Hands Occupied

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

Sewing

The TLC Caftan / Handmade Wardrobe

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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.

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.

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.