Craft & Sewing Projects for Everyone – Fun & Frugal

Crafts Ideas That Anyone Can Do!

Our priority at MoneySmartFamily is to help readers improve their finances and we partner with companies that could help you. Some links on this page are from our partners. Read how we earn money here.

This “Craft & Sewing Projects for Everyone” money saving tips page contains lots of frugal and easy Crafting & Sewing Ideas.


Free Craft Projects for Kids at Lowe’s – Program Cancelled

Lowe’s offers a workshop for children and their parents. It is called Build and Grow. The best part is that it is Free; Lowe’s supplies each child with the materials.   Tammy Baker – Virginia

Editor’s Note: Lowes canceled their Build & Grow program in 2016. We recommend checking your local Home Depot for their Kids Workshops


Pinecone Basket Firestarters

Homemade Pinecone Fire Starters- Great for Winter Fireplaces!

Step by step instructions on how to make wax dipped pine cone fire starters. We’ve done this craft several times and they are a beautiful gift to give to a family that has a fireplace.

Instructions:

Melt old wax candle stubs and crayons in a large #10 tin can over very low heat on the stove. Add a couple of drops of essential oil to give it a great scent. Turn off the flame once all the wax is melted. Using tongs, dip a pinecone into the wax. You’ll know the wax is the right temperature if it coats the pinecone. If your wax is too hot, barely any will remain on the pinecone. Just wait a few minutes and dip again. Place dipped pinecones on a cookie sheet covered with waxed paper to cool. When dry, place them in a decorator tin or basket and wrap for gift giving.   Annette – Scottsdale, AZ

The video covers multiple ways to get the wax, including old crayons; how to dip the pine cones; and how to arrange them when you’re finished.


Fire Starter Craft #2

My son makes firestarters from old cardboard egg cartons. Sometimes grocery stores will give you cardboard holders, but they are really cheap online. He first buys candles at a thrift store in our area . . . (go when it’s 50% off day) then melts them down over the fire. Then, he adds sawdust or dryer lint to the bottom of the egg carton and pours the melted candle wax over each compartment. It is easy to just tear off the individual fire starters when needed…and they work great!   Linda M. – Cincinnati, Ohio 


Pinecone Decor for the Holidays

My mom grew up in a very rural setting during the depression. (She says everyone was poor to start with and the depression didn’t make that much of an impact!) She’s always been great at making do with what she has. Plus, she has always appreciated the beauty of nature. She loves to gather pine cones from different species of trees, keeping a variety stored. She saves the stubs and remains of old candles throughout the year.

When Christmas approaches, she will melt the old candle wax, usually in an old slow cooker or on a hot plate on the porch, and dip the pine cones in. Then, using baskets bought from the local thrift store for a quarter, she arranges the different cones with sprigs of holly or nandina berries from her yard. She usually creates bows or ribbons from whatever she has on hand. She gives the natural decorations as a gift around Thanksgiving time so that others can enjoy them on hearths and mantles and tabletops for the Christmas season.  Michelle Gourley—Jefferson City, TN

Editor’s Note: We wish more folks understood that Christmas and gift giving can still be accomplished, even without an abundance of money.


Homemade Curling Iron Cases

Curling iron case made from blue plaid material.

I use my curling iron 2-3 times a week and hate to leave it in the sink, unplugged but still hot. So I took my old ironing board cover and made mitts for the differing sizes. The smaller one is: 11 1/2″ x 4 and the larger is 12″ x 6 1/2″. Add a short pocket in the front for the plug and they store great.

Cut the pieces for the smaller one by laying the material flat and measuring 8 1/4″ across, this is 1/4″ seam allowance and 4″ wide finished size. Then make another cut that is 12″ long, again leaving a 1/4″ seam allowance.  Fold it in half and make the cut edge rounded for aesthetic reasons. Then cut another piece half again the length, but the same width for the plug pocket. Now sew a piece of binding tape along the top edge of both pieces. Next lay the pocket piece on top of the larger piece of material and fold in half. Finally, sew the cut edge with seam binding and it is ready to go!

I also store these in my cupboard in their cases and have used quilted placemats (lining it with ironing board material) from yard sales and thrift stores to make them as gifts. Additionally, I have also taken a small piece of the matching material and added a hanging loop for those that hang their irons. Michelle Carr – US Military Overseas


 Shoe Bags Make a Great Travelers Present

A great way to use fabric remnants and help those who travel regularly to keep their clothes neat and clean. You can adjust the size to fit men’s, women’s or children’s shoes.

Materials: The dimensions below are good for men’s shoes; make them smaller for other sizes.

  • Four rectangles of material – 10 inches x 18 inches (or two larger pieces if you have them)
  • Thread
  • Ribbon or old shoelaces for the drawstring

Instructions: Take two pieces of fabric, right sides facing each other, and sew around three edges, leaving 1 1/2 inches on the top side to hem under and make a casing. Fold top edge down 1/4 inch to the inside and sew. Now fold this same part over 1 inch to the inside to make a packet (casing for a ribbon to be used as a draw-string) and sew around. Use a safety pin to pull the ribbon through the casing and then tie a pretty bow. Turn inside out and wrap for the holidays.


Home Sewn Pillowcases are Easy

This is a great project that even kids can do! All it takes is scrap fabric from home or remnant fabric from a store.It makes a great gift for anyone who has to travel.

Materials:

Case – 3/4 yard of fabric – 27 inches x 44 or 45 inches
Trim – 1/4 yard of fabric – 9 inches x 44 or 45 inches

Instructions: Sew all seams with a 1/2 inch seam allowance.

  1.  With right sides together, sew side seams of case.
  2. Laying right sides together, sew side seams of trim.
  3.  With wrong sides together, fold trim in half and iron.
  4.  Laying right sides together sew trim to case.

 Kid’s Craft Classes at Home Depot!

Lowe's Build and Grow events for kids.

My husband takes our two boys (5years and 10years) to Home Depot’s Monthly Kid’s Club. This is a workshop for children to make a craft item – example: recipe holder, bookshelf, wind chime, birdhouse, jewelry box, bubble gum machine, etc. These crafts make excellent gifts for parents, grandparents, Uncles, and cousins. And the best part is that it’s completely FREE!!!   Natalie P. – Gastonia, NC 


Recycle Plastic Handles of Paint Brushes for Craft Projects

Don’t throw away the old foam paintbrushes. Remove the foam. Underneath is a flexible plastic strip firmly attached to the handle. I find it’s great for spreading glue on craft projects.   Tony Meola – Mauldin, SC



Making Photo Collages with Recycled Magnets

Instead of throwing away the small rectangular magnets that come attached to pizza boxes or in the mail advertising a new business, I cut them into small pieces and use scotch tape to attach them to the back corners of my favorite photos. This avoids taping the photo to a surface and potentially tearing the photo when you need to remove it or ruining both your photo and your wall with thumbtacks. It also saves some money not having to buy frames, allows the photos to be moved around more freely, and allows you to display your best pictures whenever, instead of tucking them away in an album. My desk at work came with an ugly metal hutch and adding my family photos to it this way, has made my office space much more appealing. This idea can also be applied to the family fridge or any other metal surface.   FT – Tucson, AZ 


Picture Frame Decorating

Decorating Picture Frames is an Easy Craft for Everyone!

Inexpensive photo frames purchased at garage sales can be jazzed up by:

  1. Gluing buttons of all shapes, colors, and sizes on the frame
  2. Cover the frame with a lively paper – comics or whatever.
  3. Paint dark dull frames in bright colors.

If you have a photo of the recipient, insert it in the frame before presenting it as a gift. Also, cigar boxes can be painted, covered in cloth remnant, lined in felt to make nice jewelry boxes for grown-ups or “treasure boxes” for children.   Ann N. – Pittsburgh, PA 



Recycling & Crafting Old Calendars

A couple of years ago I bought myself a calendar on the markdown table in January. It was a very nice large, colorful calendar with pockets for each month. I used the pockets to store reminders of upcoming events, schedules and cards I had chosen for someone’s special day. It was so useful! When the year was over, my calendar was still in good shape. I wanted to get a new one, but couldn’t bring myself to pay $14.95! I thought about taking a “free” calendar from a local business and covering up the old monthly pages, but it didn’t fit.  A sheet of regular copy paper, turned “landscape,” covered the old month’s grid. So, going to my computer’s home publishing program, I printed out pages for this year. I just glued the new pages over the old ones and had a new calendar and kept the pockets that I found so useful! It was a cheap craft and didn’t take very long at all. My old pocket calendar is still in good shape after 2 years it may be getting another round of pages!   Michelle Gourley – Jefferson City, TN


Flower Crafts for Cemeterys

I save cans, bottles, and jars to use as containers for silk flowers. I cover them with foil or colored paper and add flowers. If I need to weigh them down I use rocks or gravel in the bottom. This is especially helpful when I place my flower arrangements on gravesites. The added weight keeps them from being blown away by wind gusts.   Marie Davis – Pendleton, SC


Shoe Box Crafts to get Organized

A stack of 3 colorful cardboard shoeboxes ready for a craft project.

You can use shoeboxes for almost anything! The boxes shoes come in are excellent for holding small craft projects, handicrafts, or any small project that has lots of pieces. The boxes are sturdy and can easily hold needles, fabrics, embroidery hoops or anything else associated with what you are creating.   Jennifer D. – Bayard, IA


If you like this page, be sure to checkout our Needlework, Crocheting & Knitting Page.

And remember, if you ever need to cut glass for a project or repair, visit our How to Cut Glass page.

If you have a crafty and creative tip or project to share, please leave it in the comments below and we’ll review it for posting on this page.

Leave a Reply