These cotton yarns kept me cheerful through a long holiday weekend of gray skies. Can’t wait for the sun to return!
happy little airplane
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.
my creative space
I’m spring cleaning in my creative space today. Three bags of fabric and craft goodies are going to my friend Sarah, who gave me the yarn from last week. I also packed up three bags of clothing that I had planned to upcycle into something else. That’s going to The Mission. I figure there are folks who need those jeans more than I do, and I’ve still got plenty of stash to keep me busy.
I’m already feeling inspired by my uncluttered creative space. Now I’m going to pop over to Kirsty’s blog for more inspiration.
my first skirt from measurements
A few months ago I checked out Sew What! Skirts from the library. The book just clicked with me. The instructions made sense and seemed really easy. I decided to buy the book and spent months reading and looking at the pictures even though I didn’t have time to make anything.
This weekend I’ve got a dinner date and decided it was time to try one out. I made an a-line with elastic waist pattern, but didn’t have enough fabric to make it as swoopy as I would have liked. It’s more of a straight skirt with a little flair, but it fits, looks cute, and was super easy! I think 2010 is going to be the year of the skirt.
stash: The fabric came in a bin that I bought from a UNL fashion graduate. He said all of the fabrics were really nice and expensive (from New York!), but how was I to know? They weren’t labeled or anything. It’s got a nice drape, and at $5 for the entire bin, the price was right!
red scarf finished!
I can’t believe it, but I am out of red acrylic yarn. I had to use some gray to finish this scarf. It turned out nicely: thick and warm. I think I’m going to add some tassels to the ends. I’m excited to finish this so far ahead of the Craft Hope deadline. Now, if I can only get it mailed out just as fast!
Finished dimensions: 76 x 5 inches.
thrifted stash: All of the red yarn from this scarf and these hats came from one big grab bag at the thrift store. I’ve still got some black and gray left. What a score for $4! And all of it is going to keeping students warm this winter. Makes me feel good!
crochet hat no.2
garden scarf
Have I mentioned that I’m addicted to crochet flowers? I made this as a gift for a friend’s daughter and it was so much fun. What a perfect pattern for little girls. My daughter loves it! I think I’ll be making a lot of these this year.
I love these colors together, but I think it’s time to add some new colors to my stash of acrylic yarns.
project notes: Pattern is the Garden Scarf from The Happy Hooker. This book is a really great resource for crocheters, especially beginners. Thrifted yarn from my stash.
embroidered sun pillow
A few months ago, my daughter was drawing at her easel while I was making dinner. She said, “Look, Mom! A sun!” Not only was it a sun, but it was her very first face, complete with two eyes, a nose and a smile. Since then, she’s drawn lots of suns with faces: fat ones, small ones, some even with freckles. This one is special, though. This one was the first.
I decided to share her sun with her grandparents for Christmas. I took a photo of her original artwork, printed it and traced over it with a marker. Then I taped it to a window, taped the fabric over the paper, and traced it with disappearing ink. After embroidering it, I sewed it up into a pillow cover.
I hope to make one for myself this year. Maybe a smaller version for her room? She loves her sun and has the printout taped to her wall. I’ve got the original tucked away for safe keeping.
stash: Everything except the pillow forms came from my stash. The upholstery fabric colors were perfect for this project and I used quite a bit of yellow embroidery thread.
my first handmade tie
Happy New Year! Here’s my very last project of 2009 — a men’s tie!
I was surprised how easy it was to make. This project was mostly hand sewn using the blind stitch. If you’re not a big fan of either, it might not be for you. I love the blind stitch and had a lot of fun making this. I know I’ll be making more in 2010 for the guys in my life.
project notes: Stash-enhancement fabric. Purl Bee pattern. There’s a little boy’s version, too. How cute!
meet stu
While I was trying to wrap up my holiday knitting, I thought it would be cool to teach my daughter how to crochet. We tried finger knitting in the past with no success, but she loves my crochet hooks. I figured if I could get her busy making chains or something, I would have better luck getting my projects finished.
I checked out Kids Learn to Crochet from the library. Have you seen this book? The instructions are labeled with big numbers in circles. My daughter loves numbers almost as much as she loves letters. She sat and counted off the steps for each pattern in the book. Then she asked me to make her a blue Stripey Stu.
What can you do? I made her a Stu for her stocking and took the book back to the library. We’ll try again in a few months.
stash: Thrifted tapestry wool, felt and vintage buttons. Oh, and if you get technical, this is really Big Bert. My daughter just likes the name Stu better.
