Cross Stitch

I remember when I was a child and my mother taught me how to do cross stitch. Of course back then (we're talking about 45 years ago), I was using stamped cross stitch, which I believe to be the easiest. All you need to do is follow the color chart for the pattern printed on the material. I was always amazed that after you were done with your product and once you washed it, the light blue printing all went away and the handmade design was all that was left. My mother, bless her heart, still has some of the pieces I made when I was a child. And when I look at the quality of the stitchery from back then, I just laugh to myself; because I would not accept that quality of work today.

Now that I'm older, I have taken on the challenge of completing counted cross stitch patterns. They are much more tedious and require an eye for detail. And yes, I have made my fair share of mistakes where I had to go back and rip out several rows of work to fix a miscount of stitches. I learned very quickly that I could not do multitasking projects when working my counted cross stitch. But, the final results are well worth the effort.

I really enjoy doing different seasonal table cloths and table runners. The compliments my work received at craft shows always made me feel good. It was nice people would appreciate the time and effort that went into my work. If you are interested in getting started there are many different stamped cross stitch kits available. Do a computer search on "counted cross stitch." Now days, they even have computer programs that can design any picture into a cross stitch pattern. What will they come up with next? Take some time to learn this ancestral craft. Happy stitching.

Plastic Canvas

Working with plastic canvas can be a lot of fun and very versatile. The size of the holes in the canvas makes a difference on how detailed and tedious your pattern will be. What I like most, is that I don't have to use a sharp pointed needle, so I'm not always sticking myself. There are so many plastic canvas patterns available, that you can make almost anything.

For those folks who like refrigerator magnets, there are loads of patterns available. A few years ago, when I was participating in craft shows, I made magnets that were in the shape of bird houses. Boy, did they go over good. Some of the more popular patterns are glass coasters, napkin holders, purses, wall hangings, book covers, book ends, door stops, keep sake boxes and even how to make a complete Christmas village. The buildings in the Christmas village were just as detailed as the ceramic ones, but a lot less in weight when it came time to store them away for another year.

You can even adapt other types of patterns to plastic canvas; like mosaic squares, cross stitch or latch hook designs. Since they are all designed on an individual color block scale, you can use these same patterns to finish them to plastic canvas. You just have to find the equivalent yarn color to the color depicted in the instructions. How many of you really thought about that option? So, when you see a pattern you like in the store or online and it is in another medium, think about whether it could be converted into a plastic canvas pattern.

There are also many types of books available to learn how to stitch on plastic canvas and to provide you patterns and instructions for making a variety of items. Keep an open mind, the sky's the limit for your imagination on designing your own patterns. Have fun.

Woodcraft

There is nothing like taking a plain old piece of wood and carving it into something beautiful, functional and/or educational. Back in the pioneer days, the art of making toys by woodcraft was the pride and joy a father bestowed upon his children. He first made the wooden toys for his children when they were very young. Then when they got old enough, and were taught the safety of handling a knife, he taught them the fundamentals of woodworking.

Wooden building blocks advanced into educational toys by painting the letters of the alphabet on them, to help improve spelling and reading. If there wasn't enough money to buy furniture, the family made their tables, chairs and bed frames. Fine wood working has come a long way since then, with the use of wood lathes, power saws, routers, planers and a whole lot of other wood working tools.

Remembering back to my high school days; I took on the project of making four teak dinner plates on the wood lathe. I had no experience with this piece of equipment, so this really became a challenge. I had to first glue two pieces of teak wood together to get the width I wanted. Then I attach a face plate to the back of each piece for mounting onto the lathe. The instructor warned me not to put too much pressure on the chisel, so I would not damage the wood or make a mistake I could not correct. Each plate came out just a little different which made them unique and what a good feeling it was to see my finished work.

Now days, we have all kinds of books and magazines to give us ideas and to explain how to make all these different projects. Next time you look at a plain old piece of wood, let your imagination go wild and see what you come up with.

Felt Crafting

Looking for an old fashion, simple way to make some Christmas crafts? Have you ever tried felt crafting? It's easy to work with and can be very versatile. It also makes the perfect medium to use when working with children. You can sew, glue, stuff, sequin, bead and much more when working with felts. You don't even need a sewing machine to do felt crafting, but for some of the more complex projects a sewing machine may come in handy.

Felts can be purchased in many different colors and usually comes by the sheet, size 9 inches by 12 inches, the yard or bolt. If you are planning on making Christmas craft ideas that use red and green for the holidays, don't wait too late to get your stock, as it sells out very quickly. I made that mistake one year and regretted it. I was only able to make about two thirds the amount of crafts that I really wanted to that year. To help you find felt crafting ideas, there are a variety of books and magazines that can provide you step-by-step instructions on how to make that special gift.

Several years ago I made stuffed, sequined, and beaded felt Christmas tree ornaments. I also used them to decorate the top of gift packages. That way, the recipient of the present received their own personal Christmas craft that they could use year after year to decorate their tree. Another idea for these same ornaments, was to sew a safety pin onto the back so they could be worn as an ornamental pin. So many items can be made through felt crafting, like flowers, animals, jewelry, and clothing accessories that you would never get bored making the same thing over and over. Give it a try, you may just enjoy it.

Personalizing Christmas Gifts

Making a personalized Christmas gift is always fun and it adds that special touch that seems to being going by the way of the dinosaur. Finding new Christmas crafts ideas can be exciting and challenging. With the economy being tight, you can make a personalized Christmas gift for a whole lot less than you can buy them. If you need ideas, just look through some craft books or do a computer search online.

I remember when I was much younger and my standing Christmas gift for my father was to get him new hankies, which he used instead of paper Kleenex. So one year when ball point paints were big, I bought red, green and gold paint pens. I purchased the typical man's white hankie 6-pack to decorate them for my father. On a piece of paper, I designed two different Christmas tree bulbs, one red and the other green with gold designs. Once I perfected the design, I would lightly trace it onto the corner of a hankie. Since I did not have tracing paper, I would take a pencil and rub the lead on the reverse side of my design sheet. Then I would lightly re-trace my pattern onto the hankie. I then colored the bulbs, three red the others green and put a gold cap on each. The following year, I bought a silver ball point paint pen and on my father's hankies, I wrote his name on the corner in a fancy script. I did three in silver and the others in gold.

These gestures of personalizing my father's Christmas gifts must have made a big impression on him. A couple of month's ago when I visited my father and washed some whites, I found that he still uses three of those hankies. I asked him about them and he said because they were from his little girl, they were very special to him. I made those hankies over 30 years ago. My father still lives independently and recently turned the young age of 90.