fast Home sewing – master this lucrative skill

Clothing alterations expert launches home-tuition DVD

Cast your mind back to the last time you needed some trousers taking up or a waistline altering. There are two near-certainties. Firstly, you remembered the home-sewing machine that lives in the loft or under the stairs or in a dark corner of the dining room – but you dismissed the thought as quickly as it arrived. Secondly, you set about finding clothing alterations shop – and had some trouble locating one.

Truth is, sewing – whether at home or on a professional basis – is a dying art. And that’s a shame, because becoming competent on a home-sewing machine is really relatively simple. The problem is that, when you buy your machine, there’s no one out there who can teach you how to use it.

Save time and money
The benefits are obvious – you save money and time on having your clothes altered. On average, it will cost you around £9 for each alteration you have done. If you have a pair of trousers that need the legs shortening and the waistlines altering, that’s a hefty £18 – the price of a new pair. Chances are that you’ll be waiting around a week to pick them up, too. But you can do the same job at home in around an hour and save yourself some money into the bargain.

But how will you learn to sew if no one can teach you how it’s done? That’s the question that clothing alteration specialist Jack Heywood asked himself.
“I’ve been altering clothes for 31 years, but I’m a dying breed,” says Jack. “One day, I got to thinking about how many people had sewing machines at home but never use them because they simply don’t know how and have never been shown.”

Home-sewing DVD
With that in mind, Jack approached a professional media company. Together, they worked on putting together an instructional learn-to-sew DVD that budding home-sewing enthusiasts could use to learn the basics. The finished product is highly professional and takes the viewer on a simple, step-by-step journey through the basics of home sewing: shortening jacket sleeves and replacing a zip.

Jack’s clothing-alterations instructions are clear and in full colour and, because it’s a DVD, you can pause, rewind and fast-forward at will. It really is like having a clothing-alterations specialist on hand whenever you need him.

Jack was born in Yorkshire, but spent much of his childhood in Canada and the USA. He now lives in Blackpool on the Lancashire coast. The resulting hybrid Trans-Pennine/North-American twang gives his voice a calming, authoritive feel that makes this laid-back home-sewing DVD almost hypnotically relaxing. Gentle instrumental music adds to the chilled-out affect.

Home-sewing business
“I really believe in my home-sewing DVD as a great product,” says Jack. “You don’t need an industrial sewing machine – just a domestic one and an iron. It really is a tool that you can use maybe even to start a home sewing business. Getting set up is really easy – just place an ad in your local newsagent. That’s how I started 30 years ago. I got so busy that I decided to open a shop. Thirty years on, hear I am, still solvent – with beer in the fridge.”

A few years ago, Jack entered the digital age, with the clothing alterations website (see http://www.sew-so-easy.com). “I’m always amazed at how many people want clothes altering,” he says. “I’m often surprised how many people find me through my website, too. I love it when they stop by and leave their email address. I’m always happy to offer free advice. I also love it when they have a problem. Not because I’m vindictive – I just live solving problems. It makes life much more interesting,”

You can order a copy of ‘Sew So Easy with Jack Heywood” by visiting the order page on Jack’s website, http://www.sew-so-easy.com.

About the Author

I was born in Skipton Yorkshire. When I was 3 years old my parents emigrated to Canada. When I was 10 years old we went to live in America.I retured to England and with my mother we opened
Tailors/Alteration shop that was 31 years ago.

.

I hope you enjoy learning how to alter clothes as much as I have.

Jack Heywood

Personal expression through making handmade cards and envelopes is fun and rewarding. The art of card making is fairly simple; however, there are a several specialties within this craft hobby.

Card making techniques include:

* Simple note cards decorated with stickers and scraps of patterned scrapbook paper

* Elaborate one-of-a-kind cards using advanced rubber stamping techniques

* Pop-up cards

* Shaped cards

* Cards with see through windows

There are many reasons why people like the hobby of card making:

* To make use of supplies leftover from other craft projects

* As an alternative or extra special personal expression to commercial greeting cards

* Earning extra money selling card creations
Card Making Training:

How do you learn the art of card making?

Online Tutorials:

* Making Greeting Cards Website: Is a series of simple tutorials that covers a variety of basic card making topics. Topics cover making your own envelopes, how to design a card using stencils and rubber stamps

* Paper Wishes Website: Offers step-by-step instructions for several card making projects appropriate for beginners and intermediate levels

* Craft Ideas Website: Features easy to follow directions for many of the card making techniques such as hand stitching, chalking and decorative punches to make small frame embellishments

* Hero Arts Website: Instructions for card making that uses rubber stamping techniques

Books:

* The Big Book of Handmade Cards and Gift Wrap: Over 50 step-by-step Projects by Vivienne Bolton

* The Complete Practical Guide to Card Making by Cheryl Owen
In Person Training:

If you like in person training there are many craft stores and stationery shops holding regular workshops. Lessons are generally free of charge. You might have to pay a small fee to cover cost of materials in projects.

Home party demonstrations hosted by Stampin’ Up or Close to My Heart consultants are another way to get in person hands on training in the art of card making. They teach the basics of rubber stamping, card making and paper crafting.

Where to go for card making ideas:

Although the internet is a great resource for offering free card making ideas, a magazine subscription is also helpful for the serious card making crafter. Magazines delivered to your mailbox often provide instant up-to-date paper crafter information. If you like the idea of magazines starts a card maker project file and keeps a pair of scissors nearby for clipping and filing project ideas.

Popular card making magazines:

* CardMaker: Published bimonthly providing step-by-step directions and beautiful photos covering simple to elaborate projects

* Just Cards: Is a quarterly publication providing over 300 unique projects per issue.

Card making designs and ideas are endless, and not only provide a means of personal expression, but also can be cost effective if you use odds and ends of left over materials from other projects. If you get good enough at card making, you can also bring in an extra cash flow. Start your own neighborhood demonstration parties and sell your cards in online websites. Card making is a whole lot of fun and a wonderful expression of art.

About the Author

Written by: Connie Limon Visit my website for more information about the art of card making at http://smalldogs2.com/CardMaking

Beekeeping is something that’s highly beneficial not only to you and your family’s well-being but to the environment also. Simply because bees play a pivotal role in pollinating most of the crops that are produced by farmers, making them indispensable by the farming community if they’ll look forward to a successful harvest of crops.

Research has shown that bee populations have in declined in some regions of the world and this is threatening the supply of crops. This fact doesn’t just affect consumable crops but many other plant species that rely on pollination are also threatened and if nothing is done nature can be thrown out of balance. It’s unimaginable what could happen to the planet if it was to lose these creatures, so beekeeping is not just about making bucks but contributing to keeping the planet and nature in balance.

Honey has healing properties to many ailments as it able to strengthen the immune system and bee stings have also been used by many natural therapists to cure certain illnesses. Anyone who is interested in beekeeping but don’t have a clue as to where they are going to start, I have compiled 6 important tips to get them going.

Tip #1. Research:-
There’s more to beekeeping than what meets the eye, it’s not about getting some bees and throwing them in box placed in the corner of your backyard and just checking on them from time. There are thousands of bee species available so you must find out which ones are best for your region. (N:B please register with your local beekeeper’s association as they can be able to guide you about most regulations in your state.)

Also you’ll need to acquire some knowledge about diseases, pests and predators that can affect the development of your colonies and what you can do should you encounter some of these problems.

Tip #2. Acquire Equipment & Supplies:-
Once you’ve decided that this is the path you’d like to embark on, the next thing to do is to get all the equipment required in beekeeping. You need a beekeepers suit to protect you from bee stings when you’re working on the hives, the smoker to calm the bees whenever you’re working. You also need the hives where your bees are going to live and an area where you going to place your hives, and make sure that it’s somewhere your bees won’t be a threat to your neighbours and their pets.

Tip #3. Getting The Hives Ready:-
The best numbers of hives to start with is two, and then grow from there. You can look at it as your honey plant where the bees are going to produce and store the honey for you until you’re ready to have it harvested.
The hive must have a brood chamber where the Queen is going to be placed so she can start laying eggs. A single hive usually houses about ten frames but only nine will be kept to make room so you don’t crush the bees during inspection.

It’s important that your hives are in a good location where there’s not too much human traffic as the bees will cause traffic of their own when foraging. It should also have quick access to water and foraging sources, if natural sources aren’t available you can create artificial ones. Simply place a syrup mixture and a water pond for your bees so they won’t have to travel long distances. Make sure that the hive opening faces east or south so that they can be easily warmed up in the morning and it should have sufficient shade during those hot summer days.

Tip #4. Get the Bees:-
There are various ways of acquiring bees but for someone who’s starting out in beekeeping, it’s always advisable that they purchase bees for their first hives. A starter packed colony consists of a Queen, the drones and worker bees.
Once again your local beekeepers association can give you a list of reputable breeders where you may be able to buy from.

Tip #5 Get the Bees Down to Business:-
Unlike human beings, bees know exactly what is required of them. As soon as the queen has been placed in her new home, everyone will start doing their part. But good beekeeper will always make it simpler for the bees; by feeding them sugar syrup and water so they can start building up honey in the combs.

In the beginning check the hives at least two or three times a week just make sure they’re settling in well. The first year of honey production will be solely for the bees to meet their survival needs, so it’s important that you harvest just little and leave them a sufficient quantity as storage for the winter.

Tip #6. Harvest Time:-
In the first year you’ll need to harvest just a small amount of honey, but in the next coming seasons you can start harvesting substantial amounts. But before you start you must be able to identify the signs of honey that’s ready. Honey is ripe and ready when you observe the cells and you see them capped.
Remove the frames from the hives using a special brush for bees, remove all the dead bees and other rubbish from the honey comb then replace the frames.

I’d like to highlight that if you’re totally new to beekeeping and you have never observed or seen someone go through these processes, acquire a beekeeping handbook from the links below. It has all the necessary step-by-step information to help you succeed in this rich and rewarding endeavour.

About the Author

Want to learn more about raising bees that are healthy and productive? Visit my website at http://www.beesandhivesmastery.com for helpful tips and information on raising productive, gentle bees that produce honey of the highest quality.

Try your hand at a quick and colorful Easter centerpiece decoration for your table setting. Like most of us, we probably have at lease two, maybe three glass vases that could easily be turned in to something really beautiful and unique without breaking the bank.

For this Easter craft project you will need the following supplies:

•Glass vase – We chose to use a tall clear one, with no design on it.
•Easter paper grass – We chose bright green, but any coordinating Easter color also works.
•1 large Easter egg – We chose a pink ceramic egg
•5 medium Easter eggs – We chose artificial eggs in pink, blue & crème in a multi colored spotted finish.
•3 small Easter eggs – We chose artificial white eggs
•1 decorative craft bird – We chose one in pink, blue and yellow to complement the colors of the eggs.
•Double sided sticker square

Step 1 – Begin by creating egg shaped forms of the Easter paper grass in your hand. For this project we made six, but it will vary depending on the width and height of your vase. Next, take your Easter paper grass forms that you have made and drop them in to the vase one at a time. This will build height to your project; at least one quarter of the vase should now be full.

Step 2 – Begin layering your artificial eggs, medium then small. Repeat the process.

Step 3 – Place your large ceramic egg on top of the artificial eggs. At this point your vase should be half full. You are now ready to do your final step.

Step 4 – Take your double sided sticker square and apply it to the bottom of your decorative craft bird and press firmly. Next, carefully place your craft bird in to the vase, resting it side ways on to the large ceramic egg with the feathers facing down (for photo see below). When you have completed your project, at least one eighth of the glass vase should be empty at the top of your vase.

You now have a beautiful custom and unique Easter decoration for your table top that your guests are sure to ooh and ah at. Another idea would be to pair your vase with another one facing the other end of your table setting. If you choose to add a second vase, just remember to double your supplies listed above.

About the Author

Linda Johnson is an experienced crafter and interior/exterior decorating specialist, sharing her passion by helping friends, family, and clients solve their decorating and craft needs. Find tons of more craft and decorating ideas and photos for this project and others, and submit your own great ideas for free by visiting http://www.showcasetoideas.com.

Everyone hates when your Xbox system shows those blinking red lights. In this article I’ll tell you about what each red light means and how you can go about fixing the Xbox 360 ring of death. One solo red light will show that your system is suffering from a common hardware failure. Two blinking red lights displaying on your Xbox system will show that your Xbox has overheated and something inside may be melted. This can easily be solved by flipping your Xbox power switch off and giving the poor thing a little time to chill off. Three red lights, also known as the infamous “red ring of death” will show that the CPU (Central processing unit) and GPU (Graphics processing unit) chips have overheated, thus causing the mobo to bend. When you power your console down, the micro chips start to chill off and the knocking effect is what bends the motherboard. Four red lights generally means that your audio / video cord is no longer functioning properly. This might just be because it isn’t making a proper connection or that the cable just plain doesn’t work anymore.

There are several different options you have to go about fixing your Xbox 360 ring of death error.

1) Packing up your system and shipping it to Microsoft. You should count on this setting you back about $140 plus hefty shipping fees and you will be without your Xbox 360 for about 2-4 weeks.

2) Find a local Xbox 360 repair shop. But even then, you will be lacking your Xbox 360 for a few days or possibly up to 4 weeks and the repair will cost about $100.

3) lastly with the flood of Xbox 360 repair guides on the internet, you can fix the red ring of death snag by hand. Be sure whichever guidebook that you look into does not advise the “towel trick” or taking any sort of solder gun to your Xbox. These methods are much more likely to harm your Xbox 360 and will not help you at all!

Are you desperate to figure out how to fix the Xbox 360 ring of death? If you’ve got some guts I highly recommend doing the repair yourself. Judging by the feedback e-mails we’ve received, Internet guides work and can have your Xbox back up and running in under 1 hour!

About the Author

If you need your Xbox repaired fast and don’t have all day to make it happen. We can help – Check out our Xbox repairs site for more information.

Art journaling means different things to different people. But most would agree that keeping one involves combining a diary, art process and journal all in one. The first step is to gather the set of supplies you’ll need to undertake this exciting endeavor.

1. Gather Art Supplies
You may already have paints and paint brushes. If not you almost certainly have a crayon or two or perhaps a watercolor pencil. Search your cabinets and cupboards for anything that makes you feel artful. It may even be a fresh bottle of glue or a sheet of homemade paper.

2. Gather Your Writing/Drawing Materials
For most people, keeping a journal such as this will involve writing, or at least doodling. Find some markers, Sharpies or even a fountain pen. These will be your writing tools.

3. Gather Your Glue
Inevitably you will want to paste items into your art journal. If you want your masterpiece to last as long as possible, use professional quality archival glue and paper. If you aren’t concerned with longevity, any sticky glue will work. A glue stick is recommended for ease of use.

4. Decide what your art journal will look like.
It could be a bound book with blank pages, loose paper that you bind yourself, a sketchbook or even a three ring binder. Choose something that works and customize it to suit your personality.

5. Next, gather the first set of elements you’re going to use.
These could be photographs, clippings, memorabilia (tickets, receipts, etc.). Draw or paint on a page first if you like and then continue drawing and adding as you build to the collage.

6. Finally, don’t forget to have fun.
Art journaling is as unique as those who keep them. You can even try something such as video art journaling if that piques your interest.

Don’t obsess about the details, enjoy the process and remember that you can show your art journaling practice to the world or you can keep it as a private healing activity unto itself.

About the Author

Sandy is an artist, writer and creativity guru. She’s currently guest writing for the website Video Regeneration

Whether you are planning to indulge in a dressmaking business or you just want to release your creativity by producing wonderful pieces of clothing as well as other things such as decorations and personal stuff, you don’t have to spend so much time and money just to learn the craft.

All you need to do is conduct a little research on the basics of dressmaking, acquire the necessary materials and tools to be used and pump up your enthusiasm in the creation process. You can do this research by visiting various websites on the Internet which offer information on this topic, read books and magazines about sewing and dressmaking in general or ask somebody you know-either a friend or your own sewer-for some tips on how you can get started on dressmaking.

Learning the basics of sewing as preparation to dressmaking

People who have been successful spent so much time on their craft. Because of the amount of time they have spent on this activity, they were able to discover on their own the secrets, tips and techniques behind any successful needlework. But since you cannot spend the rest of your life just to learn sewing, it is best to enroll in a simple dressmaking class. Here, the experts can teach you the basics of dressmaking, the tools you will be needing, and just about everything you want and need to know about the craft. Here are some steps that can help you get by when starting with dressmaking:

1. Choose the type of sewing suitable for dressmaking. For beginners, one of the most important things to consider is the type of sewing that he or she wishes to do. Usually, sewing is done using the hand alone because this gives personal touch and displays the sewer’s talent in sewing. But, since the sewing machine is now available to make the work easier, faster, accurate, and convenient, more and more people prefer using it. For hand or machine sewing, you need tools such as different types of needles and threads.

2. Decide which area would you really want to pursue. Once you have decided whether you will be sewing by hand or by machine, the next step is to determine what will you be sewing. The most common thing that needs sewing is for making clothes. But, it can also be used in creating other items such as shoes, stuffed toys, curtains, floor mats, tablemats, and others.

3. Consider the fabric to be used for dressmaking. After deciding what will you be sewing, you can now proceed to looking for fabrics that will fit it. For clothing and other personal items, the most common fabrics used are made of cotton because this is hypoallergenic, strong, and easy to work on compared to other types of fabrics. But, you may also opt for other synthetic fabric types for curtains and mates such as wool, silk, satin, and others depending on the type of clothes or items you will be sewing.

4. Collate the patterns to be used for dressmaking. The next step is to choose patterns for your dressmaking project. Dressmaking patterns usually are composed of simple sheets papers that are marked with specific measurements to achieve the proper size and fit for the one who will be using it.

After getting everything mentioned, you can now start you very own sewing project and can even share it to other family members and close friends.

About the Author

Select Sewing Machines is a premier provider of Singer sewing machines, offering free shipping on all sewing machines to US orders, a 45 day return policy, and more!

We first need to understand what a basic knitting yarn is. Yarn is knitted or woven into a fabric.

There are a lot more to yarns than we think, especially if you have some background in textiles you’ll know what I mean. But we don’t want to go to deep into textiles, we just want to understand what is yarn and what works best for knitting.

The most popular yarn that are used for home knitting is wool. Wool comes from certain animals hair, it’s the fibers form the hair that go through a process to create the wool yarn. Then we buy the yarn to knit ourselves a jersey, blankets etc.

There are quite a few different animals that wool comes form and the quality of the wool will also depend on the breeding, climate, general care and food of these animals.

Merino Wool:

These merino sheep produce the best wool. Their hair fibers are strong, fine, elastic and has good working properties. Merino wool also have the best crimping amount of all wool fibers.

Class Two Wools:

This wool has also good qualities, more or less than same as merino. These sheep are mostly Bampton, Berkshire, Cornwall, Hereford etc.

Class Three Wools:

This wool type are coarser and have less crimp than Merino. The wool is also smoother and therefor have more luster. These wools are less elastic and resilient but is still a good quality to use.

Class Four Wools:

This class is actually from the mongrel sheep, also known as half-breeds. This wool is less desirable with the least elasticity and strength. This is mainly used for carpets, rugs etc.

Believe it or not but there are still a lot more to learn from wool and the process.The basic understanding here is to see that wool is a basic knitting yarn and probably the most popular one. But all of these facts will show you why some wool yarn are more expensive than others.

About the Author

We can see that wool is the most popular basic knitting yarn for knitting to be used. We can also see what would be the best quality of wool yarn and where wool comes from.

The Singer Sewing machine has been consistently one of the best sewing machines on the market for many years. It has existed throughout family lines for generations now. Sure there are other brands out there but Singer is the most reputable and continues to make quality machines. The Singer Talent 3323S Sewing machine is a great product for anyone interested in home making.

The Talent is a starter machine or a basic machine, meaning, it does most sewing tasks, and is suitable for a beginning sewist or for someone who wants to do most sewing tasks and perhaps does not have the budget for a more advanced machine. This is a mechanical machine, meaning you change stitches (say, from straight to zigzag or stretch stitch) via a mechanical knob, not electronically. There is no LCD screen, no touch pad, and no ability to do embroidery. The good news is that this kind of machine tends to be very rugged; no chips to burn out or LCD to go blank. This machine, given good care, should last for years and deliver a lot of sewing power.

Note: To see more information about this sewing machine visit Singer Talent Sewing Machine 3323S!

If you intend to sew childrens clothing, your own clothes, mend garments, sew home items, and if you do not want to spend a fortune on a machine or if you are a beginner, this is an EXCELLENT choice of machine. If you have a budding sewist, this machine is rugged but full of features that do the job. I found the straight stitch to be extremely regular and even, a failing of many more expensive machines. The light is bright and the controls well marked and easy to use. There are sufficient feet included to make this a great choice on a budget; you don’t have to supplement this machine with many, if any, accessories.

If you are a very experienced sewist, this could be your battleship machine, something to do rugged tasks. I would not suggest it as a traveling-light machine; it weighs about 12 lbs and is not as light as some of the little 3/4 machines that people use to take to sewing meets. However, if you are a quilter and sew a lot, the lack of some of the modern features like needle-up-down memory and footless control are a drawback. If you want embroidery, fonts, a lot of decorative stitches, or more buttonhole styles such as keyhole, hand stitched style, stretch, then this is not the machine.

About the Author

To read customer reviews and to get more information about this sewing machine visit Singer Talent Sewing Machine!!

Plastic Canvas is a popular craft enjoyed by people of all ages. People love it because of how quickly projects can be completed. In addition, it is a multifaceted craft that can take many forms. Unlike cross-stitch, you aren’t limited to just two-dimensional pictures. Plastic canvas crafts can be three-dimensional. Popular projects include magnets, coasters, and tissue box covers. The one downside can be the cost of the patterns. At around $8 for a booklet, the patterns are not cheap. Fortunately for crafters everywhere, free plastic canvas patterns are abundant, if you know where to look.

Check out online book exchanges.

Because most plastic canvas patterns are just used one time, people are more than happy to let someone else use them. Popular book exchange websites like BooksfreeSwap, BookCrossing, and BookMooch generally function on on a points system. A person lists a book they can’t use anymore and then mails it to the first person to ask for it, which then earns them points that can be used to request books of their own. You can redeem those points to request pattern booklets.

Check out your local library.

Larger libraries may have a good selection of craft books. Just ask the librarian to help you locate the craft section. Most libraries allow you to keep resources for two weeks. Because the projects work up so quickly, you can easily complete them before the book is due.

Search for free patterns online.

A quick online search for free plastic canvas patterns yields many sites where craft designers offer their patterns at no cost. Most of these websites are run by hobbyists who enjoy sharing their creations with others for free. You can print your own copy right at home. For a greener option, you can save a copy of the pattern to your hard drive and work from that.

Design your own patterns.

For around $20, you can purchase Plastic Canvas Design Studio software which allows you to design your own patterns and save them. The software is very intuitive so most people will be designing patterns in no time. A helpful feature of the software is the ability to import your own image. The software then transforms the image into a pattern. By using this software, you will have access to an unending supply of free plastic canvas patterns.

About the Author

With so many resources for free plastic canvas patterns, you may never pay for a pattern again!

Jennifer Voss designs free plastic canvas patterns in her spare time. She is the owner of the <a href=”http://freeplasticcanvaspatterns.blogspot.com/”Free Plastic Canvas Pattern Directory.