After working with my white sweater wool, which I took the time to soak and unkink, I’ve decided that I prefer its smoothness for granny squares. So, tonight is bath night for the rest of this sweater wool!
recycle: I’m also in the process of unraveling another sweater. Just because. Maybe I should start listing some in my shop!
In my creative space today (and tomorrow and the next day…) are granny squares. I had no idea how relaxing these were until I stopped making them. Then I felt a hole, like something was missing, and I realized it was clusters of double crochet!
I’m using my recycled sweater yarn for this one simply because it’s so soft and nice to work with. Whenever I start to feel stressed, I take a deep breath and grab a square.
What’s in your creative space today? Why don’t you pop on over to Kirsty’s blog and join the fun!
The other day I saw a woman wearing a cotton scarf that was layered and unfinished in the most beautiful way. She looked like she just walked off a catalog shoot. I’ve never been able to pull off that “I just threw it on and it looks perfectly ruffled” look, so I decided to design one that made it easy.
Step 1
Cut a large triangle of fabric on the bias. I chose a lightweight cotton, but anything with a nice drape would work. (Flannel would be nice for Fall.) My piece measured 80 inches across the base and 32 inches high. Run it through the washer and dryer to fray the edges.
Step 2
Fold the ruffles. I figured a diagram would be easiest to understand. I folded mine 8 times, but you don’t need to see that many steps to get the idea.
Step 3
Stitch the ruffles in place. I didn’t back tack and pulled on the threads to create a little gather before I tied them off.
That’s it! You can wear it with the ruffles hanging down or wrap it around a few times with the ruffles facing out for that perfectly unfinished look.
I attended a Baby Sprinkle over the weekend for Baby D2. It was like a Baby Shower, except when mom has a lot of what she needs from her first baby, you’re supposed to give things like diapers, lotion, baby shampoo, etc.
I didn’t follow directions very well. I believe every baby should have something new, especially when so much is being handed down from his big brother. Better yet, he should have something handmade especially for him.
Isn’t this little guy the cutest thing ever? I especially love his smile.
I also sewed him a lightweight blanket that coordinates with the quilt I made for his brother. I forgot to take a picture of that, but it’s a single layer of the same fleece trimmed with the Snoopy fabric. Maybe I’ll get a photo in a few weeks with a cute baby bundled inside? (Hint, hint, Lauren.)
stash: Everything came from my stash of thrifted yarn. The pattern is Happy Little Airplane from Amigurumi Two! by Ana Paula Rimoli.
It’s official. Dress weather is here in Nebraska. I’m so glad this one fits. My daughter is growing too fast. It’s a size 4 and some of the 4s in her closet will barely make it to June. I found the cutest fall jacket for her this weekend that’s a size 5 and the sleeves are too short. I am not ready to buy size 6 clothes!
Already this year we’ve crossed a few milestones. Bella has been sleeping in a Big Girl Bed for a few months. She no longer looks small in it. Yikes! She’s also swimming like a little fish and has graduated to the Eel level at the Y. She’s doing simple math, and get this, she’s already reading.
I’ve encouraged the swimming lessons, but everything else has been her doing. She insisted on the new bed and refused to sleep in her toddler bed until we bought one. Yep, she slept on the floor until we could get up to the mattress store.
She’s completely in love with letters and numbers. I got her a Leap Frog dvd about the “silent e” because I was having trouble explaining the concept to her. Something just clicked and after a few different dvds, she just started reading. Whole books at a time! Of course, now we have to watch what we leave around so she doesn’t ask, “Mom, what’s a hooker?”
You can find the tutorial for the flower flip flops here. A close up of the Liberty of London dress is here.
I have to include a hair shot in this post, because Bella’s going to get her first haircut soon, hopefully this week. It’s never been cut and needs a little shaping. I think this milestone is the most difficult for me. I’m still leaving it long, but it kills me to cut any of these curls.
I had planned to post a Ruffle Spring Scarf tutorial today, but I left my computer unplugged, it ran out of juice and I lost all of my work. Bwaa!
Normally I would redo everything right away, but I’ve got to get to bed. Tomorrow morning my friend is picking me up early for MOAGS: the Mother of All Garage Sales.
I’ll have a spring scarf tutorial and a thrifty update for you next week. Have a great weekend!
When I posted pics of my Tropical Tablecloth Tote, I received a request for a lunch tote. The bag is a little smaller, but a lot wider to hold lunch containers and a water bottle. I think it’s pretty darn cute!
There are two more totes worth of fabric cut and waiting to be sewn. I admit that I wish I had this idea on my own. Anyone out there looking for the perfect tropical bag? Let me know!
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Thank you for all of the great suggestions on the sweater upcycle. I’m seriously considering pillow cushions now, too!
I’ve got some tough decisions in my creative space today. I was given this beautiful hand-knit sweater from my friend Tana. It’s big. Really big. Too big to be refashioned with my ’80s sweater tutorial. She was thinking I could use it to make a felted tote bag. I can’t bear felting it. The stitch work is so beautiful.
This is what I’m thinking: take apart the seams and make smaller bags out of the front and back each. I would serge the edges to keep them from unraveling. I really like the colorway of the yarn, which is Cascade 220. I think I might unravel the sleeves and use the wool for some granny square scarves.
What do you think? What would you do with it?
Three skirts down! I really wish I would have taken a before picture of this one. When I cut off the waist and flattened out the fabric, there was so much!
I used an a-line pattern I drafted for myself from Sew What! Skirts. I took about 5/8 inch off of each side after trying it on and will be adjusting my pattern for the next one. Aside from that, this was super easy. I cut it out a few weeks ago and sewed it up today in about an hour.
Usually I shy away from white of any kind on my lower half, but I fell in love with the detail at the bottom. Isn’t it lovely? (Yep, I kept the original bottom hem, which made this project go really fast.)
The skirt is a little sheer, but I’m thinking slip instead of lining. Any suggestions for fabric type? I worry that a traditional polyester slip might be too hot in the summer.
thrifted: I think this might be my last skirt from the Goodwill 99 sale. I can’t remember! Time to dive back into the stash.
The surprise eggs were finished with a few days to spare. I even had time to whip up a little basket for them. I just started with no plan in mind. The end result was a little flimsy, but a quick soak in some water followed by liberal amounts of spray starch got it right into shape.
My daughter loved the eggs. This was the first time she ever played along with one of our stories, though. She came running out of her room saying, “Mom crocheted me some yarn eggs!” We told her they were from Peter Cottontail and she’s all, yeah, sure, right, ok. If you ask her, she’ll tell you they’re from him, but she doesn’t sound convinced!
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We don’t do a lot of candy at Easter, and this year I didn’t put any in her basket. Instead, I made candy part of our egg hunt. I filled little plastic bags (from the candy section of the craft store) with two chocolate kisses and ten jelly beans. Each bag was tied and labeled with a day of the week and hidden in a plastic egg. She found those special eggs along with the others.
So far this has worked great! She eats the whole bag at once, usually after breakfast, but when they’re gone, she has to wait until the next day for more. I can’t tell you how wonderful the holiday was without a sugar-crashing three-year old. Hope this works next year, too!
stash: Basket yarn and candy bags both from my stash.
