Hot Arts & Crafts Posts
How To: 10 Easy, Last-Minute Origami Projects for Valentine's Day
Valentine's Day is a day for love, but it also just happens to be the time when every flower shop in town hikes up their prices. Chocolates are still relatively cheap, but I never understood why you have to give the gift of bigger love handles when something more creative gets the job done at a much cheaper price.
News: 50 FREE Papercraft Robot Downloads
One of the greatest things about the internet? Free papercraft downloads. Enjoy Botropolis' collection of 50 fun robots. Just download, print, and assemble. My top ten favorites below. Wall-E. Robocop. Optimus Prime. R2-D2. The Terminator. Poseable Toy Robot. Retro Bot. Godzilla. Poco Bot with 6 rotation points. Robot Owl.
How To: Sew quickly by hand without using a sewing machine
Sewing by hand can actually go quite quickly if you don't have access to your sewing machine or if it's broken. Hand sewing can also be useful if you're working with especially delicate fabrics, attaching an applique or making a small repair.
How To: Take Your Measurements
These measurments should be taken and recorded before drawing up you clothing design pattern. Wear the bra and panties you will be wearing with the final garment. Another option, especially if you are going to be selling a series of the garments, is to follow a size chart. While sizing is not very standardized in the clothing industry, I like the charts on the Burdastyle website which are in both inches and centimeters. When measuring, the tape measure should be neither too tight nor too loos...
How To: Tailor your own too large pants so they fit perfectly
Tailors can be expensive, but you can be your own tailor! This tutorial shows you how to take a pair of pants that might be a bit too big around the waist and take them in using professional tailoring techniques.
How To: Sew you own pair of easy, Victorian style bloomers
The perfect undergarment for your Victorian costume re-creation. You don't need any pattern, just take your measurements and get a yard or so of thin, lightweight fabric. Then cut, pin, sew and finish. Your own pair of Victorian inspired bloomer pants!
How To: Make a Doo Rag Pattern
Video: . Whether you are gardening, cooking, riding a motorcycle or just want to cover up on a bad hair day, doo rags are easy to make and fun to personalize to suit to your style. If you would rather just download the durag pattern click here.
How To: Tie four basic knots in jewelry design
To tie the overhand knot, make a loop and pass one end of the string through the loop and tighten by pulling both ends. To tie a double overhand knot, make a loop and pass one end of the string through the loop twice before pulling both ends to tighten the knot. To tie a surgeon's knot, take the left string and bring it over and around the right string twice. Then take the right string over and around the left string and pull both ends to tighten, leaving a complete loop of string below the k...
How To: Add Color on Circular Needles When Knitting
Adding color on circular needles is as easy, if not easier than adding color on a straight needle. You can use this method for knitting stripes or simply just changing from one color to another.
How To: Tie a Military Bugle cord decorative knot
Bugle cords are used as elaborate ornamental leashes on bugles and trumpets. These cords are used for making for snazzy ornamentation on uniforms worn by military bands. Although the technique for making a bugle cord is really very simple, it is quite difficult to find instructions on how to go about doing it. In this really short video you will find out how simple it is to make a bugle cord. There are no voice instructions. This is only very simple video which shows exactly how to start the ...
How To: End a Knit Hat
Some time, when you are making a hat and after you have done your decreases for the crown, you will get to the end of your hat pattern and it will simply say "end the hat". Here's what to do.
How To: Wrap a Stone - Easy Tutorial
This tutorial shows how to wrap a Stone easily (Make Cabochon using Macrame knots). With this style you can make your own amulets, pendants or necklaces, also you can wrap a coins or anything else. It's easy to make and suitable for kids and beginners. I hope you will find this helpful!
How To: Backstitch sew on a Singer sewing machine
Good habits make your sewing easier. This is a quick video sewing tutorial on backstitching. You'll know what it means when it's mentioned in patterns. Your sewing will be more professional if you remember to backstitch at the beginning and end of each seam. Happy Sewing!
How To: Make a two sheet paper airplane
This video is about making a two sheet paper airplane. You take two pieces of white paper. Line them up so that they are overlapping, about a quarter of the paper. Make them even. Take the right side of the paper and fold it half way. Crease it. Take the fold halfway so that the two pieces meet in the middle. Crease it. Fold the paper so it meets up the middle. Fold right to meet the left. Make wings. Make them as even as possible.
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: Tie a rope helix for bondage and bdsm play
Strings of DNA aren't the only things that contain helixes. With a bit of skill and practice, you can make your own rope helix for fun or bondage and bdsm play by watching this video by Two Knotty Boys.
How To: Rig up a harness out of rope to carry large boxes
You will need around twenty feet of thick, sturdy rope (something smooth like jute or nylon will also prevent the harness from digging into your skin). Tie as demonstrated in this video, and you'll have an instant messenger bag for carrying boxy things around!
How To: Make soap curl embeds
This video shows you how to make soap curls for use in molded soap cavities. Create colorful, fun boutique style soaps for gift giving.
How To: Draft a basic block pattern for pants
A basic block is the simplest, most fitted style for a garment. This tutorial shows you how to draft a basic block pattern for a pair of pants. Once you get this down, you can start adding flared legs and belt loops and other embellishments.
How To: Make an explosion greeting card
This tutorial paper design video will show you how to make a greeting card that practically explodes with cuteness. These cards look so cute folded, and even cuter when they're opened. You can make these greeting cards for family and friends, no matter the occasion.
How To: Origami a Four-Leaf Clover with a Few Dollar Bills
Money origami (or dollar bill) origami is cheap, fun, simple, and cute. It only takes a dollar bill with some folding paper skills to make some really cool stuff. Spend that spare dollar in your pocket on some good old fashioned creativity—you will end up with a cool four-leaf clover for St. Patrick's Day.
How To: Easy Infinity Square Knot Yin Yang Friendship Bracelet Tutorial
To make this bracelet you will only need to know how to make a square knot. This is a good bracelet for beginners and it looks very interesting.
How To: Perfect the wire spiral for jewelry making
If you want to make the perfect spirals, join Lisa Niven Kelly from beaducation for this quick demo on perfecting the wire spiral. Learn how to make open and closed loop spirals, and the proper tools to use for mastering this technique. Watch as Lisa shows you how to make one of her favorite shapes that she not only incorporates into many of her designs but also showcases all over Beaducation.com! Learn how to make the perfect wire spiral for jewelry.
How To: Make Fringe for a Scarf
Sometimes you will want to add fringe to your knitted scarves. Follow the steps below for an easy way to make fringe.
How To: Make a paper Optimus Prime Transformer
Make your own Optimus Prime out of paper. It even transforms!
How To: Thread a cord lock
In this tutorial, we learn how to thread a cord lock. First, tilt the cord lock up and find the two different wheels on the inside of it. Now, push your lift cord up through the two wheels that are on the inside of the lock. After this, pull the thread up through the top and then slide the thread through the smaller hole on the lock. Now, you will repeat this again for another piece of string, but thread it through the larger hole once you reach the top. After this, thread another cord throug...
Make Awesome Paper Plane: F18 Hornet
In this video, I'm gonna show you how to fold a paper jet fighter call F-18 Hornet. This model is designed by Thay Yang.
How To: Machine baste on a Singer sewing machine
Machine basting is a common technique used in many patterns for garment construction. It's easy, and can help your garment look more professional when finished. This video tutorial shows you how to machine baste a seam.
How To: Crochet a large five point star
Improve you crocheting skills by creating fun shapes. This how to video is a crocheting tutorial that will show you how to create a large star with five points. Crochet several of them, bind them together and create larger handmade projects.
How To: Make the world's best paper airplane
Tired of paper airplanes that glide for a second or two before they ultimately and inevitably crash to the ground? This paper-folding tutorial demonstrates an easy-to-build, easy-to-modify model that may be just what you need.
How To: Do a stockinette stitch (St st) when knitting
In this free video knitting lesson, you'll see how to create stockinette stitch (St st) shown in the English or throwing style. For more information, including complete, step-by-step instructions, and to get started using stockinette stitches in your own knitting projects, watch this helpful video guide.
How To: Make a Peek-A-Boo card
Store bought card can sometimes seem impersonal and rushed, and it's always so hard to find the right one. But, handmaking a card for someone can show them how much you care. This video tutorial will show you how to create something that we at WonderHowTo think is a super cute card idea.
How To: Start a crochet blanket
Watch this instructional crochet video to start a crochet blanket. Begin with a loose chain until you've reached the desired length. The process of changing rows is one of the most difficult tasks when starting a crochet blanket. Follow these clear guidelines to avoid unnecessary troubleshooting.
How To: Sew 3D faux cathedral window quilt blocks
Watch this instructional quilting video to sew three dimensional faux cathedral window quilting blocks. These easy to make blocks add great accents to any quilt. The cathedral window quilting block is actually made up of four smaller patches with another square sewn inside. The 3D effect requires some careful folding. Pin down the frame of the window to give it a curved edge. For the center patch you can use patterned fabric or a photograph.
How To: Create an origami place card holder crane
Everybody has place card holders that can be bought from various stores. However, this video by Ngai Chen Cheung shows how you can make your own place card holder using only a square piece of paper and a bit of origami skills.
How To: Weave a suit of dragonscale style chain mail
No, it doesn't use actual dragonscales. This technique actually uses two different sizes of rings with the proper aspect ratio (at least three of the larger rings have to fit through the smaller ones). If you have enough rings, then just follow along to master this challenging technique.
How To: Origami a Koi fish
Here's a beautiful stop motion instructional video on how to fold a paper Koi fish. Origami a Koi fish.
How To: Load a quilt onto a frame
Need to load a quilt onto a frame but aren't sure how to do it? This ten-minute free video quilting lesson, which breaks the process down into its simple steps, will remedy that situation post haste.
How To: Thread a vintage Kenmore sewing machine
Using a sewing machine entails knowing how to thread it properly. This sewing how-to video demonstrates how to insert thread on a vintage Kenmore sewing machine. Follow the user's instruction below to properly thread your sewing machine.
How To: Edge a knitted piece with a single crochet
In this tutorial we learn how to edge a knitted piece with a single crochet. Start to attach the yarn to the right side, working in a forward direction. Now, work a slip stitch at the edge. From here, stick the hook in the fabric and pull through one loop. The, yarn over again and pull through both loops with the hook. After you do this, do it over again! You will repeat this process until you reach the end of the row. Once you're finished with the row, you will be finished with the edge and ...