Creating beautiful handmade projects is what we all love to do. However, we probably don’t put in quite as much effort thinking about how to keep them looking beautiful. So we spent some time with our clever friends at Dritz to explore their Clothing Care category, coming away with nine products that help smooth, dry, repair,
Ribbons and bows… is there anything happier?! Our friends at The Ribbon Retreat put together this fun Guest Tutorial showing you how to make bright and colorful bow tie bows in several styles, layers, and colors.
When you walk into a fabric store, you'll notice most fabric is wrapped around cardboard bolts that stand upright on shelves or racks. What you may not notice is that at the end each bolt is a label that provides important information about the fabric. If you want 100% cotton, read the label so you
Using your sewing machine to join paper and fabric is surprisingly easy. If you’ve never tried it yourself, this is a great first project: not too complicated, yet still a very pretty way to send a special Valentine greeting.
It gives a fabulous softness to a wide variety of projects, from toys to pillows to blankets and more. Although not difficult to sew with, to create the very best results, it helps to have a few tips and tricks under your belt.
We explain the fundamentals of quilting, including the tools you’ll need, cutting techniques, how to create blocks from basic shapes, piecing tips and techniques, and stitching. Enter at your own risk; quilting can be addictive.
We worked with our friends at Coats to put together a handy overview that can help you understand not only the standard thread choices, but some of the specialty options as well. It’s part science and part art.
How fabric is woven is important; fabric that is off-grain when you’re cutting can cause the completed project to stretch out of shape. Get a better understanding of how to identify fabric grain and tips on how to straighten it.
So many choices! This article helps you sort out the most common interfacing options for bags and totes. You’ll like the printable chart we developed. Post one copy in your sewing room and use another when you shop.
A big part of sewing is knowing your fabric. A big part of knowing fabric is understanding how to care for it. Protect your project and fabric investment. Learn when to preshrink fabrics, what products to use, and more.
We love the quilting art of superstar, Heather Jones. A while back, she was kind enough to give us her favorite tips on straight line quilting. It provides a clean, modern feeling to a design, and is especially cool when densely stitched.
We love embellishing projects with gorgeous ribbons. One reason is that we have such amazing choices from our friends and sponsor, Renaissance Ribbons. Another is because ribbons inject wonderful color and texture. Third, they're very easy to work with. Since we use them often, we're always thinking about new and unique ways to apply them.
Remember how scary it was to raise your hand in school and ask what you feared would be a "stupid" question? Hopefully we've moved beyond that childhood fear. Questions are great because they lead to answers, and answers are meant to be shared. Today's quick measuring tip came from a question in a visitor's email. Someone
We worked with Waverly to test their Sun ’n’ Shade outdoor fabrics. Our step-by-step fabric care tutorial shows how flexible these outdoor fabrics can really be. And, you’ll also get to learn a bit about this interesting company.
Sewing requires some specialized tools, the biggest one being the sewing machine itself. If you're new to sewing, you might be tempted to get a machine as cheaply as possible. However, this is one of those cases where saving a few bucks now can end up causing you hours of frustration later. Purchasing a machine
Want to make a real fashion statement? It's hard to pack more drama into a small space than with a fascinator. If you haven't been keeping up with Kate Middleton, the Duchess of Cambridge, you might be unfamiliar with fascinators. They are basically very small, formal hats that are very big on embellishment. Captivating Kate
How about some lovely custom tulip designs to bring the fun and freshness of Spring to your next machine embroidery project? Free Downloads, plus we show steps for creating our pretty Tulip Garden pillow.
In today's world of instant Internet gratification, does anyone actually hand-write anything any more? Here at S4H, we'd like to think so. And, we'd like to think the handwritten recipe and the personalized gift tag will be two things with enough old-fashioned goodness to never completely go away. I know some of the most cherished
We now have a lovely new chair thanks to our previous Faux Antique Refinishing project. As a part of that process, we took off the old seat. For phase two, it's out with the old and in with the new as we build a new cushion and cover for the salvaged wooden seat platform. If
One of the fastest, easiest and most rewarding 'furniture renewal' projects is the simple side chair. You get a stunning makeover with very little effort. We've split the steps into two articles: one about refinishing and a second about the new cushion. Depending on drying time in between your coats of paint, this is a
Rather than a napkin ring, add a little seasonal splash to your napkins with a few simple folds and some inexpensive trimmings. These six festive napkins are all fast and easy to assemble, and they’ll fill your table with good cheer.