Active Arts & Crafts Posts
How To: Knit in through the back of a loop
Watch this video to learn some of the fundamentals of knitting. It will show you how to knit through the back of a loop. This technique results in a thinner, twisted stitch.
How To: Craft a pretty origami Amaryllis (kusudamas)
The Amaryllis flower, also known as the Belladonna lily, is, as its second name suggests, an extremely beautiful and lithe plant native to the Southwest region of South Africa. Recreate the delicate beauty of this flower by watching this tutorial.
How To: Make Your Own Playable Papercraft Version of Angry Birds
Although it's been several years since Angry Birds first came out, it's still going strong in the App Store, currently third place on the Top Free Apps chart. The new Angry Birds Star Wars is sixth place on the Top Paid Apps chart. What does this show us? Those pesky birds can't be shooed away.
How To: Bind Off Knitting on a Circular Needle
Binding off on a circular needle is as easy as binding off on a straight needle. Follow the steps below to learn how to bind off on a circular needle:
How To: Crochet Leg Warmers
Crocheted leg warmers make great gifts for family and friends. Learn the ins and outs of making this garment in this free instructional crocheting video series. Click the link below to see all of the videos. Crochet Leg Warmers: Video Series.
How To: Fold a paper JKF-168 jet plane
Learn how to fold a paper Jet plane. Materials : A4 size paper (type 80gsm or lower).
How To: Make a Bed for Your Pet Out of an Old Blanket
Hello! Today I would like to write a few lines about making a simple bed for your pet, for example, your cat or a bunny, using your old fabric. All interested can stir up a bit in the closet. I am sure there's an old towel or a blanket just waiting to be reused. Or some old clothes, made out of fleece, etc...
How To: Make a little house pop-up card
In this tutorial, we learn how to make a little house pop-up card. First, draw a cute little house on a flat plain with trees around it, then decorate the house! After this, fold it in half so the house shows on the outside and cut the paper along the roof and on the bottom, not on the sides. After this, bend that flap on both sides and then open up the card. Now, fold the card in so the little house pops out when you open it up! From here, put into your card and then color the entire thing t...
How To: Sew a perfect jet pocket on a jacket or dress
A welted pocket (also called a jetted pocket or piped pocket) is a pocket where it appears just to be a thin slit in the fabric of the garment. Ideal for when you are making something you want to have pockets, but don't want to necessarily draw much attention to them - such as tailored suit jackets or streamlined dresses. All you need to learn this technique are some basic sewing notions (scissors, pins, etc) and either bias tape or the ability to cut your own bias tape from your fashion fabric.
How To: Make a waterfall greeting card
This tutorial video will show you how to make your very own waterfall greeting card. This card is amazing and super adorable. All your friends and family will be impressed by your greeting card making ability when you lay this one on them.
How To: Upcycle plastic bags into reusable sandwich bags and tote bags
Despite the fact that many stores are offering incentives for toting around reusuable bags for your merchandise, many people still cling to their plastic shopping bags. They're convenient, after all, and you don't have to worry about lugging around several reusuable bags to every store you go to. But don't just throw them away after use!
How To: Double knit with a knit stitch and purl stitch
Double knitting or reverse knitting is twice as thick and looks like stockinette on both sides. Watch as Amy shows you how to double knit by doing a knit stitch followed by a purl stitch in the opposite color. Double knit with a knit stitch and purl stitch.
How To: Fold a very detailed origami rose from Prison Break
Love roses and complicated craft projects? Make a beautiful decorative paper rose using origami, the traditional Japanese folk art of paper folding. This 26-minute free origami video lesson presents complete instructions on how to make your own roses from folded paper. For more information, and to get started making paper flowers yourself, take a look!
How To: Fold an origami 3D omega star
If you like folding paper stars and think they're a cinch, this omega star should give you quite a challenge. This omega star is an intricate fold that looks beautiful when complete. Perfect atop that pine tree in your living room (during holidays hopefully). This step=by=step video takes you through each fold of the paper origami 3D omega star, so pay attention.
How To: Make a vintage style fascinator hat with a veil
For those of you not familiar with fascinator hats, they are vintage-style caps with feathers, small veils, and other little knick knacks attached on the sides that were often worn by fashionable women in the '40s and '50s.
How To: Knit a Mobius Dog Scarf
If you save scraps of yarn, and have a dog, this is an easy project for you. The Mobius scarf has the advantage of not having any ends to come untied, or dangle down for your dog to trip over, or get tangled in branches and stuff. I made this one for Pepper, my 16lb rat terrier. Step 1: Choose Your Yarn: I had very little yarn to work with. I had one more ball, but it had just a little more on it than the largest shown here.
How To: Fold an inverted Stella Conica
Bored with boxes? No longer content with cranes? This video tutorial presents a complete, step-by-step overview of how to make an inverted stella conica from thirty sheets of paper using origami, the traditional Japanese folk art of paper folding. For more information, and to get started making your own geometric 3D sculpture, watch this arts-and-crafts guide.
How To: Make a Water Lilly Napkin
Want an excited table setting? Here's how to create an exciting table setting using a napkin! It's very simple and quick to make!
How To: Make Your Own Glass Slipper Out of Tape
This video demonstrates a fun craft activity- shoemaking out of cellophane and tape. Make a mold of any of your shoes that you can decorate however you like. This decorative shoe will be a fun piece of art you can place anywhere in your home or give as a gift.
How To: Make adorable Japanese chibi charms
The term "chibi" means "small person" or "small child" in Japanese. While it can be used to designate such personages in real life, it is more often used to refer to small, doll-like characters in Japanese manga, anime, and jewelry/fashion wares.
How To: Create a 3D origami elegant winged swan
Show off your refinement with this crafty how-to. This video tutorial presents a complete, step-by-step overview of how to make an elegant paper swan using origami, the traditional Japanese folk art of paper folding. For more information, and to get started making your own paper swans, watch this arts-and-crafts guide.
How To: Make Simple Mittens in Single Crochet
This is a simple pattern, designed to produce a well-fitting mitten. Both the right and left mittens worked the same up to the shaping for the top of the mitten. A slight adjustment for making one right and one left, then they are worked the same. The gusset for the thumb constructed with the increases made in the center of the gusset, rather than on each side. This makes it easy with a minimal amount of counting stitches as you go. I have been crocheting for 56 years. In doing research for w...
How To: How to Assemble Your LA Paper Toy (DeviantART Related)
Video: . A fun loving character from an art site called DeviantART. This is widely used in comments across the Deviant art forums and comments.
How To: How to make your own DANBO
Create your very one DANBO with out spending large amounts of money. The approximate time to make this is 30 minutes to 1 hour. It contains a lot of small part. Once you've completed it, you use it for photography or just as an ornament.
How To: Decorate a Shoe
Do you have some plain clothes that need a touch of your personality before you can wear them out? Watch this video and learn how you can make any shoe (or just about anything else) your own, by customizing with cute decorations.
How To: Make Your Own Stencils and Hit the Streets
Feeling inspired? Looking for a place to express yourself creatively through art? Why not take to the streets, and use the city walls as your canvas. This video shows you how to make a stencil, just like the ones the international star Banksy uses.
How To: Attach granny squares together with a single crochet
Granny squares are lovely on their own and make funny indie chic coasters, but sometimes it's nice to attach a bunch together and create a quilt or afghan. So after you've crocheted your pretty granny squares, take a look at this tutorial to learn how to attach granny squares together using a single crochet.
How To: Make Flavored Envelope Glue (And Make Sending Snail Mail Fun Again)
Not a lot of people send letters anymore. It could be because our laptops, smartphones, and tablets have taken over and we communicate electronically now. Or, it could be because envelope glue tastes terrible. If you were considering sending out nice, handmade Valentine's Day cards this year, but were so disgusted by the thought of licking all those envelopes that you changed your mind, you're in luck.
How To: Make a knotted bead necklace out of an old T-shirt or scarf
Have some ugly beads you don't know what to do with? Disguise them as fun knotted bead jewelry by tying them into a necklace! You can also use marbles. All you need besides the beads is the fabric, which you can get from an old t-shirt or scarf.
How To: Use a Needle Mounted Row Counter When Crocheting or Knitting on Circular or Double Pointed Needles
I like to use a row counter as it saves me the trouble of counting rows when increasing, decreasing, or working a cable pattern. All I have is a small needle mounted counter that is hard to keep track of when it is not mounted on a knitting needle. When knitting on circular or double pointed needles, or crocheting, I have to count rows ever so often. This is time consuming, and I have to admit to sometimes being inaccurate. To solve this problem I threaded a piece of fishing line through the ...
How To: Tie a decorative Diamond knot
"How to Tie a Decorative Diamond Knot: Tying It All Together" explains how to tie a decorative diamond knot. The diamond knot is a decorative cylindrical knot, which is also known as the lanyard knot and the knife lanyard knot. Make a loop with one end of the string, and fold the other end parallel in the center of the loop. Feed the end of the right string over the left string and pull down. Fold the right string over and feed through the left side of the loop. Pull a second loop behind the ...
How To: Craft a knotted bead necklace with a lobster clasp
When it comes to jewelry making, knots are one of the easier techniques for adding a prety motif while creating a harmonizing feature for the rest of the elements that go on your necklace/bracelet.
How To: Make twisted fabric flowers
One of the easiest flowers to make are twisted fabric flowers. These flowers can be made cheaply by using scrap fabric you already have around your home, and are sure to impress anyone you give them to. The flowers can be used as accessories or decorations, or even as embellishments on greeting cards and in scrapbooks. So, gather up some of that colorful unused fabric and start twisting!
How To: Sew a French seam with a sewing machine
Sewing becomes more interesting when you know different seams. This instructional sewing how to video demonstrates how to sew a French seam. Watch and learn how easy it is to join two pieces of fabric together with a French seam.
How To: Crochet a rib cuff baby bootie
In this tutorial, we learn how to crochet a rib cuff baby bootie. Start off by creating 8 foundation half double crochets. After this, work 4 half double crochets in the bottom of the last stitch that was completed. Then, work a half double crochet in each of the next 6 stitches. Work 4 half double crochets in the last stitch, then join with the beginning stitch. This will give you 22 half double crochets total. Next, chain 1 and work 2 half double crochets in the same stitch. Then, work 1 ha...
News: Star Wars Moneygami
Nerd out with Won Park's Star Wars/Star Trek dollar-gami. More images on DVice. Fold your own moneygami on WonderHowTo, or better yet, scroll all the way down to learn how to make your own origami Star Wars X-Wing Fighter from Fold Something.
How To: Crochet a wavy shell stitch pattern
This wavy shell crochet pattern uses three colors to make the design look complex and random. Actually it's quite simple. There are only two rows in this wavy shell crochet pattern. One row alternates between a few standard stitches and half pinwheel shape. The second row is completely plain. Try out this crochet project to achieve satisfying results.
How To: Crochet a basket weave stitch for right handers
The name of this crochet stitch says it all. Called the basket weave stitch, it consists of cubes of intersection vertical and horizontal yarns to create a unique pattern reminiscent of basket weaving.
How To: Knit delicate, doily patterned crochet earrings
Well this is quite the alternative crochet project. You've probably already knitted a light, hole-y Afghan, and even a long, thick crochet scarf for the winter months, but we can bet you've never even thought of crocheting your own earrings.