CRAFT:

Sew Up a Party Dress

I recently contributed a post to Stylehive rounding up the best DIY fashions you can make this holiday season. Yes crafters, there's still time to whip up something stylish, even over this very weekend. I've picked a few cute dress patterns from BurdaStyle that will help you shimmer and shine for those holiday parties or dinners. Link.

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CRAFT Podcast: Quick Holiday Gifts to Make from Britex Fabrics

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Hi Crafters! Welcome to our new weekly video podcast! Our first installment is a visit to one of my favorite local San Francisco fabric shops, Britex Fabrics in the heart of Union Square. I recently talked with Louise Roper, the Notions Manager at Britex, who gives us her favorite projects you can make in a jiffy -- just in time for holiday gifts!

Louise shows us three projects:

• How to make luxe headbands + belts
• Fabric + feather brooches
• Vintage Bakelite button pins

Last minute holiday gifts never looked so good! Thanks to Louise and Britex for the fabulous project ideas.

I've been going to Britex since I was in high school, so for about 20 years now! The 3rd floor where Louise works is one of my favorites, as you can see the stacks of buttons from vintage to new, are a sight to see. I also love the wide array of trims, flowers, ribbons, and lots of notions. I can pretty much spend an afternoon on that floor. But take a walk up (or the elevators) to the 4th floor and check out their fabulous stash of fabric and leather remnants. Then just spend time checking out all the amazing fabrics on the all rest of the floors. My favorite fabrics all the cottons and prints, perfect for quilting and I love how the fabrics are all organized by color. I bought a fantastic Pucci-esque print a few years ago at Britex to sew up my knitting needle holder. So if you are in the Bay Area, take a visit to Britex Fabrics for a crafty adventure!

Britex Fabrics
146 Geary Street
San Francisco, CA 94108
Phone: (415) 392-2910
britexfabrics.com

Hours:
M-Sat: 10am - 6pm
Sun: Noon - 5pm

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CRAFT Holiday Gift Guide -- Edible Giftables

For me, the holidays are always about the food as much as anything else. Presents are great, but I love looking around a candle-lit table filled with my loved ones and the food we've cooked together. This year, since everyone I know has too much stuff anyway, I'm going to stuff my loved ones with tasty treats!

Everyone knows how to make latkes and Christmas cookies and gingerbread men (or if you don't, there are literally hundreds of websites and cookbooks eager to tell you how), so I've gathered some recipes that are a little more unusual, or twists on a classic. There's something really special about delivering a tin (you can probably find great vintage ones at garage sales or flea markets for a song) of home-baked goods. May visions of sugarplums dance in your head ...

I first read about sugarplums in The Country Kitchen Cookbook, a now sadly out-of-print narrative cookbook about relearning the recipes of childhood. I realized that I'd never actually known what a sugarplum was, Night Before Christmas notwithstanding. According to The Historical Cookery Page, it's not entirely clear whether the original sugarplums of the Elizabethan age were literally sugared plums, or just sugary confections. Whatever they were, these are fantastic, and a great gift for vegans or friends who don't like chocolate (gasp!). I love this recipe.

For those that do like chocolate, these truffle recipes look incredible. I love that you learn the reasoning behind the ingredients (what makes whipping cream whipping cream, for example?) as well as the structure of how to make a truffle so that you can get creative with the flavorings. And what flavorings! I can't wait to try whipping up rosemary with sea salt or jasmine and honey truffles. Maybe I'll gift some to myself ...

If you're getting tired of all the sweetness that starts with the holidays, think about the ultimate savory treat: perfectly seasoned popcorn. If you have a friend with a secret love of the microwaved version, but are afraid of them getting popcorn lung, this is a hilarious idea for a gift. Make up a bunch in advance and put them in wax paper bags instead of plain paper.

Way more fun than buying mass-produced Chanukah gelt for playing dreidel, these are the grown-up version of those wimpy chocolates I remember as a kid. Have fun making creative wrappings for these (gold foil? watercolored labels? embossed packaging?) or go simple and put them straight in a little fabric bag (make sure not to leave anywhere too warm!).

For as long as I can remember, my family has dropped off freshly-baked and eccentrically decorated Christmas cookies at my parents' neighbors' homes. The neighbors at the end of our driveway arrive sometime on Christmas Eve or Christmas morning, bearing a plate or tin of delicious, exquisite homemade fudge in return. I have to say it is one of the things I look forward to most! And knowing that, my family has given me the greatest gift of all: free pickings from the fudge plate.

Related:

• CRAFT Holiday Gift Guide 2007


• CRAFT Holiday Gift Guide - Crafty Books to Give


• CRAFT Holiday Gift Guide - For the Peeps


• CRAFT Holiday Gift Guide - Gifts You Can Make


• CRAFT Gift Guide: Tools of the trade

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