New and Featured Tutorials
How to Make a Winter Village Candle Holder – Polymer Clay Menorah Tutorial
Happy Hanukkah! I searched high and low for a cool menorah last year, but most menorahs are either very traditional *cough*BORING*cough or exPONsive. So I decided to make my own from polymer clay! I’ve nicknamed this the “shtetl menorah” because “shtetl” is the Yiddish word for a small village or town. This project can be […]
How to Make a Batty Gathered Tulle Circle Skirt – Halloween Sewing Tutorial
Velcome, my crafty friends, to another WhatTheCraft BOOtorial! Today’s project is this bewitching bat skirt. I love how the layers of tulle give the impression of the bats fluttering in midair. And this skirt style can go way beyond Halloween! You could do a red skirt with little hearts all over it. Or a white […]
How to Stencil a Bleached Ribcage Shirt – DiY Halloween Tutorial
Greetings, ghosts and ghouls! Today’s project is this spooktacular bleached ribcage shirt which is perfect for the Halloween season… but also for everyday wear. (In my humble opinion, one can never have too many articles of skeleton-inspired clothing in their wardrobe.) This creepy skeleton shirt was a staple item in my shop for years, and […]
The Scissorlace! One of my favorite sewing tools ever, plus a quick jewelry-making tip!
If you’re like me, you’re forever losing your scissors or forgetting to bring them when you sit down at the machine. So I came up with an easy solution: I strung a pair of small thread scissors onto a chain so can wear my scissors as a necklace! This is a stupid-easy project, but it’s […]
Do you know how to use a seam ripper?
I know. It sounds like a dumb question, but really… do you? And what’s that little red nub for? Find out in this video: Trouble with the video player? Click here to watch the video on Youtube.
How to Sew the Ladder Stitch – Hand Sewing Tutorial
Good morning, class! Today lesson is on the infamous ladder stitch that I just can’t seem to stop mentioning in my other tutorials lately. The ladder stitch is also called the slip stitch or the invisible stitch. If you don’t have a lot of hand sewing experience, getting out the ol’ needle and thread can […]
DID YOU JUST CRAFT YOUR PANTS?
Hi, I'm Lex!
I’m a writer, craft addict, and former professional seamstress/fashion designer.
I started WhatTheCraft in 2006, because I love sharing what I learn. I’m mostly self-taught. And by self-taught I mean there was a lot of time and effort (and lots of trial and error) put into teaching myself how to sew and draft patterns. But there were also a lot of kickass people out there, sharing free tutorials and tips on the internet. So this is also my way of paying it forward.
Through this site I share my projects, tutorials, and DiY tips, and all the other things (cats, food, life) in between.
Patterns
Recent Posts
How to Make a Winter Village Candle Holder – Polymer Clay Menorah Tutorial
Happy Hanukkah! I searched high and low for a cool menorah last year, but most menorahs are either very traditional *cough*BORING*cough or exPONsive. So I decided to make my own from polymer clay! I’ve nicknamed this the “shtetl menorah” because “shtetl” is the Yiddish word for a small village or town. This project can be […]
How to Make a Batty Gathered Tulle Circle Skirt – Halloween Sewing Tutorial
Velcome, my crafty friends, to another WhatTheCraft BOOtorial! Today’s project is this bewitching bat skirt. I love how the layers of tulle give the impression of the bats fluttering in midair. And this skirt style can go way beyond Halloween! You could do a red skirt with little hearts all over it. Or a white […]
How to Stencil a Bleached Ribcage Shirt – DiY Halloween Tutorial
Greetings, ghosts and ghouls! Today’s project is this spooktacular bleached ribcage shirt which is perfect for the Halloween season… but also for everyday wear. (In my humble opinion, one can never have too many articles of skeleton-inspired clothing in their wardrobe.) This creepy skeleton shirt was a staple item in my shop for years, and […]
The Scissorlace! One of my favorite sewing tools ever, plus a quick jewelry-making tip!
If you’re like me, you’re forever losing your scissors or forgetting to bring them when you sit down at the machine. So I came up with an easy solution: I strung a pair of small thread scissors onto a chain so can wear my scissors as a necklace! This is a stupid-easy project, but it’s […]
Do you know how to use a seam ripper?
I know. It sounds like a dumb question, but really… do you? And what’s that little red nub for? Find out in this video: Trouble with the video player? Click here to watch the video on Youtube.
How to Sew the Ladder Stitch – Hand Sewing Tutorial
Good morning, class! Today lesson is on the infamous ladder stitch that I just can’t seem to stop mentioning in my other tutorials lately. The ladder stitch is also called the slip stitch or the invisible stitch. If you don’t have a lot of hand sewing experience, getting out the ol’ needle and thread can […]
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