Hochanda

Katie Skilton gives us a sneak peak at what's to come with her next show on Hochanda with Sizzix! Hi there … I am here on the Hochanda blog today sharing a little sneak peak of what is to come on my next Sizzix shows which you can see on Tuesday 24th May. This is a really exciting launch as not only are the products brand new but they are something a little bit different!  I would like to introduce to you the latest Bigz dies from Tim Holtz … The village houses. These are super cute and really addictive!  Each building has it’s own features and you can get add on dies that will allow you to add the most amazing detail to these buildings.  You will notice the pictures I am sharing today are quite plain because i don’t want to give too much away! For those of you who love your inks, paints and mixed media these are going to be amazing to take those techniques and make them 3D. There are a variety of different roof tops, bui...

Kim & Debbie are back once again to keep us up to date on all of their adventures in their regular guest blog! We can't believe that on the last Sunday of May we are up to the penultimate pattern in Florries Sampler Quilt!  Last month we tackled the blocks featuring Needle Turned Appliqué and Bears Paw.  The extra project was a lovely little pot holder using one block of the Bears Paw. To top things off, Our Sewing at the Manor book proved really popular and a lovely pack of half metres from the Mill Shirtings Collection were also on the show! We have some extra shows in May, on the 2nd we brought a Free Motion Sewing Pack and the rotating 12 inch board which is in inches, Happy Days! Also, on Friday 13th we are looking forward to sunnier days with a pack of fabric called 'Vacation' and some useful bag accessories... oh! And an LED night in a choice of colours. Florries Sampler Quilt Pattern 5 has the wow factor with a foundation pieced Spinning Bl...

We're so excited to be bringing you this brilliant die cleaning tool from Craft Obsessions , which will relieve all of the frustrations that come with cleaning intricate dies, featuring on Hochanda on Wednesday 4th May at 10AM and 1PM & 6PM. Anyone who has ever used an intricate die suffers the frustrating job of having to clear out the dozens of waste bits of paper or card before they can use it again. Existing die cleaning brushes work up to a point, but as die designs become ever more intricate, manufacturers are having to reduce the size of the openings in the back of the die to allow more intricate features to form part of the design.   This results in upwards of 60 or more individual holes through which you can poke out the waste with a pin or craft pick or roll a brush over the back of the die and wait for just one bristle to find its way into the hole you need it to go through to force the waste out…..that is until now! Introducing Roll Away: ...

We gave away a kit to knit your very own Ursula the Polar Bear at Crafting at Ally Pally which has been designed by Barbara Prime,  and now we’ve got the pattern below from Practical Publishing for all of you who’d like to create this adorable knit! For anyone who didn’t get a chance to grab the knit kit, all you need is red and white wool to get started! Happy Knitting! Body: With MC and smaller needles, cast on 9sts. Join to work in the rnd, being careful not to twist. Pm to mark beg of rnd at centre back. Rnd 1: Knit. 
 Rnd 2: [K1, m1] 9 times. 18 sts 
 Rnds 3, 5, 7, 9 & 11: Knit. 
 Rnd 4: [K3, m1] 6 times. 24 sts 
 Rnd 6: [K4, m1] 6 times. 30 sts 
 Rnd 8: [K5, m1] 6 times. 36 sts 
 Rnd 10: [K6, m1] 6 times. 42 sts 
 Rnd 12: [K7, m1] 6 times. 48 sts 
 Rnd 13-15: Knit. 
 Rnd 16: K18, p1, k10, p1, k18. Purled sts mark eye locations. 
 Rnds 17-27: Knit. 
 Rnd 28: K19, m1, k10, m1, k19. 50 sts Rnds 29-35: Knit. 
 Rnd 36:...