Mabel Van Niekerk: 67 books

As Christmas draws closer you might be interested in augmenting your supply of decorations for the Christmas tree. Here are a few ideas to make your own baubles for the Christmas tree, and you can of course rope the family in to help you. Children enjoy any project pertaining to Christmas.

Embroidery is the art of decorating fabric or leather using any type of thread or yarn that can fit through the eye of a needle. It is not as complicated as it often looks. The stitches are mostly straight stitches placed in various positions to form patterns and are very easy to master. You will...

Smocking is a craft that can easily be learned. It only looks complicated, but believe me it’s very easy once you try it yourself. If you know how to use a needle and thread you will be able to smock in no time at all. Because of its simplicity, smocking became, and remains a very popular form of decorative embroidery - it’s an inexpensive, creative and relaxing hobby.

Pouches and small purses are always handy to keep your handbag organized – no more scratching around in your bag to find small items. These handy little pouches and purses are very easy to make from your stash of fabric and small lengths of biased binding and lengths of cord.

Making your own jewelry is fun and very easy and by crocheting bracelets and necklaces with wire it gives you a new medium to work with. If you have never learned the art of crochet before, then it would be wise to first learn the basic stitches like slip stitch, chain stitch, double crochet and single...

Making fabric roses and flowers are so easy and fun to make. Most fabrics can be used with success to create beautiful flowers for embellishing anything you like. Use to decorate hats, purses, to pin on a belt or slippers. Sew fabric roses on the hem of a sheer curtain to give an exotic finish or display a glass bowl of satin and silk roses in your bedroom for a luxurious look.

What exactly is appliqué? It’s a method of sewing one layer of fabric cut in a specific shape or pattern over another layer of fabric to form a decorative design. It’s a way of decorating any item or piece of clothing, using your own designs or commercial designs. Appliqué can be used to decorate...

A few friends, who always enjoyed playing and roaming around the Kruger National Park and looking for food together, were gathered round the waterhole. They had a lot to discuss this afternoon. Nkonkoni Wildebeest, their dear friend, had a longing to trek all the way to the Serengeti National Park...

The simple task of sewing on a button does seem to confuse many people. Sewing hems and installing zippers and darning are all looked upon as difficult tasks. In fact they are simple to do once you get the hang of it. Here are a few tips to make the tasks easier and more enjoyable.

We live in a world of disposable products with packaging material being one of the most wasteful materials manufactured. Next time you are unpacking goods after a shopping spree look more objectively at the boxes and wrappings that were used to display and protect the goods. Once you begin to make...

Traditional bead work is fascinating and a great craft to learn. Many ethnic groups in Africa and all over the world are proud of their beading crafts. It’s a wonderful way of keeping the stories of the past alive. As time goes on the younger generations lose interest in their traditions and crafts,...

Mozambique is one of Africa’s best kept secrets, but it will not last forever as tourists from around the globe are discovering this gem of the Indian Ocean. The wildlife and rugged interior of Mozambique is also a great attraction to travelers seeking adventure.

Baby quilts are quick and easy to crochet and made in various colors will match any baby room décor. Crocheting squares, which can either be sewn or crocheted together, are great fun to make and a useful time-filler. If you are not skilled at crochet then you will be amazed at how quickly you can learn the art, and with time will be able to design your own patterns.

Every hobby has to start at the beginning, so let’s start with casting on the stitches. Casting on is the term used to get the first stitches onto your needle so that you can begin knitting.There are two ways this can be done, either by creating stitches with two knitting needles, or by using one...