Pre-shop opening giveaway!
Claire December 9th, 2013
I’ve been beavering away in the background taking pictures of pretty things to stock my little shop up with, but that seems to be taking forever, cropping and re-sizing pictures, amending the colours on some, which quite frankly bores me (wish it didn’t, I would have had lots more blog posts then!) so in the meantime, and spurred on by a post I saw on Sew Mama Sew, I thought I would host a little give away for you and take part in Giveaway Day 2013!
I’m giving away a small sewing basket, pin cushion and needle case pictured above (as well as some other pretty things I will put in as an extra surprise for the winner).
- The basket is a vintage one I up-cycled and has a padded lid, perfect for poking pins into, and contains a tape measure, needles, pins and a pair of scissors. It’s made from tiny gingham and has a vintage pink crochet doily appliqued to the top, closing with a duffel coat toggle.
- The pin cushion is a pretty berry printed poplin, topped with felt leaves and a crochet Irish rose.
- The needle case is a felt strawberry, hand beaded on both sides and has 2 wool felt leaves for you to store all your needles safely.
All of these have been handmade by me, and I hope will bring many hours of sewing pleasure to the winner. I always think that no matter how experienced a crafter you are, you deserve to have nice tools to use when working.
Want to enter? All you have to do is comment on this post and tell me your favourite crafting tip – can be sewing, knitting, crochet – whatever floats your boat really. The winner will be picked by having the most useful tip for people to use. I’ll do a round up of all the tips so we can all benefit from them too.
Stuff to note:
I will ship internationally, so this give away is open to everyone, wherever you are.
The giveaway is open until 5pm PST on 13th December (if you’re in the UK that means 1am on 14th!) after which a winner will be picked, and the announcement will be made on the blog, with the winner being emailed by Sunday 15th.
Thank you for taking part, and I look forward to hearing all your tips! xoxo
P.S. Have a look at some of the other amazing giveaways posted on Sew Mama Sew too!
- crafts , sewing and crafting , stuff I made , swaps and giveaways
- Comments(160)
favorite tip? Always craft with friends. you’ll laugh a lot, learn a lot and make great memories. Thanks for the lovely giveaway
For any craft – read the directions first!! Can you guess why that is my best tip
I always sew with a large magnet nearby so I can easily find lost needles and pins. Thanks for a sweet giveaway.
My favourite crafting tip would be to invest in sturdy yet inexpensive shelving so you can organize your fabrics, yarns and other supplies making them easy to see. This way you can “shop” your own supplies before running out and buying more and then winding up with doubles of things or too much of something.
Everyone says not to use steam because it might misalign your fabric… but when paper piecing and you have a big bulky section, steam away little one! Before I learnt this nothing looked good… now it all settles in nicely! Just don’t steam and glide
I am not so good at tips! I do try to sew as many things as I can in one continuous seam then snip all the pieces apart. It saves on thread and time.
My favorite tip is to gather fabric by setting a long stitch length and the tension all the way up. I used to hate doing ruffles but they aren’t so bad now.
Elmers school glue is awesome to use in quilting, I use it for binding and appliqué and basting. I love your basket.
I think everyone is like me and doesn’t think we have a good enough tip. Mine is not that creative but very hard learned. Do not assume you won’t spill or drip. Lay a heavy plastic trash bag on your table BEFORE you start that great project you saw on a blog.
Keep notions around so you can create when the mood strikes without a trip to the store.
My favorite tip is to use painters tape to help with 1/4 seam allowance
Hi there! thanks for the giveaway for the great sewing basket! I love it!
All joy and peace to you this holiday season!
Take care, Leslie
Just as repurposing and upcycling items into new creations is an exciting adventure, I feel the same about crafting and sewing tools. Random, non-craft items can be the most useful… like a chopstick for turning fabric tubes and corners or reaching into a space not intended for fingers… like turning items destined for the recycling bin into organizational tools – I have box lids, plastic produce trays, & prescription bottles stuffed with treasures everywhere… like binder clips protecting x-acto blades… like refrigerator magnets turned straight pin finders… and a bazillion more things I can’t think of at the moment.
Thank you for hosting this giveaway! I can’t wait to see what types of items your shop will offer.
Great giveaway, I hope I win! My best crafting tip came from my non crafting husband after a bout of getting very frustrated with my sewing machine tension, “have another glass of wine and have another go” works like a charm, and if it doesn’t then at lest you have a nice glass of wine!
What a cute basket. My youngest just started learning to sew and she is the only one in the house without her own sewing kit. This would be perfect for her. Thanks!
My best top is use a big safety pin to thread elastic, it’s cheap and really always works. Whenever I’ve tried other tools for it I lose the elastic halfway through
I adore the needle case! My best tip would be to find an organizational system that works for you. Nothing worse than misplacing essential parts of your project!
Scrap yarn makes great stitch markers if you are in a pinch
I think the most useful tip would be this: do not thread your needle you needle your thread. Meaning you hold your thread still and place your needle over it. It works all the time.
This is my favorite crafting tip that I use most often:
http://www.sewdelicious.com.au/2012/04/trouble-with-zips.html?showComment=1335540372156
I’d love to win. Here’s a tip that has helped me get lots of sewing done: leave stacks of pinned fabric pieces next to the machine so that you can get some sewing in, even if you only have 15 minutes, or until the baby wakes up…
I just learned that if you put a dab of hot glue on the next glue stick you are adding to your gun before you place it in behind the one running out, it makes it much easier to handle. It keeps that new one from flopping around and falling out…Plus you don’t have to have 3 hands to run the glue gun.
I love organizing my fabric on little mini bolts made from comic book backer boards. It takes a little time in the beginning, but it is so nice to see all the fabric displayed beautifully… makes it so much easier to get inspire to create!
P.S. I love the cute strawberry needle case!
It’s really a paper crafting tip, but you can sharpen your scissors and punches by using them on tin foil. Makes them easier to punch and they’ll last longer! Thanks for the chance to win!
My favorite crafting tip: Be organized, know exactly what supplies you have and where they are. Crafting involves a lot of “stuff”, small notions that are easy to lose etc. and a little attention to organizing can result in more time spent in crafting and less time spent hunting for stuff.
I LOVE that little basket! It’s so full of the prettiest things!
Thanks for the giveaway! And thank you for shipping internationally!!
My craft of choice is sewing so I’d better come up with a useful sewing tip….
OK, maybe this will do as my tip. Not so much about what to do. More like what not to do: never go near needles, pins and sharp scissors when exremely vexed or driven to distraction. Also avoid starting or finishing complicated or delicate projects when in the afore-mentioned humour or bone tired.
It will save you a lot of heartache. And injuries.
Hope that helps….
Like I do with cooking, Clean as you go! I throw all my scraps in a bin that I keep right by the side of the sewing table. I also keep all selvedges and fabric “strings” in a bucket on the table to tie up bundles and charms with. I keep a trashbin under the table for useless (I seriously mean useless) scraps and fabric shreds. I try to put my yardage away after each project but I guess I need to work on that more.
Thanks for the giveaway!
What a lovely gift. You are so right, every crafter needs lovely supplies! My favourite but slightly dull tip is to press as you go when sewing. A well pressed seam always looks better!
Good luck with the photo editing!
My most handy tip is to use glass-head pins instead of plastic. Learned the hard way when I ironed over a plastic pin I forgot to remove and it melted and ruined the fabric!
My sewing tip is wear a special magnetic bracelet while sewing to hold all the pins. It makes my life so much easier!
ajoyfulnoise(at)live(dot)com
Hmmm… my favorite sewing tip. I love matching seams by ironing the seams in opposite directions and nesting them together. That helps me so much with accuracy (which isn’t exactly my forte). Thanks!
Wow I was thinking about making a pin cushion, would love to win this giveaway. thank you for the chance to win
Ok, it may seem a bit yucky, but it’s so good i’m going with it anyway.
We all lick the thread to get it through a needle, but i recommend licking the needle too. It sounds odd but it seems to act like a magnet and almost attract the thread. Weird? yes! but give it a go!
Always use good quality thread in your bobbin. I used to always have tension issues with every machine and then I learned that tip-best advice ever
What a lovely giveaway! My favorite crafting tip is to use elmers washable glue sticks to hold together pieces of things instead of pinning. I use it all the time for hemming, piecing quilt blocks, finishing edges. So easy and comes right out in water!
I haven’t been sewing that long so my tips won’t be great, my tip would be that you don’t need anything fancy to appliqué! With a medium zig zag stitch it can look just as good, just try to put as little of the stitch off your appliqué as possible. Other than that, remember you get what you pay for, if its worth doing its always worth taking time over, wash your hands
Ps. Check out my giveaway. Pps. Yours is my favourite! It’s beautiful!!!!
My best crafting tip is get some decent scissors
Thanks for the chance
My favorite tip is to use a lint roller. It is great in between projects to clean up the cutting table and mats. Catches all those threads and cotton dust. Also it is fabulous if you have to rip seams out. Helps to get all those pesky little threads pulled out.. And to use blue painters tape to hold you zippers in place as you sew them in. Then just pull the tape away. love love love this sewing basket assortment. It is gorgeous. Thank you for the chance to enter your giveaway. conn_and_vans_momatyahoodotcom
Wow favorite crafting tip?! Yikes… using double sided interfacing works wonders for appliqueing really small pieces…I just realized this even though it may be obvious to most people! haha! Thanks for the chance.
Hmmm… my favorite tip? I like to have a leaders and enders project going at all times so that there is less wasted thread!
The only tip I have is to just be patient and take your time. I get in a rush and I mess up and get frustrated with what i’m making. I take a couple days to make something and it turns out PERFECT.
I love the pin cushion. Great basket.
Measure twice, cut once. This is my favourite tip! Thanks for the fab giveaway!
Most useful tip? Maybe that I save old spools and when I make a binding I wind it around the spool. It keeps it safe, unraveled, pressed, etc. Then when its time to use, you put a ribbon or that thin wrapping ribbon, the kind you can curl, or string through it and hang it around your neck. Not only do you look sewing chic, the binding rolls off the spool so easily as you sew it on your project.
Such a cute basket of homemade goodness!
Favorite tip… As a lifelong knitter, I never knew about the slid the first stitch trick… meaning, when you start a row, don’t knit or purl the first stitch, just slide it to the next needle and start it. It then gives the edges of your project a much for finished look – without those funky loopies!
My favorite crafting tip… hrmmmm. Freezer paper for tracing—i trace patterns onto freezer paper (the matte side) then I can iron the pieces (shiny side down) to the fabric and no pins or weights are needed—and you can do it many many times over! love it.
This is an absolutely lovely prize – thanks for sharing with us. The tip I need to keep in mind myself is to just take my time. It takes longer to undo and redo than if I just went a little slower to begin with!
My favortie tip is to use spray adhesive when basting a quilt. So much easier and kinder on my fingers than pins.
Cute basket. My tip is for mom’s who sew or craft with little ones under foot: fill that bottom drawer of your desk with toddler-friendly craft supplies. You can be crafty together without constantly stopping to rescue your pin cushion or search out that missing pattern piece.
My sewing tip, especially for paper-piecing, would be to use pliers to remove the tiny paper bits out of the corners of the seams, and all the hard to get to places.
And I love lint-rollers to clean my work-space after a good paper-piecing session. Because it does get messy when I do that lol!
Thanks for the chance to win. What a gorgeous set!
One helpful way to gather a lot of fabric is to zigzag across fishing line–the fishing line is very slick and the fabric can be easily gathered with no broken threads. Thanks for a wonderful giveaway!
Favorite tip: use what you have and be creative!
Working with dark fabric brings along the dreaded “LINT LINT” everywhere!!! What to do? Grab a chunk of that left over batting that was too small to save for another project and wisk wisk and the lint is gone. I love recycling, so after you have delinted everything, stuff the linty batting in a plastic bag (recycling from grocery) and when you are ready for your summer camping you have excellent fire starters in the bag!!!
Lovely giveaway,so generous of you.Thank you for the chance to win it.
Try it several time it is new to you,eventually you will get it.
Mine is to keep some washable glue handy. I learned to use it for all kinds of sewing and quilting purposes, including glueing your binding down instead of pinning. No slippage!
I love listening to audio books while I sew or iron. They keep me company without getting in my way. So I always make sure to have two or three loaded on my iPod.
What a wonderful gift! I’ve been sewing for years and still don’t have a needle case! Thanks so much for your kindness.
My tip is all about posture. Take care of yourselves and keep checking your posture every 20 minutes or so. Push your bottom back into the chair, lift your shoulders right up then slowly roll them backwards then down, and take a deep breath and point your chin up before returning to the work at hand. Flex your fingers and wrists every now and then too.
In recent years I have found that if I am willing to search youtube I can almost always find a video of what I am wanting to learn from sewing to knitting! Lots of good video tutorials available there.
circular knitting needles are great for knitting flat items too
Oh, how adorable. My tip would be don’t use the pad of your thumb to drive a thin hand sewing needle around a corner and through the folded mitres of the binding as you’re trying to go through about 6 different layers in a tight space, and your thumb is the point of least resistance. Don’t ask me how I know this! Thanks for such a great giveaway.
My favorite tip – be patient and learn from others mistakes and successes. The crafty community is so wonderful. Ask questions, and don’t be afraid to make mistakes.
My favorite tip is to make “mini-bolts” for your fabric from comic book boards. They are sized perfectly for a shelf, or clear bin and make it so much easier to see your beautiful stash.
Thanks!
My fav tip is ::: to just do it! Try it & see, don’t sit there debating about it in your head, get it out of your head & give it a go!
Keep a plastic bottle with a narrow top (like a laundry detergent bottle) for all those sewing machine needles and rotary cutting blades. Keep the lid on and then throw them all out together in that container when it is full. That way they don’t cut through your trash bag and get on the floor and cut feet, dogs, or little ones knees.
My best tip is to have all the supplies you will need and have your sewing machine in good working order and a new needle! Thanks for the giveaway.
Always have the kettle on for plenty of tea drinking while sewing.
Deborah
pinkscissorsdesign @gmail .com
Pink Scissors Design on Etsy
I’ve learned to take a break when I’m fatigued or irritated. Too many mistakes when I’m not focused on sewing
Thanks for the lovely giveaway.
What a sweet basket! Thanks for the chance to win! Let’s see…my best sewing tip is probably a no-brainer, but here it is: Press, press, press! Press as you go. You can never press enough, and it makes whatever you are sewing look so much better!
My favorite crafting tip…keep your coffee close…but your seam ripper even closer!
Favourite crafting tip: Before turning something like a bag strap, pillowcase, or bodice/lining right side out, I always press the seams open. Then once turned it’s much easier to press the item flat!
I do needlework and started when I was 8 yrs old. I can still hear my teacher telling us to always wash or hands before we start.
I would say it’s to measure twice (or three times) and cut once – for sewing.
And if you’re knitting/crocheting and are debating between purchasing an extra skein of yarn – get it. Better to have an extra skein (that you can usually exchange for store credit or just use for something else) than to be short and run out of yarn before your project is through. It’s a pain to try and find another skein in the same dye lot later!
Measure twice (or three, or four!) times and cut once
Thanks for the chance!
Melissa
mjp_0419 at yahoo dot com
Right now the best tip is to wear an apron or have a good lint remover handy. I get little pieces of thread all over my t-shirts or tops. Do you have a newsletter. I would like to follow your blog. This prize is really nice and I would love to win. Merry Christmas. crystalbluern at onlineok dot com
My favorite sewing tip is to buy a ton of stick glue when it is on clearance after school starts. I use it for so much when I sew!! It will hold a pocket in place while you stitch it down. It is great for keeping bias tape in place while you sew it on. So many more things! Then it washes right out when you throw it in the washer when you are done creating it.
Oh my, that cute basket would be perfect for my daughters! My favourite sewing tip ever is the hidden knot trick when you start stitching by hand. Fold your thread over double then thread both cut ends through the eye of the needle. Push needle through your fabric and then back down very close to first spot. Then pull the needle and thread through the loop at the back of the fabric and you have secured your thread without making an obvious knot!
Lovely giveaway!! Tip: keep a pair scissors for paper cutting only! I ruined a piece of fabric once for using scissors that were sharp for fabric that had been used on paper – don’t be silly like me
My crafting tip would be to always snip off the thread while you are working, not wait til you have finished sewing. Saves a lot of work and mess!
What beautiful goodies you have put together : )
My favourite crafting tip, which goes across all crafts is, slow down near to the finish line. We are so apt to rush ahead and often make mistakes or don’t finish something as well as we might if we had taken a little more time
Craft with friends and share your knowledge, and craft for others, gift what you make because these are the best and most personal gifts. Thanks for the chance!
Slow down! That would save me a lot of seam ripping!
that is so AAAdorable! favorite crafting tip is…never stop. there are too many things to learn and do and not much reason to stop. too many people will love the work of your hands to waste your love on those who don’t.
Never give up!! Thanks for the giveaway! Amy @ gasudimack(at)sbcglobal(dot)net
My favorite tip is just to relax, have fun and don’t necessarily worry about all the rules and the “right” way of doing things.
I’m pretty new to sewing and just bought a sewing machine a year ago. I was going to buy a fairly cheap machine, but my mom told me to buy the best machine I could afford so that I wouldn’t outgrow it. She’s been right. I am so happy and know I will be for a long time to come.
What a lovely assortment in a great basket! Your craftiness is beautiful!
Use a “baby” safety pin when threading elastic, string, yarn, etc. The reverse push and latch needed to open the pin prevents you getting jabbed or having whatever you are threading come off mid-way through!
I love this customized giveaway! My tip is to keep a lint roller handy to keep things tidy!
The tip I love is using double sided tape for paper templates on my ruler. Hexagons and triangles. I just need one ruler. Thank you for the opportunity. It’s a lovely giveaway.
For sewing I always stress to iron WAY more then you think you need too. Cutting carefully and ironing lots will make anything you sew nearly perfect! and for Crochet, to get perfect tension on your hook make sure the loop of yarn can easily slide up and down the shaft of your hook. If it can you will always get even stitches
Measure twice cut once.
Saves a lot of grief at times.
Wow, so many good tips! I always remind people to never sew over an unpressed seam, and to snip your threads as you go!
Such pretty things. Glue basting is my tip. I’m a quilter mostly, I LOVE piecing, and glue basting has made huge improvements to my work. I’ll have a go at glue basting anything now really!
Clean out under the bobbin often.
What an adorable giveaway! My tip is that everything always takes longer than what is anticipated.
I use my 6 year old to remove all the pins as I just hate that job and he loves to help.
My favorite sewing tip — become good friends with your iron. Pressing along the way, pressing seams open, fusing interfacings properly, etc. makes for fewer mistakes, less frustration, and a more professional-looking finished item.
Thanks for hosting such a lovely giveaway!
I totally hate it when my bobbin threads become all tangled so my tip is: Put your bobbins in those little toe thingys that are used when you are getting your toes polished. You can fit 5 in each one; no more tangled bobbins.
glue sticks are the best thing ever for keeping trims ion place and installing zippers!
Hmm…I guess my tip would be to read and reread directions when sewing a new pattern, and also to get yourself a magnetic pin block with storage. I have one that makes it easy to pick up pins that have fallen onto the floor, and also has a lid so that I can keep pins out of reach of little hands!
youtube is an invaluable tool! i learned to knit when i was very young and did not have any interest in it until after i had my first child. without youtube, i wouldn’t have remembered how to do it again!
also, your pretty little sewing basket is lovely!
I think the most helpful tip I have is just to chain piece when you can. Makes life so much easier.
My favorite tip (for papercrafts): when making precision cuts, use a scalpel. You can buy blades for super-cheap at medical supply store, and it works better than any cutting tool you can find at the craft supply store.
I loved learning about putting light-weight interfacing on pattern pieces. I have found it makes tiny pattern pieces so much easier to work with.
I use wonder clip when putting binding on my pot holders.
Invest your time and money wisely. High, or at least decent, quality tools and notions last longer and make creating so much easier and enjoyable. The same with fabrics. Your finished projects will look nicer, feel nicer, and need less upkeep and/or maintenance.
I’m quite new on sewing, so it will be usefull to read the other posts. I would say: read if the seam allowance is included in the pattern.
My favorite tip: Read the directions all the way through before beginning!
My tip whatever the project maybe is to keep inspiration around you. A piece of your main statement fabric/paper/embellishment etc., some pictures or small items that inspire or a book with useful pictures/techniques. It helps when something goes wrong or when you’re just running out of steam.
Also break every task into small steps and take your time so you can see your progress and not be daunted by a ‘big’ task; this also helps when you’re running out of steam!
My best hint is to make sure you have all of the supplies BEFORE you start any project. There is nothing more frustrating than having to run out for more in mid project.
my best tip is to Do It, never be afraid to try a new craft.. I never have a fail, sometimes I don’t like what is made, but at least I tried and I always have fun trying new things.
Favorite crafting tip: taking shortcuts often results in tremendously more time/trouble than doing it the “right” way the first time. I wish I could remember that…
Favorite sewing tip. I guess using a Hera Marker instead of a pen/chalk/tape. Its perfect for quilting my quilts.
My tip is to buy the best you can afford, working with good fabric and tools really does make the job easier.
my craft tip, read the instructions first and carefully and completely so I understand well before I start just doing. Excitement does not only get me my results every time. Too many tear outs. Now I take the time to read and am a little better. LOL
I still consider myself a beginning crafter. The best advice I can offer is from the friend who taught me to sew and knit. “Stop trying to be perfect.” Learn from your mistakes and move on! It’s a great tip for crafting and life
My favorite is to make several of the same thing and set up an assembly line
I have a knitting tip; when you are knitting cables and are using a cable needle, put an elastic around one of your fingers so you can put your cable needle under it when you aren’t using it. I hate when you have to keep putting the cable needle down, or I used to put it in my mouth when I wasn’t at a cable lol. This is so much easier!! Thanks for the chance to win this adorable kit!
Read the instructions all the way through before you start!
I pretty much have 2 things I go by.
1. Measure, Measure, Measure, then cut.
2. Read the directions and then read them again.
Measure twice, cut once.
Have fun, I find if it’s a chore nothing goes right and I have to use my favorite notion a lot. (seam ripper)
My tip would be to just enjoy what you are doing. If you are learning something new, take your time, read all the instructions, and try not to get uptight about your project. If you take the time to enjoy it, you will be more likely to keep doing it.
I use a cutting board for cutting my book board. When I have enough cuts on it I use my sander to smooth it out. This way I have a clean and flat area to use.
My favorite tip has to be using painters tape on my sewing machine to make sure I am following the correct seam allowance.
Cute basket! My crafting tip is to always measure twice, cut once and to prewash your fabrics
Great giveaway!! Get inspired by others work before you craft…keeps me motivated.
The most useful tip I know to share tonight is how to get silk fabric at an excellent price. I love silk and I enjoy using it in my quilting and sewing projects but the price can sometimes be out of my budget. I’ve gone to Goodwill and purchased silk clothing and cut it up and used it in my projects. I typically start in the plus size clothing because the lager the blouse the more silk fabric I get for3 bucks. I also keep an eye out during the summer months at garage sales.
Hope this is the best tip
I love your basket and I’m happy to just have seen it…very clever.
Smiles,
Kelly
I figured out a glue stick helps with all sorts of sewing, mostly with zippers!
My tip is: keep your iron far away from your cutting mat lest it get hot and warp. *sigh*
My tip for the busy mama with little ones is schedule a playdate for the kids with your fellow crafty mamas and get a little something done while the kids entertain each other.
When it comes to quilting, I believe more fabrics of a wide variety make a better quilt. And plaid goes with everything!
I love my little clover iron it doesn’t eat a bunch of energy (is the light don’t flicker) when I am using it and it is just the right size to do the ironing for quilts.
Don’t be like me….clean up before going on to next project.
Lick the thread, not the needle. Super cute basket!
Use masking tape to fix your quilt backing to a table or floor for basting!
Thanks for the giveaway!
My new favorite tip is Elmer’s School Glue. It is great to keep points lined up without running over pins when sewing.
When laying out a paper pattern – use sewing weights and not pins for a smoother, faster and better cut. You can make some sewing weights (lots of tutorials out there) or use what I do (learned from my great grandmother) use butter knives (the old flatware that is heavy- I have some I use just for sewing! you can find in second hand stores) It works great!
Im learning that you MUST use the right type of stabilzer when machine embroidering. Thanks for the chance at this lovely basket.
pressing really does make the difference
My favorite sewing tip is one I need to try and abide by more- I dont have to finish every project I start in one sitting. It is OK to stop and come back to it later on. I find I make mistakes when I am tired but trying to keep working on a project.
There’s no better way to improve or learn a new skill than to just sit down and start working!
While doing ribbed rows in crochet (crocheting in the back loop only throughout), I like to ch 1 at the beginning of a row and then SKIP the 1st stitch. It gives a much more even + square look to it.
So cute! Crafting tip: nice tools make all the difference!
My favorite tip is very simple: practice, practice, practice! It’s my new crafty mantra.
My favourite sewing tip is: slow and steady. Whenever I rush (every single time) I stuff something up! I have to keep telling myself to slow down
My favourite craft tip is when you are crocheting, when you put your hook down, stick it in your hair, saves lots of time when you go to pick it up and cannot find it,
My tip applies to any type of craft, or in fact life in general, it is DON’T COMPARE YOURSELF WITH EVERYONE ELSE! You are unique and wonderful and should be proud and happy with what you make, not always saying it isn’t as good as so and so’s. I know this is hard to do, especially in a Pinterest world that leads us to believe that everything should look perfect all the time, but trust me, if you can do it, you will be much happier and progress much further in whatever you try to do.
Thank you for the chance to win this lovely basket of tools. I am a novice stitcher, but am looking forward to learning more and would be grateful to have these items to work from.
I think using a bias tape maker (the clover brand) is a great short cut for bias tape and binding!
I think my best advice is to read through all of the directions before starting. Collect everything you need to use and then start.
My best tip is to not stress. It is the imperfections that make it special and not like everything else!
I am a perfectionist and I tend to avoid doing things I don’t think I can do a good enough job of. My advice is that you only get better with practice and we all have to start somewhere.
If you don’t start because you don’t think you are good enough you will never find out how good you really could be with practice.
My other advice is to sew with friends often, it is a great way to bond & you will be amazed what you will learn when you just create with other creative people. Not just about creating but about every aspect of life.
I starch my fabric before tracing embroidery patterns on to it. The marks wash right out, it’s almost as if I write on the starch not the fabric.
Knit your ends in as you go and you don’t have to darn them in when you’re done.
I always check the patterns a couple of times and then ensure that I have all the materials required for the project and put everything in a bag before I even embark on the project.
Thanks for the cute and lovely giveaway
My favourite tip was given to me by a much wiser crafting friend when I was bemoaning the fact that I was stuck in the middle of a project and couldn’t figure out what to do next.
She said “just do what the pattern says” so I did and my project came out perfectly!
This basket is stinking adorable! My latest tip is to never, ever sew over a pin with your serger. I snapped my blades!
I learned from Peggy Martin how to use an eyebrow tool to help rip out seams on a paper pieced project. They have them in 3 in a pack for a few dollars. They work so well that when I need a seam ripper I grab one.
gREAT GIFT BASKET!
My fave sewing tip is to not cut fabric in your lap!
emmevon(at)gmail(dot)com
Put girls’ terry ponytail holders around your bobbins to curtail the loose threads!
Please don’t drink and craft! I’ve learned the hard way!
Don’t set aside a project until it’s finished!!