Small projects, satisfaction garanteed

I like small projects. Big projects, like the Nativity scene, are really nice to make, sometimes they challenge us - whether it is to learn a new technique or due to some difficulty that only after surpassing it we'll come to the desired result.

Small projects, in turn, have other very attractive characteristics: besides being quick to make, they usually don't demand very advanced skills, and they bring the satisfaction of getting something done. Soon. "I can already wear it".

The keychain in the photo I've made last year. The project came from CraftStylish, and I took part in a draw from Superziper with it - of course, being a draw, it didn't matter the difficulty level. It was done in two hours, maximum. At the time, I still used to make my blanket stitches without going all the way to the border, but I've left this nonsense behind just a while ago, haven't I? ;-)

I always have many ongoing projects, and by the talks I have with other people that enjoy handmade and by the discussion lists, blogs and websites I follow, I know it's quite normal (for the despair of many husbands, I must say - men usually don't understand the need we have for varied materials and even different techniques for different days). Among these projects, there are no small projects - simply because they are so quick to finish that there's no time for them to get in line! They just start and finish!

When you start a more ambitious or detailed project, stop it sometimes to make a small project. The satisfaction of seeing it completed will surely give you incentive for another series of sessions with your other works in progress.

One last observation: the other keychain, that accompanied the rabbit I've made, has already broken long ago. Another proof that what's handmade is much better.

Top 100 craft tutorials of 2009

Review what's passed is a good way to start the year, isn't it? The website The Long Thread seems to agree with this, because they've made a list of what they consider the top 100 tutorials of 2009. the links are gouped in categories, like bags, clothing and accessories, toys, home decor and a section for holidays like Christmas.

Check it out here - found Craft Daily.

This year, there are no excuses not to make pretty things.

Tutorial: book sleeve

Today I teach you how to make a book sleeve!

Between you and me, it is so easy that almost didn't deserve a tutorial. Almost. As I told you before, I've made this little project real quick, to wrap a book I was going to give as a present. Because we don't like disposable things, do we? Not at all! So let's make the wrap:

Start by measuring the object concerned - in this case, a book. You'll only need a little margin, since we're making an envelope that needs a little deep.

Materials listing:

• Felt with approximately 3 times the book height
• Pieces of green felt, if you want to decorate with leaves, like I did
• Filling, also for the leaves
• Embroidery thread (I've used green for the borders and brown for the leaves)

Cut a rectangle with more or less 3 times the book height, and 2 cm more on the width. In case the book is too thick, add more to the width. An easy way to find the measures is to wrap the book with the felt, as if you were going to use it as gift wrap. Really quite intuitive.

Set the flap size as you prefer and... embroider the borders! Yes, simple like that! I've used blanket stitch, and I must confess it got better in the end - I wasn't going all the way out to close it, and that's exactly the way it looks best! I'm not sure you can see what I mean, maybe it's not even possible to see this detail (it doesn't matter, no one needs to notice the little flaws, right?).

For the leaves detail, I've drawn one on a piece of paper, free hand, and then put it on the felt to cut. I've made the detail on the center using backstitch, and the leaves contour with blanket stitch again - leaving an opening to add the filling before closing it:

That's it! Quick and simple, perfect to replace gift wrap, and it will for sure cause a bigger impact on whoever receives it, because it shows how much you care!

If you don't know how to make blanket and back stitches, there are lots of sources available: videos on Needle'nThread and graphics on Méri's illustrated glossary - which also helps in case you need to find videos and other sources in portuguese or another language. I highly recommend them both!

You can make variations of this idea in many forms: using another kind of fabric (only felt has the advantage of not shredding), make the details with other shapes (flowers, circles, anything), put some kind of closing, like buttons or even velcro, and, of course, wrap other things besides books.

In case you have any question, feel free to add questions in the comments section or send me an email. If you use this idea to make anything, don't forget to send me pictures!