Crazy Quilting

 Ribbons used in presents and for decoration do not always have to be store-bought.  With a little effort and creativity, you can make your own unique and special ribbons.  These smooth, long, and colored strips will consequently reflect your personal style, making gifts and ornaments more interesting and appealing.

If you wish to make a hand dyed silk ribbon, you will need: silk ribbons, food coloring or paste colors, toothpicks, vinegar, a plate, something with hollows that can be used as a palette, paint brushes, and a water container.  Next, follow these simple steps:

1.      Dip a toothpick in one of the paste colors or squirt it with food coloring.
2.      Put the colored toothpick in one palette hollow.  Add a small amount of vinegar and stir with the toothpick.  Paste colors may not completely liquefy.
3.      Repeat steps one and two to add more colors to your palette.
4.      Wet your silk ribbon in the water container and gently squeeze out the moisture. Leave the ribbon on your plate in an untidy heap so that parts overlap.
5.      Using a brush, spatter color unevenly on the ribbon and let it run. Enhance with other hues and allow the colors to blend.  You may leave some parts bare or without paint.  Let the ribbon soak up the colors for a few minutes.
6.      Douse your dyed creation with clean water until the water becomes colorless.
7.      Gently squeeze out the water and pat your ribbon with an old towel. Hang to dry.
8.      When the ribbon is dry, iron on silk setting to enhance the colors.
9.      Enjoy your hand dyed silk ribbon by using them on gifts, hanging objects, and other decor.

Because of their warm, homey quality, quilts are liked by many.  These two-layered bedcovers filled with cotton, wool, down, or other similar materials, never lose their appeal and to this day, remain favorite projects by embroidery and sewing enthusiasts.

Quilt designs are numerous, assorted, and usually infused with color. The most popular ones use blocks, squares, and stars patterns.  But there are also baby, log cabin, and vintage quilt designs, as well as beginner, traditional, and appliqué patterns in most quilt design selections.

A good number of stitching aficionados are grateful for the existence of online sites that specialize in quilts and quilt making.  In these ultra helpful sites, you’ll find scores of free and attractive quilt patterns alongside expert articles and advice on sewing, designing,
washing, and caring for your beautiful and beloved bedcover. Impressively, some sites also teach and guide quilters on choosing and cutting fabric, color value, embellishment, and bleed testing cotton

 I grew up in a home that is filled with all sorts of embroidery. From embroidery across tablecloths, napkins, towels, bedspreads, pillows, and curtains and clothing items such as aprons, and even on some of my shirts.

And as I grew older, I realized what a treasure these linens were and I now keep them carefully stored and some still being used at home. My grandmother was actually the main person who influenced me in the art of embroidery, and until now she managed to carry on this lovely tradition. I was even more surprised when she handed me all of her embroidery patterns. They are the same patterns that she used when she started making those curtains, bedspreads and tablecloths, which are all still present in my home.

Embroidery is a great relaxing hobby, and has been around for a very long time. You can purchase embroidery kits, that come complete with threads, embroidery fabric, and instructions, or you can start creating your own.

Traditionally, embroidery was used to decorate items like dishcloths, household linens, and doilies, and was taught to young girls, along with other types of needlework. They would start their hope chest with these items from a very young age. You can also draw your own pictures on the cloth and get creative with color. There is no limit. There are also many instructions books that can teach you on how to embroider. With all the great embroidery products and kits on the market now, you can create some very one-of-a-kind art with embroidery.

Learn a new handicraft that lets you adorn cloth or other materials with decorative thread stitches. You can either use the manual needle stitching or the use of a sewing machine. Know the embroidery supplies that you need before you begin learning the art and skill of embroidery.

Beginners should first learn the basics about free embroidery.  The supplies you’ll need will not be limited to threads and yarns. You can also use beads, sequins, metal strips, pearls, and quills. Explore your creative prowess and compose beautifully designed patterns.

Revive the old American tradition of quilting. Quilting supplies are the essential elements in creating wonderful pieces. In American history, quilts are revered as a special part of families or clans and are considered family heirlooms. Along with quilts that are being passed on from generation to generation is the skill of quilting. Most often, the matriarchs receive and pass the skills to their daughters.

Quilting can be traced back to the first Thanksgiving celebration of American families. Quilting supplies include patterns, fabrics, beads, sew-on designs, buttons, and laces. These are just some of the basic ingredients. You don’t need to be a genius to quilt, you only need to be creative and focused.

Everything is so expensive nowadays. One must really find more practical ways to save money on everything from food to fashion. All of this is possible using a little creative thinking.

One way of saving money on clothes is to update or repair your old ones. Instead of buying a new jacket just because your favorite one is missing a button, you can simply buy a matching button and sew it on using your embroidery needles. There are many designer outfits that supply an extra button anyway.

Cross stitching is a fun and productive way to spend your downtime.  It is a quiet activity that demands creativity above all else. Silently sewing can be quite a good way to de-stress.

Of course, for a more social event, the tradition of forming sewing circles can also be revived. Ladies can chat away as they work on their own colorful creations using fine embroidery thread. Then their finished products can either be put up at an exhibit or even offered for sale.

Winter nights are cold and there’s nothing more comforting on those chilly nights then to curl on up the couch with a favorite quilt. In addition to their warmth, quilts can work as a cheerful decoration for any home. An intricately-patterned quilt can spice up a boring bed and a colorful quilt can be hung on a living room wall. Quilting is an art, and for quilters, just like any artists, choosing the right colors is one of the key components of their craft.

This is where a color wheel comes in handy. Color wheels are a quilting pattern supply that allows quilters to choose pleasing color combinations. Color wheels are made up of primary colors and secondary colors. The primary colors include blue, red and yellow. Mixing these colors can create all possible colors. Secondary colors are green, orange and violet.

I am really interested in making quilts. I have one that my grandmother made for me and I love it. I don’t really have any sewing experience, but I would love to learn. I decided to start my quilt-making hobby by signing up for a sewing class. Next, I know I will need to purchase the necessary quilting accessories.

I did a little research and here’s what I found: the most basic quilting supply I would need would be a variety of fabrics. Cotton fabrics are recommended but polyester fabrics are also an option. I also learned I would need a rotary cutter, a cutting mat, needles, thread and a quilting frame.