Yay for pictures! I was so excited that the sun was out today, as we were expecting more rain. It’s still kind of chilly — perfect scarf weather.
Some squares were a little smaller than others. I’m not sure if it was daily life that messed with my tension or my learning curve. I arranged them smallest to largest for seaming and you really can’t tell.
I got 7 squares out of each skein for a total of 14. It blocked nicely considering it’s only 20% wool. I can’t wait to wear it tomorrow!
It’s one of those cold, autumn days where it feels like snow, but all you get is rain. It’s not a very good day to be taking crafty pictures for the blog, but it’s perfect for cuddling with my daughter and reading lots of books. Our favorite one right now is The Apple Pie That Papa Baked. I love the illustrations, which are done in warm browns, rich blacks and candy apple reds.
I’m also knitting a pair of brown mittens to match her brown hat, which I finished last night. I wound up making a plain stockinette hat with ribbed border, just like the one she’s worn for the past two years. I abandoned the Marsan Watchcap after she complained that the larger size was still too tight. I think she just didn’t like all of the ribbing.
Tomorrow and Wednesday we’ll be out in the cold, wet weather, so today is all about snuggling with some warm tea and milk. I wonder if I can convince my husband to stop on the way home to pick up some apples?
Usually I just handwrite this message on my packages, but sometimes I forget when I’m rushing to get things in the mail. Now I have labels! I printed them on the back of already used paper and just slip them under the packing tape. I suppose you could print stickers, but that’s too involved for me. Until I find a way to seal packages without packing tape, this will work just fine.
The image is a striped, felted sweater. I’m thinking of making some with holly leaves and berries for the holidays.
resource: I also made a template for you! Please download it and use it often!
I think this picture of my creative space might be a little misleading. I’m not really in the Christmas spirit yet. November is my favorite month and Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. It’s just that I have finished up a lot of the projects on my needles and found myself with nothing to take to knitting group last night.
I’ve decided to crochet some stars for the holidays with this fancy yarn I got at my knitting guild’s trick or treat swap. I have no idea what it is, but it sure is festive! I’m going to work on these stars in between projects until I have enough to string a garland for the holidays. I should be able to have them done before December, when I actually will be in the holiday spirit.
Visit more creative spaces over at Kirsty’s blog.
pattern: I just working the first five rounds of the Chromium Star blanket.
Remember this scarf? It’s finally finished! I gave it to my mom for her birthday and she loves it. It’s my first lace project and I’m very pleased with it.
I wanted to knit a lace scarf for my mom, but she can’t wear wool. It took awhile (and a lot of ripping and re-knitting) to find an appropriate acrylic yarn and a pattern that didn’t rely too heavily on blocking. Actually, this blocked better than I thought it would. The leaves opened up nicely.
Eventually I’d like to try this pattern with some wool, but I need a little break from all these tiny leaves.
details: Pattern is Branching Out from Knitty. Yarn is Red Heart Luster Sheen. Bow tied with a re-purposed Nordstrom ribbon, which probably came on a gift from my mom.
Actually, I have this little “niece” in Florida. She just turned eight and I know she used to like Charlie and Lola when she was younger. We’ve just recently discovered Charlie and Lola. I checked out some paperbacks from the library, but my daughter’s favorite is this pop-up book from her “Aunt Lisa.”
I made a Formula One t-shirt for my “nephew” last spring and wanted to do something similar for his sister. I absolutely adore Lauren Child’s illustration style, but was worried that it might be too young for a grown up eight-year-old. I decided to create my own applique flower and add two small Lola-like butterflies.
I really love how this turned out. I hope she does, too.
refashion: Scrap fabric and heat-n-bond is from my stash. You can download a pdf file of my flower pattern here.
Last Friday my daughter noticed that the cork stopper on our sugar jar was shaped like a cupcake. (It looks like this.) She carried it around all day and wanted to take it to bed with her (so Puppy and Mickey could have a midnight snack, perhaps?). I asked her, “if you could have a cupcake with icing, what kind of icing would you like?” “Chocolate!”
I whipped up this little thing before I went to bed and left it on the kitchen table for her. I love doing that! It’s so fun to watch her find it in the morning. It’s already starting to look well loved, isn’t it?
stash: Thrifted yarn and beads from my stash. Free cupcake pattern from BitterSweet.
I know I say I’ll sew anything if it fits under my presser foot, but I’ll admit I was a little anxious when my friend asked me to make a zippered messenger bag out of faux leather. It was soft and thick and had a woven polyester backing. I decided to make small zipper pouch first to test it out. Here’s what I learned:
The first thing I did was unfold the fabric and roll it up. When it was time for me to sew, most of the creases had disappeared.
Next I adjusted my usual messenger bag pattern to avoid some of the corner trickery. Instead of lining up the strap with the side seam, I moved it over about an inch on each side and sandwiched it between the outside fabric and the zipper.
The zipper was also a challenge. Usually I just sew right over zippers, but this one was too thick. I covered the ends with some extra fabric, so when I went turned my corners right side out, they weren’t bulky.
Mostly importantly, I went slow and used paper clips to hold my pieces together. I did have to rip in two places, but managed to stitch over the little holes. I’m really pleased with how this sewed up. It was a cumbersome project to get through my presser foot, but the finished result looked fabulous. I especially love the top stitching detail.
review: This project has got me thinking about faux leather in general. I know that animal rights organizations prefer it, but what about our earth? Here’s what I’ve found so far:
Polyurethane is much more environmentally friendly in both production and after-care. PVC contains chloride and does not biodegrade. In landfills, it leaches toxic additives and when incinerated, it emits carcinogenic dioxin. Leather production is a chemical-laden process that uses heavy metals. Polyurethane is biodegradable and is designed to deteriorate after usage.
Read more at Brentano Fabrics
I hope that all of the handmade costumes in my future are as easy as this one. Remember the tulle I found at the thrift store awhile back? Even then I had a feeling it might make its way into an Abby Cadabby costume.
Tutu
I found both of these tutorials very helpful: how to make a ribbon tutu (video) and how to make an elastic tutu. The first one is totally no sew. The second one needs a little bit of hand sewing— you need to sew the ends of the elastic together. I made my strips 40 inches long, so folded and knotted they fell right above the ankle.
Magic Wand
I had never used a glue gun before and borrowed husband’s for this project. Why was I so intimidated by hot glue? It was so easy! I used this tutorial for the wand, and the wooden dowel was the only part of this costume that wasn’t from my stash.
Hair Poufs
These are just smaller versions of the pouf I made for the wand. I tied them to elastic hair bands.
Wings
I didn’t make wings. Actually, I don’t know if my daughter even realizes that Abby has wings. She is all about the magic wand. I figured they’d just get in the way, especially if she wore the costume all day, which she did.
Everything Else
The shirt, pants and shoes all came from my daughter’s closet. The trick or treat bag is from last year’s Halloween crafting.
stash: My whole family was sick the last week in October and I didn’t start this until the night before Halloween. I was thankful that I had everything I needed in my stash, as I was really not up to shopping for costume supplies with a sick 3-year-old. Luckily, we were all well enough to go trick-or-treating on Saturday!
I’m not sure why I’ve had pillows on my mind. Maybe because the sun has been hiding behind the clouds for too many days to count? Maybe it’s because I’ve been feeling under the weather? Maybe it’s because the holidays are fast approaching and I need some gift ideas for the guys in my life? Whatever the reason, I’ve been having fun. These are really easy. I know you’ll have fun, too.
Notes
Materials
1 – large men’s button shirt with pocket
1 – 18″ pillowform
seam ripper
matching thread
Step 1
With the shirt buttoned, cut a 17 1/2″ square out of the front of the shirt. Cut another 17 1/2″ square out of the back of the shirt.
Step 2
Carefully remove the pocket using a seam ripper. Spritz shirt with water and steam press to close up any holes. Reposition the pocket and topstitch in place.
Optional Step 3
If your holes don’t close, if you accidentally rip your fabric, or you are using a shirt like corduroy and the nap won’t fluff back up, you’ll need a patch. Just cut a square from the sleeve and topstitch it over the original area.
Step 4
Lay the pieces together right sides together and sew around the whole square with a 1/4″ seam allowance. Make sure to undo one or two buttons before sewing so you can turn it right side out afterward.
Step 4
Clip your corners, turn right side out and press.
Step 5
Insert your pillow form and button it up!
This is an easy way to make decorative pillows, too. If you go to Goodwill on
recycle: Before you head out to the thrift store, check your own closet. All three of these shirts came from my husband. In fact, I have him trained now to ask me first before donating any of his clothes!
