free printable care instructions label

FREE Printable Care Instructions Labels for Crafters

This post may contain affiliate links to products or materials that I have personally used or endorse. All opinions expressed are mine. Please see my disclosure policy here.

Greetings fellow crafters, fiber artists, crochet addicts and general DIY fanatics! I have FREE printable care instructions labels for you today because I understand the struggle of painstakingly creating something and then having to hand write out the finicky care instructions! This handy little tool is a must have for anyone creating handmade items that will need care and laundering. It can be printed at home and added to any type of tags or packaging you already use.  I have a little tutorial for you that shows you how I use these labels, so keep reading through for the link!

Product Tags – using FREE Printable Care Instructions Labels

Materials required:
Plain cardstock – I use white, but any neutral color will work.
Paper cutter
Tag topper punch – these are newer styles but would work great: Ornate and Scalloped
Hole punch – if your tag topper punch doesn’t also create holes
Avery 8160 Labels – these come in clear as well, but I use the white
Computer and printer

First, I cut strips of cardstock into 1½” strips using my paper cutter. I am a former Stampin’ Up demonstrator, so this is my favorite product:

Next, I cut each strip into 3 pieces, approximately 3¾” long. I then use my Stampin’ Up Tag Punch to trim one edge. The paper strip is longer than the tag punch, but you can pull the paper through the whole in the punch to trim just one edge:

Next I use a single hole punch to cut a small hole in the rounded edge to affix the tie through.

Here comes the creative part! I use www.avery.com to create my own product labels! You can add text and images and it will save your project online for future adjustments if you create a free account. Simply enter the label product you are using (we are using Avery 8160 labels for this project) and create your label. Place your labels into your printer (make sure they are facing the correct way!) and print directly from the Avery website.

I love how mine turned out! Next, print the FREE printable care instructions label on the same Avery 8160 labels paper. (Link is below, you’re almost there!)
Next, flip over your tags and slap on the care instructions label:

This leaves a little bit of room on the top of my label for the name of the item, the fiber content and the size. Simply affix a string or piece of yarn to the tag, and tie it onto your project!

I also add these handy care labels to other packaging that I use, such as my cup cozy cards (another fabulous free download from the amazing Ashleigh of Sewrella):

What other uses can you think of for these labels? I’d love to hear your ideas! Ok, you’ve read through my tutorial, now here is the link you’ve been waiting for!!!

Click here to download: ⇒ FREE Printable Care Instructions Labels ⇐ Click here to download

I hope you find these labels useful and I would love to see how you use them or answer any questions you might have! Please help support CDM Handmade by commenting, sharing this post, or checking out any of my social media links above. Thank you!

xoxo-Charmaine

Washcloth Series: Crunch Stitch Crochet Washcloth

This post may contain affiliate links to products or materials that I have personally used or endorse. All opinions expressed are mine. Please see my disclosure policy here.

Welcome to post #3 in my Crochet Washcloth Series! Make sure you check out free patterns #1: Grit Stitch Washcloth and #2: Moss Stitch Washcloth too!

You might be asking yourself, “is she ever going to post any other patterns besides washcloths? Get on with it lady!”
I do promise, I have lots of great ideas and free patterns in store for you! As you can probably see, I’m just getting my blog optimized, and these are great, basic patterns for you (the reader) and me (the writer) to work with!

This pattern uses a combination of the half double crochet (hdc) and the slip stitch (sl st). Together, it is called the “crunch stitch”. I’ve also seen it called the “dijon stitch”, but that just reminds me of mustard, so I prefer the term crunch. You know, kind of like potato chips, yum!

Truthfully this is my favorite crochet washcloth to use for dishes and I have several customers who specially request this one. It really does have a fairly stiff “crunch” to the texture that just makes it so easy to scrub up your dirty pans! Here is your free pattern for the Crunch Stitch Crochet Washcloth!

Crunch Stitch Crochet Washcloth

Abbreviations:
sl st – slip stitch
ch – chain
hdc – half double crochet
sc – single crochet

Materials required:
1 skein of 100% cotton yarn – I used Lily Sugar ‘n Cream in Red
Crochet hook, any size – I used my Clover Amour size H (5mm)

Chain 37

Row 1: Sl st in 2nd ch from hook, *1 hdc in next ch, Sl st in next, repeat from * across, turn (36).

Row 2: ch 1, Sl st in 2nd ch from hook, *1 hdc in next st, Sl st in next, repeat from * across, turn (36).

Repeat Row 2 until you reach the desired length. Depending on your yarn, hook and gauge, the row number will vary, but mine is usually 33 rows.
Tip: I usually fold my project in half diagonally to check how “square” it is. You can also measure each side to ensure they are equal.
Finishing: Ch 1, sc in the corner. Continue down the side of the washcloth, sc in each stitch. In the next corner stitch sc, ch 1, sc. Continue around entire project, repeating the corner pattern (sc, ch 1, sc) on each corner until you’ve completed a row all around your project. Join with slip stitch to the first sc.

There you have it, another completed crochet washcloth to add to your collection! But don’t go do any dishes, that would be a waste of great quality crochet time – grab another skein and hook up another one!

Thanks so much for visiting my blog! I would really love to hear what you think and see anything you’ve created with my patterns, so leave me a comment or send me an email!

xoxo-Charmaine

Washcloth Series: Moss Stitch Crochet Washcloth

This post may contain affiliate links to products or materials that I have personally used or endorse. All opinions expressed are mine. Please see my disclosure policy here.

Welcome to post #2 in my Crochet Washcloth Series! Did you get a chance to make my first pattern? Check out the Grit Stitch Washcloth!

So why a series about washcloths you ask? Well, as I learned to crochet, I made a lot of them. And I gave a lot as gifts. But I only gave away the nicely finished ones of course – you know, like when you cut baked goods to give as gifts: you give the nice ones away and only get to eat the rejects of broken cookies and mushed up brownies. The same went for my washcloths – I only got to keep the ugly ones and the ones that  were imperfect. Through this trial and error of using the “rejects”, I found which were my favorite to use in the kitchen as well as my favorite to crochet!


I discovered this stitch, the moss stitch (also called the granite stitch), when the crochet world was abuzz about “Planned Pooling”, but that’s a story for a different day! It is a very easy stitch, but so satisfying in its symmetry and makes a very stretchy and pliable washcloth. It would work fine for dishes, but this washcloth would be lovely gifted with soaps to be used as a facecloth too.


Moss stitch is a very easy combination of single crochet and chain stitches and is described below, but if you want a good tutorial, please visit Moogly Blog here for a more detailed description.


So here is Washcloth #2 in my series of my favorite patterns!


Moss Stitch Washcloth

Abbreviations:
ch: chain
sc: single crochet
st: stitch

Materials required:
1 skein of 100% cotton yarn – Lily Sugar n Cream in Hot Orange
Crochet hook, any size – I used my Clover Amour size H (5mm)

Chain 38
Row 1: sc in the 4th ch from the hook, *ch 1, skip the next ch, sc in the next ch; repeat from * until 2 ch remain, skip the next ch, sc in the last ch, turn. (35)

Row 2: Ch 1, sc in first ch space, *ch 1, skip the next st, sc in the next ch space; repeat until 2 st remains, ch 1, skip next st and sc into the last st, turn. (35)

Repeat Row 2 until you reach the desired length. Depending on your yarn, hook and gauge, the row number will vary, but mine is usually 33 rows.

Tip: I usually fold my project in half diagonally to check how “square” it is. You can also measure each side to ensure they are equal.

Finishing: Ch 1, sc in the corner. Continue down the side of the washcloth, sc in each stitch. In the next corner stitch sc, ch 1, sc. Continue around entire project, repeating the corner pattern (sc, ch 1, sc) on each corner until you’ve completed a row all around your project. Join with slip stitch to the first ch.


Thanks for visiting my blog and supporting me!

Washcloth Series: Grit Stitch Crochet Washcloth

This post may contain affiliate links to products or materials that I have personally used or endorse. All opinions expressed are mine. Please see my disclosure policy here.

The pattern I’m sharing here as my very first is a very simple crochet washcloth. I taught myself to crochet by making washcloth after washcloth so that I could learn how to count stitches and keep my tension even. It took several attempts and different patterns that looked a lot like this:


Photo credit: Google image

until my skills improved enough to actually call my creation a washcloth! I also tried a large variety of patterns until I found the patterns I preferred to use as a finished product.

This pattern is a very simple beginner project using a combination of just single crochet and chain stitches.


Grit Stitch Washcloth

Abbreviations:
sl st – slip stitch
ch – chain
sc – single crochet

Materials required:
1 skein of 100% cotton yarn – I used “I Love This Cotton” available at Hobby Lobby in color “Christmas II”
Crochet hook, any size – I used my Clover Amour size H (5mm)

Chain 37

Row 1: Ch as described above, sc in the 3rd ch from the hook, *skip the next ch, 2 sc in the next ch; repeat from * until 2 ch remain, skip the next ch, sc in the last ch, turn. (35)

Row 2: Ch 1, sc in first st, *skip the next st, 2 sc in the next st; repeat until 1 st remains, skip the st and sc into the turning ch, turn. (35)
Repeat Row 2 until you reach the desired length. Depending on your yarn, hook and gauge, the row number will vary, but mine is usually 34 rows.

Tip: I usually fold my project in half diagonally to check how “square” it is. In the photo below you’ll notice that I needed one more row to make it square:


Finishing: Ch 1, sc in the corner. Continue down the side of the washcloth, sc in each stitch. In the next corner stitch sc, ch 1, sc. Continue around entire project, repeating the corner pattern (sc, ch 1, sc) on each corner until you’ve completed a row all around your project. Join with slip stitch to the first sc.


I first learned the grit stitch and made a washcloth using this pattern from Moogly Blog, but adapted the pattern to my favorite size and edging. Please visit Moogly Blog for a great video tutorial on the grit stitch.

Here is also a picture series that shows where your stitches should go in the first two rows:


Thanks for visiting my blog for my first free pattern and for supporting CDM Handmade!

Happy creating!

Welcome to CDM Handmade!

Thank you for visiting my blog, CDM Handmade. I create many different types of items from crocheted clothing and toys to handmade cards. 


I love to crochet most of all, though I consider myself “multi-craftual”. In the past few years I have grown my crochet skills to the point where I am selling my products and able to create some of my own patterns. I hope to share many of these with you and meet fellow crochet and craft enthusiasts! 


I am a mom to three amazing kids and wife to a wonderful husband, happily married and living in SW Washington state, aka Seahawk country! I’m a Canadian who moved here 12 years ago to be with my American husband. I work full time in health care, and craft projects have been my stress relief for many years. My dream is to take this hobby of mine and turn it into a thriving business that will allow me the freedom to spend time with my family and inspire me daily. 


Photo credit: Jen White Photography

Please visit me on social media and follow me to see and hear my latest projects and ideas! 

I’m looking forward to making this blog a pretty, informative and fun spot to visit, so please stay tuned for some tinkering and great craft and crochet goodies!


Thanks for visiting!