#craftblogclub – What’s your favourite online craft tutorial?

For tonight’s #craftblogclub chat we shared our favourite online tutorials. Tutorials are a great way to learn a new skill or for a quick refresh. Below I have listed some of the suggestions from tonight’s chat. Here you will find tutorials for crochet, paper crafts, sewing, jewellery making and lots more. I hope you find something that will inspire you to get crafty!

@ForestFlower23

For all things #crochet you MUST visit attic24.typepad.com – Lucy’s blog inspired me to learn to hook!

Lucy’s blog is so colourful and inspiring. So good to see her popping up in various craft mags now

Also for a weekly dose of craft tutorials check out @craftsonsea #pintorials loads of things to do plus you can link up too!

Here’s one of my most popular tutorials – lots of traffic via @Pinterest!

Really my best suggestion would be to go to Pinterest – there are tutorials for EVERYTHING!

@IcySedgwick

I quite like Crafts Tuts Plus crafts.tutsplus.com

Crafts Unleashed do some good tutorials craftsunleashed.com

And there are some good jewellery tutorials on Flamingo Toes flamingotoes.com

@eightandsixteen

Our latest tutorial shows how to make a wire bead cage – http://www.eightandsixteen.co.uk/2014/07/jewellery-101-diy-wire-bead-cage.html

My favourite DIY of Erin’s so far is these photo coasters: http://www.eightandsixteen.co.uk/2014/07/diy-shabby-chic-photo-coasters.html

@katiegetscrafty

I used this tutorial for my first sewing machine make. Simple and clear instructions for an easy cushion cover bit.ly/U1DcB9

I watched this earlier and am inspired to make a skirt. She makes it look so easy http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCkuJY1dJ6SCWxPcAVvdVpPg

@fizzijayne

For papercraft I like https://www.youtube.com/user/Claritystamp stamping, gelli plate and brayer techniques

@hugsarefun

My favorite tutorial is @thezenofmaking on English paper piecing. I’m addicted now! http://www.thezenofmaking.com/2013/08/english-paper-piecing-tutorial-series.html

@createitsam

I still love @MS_Living tutorials they are so simple and inspiring

@CornerofCraft

@EmmaRuthJones also has some ace tutorials on blog!

Inspiration, Sewing

Fabric Giveaway!

Win me – what would you make with a metre of this beautiful insect fabric?

I hope you have seen my interview with Sam – shop owner of the wonderful Wheeler Fabrics. Sam and his team have kindly offered a metre of their favourite fabric as a giveaway to one lucky Katie Gets Crafty reader! Sam will post the fabric to the lucky winner.

Here is a reminder of how you can enter:

Leave a comment below sharing what you would make with insect fabric.
Send me a tweet @katiegetscrafty and use the hashtag #KGCgiveaway
Like Katie Gets Crafty Facebook page and leave a comment on the giveaway post letting me know you would like to enter the giveaway.

Here’s the important stuff: The giveaway will close on Tuesday 1^st July at 6pm and the winner will be picked at random. I will announce the winner on Wednesday 2^nd July.

Sorry but this giveaway is only open to UK residents.

Inspiration, Sewing

Craft Shop Favourite – Wheeler Fabrics

Last month I found myself in the beautiful town of Machynlleth, Wales. A place I have visited several times. On this particular visit I stumbled across Wheeler Fabrics. It was during my visit to the shop that I decided to post about my favourite craft shops (old and new). And so, I am pleased to introduce my first interview with Sam – owner of Wheeler Fabrics.

How long has Wheeler Fabrics been open? My parents and sister opened the shop 20 years ago. I have worked here since I was 16 and took over the business in 2006. My partner, Catherine joined me in 2011. We have two wonderful shop staff – Lynda and Becky.

Wheeler Fabrics

What’s the best thing about working in and owning Wheeler Fabrics? It’s great to have a job that is also a creative outlet. Lynda was previously a florist, so has a great eye for colour and design. Becky teaches sewing, so is able to draw on her wealth of knowledge. We love seeing what customers make with their fabric and encourage them to share pictures with us on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram. We also love that we get to bring our dog Bo to work with us!

What’s your favourite item in the shop? It has to be our woven grey and white insect fabric. I’ve used it to upholster a couple of pieces of furniture and Catherine has made some cushions with it. Everything about it just works – it’s a good weight and colour, plus the proportions of the design and the pattern repeat aren’t too huge making it very usable. We are happy to offer a metre of this wonderful fabric as a giveway to one lucky reader. Please read on to find out how you can enter!

£16.95 per metre – win me!

What’s your most popular request and/or item sold? What we sell varies a lot. We have a great range of PVC oilcloth table covers that sell like crazy every March/April. I think it’s when we have the first sunny day and people want to brighten up their patio tables! Our most popular design is ‘Birdcage and Butterfly’.

Birdcage and Butterfly -£4.95 per metre

As for made-to-measure items, we’ve noticed a huge increase in the popularity of Roman blinds over the last couple of years. In fact, they seem to be just as popular as curtains with our local customers. This is probably because in Mid-Wales we all live in old houses with 3′ thick walls and deep window recesses.

So if you ever find yourself in Machynlleth, please come and say Hello! If you can’t get to the shop then please website.

You can also stay in touch by:

www.facebook.com/WheelerFabrics

instagram.com/wheelerfabrics

twitter.com/wheelerfabrics

I would like to say a big thank you to Sam, Catherine, Lynda and Becky. You are all super lovely Especially as you have offered a giveaway to one lucky Katie Gets Crafty reader! You could win a metre of Sam’s favourite fabric by taking part in the following:

Leave a comment below sharing what you would make with the insect fabric.
Send me a tweet @katiegetscrafty and use the hashtag #KGCgiveaway
Like Katie Gets Crafty Facebook page and leave a comment on the giveaway post letting me know you would like to enter.

Win me! What would you make with this beautiful fabric?

Here’s the important stuff: The giveaway will close on Tuesday 1^st July at 6pm and the winner will be picked at random. I will announce the winner on Wednesday 2^nd July. Sorry but this giveaway is only open to UK residents.

Inspiration, Sewing

My beloved sewing machine

I have been the very proud owner of a Janome DXL 603 for 3 years now. I saved up for almost two years to get it. I wanted a machine that I could get to grips with as a beginner but one that would grow with me. For years I researched my perfect machine online, but when the time came for me to finally purchase my machine I sought the advice of the Exeter Sewing Machine Company. I had spoken with a number of my crafty friends for their advice and Janome kept coming up time and time again. The staff at the Exeter Sewing Machine Company were, as always, very welcoming and spent a lot of time with me talking through my requirements and the machines on offer. At the time of my purchase Janome had a special offer on, so I also got a free quilting kit.

Sewing machines can be a huge investment, I try to do the following as often as I can.

Dust my machine
Open up and dust inside the bobbin case
Change the needle – I have heard mixed things about this. One friend said they change their needle after every project. I probably change mine every 3 projects. I think it depends on fabric thickness etc.
Have your machine serviced. This isn’t always cheap but I believe if you have invested in your machine then it is worth looking after it to ensure it lasts a lifetime.

So if you are looking at buying your first sewing machine I would suggest the following:

Research online
Talk to sewing friends – find out what machine they use and the pros and cons
Visit your local store and ask for demos on various machines

I hope these little tips help and I hope you love your machine as much as I love mine!

Inspiration, Sewing

Katie Gets Crafty Giveaway!

Imagine my surprise when the lovely folk over at Hobbycraft asked me if I would like to host a giveaway?! This will be the first giveaway from Katie Gets Crafty and I hope it won’t be the last. So here it is, the Sizzix Big Shot die cutting machine worth £74.99.

Image from www.hobbycraft.co.uk

The Big Shot is a hand-driven roller machine that has enough power to cut through and emboss many different materials, including fabric! You can find out more and see it in action by watching this video tutorial.

I was totally amazed by all the different features and I am really excited to be giving one of these fantastic machines away.

Here’s how you enter!

1. Leave a comment below sharing why you want to win the Sizzix Big Shot die cutting machine and tell us what you intend to make with it.

2. Send me a tweet @katiegetscrafty and use the hashtag #KGCgiveaway

3. Like Katie Gets Crafty Facebook page and leave a comment on the giveaway post letting me know you would like to enter the giveaway.

Here’s the important stuff:

The giveaway will close on Sunday 18^th May at 6pm and the winner will be picked at random. I will announce the winner on Monday 19^th May.

Sorry but this giveaway is only open to UK residents.

Once the winner is announced they have 48 hours to email me at katie@katiegetscrafty.com with their address so that the cutter can be posted. If I haven’t received notification in that time another winner will be selected.

GOOD LUCK!

Inspiration, Sewing

Spring Clean Gift Swap #craftblogclub

If you are a regular visitor of my blog you will be aware that I co-host #craftblogclub – a tweet chat for craft bloggers and lovers that takes place every Tuesday 7-8:30pm. I love #craftblogclub. It’s so much fun chatting with other crafty types and sharing tips and generally helping one another in our quest for crafty perfection. One of my favourite things has to be our challenges. This month’s challenge was ‘Spring Clean Gift Swap’ – make a gift using only products and materials you already have or by finishing off an old project you’ve left. The lovely Emma from @livepeachy paired everyone up that wanted to take part and then we were off. I was teamed up with @sal_strawbs. I checked out Sally’s website before making my Spring Clean Gift to make sure I was making something she would really like. I could see that crochet is her passion and so I dug deep into my fabric stash and made a crochet hook case. I was really pleased with it and even more pleased when I received this tweet ‘@katiegetscrafty I received your parcel this morning and I LOVE it! Thanks so much. #craftblogclub’

We were set the task of making sure the recipient received their parcel in time for Easter. Well, I was away over Easter and so I was REALLY excited to return home to find my parcel had arrived! I was as excited as I was at Christmas for our #craftblogclub Secret Santa. Receiving a handmade gift and knowing that it was made especially for you is so exciting! Maybe its something that only a fellow crafter can appreciate but I really do value the time and energy that people put into making their own gifts.

So here it is. Check out my fab bag from the lovely Sally!

Had to take a pic of the wrapping paper!

The spots are inside too!

I love the spots – it’s so bright and cheery, especially on a wet and miserable day like today. I used it at the supermarket this afternoon and it even put a smile on the cashier! And so I would like to Thank You Sally for my bag. I will make use of it and enjoy doing so.

Inspiration, Knitting & Crochet, Sewing

#craftblogclub Secret Santa

The wonderful Emma from @livepeachy is the host of #craftblogclub and for Christmas Emma had the idea of setting up a secret santa for all #craftblogclub regulars. As Christmas has now come and gone the secret is out so I am able to talk about it!

I was given the lovely Sonia from @layoutlines to make a christmas gift for. I decided to make Sonia some personlised bunting. I was very relieved to read the following tweet that not only had Sonia received my secret santa, but that she liked it! ‘Feeling the #craftblogclub Christmas love, yay, big thank you to my #secretsanta’.

It was so great watching all the tweets come in with everyone sharing their lovely handmade secret santa gifts. I received my gift on 3^rd Jan and I can tell you everyone in the house knew about it! I was running around like a kid on Christmas morning. My parcel had come all the way from America from @teenagebabushka. I was very lucky to receive not one but two hand made gifts! Check out my headband hat and wrist warmers. I am still feeling the #craftblogclub Christmas love. A big thank you to @teenagebabushka for my secret santa and to all #craftblogclubers for taking part in a very special secret santa.

Knitting & Crochet, Sewing

More Christmas Crafts!

I have so enjoyed all my Christmas makes. I can’t share all of them yet as it will ruin the surprise on Christmas day! But I’m pleased that the Santa sacks for my fiancé and brother-in-law are now finished and hopefully they are excited to put them out for Santa on Christmas Eve.

I have also finished my Christmas bunting. They have been given out as early Christmas presents as I want the recipients to have them hanging up alongside their other decorations.

I have also been pom pom crazy after watching this fab tutorial. I will be wrapping my gifts this year with pom poms to make people smile!

Amongst all of this Christmas crafting I had a last minute addition to my list of makes. My fiancés mum had the task of making 6 choir surplice gowns for her schools Christmas carol concert. We had a rather late evening but we did it. I can’t take any credit for them really as my fiancés mum did most of the work, it was a real achievement. The yokes were so fiddly but we got there in the end. Needless to say when we finished we crashed on the sofa with a large glass of sherry! Sadly I was unable to make it to the concert but I am told they looked fabulous.

Sewing

Christmas Advent Calendar

At the end of the Summer I joined a local craft group that welcomes all different kinds of crafts, especially quilting. I have only quilted once before so I was keen to give it another go. I came across the most wonderful kit for an advent calendar. At the time Christmas was so far away but I knew it would take me a few months to complete. Thank goodness I allowed myself so much time as it only got finished on 2^nd December! I am so thrilled with the final outcome. The kit was very self explanatory but having someone to talk me through the fiddly bits was a real help. Here is an example of the kit.

You cut the strips and lay them over the main piece and quilt. The one that I picked was rather large as you can fit up to 4 sweets in each pocket. I am so pleased with the final outcome. I can’t wait for my fiancé and I to have it hung up for many years to come.

As for the sewing group I highly recommend it to anyone. Finding time in the week to craft is difficult but knowing I have 3 hours of dedicated time is great. Plus I have made some lovely friends who really inspire me with their wonderful creations.

Inspiration, Sewing

Christmas Crafts, old and new

I had the most wonderful weekend of crafting! I completely took over the lounge and dining room to make a start on all my Christmas crafts. Firstly the new project; if you read my blog Stitch, Sew and Hobbycrafts you will have seen some wonderful fat quarters that I couldn’t resist. If I am honest I wasn’t sure what size a fat quarter was but I now know they are usually 18 inches by 22 inches. Fat quarters are fantastic for little projects and quilting. I decided to use my fat quarters to make Christmas bunting! I wanted to make sure I made the most of the fat quarters, therefore I spent a lot of time working out the best size for the flags. I went with 6 inches along the top by 6.5 inches from the point to top. This was the size when the flags were cut, so I did lose a little when sewing.

I am really pleased with my cute Christmas bunting. The fabric is just gorgeous with a traditional but very modern look. Once I have added the binding at the top I will post a picture and let you all know where you can buy them! If you can’t wait until then send me a tweet @katiegetscrafty or leave me a comment.

For my old (faithful) project I used a template for Christmas sacks that was passed onto me by my Aunty Karen. Karen is a wonderful crafter ,with my sister and I benefiting over the years. When we were little girls we would receive handmade dresses, whilst more recently we were made beautiful Christmas placemats and tablecloths. A firm favourite of both of ours has to be our Christmas sack. They play such a special part on Christmas morning. Three years ago Karen was kind enough to give me the template so I could make one for my goddaughter. It went down a treat and I hope it means as much to her in years to come as it has for my sister and I.

So this weekend I dug out the template and got making!

I am still to add the star to the tree and the name of the lucky recipients. I will post a picture once they are finished. I do hope you like the Christmas sacks and the festive bunting. What are you all making for Christmas? I would love to hear all about your Christmas crafts, old and new.

Katie Gets Crafty

Welcome to my creative blog

Category Archives: Sewing

#craftblogclub – What’s your favourite online craft tutorial?

Fabric Giveaway!

Craft Shop Favourite – Wheeler Fabrics

My beloved sewing machine

Katie Gets Crafty Giveaway!

Spring Clean Gift Swap #craftblogclub

#craftblogclub Secret Santa

More Christmas Crafts!

Christmas Advent Calendar

Christmas Crafts, old and new