Grizzly Bear

 {2012 Craft Books}

How to Make Stuffed Animals: Modern, Simple Patterns and Instructions for 18 Projects by Sian Keegan

What you need to know:

• 18 stuffed animal projects that are easier to make than you think
• Cute creations !
• Just a 1/4 yard of fabric or fat quarter is required to make each animal
• Visit the author's Etsy shop  
• I sewed up a grizzly bear using black corduroy, some tan fabric, and a tiny scrap (leftover from a recent project) of floral Liberty of London used for inside the tiny ears to help make them pop. I do have to say that it was difficult working with the black fabric because it was so hard to see the area where I was hand sewing.

 Happy weekend !

Mending Hole in Jeans

Hole mended in a pair of jeans

Hole in jeans before it was mended

 {2012 Craft Books}

Mend It Better: Creative Patching, Darning, and Stitching by Kristin Roach 

 Who knew that mending a hole in a pair of jeans could be so simple and not to mention fast? I didn't. Here's what I did to mend this pair of jeans: I took a small piece of dark denim (1"X2"), placed it under the hole, then sewed like crazy back and forth on the sewing machine (over that 1"X2" spot) ~ that's it! The jeans were repaired in only maybe 5 minutes?

I got this brilliant idea from Mend It Better which is such a practical book! It covers both the technical and the creative aspects of mending; from how to repair, upgrade and preserve clothes; to the skills of hemming, patching, darning, beadwork, decorative stitching. One whole chapter is devoted to just zippers, how to fix zippers and how to replace broken ones. Replacing elastic, solutions for stains... a lot is covered...

Here's a project of adding pockets to a pocket-free garment.

I enjoy the frugality of upcycling, so coming across this prom dress turned into a princess play dress put a smile on my face.

If you're like me and want to extend the life of your clothing, these ideas and skills are very helpful.

Happy mending!

Lace Poufs

 {2012 Craft Books}

Adornments: Sew & Create Accessories with Fabric, Lace & Beads by Myra Callan

What you need to know:

• Like pretty craft books? This one is filled to the brim with prettiness... lots of gorgeous photos
• 20 accessory projects for a lovely romantic look
• Visit the author's Etsy shop 
• I created a couple of lace poufs and added them to a hair clip ~ a super quick and easy project !

Nesting Doll Softie

 {2012 Craft Books}

Happy Stitch: 30 Felt and Fabric Projects for Everyday by Jodie Rackley

What you need to know:

• With just a few simple stitches and basic materials, you can whip up one of these charming projects in a short amount of time
• Visit the author's Etsy shop
• Share photos of completed projects to the Happy Stitch Book Group on flickr 
• Do you like working wool felt? It's so great because it doesn't fray and it's so nice & thick, too. I'm a fan of Russian nesting dolls, so I had to stitch up the nesting doll softie and it was fully competed in just one afternoon
• This little nesting doll softie will be off to put a smile on a child's face :)

Storybook

 {2012 Craft Books}

Show Me a Story: 40 Craft Projects and Activities to Spark Children's Storytelling by Emily Neuburger

What you need to know:

• Colorful, well-done kid's craft/activity book, take a peek inside by watching the video 
• Free projects from the book: Story Stones, Story Blocks 
• Recently I asked my daughter (who is in Kindergarten) what her favorite thing is at school and she said art. So this blank storybook was a perfect project for her. She picked out the color of the materials, only general supplies were needed, so we already had all of them on hand. We worked together to construct the book, then she did all the rest, finalizing the subject (shapes), writing the title, decorating the cover, writing the book and coloring it in.
• If you've got kids who are in the 5-12 year old range, this is a great book to pull out on weekends and especially during those long school breaks and do some creating together. This is a good one!    

Happy weekend!

Felt Owl Ornament

 {2012 Craft Books}

Craft-A-Day 365 Simple Handmade Projects by Sarah Goldschadt

What you need to know:

• The author is Danish American and with her Scandinavian background she has filled this book with super-simple projects that are easy to make
• Super thick craft book with 365 (a years worth of) projects that are organized into weekly themes
• Lots of really cute little things to make with just regular craft supplies and tools which you already have at home
• Add photos of your completed projects to the Craft A Day flickr group 
• I made the felt owl ornament, I love that it is minimalistic, and it is in one of my current go to colors: gray. With just felt, hand sewing needle, thread, and stuffing, it definitely took less than one hour to create, from start to finish
• This is a great craft book to take out and do projects with kids during their school breaks, weekends, or even with a group of students in a classroom

 Here's the author signing my copy :)

Social Media Friends: Ravelry

Today I am over at the Train to Crazy for Andrea's Social Media Friends series. Each week she is featuring a different social medium and this week it is ravelry.com

What is Ravelry? ...from the Ravelry site... "Ravelry is a place for knitters, crocheters, designers, spinners, weavers and dyers to keep track of their yarn, tools, project and pattern information, and look to others for ideas and inspiration... Ravelry is a great place for you to keep notes about your projects, see what other people are making, find the perfect pattern and connect with people who love to play with yarn from all over the world in our forums."

I learned how to knit in 4th and 5th grade summer school, did a few knitting projects, even knitted myself 3 sweaters during High School and early college. Then I didn't touch any knitting needles until I was pregnant with my daughter and joined ravelry in 2007 the same year it began. At Ravelry my username is saganaga and you can click here to see my projects page.

If you like yarn, knitting, crochet, then I highly recommend joining the Ravelry community if you haven't already. And if you are already at Ravelry be sure to check out the Social Media Friends post about Ravelry, link up and make some new friends :)