Keeping Mama Sanchez busy...

My 'paper' poppy

2013-11-05T01:07:00.000+00:00

It feels like forever since I last blogged.... Oh hang on, it is!!! My excuse? The girl has started school and all the running around doing the school run whilst juggling full-time work, cooking and housework (I have to admit 'housework' is a loose definition of what actually occurs nowadays!) leaves me wanting to slob out on the sofa rather than blog. But alas, I have managed to motivate to get blogging again because I want to share something that is dear to my heart. I won't go off on one about poppy-wearing - it's not for everyone, but if you're still reading I don't imagine I need to explain their significance at this time of year.

Every year, since I was at primary school, I have worn a poppy. I remember accidentally stabbing myself with a pin trying to attach my poppy to my school jumper. Never mind the fact that my poor poppy ended up in a very sorry state by the end of the first day. My little girl will be turning five this month, and the boy is three and a half. I'd like them to wear a poppy without stabbing themselves with pins, and I certainly don't trust the boy to keep his looking neat and respectable. My local Sainsbury's has a selection of knitted and crochet poppies available next to the Royal British Legion collection box but I have two issues with them:

they are still not child safe - safety pins
they all resemble real poppies, not the iconic paper poppy that I love

Cue me and my experimental hooking. I think I have come up with something that looks like a 'proper paper poppy'. I've even solved the pin-risk by sewing a little button to my daughter's school cardi and making a poppy with a button-hole =) It all started with my wanting to make button-hole poppies for the children, but I've ended up deciding to make as many poppies as I can with a 50g ball of red yarn (it's looking like I'll manage to make 40), and I'll donate the excess ones to various Royal British Legion collection points so people can buy them (a £2 donation is probably an appropriate suggestion). So before I get carried away typing the pattern, I would like to remind everyone who does decide to make one of these poppies to do their part by either donating a load for sale, or by making a donation via the website: The Royal British Legion

OK. Let's get on with it then. I used yarn that knits to 4mm needles with a 3.5mm crochet hook throughout to achieve a poppy roughly the same size as an official poppy. You will need:

Red yarn
Green yarn
Black yarn and safety pins, or black buttons (and needle and thread if you're going to need to sew a button in place)
Yarn needle

The poppy is worked in four simple continuous rounds. Round 1 is worked slightly different depending on whether you are buttoning the poppy on or attaching a safety pin. I always use Britich crochet terminology so please refer to UK crochet terminology, and if you've never worked into a magic circle before, you may find working crochet in continuous rounds a useful read.

Stitches used:

ch: chain
dc: double crochet (US single crochet)
htr: half treble crochet
tc: treble crochet
slst: slip stitch

Poppy:

Button-hole fastening:
Round 1: ch 8
Work the first stitch of round 2 into the first chain, thus forming a button-hole

Safety pin fastening:
Round 1: work 8 dc into a magic circle and pull to close

Round 2: (dc, 2 dc into next stitch) x4 [12]
Round 3: (slst, htr, 2 htr into next stitch, 3 htr into next stitch, 2 htr into next stitch, htr into next stitch) x2 [20]

It's round 4 that gives the poppy its small and big petal.

Round 4: slst into the next two stitches, 1 dc and 2 htr into next stitch, 3 htr into next stitch, 2 htr into the next three stitches, 3 htr into next stitch, 2 htr and 1 dc into next stitch, slst into the next two stitches, 1 htr and 2 tc into next stitch, 3 tc into next stitch, 2 tc into next five stitches, 3 tc into next stitch, 2 tc and 1 htr into next stitch

Cut yarn and pull through. If making a button-hole poppy, sew in loose ends. If making a safety pin poppy, don't cut the yarn ends until after you've used them to sew on the safety pin.

Here's a load of safety pin poppies I made on the train to work (note the absence of button hole, and rather dirty train seats):

Leaf:

I worked the leaf in double crochet and slip stitches. I've made an attempt at drawing a chart because I'm not convinced my typed instructions will be clear enough - if in doubt, refer to the below:

Ch 8, dc in second ch from hook. Work 5 more dc, then work 3 dc into last chain. Do not turn work, but instead rotate the work 180 degrees and work 6 dc down the opposite side of the starting chain, wrapping the yarn tail as you go.

Ch 2, rotate the work 180 degrees again, refer to chart and work 5 dc

Ch 2, turn. Work 1 dc into second chain from hook. Work 1 dc into next stitch then slst into next 4 stitches.

Ch 3, rotate the work 180 degrees again, refer to chart and work 5 dc

Ch 2, turn. Work 1 dc into second chain from hook. Work 1 dc into next stitch then slst into next 4 stitches.

You should end up with something that looks like the picture below. Use the yarn ends to stitch to the poppy, positioning it at 11 o'clock if you can.

Black middle:

If you are making a safety pin fastening poppy, make a black middle by simply working 10 dc into a magic circle and pulling to close. Use yarn ends to sew the black middle in place, then use the red yarn ends to sew your safety pin in place.

Enjoy, and don't forget to donate!!!

Fabulous frugal flowers

2013-06-24T19:41:00.001+01:00

If you've read my post on making a quilted cushion cover from old clothes or making a handbag out of hubby's old jackets you'll know that whilst I love to craft, I am loathe to spend endless amounts of money on fabric and buttons! Why not just reclaim fabric and buttons from the clothes that the kids grow out of so quickly before throwing them out?

There are so many pretty hair clips in the shops but alligator clips are the only ones that stay put in my little girl's hair because it is so fine. I bought some plain alligator clips from eBay and googled fabric flowers. I spotted 'Kanzashi flowers' and they are so adorable that I decided to have a go at making some. I am certainly no expert as this was my first foray into making such flowers, but they seem to be a type of modular fabric flower built from multiple identical petals.

There seem to be three main types:

petals made from square pieces of fabric - I was too lazy to make try these as they all seem to involve pins, spray starch and an iron.... Too much effort!
petals made from circular pieces of fabric - I was too lazy to try these because cutting circles is far too much effort!
petals made from small strips of ribbon - I may try these yet, but I don't happen to have any ribbon lying about so watch this space!

So here's my take on the Kazashi flower: petals made from octagonal pieces of fabric. Hang on, how can someone too lazy to cut circles cut octagons? Well, as it happens, I have a number of 2.5" fabric squares in my 'quilting spares' box. A few simple folds and a snip and you can turn the squares into octagons =)

You will need:

5 fabric squares per flower
1 button per flower
scissors
thread
needle

Fold a corner to the opposite corner to form a triangle, ensuring that the right side of the fabric ends up facing outwards.

Fold the triangle twice more like so:

Hold the triangle with the long side on the vertical and the 'loose' ends facing upwards. Snip off the end at a right angle to the long side, to the half-way point of the diagonal:

Open out your piece of fabric and you will have a rather rough octagon. Repeat the snipping on all remaining squares.

Now that you've prepared all of your octagons, you can start sewing your flower together. I cut a length of thread roughly 60cm long, folded it in half then threaded the folded end into my needle to give myself a quadruple-thickness thread. I've used a contrast thread to bring out the dark pink flowers. The button will cover the thread anyway so don't worry that it shows up too much against the fabric.

Fold an octagon in half along one of the original fold lines, making sure the right side faces outwards. Work running stitch approximately 2mm away from the edge of the cut edges, making sure to sew through both layers of fabric. It may take a bit of trial and error to get the correct length of stitches, but try to start by going in at the underside of the petal and emerging at the underside at the other end. When flattened out, it will like like this:

I work ruffling the petal as I go, but flattened the petal out in the above photo just for illustrative purposes. In practice, your working petal will look like this:

Keep working more petals until you have five on your thread:

Loop back round to the first petal and add a few stitches to tighten everything up. And a button to cover up the join.

I used 2.5" squares and ended up with 2" flowers - perfect for gluing on to alligator clips for decorating my little girl's hair =)

Cuddlie Steggie

2013-05-10T19:46:00.000+01:00

What is it about toy manufacturers that they tend to market trains, cars and dinosaurs at boys? My little girl has always liked trains and cars, and has been bugging me for what seems like forever to get her a dinosaur. She doesn't stray too far from the sexual stereotypes though; she likes Rosie from Thomas and his friends, and cars need to be pink and sparkly. Of course she doesn't want a gnarly dino with sharp teeth and claws like the ones her brother has - it has to be pink with big eyes.

Well, I can tell you that I've given up on trying to find one in the shops and instead got out my knitting needles and some odd balls. With just less than a 50g ball of Rowan all seasons cotton, less than 20g of Debbie Bliss Amalfi, a pair each of 4cm and 3.75cm needles I managed to rustle up a 28 cm long, 12 cm high, 9 cm wide steggie =)

I knitted mine in the round using circular needles, but have written the pattern for straight needles so as to not scare anyone off! You don't need any fancy techniques, but sewing on the feet can be a little fiddly. If you'd like a go at knitting the body and feet in the round, just knit every round and knock a knit stitch off the beginning and end of each row.

You will need:

Yarn and appropriate needles. I like to use needles smaller than the ball band recommends when knitting toys to give a tighter finish that the stuffing won't show through
Stuffing
Safety eyes, buttons or felt circles
Yarn needle

Techniques used:

Cast on, cast off
Knit
Purl
Garter stitch (knit every row)
Stocking stitch ( knit a row, purl a row)
k2tog: knit two stitches together for a right-slanting decrease
k2tog tbl: knit two stitches together through the back of the loops for a left-slanting decrease
m1: make a stitch by picking up the horizontal strand between stitches and knitting into the back of it
kfb: increase by knitting into the front of a stitch, then into the back of it before slipping it from the left needle
pfb: increase by purling into the front of a stitch, then into the back of it before slipping it from the left needle

Body:

Starting at the head, work the head, body and tail in one piece as follows.

Cast on 8, leaving a 60 cm tail for seaming.

Row 1: k2, m1, k1, m1, k2 , m1, k1, m1, k2 [12]
Row 2 and all even rows: purl
Row 3: k2, m1, k1, m1, k2, m1, k2, m1, k2, m1, k1, m1, k2 [18]
Row 5: (k2, m1, k1, m1, k4, m1, k1, m1) x2, k2 [26]
Row 7: (k2, m1, k10, m1) x2, k2 [30]
Rows 8-12: Work in stocking stitch without shaping for 5 rows
Row 13: (k2, ssk, k8, k2tog) x2, k2 [26]
Row 15: (k2, ssk, k2tog) x4, k2 [18]
Row 17: k6, ssk, k2, k2tog, k6 [16]

Start increasing for body.

Row 19: (k2, m1, k5, m1) x2, k2 [20]
Row 21: k3, m1, k6, m1, k2, m1, k6, m1, k3 [24]
Row 23: k4, m1, k7, m1, k2, m1, k7, m1, k4 [28]
Row 25: k5, m1, k8, m1, k2, m1, k8, m1, k5 [32]
Row 27: k6, m1, k9, m1, k2, m1, k9, m1, k6 [36]
Row 29: k7, m1, k10, m1, k2, m1, k10, m1, k7 [40]
Row 31: k8, m1, k11, m1, k2, m1, k11, m1, k8 [44]
Row 33: k9, m1, k12, m1, k2, m1, k12, m1, k9 [48]
Row 35: k10, m1, k28, m1, k10 [50]
Row 37: k11, m1, m13, m1, k2, m1, m13, m1, k11 [54]
Row 39: k12, m1, k30, m1, k12 [56]
Row 41: k13, m1, k30, m1, k13 [58]
Row 43: k28, m1, k2, m1, k28 [60]
Rows 44-48: work in stocking stitch without shaping for 5 rows
Row 49: k28, k2tog, ssk, k28 [58]
Row 51: k13, k2tog, k28, ssk, k13 [56]
Row 53: k12, k2tog, k28, ssk, k12 [54]
Row 55: k11, k2tog, k12, k2tog, ssk, k12, ssk, k11 [50]
Row 57: k10, k2tog, k26, ssk, k10 [48]
Row 59: k9, k2tog, k11, k2tog, ssk, k11, ssk, k9 [44]
Row 61: k8, k2tog, k10, k2tog, ssk, k10, ssk, k8 [40]
Row 63: k7, k2tog, k9, k2tog, ssk, k9, ssk, k7 [36]
Row 65: k6, k2tog, k8, k2tog, ssk, k8, ssk, k6 [32]
Row 67: k5, k2tog, k7, k2tog, ssk, k7, ssk, k5 [28]
Row 69: k4, k2tog, k6, k2tog, ssk, k6, ssk, k4 [24]
Row 71: k3, k2tog, k5, k2tog, ssk, k5, ssk, k3[20]
Rows 72-74: Knit 3 rows
Row 75: k2, k2tog, k4, k2tog, ssk, k4, ssk, k2 [16]
Rows 76-78: work in stocking stitch without shaping for 3 rows
Row 79: k1, k2tog, k3, k2tog, ssk, k3, ssk, k1 [12]
Rows 80-82: work in stocking stitch without shaping for 3 rows
Row 83: k2tog, k2, k2tog, ssk, k2, ssk [8]
Rows 84-86: work in stocking stitch without shaping for 3 rows
Row 87: k2, k2tog, ssk, k2 [6]
Rows 88-90: work in stocking stitch without shaping for 3 rows
Row 91: k1, k2tog, ssk, k1 [4]
Rows 92-94: work in stocking stitch without shaping for 3 rows
Row 95: k2tog, ssk [2]

Cut yarn and pull through two remaining loops. Weave the tail yarn at the nose for a neat finish, pull tightly then use invisible stitch to join the tummy along the two sides of the work, stuffing as you close the seam. If you are using safety eyes, remember to attached them before you completely close the seam! Hide ends inside the work.

Spine:

I originally worked the spine as a single layered zig-zag. After sewing it on however, I found that it kept curling and wouldn't stay upright. I ended up cutting the whole thing off and making the spine from scratch, but this time as a double-thickness zig-zag worked in one long garter stitch strip (bear with me - you will quickly see it take form).

There are three sizes of spike and I have broken them down as such. DO not break yarn between spikes; work them as a continuous strip. At the beginning of each spike there will be 4 stitches.

Work a strip of 1 small spike, 2 medium spikes, 3 large spikes, 2 medium spikes, 2 small spikes.

Cast on 4 leaving a 60 cm yarn tail for attaching spine to back.

Small spike:
[4]
Row 1: k1, kfb x2, k1 [6]
Row 2 and all even rows: knit
Row 3: k1, kfb x4, k1 [10]
Row 5: k1, k2tog x2, ssk x2, k1 [6]
Row 7: k1, k2tog, ssk, k1 [4]
Row 8: knit

Medium spike:
[4]
Row 1: k1, kfb x2, k1 [6]
Row 3: k1, kfb x4, k1 [10]
Row 5: k3, kfb x4, k3 [14]
Row 7: k3, k2tog x2, ssk x2, k3 [10]
Row 9: k1, k2tog x2, ssk x2, k1 [6]
Row 11: k1, k2tog, ssk, k1 [4]
Row 12: knit

Large spike:
[4]
Row 1: k1, kfb x2, k1 [6]
Row 3: k1, kfb x4, k1 [10]
Row 5: k3, kfb x4, k3 [14]
Row 7: k5, kfb x4, k5 [18]
Row 9: k5, k2tog x2, ssk x2, k5 [14]
Row 11: k3, k2tog x2, ssk x2, k3 [10]
Row 13: k1, k2tog x2, ssk x2, k1 [6]
Row 15: k1, k2tog, ssk, k1 [4]
Row 16: knit

Final row: K2tog, ssk [2]
Cut yarn and draw end through final 2 loops.

Feet, make 4

Cast on 8, leaving a 30 cm tail for seaming and attaching to body

Row 1: k1, kfb x6, k1 [14]
Row 2: p1, (p1, pfb) x6, p1 [20]
Rows 3-10: work in stocking stitch without shaping for 8 rows

Cast off, seam, stuff and attach to body

All that's left is to sew on eyes if you haven't already attached saftey eyes. I am unashamedly cheap and always cut the buttons off clothes before I cut them off and I used ones from one of the boy's old shirts =)

New Year, New Post!

2013-01-02T20:09:00.000+00:00

Happy New Year!!!! I can't believe we're in 2013 already, and I can't believe how long it's been since my last post... Actually I can; I've been so caught up with a house move and returning to work in November after four years as a stay-at-home Mum that I haven't really put time aside for blogging. Of course I've carried on crafting, but I've just been too lazy to dig out my camera and charger to take photos!

Christmas is almost over (it's not over until the Epiphany as far as I'm concerned) and the decorations will be coming down on Sunday. Every year, I let the children each choose a decoration for the tree. This year the girl chose a little Kokeshi doll. Not the most traditional of choices but it's so cute that I agreed to it. She was not a happy bunny when I told her the tree and decorations would be coming down she requested 'but not my Mummy Doll' (I've got black bobbed hair so I guess it does look a little like me) so I decided to crochet her her own little Kokeshi doll =)

Why not make your own one for Chinese New Year (yeah yeah, Kokeshi dolls are Japanese but it'd still look cute for Chinese New Year) which falls on 10th February this year? I made mine using various oddments I found. It doesn't really matter what type of yarn or hook you use provided you use a combination that produces a tight piece of work because it won't look very nice if the stuffing shows through. I used a 4mm hook with yarn that knits to 4mm needles (but you may need a smaller hook as I crochet quite tight) and my doll stands 14cm tall. This project is worked in continuous rounds starting with a magic loop. See my tutorial on working crochet in continuous rounds for more details.

What you'll need:

Yarns in main dress colour, black for hair, ivory for skin and various scraps of yarn for embroidery detail. I used a bit of gold fingering to add a bit of sparkle
Crochet hook
Yarn needle
Polyester toy stuffing
2 safety eyes (optional). These plastic eyes that can be bought in a number of sizes really add to the professional finish of your toy. Make sure to insert them securely. If you are giving the toy to a baby, you may prefer to embroider the eyes
Small piece of plastic that can be cut with scissors for reinforcing the base (a clean piece of milk bottle 5x5cm approx is ideal)
Small ball for adding weight to the base (optional)

Techniques used (UK terminology):

ch: chain
dc: double crochet (US single crochet)
slst: slip stitch
inc: work 2 dc into next stitch
dec. You can use dc2tog, double crochet 2 together: insert hook in next stitch, yarn over and pull up loop (2 loops on hook), insert hook in next stitch, yarn over and pull up loop (3 loops on hook), yarn over and draw through all 3 loops on hook. If you prefer to use invDec, invisible decrease: then hook through front loop only of next two stitches, yarn over, draw through loop (3loops on hook), yarn over and draw through 2 loops (2 loops on hook), yarn over and draw through both loops on hook
back loop only
working in continuous rounds. Unless otherwise stated, all parts of toy are worked in continuous rounds

Hair:

The hair is constructed of four black pieces: two overlapping circles (one larger than the other to create a 'side-parting') and two small balls for buns.

Circles:
Make two

Round 1: Ch 2 and work 6 dc into 2nd chain from hook (or work 6 dc into a magic circle) [6]
Round 2: Work two stitches into each stitch round [12]
Round 3: (1 dc, inc) x 6 [18]
Round 4: (2 dc, inc) x 6 [24]
Round 5: (3 dc, inc) x 6 [30]
Round 6: (4 dc, inc) x 6 [36]

For the smaller circle, work two rounds without shaping and fasten off. For the larger circle, work five rounds without shaping and fasten off. Leave long yarn tails for attaching to the head.

Buns:
Make two

Round 1: Ch 2 and work 6 dc into 2nd chain from hook (or work 6 dc into a magic circle) [6]
Round 2: Work two stitches into each stitch round [12]
Round 3: Work 1 round without shaping
Round 4: Dec x 6 [6]

Close the hole and leave long yarn tails for attaching to head.

Head:

Round 1: With ivory, ch 2 and work 6 dc into 2nd chain from hook (or work 6 dc into a magic circle) [6]
Round 2: Work two stitches into each stitch round [12]
Round 3: (1 dc, inc) x 6 [18]
Round 4: (2 dc, inc) x 6 [24]
Round 5: (3 dc, inc) x 6 [30]
Round 6: (4 dc, inc) x 6 [36]
Rounds 7-13: Work 7 rounds without shaping [36]
Round 14: (4 dc, dec) x 6 [30]
Round 15: (3 dc, dec) x 6 [24]

If you are using safety eyes, insert them now between rows 13 and 14 before the hole becomes too small. You may want to position the hair on the head to help you decide where to insert the eyes.

Round 16: (2 dc, dec) x 6 [18]
Round 17: (1 dc, dec) x 6 [12]

Fasten off but do not close hole.

Body:

Round 1: With dress colour, ch 2 and work 6 dc into 2nd chain from hook (or work 6 dc into a magic circle) [6]
Round 2: Work two stitches into each stitch round [12]
Round 3: (1 dc, inc) x 6 [18]
Round 4: (2 dc, inc) x 6 [24]

Round 5: Work 1 round without shaping, working into back stitches only (This produces a ridge so the doll has a 'base') [24]
Rounds 6-7: Work 2 rounds without shaping [24]
Round 8: (3 dc, inc) x 6 [30]
Rounds 9-20: Work 12 rounds without shaping [30]

Before starting the decrease rounds, trace the bottom of the body onto a piece of thin plastic (I used a clean takeaway container):

Insert the plastic disc into the bottom of the body:

Inserting the disc into the base of the body ensures it stays flat after it is stuffed. You could also add a
plastic bouncy ball to provide extra weight to the base.

Round 21: (3 dc, dec) x 6 [24]
Round 22: Work 1 round without shaping [24]
Round 23: (2 dc, dec) x 6 [18]
Round 24: (1 dc, dec) x 6 [12]

Fasten off but do not close hole and leave long yarn tail for attaching head.

You have now finished making all of the components of the doll. Stuff head and sew on hair and embroider a smile. Stuff body and attach the head to the body by aligning the stitches - both openings have the same number of stitches.

You could leave the doll plain, but I received strict instructions from a certain bossy four year old to embroider cream flowers on her dress!

Trick or treat!!!

2012-10-26T22:13:00.000+01:00

I love Hallowe'en. I remember dressing up as a kid and going trick-or-treating with my friends. When I was younger it was always done while it was still bright, when I became a teenager I went along as a chaparone for the younger kids. My husband is against it because he says that it encourages begging but I won't deny my kids or other peoples' the fun I had as a kid and for that reason, since having children of my own, I always carve a pumpkin as a beacon that I welcome trick-or-treaters. This year I decided to do two, one for the girl and one for the boy....

I did a web search for 'free pumpkin carving templates' which returned loads of results but I ended up on Celebrating Halloween and the kids chose a skull and Tinker Bell.... No prizes for guessing who requested which! The templates are downloadable and printable and clearly state which region of the template needs to be carved. I carved the skull one first, and rather liking the way it turned out changed the Tinker Bell one to be similar by drawing an oval around her such that it didn't go all around her but met her feet and wings. There are so many silhouette images available on the net that I'll probably just 'make my own template' next year =)

Every year since I have struggled to get my lit tea light into my pumpkin without burning myself so started using a candle lighter. This year I decided to be a bit smarter and cut it a bit differently so as to make my life a little easier. The kids loved scooping out the seeds!

After printing out my templates, I cut out the 'carve sections' and stuck them to my pumpkin using a glue stick.

Not trusting myself to keep the stencil in place, I drew around the cut edges with a drywipe marker.

And off I went carving it with a good old paring knife. In previous years, I scooped out the flesh to make pies, soup and cake (I have a fantastic pumpkin cake recipe that tastes like carrot cake but better) but was under such pressure from the kids to just get on with it that I just thinned out the front of the pumpkin where I'd be carving. Ta da!! Hmmm... Pretty anti-climactic - it doesn't look that great when it's not lit up =(

All lit up..... Much better!

Still making a mess, but just a little bit less =)

2012-09-18T12:57:00.000+01:00

I've been a bit absent from the whole blogging world for a while. There's something about moving house that seems to sap away all notions of wanting to start a new project. We're all settled in now, having moved a month ago. We were stuck for a week in an Internet black hole (what on earth did we do before the Internet???!!!!!), went on holiday for a couple of weeks to the south of France (I wasn't very well going to spend my time in an Internet cafe when there's sun-bathing to be done now am I?), then I used last week to sew some rather uncreative curtains and blinds (I love my sewing machine but I really do find curtain making terribly tedious).

So, I'm back to my usual sewing thing of using up random bits of old fabric. As much as I love collecting fabric from the kids' old clothes for my craft projects (they so love seeing their old clothes being given a new life), every so often something made from a rather unattractive utility fabric breaks and I put the fabric aside for when it might come in handy. When my husband's big black umbrella broke in the wind, I cut out the fabric. I didn't imagine I'd actually need it, but hubby has this unique skill of dreaming up seemingly pointless items that he wants me to sew. He wondered in after work one day and said 'My butt is soaked: can you make me a waterproof bicycle seat cover so I can keep my seat dry when I leave it outside in the rain'. Of course I scoffed, thinking him a mite dramatic, but I went ahead and dug out my umbrella material all the same and made him one. I wasn't laughing a few days later however when I left my bike outside the gym.... I returned from my gruelling workout (it probably just felt that way because I am so unfit) to find it had been raining. I cycled home with a rather wet bottom, cursing myself for not having made myself a waterproof sodding seat cover.... That teaches me for laughing at him!

I've got a great big massive scrunched up bundle of red waterproof fabric sitting about in the garage from when both of our pop-up gazebos decided to fly over the fence into the neighbour's garden.... You'd think that planning a barbeque for July would be a safe bet wouldn't you? No. Not in England! Not long ago I was asked to make holder to stop hubby's bike lock (he has a rather dodgy looking chain one that looks like a pair of handcuffs!) from rattling as he's cycling. He dragged a waterproof tent bag out from nowhere (I don't know where he has all this stuff hiding). I made it and put the rest aside.... Until yesterday....

The kids were feeling rather bored and neglected while I was updating my CV (indeed, the time has come to get back to work, pay some taxes and get left with pretty much not much else after childcare costs) and decided upon themselves to get the paint out. The girl found herself a nice floral artwork apron (I think my niece grew out of it and left it to her) so of course the boy got jealous. That's when I remembered the random waterproof fabric I'd stashed away:

Not very glamorous is it? Good job it's for the boy! With him measuring 24cm across the shoulders, the scrap was just the right size for me to cut two rectangles and add neckline scoops, a lower one for the front. I then placed the pieces right sides facing and sewed the shoulder seams.

With my fabric being so boring and green, I couldn't resist binding the edges with some of my gorgeous check bias binding that I picked up a while back, without a plan for it, but hey it came in handy =) I bought myself a binding foot but just can't get used to using it and prefer to do it using the tried-and-trusted method that I've always used. It can take a bit of practice, but I've found that by putting my needle in its left-most position, I can align the right-hand-side of the presser foot with the raw edge of the work and the needle with the crease in the binding. Start by sewing the binding to the wrong side of the work. I like to fold down a piece at the start for a neater look:

Attach the binding all the way to the end, remembering to fold the end up for a neat finish:

Turn the work over so the right side is facing and finish top-stitching the binding in place, making sure to cover the stitches from attaching the binding to the wrong side:

I like to start the top-stitching by stitching around the corner before proceeding to stitch along the length, but that's just a matter of preference:

I finished the apron off by adding bias binding to the neck-line and adding two straps complete with some poppers attached using my beloved Prym Vario Plier:

He looks pretty smart in it, and it might even keep him clean and dry (who am I kidding?) while he's doing artwork. In fact, he's just emerged from washing his paint brushes and is actually quite dry. My toilet room floor didn't survive, but a two year old and a three year old wandered into there, filled the basin and washed their brushes by themselves and I've not had to clean/redress either of them so I can't complain =)

A littl loo-roll love....

2012-06-21T17:09:00.001+01:00

I love doing artwork with the kids, even if it all they're doing it dipping their hands into paint and smacking it onto paper!!! Sure, they make an awful mess and I find myself cleaning paint of faces, legs and hair, but they have fun and it kills at least an hour a day (yes, my three-and-a-half year old and two year old really do love artwork that they will sit still for that long!). Plus, making controlled mess develops their co-ordination skills so I really don't mind the mess.

I try to vary what they do and if a holiday or birthday is coming up, I let them loose decorating hearts, Easter eggs, Christmas trees or whatever else is appropriate at the time. When I was teaching them shapes, I cut up manky potatoes and made carved stampers out of them. Today however, we are living in the Hubbard house (because we're off away for the weekend) and there's absolutely no fresh produce in the house.

Then the kitchen roll ran out too so I decided to make some very simple stampers with the cardboard tube. I cut it in half to make a circle 'stamper' (no explanation needed there!) and turned the other half into a heart stamper. I folded it so as to flatten the circle, then turned one point inwards to make a heart shape. After reinforcing it with a little masking tape to hold its shape, I handed over to the kids and let them do their thing.

So simple and hardly worth posting about, but it kept two pre-schoolers very happy this afternoon! And the best thing is, I don't have any stampers to clean because they'll go straight into the recycling bin =)

Fatten up hubby and bag yourself a new, erm, bag!

2012-06-17T09:37:00.001+01:00

Okay, I'm not actually suggesting that you go ahead and feed your hubby to chubbify him in order make him throw out loads of his clothes under discrete duress so you can plump up your crafting stash. Neither am I suggesting that mine is a porker - he just loves a bargain: 'it was less than half price but I've never worn it'..... I thought it was only us chicks that suffer from that philosophy!!! But, thanks to his impulsiveness, I have a 'new' bag!

I love books and we have four 3" x 6" book cases filled with books. Despite loving owning books, I still love my local library service because it allows me to try books without obligation, or indulge what may just be a passing crafting phase without forking out. Although I love taking the kids to the children's section of the library, I don't like the scowls I receive when I try to look about the adult section ('adult' sounds pervy, but you know what I mean!). We have a wonderful mobile library service that visits us once a fortnight, which I'm sure there are many available up and down the UK. Oxfordshire library service has an excellent web interface that allows one to browse the entire county catalogue and even links to Amazon so the user can take a peek through the book. A few clicks later and a small fee (£1), and the books of interest can be added to the mobile library round for convenient pick-up.

I've always felt rather daunted by the thought of making handbags, in particular in the lining of them, until I came across this book by Emma Brennan (if you're interested in looking it up, it has ISBN 978-1-86108-502-3 and belongs to the Dewey Decimal classification 646):

I have to say, it hardly is a sewing book for the faint-hearted, but Emma Brennan does go into amazing detail about lining, zips, fastenings and embellishments. What I love most about her book is the way in which she gets the creative juices flowing by (for many of the bags) using the same template but finishing them differently for two very unique looks. You can probably tell from the photograph that I opted for 'Vivien'.

Now that my little ones are out of nappies and I have them carrying their own snacks and drinks, it's high time I ditched the nappy bag and start something more grown-up. I love that 'Vivien' is a fairly compact bag that is plain enough to use during the day but also feminine enough to use as an evening bag.

I made a few modifications to the pattern to make it work for my Mummy lifestyle. Rather than simply sewing in both sides of the handle, I salvaged a metal rectangle from a 'free' belt that came with one of the boy's pairs of shorts and attached it to the main body of the bag where the handle should have been attached. I cut the handle one and a half times longer than the pattern required and sewed some velcro to the underside of the handle (don't make the mistake of thinking that buying stick-on velcro will help hold it in place while you sew - it will just stick to your sewing machine needle and jam!). I used approximately 10 cm of hook at the loose end and 25 cm of loop immediately after that. Why on earth would I do such nonsense? My pushchair has a single bar for the handle instead of two handles so I can just throw my bag over it. Of course, I could also attach my bag to the handlebar of my bike. I photographed it looped around a dining chair and like to think that it adds a bit of security when I'm out and about because it makes it harder to pinch.

Emma Brennan's bags use magnetic handbag fasteners, but I couldn't find any so instead added some jeans poppers. I have a Prym Vario Plier and absolutely love adding no-sew fasteners to my projects (I cannot stand it when my duvet covers come with button fasteners and add poppers to the opening as soon as I buy a new one).

Of course, I used the jacket lining as the bag lining and salvaged the buttons. The central navy velvet ribbon ribbon detail, although disguised as a continuity stripe following from the handle, is in fact hiding the seam that I had to add due to the narrow sections of fabric I managed to un-pick from the discarded jacket.

I'm very pleased with my first handbag project and will promptly be making a patchwork bag for the girl but will fashion the bow detail such that it looks like a butterfly =)

More stash-busting mug hugs!

2012-06-12T09:53:00.000+01:00

I am absolutely itching to get out to buy some gorgeous yarns for some new projects but my new-found self-discipline that has come with having children (who am I kidding? It's purely single-income-family-induced!!) tells me I have to use up all of my stash first. What better way of using up little odd balls than making a whole load of mug hugger coasters? With only three mug huggers in the house, we didn't have enough for when gets were round!

My original mug huggers had button loops that passed over the handles of the mugs but I decided to make my new ones with button hole bands that pass under the handle for two reasons: the mug huggers are more versatile and can be used with different height mugs and hubby kept complaining that the mug hugger came up too high on the mug and got in the way of his lip as he drank his tea!!!

Here's how I did it:

Button hole row 1: After working the mug hugger 1" shorter than I wanted its finished height to be, I started the button hole band. I like my buttons to face outwards when I hold my mug with my right hand, so after reaching the end of a wrong-side row, I worked a chain of length 8.
Button hole row 2: I turned and started the next row in the second chain from the hook.
Button hole row 3: Work the row until 6 stitches remain, chain 4, skip 4 stitches, work the last 2 stitches
Button hole row 4: Work first 2 stitches. When working button holes, I find it easier to work the stitches to wrap the chain rather than work into the chains. Work 4 stitches to wrap the chain, then work to the end of the row

Work 2 more rows, break yarn and weave in loose ends.

I like using quite large buttons, or indeed co-ordinating crochet ball buttons (see my water bottle carrier pattern for how to make a crochet ball button). You may find you need to alter the size of your button holes depending on the buttons you decide to use.

I think I'm well on my way to banish these resilient and pesky odd balls!

Pretty little panty liner pouch

2012-06-09T16:25:00.000+01:00

Let's face it, they're not the most glamourous of things, but we all use knicker stickers, don't we? I always buy the unwrapped ones. Never mind the fact that the wrapped ones are more expensive, I simply cannot justify all the extra wastage created by the plastic wrappers! The problem with the unwrapped ones is that they have a tendency to go rogue in one's handbag and attract all manner of debris. So, using a few scraps and sewing a few straight lines, I made myself a little pouch for throwing into my handbag. You could of course just apply the same principle to making tissue or nappy pouches, or even a cover for your baby wipes =)

The crossover feature means that there is no need for closures, so no buttons or button holes! All you need is a few scraps of fabric, and if you'd like, some bias binding.

The cutting part is so simple: all you need is five rectangles of the same size. I decided to allow ½" room plus ¼" seam allowance on each side, so cut out five 4" x 8" rectangles. I wanted a criss-cross effect so cut two of my pieces with the pattern running in the opposite direction from the others.

Fold two of your rectangles in half along the long side and two in half along the short side, such that the right-sides are facing outwards:

Now to start layering your pieces up ready to sew:

If you are planning not to add a border of binding, and will therefore be turning your pouch out after sewing it, place the unfolded piece right-side up (if you are going to bind it, place it wrong-side up) and place a long piece on top of it aligning the side with the two raw edges with the edge of the bottom piece and the folded edge running along the middle.
Place a short piece aligning the side with the two raw edges with the edge of the bottom piece and the folded edge running along the middle.
Place the second long piece opposite the first long piece.
Place the second short piece opposite the first short piece, tucking one side under the first long piece so as to create the criss-cross.
Pin all the pieces together.
Sew a ¼" seam all the way round. If you are binding your pouch, do this now. If you are not binding it, sew a zigzag over-casting stitch all the way round to prevent further fraying and turn your pouch right-side out.

'I can never find my phone in this huge bag!'

2012-05-27T23:34:00.000+01:00

I've never been one to be over-precious about my phone and have never bought a posh phone case.... What's the point - I'll get a free upgrade in 18 months, right? So why on earth did I make myself a phone sock? Well, it just started as my first ever attempt at Tunisian crochet (I've always loved the woven look of the fabric and wanted to try it), and because I bought a double-ended hook I wanted to try working it in two colours in the round. After a few rounds, and because I just happened to make my practice piece the correct circumference, I decided to make a phone sock.

Now that I've made it, I simply can't understand why I didn't make one before!! I added a button at the bottom for easy access and a button hole at the top for attaching a lanyard. I made two: one long enough to wear around my neck for when I don't want to carry a bag, and one for attaching to my bag handle or for sliding on to my belt.

I wish I'd made one when the kids were still in nappies and I was always carrying around an over-sized nappy bag..... I'm not the only one am I? I had the biggest change bag ever and always managed to fill it with all manner of junk, most of which I didn't need, and the things I did need (phone, wallet, keys) would always get lost somewhere in amongst the nappies, baby wipes, and the various mystery items the kids would end up throwing in. Now, I can just attach my phone to my bag handle, pushchair handle or belt so I can quickly find it. Now the kids are out of nappies, I often take them out for quick trips without a bag at all and I can just button my lanyard onto to phone sock, throw in a cash card and some cash and off I go =)

A bit too blobby for your t-shirt? Hand it down to your mini-me!

2012-05-24T09:34:00.001+01:00

Come on, admit it: you've got a tonne of clothes that you have stashed away for when you 'lose those few extra kilos'. Ok, if you won't, then I'm coming out with it: I have loads of clothes that I put away when I became pregnant. When it came to unpacking them again, it was clear that I would not be wearing them again. With some of them, it's not even just because I've turned into a blob, but more because they're not really very 'me' anymore. I love my Coco Monkey t-shirts, but they're quite short and I no longer want to flash my midriff.

The thing I love about t-shirt fabric is that it doesn't really fray. This quality makes it really easy for modifications to be made with a few snips and no overlocking (and indeed for making tarn ). I had some grey organza from a posh bunch of flowers that hubby bought me a while back that I've been saving to make a tutu for the girl. I thought it would look perfect added to the bottom of the grey t-shirt. As the t-shirts were already quite short (just over 55 cm from top to bottom), I didn't want to shorten them too much. I cut of the sleeves, the necks, and after cutting off the bottom cut two 2.5 cm strips from the bottom of the grey one to be used as drawstrings for the necks of both dress.

For the pink one, I simply folded each side of the neck inwards and sewed a 1.5 cm channel through which the drawstring would be passed. I then drew a strip of the grey t-shirt through the channels and tied a bow. I used a flexible bodkin, but you could simply attach a safety pin to one end and use it to help you ease the drawstring through the channel (a trick my mum taught me).

I took a few extra steps with the grey t-shirt. After cutting 15 cm strips from the organza, folded it in half lengthwise and stitched 7 mm from the folded edge with my shirring foot, I was lucky enough to end up with a ruffled strip roughly 2 cm longer than the width of the t-shirt (it went from 115 cm to 40 cm). I made 4 of these strips and sewed them onto the bottom of the grey t-shirt, two staggered on each side.

Obviously, the end size of the sun dress will depend on the start size. My t-shirt started out as a fitted UK size 8-10 and ended up fitting my rather small 3 year old. Indeed, you could use the technique to turn hubby's old t-shirts into a top for yourself (go on, poke holes in the sleeves of his t-shirts).

Of course mini-me wants a mini-Mummy sun hat!

2012-05-23T16:59:00.000+01:00

Before I even finished making my wide-brimmed crochet sun hat I knew that my daughter would want one for herself so I asked her to pick out the yarn for it. She chose Wendy Supreme cotton DK in 'seashell, 1946', a soft shade of pink (of course), of which I used approximately 110 g. And here it is, a matching mini-me hat with slightly different shaping. I have yet to make a flower (believe me, she won't let me forget that I haven't yet), but am going to sew it rather than crochet it.

She's a small three-and-a-half year old with a head circumference (measured diagonally from the back of her neck and round her forehead) of 47 cm. I think it will fit quite a range of ages as the mother of a 9 month old just couldn't resist trying it on her little girl today, and there is still plenty of give in it for my daughter. The cotton gives it a slight weight that is lacking in sewn cotton hats and it doesn't blow off, and the bpdc detail gives the hat a slight firmness that can handle the brim being left down or rolled.

As I emphasised with the pattern of my adult sized hat, this is not the simplest of patterns as bpdc takes a little while to master but you really must not omit it because it tightens the trebles and the size would be completely wrong without the bpdc rounds. I write all my patterns in UK terminology so make sure to check out my post on terminology.

I have worked hard creating my original patterns and am happy for them to be used for free. Please do not sell the patterns. If you do sell the end products please state clearly that they were made using my design, and that the pattern came from www.craftymamasanchez.blogspot.com. Thanks, and enjoy!

What you'll need:

Yarn(s) of choice plus the crochet hook required to work to a tension of 22 dc to 10 cm
Yarn needle
Small safety pins or stitch markers

Techniques used (UK terminology):

ch: chain
slst: slip stitch
dc: double crochet (US single crochet)
htc: half treble crochet
tc: treble crochet
dtc: double treble crochet
bpdc: back post double crochet
working rounds by joining
working in continuous rounds
magic circle

Working bpdc (back post double crochet):

Back-post double crochet is a special stitch that is worked around the posts of the stitches of the previous round in order to push the characteristic 'chain' at the top of the work to the front of the work. It can be a little fiddly to master at first, but please do not try to omit the bpdc rounds from the pattern - double crochets work up a lot tighter than trebles and double trebles and the hat and the bpdc round will tighten the previous round slightly.

A yellow and a pink arrow have been placed to show where the hook will be inserted from the back and from the front respectively in working the first bpdc after the slst
Insert the hook at the back of the work in the next stitch such that it emerges at the front
Reinsert the hook from front to back in the next stitch. The hook will now be lying on top of a post
Yarn over and draw a loop through, yarn over and draw hook through both loops on hook
At the end of the round, slst to the first bpdc of the round to join
There will now be a circle of chains that has been pushed forward to form a ridge, and a new circle of chains at the top into which the next round will be worked

Old clothes, 'new cushion'

2012-05-22T22:46:00.000+01:00

Ta da!!! I've finally finished the quilted cushion cover I made from old clothes. I started it back in January and it feels like I've been working on it forever. In actual fact, it took me just over two hours to rotary cut the fabric and piece the quilt top. I've been holding on to the quilted cushion cover top for ages because I've not had time to go to quilting group (poorly kids followed by a poorly me). About a month ago I finally decided to buy myself a working foot and it finally arrived this morning. No, I didn't have it sent from the slowest company ever, I didn't finalise my transaction properly...... Flipping heck! PayPal requests so many blimming confirmations of transaction! I was such a fool, it took me over three weeks to look into contacting the seller and in looking for the confirmations, I realised there wasn't one. Duh!

As soon as I received my package this morning, my sewing machine was out with walking foot attached. I used some bias tape I'd bought for the binding, and I have to say, I almost lost the will to live while hand-sewing the back of the binding in place, but it was definitely worth it. I have to say, I'm feeling rather smug about how 'clever' I am for using the front of a shirt I spotted in my husband's pile of things to throw out as the cushion cover back. How lazy am I? No button-holing and no having to sew buttons in place!!!

I opted for mitred binding, which I thought would be tricky but was surprisingly easy. I didn't really think this quilt out beforehand as it was my practice piece.... Next time I'll do mitred borders as well as mitred binding for a neater finish.

Well, the girl loves it and used it in place of her pillow last night and then carried it downstairs with her today. I'm pretty pleased with my first ever quilting project and am looking forward to making a whole load of things from the old clothes I've amassed since January =)

Piñatas all filled and ready to..... destroy!

2012-05-16T23:24:00.002+01:00

Our piñatas are ready to receive a good whacking on Saturday. It seems such a shame because we've spent quite a while on them No loss of effort though because we tend to do so much artwork that loads of it ends up in the bin!

Before filling it with a selection of surprise goodies and some cut up coloured tissue paper, I carefully poked two holes in the top of each one with knitting and threaded through some string that I tied ready to hang them for their climactic demise.

I don't know how hubby watched me make a mess of the floor with cut up tissue paper and hollow piñatas, but that we did!!

The kids had a fab time filling them with the tissue paper!

Unfortunately that's where their involvement ended because I had to stuff them with their goodies. We're just having a family party so it's just going to be them so they've got one each with a few little toys, bubbles blowers and sweets in them. My next job was to close them up. Yeah, yeah, in hind sight I'd have stuffed them and sealed them BEFORE painting them, but I have to admit that this was not a very well-planned project and I hadn't bought the goodies and the kids wanted to crack on with painting them.

I had already traced the openings onto thin card and cut them out with tabs which I used for masking taping the circles over the opening. Another layer of papier-mâché and they were all sealed up.

A last lick of paint and then my sister and I started at the bottom and stuck tissue paper on them a some cartoon painted eyes and mouths as finishing touches.

We had a great time and will definitely be doing it again, but I'll be a bit more well-prepared next time..... I was just using up stuff I had in the house. Next time I'll buy a selection of big balloons and long balloons so I can make a big fat body and legs. I'll seal them before decorating them. I won't paint them next time either - the paint cracks. Instead, I will go out and buy some crêpe paper that I'll cut into strips and cut little 'tabs' in them so the entire strip can be wrapped around the papier-mâché. I think I'll even make a 'trap door' in them too so I can fill the after they're decorated - the crêpe paper should conceal the flap nicely.

Another doll gets a Mama Sanchez makeover because off-the-peg just doesn't cut it!

2012-05-15T21:26:00.001+01:00

What on earth have I started? I only started making dolls' clothes because the outfits that The Little Mermaid is sold with are woefully inadequate and always result in her being half naked. Now, it seems I have set a precedent for knitted/crocheted outfits and as soon as the girl gets a new doll her clothes are taken off and I'm told 'Mummy, she doesn't like her dress - she would like a knit one'. To be fair, they are so much more durable than the shop bought ones which fray so quickly!

So of course, Tinker Bell was no exception and I was told she wanted a ballerina dress. Tinker Bell just wouldn't be right if she were not wearing leaves, so I set about designing a ballerina-style leaf dress. I made three different iterations of knitted ones and threw them all away. The girl loved them all so I had to sneak them into the bin when she wasn't looking!

This isn't an exact pattern as Tinker Bell is smaller than a 'standard' doll so if you're planning on making this for your Barbie, following what I did simply wouldn't work. I will guide you through making it to measure for your doll.

I used approximately 25g of a random mystery yarn for the main body of the dress and worked the contrast vein and edging on the leaves in Twilley's goldfingering. I used a 3.0mm hook but you can use whatever yarn and hook you like. I work to quite a tight tension so you may want to drop down a few hook sizes because big stitches just won't look right on a such a small garment. Just remember not to use a hook that is far too small for your yarn because the garment will end up too tight and without stretch - a good choice would be to use yarn that knits to a 2.5mm needle with a 2.5mm hook.

The dress body is worked in entirely in trebles and treble decreases, with joining and without turning. I 'step up' to the next round with 2ch and work the first treble back into the slip stitch. You will also need to work a few doubles for the shoulder strap section. Familiarise yourself with and refer to crochet stitch summary and terminology because I write all my patterns using UK terminology.

1. Work a test length of trebles
Before you set about making your leaves, work a test swatch of a row of treble crochet. Work a multiple of four stitches that will fit around your doll's hips comfortably. Do not just work a length of chain and assume that is a good enough test - the trebles will loosen up the work!

2. Make your leaves

Divide your number of chains by 4 and make that number of large leaves and that number again of small leaves from my lovely little leaves post (I worked 24 chain so made 6 each of large and small leaves)

3. Start the body of your dress

Work a length of chain of the required length, making sure not to twist the chain, slip stitch to the first chain. Ch2 (doesn't count as a stitch) then work a round of tc working the first round in the sl st.

4. Attach large leaves in round 2

The leaves are worked into the dress by inserting the hook into the round end of a leaf after the yarn over but before inserting it into the main body of the work. Draw the hook through both layers of work and work a tc in the usual manner.

Attach large leaves in the second round in the following manner: ch 2, attach first leaf into the sl st, 3 tc, (attach leaf, 3 tc) until all leaves are attached, sl st to the first tc to join the round

5. Attach small leaves in round 3:

Attach small leaves in this round in the following manner: 2 tc, (attach leaf, 3 tc) until all leaves are attached, sl st to the first tc to join the round

6. Keep working straight until the skirt is the desired length

Remembering thr 2ch 'step up', hold your work up to the doll's waist and stop when you reach the desired length

7. Decrease for the waist

Ch2, tc into the sl st, tc, tc2tog, (2 tc, tc2tog) to end, sl st to the first tc to join the round

8. Keep working straight until the bodice is the desired length

Remembering the 2ch 'step up', hold your work up to the doll's waist and stop when you reach the desired length

9. Work the straps

I like to put aside a quarter of the stitches for the front middle. After the last sl st, work a length of chain sufficient to pass over the shoulder from the centre-back, sl st to the stitch to the side of the middle quarter stitches. Dc the middle stitches, sl st to the next stitch then work another shoulder strap. Sl st to the beginning of the round and tie of securely and weave in loose ends.

The photo shows two 'looks'. Working the contrast edge on the leaves gives them a convex/concave quality - you decide which look you like best by simply popping them in the desired direction.

Pretty painted piñatas :-)

2012-05-15T17:27:00.001+01:00

We finished painting our piñatas with a layer of water based paint just before supper yesterday. I don't suppose it's essential but we did it simply because the old magazines were not that pretty and so that if the kids miss bits when we start sticking the tissue paper on, at least they will still look lovely. I think they've done a wonderful job! Of course I had to paint the Angry bird one (the girl is only three and a half and the boy two!), and the dinosaur spikes because the boy became restless and returned to charging about the house!

They're proud as punch with them and ran straight to Papa when he got home from work to drag him to their masterpieces! We probably won't get round to adding the tissue paper and eyes until tomorrow - there are far too many huge muddy puddles to be wasting time indoors! The girl was horrified when i explained that they're to be filled and then bashed to pieces, but by the time it was time for their bath she told me 'Mummy I'd like a big stick so I can poke my piggy!'. I reckon she's just had so much fun that she doesn't mind if she ends up having to make a new one! To be honest, I loved it too and am now thinking of any excuse to tear up more old magazines and get out the flour paste.... Is it obscenely early to start making Christmas bauble gift piñatas?

Plain piñatas? Pah!!!

2012-05-14T11:31:00.001+01:00

Yesterday the kids and I started making piñatas. I managed somehow to delude myself that I'd get away with letting the kids just stick a mish-mash of different coloured tissue paper on them then add some tissue paper tails and they'd be overjoyed with an octopus each. Oh no, of course not..... The girl wants a piggie and the boy a dinosaur. I thought it would only be polite to make a red Angry Bird for my niece.

With nothing fancier than a piece of thin card, a pencil, a pair of scissors and some masking tape, I was determined to turn the drab papier-mâché balloons into a work of art

I sketched out some dinosaur spikes, a pair of piggie ears, a head and a tail feather for the Angry Bird and a semi-circle which I taped into a cone shape for its beak. Rather than cutting the shapes out exactly, I cut an extra 1.5 cm on the edge that was to be attached to the balloon. I then cut tabs and folded them in alternating directions (except for the beak, for which I folded all of the tabs outwards). I also made a papier-mâché piggie snout which I shaped around a little freezer weaning pot covered with cling film (I was hoping to use a section of egg box but they don't seem as cup-shaped as they were when I was a lass).

I taped the adornments in place with the masking tape. When taping things to the top of the balloon, I would highly recommend bending them so the contact point to the balloon is curved, otherwise (for example the head feather) they will be floppy and won't stand up.

I then tore up some more old magazines and mixed up some more paste using 1 part flour and 2 parts cold water and covered the features and masking tape with more papier-mâché.

The kids are eagerly waiting for them to dry so they can paint them with water-based paint =)

Lovely little leaves =)

2012-05-13T18:53:00.003+01:00

I love the simplicity of crochet leaves but I've never really found a reason to make any..... But then the girl became obsessed with Tinker Bell and wanted a Mama Sanchez dress for her. I have to say, I made a three different iterations of knit ones and threw them all away because I just wasn't happy with any of them. In the end I opted for a crochet dress, simply because I love the way sewing in yarn tails is so easy and tidy (in fact, I carry mine next to my work and bind them and sew in the bare minimum) and also because little loose bits are so easy to join in. This is a pattern for the little leaves, not the dress, but that too will follow shortly.

It's probably not that clear from the photo, but there are two sizes of leaves. The size of crochet leaves is so easy to adjust once you figure out what you're doing. They are worked straight to build one side and then rotated, rather than turned, 180 degrees and worked along the unused third loop of the foundation chain. I have added an optional contrast central vein and border in Twilley's goldfingering for the blingy effect I wanted for the dress but you could work them in a different shade of green or omit them altogether.

Large leaf:

You will need to know how to work the following stitches: chain, slip stitch, double crochet, treble crochet and double treble crochet. Please see my crochet stitch summary and terminology as I write all my patterns in UK terminology.

Ch 8, starting at the second ch, work the following stitches: dc, dc, htc, tc, dtc, dtc. Work 4 tc into the last ch, rotating the work 180 degrees as you go. Carry the yarn tail and bind it as you work dtc, dtc, tc, htc, dc, dc [16]
You could stop at this point and weave in the yarn tail and have a plain teardrop shaped leaf with a central 'vein' of holes
If you would like a contrast vein, insert the hook near the pointed tip (I didn't start right at the tip because I wanted a gap) and draw up a loop
Insert the hook into the next stitch, pull up a loop and draw it through the loop on the hook thus working a slip stitch. Slip stitch all the way to the end, working between stitches 8 and 9
Work one last slip stitch off the end of the leaf
Starting at the stitch directly next to the vein, work 7dc, 2dc into each of the next 2 stitches (each side of the pointed tip), 7dc ensuring to wrap the yarn tail as you go. Break yarn and weave in loose ends

Small leaf:

Using the same principle as above, work the smaller leaf as follows: ch 7, starting at the second ch, work the following stitches: dc, dc, htc, tc, tc. Work 4 tc into the last ch, rotating the work 180 degrees as you go. Carry the yarn tail and bind it as you work tc, tc, htc, dc, dc [14]

Piñata!!!

2012-05-13T13:16:00.001+01:00

Kids love sticking don't they? The girl would do sticking every single day if she could. With the boy's birthday coming up, I decided to let them make their own piñatas. I know everyone associates them with being donkey shaped, and sure, there are amazing ones in various Disney and Dreamworks characters for sale at Toys 'R' Us and Tesco, but we're just going to make some simple balloon-shaped ones - they are only two and three years old after all! With a few little tissue paper tails, I guess we can pretend that they're octopuses, erm, octopii, erm..... What is the correct plural of octopus anyway???!!!!

Armed with some balloons, old magazines, mugs and coloured tissue paper we were all set. Of course we couldn't make the papier-mâché with wallpaper paste or watered down glue because they may contain edibles, so I mixed together a paste of 1 part flour and 2 parts water. It doesn't matter if the paste is lumpy but I added the water a little at a time until it was smooth before throwing the rest in.

The girl, being her usual tidy self spent ages covering her balloon and managed to do so without getting her hands dirty, but of course the boy got his hands in and dribbled quite a lot all over his clothes.... he is still covered in flour now! We've done or first layer of magazines and they're sitting drying until after lunch when we'll add our next layer of magazines =)

What I did next:

Plain piñatas? Pah!!!

Pretty painted piñatas :-)

Piñatas all filled and ready to..... destroy!

Cupcake cuties

2012-05-09T16:54:00.001+01:00

Cupcakes are so cute aren't they? Even cuter when they're mini-cupcakes. It's rather strange that my kids never seem to be able to finish a full-size cupcake but will happily munch down two or three mini cupcakes! I think it has something to do with the fact that the icing is in every bite =) I just love the fact that they bake in less than 15 minutes and that it takes just one squeeze of a piping bag fitted with my biggest star nozzle to ice them.

I'm one of those that believes that home baking beats shop-bought any day. I like to add as little sugar as I can get away with without spoiling the consistency of the bake because I think that too much sugar just takes away the taste. I love baking with almonds and yoghurt because I like the moistness they lend to sponges. I mix my cupcake mixes up in a huge jug which I then pour into a piping bag (a food bag will do just fine) so I can squeeze my mixture into the cases because I am far too lazy to use spoons to portion out the mix. As for icing, I am not a fan of butter icing and much prefer a mascarpone icing not just because it's tastier but also because it doesn't go solid in the fridge.

These cupcakes are perfect for icing because they come out quite flat. If you prefer your cupcakes not to rise above the paper cases, simply put less mixture into the cases.

Cupcake mix
Makes approx 45 mini-cupcakes that will keep for up to 3 days in an airtight container or, simply freeze them un-iced for up to a month

175 g unsalted butter
150 g natural yoghurt
3 medium eggs, lightly beaten
2 tsp vanilla extract
140 g self-raising flour, sifted
100 g ground almonds
150 g caster sugar
1 tsp baking powder

Pre-heat oven to gas mark 5 (190°C/170°C fan)
Melt butter and leave to cool before adding the yoghurt, eggs and vanilla extract and combining well
Stir together the dry ingredients, then pour in the wet ingredients and stir until just combined
Pour the mixture into mini cupcake cases until approximately 7mm from the top
Bake for 12 minutes or until an inserted skewer comes out clean
Leave to cool for a few minutes before removing from tin, then leave to cool completely on a rack before icing

Mascarpone icing
This should be enough to ice 45 mini-cupcakes, but it's hard to tell because the kids 'test' so many cupcakes before they're iced and love licking the icing spoon. Also, I don't like too much icing so you may want to make up a bit extra. If you like a sweeter icing, simply add more sugar! Unlike butter icing, it can be left in the fridge until you're ready to use it because it won't harden up very much.

40 g unsalted butter, very soft
125 g mascarpone
140 g icing sugar, sifted
1 tsp vanilla extract (or more if you like it to have a really ice creamy taste)

Beat all ingredients together until the mixture is thick and leaves a trail

The kids love various sprinkles on their cakes (don't all kids) but hubby doesn't like the texture so I just add a little dusting of edible glitter for glamour =)

An uber-bling doll's mermaid dress for an uber-bling 30 year old girl =)

2012-05-06T14:24:00.000+01:00

My 30 year old sister's friend recently bought her a retro Barbie (no, it's not a typo, my THIRTY year old sister has a Barbie doll!) and she fell in love with the knitted and crochet dresses I made for my daughter's doll. Her favourite Disney cartoon growing up was 'The Little Mermaid' so when I found some Freedom Gorgeous yarn at half price for £1.79 per 50g ball in my local Hobbycraft (I needed just over one ball), I decided to make an uber-bling version of my doll's demure mermaid dress for her complete with gold edging using Twilley's goldfingering on the scales.

I made a few modifications to improve the pattern. In the original prototype, I made the scale section and continued up through the bodice. I then made two tail fins that I stitched into place. The new improvement is that I made two half tail fins, joined them by crocheting them together, then decreased gradually to 8 stitches into which the first eight skeleton pairs were worked. Please scroll right down to the bottom of my post on working double crochet in continuous rounds and refer to crochet stitch summary and terminology.

I have worked hard creating my original patterns and am happy for them to be used for free. Please do not sell the patterns. If you do sell the end products please state clearly that they were made using my design, and that the pattern came from www.craftymamasanchez.blogspot.com. Thanks, and enjoy!

Tail fins
Made using continuous rounds. Do not turn work.
Make two

Round 1: Ch 2, 6 dc into 2nd chain on hook
Round 2: 2 dc into each stitch round [12]
Rounds 3-5: Work without shaping for 3 rounds
Round 6: (1 dc, inc1) x 6 [18]
Rounds 7-9: Work without shaping for 3 rounds
Round 10: (2 dc, inc1) x 6 [24]
Rounds 11-17: Work without shaping for 7 rounds

Join the tail fins in round 18 by working 24 stitches on the the first tail fin then 24 stitches from the second tail fin [48]

Round 19: (4 dc, invDec) x 8 [40]
Round 20: Work straight without shaping [40]
Round 21: (3 dc, invDec) x 8 [32]
Round 22: Work straight without shaping [32]
Round 23: (2 dc, invDec) x 8 [24]
Round 24: Work straight without shaping [24]

Round 25: (1 dc, invDec) x 8 [16]
Round 26: Work straight without shaping [16]
Round 27: Dc2tog x 8 [8]

Tail:

Do not break yarn, instead continue straight into the tail by working the first 'skeleton round' as follows:

Slst to next stitch, 3 ch, tc into slst, ch 1, (2 tr, 1 ch) into each of the 7 remaining stitches round [8 skeletons formed.

Resume working from the doll's demure mermaid dress pattern. If you would like to add a contrast trim as I did, join in the contrast colour after fleshing out the scales and work a round of dc. Do not break either yarn - the yarn will not need to be trailed for long distances. Work the second leg of tc on the first scale of each round such that you wrap the contrast yarn.

Of course my little girl has fallen in love with her Aunt's doll's blinged up mermaid dress and wants all of her dolls to have a mermaid makeover. I've to make a tail for Prince Eric, Snow White and Tinker Bell..... I'm going to be busy!!!!

Crochet stitch and terminology summary (UK)

2012-05-01T14:41:00.000+01:00

As a Brit, I will always use the UK terminology for all stitches. In order to avoid any confusion with regards to which stitch I am refering, I decided to create a summary of the stitches used in my patterns:

ch: chain
slst: slip stitch
yo: yarn over
yrh: yarn round hook

Basic stitches:

dc: double crochet (US single crochet). Insert hook, yo, draw hook through (2 loops on hook), yo, draw hook through both loops on hook (1 loop on hook)
htc: half treble crochet. Yrh, Insert hook, yo, draw hook through (3 loops on hook), yo, draw hook through all 3 loops on hook (1 loop on hook)
tc: treble crochet. Yrh, Insert hook, yo, draw hook through (3 loops on hook), yo, draw hook through 2 loops (2 loops on hook), yo, draw hook through both loops on hook (1 loop on hook)
dtc: double treble crochet. Yrh x 2, Insert hook, yo, draw hook through (4 loops on hook), yo, draw hook through 2 loops (3 loops on hook), yo, draw hook through 2 loops (2 loops on hook), yo, draw hook through both loops on hook (1 loop on hook)
ttc: triple treble crochet. Yrh x 3, Insert hook, yo, draw hook through (5 loops on hook), yo, draw hook through 2 loops (4 loops on hook), yo, draw hook through 2 loops (3 loops on hook), yo, draw hook through 2 loops (2 loops on hook) ,yo, draw hook through both loops on hook (1 loop on hook)

Increasing:

An increase of one stitch is achieved by working two stitches into one stitch from the previous row. If increases are simply indicated by 'inc' I am assuming that the project is mainly constructed using one stitch type.

Decreasing:

A decrease of one stitch is achieved by working one stitch but stopping before the last yo. The hook is then inserted into the next stitch and a second stitch worked until the last yo. Yo and draw the hook throuh all remaining loops on hook. If decreases are simply indicated by 'dec' I am assuming that the project is mainly constructed using one stitch type. For clarity, I will always state the decrease type in the pattern.

dc2tog: double crochet 2 together. Insert hook, yo, draw hook through (2 loops on hook), insert hook into next stitch, yo, draw hook through (3 loops on hook), yo, draw hook through all three loops on hook (1 loop on hook)
htc2tog: half treble crochet 2 together. Yrh, Insert hook, yo, draw hook through (3 loops on hook), yo, yrh, insert hook, draw hook through (5 loops on hook), yo, draw hook through all 5 loops on hook (1 loop on hook)
tc2tog: treble crochet 2 together . Yrh, Insert hook, yo, draw hook through (3 loops on hook), yo, draw hook through 2 loops (2 loops on hook), yrh, Insert hook, yo, draw hook through (4 loops on hook), yo, draw hook through 2 loops (3 loops on hook), yo, draw hook through all 3 loops on hook (1 loop on hook)

Front and back post stitches

Front and back post stitches are worked around the post of stitches of the previous row/round instead of into the 'chain' at the top of the work. Doing so pushes the top chain of the previous row to the back (in front post stitches) or front (in back post stitches). Working rows of front or back post stitches can be used to create horizontal ribs. The stitches are much the same as the basic stitches, so I will only describe fpdc and bpdc.

fpdc: front post double crochet. Insert hook into next stitch as per dc. The hook will be at the back of the work. Insert the hook into the next stitch from the back of the work so that it emerges at the front of the work, yo, draw loop through (2 loops on hook), yo, draw hook through both loops on hook (1 loop on hook).
bpdc: back post double crochet. Insert hook into next stitch from the back of the work so that it emerges at the front of the work. Insert the hook into the next stitch from the front of the work so that it emerges at the back of the work, yo, draw loop through (2 loops on hook), yo, draw hook through both loops on hook (1 loop on hook).

Wide-brimmed crochet sun hat

2012-05-01T11:12:00.002+01:00

Every single year, a couple of days before I go on holiday, I end up feverishly running around every single shop in town looking for that perfect sun hat. And every single year, I end up buying a sun hat that I hate and throw it away once it's done its job. Now that I have well and truly got this crochet thing figured out, I decided to design my own hat. I love the look of straw hats but hate the way they always blow off (has anyone else have loads of holiday photos in which they are holding their hat to their head to stop it from flying off?) and the way they can't be simply folded up and shoved into a suitcase.

Here's my solution: a hat that, I believe provides my head and eyes protection from the sun yet is trendy enough to wear in the evening, or to continue wearing through Autumn. The great thing too, is that it has a snug fit that doesn't seem achieveable with straw hats so won't blow off quite so easily.

I won't kid you that it is the most straight forward of patterns - it uses quite a few stitches including bpdc (back post double crochet), to 'push' the top chain forward to create the characteristic ridges. I used Wendy Supreme cotton DK, which, in my opinion is a great value 100% mercerised cotton. I used just under 200g of navy and less than 25g of driftwood. I chose cotton for its breatheability and washability. I also wanted a yarn that would have enough rigidity for a brim that would not be reinforced with wire. I used a 3.50mm hook, but I must warn you: I seem to work to quite a tight tension so you may find you will have to go down quite a few hook sizes in order to achieve the correct tension. You really can't afford to skip the step of working a tension square with hats and clothes because it will really make a difference to the fit of the end product!

I have worked hard creating my original patterns and am happy for them to be used for free. Please do not sell the patterns. If you do sell the end products please state clearly that they were made using my design, and that the pattern came from www.craftymamasanchez.blogspot.com. Thanks, and enjoy!

What you'll need:

Yarn(s) of choice plus the crochet hook required to work to a tension of 22 dc to 10 cm
Yarn needle
Small safety pins or stitch markers

Techniques used (UK terminology):

ch: chain
slst: slip stitch
dc: double crochet (US single crochet)
htc: half treble crochet
tc: treble crochet
dtc: double treble crochet
bpdc: back post double crochet
working rounds by joining
working in continuous rounds
magic circle

A yellow and a pink arrow have been placed to show where the hook will be inserted from the back and from the front respectively in working the first bpdc after the slst
Insert the hook at the back of the work in the next stitch such that it emerges at the front
Reinsert the hook from front to back in the next stitch. The hook will now be lying on top of a post
Yarn over and draw a loop through, yarn over and draw hook through both loops on hook
At the end of the round, slst to the first bpdc of the round to join
There will now be a circle of chains that has been pushed forward to form a ridge, and a new circle of chains at the top into which the next round will be worked

Hat:

This project is worked without turning.

From round 3 and every odd round thereafter, work bpdc for the entire round, slst to first bpdc to join round:

Round 1: With main colour make a magic circle, ch2 (counts as first tc), work 13 tc into the circle, slst to the top of 2ch to join round [14]
Round 2: Ch 2, tc into slst, work 2 tc into each of the next 13 st, slst to top of 2ch to join round [28]
Round 4: Ch 3, dtc into slst, work 2 dtc into each of the next 27 st, slst to top of 3ch to join round [56]
Round 6: Ch 3, 2 dtc into next st, (dtc, 2 dtc into next st) x 27, slst to top of 3ch to join round [84]
Round 8: Ch 3, dtc, 2 dtc into next st, (2 dtc, 2 dtc into next st) x 27, slst to top of 3ch to join round [112]
Round 10: Ch 3, dtc into each stitch round, slst to top of 3ch to join round [112]
Round 12: Ch 3, 6 dtc, 2 dtc into next st, (7 dtc, 2 dtc into next st) x 13, slst to top of 3ch to join round [126]
Round 14: Ch 3, 7 dtc, 2 dtc into next st, (8 dtc, 2 dtc into next st) x 13, slst to top of 3ch to join round [140]
Round 16: Ch 3, dtc into each stitch round, slst to top of 3ch to join round [140]
Round 18: Ch 2, 23tc, 6htc, 80dc, 6htc, 24tc, slst to top of 2ch to join round [140]
Round 20: Ch 2, 25tc, 6htc, 74dc, 6htc, 28tc, slst to top of 2ch to join round [140]
Round 22: Ch 2, 27tc, 6htc, 68dc, 6htc, 32tc, slst to top of 2ch to join round [140]
Round 24: Ch 2, 5tc, 2 tc into next st, (9tc, 2 tc into next st) x 2, 3tc, 6htc, (2 dc into next st, 9dc) x6, 2 dc into next st, dc, 6htc, 2tc, (2 tc into next st, 9tc)x3, 2 tc into next st, 3tc, slst to top of 2ch to join round [154]
Round 26: Ch 2, 9 tc, 2 tc into next st, (10 tc, 2 tc into next st) x 13, slst to top of 2ch to join round [168]
Round 28: Ch 3, 10 dtc, 2 dtc into next st, (11 dtc, 2 dtc into next st) x 13, slst to top of 3ch to join round [182]
Round 30: Ch 3, 11 dtc, 2 dtc into next st, (12 dtc, 2 dtc into next st) x 13, slst to top of 3ch to join round [196]
Round 32: Ch 3, 12 dtc, 2 dtc into next st, (13 dtc, 2 dtc into next st) x 13, slst to top of 3ch to join round [210]

If you try the hat on now, you will find it is rather floppy. If you would like a floppy-brimmed hat, continue working in dtc, if you prefer a more structured brim, work the remaining even rounds in tc, htc and dc as follows:
Round 34: Ch 2, 13 tc, 2 tc into next st, (14 tc, 2 tc into next st) x 13, slst to top of 2ch to join round [224]
Round 36: Ch 1, htc in each stitch round, slst to the 1ch to join round [224]
Round 38: Ch 1, dc in each stitch round, slst to the 1ch to join round [224]
Round 39: Slip stitch round with contrast yarn

Weave in loose ends.

Flowers:

My original intention was to make two flowers in the main yarn with constrast edging, but found I only had enough to make the small flower. I made the larger flower in the contrast yarn as an after-thought, but I'm pretty pleased I did because it's turned out quite nicely!

Each flower is made by working a circle in continous rounds of dc. In the fourth round, 5 loops are evenly spaced around the circle, then the fifth round fleshes out the loops into petals by working into the loops.

Small flower:

Round 1: In main colour, ch 2 and work 5 dc into 2nd chain from hook (or work 5 dc into a magic circle)
Round 2: 2 dc into each st round [10]
Round 3: (1 dc, inc) x 5 [15]
Round 4: {dc, (slst into next st, ch 10, slst into the same stitch), dc} x 5
Round 5: {slst into next dc, (work 2 htc, 14 tc, 2 htc into loop), slst into next dc} x 5
Round 6: Slip stitch round with contrast yarn

Large flower:

Rounds 1-3: In contrast colour, work first three rounds of small flower [15]
Round 4: {dc, (slst into next st, ch 14, slst into the same stitch), dc} x 5
Round 5: {slst into next dc, (work 3 htc, 22 tc, 3 htc into loop), slst into next dc} x 5
Round 6: Slip stitch round with main yarn

Weave in loose ends and sew flowers in place.

Buttermilk pancakes for breakfast =)

2012-03-25T10:31:00.000+01:00

I love American-style pancakes for breakfast and every time my company sent me to New York, I'd order them. I've always found crepes easy-peasy to make, but never got the hang of the fluffy American-style ones until I had children. They are very similar to Scotch pancakes (also known as drop scones).

I make mine with self-raising flour, but all my American friends tell me I should be using plain flour with 1 tsp baking powder and ½ tbsp bicarbonate of soda but I tried doing that and found them to taste far too doughy. Buttermilk tends to be sold in the half-pint (284 ml) in the UK, if you find you're buying 300 ml cartons, just use medium eggs instead of large. These are usually made on a heated griddle, but I just use an 18 cm frying pan, which holds a ladle-full of batter - you may need to play about with quantities.

Ingredients:

200 g self-raising flour
1 tsp baking powder
2 tbsp caster sugar, golden syrup or maple syrup, depending on taste
284 ml buttermilk
2 large eggs
1 tbsp melted butter

sunflower oil for frying

Method:

Combine all the ingredients except the butter and beat until smooth
Stir in the butter
Heat your frying pan using a medium heat, brush on a thin layer of oil, then add a ladle-full of batter
Leave your pancakes without moving them until they puff up slightly and craters start appearing on the surface

Carefully turn them over using a spatula and cook the second side until golden brown

I usually get 8-10 pancakes from a single quantity. I like mine with fresh berries, but hubby and the kids love theirs drowned in maple syrup!