It’s not quite Halloween time yet, but if you use your imagination, I’m confident you can come up with a gazillion variations for this basic, kid-friendly project. A cute pail like this could be used to hold almost anything, from fresh-cut flowers to pens and pencils to the bits and bobs that tend to gather on your furniture’s surfaces. You might start by finding something that needs to be “contained,” then design the pail around it’s contents!

Click here to download the free, full-color project sheet, which includes this variation. Author, Sue Astroth used the pail technique to create a pirate’s spyglass. She says:

With an old kaleidoscope (I found one at a thrift shop for 25¢), a little fabric, and a cool skull medallion—you’re set!

This project is an excerpt from Super-Simple Creative Costumes by Sue Astroth, which includes tons of Easy sew and no-sew costumes from sweet to scary.

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March is National Craft Month and we are celebrating by posting one project every day this month! If you are joining us late, click here to see the full list of Craft Month projects that have been posted so far.

New quilters about to make their first quilt and experts looking for a quick charity quilt design alike will love this super-easy appliqué quilt. This project sheet download includes instructions for three different sizes and images of three different colorways.

This project is an excerpt from Super Simple Quilts #4 by Alex Anderson and Liz Aneloski which includes 9 appliqué projects to sew with or without a machine.

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March is National Craft Month and we are celebrating by posting one project every day this month! If you are joining us late, click here to see the full list of Craft Month projects that have been posted so far.

Finished size: 5½ ˝ × 5½ ˝

You should know by now that Lutradur^® is a fabulously versatile art material that’s described as a cross between paper and fabric. This mixed media project is all about Lutradur and incorporates painting, collaging, burning, and lacing techniques.

Read what Jenn Mason, this project’s designer had to say about working with Lutradur:

The Lutradur was a challenge to work with, because it falls somewhere between fabric and paper. I loved how the paint was absorbed but didn’t bleed, which allowed me to go crazy with my colors while still keeping a bright, unmuddied palette. The kid in me also enjoyed melting the Lutradur, and it took all my willpower to keep from watching the whole piece melt away.
—Jenn Mason, project designer

Click here to download the free project sheet, which includes instructions for the lacing and burning techniques.

This project is an excerpt from Fabulous Fabric Art with Lutradur by Lesley Riley, which includes 27 mixed media techniques and 14 projects that implement them.

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March is National Craft Month and we are celebrating by posting one project every day this month! If you are joining us late, click here to see the full list of Craft Month projects that have been posted so far.

Nothing brightens up a room like flowers. These are easy to make with kids and a fun way to use scraps. Make a bouquet or a table centerpiece or string them together for a flower garland or other wall decor. Use the patterns included in this PDF project download, or create new blossoms.

The download also includes the below Lily Pad or Poinsettia Centerpiece. You will make these the same as the flowers except layer the smaller flowers inside the bigger flowers. Make a lily pad or napkin base.

You will also find general directions for fast2fuse fusible interfacing in the download, complete with a list of three shortcuts that are sure to save you time!

This project is an excerpt from 100+ No-Sew fabric Crafts for Kids by Mary Link which includes oodles of projects you can do with kids and for kids, including bookmarks, coasters, mobiles, games and toys, party goods, room décor, and holiday goodies.

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March is National Craft Month and we are celebrating by posting one project every day this month! If you are joining us late, click here to see the full list of Craft Month projects that have been posted so far.

Paradise is more out of reach than ever these days it seems, so why not use this project to create your own little slice right in your own home. There are plenty of options with this project—it is bordered in an oval frame and could be used as a centerpiece for a quilt, pillow, or handbag.

Click here to download the full project sheet PDF, which includes patterns for the poppies. The finished quilt is 16″ by 20″.

This project is an excerpt from Paradise Stitched—Sashiko & Appliqué Quilts by Sylvia Pippen, which includes 6 vivid quilts inspired by tropical flora and fauna.

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March is National Craft Month and we are celebrating by posting one project every day this month! If you are joining us late, click here to see the full list of Craft Month projects that have been posted so far.

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Here’s how the Book Review Program works:

1. If you are not already a member, join the C&T Creative Troupe.
2. Browse through the current C&T Catalog.
3. Let us know which books that interest you. You can request one book at a time—you will receive an electronic version (not a hard copy).
4. Enjoy the book and post your review on the book’s product page at Amazon, C&T’s website,  and at least one of the following websites: Goodreads, LibraryThing, BookSpot, Barnes & Noble, & Borders.
5. Within two weeks of receiving the eBook, email meganw@ctpub.com with links to the reviews. Then request your next book.

Get Paid to Play! If you are a member of the C&T Creative Troupe, you are already creating beautiful art with our books and products, why not get paid for it? If you haven’t joined the Creative Troupe yet, what are you waiting for? Become a member of our creative family today!

We have listed all the details of the program below, but the concept is simple. Get a project made with C&T products published in the media, and we will pay you.

2010 Print Endorsement Fee Schedule:

• Liquitex® Soft Body Acrylic Paints & Mediums used in a quilt or fabric painting project—$50
• Any Ready-to-Go!® Blank Board Product or Canvas Book—$50
• Any of C&T’s Tools, Notions & Interfacings—$50

2010 Online Endorsement Fee Schedule (Media outlet must attract at least 50,000 monthly visitors):

• Liquitex® Soft Body Acrylic Paints & Mediums used in a quilt or fabric painting project—$25
• Any Ready-to-Go!® Blank Board Product or Canvas Book—$25
• Any of C&T’s Tools, Notions & Interfacings—$25

Television and Radio Endorsement Fee determined on an individual basis. Email meganw@ctpub.com for details.

Fine Print:

• All products must be mentioned by brand name
• C&T reserves the right to determine all fees paid
• Maximum combined compensation for multiple products used in a single project is $200
• Maximum combined compensation for multiple projects in the same print magazine is $200

To receive compensation for print placements please send original tear sheets and cover or color copies to:

Megan Wisniewski

C&T Publishing

1651 Challenge Dr.

Concord CA 94520

To receive compensation for online placements please email url to meganw@ctpub.com.

Submissions must be received no later than 3 months following publication date. For a suggested list of media outlets please email meganw@ctpub.com.

Unlike our other craft month projects, this post doesn’t offer a specific materials list or step-by-step instructions. What it does offer is a look inside the mind of C&T’s resident upcycling queen, and the inspiration needed for you to set out on your own thrift store expedition and find that perfect piece of junk to turn into a jewel.

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Once a week my friend and I go thrift store shopping…what a blast! As we help each other select our purchases, we brew up all sorts of creative uses for our finds. There’s nothing more exciting than visualizing the transformation of an item into something completely different! I thought I’d chronicle my journey of altering and upcycling thrift store items here on the C&T blog.

The Junk

At lunch time a few weeks ago, I headed to the thrift store. I went through the housewares section and nothing was jumping out at me. I even went through the clothes to see if I could be tempted by a designer shirt for a fabulous price…but no such luck. I was about to gather my friend and leave the store when I saw IT.

Lying there on the pile of old notebooks and tupperware containers was a wooden tennis racket and frame. Now I wasn’t too interested in the tennis racket, but the frame…boy did I instantly see the possibilities. An oversize “pincushion” of sorts, it can hold notes, objects of inspiration, jewelry, and anything else you can tack to it. I just loved how the wooden frame was held together with a screw in each corner. So simple, honest and clean-looking.

After a quick wash and polish of the racket frame, I was ready to start playing with fabric. Immediately I knew I wanted to use linen for the pincushion surface. I’d recently seen and coveted many of the wonderful linen treasures in a popular home decor catalog. I loved the style but not the price. This was my chance to create my own fabulous piece of linen home decor, and all I was investing was my own creativity and a little bit of time!

My idea was to use a piece of cardboard (cut to size) for the base of the pincushion, the decorative piece of linen fabric for the cushion surface, and some batting in between the base and surface to make it all “cushiony” of course! I would tighten the screws to sandwich everything together within the frame. I tested a few different combinations of fabric, batting and cardboard to determine how much of each material I needed for my project. My tests confirmed that the fabric surface should be cut a little bit smaller than the dimensions of the base.

I used a piece of linen from a vintage embroidery kit a friend found for me at a garage sale for the pin cushion surface. Stamping the letters and numbers on the linen was easy: I used Liquitex^® paint and a set of foam alphabet stamps I’d saved from my stamping days. I gave the linen a good press with a very hot iron, which made the linen straight, stiff, and optimized for stamping on. I finished the edges of the linen with a wide zig-zag stitch which worked perfectly. The finished edges made it easier to handle when it was time to assemble the layers inside the frame.

The cardboard ended up being too flimsy to be the racket base. Luckily, I found a scrap of foam core board I had stashed in between two bookcases in my studio (I never throw anything away) and it worked much better. I trimmed the sides of my piece of foam core with a craft knife to make it fit just inside the outer edges of the frame.

The batting needed to be cut in several pieces of different sizes, starting with one the same dimensions as the foam core. On top of that piece I layered additional pieces, each one a tad smaller than the previous one. The last piece was about the same size as the fabric.

I secured the fabric and batting to the foam core, placed ( OK, shoved) the pincushion into the frame, and tightened the screws. All I had left to do was the embellishing!

Now for the Big Reveal…

The Jewel

I leave my tennis racket frame pincushion sitting on my sewing table so it’s always ready and easily movable to wherever it is needed. If flat space is at a premium in your studio, you could add a saw tooth bracket to the back of the wooden frame and hang it on a wall.

If you aren’t in need of an oversize pincushion, consider using this as a way to display some special or favorite jewelry on your dresser. It would also be cute as a mini bulletin board for the office or kitchen.

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Next month’s junk: Weird felt messenger bag with fake plastic grass

what in the world will Sue make out of this?

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March is National Craft Month and we are celebrating by posting one project every day this month! If you are joining us late, click here to see the full list of Craft Month projects that have been posted so far.

Laura Wasilowski is doing something very interesting and cool over at her blog called Thread-u-cation Thursdays, where each week she introduces and demonstrates a new stitch with how-to photos and written instructions.

Laura is kindly letting us borrow some of her content for this week’s Technique Tuesday Craft Month blog post! The technique we are featuring today is Laura Wasilowki’s Blanket Stitch, and at the end of this post you’ll be able to download a free PDF with some additional stitching techniques.

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Laura Wasilowski’s Thread-u-cation Thursday: Blanket Stitch

The Blanket Stitch always gives me that warm and fuzzy feeling. It tucks in around a fabric edge holding it safe and neatly outlining the shape. But it can also act as a decorative stitch across the surface of fabric creating rows of UUUU or MMMM depending upon orientation.

Here’s how I make my Blanket Stitches: With the thread on top at A, place the tip of the needle about 1/4″ up and to the right of point A. Insert the needle at B and exit at C, about 1/4″ to the right of A. Trap the thread coming out of A under the needle tip and draw the needle and thread slowly through the fabric.

Point C is now Point A. Repeat the directions aboveforming a row or following the edge of a shape. Different effects are achieved by varying the spacing between points A and C or the length of the B/C stitch. Here’s an example of the Blanket Stitch as an outtie rather than an innie. UUUUMMMMUUUUMMM Enjoy!

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Click here to download a 3-page full cover PDF with some additional stitching techniques including:

Gathered Flowers

Ric-rac Flowers

Suffolk Puffs

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March is National Craft Month and we are celebrating by posting one project every day this month! If you are joining us late, click here to see the full list of Craft Month projects that have been posted so far.