Paper chain DIY

Floral garlands with pull-out paper vines

Hands up who remembers playing Oranges & Lemons, Pass the Parcel and eating jelly and ice cream beneath decorations like these at kids' birthday parties in the 1970s…

Heard it through the grapevine?

But who knew you could make them yourself with a bit (OK, a lot) of tissue paper and glue? Scroll down to find out how!

Paper chains are for life, not just Christmas 

Tissue paper comes in really lovely shades that get even prettier as they fade with age...

A simple floral garland

Birthdays, weddings, housewarming or garden parties, you name the occasion, these gorgeous garlands will get everyone in a happy mood.

Chain reaction

All pics from Paper Chains (Search Press, 1979)

20p well spent at the Pilgrims Hospice charity shop in Deal, Kent

Instructions for the garland with pull-out vines (as shown in the first picture) here

Better than bunting (in my book)!

Season of the witch

Witching hour

Pumpkins are appearing in windows and on doorsteps and fancy-dress shops are stockpiling skeleton, black cat and devil outfits, as well as more outré costumes... the season of the witch must be upon us again.

Back in in 1973, Halloween was still thought of as an 'American thing' and traditions like pumpkin carving, apple bobbing and dressing up in scary costumes to go trick or treating were only just starting to drift across to British shores, which makes the fact that The Complete Book of Handicrafts (1973) featured this cute witchy mobile quite ahead of its time.

From the days when 'a mobile' was something altogether different, if you fancy making a spooky decoration to hang in your home – perhaps on the front door to show you're trick or treat-friendly, fish out a packet of pipe cleaners, click here for your free templates and instructions and find out how to DIY.

BOO!

Five festive DIY decorations

Group shot

If you're planning on decking your halls the DIY way this festive season, look no further than these wonderful 3D paper angel, bird, star and circle decorations – hard to believe they are 46 years old! 

Star of the show

These wonderful illustrations came from the Paper & Cardboard Modelling section in the back of Children's Britannica encyclopaedia volume 13 (Pacific Islands to Pond Life).  

Star in a box

Each project is signed and dated 'Sheila Perry, 1967', the shading details are great and I just love them. So without further ado, get out your cardboard, glue (and perhaps a bit of glitter), and enjoy a crafty Christmas, 1960s-style. 

Click on the caption/link under each image for instructions.

Partridge in a pear tree?

Starburst

Groovy circles

Best-dressed angel in town

Happy holidays to one and all! 

Oh, and there's another project in the same series here

From rags to rugs

Hello Kitty

I never thought this day would come, but I plan to start making a rag rug. There, I've said it.

This shocking realisation dawned on me soon after buying a 1980 book, simply called Crafts, for 50p in Deptford market last Saturday, and seeing with my own eyes that the humble rag rug, staple of Fairtrade shops and student flats in the 80s, when made in the right colour combinations, could actually look amazing.

The patchwork number above is made out of fabric strips and hardwearing twine or string, woven into squares and sewn together. Fear not, you don't need to have a fancy room-sized loom – a basic £10 kids' tabletop one will do the job just fine... click here to find out exactly how to go about it.

Protest singer's pad?

If you can't be bothered faffing about with a weaving loom, this lovely autumnal rug is made by braiding (plaiting) long strips of fabric together, winding the plait round in an oval or circular spiral and stitching each round to the previous one. Depending on the thickness of your fabric and the sturdiness of your sewing machine, you could probably zigzag the whole thing together on a machine. Easy peasy instructions for this one here.

It was a happy day when I stumbled upon my new favourite book. Craft (Book Club Associates, 1980) also features no fewer than 10 different belts to make, plus two hammocks and a picnic basket, which I look forward to sharing with you toute suite.

School library scoop

I thought my eyes were deceiving me when I happened upon a massive collection of 60s, 70s, 80s (and one 30s) craft books in my local bric-a-brac market yesterday. All from a school library in East Dulwich in south east London – and at £1 a pop, I bought as many as I could carry.

Sadly, for reasons of shelf space, I had to leave behind titles on macramé, plaiting, braiding, soft toy making and other skillz just a little out of the scope of my interests, but this little lot will keep me going for a while. Watch this space for some of the highlights.

Knit-a-rama

Published by Collins/Conde Nast (1972)

Two new (read: 30-year-old) craft books recently came into my possession, both on the subject of knitting - must be something in the air (er, that would be the snow, sleet and rain).

The first – the Vogue Guide to Knitting, I picked up in Oxfam in Tooting (a nice area of south London I venture to rarely and which makes me think of Citizen Smith and 'Power to the people'. I was in that neck of the woods getting some advice at the amazing Wimbledon Sewing Machine Centre, which, incidently, is attached to one of my favourite museums, the weird and very wonderful London Sewing Machine Museum).

I clocked the 'Tiny bikinis' referred to on the cover, and then the 'Exciting designs' – for example a terrific smock (with rolled-up jeans, thick socks and sandals), and a fair isle sweater and matching beret worn by a rather stern child:

I also just love the floral/stripey pullover on the cover (not to mention the girl's hairdo). Here she is again, looking as if she's holding an iPod in some bizarre knitting-meets-time-travel experiment.

The shape of things to come

Click here for a (as always free) PDF of the pattern for her lovely floral pullover.

Published by Marshall Cavendish (1982)

The second book, Aran and Fair Isle Knitting, I received as a gift from someone who knows me only too well. 'Tis a technicolour treasure trove of Scottish knitwear, such as this lovely jumper:

Getting it in the neck

and I also just really like the colours in the stitch samples and the diagrams:

Add caption

I'm spoilt for things to share with you from this book so I'm plumping for the adorable pompom mittens shown on the cover. You will need three balls of Aran wool and these instructions.

Stay cosy!

Let sleeping dogs lie

All together now – awwww

I was in a junk shop flicking through St Michael Handicraft Gifts (1978), my expectations way down low thanks to its soft-focus satin lavender bag and pot pourri cover, when my eyes fell upon this sleepy corduroy dog. I did a double take and then all but cried at how sweet he is. I know I must be getting sentimental in my old age, but come on LOOK AT HIM, he's even got a heart-shaped nose.

What more is there to say really, except I bet you want to find out how to make him, and have a look at the shape of that nose, so here's the pattern and the instructions. Night night then.

My first sewing book

 

She's got a skirt pattern and she's going to use it

While having my customary new-year clear-out, I came across the first sewing book I ever owned: My Learn To Sew Book. Why it had been put in storage I have no idea apart from the fact it's really tatty with a ripped and stained cover and half the pages are falling out. Anyway, what a blast from the past it is...

By Janet Barbour/illustrated by Belinda Lyon/published by Hamlyn, 1970

The projects are so familiar they're like old friends. Hello Lazy Daisy cat, Polly Dolly, hedgehog pin cushion and inhabitants of the primitive dolls' house:

(Not to scale)

And a special welcome back for these stylish lion slippers, I missed you *scroll down for a link to the pattern*

 

One of the mane things I like about this book

These lovely illustrations made sewing look fun...

Best hairdos ever

Ah the memories

Sew (geddit), if you can see yourself lounging about with two lions on your feet, click here for the slippers pattern...

Or, if you are looking for something a little less ostentatious, here's how to make this marvellous money belt:

Put your money where your belt is

Does this classic kids' book look familiar to you? Or is there another one that got you into making things? Let me know in the comments!

Have a cracking Christmas

False advertising: no knitting, stitching or crochet in this post (artwork from Stitchcraft, December 1973)

For my short-but-hopefully-sweet penultimate post of 2012, I bring you a two festive projects – just in case you have any spare 'making' time over the pre-holiday weekend...

First up, a leafy hanging wreath adorned with an octet of colourful elves...

Which one is Will Ferrell?

To find out what you'll need to make this charming decoration, and how to go about it, click here.

Secondly, a '70s nativity scene featuring all the usual characters and creatures, gathered in the stable...

Mary and Joseph look over the moon

The grid's quite nice to look at:

Love the three kings

And the full instructions are here.

Both these festive furbelows are taken from my trusty St Michael Book of Handicrafts (Sundial Books, 1975). I hope you enjoy making them.

Happy holidays to Glad You Could Make It readers around the world!

Danish embroidery

A Glad You Could Make It reader who got in touch a while back brought my attention to the work of the 'grand old lady' of Danish craft books, Lis Paludan. Somehow, this inspirational person had passed me by, but a quick Google search and I was eyeing some of the folkiest, most typically seventies pieces of embroidery I'd seen since primary school.

Published in this country by Mills and Boon, 1970

This is my first Lis Paludan book in what I hope will become a collection. I'm not sure how many were translated into English, but who cares when the pictures are this good?

Village atmosphere

Smiling butterflies

If only this was in colour

Love those tiger feet

Snail's pace

Seedy

Creature from the deep

Tree of crazy owls

Last but not least...

Next on the list, Paludan's finest work, Broderier for Alle...

Granny square poncho

Love the nonchalant, hands-in-pockets stance

This cutie in a mini trilby inspired me to crochet a poncho for my niece's fifth birthday a few months ago. I spotted her in a book I found on one of my trawls round the charity shops of Norwich:

I KNOW: nice gloves

Rather than buy matchy wool specially, I thought I'd go freestyle on the colourscheme and use up some of the odds and ends about to create an avalanche under my craft table. Another part of my cunning plan was that I had around 20 multicoloured granny squares that I'd made a couple of years back, just sitting on a shelf, waiting. This was their moment!

I just needed to crochet 22 more squares...

I felt a sense of satisfaction at this point

arrange them in the right shape...

Swapping the squares about to get good colours next to each other is fun

stitch them together...

It took ages sewing in all the loose ends

crochet an edging, add a couple of tassels – and voilà.

Pink tassels were my niece's idea, not mine, I hasten to add

The beauty of having a project like this on the go is that you can take it everywhere with you. For about a month, I had my bag of wool and crochet hook with me, ready to do a few rounds on my journey to and from work, on longer train journeys, in the park – you name it.

If you want to make the poncho yourself, you just need to master the granny square and then it's really just a matter of keeping going until you've made 42 of 'em. These are my favourite granny square instructions that I use to refresh my memory, from the Harmony Guide to Crochet Stitches, Lyric, 1986.

And here's how to make the little girls' poncho, with further instructions here.

Don't forget to buy her a cute little trilby to wear with it!

Poncho pattern courtesy of The Book of Creative Crafts (Tigerlily, 1978).