loads of similar ones when I was little. Paper lanterns, made from recycled privacy envelopes.
What you will need: old envelopes (you know the kind you get bills and bank statements in, they usually have some kind of lovely print inside) or other paper, scissors (fancy ones if you have them, I used pinking sheers) and a glue stick.
First 'clean' your envelope, you don't want the window bit, so you end up with a rectangle. Fold it 2-3 times on the long side. Make sure that each section is the same width so you don't cut into the wrong bit by accident.
Now cut along the folds. You can for example make triangular cuts, which will turn into diamond shapes or just make straight cuts close together (they will open up when you glue the lantern together).
Now you should have something kinda like this. If you made triangular cuts, that is. Make sure that all the folds are straight so they will stay bendy.
If you want you can cut along the top and bottom edges. Glue the short edges together and that is your lantern! Squash it down a bit so the folds 'stick out' a bit. Do it better than what I've done in the picture here. ;-)
Now get some tea-lights - please use a glass votive or something similar, you really shouldn't put the lantern over the light as it is (even if I've done that in the picture below!), fire and paper don't go together, m'kay?Depending on the colour of your paper, it might be nice to use a votive in coloured glass, to add an extra bit of colour. Right, that's it. I hope you enjoyed this wee tutorial. :-)
Labels: recycle, tutorial, xmas
scribbled by Carina 11/07/2007 06:29:00 PM
Please note: as of December 2009 this blog has moved to carinascraftblog.wardi.dk,
and commenting has been disabled on this version of the blog. If you would like to leave a comment please follow
the link and use the archive or label links to find the post in its new place. Also, if you have followed a link or
bookmark to this post, please update it as this 'old' version may not stay live forever. Thank you.
Tuesday, October 02, 2007
Tutorial: Granny triangle
The actual granny triangle pattern can be found here (pdf format). Below are some pictures to go with it.
Enjoy!
The actual granny triangle pattern can be found here (pdf format). Below are some pictures to go with it.
Enjoy!
scribbled by Carina 10/02/2007 06:50:00 PM
Please note: as of December 2009 this blog has moved to carinascraftblog.wardi.dk,
and commenting has been disabled on this version of the blog. If you would like to leave a comment please follow
the link and use the archive or label links to find the post in its new place. Also, if you have followed a link or
bookmark to this post, please update it as this 'old' version may not stay live forever. Thank you.
Saturday, August 04, 2007
Sewing machine mat - a tutorial
Today I made a mat for my sewing machine. When I push the machine across the table, it leaves black marks, you see, and that's not so good. The mat is really easy to make, but I'm going to tell you how anyway. I added a pincushion, just because that seemed practical. Especially because it is stuck down with velcro, so it stays put. Staying put is an excellent quality in a pincushion of you ask me.
What you will need: fabric (yeah, I know, you didn't see that one coming, eh?!), velcro (whichever kind works best for you, I only have the sew-on kind), stuffing.
If you have any problems with this wee tutorial, don't hesitate to email me; I'll be happy to help!
Measure the length and width of your sewing machine, then add an extra 5 cm (2 inches) to the measurement of the width and 10 cm (4 inches) to that of the length. Cut out two pieces of your chosen fabric(s). Or you can make a patchwork like I did for the top because I couldn't decide on what fabric to go with!
Sew your two pieces of fabric together with right sides facing each other. Remember to leave a gap so you can turn the thing! Before turning, snip the corners as close to the seam as possible (but without cutting it!), so you get nice sharp corners. Now turn inside out and stitch the opening together.
You can skip this, but it definitely looks nicer if you iron the mat now, so the edges are flat. Then sew on (or iron, or whatever your kind calls for) a piece of one half of the velcro, about 5 cm (2 inches) from the edge.
Now cut out two circles, or a square or whatever you like, for the pincushion. Sew the other half of the velcro to one of the circles, then sew them together with right sides facing each other. Again, leaving a gap so you can turn it inside out.
Before turning it, though, make triangular snips all the way round the seam, but don't cut into the seam. This will make the pincushion go nice and round. I think doing this has a proper name, but I can't remember what it is, so I just call it triangular snipping.
However, if you're making a square or rectangular shape, you have to snip the corners like you did with the mat before...
Ok, done snipping? Then turn that baby inside out and stuff it to your heart's content. Then sew it together and you're pretty much done!
You might want to do a few seams across the mat, just so the two pieces don't slide about, but you don't have to do this.
Now sit back and admire your work!
Today I made a mat for my sewing machine. When I push the machine across the table, it leaves black marks, you see, and that's not so good. The mat is really easy to make, but I'm going to tell you how anyway. I added a pincushion, just because that seemed practical. Especially because it is stuck down with velcro, so it stays put. Staying put is an excellent quality in a pincushion of you ask me.What you will need: fabric (yeah, I know, you didn't see that one coming, eh?!), velcro (whichever kind works best for you, I only have the sew-on kind), stuffing.
If you have any problems with this wee tutorial, don't hesitate to email me; I'll be happy to help!
Measure the length and width of your sewing machine, then add an extra 5 cm (2 inches) to the measurement of the width and 10 cm (4 inches) to that of the length. Cut out two pieces of your chosen fabric(s). Or you can make a patchwork like I did for the top because I couldn't decide on what fabric to go with!
Sew your two pieces of fabric together with right sides facing each other. Remember to leave a gap so you can turn the thing! Before turning, snip the corners as close to the seam as possible (but without cutting it!), so you get nice sharp corners. Now turn inside out and stitch the opening together.You can skip this, but it definitely looks nicer if you iron the mat now, so the edges are flat. Then sew on (or iron, or whatever your kind calls for) a piece of one half of the velcro, about 5 cm (2 inches) from the edge.
Now cut out two circles, or a square or whatever you like, for the pincushion. Sew the other half of the velcro to one of the circles, then sew them together with right sides facing each other. Again, leaving a gap so you can turn it inside out.
Before turning it, though, make triangular snips all the way round the seam, but don't cut into the seam. This will make the pincushion go nice and round. I think doing this has a proper name, but I can't remember what it is, so I just call it triangular snipping.However, if you're making a square or rectangular shape, you have to snip the corners like you did with the mat before...
Ok, done snipping? Then turn that baby inside out and stuff it to your heart's content. Then sew it together and you're pretty much done!
You might want to do a few seams across the mat, just so the two pieces don't slide about, but you don't have to do this.
Now sit back and admire your work!
scribbled by Carina 8/04/2007 09:50:00 PM
Please note: as of December 2009 this blog has moved to carinascraftblog.wardi.dk,
and commenting has been disabled on this version of the blog. If you would like to leave a comment please follow
the link and use the archive or label links to find the post in its new place. Also, if you have followed a link or
bookmark to this post, please update it as this 'old' version may not stay live forever. Thank you.
Saturday, June 09, 2007
Make your own fabric labels
As promised, a wee tutorial on how to make your own fabric labels. It is very easy, but requires a little bit of patience. The beauty of this method is that you can customize the text to say whatever you want, with not much effort. The downside is that you only have one very simple font to use. But experimenting with text colour and background colour, I think you can get some pretty sweet results, even if you do have to keep it simple...
If you try this, do let me know, I'd love to see how it turns out! :-) And if you have any questions about this tutorial, do let me know!
Okay, here's what you need: sticky tape; fabric (cotton is best) in your colour of choice; pinking sheers, or other scissors; fabric ink pad in one or many colours, but make sure it is the kind you can heat set; some kind of fusible web; and the star of the show: a DIY (self-inking) stamp kit! These come in different sizes, from different makers, but you can usually get them on eBay.
First thing you need to do, is take out the ink pad in the stamp (if it's the kind of stamp where you have to put it in before use, you're in luck, you can just skip this). Now press down the stamp so the plate, where you set the text, is visible, there should be little taps on the sides that will hold it. Then use the tweezers to set the line(s) of text you want for your labels.
Now, tape down the sides of the plate, you need to do this because just using the taps to hold the plate doesn't leave it completely free of the edges of the stamp, and you can't use it properly. I've only tried this particular kind (Color Printer 30) of stamp, so other brands might be different, so you can possibly skip the sticky tape step.
Now get out your fabric and inks and get stamping! Experiment with colours and different fabrics. Remember to leave some room between so you can cut them comfortably.
Leave to dry, then iron to set following the instructions for your particular kind of ink. Then cut your labels.
Cut out some fusible web to match the size of your labels; if you used pinking sheers to cut your labels, you might want to make the web a bit smaller so it doesn't show.
You're almost done! All you have to do now is iron the label + web combo to your fabric or felt or whatever. If you're ironing it to felt (especially if it's the non-natural kind), make sure to use not-too-high heat; melted felt isn't pretty!
Example of handmade labels in use.
Labels: tutorial
As promised, a wee tutorial on how to make your own fabric labels. It is very easy, but requires a little bit of patience. The beauty of this method is that you can customize the text to say whatever you want, with not much effort. The downside is that you only have one very simple font to use. But experimenting with text colour and background colour, I think you can get some pretty sweet results, even if you do have to keep it simple...
If you try this, do let me know, I'd love to see how it turns out! :-) And if you have any questions about this tutorial, do let me know!
Okay, here's what you need: sticky tape; fabric (cotton is best) in your colour of choice; pinking sheers, or other scissors; fabric ink pad in one or many colours, but make sure it is the kind you can heat set; some kind of fusible web; and the star of the show: a DIY (self-inking) stamp kit! These come in different sizes, from different makers, but you can usually get them on eBay.
First thing you need to do, is take out the ink pad in the stamp (if it's the kind of stamp where you have to put it in before use, you're in luck, you can just skip this). Now press down the stamp so the plate, where you set the text, is visible, there should be little taps on the sides that will hold it. Then use the tweezers to set the line(s) of text you want for your labels.Now, tape down the sides of the plate, you need to do this because just using the taps to hold the plate doesn't leave it completely free of the edges of the stamp, and you can't use it properly. I've only tried this particular kind (Color Printer 30) of stamp, so other brands might be different, so you can possibly skip the sticky tape step.
Now get out your fabric and inks and get stamping! Experiment with colours and different fabrics. Remember to leave some room between so you can cut them comfortably.
Leave to dry, then iron to set following the instructions for your particular kind of ink. Then cut your labels.
Cut out some fusible web to match the size of your labels; if you used pinking sheers to cut your labels, you might want to make the web a bit smaller so it doesn't show.
You're almost done! All you have to do now is iron the label + web combo to your fabric or felt or whatever. If you're ironing it to felt (especially if it's the non-natural kind), make sure to use not-too-high heat; melted felt isn't pretty!
Example of handmade labels in use.
Labels: tutorial
scribbled by Carina 6/09/2007 02:38:00 PM
Please note: as of December 2009 this blog has moved to carinascraftblog.wardi.dk,
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Thursday, February 08, 2007
Wee magnetic hearts Valentine
I have no idea why I keep candy wrappers (mind you, I don't keep all of them, but anyway), I guess some of them are just pretty... But I've been thinking of ways to use them - you can only have so many candy wrappers, right? So I came up with these wee hearts - it is almost Valentine's Day after all! They are really easy to make and quick too.
What you'll need: candy wrappers, card, glue, small magnets, assorted glitter glue, paints, markers, scissors, sticky foam pads (or glue).
First, get out your candy wrappers; maybe from the recipient's favourite candy?
You can cut around the edges of the wrappers with pinking sheers or other decorative scissors - but you don't have to.
Glue the wrappers to a piece of card, I used a scrap of cheap watercolour paper. I spread some glitter glue on top, to give it a wee bit of sparkle. Again, you don't have to do this, I guess it also depends on what your wrappers look like...
Make a heart-shaped template, draw around it on the back of your candy wrapper/card and then cut out your hearts. I used the pinking sheers again, but you don't have to. And come to think of it, you don't have to use a template for the hearts, you can just draw each heart and then each will be different...
Write the appropriate letters on the hearts; I used a black permanent marker, but you can use whatever you want: paint, glitter glue, crayons...
Stick the little foam pads onto the magnets and stick the hearts on top. Repeat for all the hearts and you are done! Place on fridge or other surface the magnets will stick to and surprise the recipient!
I have no idea why I keep candy wrappers (mind you, I don't keep all of them, but anyway), I guess some of them are just pretty... But I've been thinking of ways to use them - you can only have so many candy wrappers, right? So I came up with these wee hearts - it is almost Valentine's Day after all! They are really easy to make and quick too.
What you'll need: candy wrappers, card, glue, small magnets, assorted glitter glue, paints, markers, scissors, sticky foam pads (or glue).
First, get out your candy wrappers; maybe from the recipient's favourite candy?
You can cut around the edges of the wrappers with pinking sheers or other decorative scissors - but you don't have to.
Glue the wrappers to a piece of card, I used a scrap of cheap watercolour paper. I spread some glitter glue on top, to give it a wee bit of sparkle. Again, you don't have to do this, I guess it also depends on what your wrappers look like...
Make a heart-shaped template, draw around it on the back of your candy wrapper/card and then cut out your hearts. I used the pinking sheers again, but you don't have to. And come to think of it, you don't have to use a template for the hearts, you can just draw each heart and then each will be different...
Write the appropriate letters on the hearts; I used a black permanent marker, but you can use whatever you want: paint, glitter glue, crayons...
Stick the little foam pads onto the magnets and stick the hearts on top. Repeat for all the hearts and you are done! Place on fridge or other surface the magnets will stick to and surprise the recipient!
scribbled by Carina 2/08/2007 11:32:00 PM
Please note: as of December 2009 this blog has moved to carinascraftblog.wardi.dk,
and commenting has been disabled on this version of the blog. If you would like to leave a comment please follow
the link and use the archive or label links to find the post in its new place. Also, if you have followed a link or
bookmark to this post, please update it as this 'old' version may not stay live forever. Thank you.
Tuesday, June 27, 2006
Something you can make
It's super easy and should be possible to do with stuff you have around the house anyway.
Prettifying a glass jar. I used an empty Nutella jar, but you can use any glass jar - although it's best if the jar has "shoulders", for example a jam jar.
I'm not going to go into detail on how to do it, cause I made a Flickr set with explanations and pictures of each step. Also, there are no less than four ideas for prettifying your jar!
If you come up with other ideas - or use one of mine - do email me or leave a comment!
Now go make you jars beautiful!
Labels: tutorial
It's super easy and should be possible to do with stuff you have around the house anyway.
Prettifying a glass jar. I used an empty Nutella jar, but you can use any glass jar - although it's best if the jar has "shoulders", for example a jam jar.
I'm not going to go into detail on how to do it, cause I made a Flickr set with explanations and pictures of each step. Also, there are no less than four ideas for prettifying your jar!
If you come up with other ideas - or use one of mine - do email me or leave a comment!
Now go make you jars beautiful!
Labels: tutorial
scribbled by Carina 6/27/2006 08:16:00 PM
Please note: as of December 2009 this blog has moved to carinascraftblog.wardi.dk,
and commenting has been disabled on this version of the blog. If you would like to leave a comment please follow
the link and use the archive or label links to find the post in its new place. Also, if you have followed a link or
bookmark to this post, please update it as this 'old' version may not stay live forever. Thank you.
Tuesday, June 06, 2006
Potato printing
Step three
Originally uploaded by wardi.
Here's a fun and easy printing method for you to try!
My mum used to do this with us when we were small. I'm fairly sure I have a pillow case and quilt cover that was decorated with this technique. I think i was eight when I made it. And it had a very pretty rainbow on it too - or so I thought at the time - it was square rather than oval...
Anyway, on to the printing method. I've made a set on Flickr that briefly describes it along with the pictures, so I'm not going to add the pictures here. Just follow this link.
What you need for this is:
An assortment of popatoes; if you want to do a larger design, of course you need larger potatoes.
Ink or paint; use fabric paint for fabric, of course.
Paper, card or fabric to print on.
A sharp knife - kids will need help with cutting the design on the potatoes.
Unless you are comfortable with freestylin' cutting the potato, you need to make a sketch for it first. Start with something simple first, to get used to cutting the potato. You might want to cut out a template and sticking it to the potato with a few pins.
Cut your potato in half and make sure that the cut is as even as possible so the print doesn't get too many unintended blank spots - which will happen if there are 'hollows' in the surface. Don't worry about peeling the potato, in fact it's easier to hold it if it's not peeled. But if it's a fairly large potato you might want to cut a ridge on each side to form a sort of grip. Be careful not to cut into your design, though!
So, you're ready to cut the design, when doing this, make sure you cut away from the design, towards the edge, to avoid cutting into the potato where you don't want to.
When you've cut the potato dip it in your ink or paint and print away! If you're using fabric paint you may need to iron it afterwards to seal it - check the instructions for the paint.
Don't expect to get "perfect" prints with this technique, cause you're not likely to. But do experiment with it - get creative! And let me know/show me what you come up with!
Labels: tutorial
Step three
Originally uploaded by wardi.
Here's a fun and easy printing method for you to try!
My mum used to do this with us when we were small. I'm fairly sure I have a pillow case and quilt cover that was decorated with this technique. I think i was eight when I made it. And it had a very pretty rainbow on it too - or so I thought at the time - it was square rather than oval...
Anyway, on to the printing method. I've made a set on Flickr that briefly describes it along with the pictures, so I'm not going to add the pictures here. Just follow this link.
What you need for this is:
An assortment of popatoes; if you want to do a larger design, of course you need larger potatoes.
Ink or paint; use fabric paint for fabric, of course.
Paper, card or fabric to print on.
A sharp knife - kids will need help with cutting the design on the potatoes.
Unless you are comfortable with freestylin' cutting the potato, you need to make a sketch for it first. Start with something simple first, to get used to cutting the potato. You might want to cut out a template and sticking it to the potato with a few pins.
Cut your potato in half and make sure that the cut is as even as possible so the print doesn't get too many unintended blank spots - which will happen if there are 'hollows' in the surface. Don't worry about peeling the potato, in fact it's easier to hold it if it's not peeled. But if it's a fairly large potato you might want to cut a ridge on each side to form a sort of grip. Be careful not to cut into your design, though!
So, you're ready to cut the design, when doing this, make sure you cut away from the design, towards the edge, to avoid cutting into the potato where you don't want to.
When you've cut the potato dip it in your ink or paint and print away! If you're using fabric paint you may need to iron it afterwards to seal it - check the instructions for the paint.
Don't expect to get "perfect" prints with this technique, cause you're not likely to. But do experiment with it - get creative! And let me know/show me what you come up with!
Labels: tutorial
scribbled by Carina 6/06/2006 07:48:00 PM
Please note: as of December 2009 this blog has moved to carinascraftblog.wardi.dk,
and commenting has been disabled on this version of the blog. If you would like to leave a comment please follow
the link and use the archive or label links to find the post in its new place. Also, if you have followed a link or
bookmark to this post, please update it as this 'old' version may not stay live forever. Thank you.
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