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Tips on hobbies and toys
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How to enlarge patterns
Using a colored pencil and ruler, mark a grid on pattern by connecting grid lines around edges. On sheet of paper mark grid of 1” squares (or size given), making the same number of squares as on pattern. It’s easiest to use graph paper with 1” squares. In each square, draw the same lines as in corresponding squares on pattern.
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Make a sturdy book bag out of jeans
Cut the legs off an old pair of jeans and stitch the leg opening and fly closed. Then run a piece of belting through the loops to make a strap. The ‘bag’ has ready-made pockets for pencils, calculator, etc.
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It’s easier to thread a needle if you….
Rub the end of the thread with a wax candle first.
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When sewing on a four-hold button….
Stitch through two holes, then knot the thread before you sew through the other two holes. If the thread breaks on one side, the button won’t come off.
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Prevent slit in a skirt from ripping
Sew the eye from a hook-and-eye set across the top of the slit on the inside.
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Easy pick up of pins and needles
Keep a magnet in your sewing box to pick up pins and needles that fall on the floor.
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Use newspaper when mending
Slip a folded newspaper through the legs or sleeves of the garment you’re mending so you don’t sew through both layers.
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Easy way to ‘puff’ curtains
Stuff them full of plastic or paper grocery bags.
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When making your own candles….
Add food coloring to the clear wax to create unique color schemes.
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Use fishing line to hang decorations and wall décor
From homemade Christmas decorations such as popcorn garlands and tree ornaments, to wall plaques, etc., fishing line gives a strong enough hold to secure just about anything.
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No more torn pocket corners
Apply iron-on mending tape to the underside of a shirt pocket at the pocket corners and the pockets won’t rip or tear off so easily.
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Yarn and mothballs
Wind yarn around a few mothballs if it will be some time before you use it.
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Use clear plastic bags to organize small sewing items
Place left over material and piece goods in them. You can see through the plastic and find any certain piece of cloth without removing everything from the bag. They will store flat on shelves or racks and are kept dust free.
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Mend socks on the sewing machine
Use masking tape to shape and hold the holes together while sewing them. Stitch right through the tape. The tape dissolves when the socks are laundered.
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Making your own belts
Use iron-on-tape when lining homemade belts. This will assure sewing the material straight. Press the tape on one side of the material, along the edge. Turn the material over the belting and gently press. No one will guess it’s a homemade belt.
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Easy mending of holes and big tears
Place a thin sheet of paper under the hole and darn back and forth with the sewing machine. When the garment is washed, the paper dissolves, leaving the garment with only the threads. This works as well on bed sheets with big rips and tears.
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Make aprons from long skirts
Rip up the sides and make two beautiful aprons. Use a solid color material that complements the skirt and make a tie and huge pocket.
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To shorten a skirt or dress
Use your ironing board as an aid. Stick the pins right into the padding when measuring the hem. Leave them there until your pressing is done. And, you can hand-sew the hem while the dress is still on the board.
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Use wax paper when sewing on plastic
If you put wax paper over the seam, the sewing machine needle won’t stick to the plastic and pucker. The wax paper tears off easily when the stitching is done.
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Keep patterns from tearing
Put cellulose tape over darts on patterns for easier tracing and to keep the patterns from tearing.
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For patterns that call for a 5/8-inch seam
Place a three-inch strip of adhesive tape parallel to the inside edge of the machine, 5/8 of an inch from the sewing machine needle. When sewing, let the edge of the material run along the inside edge of the adhesive tape as you stitch. This saves time, guesswork and measuring the seam width.
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For an excellent seam ripper….
Use a blunt sewing machine needle. Keep one in your pin cushion just for this special purpose.
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Keep your needles and pins sharp
A pin cushion out of a covered steel-wool ball or pad keeps your needles and pins very sharp.
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Can’t find your sewing needle?
Push a wad of cotton into the little hole in the spool. Stick the mending needle in it. The next time a button comes off, there will be no need rummaging around for a needle in the sewing box.
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Take a nature walk
Collect interesting items such as pinecones, twigs, rocks, flowers, etc. Have your child use them to make a design that can be glued onto a paper towel tube or inside a paper plate and proudly displayed. Be sure to put the date and age of your child on it.
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Scraper for craft projects
Use the plastic bread bag clips for scraping glue and paint for small tedious craft projects.
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Use fingernail polish remover as a glue
When you run out of plastic glue, fingernail polish remover does the trick. Put on adjoining ends of the plastic, it dissolves the plastic enough to bond the pieces together.
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Finger glued to the Super Glue?
A trick that works well is to soak your finger(s) with vinegar or white vinegar of alcohol. Vinegar acts as an effective solvent against Super Glue.
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Make an excellent paper glue
Mix a little flour and vinegar and you will get an excellent paper glue that you can spread with a brush.
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Sharpen your scissors
Take a sheet of aluminum foil and fold it into fourths. Cut through it with scissors for a minute and your scissors will be sharpened (be sure to cut the full length of the scissors).
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Sharpen the scissors
Cut sandpaper with your scissors to sharpen them.
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Store your photos
Baby wipe tubs make great boxes to store your photos until you can put them in an album.
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Organize your craftroom
Label baby wipe boxes for items such as sewing supplies, scrapbooking, needlepoint, crayons, etc.
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Prevent thread from tangling
A sewing needle run through a sheet prior to sewing can prevent the thread from tangling.
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Dryer sheets useful in your crafts
Use dryer sheets to add texture to cards, scrapbooks, etc. Also use for reinforcement in appliqué and quilting work.
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Recycle wet wipes tubs
The containers are convenient for storing toys, sewing materials, nuts and bolts and many other small items.
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A scrap booker’s best friend
If you’re into scrap booking, baby wipes will clean off your rubber stamps and have them looking like new. In addition, they’re great for cleaning glue and ink off the hands.
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Sewing pin difficult to push into fabric?
Stick the point of the pin or needle into a bar of soap.
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No more tangled thread
Prevent thread from tangling. Run a threaded needle through a Bounce dryer sheet to eliminate the static cling on the thread before sewing.
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Cleaning gilt frames
To clean gilt frames, dip a soft brush in a solution made of equal parts of alcohol and ammonia and gently swab the frame. After several minutes apply a light coating of white petroleum jelly, and then wipe off with a clean cloth.
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Homemade glue
When there's no more glue and your children want to tinker, make a sticky dough with water and flour.
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Thin white glue
When white glue thickens in a bottle, add a small amount of vinegar and the glue will take back its normal consistency.
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Use chalk without the mess
To keep chalk marks where they belong, put a cap (pen or felt) on one end of a piece of chalk! No more dirty or white fingers!
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Cheap paper mache
Homemade paper mache. Make your own paper mache cheaply by soaking egg cartons in warm water for a few seconds.
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Making candles
Make your own candles. If you like making candles but the wick causes you problems because it is difficult to keep upright, you can soak your wicks in starch and let it dry in a flat position. No more problems!
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Saving a step when gluing crafts
A cookie sheet saves a step when gluing crafts. Use a cookie sheet for your crafts that require glue. Once you are finished gluing the parts together, you can pick up the whole project on the cookie sheet and move it somewhere safe to dry. Better than working on newspaper.
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Gold leafing
Gold leafing made easy. If you've ever done any gold leafing, you know how those thin sheets can stick to your fingers because of the natural oil in your skin. A light dusting of talcum powder all over your hands before you start will eliminate this.
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Cross stitch projects
Fingernail polish helps in cross stitch projects. When doing cross stitch projects, to keep those ends from coming undone in the back, use clear fingernail polish.
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Organizing cross stitch projects
Plastic zip lock bags organize project items. To keep your cross stitch projects together, put all the thread, patterns, etc. in a zip lock plastic bag. Then, when you want to pick one, just flip through the bags.
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Yarn holders
Empty soda bottles serve as yarn holders. Cut off the bottom of a big plastic soda bottle. Put the yarn inside, feed one end through the spout and then replace the bottom
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Stiffen crochet work
White glue and water maker stiffener for crochet work. To stiffen crochet work, mix white glue and water and saturate the item in the solution, squeezing out the excess. Stretch to the proper shape and pin to a piece of styrofoam (a meat tray for small items works well). Allow 24 hours to dry.
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Knitting Needles
Improve your knitting speed. You can improve your knitting speed by spraying some furniture polish on your knitting needles.
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Knitting Trick
A straw prevents tangles. When knitting with more than one ball of wool at a time, slip the end of each color through a plastic straw to prevent tangling.
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Straighten used wool yarn
To straighten yarn for reuse, wrap it around a bottle. Wet the wool with cold water and then fill the bottle with boiling water. After drying the wool will no longer be curled.
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Recycle fast food drinking cups
For cheap paint holders, think about keeping fast food plastic cups that close with a lid. Transform them into painting pots. Enlarge the hole in the lids, and young, budding artists can insert their brush without splashing around. Less mess in case of awkwardness.
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Scented stationery
For personalized scented stationery, spray some sheets of paper with your favorite perfume. Let them dry and then place them between the sheets of your writing paper.
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