Top 12 Craft Tutorials

It has been another fabulous year here on the Sitcom!  I want to thank all of you for being so awesome this year.  Without you, the Sitcom would just be another place on the web.  You are what makes it so special!

Lots of fun ideas, lots of crafting, lots of great recipes and so much more happened here this year!  Many new things are in progress as my house is now on the market and soon my husband and I will be on the road in our RV sharing our travels with you, along with more craft ideas.  Stay tuned for the unveiling of our new travel blog (coming soon!) The year 2015 looks like it is going to be a blast!

But first let’s take a look back at 2014 and check out the most popular tutorials for the year.

1. Faux Tin Tiles 

There are many projects now on the Sitcom that are created from disposable aluminum pans, including: The Enchanted Fish, Sleeping Mermaid, Winter Fairy, and The Partridge & Pear. But by far, my most popular pattern and tutorial for 2014 was the original Faux Tin Tiles Tutorial.

And yes, they are made from disposable aluminum cookie sheets!  The tutorial includes 12 free patterns for you to download too!

2. Faux Stained Glass

I love to peruse my vintage craft books and bring back ideas that seem new to some.  And I stumbled upon an idea to create faux stained glass using only acrylic paint and glue.  What is great about this project is that you can make it as simple or as complicated as you like.

3.  Windmills at Night Free Quilt Pattern and Tutorial

My most popular quilt pattern is called Windmills at Night.  I designed it specifically for beginning quilters, using pre-cut fabric strips called “jelly rolls”.  The bright red fabrics touch off the black and white fabrics beautifully, and this striking lap quilt will make a fabulous addition to your decor. Free easy to follow three-part tutorial!  Want the kit?  Be sure to check out Discount Sewing Supply for kits for this pattern, my Sleepy Puppies Baby Quilt, and my Batiks Gone Wild Quilt!

4. Popsicle Stick Bracelets

I was looking through my vintage craft book collection and ran across a 1970 Pack O’ Fun magazine. They had instructions on how to take a simple popsicle stick and turn it into a bracelet.  I’m always happy to try and take a good idea and run with it.  This is a great project for the kids and for adults too!

5. Making Batik Fabric with Crayons

As a quilter, I’ve always had a preference for batik fabrics. I love the vibrant colors! Well, if you have been following my blog for any time, you probably already know that I love me some color. And the idea of using a resist to block color in areas is something that I love doing with my Ukrainian eggs. So, a mix of color and resist dyeing with crayons just seemed right up my alley.

6.  Iris Folded Book Covers 

Remember the book covers that you used to make from a grocery bag? I decided to use a technique called Iris Folding with bright colored papers to make those boring bookcovers exciting.  This tutorial includes several free downloadable Iris Folding patterns!

7.  Faux Iron Gate Wall Art

Well, if you are familiar with The Sitcom at all, then you probably already know that you are looking at a whole bunch of toilet paper tubes!  This time I was inspired by a photo of an old rusted iron gate, and I just had to pull out all those toilet paper tubes and recreate it.

8. Easy Envelope Dog Bed

My dogs love to cuddle under the blankets.  This inspired my daughter to create a dog bed in the form of an “envelope” to keep the doggies warm and cozy on a cold winter day.  And the best part is that it only takes 3 yards of fleece to make a nice sized bed!

9. Happy Camper Pot Holder Pattern

I posted this pattern in late November and it is already in my top ten for 2014!  Amazing.  I just love the look of vintage RV’s!  Fun, quirky fabrics work well with this project.  I picked a few fabrics that were brightly colored and worked well together.  This project doesn’t take a ton of fabric.  A fat quarter of each color should work well to create both pot holders.

10. Gossiping Paisley Chickens

These talkative chicks were made from dried gourds and polymer clay, painted with acrylic paints and sealed.  If you love decorative painting, this project will be a hit!  You can find the full tutorial for this project here.  Don’t paint?  Then be sure to keep an eye out in my Etsy Store.  About once a month, I release a new flock of Paisley Chickens for sale!

11. Faux Punched Tin

I love the look of punched tin. And of course I wanted to go about it in a totally different way, simply because I’m cheap like that. So, rather than pricing out thin sheets of tin for this project, I collected a few aluminum cookie sheets from the Dollar Store. And faux punched tin was born! This tutorial includes a free Rooster Pattern!

12. Cut Paper Art

Another way to recycle magazines and create beautiful artwork at the same time, this cut paper art is not only colorful, but very easy to make!  A great project for a rainy afternoon!

See something you want to try?  The Sitcom is just full of fun ideas.  In fact, I have over 200 more craft tutorials if you are in the crafty mood!  Oh, and free patterns, and even quilt patterns!

The year 2015 will be bringing changes in our family, but rest assured, the Sitcom will still be filling with more crafting ideas.  So stay tuned for much more!

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For over 200 crafty tutorials for all ages, visit my Tutorial Page!