The Crafty Princess Diaries

Tammy Powley’s Crafty Weblog

January 19, 2016
by Tammy
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Needle-Arts, Beads, Paper-Arts, & Even Oatmeal!

Loosey Goosey

Connie’s added a new free pattern inspired by the Flying Geese quilt block. It offers ample practice for quarter stitches and of course, she’s got just the tutorial and tips you need!

How to Tie a Knot for Hand Sewing

Starting your hand sewing project with the right knot is important for success. Here Sarah shows you her favorite simple knot that’s strong and won’t easily pull through fabric.

Knitting Needle Set Review

In this video, the Crafty Princess looks at various wooden knitting needle sets from Knit Picks.

Yummy Breakfast Oatmeal Recipe

Here is one of Terry’s first videos she put together about a year ago. Terry shows how to make a delicious oatmeal dish that would be great for those cold mornings.

Art Bead Scene

Winter Bird Studio + Round Rabbit + Mia Only Beads are the perfect combination for Erin’s Perfect Pairings selection!

Beading Arts

Cyndi played around with a new form (to her, anyway!) of landscape quilting and is happy to share her process.

Silhouette Pop-Up Drawer Card Box:

Tips for assembling Silhouette pop-up drawer box cards. Lori Whitlock designed a series of these cute pop-ups. Here’s how to make them nice and sturdy.

Snap out of it, Jean! There’s beading to be done!

Like peyote bead stitch? Jean revisits a wonderful beadweaving book by Melinda Barta with a review you can’t miss!

Keepsake Shell Necklace

This free necklace tutorial shows how to turn shell beads picked up during a cruise into a necklace.

January 10, 2016
by Tammy
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Loads of Crafting Links

Free Border Pattern

Is it a border or a bookmark – you decide. This free chart has a myriad of uses and can be stitched in any color.

Apply Those Crystals

Add more bling to your garments or fabric jewelry components with this super cool tool.

Illustrate Your One Little Word

Do you have a word for 2016? Why not use it in a piece of art? You can do this with any word you like and whatever supplies you have.

Taylor Knit Shawl

Here is a little knitting progress as the Crafty Princess continues to learn how to knit.

Art Bead Scene

Check out our beautiful new challenge for January – the first of 2016!

Yes, Another Jewelry Challenge

Terry Jeanette of Tappingflamingo shows her entry in the Dry Gulch Beads and Jewelry Challenge, January 2016.

Repair It with Bondic Plastic Welding Pen

Eileen repairs a small cast iron sculpture with Bondic. No waiting time required when you repair it with Bondic. Apply, cures in a few seconds, add finishing touches. Your repair is immediately ready for use.

Beading Arts

We’ve all been there…Cyndi is drowning in STUFF!

Snap out of it, Jean! There’s Beading to Be Done!

Jean reviews a beautiful follow up to an earlier book on bead embroidery: Bead Embroidery Stitch Samples Motifs. If you like to embroider, don’t miss this!

January 10, 2016
by Tammy
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Ravlery Group Prizes for Jan. 2016

I have a really nice group of crafters sharing their talents over on my Ravelry group. Feel free to show off your crafted items in our monthly “Finished Objects” thread, and of course, you can start a thread yourself and talk about your favorite type of craft or just ask questions if you need some crafting advice. The thread that includes all the details of the monthly giveaway is located here.

For Jan. 2016, we have two prizes available. First, I dug down deep into my personal stash and found this skein of yarn that would be perfect for fingerless gloves or socks or even a small shawl. It’s Lion Brand’s Sock-Ease in the Rock Candy colorway. I have used this colorway before to make a pair of wristers, and they turned out really well.


The second prize is a Kindle copy of my novel, Crafting Memories.


January 7, 2016
by Tammy
3 Comments

Taylor – Another Knit Shawl on the Needles

It’s not really a resolution for the new year but more of a continuation of learning to knit. I have to admit that I could happily make garter stitch shawls and scarves forever, but that would mean I would not learn to knit beyond the basics. So I’m taking a baby step and working on a shawl pattern that has lots of garter but a little bit more than that. The pattern is “Taylor,” from designer Jennifer Lysen. It’s a free pattern, so so far, I think I’m getting the hang of it. I like how it is a long shawl that could sort of work like a scarf too.

I’ve dipped into the “good stuff” as far as yarn goes, using a colorway called “Puppy,” from Expression Fiber Arts’ line of Resilient Superwash Merino Sock yarn. I have already made a number of mistakes but have managed to learn to pull out stitches and rework them. When I get frustrated, I keep reminding myself that it’s about the process, not the product!

January 2, 2016
by Tammy
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New Craft Links for the New Year

Atmos Flare 3D Pen Review

Are you intrigued by tools for 3D drawing? Sarah got to try out a fun 3D pen, though she found it to have a steep learning curve.

Scarfutopia

Here’s a quick video review of this free knitting pattern.

Altered Binder to Store & Enjoy Your Mail Art Collection

Tall binder rings of an old Franklin Planner binder accommodate a lot of bulky pages while leaving them easy to flip.

Snap out of it, Jean! There’s Beading to Be Done!

There’s nothing like a brand new beautiful calendar to encourage you to express your creative hopes and dreams for the new year. Jean has hers for 2016–you can get one, too! She will show you where!