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GLUE GUN USE - Keep used dryer fabric softener sheets handy. When finished using your glue gun, let it cool, and clean the excess glue from the tip with the fabric softener sheet. Now your glue gun will be clean when you are ready for your next project.
Rosalie's Craft Creations
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Dry hands? Are you having a tough time with rough, dry hands, yet you do not wnat to use a greasy lotion? Try bag-balm. Many needlework stores carry it (as do many farm supply stores).
Needlework Designers of Canada
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Be cautious if your project uses hand-dyed threads such as Overdyed Floss, Watercolours, and Silks they should not be laundered as the colours will run. Attach charms after washing.
Needlework Designers of Canada
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Liven up a plain lampshade by gluing on items such as seashells, coins, and dried flowers.
Country Living
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Use a small piece of masking tape to mark your place when you stop quilting. That way, you can pick up your needle and begin again without wasting time looking for where you left off last.
-Birdie Martingale & Company
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When appliqueing small, narrow strips (such as stems), put washable stick school glue down the center of the underside of the strip. This keeps the small, thin pieces from wandering while I stitch them in place.
-Susan Collins Martingale & Company
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Use colored pencils to mark your black & white cross-stitch charts. By coloring the chart to match the suggested embroidery floss color, the chart is much easier to follow.
Heidi at BH&G Craft Group
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Try using a sofa or throw pillow as a laptray when stitching. Your small project pieces will cling to the pillow's fabric top, and the corners work as handy pin cushions!
Shirley at BH&G Craft Group
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A fisherman's tackle box the perfect place to sort and store beads of different colors and sizes
Ann Better Homes and Garden Craft Group
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Use an over-the-door shoe holder with clear pockets to store my crafts supplies. They're perfect for organizing glues, scissors, brushes, and other things.
Susan Better Homes & Garden Crafts Group
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When starting a new project put everything you will need in one 2 gallon zip lock bag (fabric, thread, book etc). Bags protect your project plus are reuseable, inexpensive, and lightweight. Smaller bags are great for needles, charms & scissors.
Cheryl Kramer-Rosetta
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When threading a needle for hand sewing, lick the end of the needle instead of the thread. (We don't know why this works, but it does!)
Martingale & Company
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Remember that transfer ink doesn't wash out very well! Be careful when you transfer the design so that it ends up just where you want it, and isn't smeared.
About.com
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When stitching an afghan, try rolling the edges and holding in place with bicycle or quilting clips.
The Stitchery
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Is your cutting board warped? Fill your bathtub with hot water, lay your board flat in the water. When it is pliable, take it out, dry it off and lay on a flat surface. Voila, fixed.
sew-what's-new.com
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RIBBON SPOOLS - Organize spools by color, untwist the top of a wire hanger, thread spools onto the hanger, twist top of hanger closed, hang in your craft closet. Handy dispenser.
By Penny Wadham at Nancy's Notions
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GLUING - Before being tempted to wipe up wet glue that has squeezed from the joints, let it dry for almost and hour and lift it from the wood using a chisel.
The Winfield Collection
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POLYFILL - To manipulate the fiberfill tightly into corners, insert a straight pin or a T-pin through the project and work the fiberfill into position.
Fairfield
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SWEDISH WEAVE - Do not knot ends of thread. When finishing a row you will weave back a few stitches and clip close to work.
Crafts Across America
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CRAFT TIP - Empty boutique tissue boxes make excellent receptacles for crafting trash and scraps.
Needlepointers.com
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CRAFT TIP - The salon carts used by beauticians makes a great cart for sewing needs and arts and crafts.
Sylvia Smith
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Baby oil is the best and most economical product to get oil paints from hands,(and arms, face,etc.)after tole painting.
Tole World - Tip by Pat Bennett
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PINE CONE ART - Clean the cones with a brush to remove dirt. Place any sticky cones in a 200 degree oven for a few minutes. After cones have cooled, rinse them and dry.
Magazine Name, Date & Page here
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Two strands of sport yarn held together will replace one strand of 4-ply.
From Doris at Crochet Cache
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A QUICK TIP TO STOP PAINT CAN SPLATTERING - Just use a common nail to tap a couple of small holes into the rim of the can. These holes allow extra paint that's trapped in the rim to drip out.
Wood-Worker.com
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She found a helpful product to seal fabric edges prior to cross stitching. It's called "Fray Stop". It's a type of glue which dries clear and flexible saving lots of time since you don't have to sew the edges to stop them from fraying.
Thank you, Amanda, for the helpful hint.
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Use iron on interfacing, or slip stitch felt or wide silk ribbon to the back of the bookmark to hide the back of the stitches.
Nostalgia Needlework.com
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Music stands are ideal for holding your chart or book. They are adjustable in height and can hold your highlighter or pen for marking off which part of the design you have stitched. You can also clip a light with a daylight bulb to the stand.
Nostalgia Needlework.com
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TO HELP STOP FRAYING - Cut the material slightly larger than you need, and use lightweight iron on interfacing cut into narrow strips on each edge. When the work is finished it can be cut off before framing.
Nostalgia Needlework.com
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Emery boards are great for cleaning erasers, and can also remove fine imperfections in a wood project instead of sandpaper. They can be so much easier to handle in tight spaces.
The Decorative Touch - Contributed by Carol Straub. http://www.deltacrafts.com
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