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Independent craft blog since 2007

Intro to basics of hand sewing

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Hand sewing is a useful skill for repairing clothing and creating handcrafted items such as stuffed toys, curtains, and pillowcases. To get started with hand sewing, you need a few essential tools: needle, thread, and fabric.

It’s important to choose the right needle for the fabric you are working with, as different fabrics require different types of needles. For example, lightweight fabrics like silk and chiffon require sharps needles, while heavier fabrics like denim and canvas require stronger needles like tapestry or upholstery.

The thread you choose should also be appropriate for your fabric, with strong thread recommended for heavier fabrics and lighter thread for lighter fabrics.

While hand sewing may take some practice to get the hang of, it’s a worthwhile investment of time and effort. Not only can you use your hand sewing skills to make handmade items, but you can also use them to repair clothing and other items in your home.

Additionally, hand sewing can be a relaxing and enjoyable hobby that allows you to create unique and beautiful items with your own two hands. So whether you are an experienced seamstress or just starting out, there’s never been a better time to learn the basics of hand sewing and stitching!

Craftbits has a full article on the basics of hand sewing that might be useful to bookmark.

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Try This Fun Bake Off Drawing Challenge with a Group of Kids

My daughter is 16 and one of her favorite things to do on school breaks is watch The Great British Bake Off. It’s such a soothing show, as well as being creative and fun, and it’s low stakes enough that it isn’t stressful, which is just the thing you need when you’re on a break from school. 

If you don’t have an oven or want to do your own real Bake Off challenges, this baking show inspired drawing challenge from Frugal Fun for Boys and Girls is a great alternative. This works best if you have a group of kids to play, but you could also do it along with a child at home. 

The post includes a bunch of different “baking” challenges for kids to draw. As an example: “Draw a dozen delicious doughnuts! Be sure to include at least two different flavors of icing. Challenge yourself to think of as many creative toppings as you can.” 

Give them a set amount of time (maybe 10-15 minutes) to draw their creations based on the prompt. Then have each child present their creation, explaining what they chose to draw and why (and what the different flavors are if it’s not obvious). 

There doesn’t have to be a winner, but kids can vote on their favorites or you can “award” things like most colorful, tallest creation, etc. Sarah suggests if doing this with little kids you can come up with an award for everyone, but there need not be prizes involved. 

With older kids you might do a couple of rounds and pick winners so that you can have a “star baker” just like in the show. 

This is a game that would be a lot of fun for kids of different ages, and you can do it multiple times with the different prompts. 

Get all the details and the challenge cards from Frugal Fun for Boys and Girls. 

[Photo: Frugal Fun for Boys and Girls]