The Freeneedle Blog

Felt Animals

This is a really good idea for making cute animals out of felted jumpers. 

Felt Animal Instructions.

It is really easy to felt sweaters and jumpers for craft projects - simply do all the things you would not normally do with a wool garment ie stick it in the washing machine on a hot setting, give it plenty of agitation and voila!  It should finish a fraction of the size and felted into a firm fabric.  Make sure the sweater is wool, and not preshrunk or washing machine suitable wool as this will not felt.

Happy Stitching!

Ms Stitch - 24 March, 2008

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Heart Shaped YoYos

With thoughts turning to Valentine's Day, the heart shape creeps into more and more projects.

If you are a Yo-Yo fan (which I am!) then I expect you'll be having a go at a heart shaped yo-yo or two.  These are not difficult to do, but a little tricky to make a crisp heart shape.  A sneaky stitch at the top of the heart helps.  Read more about it - How to Make a Heart Shaped Yo-Yo

Ms Stitch - 20 January, 2008

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Sew Baby Shoes

There are some excellent online patterns for baby shoes and booties. Read more about sewing baby shoes and booties using free online sewing patterns.

Little baby booties and shoes are a great way to use free online sewing patterns. They are quick and small, meaning that there is not too much of a time or money investment. Free online patterns aren't for everyone (you do need to be able to print them out and sometimes decipher instructions) - however they are a marvelous resource, so why not give them a go! There are plenty of links to some excellent projects throughout the pages of FreeNeedle - so give it a go!

Ms Stitch - 14 January, 2008

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New Contact Form

We've been plagued by spam.  So to avoid undesirables filling up our in box with rubbish, we've put in a small feature to ensure that contact emails are from real people.  

Hopefully this won't put people off from contacting us - and will help to avoid any important emails getting caught up in spam.  You simply need to enter a number in a box before sending an email or link suggestion - take a look and let us know what you think!

Ms Stitch - 31 December, 2007

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Sewing Projects for Valentine´s Day

We've started collecting projects for Valentine's Day, so if you know of any suitable projects that we should include then do let us know! You can get in touch via the contact button.

Valentine's Day is a great opportunity to make small gifts, accessories and decorations. They are quick and easy to do which also means that they are a great opportunity to try new techniques!

Ms Stitch - 30 December, 2007

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Festive Sewing Projects

6 weeks until Christmas...

So, what great sewing projects are there for us to have a go at?

Tree ornaments are easy to make and are good for hand sewing as well as machines. A few basic materials and equipment is required.

Here´s a project for making fragrant ornaments using cookie cutters as a template. These would adapt well to other occasions

Ms Stitch - 19 November, 2007

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Sewing Household Accessories

When thinking about household accessory projects, cushions, throws and table runners spring to mind.

However there are many more unusual things that can be sewn, for instance a toothbrush holder. 

Take a look around our household accessory section on the left for links to many other great sewing projects. 

Ms Stitch - 18 October, 2007

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Sew For Halloween!

Halloween is a great time to practice sewing skills. The mainstay of most Halloween costumes is the cape, from ghouls and demons through to wizards and witches, the cape is the 'must have' garment for all self respecting things from the underworld.

There are some great projects online to help both novice and experienced sewers - here are a few, take a look in the Halloween Section for some more.

• Project to make hat and cape 

• No Sew Cape 

• Cape Making Tutorial 

Ms Stitch - 9 October, 2007

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Things to do With Fabric Yo-Yos

There are some great projects that use fabric yo-yos. I've written two tutorials, one explaining how to add a crochet flouncy edge, and the other explaining how to make a crochet choker or collar.

I've had great fun putting these together, do let me know what you think.

Useful reading.

• Using the Clover Yo-Yo maker (instruction)
• All about Yo-Yos or Suffolk Puffs (article)
  

Ms Stitch - 23 September, 2007

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New Feature

How exciting, we have a new feature!  Some people commented about the color of the site - too orange, too bright, hard to read etc.  So - eager to please, we've changed the color AND given our visitors a chance to pick their own color scheme.  So if you fancy strawberry red rather than the standard vanilla, or a spot of blueberry, simply press the button on the main page and chose you color!

Do let let us know of any other ways we can improve the site - we enjoy getting feedback. 

Ms Stitch - 22 September, 2007

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