Crafts for Christmas

[Danielle_E.]

Yep, it coming fast and tomorrow here we are suppose to get some rain and snow. Perfect day for me to get some made and some body creams and bath fizzles or bath bombs as they are known.

In my spare time I love to make soap from scratch and because it should cure for a minimum of 4 weeks I need to get moving on my Christmas soaping. Thought you might enjoy the link to the YouTube of one of my favorite soapers. A wonderful lady in England. Enjoy.

http://m.youtube.com/#/watch?v=oGb5mPpF5SU&desktop_uri=%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DoGb5mPpF5SU

I know there are a lot of crafty people on this site. Are any of you making some gifts you are giving at Christmas. What are you all making?

 

[chandab]

I've made gifts in the past, but don't know if I will this year, I'm very behind, so not really enough time before Christmas. The only "craft" I do is quilting. Not sure what I'm going to be gifting this year.

 

[Danielle_E.]

I have admired quilts and those that create them. Do you hand quilt or machine quilt. I wish I knew how do do either or.

 

[chandab]

I don't have the patience for handquilting, so I do it all by machine. My quilting is still very basic, but it works for me.

 

[Danielle_E.]

How did you learn? Any good books or magazines that would help me try?

 

[KanoasDestiny]

Chanda, your quilts are absolutely beautiful for being 'basic'!

 

[dixie_belle]

I quilt, also. I took a beginners class a long, long time ago. See if there is a quilt store close to you and take a class. It's not very expensive and mine taught me everything I'd need to know to make any kind of quilt I wanted. I'll piece the quilt on my machine (unless it is a difficult pattern, then I hand piece) but I always hand quilt. I love the look of hand quilting. It's very relaxing for me to sit in the evenings and quilt while the TV is on. And I've got some very nice quilts that are extensively quilted that I could never have afforded if I tried to buy them. Danielle, I wish you lived closer, I'd give you some quilting lessons.

 

[Marsha Cassada]

I made my grand daughter a crocheted afghan. She is 8. It is shades of turquoise. Her birthday is in December, so it is really a birthday gift. I used turquoise as that is the birthstone color.

Sometimes my sisters and I get together and do a beading project, such as ornament hangers or snowflakes/angels. They are so pretty to give as little hostess gifts. Bead & Button magazine has a free beaded ornament pattern on their site.

Yesterday I made a lantern out of a dried gourd. I used a dried pumpkin stem, which I had to attach to the gourd with paperclay; gourds generally don't have good, showy stems. It has a string of lights inside.

www.cassphoto.com/whitegourd2.jpg

(I have not figured out yet how to work the picture thing in the new Forum. I get the red X every time I try, so I just have to put the link)

 

[Ashley]

Afghan's are the best! Unfortunatly I didnt get any crafty abilities from my mom. She makes quilts, afghans and several other things all the time. She has made each adult an afghan, and each baby a blanket. Mya has both an afghan and a blanket made by grandma, their her two main blankets.

 

[Danielle_E.]

I quilt, also. I took a beginners class a long, long time ago. See if there is a quilt store close to you and take a class. It's not very expensive and mine taught me everything I'd need to know to make any kind of quilt I wanted. I'll piece the quilt on my machine (unless it is a difficult pattern, then I hand piece) but I always hand quilt. I love the look of hand quilting. It's very relaxing for me to sit in the evenings and quilt while the TV is on. And I've got some very nice quilts that are extensively quilted that I could never have afforded if I tried to buy them. Danielle, I wish you lived closer, I'd give you some quilting lessons.

Thank you for your reply. I will do a search to see if there are local classes for me to register for. I wish also you lived closer to me!. I really want to learn how to hand quilt. Would love to be able to do this with a quilting group and work as a team to produce some of the amazing quilts I have seen that charitable organizations around here produce. I knit and crochet but quilting has always intrigued me. Such an art form.

The other craft I would love to learn and master is candle making. I belong to a forum for soap making that also has candle making section to it. I look at the forum section for pictures of the candles these people make and I am so envious of their talent.

http://www.craftserver.com/forums/

 

[MindyLee]

I make dreamcatchers.

Dont use demestic bird feathers but wild bird only. Also make some with furs, teeth, bone, talens, rocks, antlers. I have approx 20 diff species of bird feathers and the same for furs.

 

[Danielle_E.]

Would love to see pics of all of your creations if you care to share.

 

[Danielle_E.]

Just found this precious hat pattern for wee ones for those of us in cold climates in winter.

http://www.repeatcrafterme.com/2012/10/crochet-snowman-hat-pattern.html

 

[REO]

I make things too

I handsculpt little clay things, then I make pins or decorate boxes with them. And other jewelry. Some of you have seen my horse head pins.

I also make show bows.

And other things.

I'm very arts & crafts!

 

[justjinx]

Danielle, love the pattern you linked to!

We are kinda crafty here at Pondlake Stables-ecspecially when the winter gets here and its too cold and snowy to work outside much. Cyndia sews and knits, I crochet, make earrings and jewelry, sew, do other misc projects, Kristalee is learning to crochet and also makes jewelry. We do the leadropes to order and also foal blankets, coolers, and people blankets. I may do some more stenciling this winter-i like to take photos and make stencils for t-shirts and sweatshirts of particular horses. its fun to be able to recognize the horse in the stencil as one of your own! May do some of the myotonic goats this year since kids statrt arriving in december. jennifer

 

[REO]

You guys should have a store in Lois's Christmas Stores (link in banner above)

I have two stores there and it's FREE!

 

[chandab]

How did you learn? Any good books or magazines that would help me try?

I mostly just winged it, but a great beginners book is "Your First Quilt Book, or it should be" by Carol Doak. One of the first quilts I made was from a pattern in that book. http://www.amazon.com/Your-First-Quilt-Book-should/dp/1564771989 [Link to a copy on Amazon.] And, the biggest suggestion is to make something relatively small to start so you don't get overwhelmed with it.

 

[chandab]

Chanda, your quilts are absolutely beautiful for being 'basic'!

Thank you. [i can do fairly complicated piecing, but the actual quilting that holds it all together is still very basic (just straight lines, no curves and designs, yet).]

 

[Shari]

This year, I am only making yarn.... and my my usual Art.

Most likely send some yarn to my Mom, as she knits.

I love Quilts, learned how to make them traditionally by hand when I was younger... but I just never went past that.

Chanda, your quilts are just stunning!

 

[chandab]

I love Quilts, learned how to make them traditionally by hand when I was younger... but I just never went past that.

Chanda, your quilts are just stunning!

Thank you.

If you guys didn't see it, here's a pic of the quilt I made for the neighbor. I've already given it to him, as he heads to TX for winter, soon.