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Hands Occupied

Colorful knitting, crochet, latch hook and macrame from craft book author & designer Heidi Gustad.

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Sewing

Sewing the Mathilde Blouse: what worked? What didn't? And where can you find fun, fresh fabric to pair with some beautiful buttons for adding to your handmade wardrobe? This post has the answers.

Mathilde / Handmade Wardrobe

October 1, 2019 2 Comments

Sewing the Mathilde Blouse: what worked? What didn’t? And where can you find fun, fresh fabric to pair with some beautiful buttons for adding to your handmade wardrobe? This post has the answers.

Handmade beachwear is so much fun to make! Find tips for achieving a good fit when knitting from a vintage pattern, and take a look at a handmade, 1940s-inspired swim set.

Boardwalk Duet & Fernlace Pullover 2.0 / Handmade Wardrobe

August 21, 2019 4 Comments

Handmade beachwear is so much fun to make! Find tips for achieving a good fit when knitting from a vintage pattern, and take a look at a handmade, 1940s-inspired swim set.

Making a skirt from a favorite dress sewing pattern is easy! Get some easy tips for making half of your favorite dress in the latest edition of Handmade Wardrobe on Hands Occupied.

Simplicity 1803: Just the Skirt / Handmade Wardrobe

August 7, 2019 3 Comments

Making a skirt from a favorite dress sewing pattern is easy! Get some easy tips for making half of your favorite dress in the latest installment of Handmade Wardrobe on Hands Occupied.

Learn what I loved, hated and would do differently in making this handmade outfit. The sweater is an original 1940s knitting pattern for the Fernlace Pullover, and the skirt is a self-drafted circle skirt pattern, fully lined.

Fernlace Pullover & A Self-Drafted Circle Skirt / Handmade Wardrobe

June 12, 2019 3 Comments

Working with vintage knitting patterns can be tough, and self-drafting a circle skirt presents its own sewing challenges. Learn what I loved, hated and would do differently in making this handmade outfit.

Handmade Wardrobe / Learn the ins and outs, pros and cons of sewing the beginner-friendly ESP Dress from Decades of Style.

The ESP Dress / Handmade Wardrobe

May 29, 2019 4 Comments

Learn the ins and outs, pros and cons of sewing the beginner-friendly ESP Dress from Decades of Style.

Handmade Wardrobe: Simplicity 1803. Sometimes stash-diving results in a fun dress that teaches you a thing or two about ease and fit. Click to check out the pros and cons of making Simplicity pattern 1803, and get some practical sewing advice from Grandma while you're at it!

Simplicity 1803 / Handmade Wardrobe

May 22, 2019 Leave a Comment

Sometimes stash-diving results in a fun dress that teaches you a thing or two about ease and fit. Click to check out the pros and cons of making Simplicity pattern 1803, and get some practical sewing advice from Grandma while you’re at it!

Handmade Wardrobe: The TLC Caftan from Decades of Style. Is this pattern right for you? Read about easy moments, challenging moments, and lessons learned in the process of sewing this advanced beginner-friendly pattern.

The TLC Caftan / Handmade Wardrobe

May 14, 2019 Leave a Comment

Handmade Wardrobe: Is the TLC Caftan pattern from Decades of Style right for you? Read about easy moments, challenging moments, and lessons learned in the process of sewing this advanced beginner-friendly pattern.

Hey hey hey! It's Me Made May! - Read about one maker's Me Made May-inspired handmade wardrobe plans and goals, and how she plans to leverage a modest sewing skillset into a well-fitting, sustainable wardrobe.

Hey hey hey! It’s Me Made May!

May 7, 2019 Leave a Comment

Read about my Me Made May-inspired handmade wardrobe goals, and how I plan to leverage a modest sewing skillset into a well-fitting, sustainable wardrobe!

Use your favorite pretty fabric to sew a drawstring bag in minutes!

Easy Sew: Drawstring Project Bag

July 11, 2016 5 Comments

Like many yarn crafters, I’ve got roughly a thousand and one works-in-progress laying about, so I regularly find myself in need of more project bags. As I knit and crochet over the years, I realized that the best project bag is nothing more than a simple rectangle with a drawstring top. You can toss the bags in your purse to keep your skeins in order, you can toss them in a suitcase, and you can easily store them with your other WIPs without worrying about yarn running amok.

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Heidi Gustad from Hands Occupied / Craft Book Author and Knitting, Crochet, Latch Hook and Macrame Designer

Hi! I’m Heidi (she/her/hers), a craft book author & pattern designer specializing in knitting, crochet, latch hook & macrame. Really anything with yarn! ❤️  My work combines vintage and modern design elements, featuring bold colors and graphic motifs.

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handsoccupied

Craft book author, designer & creator specializing in yarn crafts like knitting, crochet, latch hook & macramé
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Heidi Gustad 🧶✂️
Since it won’t be clean for long, swipe to see w Since it won’t be clean for long, swipe to see what my home studio looks like these days. Nothing will ever quite be like the old Hands Occupied Studio, but I’m pretty pleased with how I shoehorned everything in this space. Function over form + a layer of yarn cuteness-meets-chaos is how I’d describe my creative space needs. 😆 When I was still renting the studio, those needs included “doesn’t rain suspicious brown water from a crack in the ceiling for a year,” so this is an improvement! 😆
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For a time lapse of the studio organizing and tszuj-ing process, scroll down a couple posts on my feed. (There’s also a video or two featuring the old studio if you’re curious.) Happy June, friends! 
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#handsoccupied #handsoccupiedstudio #knitdesigner #craftdesign #yarncrafts #latchhook #makerlife #heidigustad #chicagocrafter
Who doesn’t love magic loop knitting? Who doesn’t know what it is? How about when circular needles were invented?
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In todays new bl0g post + video tutorial, you’ll learn about the magic loop method for knitting in the round, how to do it and why to use it, and when it came to be. The 🔗 is in my b1o. 🧶 
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#handsoccupied #magicloop #knitting #howtoknit #knittinginspiration #knittingintheround
Finally organizing & putting the finishing touches Finally organizing & putting the finishing touches on my home studio. After losing my studio space last fall, it’s feels really great to *occupy* this new space all the way. 😉
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I started by removing general clutter & returning straggler supplies from various WIPs, videos & design deadlines to their homes. Next, I hung a third peg board in the space - this one is mostly for display and less for organizing tools or projects. For the first time ever, I’m displaying projects from my book, plus a couple other faves. (The best thing about designing more yarn crafts besides knit & crochet is that I have some really fun -and delightfully pettable 😆- samples around.) I finished by adding a square dowel to my small supply storage tower to keep it from tipping over, plus re-arranging and de-cluttering the closet. 
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This cleaner space already has me feeling so much more creative and less overwhelmed. Now to find a safe spot in the basement for the tower of project samples in Rubbermaid tubs I liberated from my WIPs closet. Also why are there five?! 
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Here’s to keeping it clean for a few weeks! 🧶 
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#handsocupied #handsoccupiedstudio #craftroom #craftroomorganization #craftroomstorage #yarncraft #knitter #crocheter #latchhook #latchhookbook
It’s a disaster in here and my video microphone It’s a disaster in here and my video microphone isn’t cooperating, but it could be worse! How’s your day? 
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(If we haven’t yet met, I’m Heidi and I’m a pattern designer and tutorial creator specializing in yarn crafts like knitting & latch hook. You can learn more about my work and regularly find new tutorials in my profile. ☺️👋🏻)
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#handsoccupied #craftstudio #knitter #yarncrafter
How to knit a one-row buttonhole 🧶 . Sweater k How to knit a one-row buttonhole 🧶 
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Sweater knitters, listen up! Learn how to knit a buttonhole over the course of a single row of knitting, a.k.a. a one-row buttonhole. In this technique, a combination of binding off and casting on stitches on opposite sides of the work creates a symmetrical, stretchy buttonhole. 
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The time limit on these is 90 seconds, so this quick tutorial is perfect to save for future reference. (Did you know you can make folders of saved items like tutorials? 👩🏼‍🏫) 
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If you’re brand new to the technique or want to see this demonstration slower and more in-depth, my bl0g and You/2be are the place to be. Thanks for watching & let me know if you have any questions or requests for future tutorials in the comments. ☺️
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#handsoccupied #knitting #onerowbuttonhole #learntoknit #sweaterknitting #knittutorial #knitting_inspiration
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