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Halloween is just around the corner, and what better way to prepare your children"s costumes than to make them yourself! It"s easy to create a beautiful and unique Halloween costume with Hickey"s Easy Sew Wooki Jedi Costume - complete with pants, bag & mask to complete the look. It"s the perfect Halloween costume for any Star Wars fan, and

Halloween is just around the corner, and what better way to prepare your children"s costumes than to make them yourself! How to make a Spooky Cape: You will need: 1 metre of Black Felt. 1 metre of Black Ribbon. Scissors. Tailors Chalk. Measuring Tape. For the Top: Measure the length of the cape from shoulder to waist. Fold the

The Summer holidays are finally here and that means only one thing...how do we keep the kids entertained! We"ve picked some easy kids craft projects from around the web to help keep your little one busy come rain or shine. Happy crafting! Fab Crabs (parents.com)  Photograph Sabrina Heals Turn beachcombed finds into shoreline critters that"ll

Frill and Fluff You will need: Napkin of our choice Chiffon or lace ribbon. Matching satin ribbon. Packet of white feathers. Name tags. Scissors Fabric glue or double sided sticky tape Method: Fold the napkin in half. Fold the left-hand short edge in about 1/3, then fold the right-hand short edge on in to form a rectangle

We are delighted to bring you details of Stylecraft"s latest Crochet Along starting 5th April. Designed by the very talented Jane Crowfoot, the project features the Frida"s Flowers blanket, a wonderful, colourful design inspired by the the Mexican artist Firda Kahlo. Published in 8 fortnightly instalments over 4 months all the patterns will be available to download free from our blog so don"t forget to check in every fortnight. We will let you know on our Facebook page when the next free pattern is available. You can also share your progress with us on Facebook Home Focus Facebook.  The blanket is created in Stylecraft"s Classique Cotton available online and in the following Hickeys Fabrics stores: Henry Street, Dublin 1 & Corbett Court, Galway . The yarn is available in 50g balls and costs €3.15 each. Download the Stylecraft"s Get Started guide which is full of useful information and tips to help you prepare for the start of the project on April 5th. This project is designed for those looking to improve their crochet skills rather than complete beginners.

For the project you will need:

• 7 x 50g balls of Classique Cotton Black 3093
• 4 x 50g Balls of Classique Cotton Plum 3567
• 4 x 50g Balls of Classique Cotton Nocturne 3669
• 3 x 50g Balls of Classique Cotton Ivory 3665
• 2 x 50g Balls of Classique Cotton Poppy 3672
• 2 x 50g Balls of Classique Cotton Shrimp 3674
• 2 x 50g Balls of Classique Cotton Sunflower 3662
• 2 x 50g Balls of Classique Cotton Leaf 3907
• 1 x 50g Balls of Classique Cotton Teal 3566
• 1 x 50g Balls of Classique Cotton Greek Blue 3095
• 1 x 50g Balls of Classique Cotton Mauve 3658
• 1 x 50g Balls of Classique Cotton Toffee 3658
• 3.5mm, 4mm & 4.5mm crochet hook
• Small locking stitch markers
• Knitter"s sewing needle
• Sharp pair of scissors,
• Tape measure
• Project bag/basket

Tueaday 5th April - Block 1 is now available to download from the Stylecraft website. You can download the English terms version here: White Cosmos Fridas Flowers Blanket Block 1. US terms, Dutch and German language are available on stylecraft-yarns.com. Don"t forget to share you work on our Facebook page. Tueaday 19th April - Block 2 featuring the Dahlia Bud, a native flower of Frida"s Mexico, is now available to download from the Stylecraft website. You can download the English terms version here: Dahlia Bud Fridas Flowers Blanket Block 2. US terms, Dutch and German language are available on stylecraft-yarns.com. We would love to see your progress so far. You can share your work on our Home Focus Facebook page or email us on [email protected]   Tuesday 3rd May - Block 3 Bird of Paradise takes its inspiration from the 1943 Frida Kahlo painting ‘Self Portrait with monkeys, bird of paradise flower’. This block is a little more complicated to make than the blocks you have already made. Full UK terms instructions are available to download here Bird of Paradise US terms, Dutch and German language are also available on  stylecraftyarns.com. Tuesday 17th May - Block 4- Rosa.  This weeks block is inspired by one of Frida"s very first paintings, Still Life Roses, a gift for her older sister, Adriana. Full UK terms instructions are available to download here Rosa and US terms, Dutch and German language are also available on  stylecraftyarns.com. Tuesday 31th May - Block 5- Heart Rose.  This weeks block is inspired by Frida"s painting, The Two Fridas, painted in 1939 after her divorce from Diego Rivera. This portrait shows the two sides of Frida"s personality. The image on the left of the portrait depicts Frida"s vulnerable side - here she is shown wearing traditional dress and with a broken heart. On the right we see Frida"s independent side - here she shown wearing modern dress and and with a strong heart. Full UK terms instructions are available to download here Heart Rose and US terms, Dutch and German language are also available on  stylecraftyarns.com.   Tuesday 14th June - Block 6 - Ring of Roses.  This was the first motif designed by Jane Crowfoot for the Frida"s Flowers Blanket. Inspired by a famous photograph of Frida Kahlo wits roses in her hair set against a dark green floral background . Full UK terms instructions are available to download here Ring of Roses and US terms, Dutch and German language are also available on  stylecraftyarns.com. Tuesday 21st June - Block 7 - Frida"s Bouquet. “I paint my own reality. The only thing I know is that I paint because I need to, and I paint whatever passes through my head without any other consideration.”  - Frida Kahlo. Block 7 takes it inspiration from Frida’s painting ‘Self-Portrait as a Tehuana (Diego on My Mind)’. In this portrait Freda is dressed in white traditional Tehuana dress with an image of her husband, Diego Rivera, on her forehead. A bouquet of white flowers are arranged in her hair. The painting makes it apparent that her husband is at the centre of her thoughts and the source of profound sentiment and passion. Jane Crowfoot designed this motif to sit at the centre of the blanket and at the centre point of both ends of the blanket just as Diego was at the centre of Frida’s life. Full UK terms instructions are available to download here Frida"s Bouquet and US terms, Dutch and German language are also available on stylecraftyarns.com. Tuesday 12th July - Block 8 - Frida"s Edging. Designed to to highlight the zigzag edge created by the hexagon shapes at the top and bottom of the blanket. This completes the instructions for Jane Crowfoot"s Frida"s Flowers blanket. It has been a wonderful colourful journey where we learned about the art of Frida Kahlo while creating something beautiful. Full UK terms instructions are available to download here Frida"s Edging and US terms, Dutch and German language are also available on stylecraftyarns.com.

Ribbon Tree Follow our step by step guide or watch our easy to follow video on how to make a decorative Ribbon Tree You will need: Different coloured ribbon about 5 metres of each Jar or small vase Polystyrene ball Pins Glue Large knitting needle Play sand Glitter (optional) Method: Take a long length of ribbon approx 70cm

Image Prestigious Textiles fabric used Superstar Graphite Finding the perfect lampshade to match your décor can sometimes be a difficult quest. Our easy step by step guide to making your own lampshade is the perfect solution! Using the fabric of your choice and Needcrafts lampshade kit we will show you how to make your own professional looking

Make your Christmas table extra special! We"ve had a look around the web for a little inspiration that will help make your festive table stand out this year. Scandinavian Style (image: www.hibs100.co.uk). Create this look with springs of greenery, candles and simple ornaments in red and white. For more details visit: hibs100.co.uk deck-the-

Ribbon Wreath: You will need: 12" Embroidery hoop 8-10 Metres of 3 different colour ribbon (wire ribbon works best). You may need more or less depending on the size of the embroidery hoop used.   Method: Tie the ribbon onto the hoop, alternating colours as you go. Tie each bow before cutting it of the spool. You will tie about 26 bows

How to Make a Frilled Christmas Tree Skirt You will Need: 1 Metre of Red Felt for the base 0.55 Metres of plain fabric  we used Christmas Plain Red 0.75 Metres of printed fabric we used Scandi Reindeer Natural 3 Metres of ribbon or a bias fro the 3 ties and the neck binding Method: Using 1 metre Square for the base, fold in half and