Tutorials

Basic embroidery stitches

5 min read

It’s time to celebrate! Every month in 2013 I’m learning a new craft, and now I’m halfway through.

When I learned embroidery in February I got close to giving up. The fine embroidery threads I had bought didn’t appreciate my fumbling. I got sore fingers and tangled threads for my trouble.

Then I tried embroidering with yarn. I loved it! If you’re nervous to tackle embroidery, try yarn. It exaggerates the stitches, so it’s perfect for learning how they work. It helps that it builds up quick and looks good, too!

You need:

DK or thinner yarn
Needle with large enough eyelet for yarn
(Yarn needles might not be sharp enough)
Fabric of choice (I’m using denim)
Embroidery hoop

The stitches you’ll learn:

Running stitch
Blanket stitch
Lazy daisy stitch
Chain stitch

Let’s get started!

6 min read

It’s time to celebrate! Every month in 2013 I’m learning a new craft, and now I’m halfway through.

In January, Crafting Fingers went live. After celebrating midnight on New Year’s I rushed home and published the first post on Crafting Fingers. How far this blog has come!

That month, I learned crochet. It was the first step on an amazing adventure so far, and I can’t wait to see where the next six months will take me.

This two-tone crochet flower is a quick project to crochet. Enjoy!

You need:

DK yarn in white and blue (I’m using Sirdar Simply Recycled)
3mm crochet hook
Yarn needle

The stitches used:

Magic circle
Double crochet (dc) American single crochet
Slip stitch

And that’s it! Grab your hook and your yarn and let’s get started! If you need help, take a look at the photos after the pattern.

3 min read

Cork and rubber have been fun materials to work with, but this weekend I decided to go for a homier approach to stamping. Potatoes are cheap and easy to cut, so they’re a lot of fun to experiment with. Take a peek at my results and I’ll show you where you can learn to get stamping, too.

The materials you need are pretty straightforward:

Potatoes! ;)
Knife (I used a Fiskars hobby knife)
Cookie cutters (optional)
Cutting board
Paints & paper

4 min read

If you’ve thought about trying calligraphy, this technique is perfect for jumping in risk-free. There’s no guesswork, there’s no mess, and all you need are a couple pencils. (Plus a suitable surface. Paper will do. Or a wall, you know, whatever’s handy.)

3 min read

If you’re in a spring-tidy spirit like me (or just love lavender!) this embroidered lavender pillow is a cute evening’s project and perfect for beginners.

4 min read

I know, I know! It’s over a month away, but I can’t help it. Valentine’s Day is such a wonderful day of the year.

It’ll be my first Valentine’s in Britain, and I have to say I’m looking forward to the first signs of spring as they pop up in late February. After eight years in Finland, a February full of spring will be a wonderful experience. I’m used to it being full of snow!

In order to perk up my little office corner I’ve started working on a Valentine-friendly mood board for spring.

There’s a cork board on the wall next to my chair, and it’s my place to gather notes and lists. Today I thought, why not a mood board? I wanted to make something beautiful but simple, so there’s still plenty of room on the cork for new notes and clippings.

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Tutorials

Basic embroidery stitches

You need:

The stitches you’ll learn:

Two-Tone Crochet Flower

You need:

The stitches used:

Putting Potatoes to Work

How to Fake Calligraphy (the right way)

DIY Lazy Daisy embroidered lavender pillow

DIY Cork Board Thread Art