Craft Tips & Home Craft Ideas

When painting small objects, use a clothespin to hold the object while painting. No more painted fingers.

For easy cleanup when using paint or glue, rub a fabric softener sheet over your hands before you begin.

Use freezer paper for stenciling. Cut out the shape you want to stencil and with the shiny side down, iron the freezer paper onto your fabric or wood and begin stenciling.

To store glue bottles, cut the top off a 2 liter soda bottle and place the glue bottle in the top with the tip down. The glue will always be at the tip ready to go.

Before decoupaging on glass, clean the surface you are going to decoupage with a mixture of two parts water and one part vinegar.

When arranging flowers, the height of the arrangement should be one and a half times the height of the container.

To make small dots when painting, dip the handle of your brush into the paint.

When painting on fabric, prewash fabric using no fabric softener. Use equal parts of textile medium and paint. Allow the paint to dry completely and heat set in the dryer for 20 minutes. Wait five days before laundering.

Use spray adhesive on the back of your stencils to keep them in place.

When painting, the size of your paint brush should be appropriate for the area to be painted.

Always prewash fabrics to remove sizing, before painting them.

For paint brushes that are stiff with paint dried in them, dip in alcohol.

When stenciling, pat excess paint off of your brush or sponge.

Always clean your paint brushes and dry with a paper towel when changing colors.

When changing colors of paint, allow each color to dry before continuing.

When painting, after your basecoat has dried sand the surface with a brown paper bag.

Dried or preserved craft materials can be freshened by holding them over steam from a tea kettle for 10 to 20 seconds. Allow to dry before using.

To remove the "glue strings" when using a hot glue gun, use a blow dryer to heat the "strings" and then remove them.

Use soap slivers to mark quilts. Keeping them in the freezer will keep them hard, easier to use and also washes out right away.

To make a paint wash, use two parts paint and eight parts water.

Place glue sticks in the freezer before using, it will cut down on the strings.
To give tin a rusty finish, prepare a mixture of 1/8 cup of vinegar and a pinch
of salt. Pour the mixture into a spray bottle. Spray the tin outdoors or in a garage if possible.

When candle making, if the wick you have on hand is too small, just twist two or three of them together and dip them into hot wax a few times.
If you are working on a messy project, keep a bottle of glass cleaner and paper towels close by. Spray your hands when needed and wipe clean with the paper towels.

When buying eucalyptus, look for any brown staining. If it has brown staining, don't buy it.

When painting stripes, use masking tape to tape off the sections you don't want painted.

Place each roll of ribbon in a plastic bag with a zip seal. Cut a hole in the corner of the bag and feed the end of the ribbon through the hole. This allows you to pull as much ribbon as you need at one time through the hole avoiding tangled ribbon.

Get wallpaper sample books from dealers to use to make beautiful envelopes (using old envelopes for patterns).
Submitted by Patricia R.

When making pillows, round the corners for easier turning.

When crocheting with cotton thread on hot sticky days, sprinkle a little baby powder on your hands. Your work will flow more smoothly.

When you need a small piece of sandpaper and don't have one, try an emery board.

Use clear video tape holders to store small craft items.

When you lay down your crocheting, place a clothespin over the hook, yarn and your project keeping them all together.

When starting a new needlework project, thread needles with each color that you will be using. When you change colors - you'll be prepared.

To keep your embroidery hoop from leaving marks, remove the hoop when you are not stitching and smooth out the wrinkles.

To make your own ribbon, cut fabric into the desired length and width. Press with a hot iron between two pieces of waxed paper. The waxed paper provides stiffness and prevents unraveling.

When you are knitting or crocheting with two or more strands of yarn, keep the strands close together. Every two rows check to see if the yarns strands are twisted. If so, untwist them.

When working with embroidery, lightly spray the back of the fabric with starch. This will make your work easier and will wash out.

Clear video holders make great containers for craft items.

When making a craft that is going to be "messy", use rubber gloves to keep your hands clean.

When weaving ribbon through knitting, wrap a piece of tape around the end of the ribbon to make it easier.

When sewing on your machine, if you have a bad stitch on top there is a problem with the bobbin. If you have a bad stitch on the bottom there is a problem with the top thread.

To keep thread from tangling, run it through a fabric softener sheet.

Use an old cookie sheet to do your crafts on. When using glitter it will catch the excess glitter. When painting or doing decoupage use a piece of wax paper on top of the cookie sheet. When your done, throw away the paper.

Are your silk flowers limp? Spray with hairspray to stiffen.

To dry flowers in a conventional oven, spread individual blossoms or leaves in a single layer on a cookie sheet. Place the cookie sheet in an oven, no higher than 100°F. Leave the oven door slightly ajar. Check the flowers frequently until dry.

Wrap delicate trims, laces, or ribbons around toilet paper tubes to keep them from getting wrinkled.

To quickly trace a pattern on a craft project, use tracing paper and a sewer's tracing wheel. Place the tracing paper under the pattern and use the tracing wheel to trace the pattern.

Always pre-wash fabric before fabric painting. Don't use fabric softener when pre-washing or drying the fabric.

Save the wire from old spiral notebooks. They come in handy for many craft projects.

Make snowman candle holders. Take white frosted votive candle holders. Paint a snowman face on the candle holder and tie a 5" ribbon into a bow. Glue the bow near the bottom of the holder.

Attach a magnet to a clothespin to make a handy refrigerator clip.