Tower of Hanoi is a super simple, surprisingly fun logic game suitable for early elementary through adults.

I have a weakness for solitaire games, especially logic puzzles. I’ve built up a respectable collection thanks to thrift stores and yard sales, but there’s always room for one more puzzle in my life, especially one that’s NOT made from plastic!

This Tower of Hanoi is NOT made from plastic! Instead, it’s made from that likely-looking piece of corrugated cardboard hanging out there in your recycling bin. Cut it up, add some decorations, and you’ll have yourself a brand-new version of a 140-year-old logic game.

Here’s everything that you’ll need to DIY your own Tower of Hanoi:

• corrugated cardboard. Since the pieces are manipulatives, I prefer the thicker, sturdier corrugated cardboard over the thinner kind for this project.
• measuring and cutting tools. You’ll need circles of varying diameters to use as templates for your Tower of Hanoi pieces. Look around, and I bet you can scavenge these circles from your existing bottles, cups, caps, etc.
• embellishment supplies (optional). You don’t *need* to embellish the pieces, but since when did that stop anyone from making something pretty?

Step 1: Measure and cut the pieces.

You can play Tower of Hanoi with three or more pieces, but I think seven or eight pieces are a good total number to have. You can always subtract pieces from a larger set to make a round easier!

To make the complete puzzle look like a lovely tower, select circle templates with different diameters, ideally ones that will give a nice graduated look from smallest to largest when you stack them. As you can see from the above photo, you should be able to find all of these circle templates around your house. My smallest circle template is an eensy SodaStream flavoring bottle cap, and my largest is the top of a plastic drink cup from my favorite pizza place–I also used the bottom of the cup to make a different circle!

Trace all the circles onto corrugated cardboard, then cut them out by hand with sturdy scissors.

If you like the way the undecorated Tower of Hanoi looks, you’re done! However, I think the game looks a LOT cuter with some embellishment…

Step 2: Decorate the pieces.

With seven pieces to my puzzle, how could I NOT make a rainbow?

One of the many amazing things about corrugated cardboard is that it takes all kinds of embellishment like an absolute dream. I painted these circles with Liquitex acrylics, but Sharpies or even Crayola markers all show up well. Use Mod Podge to decoupage scrapbook paper, or paint plus paint pens to make more detailed artworks on these tiny canvases.

Step 3: Play!

The rules of Tower of Hanoi are simple:

1. Start with the tower stacked with the circles in descending order, smallest to largest.
2. You have three total spaces in which you can work, and you start with the stacked tower sitting on one space. Younger players might benefit from having a play mat on which you’ve drawn out three spaces for them, but it’s unnecessary for older players.
3. The objective of the game is to reassemble the tower on another space. The reassembled tower must again be stacked with the circles in descending order, smallest to largest.
4. You may move one circle at a time between any of the three spaces.
5. You may NOT stack a circle on top of a circle that is smaller than it. Circles can only be put on empty spaces or stacked on top of circles that are larger than them.

The above photos illustrate a couple of different moves in the game. I don’t want to give you too many moves so that I don’t spoil your fun, but you can see from the photos the three working spaces, and the circles that are placed on a space or on top of a larger circle.

Remember that you can’t move an entire stack of circles at once–you can move only one circle at a time!

If you want to see the game in action, check out this online playable version.

If you’re a mathy kind of person, there IS a mathematical solution, and a pattern, to this puzzle. Figuring out how to record your moves is also a great introduction to analog coding, for those of you interested in STEM enrichment.

Want to give someone you love a sneakily educational gift? A beautifully embellished Tower of Hanoi inside a lovely little carrying case is just the thing!

Know a kid who’s high-energy and always seems to need more gross motor activity? Upscale this to a giant 3D version that they have to use their whole bodies to stack! Exercising their brain will make them just as tired as exercising their body, so you might even get a full night’s sleep!

Do you have a favorite homemade solitaire game? Tell us about it in the Comments!

Polyominoes are a super fun educational toy. When made from upcycled cardboard food packaging, they’re also super eco-friendly!

If you’ve ever played Tetris, you know what polyominoes are, AND you know how fun they are!

Without getting too mathy, because I know that scares some of y’all, polyominoes are shapes that you can draw on a piece of graph paper using the same number of squares.

You know dominoes, right? Those are polyominoes made of two units.

Tetrominoes are made of four units. When you play Tetris, you’re playing with tetrominoes!

Pentominoes, pieces made from five units, are my personal favorite.

There are infinite really interesting math problems–many of which have never been completely solved!–that utilize polyominoes. But even for us non-professional mathematicians, polyominoes remain very fun. You can build cool patterns with them. You can create puzzles from them, then try to solve them! And, if you have a kid around, they’re a sneaky way to build their logical reasoning skills and to teach concepts of area, perimeter, patterning, and other even more abstract, sophisticated geometry and measurement concepts.

Also, I’m just going to say it one more time–they’re really fun!

You don’t need another set of plastic game pieces kicking around your home, though. Instead, here’s how to make any set of polyominoes that you want from sturdy, upcycled, recyclable cardboard.

To make your own set of upcycled cardboard polyominoes, you will need:

• upcycled cardboard. Cardboard food packaging is perfect for this project–for this tutorial, I’m making all my polyominoes from Girl Scout cookie boxes! It would be VERY fun, though, to make “life-sized” or giant polyominoes from corrugated cardboard.
• graph paper. Once upon a time, I scored the rest of someone’s stash of 1″ graph paper at a yard sale, but the internet exists now, and so you can just print graph paper at any size. Or if you, like all the other cool kids these days, don’t own a printer, you can buy it commercially.
• measuring and cutting supplies. I made all these polyominoes with a pen and a pair of scissors.
• double-sided tape (optional). All polyominoes other than Tetris pieces are meant to be able to be flipped over, and if you get into doing polyomino puzzles, solutions will often require it. For that reason, I make most of my own polyomino pieces double-sided. But if the difference between the front and back of a polyomino piece doesn’t bother you, then don’t bother with this extra step!

Step 1: Create the polyomino patterns.

This first step is my favorite!

On graph paper, sketch out the outlines of your polyominoes. You can easily Google patterns for various polyomino sets, but kids, especially, find it VERY fun to create their own polyominoes from scratch.

Cut out your polyominoes, and you’re ready to apply them to the cardboard.

Step 2: Use the paper templates to make cardboard polyominoes.

Trace around the polyominoes and cut them out of the upcycled cardboard.

Using upcycled cardboard food packaging gives you a lot of scope for creativity! If you’ve got a variety of colors, like I do with my Girl Scout cookie boxes, it can be fun to make each type of polyomino a different colors. Or, decide that the plain cardboard side will be front-facing, and decorate the pieces with markers.

Step 3 (optional): Make the polyominoes double-sided.

Tetris gets away with not letting you flip pieces by making the flipped side a completely separate piece. For every other use, though, you’ll generally want to be able to flip your pieces over. If you’re using cardboard that’s roughly the same on the front and back, that’s not a problem, but with this cardboard food packaging that has a printed side and a plain side, I’ve discovered that many people, and especially kids, find it non-intuitive to have to flip pieces. We’re just not used to working with both the “front” and “back” of a puzzle!

To solve that problem, make your polyominoes double-sided.

Just cut out a second piece (flip the pattern over if the piece isn’t symmetrical!), then attach the two with double-sided tape. Now both of your sides look cute, and it’s easy to realize that you can flip them!

There are so many ways to extend the fun of polyominoes while exercising your brain and developing numeracy and logical reasoning skills. A mini set taped onto a magnet sheet and put into an Altoids tin is a terrific little travel game; for even more fun, hand-draw or print puzzle templates on plain paper and cut them out to fit in the tin, too. A larger set of tetrominoes and a few pieces of grid paper taped together make a fun two-player, analog Tetris game; for more fun, add more magnets and place on a wall-mounted metal sheet.

If you’re as into upcycling cardboard as I am, stay tuned for the rest of this month and most of the next, because my current Special Interest is upcycled cardboard crafts, and I plan to share them all with YOU!

Whatever your skill set, there’s a plant hanger here that YOU can DIY!

I’ve recently been obsessed with putting plant hangers in all my sunny windows. In my home, a sunny window is ALWAYS in need of a house plant!

Macrame is my favorite way to craft these hangers, but I don’t have endless stashes of cording, and I like to work with what I have on hand. So yes, I’ve made tons of macrame hangers this summer, but I’ve also made all kinds of other hangers, almost all from stash. Scrap wood, scrap leather, miscellaneous brackets of unknown provenance–all are fair game!

Do you, too, have too many plants and seemingly too little space? I can fix that! Whatever your stash or your skill set looks like, check out my list of favorite DIY plant hangers, below, because there’s a great one there for YOU!

Macrame Plant Hangers

easy macrame hanger. This is the easiest hanger to macrame, requiring only two types of knots. I can make the longest version in the time it takes to watch one episode of Wheel of Time plus one episode of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel–can you tell whose Amazon Prime free trial is about to run out, ahem?

crochet hanger. This crocheted hanger is beautiful and versatile, and is a great way to use up scrap yarn after finishing a larger project. After all, if you don’t have a plant hanger to match your afghan, are you really even a crocheter?

crocheted double hanging basket. I love the versatility of this double hanging basket–it keeps your plants super snug, but it could keep lots of other things, too! Any wall space that gets enough light for your favorite house plant is fair game.

knitted hanger. Prefer knitting to crochet? There’s a plant hanger for you, too! It’s VERY on trend to have a plant hanger that matches your sweater…

Mason jar hanger. Got a little plant that’s happy in a Mason jar? This is a SUPER easy way to hang it! This is a good temporary solution to finding a spot to keep all your plant starts and cuttings while they root.

one-knot plant hanger. This plant hanger is too easy to even count as macrame! It’s especially good for hanging odd- or custom-sized plant pots.

Plant Hangers That Don’t Require Tying Knots

fabric strip hanger. No rope? No problem! Upcycled strips of stash fabric into a pretty and serviceable hanger. Just be mindful of how much water you expose this hanger too, as natural fabrics tend to rot if they get wet too often.

pegboard and twine plant hanger. This is a fairly low-skill plant hanger, requiring only some square knots and the ability to cut a circle in pegboard. It’s a little tricky to get the hanger balanced, but it’s handy that the holes are already drilled for you.

wood slice and rope hanger. This concept is similar to the pegboard hanger, above, with a natural wood slice replacing the pegboard. Try to keep the holes that you drill very even, but you can make up for some imbalance with how you tie the twine hangers.

plywood hanger. Got some legitimate woodworking skills? Amp up your plant hanger project with this tutorial!

wooden wall hanger. I am in LOVE with all the plant space this hanging wall rack provides!

hanging sling. The tutorial calls for leather, but thick denim or upholstery-weight fabric would also work.

leather plant hanger. Instead of knotting, this plant hanger uses thick strips of leather (or pleather) to keep plants stable.

plant shelf. It doesn’t hang (although it could!), but this wooden shelf has clever cut-outs for your standard-sized plant pots.

kirigami leather hanger. Slits cut into a leather circle turn it into a secure base for a hanging planter.

clay pot hanger. This plant hanger is literally just a bracket that mounts to your wall and cleverly hooks the rim of your clay plant pots.

vertical hanger. This is a terrific way to really maximize your vertical space. Add as many shelves as you need!

standing plant hanger. I love this method for making more room in your garden for even more plants.

Do YOU have a favorite DIY plant hanger tutorial? Tell us about it in the Comments!

This easy macrame plant hanger makes a comfy home for all your favorite plants!

Like every city planner faced with overcrowding, I am dodging population control measures with my houseplants by instead going vertical. Every window is fair game, as is every corner with ambient light. Even the central room with no exterior windows now has a couple of ferns hanging under the skylight.

Plant hangers are great for getting your houseplants off your crowded shelves and into those sunny windows. They also put all of those tempting spider plants and inch plants and other delightfully dangly leaves out of the reach of cats, dogs, and toddlers.

Especially if you’ve got an older house, though, or any place with unconventional windows or other spaces, you’ve probably found that store-bought plant hangers just don’t fit your space exactly the way you’d like. Or maybe they’re just not the right color. Or maybe, like me, you simply don’t want to have to buy something when you’ve already got everything that you need to make it.

That’s why I found myself making my latest stash of plant hangers: the houseplants had a bumper year, and after dividing them and giving tons away I still had more than I have room for on my shelves. But my weird old house with its half-vaulted ceilings and oddly-sized windows doesn’t lend itself to the comfortable placement of most lengths of plant hangers. AND about five years ago both of my kids went through an epic paracord crafting phase, one that left me with a large stash of unused paracord after they both eventually moved on to using up all of my embroidery floss on super elaborate friendship bracelets.

I have made SO many macrame plant hangers this summer, using my easy technique that lets me make them exactly the length that I want. Here’s how you can make yourself an easy macrame plant hanger, too!

Supplies

To make this easy macrame plant hanger, you will need:

• split o ring. This is the ring that holds your cute keychain. You want it to be VERY sturdy, but most keychain rings are.
• macrame cording. Cotton cording is availability in multiple widths and colors, and is natural, eco-friendly, and quite sturdy and long-lived when used indoors. Any cording that doesn’t stretch will work well for this project, however. This paracord that I’m using, although it’s all polyester and therefore an ecological nightmare, actually makes amazing plant hangers! Whatever you choose, you’ll need 80 feet, or eight 10-foot lengths, for the hanger, and 2 feet, or two 1-foot lengths, for the gathering knots.
• tape. A lightly sticky tape, like masking tape or washi tape, will help you keep cords together as you knot them.

Step 1: Use a gathering knot to tie the cording to the split ring.

Cut eight pieces of cording, each approximately 10 feet long, and one piece of cording approximately one foot long.

Thread the eight pieces of cording through the split o-ring and center them.

Now, it’s gathering knot time!

With one end of the cord, make a long “u” over the spot where you’d like the gathering knot to be. I like mine just below the o ring.

Keep that “u” in place as you take the other end of the cord in hand and begin to tightly wrap the bundle with it. Each wrap should be just below the one above.

When you near the end of your cord, leave a long tail and tuck the end through the bottom of the “u.”

Put your hand back on the top tail above the gathering knot, and pull on it to tug the “u” bend, and the end of the cord that’s tucked into it, up inside the gathering knot. It’s a bit of a fiddly process to figure out exactly the right amount of strength to use, so don’t feel sad if you have to start this knot over a couple of times.

The finished gathering knot will look like the one above, with the “u” bend pulled inside to the middle. Notice that I left such a long bottom tail that you can still see it, but the knot itself is well-secured.

Trim both tails for a cleaner look.

Step 2: Tie four groups of five square knots below the gathering knot.

Separate out four adjacent cords. The cord on the right will be what the vertical sides of the knots will look like, and the cord on the left will be the center color.

Pass the cord on the left OVER the two center cords and UNDER the right cord.

Pass the cord on the right UNDER the center two cords and OVER the left cord. You can also think of this as putting it through that left loop made by the left cord as it prepared to pass over the center cords.

Pull the knot tight.

You can see that the vertical piece is created on the opposite side from where you started–if you lose count, you can use that to tell you what side you’re on. You can also see that the left and right cords switched places.

To finish the square knot, continue from the right. Pass the right cord OVER the two center cords and UNDER the cord on the left.

Pass the left cord UNDER the two center cords and OVER the right cord, or through the loop that the right cord made when preparing to pass under the center cords.

Pull the knot tight. It should tuck up right under the knot above it.

Repeat four more times to make a total of five square knots with that group of cords. Hint: you’ll have five vertical pieces on each side.

Repeat three more times to make a total of four sets of knots around the gathering knot. This will use up all your dangling cording.

Step 3: Make a second set of square knots six inches below the first set.

Measure down approximately six inches from the bottom of the first set of square knots.

From two adjacent sets of square knots, take the two right cords from the left set and the two left cords from the right set. These are the cords you’ll use for your next set of square knots. I like to tape them flat and in the correct order, because at this point it’s very easy to start getting mixed up.

Tie another set of five square knots (one knot starting from the left, then another knot starting from the right equals one set) with these cords.

Repeat with the remaining three sets of cording, until you have four new sets of square knots, each six inches below the first set and made up of cords from two adjacent sets above.

Step 4: Repeat the process 1-2 more times.

You have enough cording to tie four total sets of square knots, each set approximately six inches below the set above. That being said, four sets results in a plant hanger that is quite long, and I prefer to stop at three sets for most of my plant hangers.

Step 5: Tie a gathering knot at the bottom of the plant hanger.

Measure six inches from the bottom of your final set of gathering knots, and tape the cords together at that spot.

Using the second piece of foot-long cording, tie a gathering knot at this tape mark.

Trim the rest of the cords below the gathering knot.

These plant hangers are super versatile, and since you only have to learn two knots, they’re super beginner-friendly, too! Once you’ve mastered this simple version, feel free to fancy it up with more complicated knots.

DIY journals and other homemade books are great ways to upcycle all kinds of papers!

Got old magazines, junk mail, cereal boxes, macaroni and cheese boxes, coloring pages, printer paper with only one side written on, notebook paper with both sides written on, greeting cards, comic books, or literally any other kind of paper or paper by-product that you can think of?

You can upcycle it into a homemade book!

These upcycled books are super handy, because you can make them in whatever size, style, and thickness you prefer. I love to DIY little scratchpads to tuck into all my bags. One of my teenagers likes custom sketchbooks with new paper but covers made from cardboard snack food packaging. The other teenager likes homemade sticky notepads from all upcycled papers.

The below tutorials have all these DIY journals and sketchbooks and notepads–and more!

DIY coloring book. Did you know that you can make your own custom coloring books using coloring pages printed from the interwebs? It’s super easy, and guaranteed to thrill a kid with a hyper-specific Special Interest. Like, was I the only parent with a kid who ONLY wanted to color pictures of excavators, NOT dump trucks or diggers or concrete mixers? Ahem.

junk mail blank book. Utilize junk mail, especially the envelopes, as the pages of a mini blank book. The security envelope patterns make lovely endpapers! These DIY journals will be small, so you can get away with a less sturdy cover–a glossy magazine page, perhaps?

scrapbook paper booklets. Got some scraps of scrapbook paper kicking around? Bind them into this mini scrap paper notebook, perfect for writing yourself a quick note when you’re out and about. And since the pages are already scraps, you don’t have to feel guilty about using a page once and then tossing it into the recycling bin!

upcycled notebook. Upcycle any thin cardboard (food packaging works great!) and any old papers into these versatile DIY journals. A guillotine paper cutter will save you TONS of time if your notebook is an odd size, and a little binding machine makes the spiral binding easy.

file folder journal. Moved all your stuff to digital? File folders make wonderful DIY book journals! Unlike many of the other covers, which require smaller, cut-to-size papers, these you can fill with full-size copy paper or notebook paper.

brown paper bag journal. A brown paper grocery bag makes the perfect easy book cover. It’s sturdy and takes to all kinds of embellishment like a champ! This is an especially kid-friendly book, and your budding author/illustrator will LOVE it.

magazine page journal. Similarly, thick, glossy magazine pages work well as covers for mini DIY journals. Not all book covers need to be cardboard or chipboard!

recovered spiral notebook. Here’s an eco-friendly way to save money on new school supplies! If last year’s spiral notebook looks grody but still has tons of clean pages, here’s how to break it down, switch out a new cover, and put it back together. Don’t forget to save the spirals!

heart-shaped cereal box notebook. You could substitute any simple shape for these notebook covers, but an old heart-shaped candy box does make the perfect template for these simple upcycled books.

upcycled greeting card notebook. Wondering what to do with that cute greeting card? A simple, stab-bound notebook is a terrific way to enjoy that cute card for longer! This makes a sweet holiday scrapbook or journal, especially.

DIY Journals with Unusual Covers

These upcycled DIY journals have paper pages, but utilize more unusual materials for the covers.

playing card notebook. This perfect bound notebook is a perfect way to upcycle an incomplete set of playing cards. Larger format card sets like Uno and Old Maid are especially good here.

board game book. A jigsaw or bandsaw will allow you to cut gameboard chipboard cleanly, and a power drill makes tidy holes for ring binding.

vintage book notebook. Use the same technique as with the board game book, above, to resize children’s book covers and drill holes for ring binding. It’s extra cute to incorporate some of the book changes into the notebook with your other paper!

floppy disc notebook. Show off your relics if you’ve got them!

flooring sample notebook. Even though this cover looks like wood, it’s actually soft enough to use a hole punch on!

Do you have a favorite project that uses upcycled materials to make an awesome book? Let us know about it in the Comments!

A DIY coloring book lets you customize exactly the coloring pages you want!

I was in the market for a new adult coloring book the other day, but I just could not find what I wanted! Honestly, how hard could it be to find a small-scale book with spoopy images that would be fairly quick to color and would have no swears, but also wouldn’t be baby-ish?

Ugh, it was SO hard!

Eventually, I went back to the only sure-fire way to get something that is EXACTLY the way I want it: DIY!

I modified my go-to DIY journal with a cover made from upcycled cardboard, and filled it with coloring pages downloaded from the interwebs. It’s exactly what I wanted, and here’s how you can make one, too!

To make your own DIY coloring book with an upcycled cover, you will need:

• coloring pages. Yes, you CAN print coloring pages in an eco-friendly manner! For each coloring book, you’ll want 10-12 coloring pages, printed two-to-a-page on cardstock. You’ll only be using one side of this cardstock, so feel free to use up the back sides of cardstock that’s already been printed on one side. Need coloring page inspiration? Check out the Crafting a Green World coloring pages here!
• upcycled cardboard. You need two pieces, each about 6″x7″. Any weight from cardboard food packaging to corrugated shipping box cardboard works well–in these photos, I’ve used both!
• metal butter knife. A bone folder or back of a spoon also works well.
• stapler and (optional) rubber block eraser. If you don’t have a long reach stapler, I’ll show you how to get the same effect with a regular stapler and a wedge eraser.
• measuring and cutting supplies. I used a gridded quilting ruler and guillotine paper cutter.

Step 1: Arrange and trim the coloring pages.

Print 10-12 coloring pages two to a page on cardstock, so that you have 5-6 of these sheets for your coloring book.

Trim the excess paper from the top and bottom of your sheets. If you have a good guillotine paper cutter, you can stack the sheets together and trim them all at once!

Step 2: Measure and cut the upcycled cardboard book cover.

Most types of cardboard should work well for this project… even thin food packaging, like this empty popsicle box that I rescued from my recycling bin!

Open the box so that it lies flat, then fussy cut two pieces of cardboard to serve as the book cover. You want the dimensions of the cover to be slightly larger than the dimensions of each page; for this half-scale coloring book, with top and bottom margins trimmed away, 6″x7″ was perfect.

Step 3: Trim and tape the book cover.

Order the coloring book pages, then fold them sharply in half, coloring images to the inside. Burnish the fold with the butt end of the butter knife to make it even sharper.

Compare the sizing of the finished quire to the book cover, and trim as needed. Above, I’m using the quire as a visual aid to mark where I want to trim my cover, because I’m too lazy to measure!

Now comes the magical part! Lay a length of duct tape, sticky side up, on your work surface. Set the two pieces of book cover on the tape, with about a 1/8″ gap between them. Tear off enough tape to fold over the spine completely and overlap just a bit. There shouldn’t be any sticky side left uncovered!

Use your fingernail or knife tip to burnish down that crack between the two halves of the cover, then turn the cover over and burnish the other side, as well. When you’re finished, you will have a complete book cover with a duct tape hinge.

Step 4: Staple the pages into the book.

Center the coloring book pages inside the cover so that the fold of the pages lines up with the duct tape hinge of the cover. You’ll have to flip this whole book over and staple it from the other side to keep the staple ends hidden, so feel free to secure the quire to the cover with a bit of washi tape, if you’d like.

If you’re lucky enough to own a long-reach stapler, just staple the cover to the pages from the outside. However, if you have a standard stapler, get a rubber wedge eraser or, as in the photo above, a stamp-carving blank, and center it underneath the spot where you want to staple.

Unhinge the stapler and staple the hinge from the outside, stapling into that rubber wedge eraser. Repeat for each of the other two staples you’ll put into the hinge from the outside.

Turn the book over and remove the rubber eraser, and you’ll see all the pointy staple ends sticking up alarmingly.

To solve the problem of pointy staple ends, just use the flat side of the butter knife to push them down!

This is a handy little coloring book to keep in your backpack in readiness for any time that boredom might strike. I’ve been wanting to color in some Halloween designs for upcoming holiday projects, so this book is especially perfect for that purpose: when I’ve finished the pages that I want to use in a project, this little book is easy to disassemble, and all the cardstock and cardboard that I’m not using can go back in the recycling bin where I originally found it!

Here’s how to upcycle photographs into useful and decorative items that you’ll love.

Do you, too, have a stack of old photos hiding somewhere in your home? For me, it was a years-ago flirtation with scrapbooking that left me, in the end, with a drawer full of cute embellishments and a stash of even cuter photographs languishing away in a hidden corner of my closet.

I’ve long incorporated the embellishments into other projects, but those old photos remain! At 4″x6″, they’re too small to frame (unless as a collage, so stay tuned for that!), but they’re big on happy memories that I can’t stand to throw away. My babies are nearly grown now, but they used to be so SMALL!!!

Here, then, are my favorite ways to upcycle photographs. I love turning these old photos that I never look at into all-new decorations and utilitarian items, giving them new lives and incorporating those happy memories into even more parts of my home.

Dig out your own stack of old photos, pick a favorite tutorial, and make some of YOUR memories all-new, as well!

Useful Ways to Upcycle Photographs

photo card. If you’ve got cardstock, an old photo, and some double-sided tape or pretty much any kind of glue, you’ve got everything you need to make custom photo cards. These photo cards make lovely thank-you cards (pro tip: it’s not exactly “upcycling,” but for the BEST thank-you card from a kid, use a photo of the kid enjoying their present on the front of the card), and super simple holiday cards. That stack of Christmas photos from ten years ago is going to make ADORABLE Christmas cards for this year!

coasters. Decoupage photos to wood cuts or ceramic tiles for a simple and easy coaster. Glue felt to the bottom, coat the top with polyurethane, and you’re done!

phone case collage. I love this method for decorating a phone case with a collage of upcycled photos. If you use a clear phone case, the project is even easier!

photo blocks. Decoupage wooden cubes (or upcycle real wooden building blocks!) with your favorite old photos. Don’t give these to kids who still mouth things, but they make perfectly suitable toys to add to a preschool kid’s building block collection. They’re also fun coffee table decor!

photo tray. Whether it’s for breakfast in bed or a flat surface to set my drinks while I’m blanket burritoing on the couch, I ALWAYS need more trays! This tray, embellished with family photos, is beautiful AND useful!

Decorative Ways to Upcycle Photographs

magnets. Magnets are a quick and easy way to upcycle photographs. They’re perfect for a college student’s mini fridge!

DIY “Polaroid” picture banner. DIY faux Polaroid pictures in any size you like. The tutorial calls for custom-printed photos, but you can get the same look simply by cropping any of your existing photos square.

stickers. Stickers are an even quicker and easier way to upcycle photographs than magnets are, and they’re even more versatile! My own teenagers are all about the laptop stickers these days, and so far this school year I have yet to see a high schooler’s water bottle that is not covered in stickers, as well.

decoupaged monogram. Buy a papier mache monogram letter (or DIY one yourself from corrugated cardboard!), paint it a base coat, then collage the front with old photos. This also works as holiday decor–collage a papier mache “HALLOWEEN” with all your old trick-or-treating photos!

Mason jar lid photo frames. Okay, this isn’t actually “upcycling” the photos, just displaying them, but how cute are these photo frames made from Mason jar lid rings wrapped with embroidery floss? Crop your photo to the size of the matching lid, then glue the photo to the lid and the lid to the back of the wrapped ring. These are especially nice displayed gallery-style.

photo pendant. Keep your favorite photo close to you by upcycling it into a pendant! The tutorial calls for Mod Podge, which is more eco-friendly, but Diamond Glaze or water-based polyurethane would be sturdier and more long-lasting. I especially enjoy cropping a small detail or unexpected element from a larger photo to make these pendants.

picture frame wreath. It’s not unheard of to score something wild, such as a whole stash of 2″x3″ picture frames, from a garage sale, local thrift shop, or Buy Nothing group. A teeny-tiny size like that is perfect for making a wreath like this! It’s very cute when the photos are themed, like from a single wonderful vacation or all your family pets.

Do you have a favorite way to upcycle your old photos? Tell us about it in the Comments!

Loose Ends makes sure that handmade projects get to their intended recipients when their creators can no longer finish them.

I’ve seen so many half-finished craft projects at thrift stores and yard sales. Sometimes I’ll even buy that mostly-pieced quilt or nearly-complete embroidered tablecloth and incorporate it into my own projects… but mostly, I just notice it, wonder about what might have caused a person to abandon a project they once clearly immersed themselves in, and move on with the rest of my browsing.

I even have a couple of unfinished projects passed down in my own family–I didn’t finish, per se, the beautiful postage stamp quilt that my husband’s grandmother pieced, but I did sew part of it into heirloom Easter baskets for the great-grandchildren born after she died.

But what if a person didn’t have to abandon a project when they were no longer able to immerse themselves in it? What if they could hand that project over to a stranger to carry on their legacy and make sure the final product ends up with the recipient it was originally intended for? In that circumstance, no half-finished quilts would need to go to Goodwill. No half-knitted sweaters would need to sit forever half finished, long after their intended recipients have grown out of them.

Carrying on the legacy of love created by these handmade goods is the goal of Loose Ends, founded by knitters and friends Jennifer Simonic and Masey Kaplan. Loose Ends matches unfinished fiber arts projects (think knitting, crocheting, embroidery, quilting, and the like) with volunteers who can complete those projects with fidelity to the intended design. This can sometimes include matching missing yarn or fabrics, guessing at the continuation of an incomplete pattern, or other problem-solving.

Recent projects have included sweaters, afghans, embroidered pieces, and shawls, all finished by volunteers. Here’s a beautiful wool rug finished by a volunteer, and here’s a tapestry turned into a cushion. Here’s a blanket that completed a grandmother’s legacy of giving a knitted blanket to each of her grandchildren, and here’s the last crocheted chain of another grandmother preserved in a wall hanging for her granddaughter.

Of course, I’m a quilter, so MY favorite finished project is this set of eight quilt panels! But knitting/crocheting are such skilled arts that it’s understandable that knitting and crocheting projects take up most of the submissions to Loose Ends.

If this detective work/craft project sounds like fun, then you’re not alone, because Loose Ends currently has close to 11,000 volunteer finishers! The program is growing exponentially, and is currently welcoming both new volunteers and new project submissions.

For a project to be eligible for completion via Loose Ends, its original crafter must be unable to finish it due to illness, disability, or death. The project should be partially begun, and in workable condition–moths, mold, rot, and mothball fumes all make a project unworkable.

I do like that Loose Ends will try to connect projects from smoker households with volunteer finishers who don’t mind the smell; I don’t smoke, but my Mammaw, who was my primary crafting influence when I was a kid, smoked like the typical wife of a World War II veteran, and I know both how gross secondhand smoke is AND how precious those handmade projects still are.

I actually volunteered to work with projects from smoker households as a way to honor Mammaw’s legacy… and as a way to reparent tiny little Past Julie, who surely smelled like a stale ashtray every day until she moved away for college.

In related news, please feel free to spam me with all your best tips for getting the smell of cigarette smoke out of vintage fabrics!

Organizations that craft for good, not evil, are one of my favorite topics to write about here. Along with upcycling, crafting with natural materials, and finding substitutions for petroleum-based or disposable craft supplies, craftivism is one more way that we can Craft a Green World. Crafting these connections between makers and their loved ones builds bridges between all of us, and it’s a beautiful way to utilize your hard-earned skills.

If you’ve got the skill and the space to help, you can become a volunteer finisher. If you don’t, you can share out the information so that other volunteer finishers can find their way to the program, and those with an unfinished craft project can find a way to complete their legacy.

P.S. Do you know of an organization that’s crafting for good? Tell us about it in the Comments, and it might be featured in a future post here on Crafting a Green World!

P.P.S. Are you inspired and need some craftivism that you can do right this minute? An animal shelter or wildlife rescue near you definitely needs one of these projects!

Image Credit: Loose Ends via Winky Lewis

Magnets are a fun and easy way to show off your tiniest art, upcycle your favorite photographs, or display comic book panels, sweet love notes, or pretty papers of all kinds.

I am sooo glad that “cluttercore” is now a thing, because just between us, it’s always been *my* thing. A bare wall or surface is nothing but a spot that I haven’t put something cute yet!

To my endless irritation, my refrigerator isn’t magnetic, but I’ve made up for it by DIYing a giant magnetic wall in the kitchen, and a smaller one in the family room. I love displaying all the greeting cards, A+ schoolwork, concert tickets, and assorted other tchotchkes that one generally puts on a magnet board, but to be honest, my favorite things to display are the magnets, themselves!

Magnets are a great way to upcycle all kinds of cute little things that you’d love to have on display but that are too wee for mounting and framing. I love making all my special little mementos, from postcards to greeting card sentiments to Instamax photos to fortune cookie fortunes into magnets, so I can enjoy looking at them while they hold up other stuff I enjoy looking at–it’s cluttercore at its most decadent, lol!

Here are my favorite ways to DIY magnets from any paper!

Method #1: Mat Board and a Button Magnet

For this method, you will need:

• paper to display
• adhesive (archival glue or double-sided tape, AND E6000 or similar epoxy glue)
• mat board or book board
• button magnet
• ruler, craft knife, scissors

Cut roughly around your image, leaving a border that you can trim to size later. Then, use archival-quality glue or double-sided tape to adhere your image to the back side (not the pretty colored side, unless you want to chance the color being visible through the front of your art!) of mat board.

Use a ruler (a metal one is better than the beat-up plastic one I’m using in the photo below) and craft knife to trim the image and its mat board backing to size:

To seal the front of the image, I like to either laminate it in packing tape or cover it in Diamond Glaze or several coats of Mod Podge. Here, I used packing tape:

Use E6000 or a similar epoxy glue to adhere a button magnet to the back of the mat board. You can also add additional embellishments like gems and stickers to the front, Sharpie the edges, poke holes at the bottom and add tassels, and do whatever else you can think of to pretty up your magnet further!

Method #2: Sticker/Magnet Maker

For this method you will need:

• paper to display
• Xyron Creative Station Lite or similar machine, with a magnet+laminate cartridge installed
• scissors

If you’ve got (or can borrow!) a store-bought sticker/magnet maker, it makes creating magnets from your own papers SUPER easy.

I own this specific Xyron sticker/magnet maker, but I’ve also got teenagers and their friends who all use the snot out of it, so it gets a lot of use. If you don’t want to buy a whole entire one all for yourself, it’s worth checking out your public library’s DIY or teen space or asking your local Buy Nothing group for one to borrow.

To use a machine like this, you feed your paper into it and let it add adhesive magnet sheeting to the back and laminate the front:

The laminating is especially nice for papers that are glossy or ink that’s water-soluble. Kid art made with washable markers can be so delicate! It’s also an easy way to make a magnet out of an entire photo for display on my gigantic magnet boards.

Method #3: Adhesive Magnet Sheets

For this method, you will need:

• paper to display
• adhesive magnet sheets
• scissors

This method is best for papers that don’t need lamination, Diamond Glaze, or Mod Podge. I like it for my comic panels and my collection of vintage space-themed stamps, but basically anything commercially printed or printed on a laser printer could get away without lamination.

To make these magnets, roughly cut around your image, stick it to the adhesive side of an adhesive magnet sheet, then trim it to size.

Crafting this magnets is a fun kid project, especially for tweens and teens. Give them lots of magazines to cut from, plenty of adhesive magnet sheets, and let them have at it! The finished magnets make sweet handmade gifts for friends and family.

Pro tip: these easy magnets are awesome for the front of a college student’s mini fridge!

Do you have any other fun ways to upcycle stuff you love into magnets that you love even more? Tell us about it in the Comments!

Upcycle your old print photographs into stickers, and you’ll unlock a whole new way to display and enjoy those magical memories!

I don’t do a lot of crafting with print photos anymore, so I was a bit dismayed recently when I found a huge stack of 4″x6″ photos leftover from my scrapbooking days. Gotta clean out my closets more often, I guess!

I recognized all these photos as ones that I have digital copies of (I’m still not ready to talk about The Terrible Hard Drive Erasure of 2017…), so I could have just tossed them all into the recycling. But yikes, how wasteful would that be?!?

Mind you, I have no problem tossing stuff that I truly want to toss, but Past Julie clearly spent time and money on this photo order, and all the photos are of my adorable babies, now almost all grown up, and our fun traveling adventures. As far as I know the Jedi Training Academy no longer even exists at Walt Disney World, so that photo of my tiny padawan winning a light saber battle against Darth Vader himself deserves a fate much more exciting than the recycling bin!

Also, there is genuine terror in her eyes in that photo, and I laugh every time I look at it. Kid was pretty sure she was fighting for her life up there!

I have fun crafting plans for most of these surprise photos, the first of which is stickers!

Here are three easy methods for upcycling print photos (and book pages, wrapping paper… just about any paper works for this!) into stickers, along with the pros and cons of each method.

Method 1: Adhere a photo to an existing sticker.

Pros: Quick, materials are easy to obtain.

Con: Stickers are low-tack.

If you’ve got a sheet of printer labels on hand, you can have your own photo stickers ready to go in minutes.

These stickers will be pretty low-tack, so cutting the photos down a bit will reduce their weight.

Use an excellent white glue, like Aleene’s Tacky Glue, to adhere the photos to the front of the label sheet. Let the glue dry, then cut out the photo stickers.

Glossy photos don’t make the best stickers right out of the gate because of how easily they show smudges. To solve this, laminate the front of each photo by sticking a piece of clear tape to it.

Fair warning: I, personally, am MISERABLE at jobs like this. One of my teenagers even installs all my screen protectors for me because she can’t stand looking at the state of my phone screen, all bubbles and trapped lint, when I do it myself. I had to cut down that photo above right because I somehow managed to trap a giant cat hair under the tape, sigh. So be super careful with your own tape lamination!

Method 2: Paint the back with Aleene’s Tack it Over and Over Again glue.

Pros: Most eco-friendly, least use of additional materials, stickers are repositionable.

Cons: Most time-consuming method, requires a specialty supply.

This is my favorite way to make stickers. It’s super easy, and I used to do this to make re-usable stickers for my kids from old book pages, toy catalogues, and our drawings all the time–tbh, I think the bottle I used for these stickers is the same bottle I was using way back then!

To make these re-usable stickers, cut your photo to size, then coat the back with a VERY thin coat of Aleene’s Tack It Over And Over Again glue. I like to do this on top of parchment paper, so I can brush excess glue off the edges of the photos and onto the paper:

Let these photo stickers dry for about 24 hours, then peel them off the parchment paper. Even though they are repositionable, I like to stick them to wax paper to store them.

Method 3: Use a store-bought sticker maker.

Pros: Makes the highest-quality stickers by far.

Cons: Most expensive, least eco-friendly.

I wouldn’t buy one of these for myself, but I do use the snot out of the Xyron Creative Station Lite that I bought for my kid back when she was a tween. She creates a lot of art, and I thought that she might like to make stickers and magnets out of her own little art pieces… and she does!

But yikes, this machine is made entirely of plastic, and each cartridge is made from more plastic. Please feel free to spam me with suggestions for more eco-friendly models!

I will say, though, that the stickers this machine makes are WONDERFUL, easily equivalent to good store-bought stickers. We’ve worked with materials as thick as food packaging cardboard, and the stickers always come out well. This cartridge even laminates the top of the sticker, so glossy photos remain smudge-free.

Ugh for all that plastic, though!

I wasn’t excited to find these photos in the back of a closet, true, but I have to say that I am excited to have a fun little way to display some of them! It definitely brings a bit of magic into my daily grind to catch a glimpse of a happy memory and a sweet kid or two.

Homemade fabric bins and baskets are perfect for solving all of your storage needs!

I am deep into my year of using up as much of my stash and scraps as I can. It’s like… anti-nesting, I guess? I’m trying very hard to avoid the fabric and hardware stores, and instead make what I want to make with what I have on hand.

And what I’ve been wanting to make lately is STORAGE SOLUTIONS!

You can DIY quite a lot of storage solutions using stash or scrap fabric as a base. You can make drawstring bags and floppy baskets, sure, but also boxes, bins, cubbies, and all sorts of other handy ways to organize and neatly store your stuff.

Here are some of my favorites!

Fabric Baskets and Trays

fabric baskets. Sew up a single basket in a colorway that matches your decor (leftover fabric from hemming curtains is PERFECT for this, I’ve learned!), or a nesting set that can help you keep a range of items sorted.

rectangle basket. Here’s the perfect basket to fit that one narrow but deep space on your shelf or counter. Don’t be afraid to skip the boning if you don’t have it–yes, the basket will be a little floppier, but later you won’t have to figure out how to use up scrap boning!

quilted fabric baskets. Really desperate to get rid of your stash? These baskets have cute flaps that both show off a contrasting fabric AND require just that much more fabric to create the look.

fabric tray. The technique here is similar to the one for quilted fabric baskets, above, but the result is a tray that will be super useful to corral crossword puzzles on the kitchen table or jewelry on the bedroom dresser.

fabric Easter basket. I sew these Easter baskets for all the little kids in my life using an old cutter quilt, but they’re also handy as non-Easter baskets! They’re so adorable that they’re great when you want a more decorative look, like on a coffee table or the kitchen counter.

bucket. These two-toned round buckets are another pretty way to handle storage while keeping what you need at hand. You can also applique embellishments onto these buckets!

basket with handles. This basket is a smaller tote that’s great to hold kid stuff, made from sturdy upcycled felt to give it a lot of structure for its size.

pixie basket. At 2″x3″x4.5″, this teeny basket is the perfect size to hold craft or writing supplies while you work on a project. No more leaving pins and paperclips lying around the table for the cat to bat into outer space!

woven fabric basket. This no-sew basket is a good way to use up fabric strips, especially leftover jelly roll cuts. Skip the interfacing and use glue to form the strips.

basket with handles. If you plan for a basket to be on display, upgrading the handles is one sure way to make it look fancier. If you don’t have stash leather on hand, upcycle or thrift a leather belt.

large fabric basket with rope handles. This is an upsized version of a simple fabric basket, with handles made from rope to match the scale.

drawstring bucket tote. This bucket is large enough to work for floor storage, but also includes a drawstring top enclosure and handles for easy transportation.

hanging storage baskets. When you run out of shelf space, use the walls! This tutorial does call for a new piece of Plexiglass to insert into the bottom of these baskets, so substitute anything equally sturdy that you already have on hand. I think a double thickness of corrugated cardboard, plywood, or mat board would all work well.

snap-on hanging basket. The snap on the hanging strap of this basket makes it easy to take on and off, so stuff can stay in its cozy little basket while you move it around!

hexagon fabric tray. This little tray just requires a couple more folds than the square fabric tray, above. But somehow two more folds results in a huge boost of cuteness!

Fabric Bins and Boxes

fabric-covered box. Have you ever come across a box that would be the PERFECT size to store something in your home, if only it didn’t have Amazon branding all over it? Here’s a no-sew way to cover that ugly cardboard in pretty fabric to make it look like the well-designed fabric storage box of your dreams.

sewn fabric storage cubes. The secret to making these fabric storage cubes super sturdy is plastic cross-stitching canvas instead of interfacing!

fabric storage cubes with cardboard. You don’t need interfacing for these cubes, either! Instead, the tutorial asks you to insert cardboard into the lining. When you want to wash the fabric cube, just remove the cardboard

fabric bin. If you’ve got a lot of stash batting and interfacing on hand, this tutorial uses both to create a storage bin that can hold its own in modular cube shelving.

collapsible bin. The handy zipper in this fabric bin means you can easily collapse it for storage or travel.

Do you have a favorite DIY fabric storage solution? Tell us about it in the Comments!

Nesting fabric baskets make sorting and storing all your stuff super easy!

I’m willing to admit that I have too much stuff. But I mean, everyone has too much stuff, right? Please tell me that we ALL have too many books and mugs and LEGO sets and gel pens and plastic dinosaur figurines and interesting rocks… and they’re all important!

Other than getting rid of some of my stuff–which I am NOT willing to do!–I feel like keeping stuff contained and organized goes a long way towards making my house look only charmingly cluttered. Pile of interesting rocks on the bathroom counter? Put them in a cute fabric basket, and now they’re decorative! Soda can pop tops all over the kitchen table because the teenager “collects” them? That little fabric basket is the new pop top holding area!

Last week, I showed you how to sew a single fabric basket. These nesting fabric baskets sew up just the same, but give you a lot of storage options. Sew a set in the same colorway from the same fabrics, and they’ll all match each other and your decor. Since they nest, they don’t take up a lot of storage space, but when you need them, you’ve got four whole baskets’ worth of storage!

To make a nesting set of four fabric baskets, you will need:

• five squares of outside fabric for each basket. You’ll need a set of five squares in each of the following dimensions: 6″x6″, 5″x5″, 4″x4″, and 3″x3″. I generally use quilting cotton for this, although I’ve also upcycled some curtain fabric that was definitely some kind of polyester, and it turned out beautifully. The outside fabric for the set of baskets in these photos is an old pair of dress pants.
• five squares of lining fabric for each basket. You’ll need a set of five squares in each of the following dimensions: 6″x6″, 5″x5″, 4″x4″, and 3″x3″. Quilting cotton is also great for this, and it’s what I’ve used for the linings of these baskets, but I’ve also used old bedsheets or other random yardage in my stash.
• cutting and sewing supplies. Fancy supplies like a gridded cutting mat, clear gridded quilting ruler, and plastic sewing clips are fun to have, but you can work with any ruler, straight pin, and sharp scissors.

Step 1: Measure and cut the fabric for the four nesting fabric baskets.

For the 6″ basket, cut five 6″x6″ outside pieces and five 6″x6″ inside pieces.

For the 5″ basket, cut five 5″x5″ outside pieces and five 5″x5″ inside pieces.

For the 4″ basket, cut five 4″x4″ outside pieces and five 4″x4″ inside pieces.

For the 3″ basket, cut five 3″x3″ outside pieces and five 3″x3″ inside pieces.

Step 2: Sew the pieces of each basket into a T-shape.

In order to make these baskets look the best, you need to be REALLy precise with your seams here. If you have trouble sewing a perfect seam, consider drawing yourself a sewing line in washable ink.

You will sew each piece with a precise .5″ seam, and you will start and stop precisely .5″ from the end of each edges. I know it’s fiddly, but your baskets will look soooo nice this way!

Check out the photo below, in which I’m sewing one of the cross pieces of the T:

Here’s a zoomed-in view of where I stopped my needle:

Those precise .5″ seams allow you to use the stitching lines as your starting and stopping points for the cross pieces.

Step 3: Sew adjacent sides together to form a cube with an open top.

Sew each adjacent side together, again with a .5″ seam allowance. You can start sewing right at the top of each seam, but down at the corners, stop again .5″ from the end.

If you’ve been really precise sewing your T, you will see exactly where to stop stitching, because that’s where all the stitch lines will meet. If you overshot on a piece or two, though, just snip the stitches that went too far:

Step 4: Insert the lining into the outer fabric and sew a fold-over binding.

Turn the outside basket right side out, but leave the inside basket inside out. Insert the inside basket into the outside basket, and line up all the corners and side seams.

Fold the top edges down twice, so that the raw edge is encased. Pin or clip the fold in place:

Edge stitch around the binding to secure it. It gets trickier the smaller the basket is!

That’s one of the reasons why 3″x3″ is about the smallest you can go.

I especially love how great these baskets are for sorting projects in progress, like toys, puzzle pieces, and sewing supplies while I work. And when they’re not needed, they look so neat and tidy nested together!

These basket sets are a great stashbusting project, because you can make a set or two for every room. I used up that entire pair of dress pants making cute, useful fabric baskets for my house. My stash fabric bin is thrilled!

If you have enough fabric baskets to hold all your stuff, then obviously you don’t have too much stuff!

So what if my solution to my minor tendency to hoard interesting rocks, empty thread spools, soda can pull tabs, and pretty matchbooks is just to toss them into these beautiful sewn fabric baskets? The stuff is out of the way, attractively stored, and if one day you really need me to make you some pull tab chainmail, I will be able to get right to it!

These fabric baskets are purposefully a bit on the droopy side, because I don’t like to sew with artificial materials like interfacing. A little interfacing or even cereal box cardboard would firm them up, though, if you prefer that look. I like my baskets to look as slouchy as I am!

To make these baskets, then, you won’t need interfacing, but you WILL need the following:

• five 6″ squares of outside fabric. I generally use quilting cotton for this, although I’ve also upcycled some curtain fabric that was definitely some kind of polyester, and it turned out beautifully.
• five 6″ squares of lining fabric. Quilting cotton is also great for this, but I’ve also used old bedsheets or other random yardage in my stash.
• cutting and sewing supplies. I know it’s just one more thing to buy, but I finally gave in and bought myself some of those plastic sewing clips that are on trend. I’m not as obsessed with them as Tiktok, is, and they’re a lot less eco-friendly than the steel pins that were good enough for your granny, but I WILL say that I never again want to sew binding without them!

Step 1: Cut the outside and the lining fabric.

Cut five pieces of fabric that are 6″ square for the outside of the basket, and another five pieces for the inside. Arrange your pieces like this:

If you’ve ever in your life done any math, then right now you’re asking me why you have to cut five different squares of fabric for these baskets, when obviously you could just cut one piece of fabric three times that length and save yourself sewing two seams.

The answer is that 1) I own a 6″x12″ gridded quilting ruler that I’m obsessed with and all I do all day is think of things to cut that are 6″ or 12″, and 2) the seams help the basket have crisper edges. If you want to save yourself a couple of seams I won’t stop you, but your basket won’t look as cute.

Also, if you’re sewing a print fabric, like my pink one in the finished photos, you can rotate each piece so that its aligned in the proper direction before you sew it. No upside-down prints on YOUR baskets!

Step 2: Sew the pieces into a T-shape.

In order to make these baskets look the best, you need to be REALLy precise with your seams here. If you have trouble sewing a perfect seam, consider drawing yourself a sewing line in washable ink.

You will sew each piece with a precise .5″ seam, and you will start and stop precisely .5″ from the end of each edges. I know it’s fiddly, but your baskets will look soooo nice this way!

Ironing each seam open also really helps you sew precise seams on those cross-pieces. In the photo below, the stitching line is my starting point for sewing a cross-piece. At the end of the seam, the other stitching line is my stopping point!

Do this for both the outside fabric and the lining fabric, until you have two perfect T pieces.

Step 3: Sew adjacent sides together to form a cube with an open top.

Sew each adjacent side together, again with a .5″ seam allowance. You can start sewing right at the top of each seam, but down at the corners, stop again .5″ from the end. If you’ve been really precise sewing your T, you will see exactly where to stop stitching, because that’s where all the stitch lines will meet. If you overshot on a piece or two, though, just snip the stitches that went too far.

Step 4: Insert the lining into the outer fabric and sew a fold-over binding.

Insert the lining fabric into the outer fabric, wrong sides together. Make sure the corners match and that the seams are lined up.

Fold the top of the lining and the outer fabric over twice, so that the raw edges of both pieces are enclosed. Two .25″ folds will give you a perfectly square basket, but feel free to fold them over more if you’d like a shallower basket and a wider binding.

Pin the binding well with the pin or clip of your choice!

Edge stitch the binding in place.

These sewn fabric baskets are so quick to make that they’re an easy way to give some handmade love to your loved ones. Every now and then I’ll surprise one of my teenagers with a new little basket that matches their room decor, and that homemade matching game that I made a few weeks ago was lovingly packed into its own little fabric storage basket when I sent it to my niece.

The most important use of the fabric baskets, though?

Holding all my pull tabs, empty thread spools, interesting rocks, and best bits of sea glass, of course!

The log cabin quilt block is one of the most versatile quilt blocks around.

You can sew a log cabin quilt block without having to use a pattern or any complicated piecing techniques. You can sew a block of any size, and if you’re feeling lucky, you don’t even have to measure as you go! The block works well incorporated into all kinds of designs, from quilts to scarves to potholders to zippered pouches.

Because it’s so versatile and can take on so many looks, a log cabin quilt block is a great choice for a ton of fun projects. Here are some of my favorites!

Quilts and Blankets

Confetti Cabins quilt. Want the ease of constructing a log cabin quilt but not the look? This is the quilt pattern for you! For extra interest, change the base color from white–I think black or grey would look VERY cool!

Foundation Paper Pieced log cabin quilt block. Because the log cabin quilt pattern is itself so simple, you can use it to make more complicated construction methods simpler to learn. Here, Seasoned Homemaker teaches you Foundation Paper Piecing to make a log cabin mini block.

knitted blanket. Because you can also KNIT the log cabin pattern!!!

single block knitted blanket. Here’s a similar method that uses a single log cabin quilt block for a blanket that’s a crib or throw size.

log cabin granny square. Every person who crochets needs to know ALL the granny squares. This log cabin version is a great one to have in your back pocket!

square quilt. A square is a great choice for a lap quilt or king-sized quilt. With a log cabin quilt block, you can easily build your quilt top into a perfect square!

Summer Cabins quilt. Cute pieced blocks of houses are framed by log cabin pieces. Use this technique to frame out any elaborately pieced blocks to easily increase a quilt’s dimensions.

Triangle Log Cabin quilt block. I love triangle quilts, and and a triangle log cabin block adds even more interest. For bonus points, use triangle log cabin quilt blocks to create a Sierpinski Triangle quilt!

T-shirt quilt. A log cabin quilt block is a good way to frame a T-shirt piece, and it lends the jersey knit fabric structure so that you don’t have to use interfacing.

Wonky Modern Log Cabin quilt block. Because 90-degree angles are for the weak!

Home Decor

18″ pillow cover. Use complementary fabrics to match the decor in any room with this log cabin throw pillow.

Courthouse Steps placemats. Placemats are another good way to match your decor.

log cabin heart. All your Valentine’s Day decorating can be handled via this log cabin heart pattern. Size it up or size it down, use it as a single block or piece it into a table runner or quilt!

rainbow Fibonacci placemat. A Fibonacci construction is basically a log cabin quilt block! Use this method to make a placemat that shows off the Fibonacci pattern, quilted with a Fibonacci spiral.

Pouches and Potholders and Other Useful Things

log cabin coasters. A log cabin block lends itself perfectly to coasters, and coaster sets lend themselves perfectly to using up fabric scraps!

log cabin granny shawl. Use this log cabin method of crocheting a granny square to instead make a beautiful triangle scarf.

log cabin hexi potholders. I love putting my projects to work, and so I LOVE sewing potholders! Even if you’re using this as a stashbusting activity, don’t skip on the insulating batting.

square log cabin potholder. This would make an excellent beginning quilting project. You can learn backing and binding AND a simple method for rounding corners!

quilt-as-you-go log cabin hot pad. The quilt-as-you-go method makes quick work of sewing up this hot pad.

zipper pouch. The log cabin block is a super cute way to show off a fussy cut special print in the center piece. Adding a zipper makes it super useful, too!

Okay, what is the cutest, most creative thing you’ve made with a log cabin quilt block? Tell us about it in the Comments!

What better summer project could there be than sewing a king-sized upcycled denim log cabin quilt?

I roasted while I sewed all that denim and flannel in the smack middle of June, but I’ll be so comfy this winter!

I’ve had this log cabin quilt sewn from upcycled denim in my mind’s eye for a few years, but it’s the embarrassing state of my fabric stash that finally prodded me into action. I may not have projects in mind for all that quilting cotton and canvas and jersey knit fabric, but sewing the giant plastic bin full of old jeans and that three yards of extra-wide flannel into the quilt of my dreams has certainly made a big dent in my hoard!

Here’s what I used for my quilt:

• soooo much denim. I’ll never lack for fabric to sew with if I can just keep outgrowing my jeans every few years! I’d like to thank Covid and perimenopause for sourcing much of this latest quilt for me.
• extra-wide flannel. I prefer to use thrifted sheets to back quilts, but in this case my thrifting luck deserted me, so I bought three years of extra-wide flannel. At about 108″ x 108″, it was nearly the perfect size to back my king-sized quilt. Just a little bit made it back into the fabric bin for later! The big box fabric store near me has a decent selection of extra-wide fabrics–I can at least get the color I’m aiming for, if not an exciting print.
• measuring, cutting, and sewing supplies. You need a sturdy machine to sew over all those denim seams, and a sharp sewing needle.

Step 1: Measure and Cut Log Cabin Pieces

The beauty of sewing a king-sized quilt is that it can be a giant square–anywhere between 90″ and 110″ looks good and fits the space well.

For a log cabin quilt, this means that you can sew the entire quilt as if it’s one giant log cabin quilt block!

Because I’m the laziest, I wanted to make my strips as wide as I could get away with. For the jeans I’ve got in my stash, 6″ wide was a good choice, resulting in the least waste and looking proportionate in the oversized quilt. But of course the beauty of a log cabin quilt is that you can be really creative with it, so feel free to have fun with your sizing.

When I had a huge stack of strips, I sewed them all into a single strip, short sides together. Because the denim was all different weights, I finger-pressed each seam to the side that felt thinner or lighter… or, tbh, just in the direction that it seemed to want to go. No reason to stop being lazy now!

I can’t even tell you how many pairs of jeans I used in this quilt, but I got through a lot of podcast episodes just cutting log cabin pieces!

Step 2: Sew a Center Panel (Optional)

You don’t have to have a special center panel for a log cabin quilt, and when I first sewed this half-square triangle from upcycled denim, I thought that it would be a pillow front. But sometimes items change their purpose when they’re on my sewing table, and this one became the center panel for my quilt!

Step 3: Piece the Oversized Log Cabin Quilt Block

I sewed my pieced strip around and around my center panel, cutting the strip even at the end of each seam and beginning it again on the adjacent side.

This quilt would have had more of a log cabin look–and a really stunning one, too!–if I’d used a single color per strip, but that would have taken a lot of effort to sort my denim by color, and as I’ve mentioned, I’m the laziest!

At the end of every podcast episode, my favorite thing was to lay the quilt out to see how it was growing.

When it got to the point of having to move furniture to make it fit, I knew that I was almost done!

Step 4: Add the back and binding.

I am in the process of working through my sadness that I didn’t actually quilt this, so don’t make me feel worse about it. I even had a cute design in mind, but my at-home sewing machine can only do so much! By the time I finished this, I wasn’t sure if I could even fit the entire thing under my sewing machine anymore. Next time, I’ll think through some kind of quilt-as-you-go method, perhaps.

As it was, my family had to help me move half the furniture in the family room to make space for me to lay down the flannel fabric, tape it taut, lay the quilt top over it, trim the backing to 2″ past the quilt on all sides, then double-fold it around the quilt and pin it.

Four more straight seams later, and the king-sized upcycled denim log cabin quilt of my dreams was done!

I should probably be more careful of it considering how much time I put into it, but I believe that quilts are meant to be used, and this giant quilt DOES make an excellent summer picnic blanket! It’s super heavy and warm, too, so I’m excited about using it this winter.

My new goal is to think up some throw pillow covers that I can also sew from upcycled denim, but that won’t be so matchy that it looks too country… Pixelated skulls, perhaps? Or maybe monograms?

Want to resize a hoodie or reclaim an awesome graphic? Refashion your hoodie by swapping its graphic for something different!

The moral of the story is to ALWAYS try stuff on before you buy it. I’m a fairly standard size XL, so I didn’t bother trying on what I was confident was going to be my new favorite hoodie before laying down 30 whopping pounds for it while on vacation a couple of weeks ago. Instead, I just hugged it to my chest, offered up my credit card, then skipped off to tour Stonehenge!

The temperature in England was delightful for our entire trip, so it wasn’t until I got home and unpacked that I tried on my new Stonehenge hoodie and had a distressing revelation: it was WAAAY too snug! I am 100% side-eyeing English Heritage for their faulty sizing on this one. While I know that some cultures have different standard clothing sizes, I definitely saw other XL British people out and about, so I’m sure it’s not just that my personal XL is not their national XL, ahem.

To prove my point, I had my teenager, size XS, try my hoodie on, and it was perfect for her, slightly oversized and cozy. It was an unlucky coincidence, she noted, because she, herself, had recently also been snookered by a hoodie, but in her case she’d accidentally purchased a size that was WAAAAY too large!

Hmmmm… was there some kind of “The Gift of the Magi”-like scenario going on? Could I somehow swap these hoodies so that we each had our desired graphic in our desired size?

Spoiler alert: I could!

This technique is a terrific way to save the graphic of an outgrown or damaged hoodie, or to refashion a hoodie for more of an on-trend color block look. You could even use this technique to patch a worn spot on your favorite hoodie. You don’t have to do swapsies with two different hoodies the way I did, of course… but you can!

To refashion a hoodie by swapping out its graphic, you will need the following:

• two hoodies. Found a hoodie that is super soft and comfy, but you hate its graphic? That’s the perfect hoodie to refashion for this project! Pair it with any other hoodie that has a graphic you want. You’ll encounter varying fabric weights between hoodies, and that’s okay, but you do want to keep it to a fairly standard sweatshirt-type material. This specific project won’t work to patch in a T-shirt graphic or bit of sweater. If that’s what you want to do, though, let me know–I have ideas for how to accomplish it!
• measuring, cutting, and sewing supplies. Matching thread is particularly important for this project.
• iron-on interfacing. I don’t usually use interfacing in my sewing projects, but it’s essential here. Sort through your stash and use anything lightweight.

Step 1: Measure and cut out the hoodie graphics.

Whichever graphic on whichever hoodie is larger, that’s the one you want to start with. It doesn’t matter if you’re swapping graphics or just transplanting a graphic to a new hoodie.

Cut out the larger graphic, then use it as a template to cut out the smaller graphic. You want the size of each graphic panel to be identical.

Step 2: Use fusible interfacing to set the new graphic in the hoodie.

Turn your hoodie inside out, and set the graphic you want to transplant upside-down into the gaping hole left when you cut out that hoodie’s graphic. Line up up the raw edges of the graphic with the raw edges of the opening, with the idea of achieving a snug, perfect fit. Even though you measured super carefully and tried to make them completely identical, you’ll still have to futz the edges together in some spots.

Cut strips of interfacing that are about 2″ wide. Iron the interfacing over the join around the entire graphic–I even overlapped the edges at the corners for additional stability.

When you carefully turn the hoodie right side out, you’ll see that the interfacing does a pretty good job holding the new graphic in place!

Step 3: Satin stitch the graphic to the hoodie.

Set your machine to a zigzag stitch that’s very short and very wide. On my machine, I used a length of 1 and a width of 6.

Stitch the graphic to the hoodie, being VERY careful not to push the fabric as it goes under the presser foot–with a length of 1, it will slower than you think it should! The interfacing will help keep the fabric from feeding unevenly, so your job is mainly not to mess it up.

When you’re finished, you’ll have your dream graphic stitched neatly to your dream hoodie! I like how seaming the two pieces together attaches them without bulk. My teenager thinks that the satin stitching makes a nice border to the graphic. I think this was a surprisingly simple refashion project.

And we’re both happy that going swapsies on our hoodie graphics neatly solved both our problems!

Welcome back to Free Patterns Week here at Crafting a Green World!

Outerwear can feel like some of the more complicated garments to sew. So many structural elements! So much hardware! So much interfacing and lining and piping and casings!

These free patterns from indie pattern companies are a great way to ease yourself into sewing outerwear. You can gain needed skills, probably discover that it’s not as hard as you thought it was, and familiarize yourself with standard pieces like hoods and kangaroo pockets and drawstrings.

And when you’ve found a pattern that you like, browse the rest of that indie pattern company’s catalogue to find even more patterns by the same designer!

Free Patterns for Hoodies, Robes, and Sweaters

Robe Jacket by Alison Pollard and Charlotte Mackay for Peppermint Magazine. If you’re secretly still afraid of zippers, this is the jacket for you!

Jack Zip Front Hoodie by PSCo. An awesome hoodie pattern is EVERYTHING to me!!!!! You can use new sweatshirt material for this hoodie, or piece it from upcycled sweatshirts, hoodies, and sweatpants. A more upscale option is the Ramona Shacket, also by PSCo.

Billie Wearable Blanket by DIBY Club. Yep, it’s a slanket. I am OBSESSED with slankets! The only thing that could possibly be as comfy is the Gabriela Pajama suit by the same company.

Scarf Neck Cardigan by Swoon Sewing Patterns. Sew a scarf that won’t fall off, because it’s secretly a cardigan!

Classic Robe by Sew to Grow. The perfect robe is the simplest! If you like this pattern and want to try more, check out Sew to Grow’s Kaia Coatigan or Alston Reversible Jacket.

Trendsweater by The Couture. This beautiful sweater has dropped sleeves and a cropped hem. For the same look in a jacket, check out the Jeansjacken Emma by the same company.

Avast, a Vest Circle Vest by Patterns for Pirates. Patterns for Pirates is the first indie pattern company with inclusive sizing that I found after learning to sew, and it’s still my favorite company! If you need even more layers, I think you’ll also like their Lumberjack pattern.

Sweatshirt with Hood by Lekala. I love how this pared-down pattern has you input sizing, then automatically grades it for you for a custom fit. If you like it, check out their patterns with more detailing.

Free Patterns for Capes, Ponchos, and Shawls

Riding Hood Poncho by Stitch Upon a Time. This is a versatile pattern that’s amenable to a variety of fabric types. For a basic warm layer, sew it with fleece. Upgrade to PUL or wool to make it waterproof! For an adult cover, check out Marian’s Cover All Shawl, also by Stitch Upon a Time.

North Pole Poncho by PSCo. This poncho is a little more challenging than the Riding Hood Poncho, above. If you like it, next try the Olive Oversized Sweater by the same company.

Blanket Wrap by Made for Mermaids. I love that this pattern is available in sizes from doll to adult! I also really like the Made for Mermaids Calliope Cardigan.

Candy Cape by George + Ginger. For those times when you can’t get away with showing your shoulders!

Poncho by Schnittquelle. If you knit, you’re going to be so excited to add the knitted collar to this poncho! I also really like their Schnittmuster Coat pattern.

Hooded Infinity Scarf by DIBY Club. A hooded scarf is even warmer than a regular scarf!

Maxi Stole with Sleeves by Marfy. This long stole can be sewn from fancy fabric and worn with your favorite formalwear. If you love it, try making a Marfy jacket pattern next!

Sleigh Ride Shawl by Patterns for Pirates. Here’s another warm, comfy layer from Patterns for Pirates. I think it would pair well with the Notch Top and Dress by the same company.

Free Patterns for Jackets and Coats

French Jacket by Marfy. This VERY chic jacket pattern is a real treasure! If you love sewing it, try this short jacket pattern, also by Marfy, next.

Jacket by Grasser. If you’re feeling a little more adventurous, this jacket by Grasser has some excellent detailing.

West End Jacket by Camille of Camimade Patterns for Peppermint Magazine. This jacket has a straight fit and features flat seams to further reduce bulk. No matter the temperature I always love a layer, so I’m very into the fact that you can sew this jacket from something lightweight for warm temps, or something heavier for the cold.

Do you have an outerwear pattern that you absolutely love… AND did it come from an indie pattern company? Share the love in the Comments!

Welcome back to Free Patterns Month here at Crafting a Green World!

This week, we’re focusing on entire ensembles that you can sew–all the dresses, all the jumpsuits, all the pajama sets, all the rompers. And ALL from the free patterns offered by indie pattern companies.

Find your next favorite pattern from this list, then show that indie pattern company some love by buying a few patterns, too!

Free Patterns for Dresses

Bowen Dress by Kim Sisson for Peppermint Magazine. Sometimes you just want to be comfy, you know? This dress is the comfiest, AND it has pockets! I think it would look marvelous sewn from vintage bedsheets.

Agnes Swing Top and Dress by Halla Patterns. There are so many possible variations to this pattern! If you like it, also check out the Bliss Dress pattern for a similar number of options for customizing.

Get It Together Dress by PSCo Patterns. This is a great dress pattern to master because it’s so easy to dress up or down depending on the fabric choice. I also really like their Tegan Tiered Dress pattern.

The Perfect Dress by Rosery Apparel. This dress pattern also includes a video tutorial to walk you through the construction. The Pansy Pattern is another good choice by the same company.

Milana Dress by Viki Sews. Okay, free patterns do NOT have to be basic! This is not a beginner’s pattern, but dang, is it beautiful! If you love it, check out the Viki Sews formalwear pattern collection.

Claudine Dress by Paulinessence. I love this comfy-looking dress, and the one-size pattern means that you don’t have to fuss with sizing. For something more fitted, try the Flora.

Robe Rea by Blanche x Blanche. The Robe Rea is among the easier to sew dress patterns here, with the belt adding much of the fitted structure. To try sewing a more fitted look, check out the Robe Alisson.

Coastal Coverup by George + Ginger. It’s sooooo flowy! If you like this pattern and want another summery look, try the Dawning Dress, also by George + Ginger.

Valley Knit Skater Dress and Top by Sinclair Patterns. This skater dress pattern has neckline and sleeve options, as well as a separate top pattern. If you like it, also check out the Nyoka Crossover Dress/Top and Iris Raglan Swing Top/Dress patterns.

Bailen Top or Dress by Pauline Alice Patterns. I love a versatile pattern! Use this same pattern to make either a top or a dress with the same cut. If you like this pattern, also check out the Eliana or Calvari dress patterns.

Orchard Top or Dress by Helen’s Closet. Here’s another pattern than can be sewn into either a dress or a top. Both feature spaghetti straps and are super light and flowy. If you like this pattern, also check out the March Top and Dress and the Reynolds Top and Dress by the same company.

Laundry Day Tee by Love Notions. You can make an entire wardrobe thanks to all the options included in this pattern set. If you like it, the Cadence Dress and Top has many of the same types of pattern options.

Spring Dress by Schnittquelle. This beautiful, classic dress has added interest at both the neck and bottom hem. I also really like their Schnittmuster Dress Sorel.

Patsy Party Dress by Rebecca Page. This dress has a beautifully classic look, and is a great way to test the waters of sewing formalwear. If you love it, Rebecca Page offers a variety of formalwear sewing classes and patterns.

Phoebe Party Dress by Rebecca Page. Here’s another formal dress option by Rebecca Page.

Milton Pinafore by Just Patterns for Peppermint Magazine. The jumper-style dress is a remnant of my childhood, and I can always get down with just one more variation! I always wore boring T-shirts or turtlenecks under my childhood jumpers, but I love the idea of pairing this one with a blouse with puffy sleeves. Lean into the retro!

Lounge Gown by George + Ginger. This dress pattern is intended as a swimsuit coverup, but could work for a super casual hang-out. For a similar style with a more formal look, check out the Vision Dress pattern by the same company.

Orla Dress by French Navy Patterns. I especially love the slightly gathered skirt–it’s such a fun detail! If you like this pattern, also check out the Morningside Shirt and Dress by the same company.

Free Patterns for Rompers, Jumpsuits and Sets

Playsuit by In the Folds for Peppermint Magazine. I was always jealous of how comfy my little kids looked in their summer playsuits. Now I can join them!

Phoebe Freebie Jumpsuit by Pattern Union. It’s impressive for a pattern this involved to be free. And to make it even better, there are TONS of options for customizing it! You can also buy a bib add-on to turn your jumpsuit into overalls.

Harlow Pajamas by Charm Patterns. This vintage-style pajama pattern is adorable but not too mitchy-matchy.

Pyjamas by The Assembly Line. This classic-look pajama set is cute and comfy and can be sewn from a variety of soft fabrics. If you like this pattern and want to try more by the same company, also check out the Wide-Leg Jumpsuit or Maxi Jumpsuit.

P.S. Want even more free patterns? Check out these 36 free vintage dress patterns!

Welcome back to Free Patterns Month here at Crafting a Green World!

So, you’ve sewn all of your free tops and bottoms. Now you need something to go under them AND something to go over them.

That’s why this week is everything underwear and accessories!

Everything on this list is from one of my favorite indie pattern companies. The patterns I’m pointing you to are free, but I’ve also included plenty of suggestions for other patterns you can purchase from these companies. It’s important to show these indie companies some love!

Free Patterns for Undies and Foundation Garments

Boxer Shorts by Measure Twice Cut Once for Peppermint Magazine. Basics don’t have to be basic!

Barret Bralette by Madalynne. This pull-on bralette pattern helps you get a feel for bra construction without having to mess with a ton of hardware. When you’re ready to try sewing with hardware, check out the Galina, also by Madalynne.

Kiwiki Bra by Fitiyoo. This simple triangle bra is a great way to get started with lingerie construction. Once you’ve got it mastered, move onto the Curacao Bra or Cosmo Bra patterns.

Noelle Halter Bralette by Madalynne. My teenagers especially love this style of bra, so it’s a great style to be able to DIY for them. If you like it, try the Roxie Sports Bralette pattern next–it’s got a swim top variation!

Stevie Knickers by Paper Theory. I love this mostly standard panties pattern because it’s got a little more room in the booty!

Acacia Underwear by Megan Nielsen. This underwear pattern also has separate free patterns for curvy bodies and children’s underwear. If you like it, check out the Cottesloe Curve Swimsuit pattern, also by Megan Nielsen.

Iris Waist Slip by Alice & Co Patterns. A slip is a super useful base layer for many dresses and skirts–and it’s easy to sew, too! Make it, then wear it under the Regatta Dress.

Free Patterns for Hats, Bows, Hairpieces and Masks

Holiday Hair Bows by Patterns for Pirates. Get a head start on festive season!

Bijou Beret by Untitled Thoughts. A beret is such a fun accessory, and a terrific way to use up wool scraps.

Bucket Hat by Merchant & Mills. This bucket hat looks especially nice in earth tones. If you like it, also check out the Beanie pattern by the same company.

Sandcastle Bucket Hat by Waves & Wild. I love the idea to make this out of water-repellant fabric to use as a rain hat!

Scout Cap by Charm Patterns. Because OBVIOUSLY you need a garrison cap in an adorable colorway!

Silvie Scrunchie by Juliana Martejevs. Scrunchies are pretty easy to measure for yourself, but this pattern makes them even easier! Use it to accessorize the T-Shirt Dress by the same company.

Scrunchies by Measure Twice Cut Once. Here’s another scrunchie pattern to use up ALL your fabric scraps!

Sleeping Mask by Elvelyckan Design. A sleep mask would be so cute sewn from the scraps of fabric used to make a pajama set.

3D Fabric Mask by Crafty Sew & So. I think these structured masks are so much more comfortable than flat ones.

Mask Set by Rebecca Page. This pattern includes several types of masks, from flat to scarf.

Free Patterns for Accessories

Fingerless Gloves by Patterns for Pirates. These gloves are a great size for scrapbusting!

Gemma Tie Belt by Forget-Me-Not Patterns. This simple belt works well with a variety of outfits. If you like this pattern and want to try more, check out the April or Lola dress to pair with it.

Snuggly Slipper Boots by Tilly and the Buttons. This slipper boot pattern is a great way to practice the mechanics of sewing slippers. Don’t forget to add non-skid bottoms!

Whittaker Puffy Slippers by PSCo Patterns. A puffy slipper is such a good idea!

Gatherer Egg Apron by Swoon Sewing Patterns. My teenager used to literally just shove the eggs she’d collected in her pockets… yeah, an egg apron is a LOT better!

Sam Apron by Helen’s Closet. Every home needs a few classic aprons to keep stuff off all your other beautifully-handmade clothes! If you like this pattern, check out the Dogwood Apron by the same company.

Allspice Apron by Hey June Handmade. The crossback apron is another classic!

Vintage Apron by Rebecca Page. This vintage-look apron is cute AND useful!

Workaday Apron by Merchant & Mills. This utilitarian apron would look equally at home in the kitchen or the workshop. If you like it, check out the Victor apron pattern, which calls for oilskin.

Free Patterns for Totes, Bags, and Clutches

Market Bag by Stitch Upon a Time. This slim, easily packable bag is the handiest bag of all time! To upgrade to a drawstring, check out the Produce Bag by the same company.

Micropurse by Sew House Seven. You need a tiny handmade purse to go with all your handmade outfits.

Ramona Mini Hipster by Swoon Sewing Patterns. My teenagers are OBSESSED with crossbody bags! This pattern is a great resource to make tons in all the patterns and colorways. Messenger bags are just as cool, so if you like this pattern, also check out the Dorian Messenger bag by the same company.

Leather Bag by Sew to Grow. Leather is a natural fabric, but it’s not the easiest to work with, and you can’t easily modify just any pattern to include leather. This free bag pattern is made to be made with leather, however! If you like this pattern and want to try more, check out Sew to Grow’s Sunday Market Clutch or Urban Outlook Tote.

Tote Bag by Ellie Beck for Peppermint Magazine. This classic tote bag pattern would look lovely with a custom or DIY print fabric.

Pixie Dust Zippered Bag by Stitch Upon a Time. My favorite part of this simple zippered bag is the wrist strap.

Costa Tote by Helen’s Closet. Free patterns aren’t always basic! This free tote bag pattern has interesting asymmetrical piecing.

Do you have a favorite indie pattern or a favorite indie pattern company? Tell us about it in the Comments!

Welcome to Free Patterns Month here at Crafting a Green World!

Free Patterns Month is a holiday that I invented to encourage myself to actually sew some of the beautiful sewing patterns that I’ve been collecting for the past eleven months.

I’m trying very hard to convince myself that my hobby is SEWING clothes, NOT hoarding sewing patterns!

I especially love finding free patterns offered by indie pattern companies. I love buying from independent pattern labels, but I love it a lot more when there’s a pattern or two that I can test-drive first. It helps me see if the company and I are on the same page about fit and look, and if I vibe with their instructions and enjoy the experience.

Here are some of my favorite free patterns from those indie companies! We’re starting big with tops and bottoms, ranging from easy basics to add to your wardrobe to fancier styles to dress you up nicely. Later this month, I’ll add in undies, accessories, kids’ clothes, and some niche patterns.

Try something new from this list, and if you like it, give that pattern company some love and support by buying something else to try!

Free Patterns for Tops

Albion Blouse by Vanessa Hansen for Peppermint Magazine. My favorite parts of this blouse are the really fun closure and the buttoned sleeves!

Plaintain T-Shirt by Deer and Doe. This simple T-shirt pattern flares a bit at the hips, something that is PERFECT for me! If you like this pattern and want to try more by the same company, also check out the Hysope Blouse or Passiflore Shirt/Dress patterns.

Polly Top by By Hand London. The color blocking allows for endless fun combinations! If you like it, also check out the Poppy Top and Dress combo pattern.

Uvita Top by Itch to Stitch. I love how comfy and unfussy this top looks, thanks to some thoughtful construction details. For a more fitted option, check out the Zakopane Top by the same company.

Stardust Tank Top by Halla Patterns. There are so many piecing options to make this otherwise simple tank top pattern super fun. I think it would look really fun layered under the Hey Babe top by the same company.

Sorbetto by Seamwork. This tank has a center box pleat to make things interesting! If you like it, also check out the Riley, which has similar fun detailing.

Durango Tank by Hey June Handmade. I really like the higher neckline on this sleeveless shirt. For a lower neckline, check out the Union St. Tank by the same company.

Sunday V-Neck by Friday Pattern Company. Here’s another awesome wardrobe staple for free! If you like this pattern, also check out the Donny Shirt or the Patina Blouse.

Luna Tank by Helen’s Closet. This flowy tank top looks like the comfiest possible summer top! If you like this pattern and want to try more by the same company, also check out the Gilbert Top or Cameron Button-Up patterns.

Krissa Crop by Amy Nicole Studio. This crop top has the fun feature of a button closure in the back. It’s super light and airy! If you like the look, also check out the Audi Playsuit pattern.

The Drop Sleeve Top by The Avid Seamstress. This top has a similar look to the Krissa Crop, but with partial sleeves and a full length. If you like it, the Everyday Shirt has a similar fit and The Blouse also has fun, partial-length sleeves.

Vera knit top by Forget-Me-Not Patterns. I love wearing knits, mainly because of the comfort and drape, but it’s definitely a struggle to find an interesting pattern that’s also not too fussy. This knit top pattern bridges my two requirements nicely, with a V-neck and a gathered sleeve. If you like this pattern and want to try more, check out the Iris or the Viola top.

Hello Sailor Top by The Fold Line. This camisole top with a ribbon tie at the back is ADORABLE.

Hemlock Tee by Grainline Studio. I especially love all the photos showing different fabric and styling options. If you like this T-shirt, also check out the Scout Tee pattern!

Sport Shorts by Friday Pattern Company. My teenagers live in simple shorts all summer, and this is another wardrobe staple for their closets! If you like this pattern and want to try more by the same company, check out the Heather Chandler Suit Bundle.

Greco Tee by Ensemble. I love that this T-shirt pattern has so many options for different sleeves and hems. If you like it, also check out the Pierce Vest, Tee, and Dress pattern.

Slim Dolman by Halla Patterns. This layered-look T-shirt is one of my absolute favorites. If you like it, I also highly recommend the Mira Raglan pattern.

Stellan Tee by French Navy Patterns. I especially love the longer sleeves on this T-shirt pattern! For a similar look but with more piecing options, also try the Tarifa Tee by the same company.

Rosalie skirt by Johanna Morris for Peppermint Magazine. I love that this skirt has a fitted look but a secretly elasticized back. And it has pockets!

Free Patterns for Bottoms

Mountain Pose Pants by Hey June Handmade. Yoga pants can be surprisingly fussy to sew, so it’s nice to have a free, classic pattern. For a more athletic option, check out the Sloan Leggings, also by Hey June Handmade.

Elemental Skirt by Sew House Seven. This is the comfiest pencil skirt you’ll ever sew! If you like it, also check out their Alberta Street Pencil Skirt for a different fabric and slightly different fit.

Peg Legs by Patterns for Pirates. Peg Legs is the first leggings pattern that I ever sewed, and it’s still my absolute favorite. If you like the fit, I think you’ll also like their Uptown Joggers pattern.

Petal Skirt by Itch to Stitch. A petal skirt is a super cute option to add to your pattern collection. I also really like the Vientiane Skirt by the same company.

Just Write Skirt by Patterns for Pirates. Need a quilted “pencil” skirt? Here it is! I think it would look especially cute paired with the 24/7 Tank by the same company.

If you’ve got a favorite indie pattern company, or a favorite indie pattern, please tell us about it in the Comments!