Alabama Stitch Book: Projects and Stories Celebrating Hand-Sewing, Quilting and Embroidery for Contemporary Sustainable Style (Hardcover)

Alabama Stitch Book: Projects and Stories Celebrating Hand-Sewing, Quilting and Embroidery for Contemporary Sustainable Style

“Haute homespun out of the Deep South.” That’s how Vogue magazine has described the fashion of Natalie Chanin. Alabama Stitch Book brings us a collection of projects and stories from her clothing and lifestyle company, Alabama Chanin, known for the cutting-edge twist it puts on tried-and-true sewing, quilting, and embroidery techniques, applied mostly by hand to recycled cotton jersey. This long-awaited book from Chanin begins with her story. After living in New York and Vienna for over 20 years, she began to transform cotton T-shirts into high fashion using the needlework skills she learned as a child in Florence, Alabama. When she moved home, Chanin hired local women (many of whom had worked in the state’s now defunct textile factories) to stitch her couture collections with her. What follows is a step-by-step guide to the stitching, stenciling, and beading techniques used in the 20 projects showcased in the book: T-shirts, skirts, and corsets that are sold a (more…)

How To Read And Understand Knitting Patterns

There are many parts to a knitting project. Before beginning knitting patterns, it is a good idea to have a specific outcome in mind. Knitters should also be sure to know how to properly use their needles and they should be able to read knitting instructions. People both new and familiar with the knitting process know that they will come across abbreviated words and notes.

The letters ‘K’ and or ‘P’ are basic stitch abbreviations. When you see ‘K’, know that it stands for a knit stitch. Knit stitches are done by leading looped yarn through yarn already on your needle. Do a purl stitch when you see ‘P’. Purl stitches are done by stringing the yarn through the front of a loop.

Perform a cast on when you are first beginning. A cast on is abbreviated by the letters ‘CO’. Create loops with your yarn on the needle in order to complete a cast on. After you have finished doing a cast on, follow with either a purl or knit stitch. Your instructions will most likely guide you through making the actual pattern now.

The abbreviations ‘Inc’, ‘Dec’, ‘Rep’ and ‘Sl’ are likely to appear within your instructions. When you see ‘Inc’, you should increase the amount of stitches by one or more. Knit or purl stitches help with this and an increase is normally completed in the front then the back of the stitch. When you see ‘Dec’, simply know that it means to decrease the number of stitches by one or more. Two stitches are usually worked together as one during a decrease.

When ‘Rep’ appears in the instructions, you should repeat same knitting line as many times as instructed. Finally, the ‘Sl’ abbreviation stands for slip. When a this is conducted, you slip a stitch between your needles without working it.

Messages such as ‘work even’ and ‘maintain pattern as established’ are also common phrases. ‘Work even’ means to continue with the project without increasing or decreasing. When you ‘maintain pattern as established’, you are either increasing or decreasing the number of stitches at the edges. You will add or subtract stitches without disturbing the flow of the pattern.

The process should gradually become simpler as you continue with your knitting patterns. The special wordings and abbreviations will no longer be foreign to you, either. Towards the finishing point of the project, you will most likely see the letters ‘BO’. You should bind off the project when you see ‘BO’.

Are you a seasoned knitter or a beginner that still sometimes needs knitting help? If you’re looking for Iphone Knitting Software you’ll find it on our site.

Make Your Own Soap And Candles Using An Easy Do It Yourself Method

Making soap and candles used to be one of the weekly chores of the household. When you actually go to make your own soap and candles you will find out it is not all that easy and takes a great deal of time. It was also very dangerous because of the materials that were used to make them. It is fun to make your own as a hobby and do it once in awhile but just think if this was something that had to be done on a monthly or weekly basis. You will then appreciate modern soaps you can just get in the grocery store and electricity that provides our light in the modern age. You can make your own soap and candles as a hobby instead of a way of life.

To make both soap and candles you need to gather a few pieces of equipment. You need a heat source. The pioneers would have made it in a special pot outside over a fire but we do not have to go that far. A stove or hot plate works just fine. You will need a special set of pans for each and do not mix the candle making pans with the soap making pans. Also never use your special pans to actually cook food. The food will come out tasting pretty strange. Go to garage sales and pick up old pots and pans to use in your candle and soap making. Look for a double boiler and if you can not find one get a metal coffee can. You can put it in another pot with water in it on the stove or place it in an old electric frying pan with water in it.

Other things that can be found online or in a local craft establishment are wicks, wax, molds, dyes to make candles in colors, and fragrances to make them smell good. Most candle molds are made of metal but you can also use plastic coated paper cups and paper milk cartons. In order to make a taper candle you must use a metal mold. These are a little hard to work with so it is best to try those once you have made candles in easy molds first.

The reason a double boiler is used is because if you put the wax right on the heat it will burn very easily. Putting it in the top of a double boiler prevents this from happening because the steam in the pot below is what melts the wax. Wax is flammable and you have to be very careful so that it does not flame up. A double boiler will prevent this from happening. When using an old electric frying pan to melt wax you must put water in it and bring it to a simmer. Place the wax in a metal coffee can and put it in the water inside the frying pan. This will take a while to melt but it is a relatively safe way to melt wax.

There are many types of waxes including beeswax, soy wax, and bayberry wax but the first time you try to make candles use paraffin. This is the wax used when making jellies to put over top of the jar to keep it fresh. Therefore you can always find paraffin where ever they sell supplies for canning fruits and vegetables. It comes in large sheets about an inch thick or in bars. You can cut paraffin down to fit in the double boiler or coffee can. Be careful not to let it stick out of the pan because if it should drip down the outside and actually hit the heat source it will flame up.

Add the color and fragrance after the wax is melted. The best thing to stir it with is a wooden chop stick. A wick will need to be placed in the middle of the mold and you can achieve this by tying it on to a stick or pencil and letting the untied end dangle in the mold while the pencil lies on the mouth of the mold. Pour melted wax in leaving about 1 to 1 half inch head space at the top. You wick needs to emerge from the wax at least 1 inch above the surface of the wax. Let them cool off and leave them them alone for 12 hours then refrigerate for about 10 hours. You can then unmold. If you used a milk carton or paper cups you can just peel them off.

Soap used to be made with a caustic material called lye and it was dangerous to be around. Pioneers saved the fat from cooking and used it with ashes from the fire to make their soap. Things have changed today and we do not have to make soap in this manner. The easiest way to make soap is the melt and pour method and is very similar to candle making. Just buy the soap base from the craft store along with fragrance and color. Melt it in a double boiler then add the fragrance and color. Place it in a mold and let it harden at room temperature for a few days. Soap molds are available in many different shapes and sizes. Some are made of clear plastic that once the soap dries you can just pop out of the mold.

The above procedures are the easiest and most simple ways to make your own soap and candles. You can find other methods that will produce some interesting and beautiful products that take more tools and more time but are worth it. You can find these methods on line by searching under making soap and candles.

You can get all the instructions to make your own candles easy! All the ingredients you need as well as kits for soap making and candle making that can be made with scents that are uniquely yours!

Making Your Own Drink Coasters

Beer coasters protect your desk, coffee table or the arm of your chair from dripping liquids, warps due to heat and scratches from cups, mugs or bottles. They are an essential bar accessory for every home or office. In fact beer coasters are needed every where drinks are served.

You can buy coasters from convenience shops or you can make one yourself. Of course it is very exciting to make your own beer coaster. Aside from the fun derived from the activity, you will also learn how to use discarded or waste material to make useful things for your home.

Simple beverage coasters can be made from the common material slate. Slate is an environmentally friendly material made from fine grained rock. Some of the common materials made from slate include roofing sheets and snooker tables. So we are going to make beer coasters from this hard and durable material.

For this activity you will need a piece of slate about the size of your palm, felt, glue and chalk. Once you have them ready we move to the next stage.

Pick up your slate piece and then draw a circle to the size of how you want your coasters to be. Usually, you will want to have something about the size of the base of a bottle or glass. Next, place the slate on a hard surface and gradually cut out the circle from the rest of the slate. Do not cut right on the circle but a little farther. If you do not get a perfect circle, you can use sandpaper or smooth it out later.

After you get your desired shape for your drink coasters, you will apply a small amount of glue at the reverse side of the circular slate coaster and affix a piece of felt. Felt is s a rubber like piece of material that looks like rubber and waterproof. The idea of attaching felt is to protect your furniture from possible scratches and abrasions or from the glass or mug. As mentioned, slate is primarily rough in nature and can damage polished wood if dragged along it.

So that is another way to make your own coasters from inexpensive material.

Jim Slate is a designer and manufacturer of a line of natural stone and slate beverage coasters. These beautiful coasters are built from some of the most exotic imported materials in the world, and are great either as backdrops for creating your own coasters, or in their own beautiful, natural state.

Celtic Jewelry Making Guide

To make any craft project significant you must enjoy the topic thoroughly and understand the historical significance of the pieces you are working on. Celtic jewelry making is no exception, so let\’s go through a couple historical facts before we get to the how to portion.

Celtic jewelry making has been known to exist since the first century B.C. The Celts strongly believed in reincarnation and so these influences have been incorporated into their jewelry making. Celtic symbolism is all about the immortal as well as the priceless gift to human civilization.

Like:

The symbol for the Holy Trinity was represented by the Latin Triquetra.

Man\’s progress was symbolized by the Greek symbol Triskelion or \”three legged\”. Notice how the knots are like three legs running.

Another interesting thing the Celts did was the concept of the five fold. The fifth fold was an intersection of 4 others. Spring, summer, fall, and winter made up the fifth fold of transitioning.

The infamous Crosses: represents the connection of heaven and earth. This was considered to be our link between the physical and spiritual.

To star I recommend using copper wire to start bending into knots and interlaced spirals. The Celts excelled in working soft metals into beautiful pieces.

There are literally thousands of ideas you can get from simply searching google for celtic jewelry. Pick a design you would like to try and get started. I recommend you pick stuff that has some kind of personal meaning to you.

Another vital tool is using graph paper to sketch out your patterns. Celtic jewelry making requires symmetry and if you are not precise enough you aren\’t going to make anything look decent.

Look for the appropriate wire gauge for your jewelry. If you are making a brooch, choose the chunkier lower gauge ones; and for the bracelet or the ring, select the thinner ones with higher gauge.

Make sure that you cut your wires long enough so you can simply trim off the excess instead of having to throw away expensive wire.

With your left hand, grip the wire using chain nose pliers, then round and curve the wire to your desired pattern. To make smaller loops, use round nose pliers after which, curve the wire using the tip. Bend it further back to make larger loops. Fold the wire, going around the gems and stones to lock into their place. Switch back to the chain nose pliers so you can bend the wires with angles.

Make sure you use clips to secure your creations or they are going to pull apart. At the very least bend the wire into a hook at their ends and use that.

Learn about mens celtic jewelry over at fine celtic jewelry. Click here to get your own unique version of this article with free reprint rights.

The Cricut Cartridges

Traditionalists believe that craft work requires paper, glue, scissors and lots of talent. Today, the world of electronic machines has entered craft work as well. Let\’s take Cricut machines as an example. You can purchase Cricut Cartridges and fit the same into the machine and cut as many designs as you want on paper without lifting a scissor in your hand. Cricut Cartridges contain patterns and shapes and designs built in it.

The Cricut machine can be compared to a sewing machine. By simply feeding in the paper and choosing the right design, an individual can get different shapes cut in different sizes in no time at all. One just has to choose the right design and switch the machine on. The advantages offered by these cartridges do not end here. Today, Cricut cartridges have made it very easy to carry out craft activities. If you do not want to cut the shapes but if you simply want to draw the same, you just have to replace the cutting blade with the drawing mechanism that can be purchased as an accessory.

The work will look as if it has been done by a professional. You can use it for your scrapbooks and other activities without any difficulty. The end result will be lot better than what you would have enjoyed had you tried manual cutting.

A Valentine day Cricut Cartridge will contain all those signs and symbols that are normally used in preparation of Valentine Day cards. A few basic cartridges contain all the basic shapes and designs that will always be required in craft activities. You can purchase as many cartridges as you want.

You can buy these cartridges from the World Wide Web. Traditional options like stores, malls and other outlets have always been popular but these stores were replaced by tele shopping networks. There are numerous stores from where you can buy the latest cartridges. Today, one can find images and videos related to these devices online and also buy used cartridges on the web. There is also a huge market for used Cricut cartridges amongst enthusiasts. There are some very popular and useful cartridges that are no longer in production. You can also exchange these cartridges provided you too have something to offer to the other party.

This website will give you more information: Cricut cartridges

Tools For Cutting And Staking

The Bergeon little staking application consists of 50 finely crafted punches, 10 precisely manufactured stakes along with a wooden circumstance for storage. The Large Staking Device specify has 100 properly crafted punches and 20 stakes with a wooden situation for getting stored.

Taps and Dies are used to thread metal screws in watches. The Bergeon Assortment of Taps and Dies varies from .3 or more mm to 1 mm. It can be a software that may be meant for professional use. It really is arranged in metric sizes. The taps and dies appear within a wooden circumstance, neatly stored. It has eight dies ranging from .3 mm as much as 1 mm, in increments of .1 mm. There are eight sets of three or more taps that occur in steel tubes. It has a person die holding device. The taps and dies can also be utilised by employing a tap software. It is often a Swiss built device, so precision is guaranteed.

The Bergeon Assortment of Taps and Dies also come within a set varying from .8 mm to 2mm. This fixed also comes inside a wooden box. It contains eight dies and eight sets of 3 taps in steel tubes. It has one die holder and also may be applied which includes a tap software. The Bergeon tap device is made for use with 8 mm diameter dies. The Bergeon PF die holder is often a tool which is utilised to hold dies although cutting threads. The diameter of this tool measures 25 mm within the outside and 8 mm about the inside.

There exists a replacement specify for taps, the Bergeon Assorted Taps in tubes. You can find 18 tubes with 3 taps in each which has a total of 54 taps. The taps vary in size from .several mm to 1.2 mm. They are Swiss manufactured and are constructed from sound steel. The taps are stored in a extremely strong wooden box which is very good for storing. There exists a variant in this style with taps produced from substantial speed steel that may be they\’ve a HSS construction.

Inside Bergeon Assortment of taps, there are comprehensive replacements with 12 aluminium tubes each having 3 taps. The taps in this assortment are produced from solid steel. The exact same style is also obtainable wherever the taps alone are created from higher speed steel. The Bergeon die holder is a precision instrument of quite excessive top quality. Being a thread cutting application, it can be greatest suited for both jewellers and watch makers. It\’s really a hand held device and has a handle utilizing a very good grip. It fits all .8 mm dies by using a crucial that holds down the die firmly in position even though threading a screw. This tool does not include dies which must be procured separately.

For more information about tap and die sets visit tapanddieset.net and find out all about craftsman tap and die set.

Why You Should Send Gift Basket

There are certainly plenty of great presents that you are going to be able to give someone that you care about to show them how much you actually care. However, it might not always be easy to choose one thing or the other, or the appropriate time to give some of those specific gifts. The good thing about if you send gift basket surprises: they are never out of season.

There are actually many different things that you are going to want to consider when it comes to buying gift baskets for people. You should always be willing to put in a little bit of thought and consideration into the gift, and it will mean a lot more to the recipient. With that being said, there are a few different focal points to this purchase.

One of the things that you have to be considering, is the type of person that you are actually purchasing the gift basket for. This is going to give you an indication of what type of gift basket to get. You won\’t get cheese baskets for someone that is lactose intolerant much like you shouldn\’t get a candy bar basket for someone who is desperately trying to lose weight. Some preparation and thought here is really going to make a difference.

The size of the basket is going to be another important thing for you to consider. You see, they come in all shapes and sizes but you want to fall somewhere in a normal sized range to really be effective. There are a small group that would love to have ginormous gift baskets, but most would just prefer the subtle appreciation felt by receiving a more modestly sized basket.

One thing that you might not have realized, is that there are many different companies and sites that allow you to be able to make your own gift baskets. They allow you to choose the basket, and all of the various different items that fill it. So you can get a completely custom basket for your recipient.

If you send gift basket surprises to those that you care about, it can be a great way to show you appreciation or your love. You have several different things to consider, but this should get you started towards getting the best basket.

Looking for the right company to send gift basket? Hand Crafted Gourmet Gift Baskets. A Thoughtful Gift for Any Occasion. Send gift baskets now by clicking on the link above. You can get a unique content version of this article from the Uber Article Directory.

Brother Machine Embroidery Cards

From decades embroidery is regarded as an eye-catching stitching art, it is a craft of beautification of fabrics or a wide variety of other elements. Embroidery is usually built with all the utilization of thread/fiber and needle. Embroidery can be added use of a mixture of additional means like quills, sequins, metal strips, beads and pearls.

The major prominent features of this craft is always that its major stitches or techniques, that may be witnessed within the initial runs human historical past, like cross stitch, row sew, blanket sew, button hole satin stitch, in addition sequence stitch prolong for the reason that fundamental strategies of hand embroidery however nowadays.

Within the early portion of Industrial Revolution, equipment embroidery arrived to existence, particularly while using use of chain stitches also known as imitates hand embroidery. Nevertheless hemming stitches, in addition as satin stitches on the machine work for the most part depend on use of some threads.

Though, it will take a couple of many years training to turn out to be an specialist in this craft, so embroidery isn’t for any person. Quite a great deal of further products and solutions also flooded inside market. If somebody wants to make embroidery, in that case the machines embroidery homemade cards will be of immense guide to him.

Now each day, there are many machine embroidery cards out there which might be easily obtainable through the marketplace. These machines embroidery cards are accessible in the broad variety of types and designs. Among the huge number of device embroidery cards offered from the market place, the only real business got new height when it comes to status could be the brother machine embroidery handmade cards. Brother Machines embroidery card provides you a great set of embroidery greeting cards, which anybody can make use of for creating stunning embroidery works.

Granted under are many of the large collections of Brother Device embroidery handmade cards:

Brother SA3723

You will discover unbelievable vegetables pictures within this product. Almost all of the models could be embroidered in three or four size. This striking set has fifty as well as models, through this selection you’ll discover single vegetable to groupings, mini veggies seed packs, motifs and borders, veggie crate labels are exceptional way to astonish a person and all producing these impressive embroidery.

Brother SA366

This 1 is just one more great variety for any one. With twenty five additionally elegant styles, which comprises smiley faces, the peace sign, Hawaiian floral as well because the symbol yin/yang, this one is excellent for backpacks, sweatshirts, jeans and a number of more garments.

Disney Incredibles (SA320D)

The “Incredibles” with the Disney Films stimulated to launch this product or service. A single will explore the side of superheroes which he has ever viewed; a single will have enjoyable of embroidering his beloved incredible cartoon characters. It is possible to pick out from 24 action-packed types, depicting the venture in the superhero spouse and children enforced into action to hold the earth away from evils. It carries a embroidery format of 4? X 4?, these dynamic images are the ideal ornamentation for bedspreads, curtains,sweatshirts or even a college rucksack or almost every other garments or handbag, scarf, gloves etc.

Other than these, you can find very a few additional selections that you just can decide on from. You possibly can browse on the internet; you might get many sites selling Brother Appliance embroidery homemade cards. These web-sites might help you very considerably.

Looking to find information on Brother Machine Embroidery Cards, then visit http://www.brotherembroiderycards.net/brother-machine-embroidery-cards.html/ to find the best advice on Brother Machine Embroidery Cards for you.

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The Guide To Diy Woodworking Using Woodwork Plans

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