Quilters today have access to an endless selection of quilting notions including marking pens, cutting tools, threads, rulers and templates to list just a few. As the time to create a new quilted item approaches it may appear challenging to know which materials to pick and how to begin. A great place to start is with a quilting ruler called the Double Diamond Ruler.

You can add a diamond-shaped embellishment to any design when you utilize a Double Diamond Ruler. Producing a diamond pattern was quite cumbersome to accomplish prior to the introduction of the Double Diamond Ruler. In the past you would have had to trace a pattern onto fusible interfacing, iron it onto the fabric and then snip the drawn lines using a pair of scissors. Talk about time consuming! Thanks to the Double Diamond Ruler that is no longer the case.

With two sizes available the Double Diamond Ruler now helps you easily create both 1 1/2″ and 3 1/2″ wide diamonds. Use the 1 1/2″ Double Diamond Ruler to create an attention-getting eyeglass case or shoulder strap for your purse. Select the 3 1/2″ Double Diamond Ruler and begin adding distinctive, dimensional diamonds to wall hangings, table runners or even table toppers.

Once you’ve determined what sized Double Diamond Ruler will work best for your design you will want to pick out 3 quality fabrics to work with: a background fabric, main fabric and contrast fabric. Solid color cloths work best but small prints can produce an interesting effect too. Avoid large prints because they won’t display the diamonds as well.

If you are uncertain where to begin then you’ll want to check out the online idea gallery at Bright Quilting Notions. In addition to ideas, there are patterns, kits and even an instructional video to help you get started. Take the first step towards creating a true masterpiece and order your Double Diamond Ruler today.

Chocolate candy making is itself an adventure; all the more if it involves tempering by hand. Even if you try hard and purposefully, you may fail in manual tempering because even a slight change in temperatures can destroy proper chocolate tempers.

To avoid this hassle, chocolatiers are shifting to automated tempering machines which have microprocessors to take care of maintaining accurate temperatures. Tempering also lasts longer hours, even all night.

With chocolate lovers consuming more and more, the billion-dollar chocolate industry is growing exponentially. Many new technologies make chocolate candy making a high-output, high-profit venture. Among the vast number of chocoholics, a fair percentage love handmade chocolates. There are artisans who cater to this group and who tempers their chocolates with a manual process called tabliering. Tabliering hails from France. This method of tempering cools chocolate on a marble slab or any other heat-absorbing surface.

“Seizing” of chocolates, the prime enemy in tabliering, must not be allowed to occur because it turns the chocolates lumpy, ruling out dipping and molding. “Seizing” occurs because of moisture, rapid over-heating and freezing of chocolates. Therefore, moisture must be avoided completely in everything that comes into contact with the chocolate.

To start, cut a pound of chocolate into thin strips on a chopping board then place the strips on the upper pan of a double boiler. The lower pan is used for boiling water at normal heat so that the strips on the upper pan melt to a temperature of 108-115F. During this melting, you should keep stirring the chocolate. Every type of chocolate has its own temperature for melting. You should maintain the right temperatures using a thermometer that can measure low temperatures like 82F.

While pouring the melted chocolate or the mush into a mixing bowl, you should ensure it flows smoothly and is not lumpy. You should guard against moisture. You should take out 2/3 of chocolate from the bowl and work upon it on a marble slab with a rubber spatula to cool it to 80-82F. The remaining 1/3 chocolate in the bowl should not go below 100F.

Blend the 2/3 part with the remaining 1/3 part together and work them till the entire chocolate cools to 80-82F. When you reheat it, you should specifically reheat dark chocolates to 88-90F, semi-sweet chocolates to 86-88F and white chocolates, to 82-84F. If a knife tip is dipped into the worked chocolate and dried for five minutes, the chocolate should become a shiny shell to denote that the tempering has been successful. You can get on with dipping and molding.

Not maintaining specific temperatures during tempering may force you to repeat the process. The tempered chocolate can be kept that way longer if it is set on a bain-marie or a heat pad, making sure that moisture doesn’t get into the working mush.

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Many craft supplies are representative of a culture. The people of a region have dresses and objects made out of materials which are unique to the demographics of their environment. The culture of a people - the music, the art, the clothes and even house hold items vary from location to location in the world. If we look at the local arts and crafts of different regions we’ll see that pottery is unique to certain areas. For example, in Europe you’ll see vases, pots and pans of a certain nature which aren’t found else where in the world. Places in South Asia have elegantly designed pottery work which use ornaments like glass, beads, and wood, leather and metals all applied in a unique way.

Most of the items, like traditional shoes, pots or pans seem culturally exotic now, but in fact they were borne out necessity at a point in time. The designs or materials used are unique to the area. For example, those who live in mountainous terrains wear caps made out of mountain goat wool and sandals out of hard material which can last them through the tough terrain. The shoes are then fashioned in special designs to make them funky, but they serve the same basic purpose.

What’s interesting to note however is that these days most crafts and arts are getting streamlined in the modern era and many crafts, their supplies and skills which are regional are disappearing.

The latest art trend has seen a boom in canvas art reproduction, largely due to the digital photo revolution. These days people can take snap photographs with their cameras, then go to a printshop specialising in canvas and get their holiday / family photos printed on stretched canvas. Or even perhaps their pet dog, favourite car, or holiday location. Anything photographed can be printed on canvas in minutes and become artwork on your house wall.

Photo software such as Photoshop and digital cameras have all of a sudden made it achievable to virtually produce your own artwork on canvas - not only saving you some dosh by not having to purchase original artwork, but also adding some enjoyment and creativeness to the task of adorning your walls with canvas artwork as well.

There are many websites that allow you to upload your pictures, choose your canvas size, and then buy it. Typically these pictures are placed on canvas stretched along utilising stretcher bars.

If you have a canvas printshop near you, you can literally walk in with your photo(s), and leave 30 minutes later with a canvas photo under your arm of your picture - it’s that straight-forward.

What about some examples? Try these examples of science fiction canvas art. If you need some more ideas, check out a website with royalty free photographs - then take your purchased pictures to a canvas printshop or canvas printing website and have them reproduced onto canvas.

This Thanksgiving, don’t forget about Thanksgiving decorations! You can easily decorate by just making small tweaks to what you already have around the house in terms of Halloween decor. Re-use your pumpkins and ears of corn and all things orange and brown.

Since the most important part about Thanksgiving is the dinner, the table decor is the most important feature of everything. Assembling a tablescape is probably the easiest and most inexpensive way to decorate the table. All it is is carefuly and thoughtfully assembled objects and/or candles across the table. You can do this on a full-length table, a round table, etc. It’s all in what you choose or how you arrange everything. And all of the objects you use can be re-used later on in some other capacity. Here’s a quick tablescape idea, great for last minute decoration ideas.

You’ll need:

mini pumpkins
flowers, we recommend orange or yellow daisies
tapered candles, in matching colors
candle holders for above candles

To assemble:

• Remove the stems from the pumpkins
• Carve out a small hole in the top of the pumkin. You’ll use this to hold water to feed the flowers.
• Add water to the reservoirs in the pumpkin
• Trim the stems on the flowers so the flowers fit inside the pumkins hole, hiding the stems
• Arrange the pumpkin vases and the candles on the table top.
• If you have the time, add extra flair by placing a large artificial leaf or a lace doily underneath each of the pieces

Liletta

Modern Barbie steps out into the night; a starlet in her vintage style Angora “fur” stole. In sweet coconut-ice colours of pink and white, the stole is finished with a lining of pure silk and cascades of pearls.

MATERIALS:

Small balls Angora rabbit in white and pale pink (5ply thickness)

Pair short 2.00mm (US 0/UK 14) needles

White pure silk for lining

Matching pure silk thread

Glass pearls and pink glass diamonds (optional)

Finished size 17.5cm x 4cm

STOLE

With white Angora cast on 62 sts and work ten-row pattern:

Row 1: Knit

Row 2: Purl

Row 3: Knit

Row 4: Knit

Row 5: Purl

Row 6: Knit

Row 7: Purl

Row 8: Knit

Row 9: Purl

Row 10: Purl

Cut white, join in pink and work another ten rows. Repeat white and pink section once more; do not cut pink (40 rows completed). Knit one row. Cast off firmly purlwise. Do not stretch stole but let curl naturally, as it will. Weave ends.

The cast off edge will curve around the neck. The cast on edge, which is slightly looser, will be the lower edge. For lining, draw outline of stole onto pattern tracing fabric (sheer type). Add seam allowance of 5mm. Turn under allowance to wrong side of silk and tack (baste). Press lightly under cloth. Slipstitch lining to stole, omitting the two short ends for now.

On each of these ends work edging: With white angora pick up and knit 36 stitches across these ends thus:

1 edge st, 4 sts on each rounded section (pink or white) only, 1 edge st.

Knit one row of K1, P1 rib.

Next row: K1, K2tog to end, K1.

Next row: K1, K2tog to end.

Cast off. Finish ends and slip stitch ends of lining down. Attach pearl beads across front draping in long strings (four of varying width). Pink diamonds may be dotted over the stole as an added highlight.

Full graphics version here

Esmerelda Jones… The Knitting Wench
Writer Of Desires
Writer Of Old Curiosities

Victoriana, Victorian Swoon, Gods & Goddesses: The Wisdom And Pleasures of Ancient Greece, Classic Romance, Poems For The Passionate, Whimsical Tales, Bushrangers & Australian Pioneer, Ghosts I Have Known, Gypsy Knitting. Ratings and comments delightfully accepted.