Table of contents for Fall - Winter 2017 in Make It Yourself

Cozy spaces and productive activities are natural companions for crisp fall days. The drop in temperatures chases us indoors to find inspiration in favorite crafts and to explore unfamiliar ones. For this issue we curated treasured projects plus new ones to kick-start your imagination and your crafting. Whether you want to spruce up your home with trendy yet timeless shibori-style fabrics (page 12) or prepare for the holidays with handmade gifts (page 62), easy, inspiring, and beautiful projects are waiting for your personal touch. Add pattern and color to your fall decor (page 22), or throw fresh style into your rooms with pillows (page 30). There also are plenty of ideas to get you in the holiday mood. Check out our space-saving Christmas trees (page 82) and luscious food gifts…

Shapely Accents Pull a geometry lesson out of clay. Color-coordinated beads in not-quiteperfect shapes outfit your favorite bags with extra pizzazz. Attach your own custom-designed zipper pulls to a tote, clutch, backpack, or carry-on bag. You’ll always recognize your bag, and everyone will recognize your creativity. “Clay is such a perfect medium for crafting! The freedom it allows to create different colors and shapes makes for endless possibilities. I love how these sculptural beads turned out and how modern and fun they look hanging on a bag!” CHELSEA FOY LOVELY INDEED lovelyindeed.com MAKE IT Designed by Chelsea Foy YOU WILL NEED • Oven-bake clay, such as Sculpey III: assorted colors • Crafts knife • Clay carving tools • Small key rings • Thin suede cord 1 Plan your colors. Knead…

Feathered Rest Tickle everyone’s fancy. Create a pillow embellished with appliqué and embroidered wool-and-felt feather motifs. Instructions are on page 36. Designed by Patty Sloniger YOU WILL NEED • 1 1/ 4 yards of white fabric • 1/4 yard of tan fabric • Felt, felted wool, or wool: light aqua, green, gold, gray, dark green, rust, dark teal, cream • Embroidery floss: dark gray, cream, light gray • Sewing thread • 18"-square pillow insert Yardages and cutting instructions are based on 42" of usable fabric width. Measurements include 1/2" seam allowances. Sew with right sides together unless otherwise stated. Trace the full-size patterns, Pattern Sheet 1, onto white paper; cut out. CUT THE FOLLOWING PIECES: From white fabric, cut: • 1—17" square (pillow front) • 2—13×19" rectangles (back) From tan…

Gone Fishin’ Catch this good idea! Add a school of colorful duct-tape fish to your kids’ playtime activities. A metal washer between the tape layers lets kids catch fish using a pole outfitted with magnetic bait. Instructions are on page 53. Designed by Amanda Kingloff YOU WILL NEED • Duct tape: assorted colors • Metal washers • Cardstock • 1/2"-diameter dowel: 18" long • 1 yard of string • Small magnet • Hot-glue gun and glue sticks • Poster board: light blue 1 Cut four 4" strips from duct tape. Slightly overlap two strips at long edges with adhesive side up. Place a washer near center of strips; cover with remaining strips, sticky side down. 2 Trace the fish pattern, Pattern Sheet 4, onto cardstock; cut out. Trace fish onto…

Weave Some Magic Make this woven wrap as colorful as you like. Cut 11 horizontal slits in an 18 piece of white parchment paper, stopping 11⁄2 from each edge. You need 16 weaving strips. For this version, cut eight 1 pink paper strips and eight 1 green paper strips to the width of the pape, page 78. Sage-Olive Baguettes Prep: 35 minutes Rise: 1 hour 35 minutes Stand: 10 minutes Bake: 30 minutes at 375°F YOU WILL NEED • 3 1⁄2 to 4 cups bread flour or allpurpose flour • 1 package active dry yeast • 3⁄? tsp. salt • 1. cups warm water (120°F to 130°F) • 1⁄2 cup coarsely chopped, pitted Kalamata olives • 2 to 3 Tbsp. snipped fresh sage or 2 to 3 tsp. dried sage,…

BLOGGER CHALLENGE (pages 8–10) Shapely Accents—Sculpey III ovenbake clay: sculpey.com; clay tool set, key rings, suede cord: michaels.com. Hearts Together—Sculpey III ovenbake clay, acrylic clay roller: sculpey.com; mini cookie cutters, circle magnets—amazon.com. GO, GO INDIGO (pages 12–20) Patterns—Tulip one-step tie-dye kit, navy: michaels.com. Projects—indigo dye kit JIDK: dharmatrading.com. BOUNTIFUL HARVEST (pages 22–28) Wall of Thanks—24×48" cork roll: staples.com. Woven Warmth—felt: nationalnonwovens.com. Leafy Art—Look for leather belts at flea markets, tag sales, and eBay; foam-core board: michaels.com; White Ash Adhesive Film: wallpops.com; E6000 industrial-strength adhesive: eclecticproducts.com; repositionable adhesive hanging strips: 3m.com. Slice of Nature—wood slices with bark: walnuthollow.com. PILLOW PARTY (pages 30–39) Feathered Rest—embroidery floss: dmc-usa.com. Shrink and Stitch—Look for inexpensive sweaters at thrift or secondhand stores. Fashion Geometry—gray pillow: westelm.com. Honey of an Idea—felt: nationalnonwovens.com. PET PROJECTS (pages 40–47) Walk…

1. CREATIVE SPRINT This interactive workbook has six 30-day challenges to jump-start your creativity— the more you practice, the stronger your creative “muscles” will become. The themed sprints are filled with daily prompts, inspiring quotes, and recaps for reflection. $17.99; Voyageur Press; quartoknows.com 2. STITCHED SEWING ORGANIZERS Sort your sewing supplies—or create cute cases, boxes, and pouches as gifts. Along with 15 projects, ranging from a petite needle case to a fullsize tote, the book includes suggestions for tools, materials, and supplies. A techniques section helps with the basics. $26.95; Stash Books; ctpub.com 3. THE GRANNY SQUARE BOOK Go retro cool with this most familiar crochet design. The book interprets 100 granny square patterns in fresh ways, including modern twists, delicate flowers, and unexpected shapes; 25 projects bring the squares…

To the Point Create one-of-a-kind designs on fabric. The indigo dye for this project uses oxidation to turn the fabric blue. Folding, tying, and inserting objects between layers of fabric in the shibori style results in striking resist patterns—different every time. Mount the dyed fabric on a stretched canvas for eye-catching artwork. Instructions are on page 20. Designed by Cathy Kramer YOU WILL NEED • Basic dyeing supplies (see page 14) • Large square of natural-fiber fabric • Rubber bands • Artists canvas • Staple gun 1 Prepare dye in a lidded plastic container. Let mixture set according to manufacturer’s instructions. 2 Fold one side of the fabric over one-third. Fold adjacent side over one-third to create a square. Beginning at double-folded corner (not the side), make about 2"-wide accordion…

Running Stitch To make a running stitch, pull your needle up at A and insert it back into the fabric at B. Pull it up at C, and continue in the same manner, loading several stitches on your needle at a time. Leave about a stitch’s width between stitches. Cross-Stitch To cross-stitch, pull your needle up at A, insert it back into the fabric at B, bring it up at C, and push it back into the fabric again at D. Fly Stitch To fly-stitch, bring your needle up at A, form a U shape with thread, and hold U shape in place with your thumb. Push needle down at B, and come up at C to secure U shape. Push needle down at D to complete a fly stitch.…

Tree Rings Designed by Jan Carlson Embrace an unexpected Christmas welcome. Use wreaths to make a tree for your front door. Wire together rows of mini cedar wreaths in a tree shape. Hang the arrangement using small removable adhesive hooks— one per wreath for stability. Add a bow, and finish with a trunk of twigs hot-glued together and wired on. Adjust the number of wreaths to make the tree wider or taller to fit your space. Christmas Piece A stack of simple fabric strips raises holiday cheer. Piece together green patterned fabric to make abstract art that shines with the spirit of the season. Instructions are on page 88. Designed by Elizabeth Beese Finished canvas: 12×24" Fabrics are 44⁄45" wide. Sew with 1⁄4" seam allowances and right sides together. YOU…

This wall-mounted Christmas tree could not be easier or more personal. Pick your favorite holiday cards—from this year or from Christmases past—or scavenge flea markets, thrift stores, and dollar stores for cards with images or sentiments you love. Arrange the greetings in the shape of a Christmas tree, and adhere to the wall using painters tape or removable adhesive squares. Make your family photo Christmas card the star on top. It’s a holiday conversation starter!…

1. HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY BANNER Stitch a cross-stitch banner on a laser-cut board from Cotton Clara. You can choose from among several sayings and floss colors. The kit includes the lasercut board, floss, needle, and instructions. Personalize a gift with a custom cut. $14–$60; cottonclara.etsy.com 2. WOOL BALL GARLAND String a merry, modern garland with wool felt balls. The Winter Mint palette features 1- to 3-cm poms in Peppercorn, Red, Meadow, Crimson, Seafoam, Blush, and White. Benzie Design has palettes for every season and style. $7.50–$23 for 50 poms; benziedesign.com 3. CALLIGRAPHY KIT Express newfound creativity as a calligrapher, weaver, knitter, jewelry maker, or crafter with one of the 15 easy crafting kits from Brit + Co. The DIY Calligraphy Kit includes instructions and materials for 15 cards— no experience…

Photo Finish Designed by Lisa Storms Build a personalized doghouse for your pooch’s photo. Trace around a frame on foam-core board, and draw a triangle on top. Cut out the shape, including the opening. Cover with patterned paper, and attach coordinating paper strips for the roof. Glue together two punched hearts and a paper rectangle to make the nameplate. Add your pet’s name using letter stickers. Glue the decorative doghouse to the frame; insert a photo. Walk This Way Designed by Elizabeth Stumbo Dress up a plain purchased leash. Start with a ribbon about the same width as a nylon webbing leash. Cut it to the length of the leash. Use Washaway Wonder Tape to attach the back of the ribbon to the leash; topstitch along both ribbon edges to…

Sweet Secrets Designed by Lisa Storms These holly berries hide sweet treats inside! Cut two leaves from green cardstock using our pattern, Pattern Sheet 4, then hot-glue a trio of chocolates wrapped in tissue paper to the leaves. Glue the assembly to a brown paper bag. Add our tag or one of your own. Let It Snow Build these snowmen without freezing your fingers and toes. No snow is involved, just narrow paper strips rolled tightly into circles using a quilling tool. Roll strips for the bodies, buttons, and hats. Then mount the pieces onto kraft paper tags, and make them sparkle with a dusting of glitter. Instructions are on page 94. TIP If you’re a beginner at paper quilling, use precut quilling paper strips from the crafts store for…