DIY Pin Holder with Hope Studios for Tutorial Tuesday

Hello friends...it's Tuesday and that means I'm going to teach you something. If you already know this....keep it to yourself and don't spoil it for the others  ;-)

Today I am going to show you how to create your very own do-it-yourself magnetic pin holder. In the photo above is a photo of the 45 Tesla Hybrid Magnet..the world's strongest. We are going to make one for our selves. Ok..ok...so maybe it won't be as big...or as strong, but it is going to be so much more beautiful to look at! A big shout out and thanks to Martha Stewart for this idea.

For our project you will need a tube of Liquid Nails, a package of the thinnest, super strong magnets you can find. I got mine at Joann's. Visit your local thrift shop and look for a very shallow bowl or a saucer. You can make it any size you like. I am using a orphaned saucer from a broken set. 

After washing and thoroughly drying your saucer, place a small dab of the glue on your magnet. Hint: be sure you are applying the glue to the right side...the idea is attract the pins, not push them away.

Carefully place the magnet in the center of the bottom and let dry one hour at least.

Once dry, flip your saucer over and ....Voila! 

Isn't she beautiful? Definitely prettier than any pin holder you can buy. The plate cost me $.75, the magnet was $.35 and I already had the Liquid Nails. So for $1.10 I now have a fabulous magnetic pin holder for my sewing table...I Love It!!

No head on over to check out all the great tutorials at Hope Studios and A Soft Place To Land

Until next time...be kind and stay creative

Tutorial Tuesday With Hope Studios

Hello friends..it's Tuesday and that can only mean one thing...you're going to learn something!!!! I'm going to show you how I create my couture wristwarmers. I see you rolling your eyes thinking "Janet, you nut, it's April, I don't need wristwarmers!" You would be surprised how many I sell to women who work in cold air conditioned offices or early bike riders and walkers. You can always bookmark this tutorial for this fall..they make fabulous gifts! Before we start, isn't my nice Kelly gorgeous? She is my go to gal for my modeling needs...Thanks Kell..;-)

First step is to visit your closet or a local thrift shop and look for a wool sweater. Bring it home and place it in a pillowcase and secure with a rubber band. This is a very important step...DO NOT SKIP! You will see why later. Set your washer to the hottest water setting and a small wash load. If you have a pair of old jeans no one wears anymore, throw them in too. They will act as an agitation helper. Wash on the faster agitation setting. The idea is to get your sweater knocking around real good..that helps the fibers to  open up and lock together. Once they lock it is permanent.

When you remove your sweater from the pillowcase it should now be fulled or commonly known as felted. It will have shrunk to about 1/2 it's original size. Many of you have probably felted items by mistake...sound familiar? Lay your sweater flat and block it...which means pull and tug it back to the shape you want..it is pretty pliable while wet.

 

This is reason I told you not to skip the bagging step. Your sweaters will shed a lot of wool fibers and where do you think all that fiber is going to go? If you are wanting a new washer, this is the fastest way to kill your motor and convince hubby to buy a new machine. I cringe every time I see a tute that tells women to just throw your sweaters into the washing machine...YIKES!

 Hang your sweater to dry or you can also place it in the dryer on med heat. For some extra style and to pay homage to my sweaters grand former life, I left the Abercrombie & Fitch tag on the sleeve edge.

At this point all you do is take you scissors and cut the sleeve at the length you want your warmer. The sleeve hem will be toward your hand. Because the wool is felted, you do not need to worry about unraveling..felted wool doesn't. I embellished mine with some pieces of felted wool from my stash, but you can leave your warmer plain or sew on any type of trim..buttons, lace, beads...anything! The felting makes them snug, warm and naturally water resistant.

This is what they will look like.....I am proud to tell you these warmers made the People Magazine Fall Styles to Watch list...that made me smile for a month!

.......and because I hate waste, this is what I did with the rest of the felted sweater. That's another tutorial altogether...;-)

Now go forth and FELT!

Big thanks to Jennifer at Hope Studios and Kimba at ASPTL be sure to check out all the other great tutorials.

Until next time...be kind and stay creative!