Traditional hand sewn patchwork – step by step – part 1
A cautionary tale The earliest hexagon quilt found was made in England in the 1770’s. The earliest hexagon quilt in my house was made in the 1970s. It was a family project and I have a distinct memory of trying to sew in a small dark and smoky room. We all sewed a bit of the quilt. My grandmother and …
Reuse old jumpers to make a soft felted wool rug
How to make a soft and warm felted wool rug Did you know that you can buy old wool jumpers for crafting from Oxfam? I didn’t until I read this brilliant tutorial from Shirley, who is a less-stuff, less-waste Patreon. I’ll let her introduce herself! “I’m Shirley. I’m a Christian, a Labour Councillor, and for most of my life have …
Reuse your recycling – Découpage and Papier-mâché
Don’t put out the recycling yet! If you have corrugated cardboard, some paper scraps and glue these little boxes are a brilliant way to turn your scrap and recycling into something useful. They are easy to make and once you know how to make them you can use the same method to make square or rectangular boxes. What is Découpage …
Countdown to Cosy – Frugal Decorations
DIY Decorations Pinecones, old greeting cards and some glue is all you need to make these little Christmas trees. They look lovely as a group and you can even paint them if you are feeling very crafty. I’ve given them as an alternative to cards before buy gluing the bottom of the pinecone onto card and writing my message on …
How easy is it to upcycle a plastic bottle?
If you are an IKEA Family member you might have seen these amazing emails that feature products for £0! That’s right, nothing! IKEA are promoting the Live LAGOM ethos of upcycling and making new things out of old. I’ve been crafting for as long as I remember and the re-purposing ideas really inspired me. I wanted to see how easy …
Yarn Scrap Projects – Never Ending Hyperbolic Mobius Crochet Tutorial
This is part of my research for my MA in Design. I’m exploring the idea of infinity. I’ve made a few of these now, mostly using scrap yarn and they are a brilliant way of using up odd ends. They work better with stripes so you can see the never ending edge. They are quite a mindful thing to play …
How to upcycle old fabric into a gorgeous solid storage cube
One of the best things about being part of a community of any sort, is when people share amazing ideas. Shirley Blair Procter is in the Ikea Live Lagom group and she posted a fantastic upcycle made from old material. Her original boxes were made as packing pods and they have zips around the outside. I was worried that putting …
Stop food waste with a menu planning chalkboard (tutorial)
This summer I spent a lot of time scraping off chip paper, replacing it with smooth paper and creating an office space I want to work in. On my office walls I have 2 long strips of chalkboard in an amazing blue colour. I bought a big tin of special chalkboard paint thinking I’d need to use loads of it …
Using up my hoarded stash of fabric, yarn and craft materials.
I was taught by my war time granny to keep hold of things just in case, which is why I now have fabric that I have held onto for at least 20 years in my cupboards. I also have ends of yarn in various weights and a wide selection of craft materials. I come from a long line of make …
How to make cosy slippers from an old wool jumper
This was originally an extra large lambswool jumper that got into the washing machine by accident. I’m not sad about it, it originally came from a second hand market stall so it has had plenty of use. If you don’t have a shrunk jumper to hand this would work with fleece too. The important thing is that the cuff is …
How to make vegetable drawstring tea towel bags – Guest post by Vicky Myers
Vicky Myers makes beautiful things by reusing materials. She does her bit towards saving the planet with ‘sustainable style’ and says that sewing, DIY and knitting help her maintain her equilibrium. Taking your own veg bags instead of using the stores plastic bags can make a big impact on the amount of plastic you use. Like reusable water bottles, reusable …
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