Last-Minute Fabric Gifts

It must be something in the air at ABRAMS but I’ve never been the recipient of so many homemade and thoughtful office gifts as I have these past few weeks leading up to our holiday closing.

By the time the mason jar of Eleven Madison Park granola appeared on my desk—following the homemade Baileys Irish cream, spiced nuts, truffles, and bottles of wine—I knew I would have to appear at the office prepared or risk imploding from all the unrealized love and gratitude I’ve carried for the faces I see every day. 

Luckily, even a last-minute crafter is never really empty handed and the office is rich in inspiration in the form of a long and beautiful list of craft titles. Books are the secret friends of harried people, unlike the Internet, so I am sharing a small gift from one of ours. Last-Minute Fabric Gifts by artist and designer Cynthia Treen is helpfully organized by time commitment—from “Less-than-One-Hour Gifts” to “More-than-Three-Hour Gifts”—all clearly marked “hand-sew,” “machine-sew,” or “no-sew” at all. 

The recommendation of corduroy for this little change purse is the touch that caught my eye. Any durable fabric will do, but corduroy lends itself to dozens of handsome, quirky, or workhorse variations, with a pleasant tactile quality that I can never find except in the most expensive store-bought accessories. Cynthia cuts the wale in a different direction for each purse.

Corduroy Change Purse from Last-Minute Fabric Gifts by Cynthia Treen

Materials

• One 5 x 5” and one 2” x 5” piece cotton corduroy
• 7” polyester, all-purpose zipper in contrasting color
• Thread to match fabric
• Fray Check (optional)

I only found 9” zippers at Mood. Their corduroy selection isn’t very big but I picked a black Steven Alan cotton, and an extra half yard of Liberty print cotton.

1.     Lay the zipper, closed and with the back side facing up, along one of the 5” sides of the square corduroy piece. The zipper ends will overhang the edges of the fabric by about 1”. Match the zipper tape edge and the fabric edge to one another and pin the zipper in place. 

2.     Using a zipper foot, stitch along the zipper tape with the side of the foot resting against the teeth as you stitch (3/8” seam allowance). Because of the zipper’s extra length, the zipper pull should be out of your way the entire time you are sewing, so there is no need to open and close the zipper as you sew.

3.     Splay the zipper and the fabric open so that their right sides are facing up. Lay the 5” edge of the rectangular piece of fabric, with the right side facing down, onto the unsewn side of the zipper tape. Pin the fabric to the zipper tape, matching the edges.

4.     Using the zipper foot, stitch along the fabric edge with the zipper facing up under the fabric and the side of the foot resting against the teeth as you stitch. 

5.     Splay the fabric open to expose the zipper and press flat. Unzip the zipper partway so you will be able to turn the change purse after the front and back are stitched together.

Fold the project in half, right side in, with the zippers open far enough to turn them right side out after stitching.

6.     With right sides together, match the two 5” ends that are parallel to the zipper and pin them together. Sew around the three cut sides with a ½” seam allowance, backstitching over both ends of the zipper as well as the beginning and end of your stitch line. Trim off the overhanging zipper ends so they are flush with the fabric edge. Trim the corners at a 45-degree angle.

I made my purses in slight different sizes to take advantage of the longer zippers (these started as 7 x 5" and 7 x 7" pieces).

7.     Because the seam edges are likely to fray from the change moving around inside, secure the fibers by either making a zigzag stitch on the seam allowances or by applying a fabric adhesive (like Fray Check) to them. Turn the purse right side out and press, if necessary. 

Handmade All Hallows’ Eve

Whether you’re warding off evil spirits, or simply marking the beginning of chillier weather, there is something magical about passing up store-bought treats and decorations and making them by hand.

This year we sampled two recommendations from A Year Between Friends, a month-by-month chronicle of the friendship between Maria Alexandra Vettese and Stephanie Congdon Barnes, who live 3,191 miles apart in Portland, Oregon and Portland, Maine. 

MAV’s autumn leaf-colored luminaries took less than 20 minutes to make and all of $3.98 in materials—probably even less for those of you with organized spice drawers. Which is all the better as once you’ve seen them glowing in your kitchen you will want to make dozens more and give them to all your friends (wrapped in twine, with tea lights, as MAV recommends). We hope you’ll find the book on November 8 for full instructions, but will hint that we had great results with turmeric. 

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

SCB contributes a thoughtful take on Rice Krispies Treats using brown rice syrup instead of corn syrup-filled marshmallows. This recipe makes 28 small or 15 large squares.

Excerpted from A Year Between Friends:

Peanut–Crispy Rice Bars

•  2/3 cup (165 ml) brown rice syrup
•  2/3 cup (165 ml) natural peanut butter (or another nut butter like almond or cashew)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 6 cups (180 g) crispy rice cereal (I use Erewhon’s Rice Twice)
•  1/2 teaspoon kosher salt or other flake salt (optional)

Line an 11 x 7-inch (28 x 17-cm) baking pan with parchment so the parchment hangs over the short sides.

In a small saucepan, heat the rice syrup, peanut butter, and vanilla over low heat, stirring constantly, until blended and liquefied (a few minutes). Immediately combine the peanut butter mixture with the rice cereal in a large mixing bowl, then toss until the cereal is very well coated. Pour the mixture into the prepared pan, spreading it out to create an even layer and pressing gently into all the corners. Sprinkle the top with the salt if desired. Allow to cool in the refrigerator for 15 to 30 minutes. When cool and firm, lift out of the pan by the parchment and slice with a serrated knife (I do small squares for sharing and larger ones for school lunches). Store in an airtight container in a cool place or in the refrigerator for up to one week.

Seasons Greetings from STC Craft

From our family to yours, wishing you a happy and healthy holiday season. See you in January!

Pom Poms! from p. 51 of Lotta Jansdotter's Lotta Jansdotter Everyday Style

Entertain from your bookshelf with these simple, elegant projects

If you're like us, you're in the midst of hosting --or frantically preparing to host-- friends and family this time of year. If you're also like us, you can't help but add a few little flourishes along the way. Here are some quick and simple projects from our bookshelf to help you add a little something extra to your home or holiday table. These also double as great host gifts!

Wrapping paper placemats from p. 77 of Victoria Hudgins's Materially Crafted

Garden to Table Place Settings from p. 138 of Jacinda Boneau and Jaime Morrison Curtis's Pretty Prudent Home

Winter Garland from p. 155 of Livia Cetti's The Exquisite Book of Paper Flowers

Vintage Ribbon Coasters from p. 62 of Rebecca Ringquist's Rebecca Ringquist's Embroidery Workshops

No-Sew Felt Tree Skirt from p. 214 of Boneau & Curtis's Pretty Prudent Home

From our bookshelf:

Are you planning to add a little handcrafted flair to your holiday table? Show off your work online and tag @stc_craft on twitter and instagram.

 

Stuck on your holiday list? Give the gift of craft!

With time running down, there's still a chance to get some of our faves from this year for the folks on your list (or maybe just to treat yourself—who's looking!?) Check our list below for a little something for every kind of maker.

For the One Always Looking to Try Something New

For the One Who Needs to Relax (and Doodle)

For the Fabric Store Junkie

For The One Who Always Seems to Set Her Own Trends (and looks fabulous doing it!)

For the Novice Crafter, Nester, or General DIY Enthusiast

We hope some of these lovely books find their way to your bookshelf, or to a craft table of someone you love, sometime soon! You can find more of our books online here.

4 fabulous gift ideas straight from our bookshelf!

With the holiday season kicking into high gear, we're looking for inspiration for everyone on our list this year. 

These sweet and simple gifts (and the books they came from!) are some of our favorite picks for simple handmade gifts for everyone from your neighbor to your work wife.

• Dressing up your dishware has never been so easy. Try adding this personalized touch as a host gift at a holiday or dinner party—and top it with home-baked cookies!

Playful Ceramic Platters from p. 86 of Anna Joyce's Stamp Stencil Paint

• For the crafter who you can barely keep up with (also adaptable for other handmade projects: try a smaller version for knit sweaters, pouches, and other sewing projects!)

Hand-Drawn Quilt Labels from p. 128 of The Spoonflower Handbook

• A cute and simple way to make something special for someone special.

Traced Wildflower Hankie from p. 68 of Rebecca Ringquist's Embroidery Workshops

• We love this simple yoga (-or- ukulele -or- farmers market) bag—easy to customize for friends who are always on the go!    Cecilia Yoga Bag from p. 58 of Lotta Jansdotter Everyday Style

Straight from our 2015 shelves:

Have you made anything inspired by STC Craft on your bookshelf this year? We want to see it! Show it off online and tag @stc_craft on twitter or instagram. 

There's still time to add a touch of handmade this holiday season

Whether you're headed to visit family, planning a dish for a friend's New Year's Eve party, or staying home with the kids, here are some ideas for last-minute gifts to add a little handmade element to your gifting this year.

Last minute stocking stuffers (or gifts for the people you definitely didn't forget):

Textile Bookends from Novel Living by Lisa Occhipinti

Wool Rose Fascinator from BiblioCraft by Jessica Pigza

Pencil Holder Heads from Playful by Merrilee Liddiard

Patterned Stationery Set from BiblioCraft by Jessica Pigza

For the gracious host or hostess:

Denim Apron from Cloth by Cassandra Ellis

Wool Felt Oven Gloves from Cloth by Cassandra Ellis

Garlic Braid from Handmade for the Garden by Susan Guagliumi

Antiquarian Animal Votive Holders from BiblioCraft by Jessica Pigza

Gift toppers to add a little flair to your wrapping:

Christmas Corsages from Handcrafted Christmas by Susan Waggoner

Gift Topper from The Exquisite Book of Paper Flowersby Livia Cetti

Arts and Crafts Ex Libris Set from BiblioCraft by Jessica Pigza

Pocket Notecards from Novel Living by Lisa Occhipinti

Needle-Felted Snowman from Handcrafted Christmas by Susan Waggoner

Lavender Wand Sachets from Handmade for the Garden by Susan Guagliumi

Don't see what you're looking for? Try our posts from recent holiday seasons: 6 Quick & Easy Gifts to Complete in an Evening and 5 Handmade Gift-Packaging Ideas. 

Holiday Decorating with STC Craft

While some people rush to pick out their tree and pin up their stockings as soon as stores open their doors for Black Friday sales, some of us need a bit more time to get into the holiday spirit. With a potentially calm weekend ahead and only a few weeks left to the holidays, here at STC Craft we are looking to take a load off, cozy up, and get crafting--this time, for our homes!

Won't you enjoy these projects with us?!

Pinecone Wreath from Handcrafted Christmas by Susan Waggoner

Secret Message Snowflakes from BiblioCraft by Jessica Pigza

Tabletop Tree from Handcrafted Christmas by Susan Waggoner

Winter Garland from The Exquisite Book of Paper Flowers by Livia Cetti

Candy Stripe Christmas Stocking from Handcrafted Christmas by Susan Waggoner

Chenille Poinsettia Garland from Handcrafted Christmas by Susan Waggoner

For more holiday (and every day!) decorating ideas, check out these books:

Happy Weekend and Happy Crafting from your friends at STC Craft!

Holiday Crafting Memories and a Recipe Treat from Susan Waggoner

Well, we've had our first official snowfall here in New York City, and it's beginning to look a lot like the holidays! We can't help but feel a little giddy at the thought of all of the upcoming baking and sipping and  time spent with friends and family. Excited as we are, sometimes we look up and realize the calendar is nearing dangerously close to a party or holiday commitment and we're feeling underprepared!

Fear not, Susan Waggoner, author of Handcrafted Christmas: Ornaments, Decorations, and Cookie Recipes to Make at Home, is here with a holiday memory and a delicious recipe to get you inspired and in the spirit! Here's Susan:

Forget Black Friday and the insanity of 5 a.m. store openings. To me, the day after Thanksgiving will always be the day Christmas crafting and decorating begin. My mother me this. Start your crafting and decorating early and it will be fun; wait until mid-December and pressure will steal away the joy.

The day after Thanksgiving, a card table would go up in the family room. My mother would already have a list of things she wanted to make for gift exchanges, and a stack of magazine pages with decorating ideas she wanted to try. My father would be called away from the football games for engineering and carpentry input, and we’d be off and running. As my mother got out supplies and decorations, my job was to make a list of all that needed to be replenished and replaced.

Over a dinner of hot turkey sandwiches and mashed potatoes, we’d plot our path through the craft stores the next morning. Saturday afternoon and all day Sunday would be our work days, and by the end of the weekend, we’d have a good start on all we wanted to do. We were ready for snow. We were ready for Christmas.

The card table remained up throughout the entire season. When the crafting and decorating projects were done, it became our wrapping table. My frugal mother did not believe in buying expensive paper or matching tags. She saved cards sent to us in previous years, bought tissue paper, glitter, tape, glue, and ribbon (never pre-made bows) and let us decorate our own packages. I loved going through the old cards and finding an image that was just right for the recipient of the gift - outdoor woodland scenes with deer for my father, chic modern-looking motifs for my mother, skating Santas or Beatrix Potter scenes for my sister, who eventually confessed, as an adult, to disliking Potter’s art.

After Christmas, the table was cleared and brought upstairs to our den, where it held the annual jigsaw puzzle Santa left by our stockings. I have no idea what became of that card table, but I know what became of the memories - I still have them.

So take time to start your crafting and decorating early. Make the most of every Christmas minute and you’ll double your stock of good memories.

Here’s a Christmas treat from Susan that you can make ahead and set aside for holiday gifts and parties, or snack on while you craft and decorate:

image (c) Lori Lange, 2011. 

Almond Roca

For this you will need a candy thermometer and these ingredients:

2 tablespoons water

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into pieces

1 cup granulated sugar

1/4 cup packed light brown sugar

Big pinch of coarse salt

1 pound whole roasted salted almonds (may substitute roasted salted peanuts or pecans)

First, prepare a pan by placing a silicone mat or bakers parchment on a clean cookie sheet.

In a medium heavy‑duty saucepan, heat the water, butter, both sugars and salt over low heat. I have found that the secret to making good buttercrunch is a slowed-down heating process. Cookbooks suggest this can be done in 15 or 20 minutes, but this makes it easy to scorch the mixture or end up with a grainy result. I spend 30 to 45 minutes on this and have always been rewarded with crisp, perfect candy. Start over low heat, stirring and scraping down the sides occasionally to make sure everything is blended and the nothing is sticking to the corners of the pan.

Fit the candy thermometer onto the saucepan, making sure the is not touching the bottom of the pan.

You are now going to cook this mixture until it reaches a temperature of 300° F. (150° C.). Raise the heat slowly at first, and more quickly as you near the end. Stir mixture and scrape the sides of the saucepan occasionally at first, more often as the heat rises, and nearly continuously when the mixture begins to boil and foam.

The minute the temperature reaches 300° F., remove the pan from the heat. Stir in the almonds and spread immediately onto the prepared pan. You need to work quickly, as the mixture begins to set up as soon as it’s off the burner. Use a spatula to spread as thinly as possible.

Allow to cool and set up several hours or overnight. Store in a lidded tin lined with a napkin or a lidded plastic container.

For more ideas for cozy vintage-inspired crafting and baking  from Susan's latest book, view our image gallery or order it online. 

Holiday Crafting: 1 Month to Go!

The lingering smell of firewood in the air and the ever-earlier holiday decor in storefronts can mean only one thing: the holidays are quickly approaching, and we're sticking with last year's vows to not wait until the last minute this time! To provide some inspiration from our own crafting wishlists, here are four really beautiful projects from Cloth by Cassandra Ellis that a bunch of us in the office have our hearts set on making:

Leather Journal fromCloth by Cassandra Ellis

Natural Leather Purses fromCloth by Cassandra Ellis

Wool Overnight Bag from Cloth by Cassandra Ellis

Linen Slippers from Cloth by Cassandra Ellis

Still looking for more inspiration? Check our post from last week: 5 weeks out, and our tips for decorating your Thanksgiving table. Looking for even more? How about our ideas from last year: 8 Quick and Easy Personalized Gifts to Make (and Finish!) This Weekend.

Guest Post from Wendy Bernard + Creativebug Giveaway + Holiday Crafting - 5 Weeks Out!

With T minus 5 weeks until the holidays, we're back with more gifting ideas that you can get started on now. As a special bonus, we also have author and knitter extraordinaire Wendy Bernard here with words of wisdom on knitting inspiration, info on adding new stitches to your needlearts repertoire in time to create a holiday gift, plus a giveaway from Creativebug. From Wendy: 

I think it was just about 11 years ago when top-down knitting caught my eye.

I had started knitting again after a more than 30-year hiatus when I was expecting my daughter—grandma taught me when I was young and I never really knit after that. Of course, I knit my newborn one of those hats that resembles a strawberry. It sort of seemed like the right thing to do.

Fast forward to now. I’ve been so happily knitting and writing books that feature patterns that are knit down from the top: Sweaters, hats, you name it. For some reason, the idea that you start at the top and work your way down to the hem seamlessly made sense to me. And ever since I figured out how to do it and how to make patterns this way, I have wanted to share my ideas with other knitters.

Books will always be here with us, they are so wonderful: we can hold them in our hands and mark them up with post-its. They sit on our shelves and make us happy. The Internet has added another dimension for me, though. With streaming online videos growing in popularity, it is possible for you to take online classes that aren’t live, which means you can pop in whenever you like and follow along at your own pace. Creativebug is that sort of place and I’m so excited to tell you that I have a four-week course on Creativebug where I share with you how to knit two types of sweaters, from the top down, seamlessly!

What makes me even more excited is that my latest book, Up, Down, All-Around Stitch Dictionary shows you how to knit more than 150 stitch patterns not only flat, but in the round, and top-down as well. This means, as you watch my courses on Creativebug, you will be able to swap out the plain ribbing in these sweaters and insert other ribbings that strike your fancy. Same thing for the other parts of the sweaters: if you want to spruce up the otherwise plain stockinette stitch, do a little shopping in the book and insert another stitch pattern that you like even more.

Working with Creativebug.com was so much fun. The crew even came out to my home studio and hung out with my family for a day so we could share with you a little of my background and my love for knitting and crafting. You can watch the trailers and videos for a bit of background. And speaking of crafting: Creativebug isn’t only about knitting. The classes they feature range from jewelry-making to quilting to ceramics, and even working with leather. This new online genre is a great one and I hope that you’ll check it out!

And without further ado, here are more holiday crafting ideas at five weeks out from Wendy and some of our other 2014 books:  

Slouch Cap from Up, Down, All-Around Stitch Dictionary by Wendy Bernard

 

Pleated Mittens from Up, Down, All-Around Stitch Dictionary by Wendy Bernard

Breve Cowl from Magpies, Homebodies, and Nomads by Cirilia Rose

Heima Slippers from Magpies, Homebodies, and Nomads by Cirilia Rose

Cotton Scrap Rag Rug from Cloth by Cassandra Ellis

Metallic Leather Sling from Cloth by Cassandra Ellis

If the ideas above have your creative gears turning, but you're stuck on a step or technique (or maybe you want to learn something entirely new), why don't you go ahead and try out Creativebug on your own? Enter here for a chance to win a copy of Wendy's book, Up, Down, All-Around Stitch-Dictionary, 2 project patterns, and yarn courtesy of Blue Sky Aplacas. The best part? The prize package also includes a free six-month subscription to Creativebug, so you can take all of Wendy's classes, plus any other crafting courses that strike your fancy! But hurry—the contest ends in 4 days!

This Thanksgiving, perfect your table alongside your menu

When we're planning the holidays, the meal often gets the spotlight and everything else is on the backburner (literally!)

With only a few weeks until Thanksgiving, we have some crafting ideas from our 2014 releases that won't take too much of your attention away from the turkey, but will have your home looking as effortlessly festive as your main course. Take a look for some weekend inspiration:

Moveable Feast Table Runner & Napkins from Novel Living by Lisa Occhipinti

Vibrant Party Centerpiece from The Exquisite Book of Paper Flowers by Livia Cetti

Wreath from The Exquisite Book of Paper Flowers by Livia Cetti

 

Japanese Heraldry Coasters from BiblioCraft by Jessica Pigza

Paper Towns from BiblioCraft by Jessica Pigza

 Cuts of Meat Table Runner from BiblioCraft by Jessica Pigza

STC Craft Gift Guide -- and Special Holiday Discount

Keep it simple this holiday season and choose a beautiful book for the passionate crafters on your gift list. Between now and December 23rd, take advantage of our special 20% discount on all STC Craft titles when you shop on our website. Plus, we're offering free shipping on orders over $50.00. Just enter handmade2010 at checkout. 

For knitters who love to start at the top: Kristina McGowan's Modern Top-Down Knitting and Wendy Bernard's Custom Knits.

For crafty nesters: Meg Mateo Ilasco's Crafting a Meaningful Home and Berroco Design Team's Comfort Knitting and Crochet: Afghans.

For knitters who think they've seen it all: Lynne Barr's Knitting New Scarves and Reversible Knitting.

For stitchers who want to make a difference: Betty Christiansen's Knitting for Peace and Katherine Bell's Quilting for Peace.

For eco-fashionistas: Alabama Stitch Book and Alabama Studio Style.

For knitters with a litter of wee ones: Melanie Falick's Knitting for Baby and Kristen Rengren's Vintage Baby Knits.

For anyone who loves cute: Hillary Lang's Wee Wonderfuls and Kata Golda's Hand-Stitched Felt.

For weekend crafters: Heather Ross's Weekend Sewing and Melanie Falick's Weekend Knitting.

For knitters who are just getting started: Andrea Berman Price's Knitspeak and Melanie Falick's Knit: A Personal Handbook.

For knitters who want to burn through their stash: Leigh Radford's One More Skein, Véronik Avery’s Knitting 24/7, and Robin Melanson's Knitting New Mittens & Gloves.

For passionate quilters: Sarah Fielke and Kathy Doughty's Material Obsession and Material Obsession 2, and Kaffe Fassett's Simple Shapes Spectacular Quilts.

And for procrastinators: Joelle Hoverson's Last-Minute Knitted Gifts, More Last-Minute Knitted Gifts, and Last-Minute Patchwork & Quilted Gifts.

For more ideas, click here. And remember to take advantage of our special 20-percent discount--just shop on our website between now and December 23, 2010, and type in handmade2010 at checkout.