Hands Occupied

Colorful, contemporary knit & crochet.

Sewing

Quilted Flower Tote & English Paper Piecing

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English paper piecing is a method of hand quilting accomplished by sewing bits of fabric around cut out pieces of paper, and then sewing those together to form a quilt. Since I wish there was a little more fabric in my crafty life, today’s tutorial is an intro to the basics of English paper piecing and how to make a flower applique for jazzing up a tote bag.

Knitting Needle Case DIY

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These fun little knitting needle pouches can also be used as a pencil case or, of course, as a crochet hook case. Sometimes sewing offers a fun distraction to all of the knitting and crochet I spend my time doing. It’s a fun exercise taking something larger and sculpting it into something smaller, whereas knitting and crochet have you taking a string and building it into something larger. Maybe not everyone thinks of sewing vs. knitting/crochet like this, but it’s how my brain works. :)

DIY FYI: Threading a Needle

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When I took an etextiles workshop last week, I was reminded that not everyone in the world can easily thread a needle. There are many people in this world (myself included when I have a tendonitis flare-up) who can’t grasp something as small as a piece of thread or hold it steadily enough to get it through a needle. Or maybe there’s a vision issue at play. Physical limitations aside, sometimes you’re just working with crazy thread! Read on for my top tip for getting your needle threaded so you can get down to DIY business!

DIY Light-Up Cuff Bracelet

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Etextiles are pretty cool, but somehow actually attempting an electronics project didn’t happen until this week. I’m so glad I finally took a workshop because they’re SO COOL. And not nearly as scary as I thought. Not by a long shot. Today’s tutorial covers the very basics of working with LED bulbs and creating a simple circuit with conductive thread to make a bracelet that lights up when you wear it.