Another Round of Craft Tips

I thought it was time for another round of some great tips I have either seen around or have used in the past. I hope they are as helpful for the readers as they have been for other people.

• Use a plastic see-through hanging shoe bag to store sewing supplies and patterns.
• Lids from margarine tubs are perfect for mixing paints on and can be used for cutting out stencils or patterns.
• Use laundered, cut-up, old pantyhose as stuffing for pillows or stuffed animals.
• Old film containers make great holders for beads, pins, needles and charms.
• When you hang flowers to dry, use a rubber band instead of twine because the rubber band will shrink with the flowers as they dry.
• Use aerosol hairspray to “stiffen” silk flowers. Use canned air or a cool blow dryer to dust them.
• To reposition a hot-glued item, warm the glue with a heat embossing gun and then it will come loose.
• To “tea-dye” or age fabric with a natural look, fill a spray bottle with leftover tea or coffee.
• Here is a great carryall for sewing, knitting or small art supplies. Stitch the bottom ends of three plastic sealable freezer bags, in different sizes, to a cloth place mat. Then roll it up and carry it anywhere.
• Regular acrylic paint mixed with a few drops of textile medium, is wonderful fabric paint. Paints on easily with a brush.
• Clean foam trays used for produce make wonderful disposable paint pallets.
• When doing crafts with kids, give each child a bowl of water and a sponge for quick finger wipes.
• Large bottle caps such as liquid laundry detergent bottle caps make great disposable containers for glue or paint.

Tagged as: advice, Craft, tips