Crafterella

Quick Peek

2010-03-17T14:22:00.001-05:00

I wanted to share a quick peek of the project I started yesterday. I have switched to a purple shirt (don’t worry I’ll be using at least part of the pink shirt to finish this project). I’ll have more to share about this project tomorrow, but today I’m fighting a killer sinus headache or someone snuck in here last night and punched me in the face while I was sleeping. I’m sure I’ll be back to normal and painting tomorrow.

Happy St. Patrick’s day!

Lessons of the Day

2010-03-16T11:50:00.001-05:00

1. 50% cotton and 50% polyester shirts do not discharge well with bleach, always check the label, assume nothing! (not even close to the look I was going for and the photo looks better than the actual fabric)

2. Bleach pens get old and don’t work as well as a fresh pen.

3. Make a sample, it saves time in the long run.

4. Messy fingers are bad, watch what you’re touching or you’re going to have to come up with some creative ways to make it look like you did that on purpose. (sigh, maybe some appliqué will work)

5. Iron freezer paper on the back of fabric that you are painting to keep the paint from seeping through the fabric.

6. Make a copy of you design, that way if you make a mistake you have a back up copy and won’t have to start from scratch.

7. Be flexible, sometimes you plan needs to change to accomplish the look you are going for.

8. If you must spray bleach water do it outside or you will be sorry, trust me, I know.

9. White vinegar neutralizes bleach, keep it handy to stop bleaching action, rinse fabric thoroughly and launder the bleached fabric.

10. A day where you learn something, but don’t necessarily accomplish anything is not a wasted day.

All of these lessons came up today, hopefully tomorrow I will have a completed project to share.

Another Pattern Storage Idea

2010-03-15T12:20:00.001-05:00

As you know I have some pattern storage boxes that are specially made for sewing patterns, I have three and my collection of patterns has grown beyond the amount of space they provide. I have not been able to find more of these pattern boxes and if I remember correctly they were a bit pricey for what is basically a cardboard box with a lid. Thankfully I have found the perfect solution! and it has been hiding with the office supplies. I found hanging file portable storage boxes (1/2 size boxes) at OfficeMax. They come in packs of 6 for around $12.00 and are just slightly larger that the patterns are.The lids just flip up and they are already nice and white just waiting to be embellished.Here you can see how well the patterns fit, they even work for some of my larger Vogue patterns. I also have several pattern that have been altered and won’t fit back into their envelopes that are stored in plastic zipper bags and they fit nicely too.

Another great use for these boxes (if you have a few that aren’t holding patterns) is magazine storage. I save all of my Threads magazines and they stand up nicely in the boxes and I can read the spines to easily find the issue I’m looking for. They also keep everything dust and cat hair free, a big bonus at my house!

I’m waiting until I get some of the decorating done in my craft room before I decide how to embellish these boxes. I’m really excited that all of my patterns now have a home and are organized by company and design number, now I just need to make an index. It’s getting more organized here, one small project at a time.

Owlies, Now With Bigger Eyes

2010-03-12T13:48:00.002-06:00

I went back and made the eyes a bit larger, I had missed an entire row of the pattern somehow, I also switched from white to pink, which I like much better. While I was at it I made a couple more, just to see what different colors would look like.I am going to either have to stop making everything orange or pick a new beak color, the beaks just aren’t showing up as well on the two on the left. I also can’t decide if I prefer sleeping eyes or the winking one, which one do you guys like?

I’m thinking that it would be interesting to make one out of wool and felt it, but I’m not sure I’m ready to torture myself like that again (I’m sooooo allergic) and some sort of owl purse would be cool too! I also want to get some finer yarn and make some smaller ones. These are about 4” tall and 5” wide and we all know that tinier - cuter, I need to check my stash in the basement and see what I can come up with. I really enjoy this pattern and I think I will be making more, maybe I’ll even have some for sale in my new etsy store.

Have a super crafty weekend, I’ll see you next week!

Another Lilblueboo Pattern

2010-03-11T09:33:00.001-06:00

After enjoying the Sienna Dress pattern so much I decided to try the Lil Leggings pattern and, once again, I was not disappointed! Nice straight forward instructions and a great selection of tips to make different styles. The pattern recommends a knit fabric with 75% stretch, I used a less stretchy fabric and upsized the pattern a bit. The result are some cute leggings to match Little Miss’s new Sienna Dress.

You should recognize all of the fabrics, they are from my thrifting adventure last week. I know it may seem a little out of season for a Catrina, but she will be wearing this all spring and summer, what can I say, we’re a year round skeleton family.

Little Miss really likes these dresses and when she finds out that I’m making her a new one she hovers around waiting for it to be ready to try on. It’s exciting for me that she really wants to wear the little dresses I’m making. I think I may just have to buy all of the Lilblueboo patterns, there are so easy and stylish. We get a lot of compliments and people are amazed that these are handmade. If you have a little girl to sew for I can’t recommend these patterns enough. Make sure to stop by The Lil Blue Boo blog as well for some great tutorials for embellishing you fabrics for a more custom look.

I have some other great girly tutorials to try, but I just can’t stop making these knit dresses, I wish the pattern came in adult sizes. I have been eyeing the Halter/Tie back dress pattern for this summer.

Pythons

2010-03-09T11:25:00.001-06:00

The first Thursday of the month is when we have our Lincoln Handmade Etsy team (facebook fan page) meetings. They’re a lot of fun, full of crafty gossip, eating, knitting, crocheting, and other craftastic fun. This month the team gave me a baby gift: a thrifted t-shirt and a Hobby Lobby gift card. We had a good laugh about the shirt and this is what I turned it into.

This is the third gown I have made and once again it was really easy. It took me about 1 1/2 hours from start to finish and I was not hurrying. I used red thread to coordinate with the pythons and I really like the way it stands out on the finished gown. I have to confess that I am totally addicted to sewing with knits, I just can’t stop!

Thanks Lincoln Handmade Team for the awesome shirt and gift card, I’ll giggle a little every time the little man wears it!

The Plarn Adventure

2010-03-08T13:01:00.001-06:00

As I was cleaning my dining room/craft table I came across the plarn I had made last month. I immediately felt the urge to finish the already started bag. I think I was just looking for a reason to stop cleaning, but my theory was crochet the bag and then I won’t have to find somewhere to store the plarn balls. I just sort of made this up as I went along, so no pattern to share, however if you’re looking for plarn inspiration check out RecycledCindy’s blog, she has a lot of great ideas and free patterns.This bag worked up quickly thanks to the large hook and I used up all of my plarn! It seemed like it took me longer to cut the plarn than to crochet it, but the cutting is the boring part. I made stripes to make it a little interesting, I wish I had more colors to choose from. It turned out a great size for grocery shopping and the red stripe will coordinate with my “meat” bags. Plarn was easy for me to work with and I will be making more of these bags, it seems like there is always plenty of plastic bags around even though I normally bring my own bags or at least ask for paper.

I want to try VCR tape next, although I hear that it’s a little harder to work with,(it sticks to the hook).

Thrifty Thursday – Goodwill Treasures

2010-03-04T12:11:00.001-06:00

I had a great weekend of thrift shopping, if you remember it was $.99 day at the Goodwill last Friday and Saturday.

I found a great selection of striped shirts, a few tie dyes, and some plain colors for matching. I also found a great orange dragon shirt and an interesting gaming shirt, it had Yoda and Darth Vader, so I had to get it. There were also several fun printed shirts, like Sponge Bob with “I’m Ready” on the back, an awesome bleached Catrina shirt, a Jon Stewart shirt, and a fun sarcasm shirt. I had an Aqua Teen Hunger Force tee too, but my husband snapped that up. I’m thinking that the Catrina shirt would look great with that orange and black tie dye. I also found this cute women’s tank top. I love getting these, they are so easy to convent into dresses for Little Miss. I just have to take in the sides and shorten the straps. I especially liked this top because of the cute little pockets. It was a great shopping day and I probably would have come home with a lot more if Little Miss hadn’t been with me. She has now started hiding in the clothes racks, so I look like a crazy lady talking to the clothes while really I’m just trying to get her to come out. I also bought the cutest little doll cradle, for $4.00 I couldn’t pass it up. I would look nice with some paint or maybe some decoupage, we’ll see what happens.

The Simple Things: An Easy Storage Container

2010-03-03T09:42:00.001-06:00

There is a mitten monster on the loose here and apparently he only eats little girl mittens, I think that this year we have lost at least three. I imagine that the reason he is not around in the summer is because he’s wearing six pairs of sunglasses that have all magically disappeared. I would like to note that I have been wearing the same sunglasses for the last five years and just recently bought myself a new pair, but I still have my old ones as a spare.

I have found that in order to keep my sanity everything needs to have a “place” to go. In our new house a lot of things need designated spots to go and once everyone is aware of what spot everything goes we should be able to find what we’re looking for without organizing a search party.

In my desperation for quickly leaving the house I came up with these handy and simple containers to store mittens and sunglasses and other stuff, there will be no more hunting. If mittens and sunglasses aren’t in the container we won’t be wearing them today!They are simply 2-liter soda bottles with the labels removed, tops cut off (I traced the basic shape using a marker and just cut following the lines), and holes cut for hanging over the doorknobs. I used a large circle punch to start my holes, but I had to cut them larger with my scissors.I have left these plain for now, but they could be easily dressed up in any number of ways: stickers, paint, markers, ribbon, scrapbook paper. I’m keeping these simple while we test them, no sense in making them fancy if they aren’t going to be an effective solution. I am hoping that this new system will make leaving the house quicker and also make my life less stressful. I have also made one for myself for my sunglasses and coupon organizer. What are your handy tips for staying sane?, (I need all the help I can get).

Rupert the Amigurumi Owl

2010-03-02T12:36:00.001-06:00

I have been working on this little guy for a couple of evenings, it was just too cute of a pattern to pass up! However, I have decided that the only time that anyone in my family wants to really talk to me is when I’m counting stitches or reading pattern directions. What that means is that some parts of this pattern have been read about 1000 times, while other parts seemed to have been skipped altogether. I have re-crocheted this little owl about five times and still there are problems, but don’t worry I’m going to master this pattern even if I have to lock myself in the bathroom to finish it.

Here’s where I’m at, I think I may have overstuffed Rupert a bit, what can I say, I like a chubby owl. The eyes aren’t quite big enough, I think I may have missed an increase round. I’m not really liking the white eye anyway it’s just to stark, I may need to make it cream or yellow.

I really need to get my craft room in order, then I can hide in there and count stitches and read patterns. Although I doubt that would work, when I shut the door now even the cat is at the door scratching to get in (they’re French doors and it’s like I’m in an aquarium and everyone wants in). Looks like I need some more curtains…and a lock…does anyone else have this problem when you’re crafting, how do you get quiet, crafty time?

More Curtains

2010-03-01T09:15:00.001-06:00

The curtains for Little Miss made her room look so much nicer that I thought it was time to fix the curtains in Little Sir’s room.

I made these curtains a few houses ago and while they are holding up fabulously they are a tad bit short for the windows in our new house. It doesn’t seem like that big of a deal, but they let in a lot of light and at night they allow our neighbors to see right into my son’s room.

I added some more denim to the bottom, lined them with muslin, mounted them on boards, and added ties like Little Miss’s curtains, so we could open them up during the day.

I know that stripes are a little wonky, but in my defense, when I originally made these curtains they were for windows on different walls, so I didn’t worry about matching up the stripes. I need to add a dowel to the bottoms for weight and roll them slightly to make them look better. Letting them hang for a few days will help too!

These curtains were so easy and inexpensive to make. I used jeans that I had been given (my whole family saves their old jeans for making bone crusher quilts) and just tore the legs into stripes, I also had the muslin for the lining on hand (thanks Christy Nelson), but an old sheet would have worked just as well. (The only reason I backed them was so that from the outside the windows look white.) The back of the legs were wider that the fronts so the stripe width vary. I arranged them into a graduated color pattern, I’m sure they would have also been great in a random pattern too. I stitched them all together leaving the seams on the outside and then snipped the seams about every quarter inch and ran them through the washing machine to fray them. Make sure that when you dry the curtains that you empty your dryers lint trap often! The only stuff I had to purchase for these curtains were boards to mount them on and the orange fabric for the ties, which I have also used to make a swaddling blanket and still have plenty left over for some other projects, so I spent about $10 total and most of that was because I wanted fancy batik cotton fabric (and I didn’t want to seam the ties).

I’m really enjoying the difference custom curtains make I may have to get started on the ones for my craft room. We’ll see what next Monday brings!

The Sock Pig

2010-02-26T10:12:00.001-06:00

I fell in love with this sock pig on Craftster. I reeeeeaaaallllly wanted one, but the book is checked out from the library until mid March and I just couldn’t wait! I decided I would try to make one from just looking and guessing.It went pretty well, but I don’t think I got the ears quite right, it’s more of a pig/bunny (I think a bunny in this style would be really cute too, some big floppy ears and a puffy tail).I also decided it need more something, so I got out the embroidery floss and just started stitching. Some eyelashes and snout embellishment did the trick. For a first try, not bad. I need to get the book (I’m on the waiting list) and see what the deal is with the ears.

It’s $.99 weekend at the Goodwill, so you know where I’ll be, have a crafty weekend!

Swaddling

2010-02-25T11:16:00.001-06:00

I know how much babies like to be swaddled and it seems like there are a ton of specialty blankets to make it easier. They do make it easier, but they are kind of pricey and they fall into the category of not being used long enough to justify the price, for me anyway. I also know that I can use a regular blanket, gasp, I know! But now I don’t have to use a plain old receiving blanket, I can use my custom made swaddling blankets. I found this wonderful tutorial on PrudentBaby for making a stylish and inexpensive swaddling blankets. I was also excited to find out that Joann Fabrics has flannel on sale right now for $1.49 a yard! I made up four, two for me to try out and two to put away for gifts, it seems like I always need a last minute baby gift. They went together really fast, I did all of them in a day, the first one took the longest and since they are all very different I felt like I spent a lot of time winding bobbins with different colors of thread and rethreading my machine, I did use up the ends of three odd colors I had laying around, bonus. I don’t have a serger (I don’t have the space to keep one) and I didn’t want to turn and stitch down the edges of the large triangle piece, so I used my over-lock stitch, it makes three straight stitches and then a zigzag, it’s probably the stitch I use the most next to the straight stitch. It finished the edges nicely and gives them a scalloped look.

I really like how they came out and I love that I don’t have to have pastel blankets, now I need some matching hats! I definitely need some orange yarn, I guess I need to make a craft store run, again.

Carnivorous Plant Update

2010-02-24T13:27:00.001-06:00

Back in September I started a carnivorous plant kit, part of the seeds were planted right away and the rest had to be put into the refrigerator for six weeks. Everything got planted on schedule and the jar sat on my kitchen counter, every once in a while I would peek into it and check the moisture level, but nothing grew. I was thinking that eventually I would just get a few established Venus fly traps and call it good, but last week I noticed something, something small and green.It’s still really hard to see, but it’s there to the left of the black marble. I’m not sure what it is, but it may actually be a carnivorous plant! I have to say that this kit has been a little disappointing, I’m guessing that the seeds are old and I think that growing these sort of plants may be difficult anyway, so I guess I would not recommend this kit and now I’m hesitant to try any of their other products which is sad, they had a lot of unusual kits. Has anyone else had good luck or even tried any of the plant kits from Dune Craft?

Stranding or Look, I Made a Zigzag

2010-02-23T11:31:00.001-06:00

I still think of myself as a beginning knitter even though I have been knitting a few years now. I guess it’s because I knit little things like hats, booties, purses and scarves. I have been anxious to try stranding (some also call it fair isle), but a bit intimidated too. Using two colors in one row could get confusing! I watched the stranding video on knittinghelp.com (scroll down about half the page for the video) and just went for it.It was easy and now I have this cute little zigzag hat to go with my rock and roll baby gowns. I think I’m going to try an argyle band next or maybe skulls or storm trooper heads, this takes my hats to a whole new level, LOL!

We Have Curtains

2010-02-22T13:32:00.001-06:00

I finished up Little Miss’s curtains last night, finally. It’s not that they were difficult, it’s just that everything took longer than I thought it would. I think they turned out great and I can’t wait to make some more of these. This is what they look like unrolled, I am planning on pinning up the hanging tail from the tie. I loooooovvve that giant pink rick rack!

They are really easy to roll up and they tie on the back side. Sorry for the glare, the sun is actually out today and the snow covered ground really reflects the light.

I used McCalls 5858 to make these “eco” shades. They are lined and insulated with flannel. I like making curtains, they are usually pretty easy and they can really make a room. These were actually a little expensive to make, but I used high quality quilting fabric because I want them to last. I would guess that I spent about $40.00 a shade, which includes the hardware to hang them. I do expect them to be used for 5 – 10 years and I’m hoping that since they are insulated that they will help with energy conservation. Little Miss’s room is on the Northwest corner of our house, so she gets cold winter winds and glaring summer sun, these should help keep her room more temperate.

I learned a lot making these that will come in handy for the next batch I’ll be making. I need to make sure that I get the fabric in the right order so that the insulating layer ends up on the inside, make the shades extend past the window ledge so that they can be rolled and tied without exposing the window, and sew and measure as straight as possible.

I have to lengthen the curtains I made for Little Sir and add a lining and ties. I won’t be insulating his since they are made from denim. I also want to make a set for the craft room, so I can take down the brown paper.

An Update: Not Nearly as Exciting as it Sounds

2010-02-19T19:01:00.001-06:00

So, I’ve had a minor setback on the curtains, I sewed one of the panels together wrong. It is not the end of the world and it can (and will) get fixed, however the curtains did not get finished today! I lost a bit of my momentum when I screwed that panel up.

I did get the paint touched up and the mounting boards bought and cut to size.

Before with the patches from having our home insulated:

After, I sanded (lightly, they had already done that when they patched the holes), primed and painted the spots and I think the spots are now invisible:

I also cleaned up and organized her toys and returned all her brothers toys to his room, she takes them and hides them away while he’s at school.

I will be finishing up her new curtains this weekend, as you can see the paper shades that we currently have are a little worse for wear and one window is completely bare since an incident earlier this week.

Have a super crafty weekend!

Girly Storage

2010-02-17T12:48:00.001-06:00

I know I haven’t posted on the great clean up recently, I have kind of slacked off, maintaining has been going well, but I need to start working on new projects again. This week I have been working on several things to finish my daughters room. Her room is the only room that has actually been painted, although I have to go back and touch up all the holes from when we had the house insulated last fall.

Today I made two crate covers, I have used this pattern before with cheap fabric, this fabric is much nicer and the results are wonderful! I have started with two and once we start putting toys away I will decide if I need to make a few more. Once again I have to say that this pattern is very easy and I used the directions to make these custom to the crates I had on hand. If you need pretty storage this pattern is definitely the one, I imagine that I will have a house full of these by the time I am finished putting everything away.

This is the Undercover Crate Pattern from Laura Gunn at Paint in my Hair.

My goal is to get all the toys put away and then I should be able to touch up the paint. Once the painting is done I can hang the new curtains (more on that later) and then I can start looking for some furniture, I need a big girl bed and an armoire since there is no closet in this room, but there is really no rush on the furniture for now.

Once I’m finished with Little Miss’s room I can start working on Little Sir’s room, he’s been asking when I’ll paint his room, he’s hoping for orange, I’m thinking tan to coordinate with his bedding.

Practicality or Photo Prop?

2010-02-16T10:58:00.001-06:00

Baby cocoons are all over etsy and other handmade venues, but what I really want to know is are they for everyday use or just a cute photo prop? I know that babies like to be swaddled, but am I going to be able to get a squirmy little baby into a knitted tube? I found a free pattern (ravelry link) to make my own cocoon and whipped one up using Homespun yarn (the color is autumn). It only took one skein of yarn. I continued the bottom point into I-cord for a few inches for a stem effect. It reminds me of something a little elf baby would be in and the various tones of rust and green coordinate with the hat and booties that I have already made. I will be adding a toggle button to hold the top closed, but I’m not sure that I’ll really use that. I guess I will see how useful one of these is, anyway it will make some adorable photos. Has anyone else used one of these for a new baby?

Pop Tab Purse – The Insanity Continues

2010-02-12T18:16:00.001-06:00

I have been really obsessed with this project. It was a challenge to figure out how to make the motifs and then to get all of the pieces to fit together from just looking at a picture and guessing. This was what kept me up at night and once I did go to bed it’s what I dreamed about and now I have finally fitted all the pieces together! I still need to put a lining in and figure out the type of closure I want to use, but I think I’m going to have to put this down for a little while and work on something beside pop tabs before that happens. Yeah, I need to finish weaving in the ends too.

I learned a lot from this project: The original bag, that I have copied, sells for $120-$130 and that is a steal for the amount of work involved in making one of these (even if you have done it a hundred times), size 18 nylon is really to big a smaller yarn would look better, weaving in ends sucks, and sometimes you have to walk away from a project for a while to be able to finish it without loosing your mind.

Would anyone like to volunteer to put a lining in this bag for me?, I think it may be a pain because of the shape. I guess I’ll figure that out later! Have a crafty weekend everyone.

Work In Progress – More Pop Tab Insanity

2010-02-11T18:36:00.001-06:00

I’m briefly checking to say that this is what I have been working on this all day, finishing up the last five motifs and making the handle. I just need to finish putting everything together and then figure out how to make a lining and what sort of closure I want to use. I’m soooooo excited at how this is coming together, look for the finished purse tomorrow, I’m going to have some dinner and finish crocheting this together!

Little Man Shirt

2010-02-10T13:08:00.002-06:00

I noticed that the Sienna Dress pattern (from Lilblueboo) was pretty unisex and I decided to make Little Sir a shirt with it. I had the perfect polo shirts to use, orange with stripes, we love orange! I used the tapered sleeve and made the body of the shirt slightly boxier and shorter. Success, I love this pattern! The neck looks a little wonky, but I’m hoping that washing it will fix that. I used the collar from the polo shirt and one side had fusible interfacing firmly attached, so the neck line didn’t stretch as well. I have enough of the strip fabric left over to make some sleeves for another baby gown, now I just need a navy blue shirt to cut up, I think I will be making a lot more reconned clothing for my family. No knit shirt is safe!

Ninjas

2010-02-09T08:52:00.000-06:00

Yesterday I followed a twitter link from craftster and found this super easy tutorial for making little cork ninjas on LucyRavenscar (check the other pages for other cork creations and other creatures).

They are just too fun and they are quick to make. I also really like the aliens, they remind me of brain slugs (from Futurama). I may have to give one of those a try so I can wear it on a clip in my hair.

Rock And Roll Baby

2010-02-08T16:32:00.001-06:00

Maybe it’s just me, but shopping for baby clothes can be a bit overwhelming on the pastel cuteness. Don’t get me wrong, I like a cutely dressed baby as much as anyone else, but I do get sick of all the pastel blues and greens and I really get sick of all those cute-sy teddy bears!

I was really exited to find this tutorial for making newborn gowns from old t-shirts on This Mama Makes Stuff. I have to say that the pattern and tutorial are surprisingly simple, but I have been working with a lot of knit fabric lately. I spent a few hours making two gowns and I love the results!

I had a similar gown like this for Little Miss and I loved the ease of diaper changing. Hers was Winnie the Pooh, Transformers is much more us.I think I might have to add a stencil to this one to make it a bit more special, but it’s still way better than pastels and bears!

I have a bit of knit left over and I think I will be making some matching hats and maybe a few fancy rags. Now I just need to get a few more t-shirts, I would love some classic concert tees to work with. If anyone has any cool shirts to trade, let me know.

Friday Favorites and Stuff

2010-02-05T13:13:00.001-06:00

Once again it’s time for Friday Favorites, as always featured sellers are listed from left to right, top to bottom.

wtf Contemplation Collection – banished

Bird Bath, stained glass and copper – GloriousGlass

Live Moss Terrarium Kit – MissMossy

Tiny Gnome Village – MoontsyAndFloontsy

Green Glass Alligator Eye Wire Wrapped Ring – kimsjewels

Mealy Monster Land Ben – mealymonster

I have a full weekend of crafting planned and several projects already half done. A new Sienna Dress, with a monkey, for Little Miss and some manly projects for Little Sir and Little Bun (Check out all these little boy tutorials on luvinthemommyhood). What crafty stuff will you be working on this weekend?, see you guys next week!