Sarah's Simple Stitches

2017-09-03T23:20:00.000-04:00

Sarah's Simple Stitches has moved! I am now blogging over at Wordpress. Due to the move and losing photos from my photo hosting site, a lot of the posts need editing, so I will be leaving this blog up until I finish editing.

Sarah's Simple Stitches on Wordpress

My Memories Giveaway

2013-10-20T15:54:00.000-04:00

So much for getting back to blogging regularly! I spent the first two days of last week dealing with browser and internet problems, and then came down with a nasty respiratory virus for the rest of the week. This is the first day I've managed to get back to a somewhat normal schedule.

Anyway, I have a giveaway for all my readers! For this week only (October 20-26, 2013) you can download My Memories Suite Version 4 (a $40 value) for free! Simply enter the following code in the promo box before checking out: FreeTreatLO115 (Feel free to copy and paste the code into the promo code box). Please note that this offer applies only to the downloadable version of My Memories.

For those of you that haven't heard of My Memories, it is a digital scrabooking software. It can be used to create everything from scrapbook pages to cards, calendars, DVDs, interactive digital albums and more! I used it in this post to create the collage of the first 6 days of the TIAS, rather than posting 6 individual photos. I've also used the program to make monthly calendars for my computer desktop, Facebook cover photos, and to create word art.

Scrappin' Saturday XX

2013-10-12T18:04:00.000-04:00

Welcome to Scrappin' Saturday - take a peek into the pages of my scrapbooks.

Picking up from where I left off with this series, this is my second page of tatting. The upper right design is from Glass Christmas Balls by JoAnn Stearns. It is the top half of design #4. After that, I went with a few motifs and edgings so the ornaments would be done in time for Christmas. I used satin covered balls from Handy Hands and straight pins to hold the pieces on. The square medallion on the green ball in the center is a pattern I got from freepatterns.com. They credit it as being from Old Time Crochet Magazine, Summer 1998. The pattern for the green ball on the middle left is from Handy Hands Fall 2004 newsletter. The upper left ornament has the Trefoil Edging from the Big Book of Tatting . I'm not sure why I included the ornament in the middle on the right side - that was made with my Mom's embroidery machine. The two bottom pictures are of some other ornaments I've tatted. The green one is from the Big Book of Tatting, Christmas Tree Motif. I used DMC #5 pearl cotton in a medium dark green color. The round motif is from Tatting for Today, Motif #25.

How I Made It

Background: Decorative Scrapbook Paper by Paper Pizazz. "Holly on Green" HOTP-20222
Borders: Cream colored cardstock and Spellbinders Grand 12" Classic Lace Border.
Photos: The photos were cut using Spellbinders Nestabilities Classic Scalloped Ovals Die Template , and were mounted on cardstock shaped with Spellbinders Nestabilities Classic Ovals Die Template .
Journaling: Sizzix Tags, Scallop Combo #2, with bits of thread through the holes.
Other Embellishment: Snowflakes were punched with a Hyglo 6-in-1 craft punch. I used glitter glue to add sparkle, and scattered them around the page.

Baby Shrugs

2013-10-09T22:56:00.001-04:00

After not blogging for more than a year, you might think I would have finished a few of the projects in my Works in Progress list in the sidebar. The grand total is...1. And I haven't taken a picture of it yet. Instead, here are 2 projects from this year. I knit 2 baby shrugs from the same pattern, with different yarns. Sorry for the poor lighting in the pictures; I tend to finish gifts after midnight, hours before I need to give it to the recipient. The pattern is simply titled 'Baby Shrug'. Ravelry has links to publications in which the pattern can be found.

The first was made with Bernat Satin, colorway Faded Glory. Ravelry has it listed as an Aran/10 ply yarn. After knitting 3 or so inches, I realized that it was looking Christmas-y. My solution was to use a different color for the edging. I used Hobby Lobby's 'I Love This Yarn' in #160 Brown. Although Ravelry lists it as a DK/8 Ply and Hobby Lobby labels it sport weight, it was a similar thickness to the Bernat yarn.

I made the 3-6 month size; the baby was one month old when I gave it to her, and it was on the small side. She was able to get a few months use out of it. The closeup picture has slightly truer colors.

For the second shrug, I used Bernat's Mosaic yarn, colorway Daydream. Ravelry lists this as an Aran/10 ply. Although it is in the same weight category (on Ravelry) as the Bernat, it seems a bit thicker. It also looks, feels and knits very much like wool, despite being 100% acrylic.

Since the baby was born in Summer, I wanted this to fit in the Fall and Winter. Keeping in mind my previous experience, I made the 9-12 month size, instead of the 6-9 month size. I haven't heard yet if/how it fits, although she should be big enough to wear it fairly soon.
Other than the size issues, I have not had much difficulty with this pattern. In, fact, this pattern and the Tulips pattern may become my go-to baby sweaters.

Tatting Tuesday

2013-10-08T13:30:00.000-04:00

Confession: This post has been sitting in my drafts folder for a very long time. Since 2011, to be exact. Why? Because I haven't taken a picture of my completed project.

Way back in August 2009 this dragon made an appearance at the very bottom of a post. While I love the way the pattern looks, it was a lot of work. My biggest problem was using poor quality thread; also it was size 50, which I had never tried before. At the time of the post, I think I had broken the thread at least 5 times. Someone suggested thread conditioner, which made a huge difference in keeping the thread from breaking.

Minor Norwegian Ice Dragon

No amount of blocking or starching could convince him to be a free-hanging ornament, so he is in my Finished Objects Scrapbook. If you decide to try this pattern, be sure to...

Use thread you are familiar with
Make sure you know how to make SSR (Single Shuttle Split Ring)
Know how to make a twisted picot; I didn't, and it shows.

Someday I would like to try this pattern again, but for now I'm participating in a TIAS (Tat it and See) hosted by Lady Shuttle Maker. A TIAS is a mystery pattern, released one section at a time. Here is my progress so far - any thoughts on what it might be? I'm leaning towards flower pot. The thread I'm using is Lizbeth Red Burst, size 20.

I'm Back!

2013-10-07T23:45:00.001-04:00

When I stopped blogging last year, I had no idea that it would be more than a year before I came back to it. Here are my stitches in life from the past year. You may recall that in April, I had to have my kitty put down. In August, our local humane society had too many cats, and had a 'free cat day' or something like that. The kitty I adopted is named Posie, and was (and still is) feisty. She had a few health problems, and some behavioral issues too. She is much better than when we first adopted her, although we are still working on her behavior issues. She likes to 'help' me knit by chewing on the ends of my knitting needles, or playing with the yarn. Also last August, I accidentally deleted all of my emails. My computer spent 3 months or so with the Geek Squad, (they were unable to retrieve my emails) and I had no way to access information and pictures about projects I would have liked to blog about. In September I began working as a mother's helper for a family with 6 children. I am still helping them, and things at their house are never dull! In November, my Dad underwent a stem cell transplant to combat his cancer. In December we were still in the middle of Dad's recovery, plus I was trying to get Christmas decorating, cooking and gifts done. Unexpectedly, my Pastor resigned, and a few weeks later our music leader resigned as well.
In February, I had a week off and decided to take a vacation. I rented a car and drove to Kentucky to visit friends, then to North Carolina to visit some of my relatives for a few days. After that life settled down a bit until July. On July 4, I was driving down to Penn Yan with my Dad to spend the day with his side of the family. My car broke down, and we had to get towed back to Rochester. It wasn't worth fixing, so we ended up buying a new (to us) car. We spent the rest of July preparing for my Mom's knee replacement surgery. It went well, and recovery is mostly going well. I have finally set up my light tent permanently, and have been taking (better) pictures of my projects. I am slowly getting things organized, and have a huge list of projects to blog about!

My Memories Freebies

2012-08-10T03:03:00.000-04:00

Here are the latest freebies from My Memories!

Check the My Memories page to download and see what I did with them.

Purse Card

2012-06-28T00:06:00.000-04:00

Check out the MyMemories Page - there are two new freebies available. Hurry, though, as they will only be available until Monday. On my freebie page I try to only use what comes with the kit. Here's my 'only use the template' version.

Here's how I did it: I started off with the template. I then added a background from a STM Freebie from the week of December 5, 2011. It's named MUnderwood_spunky-back-paisley. I addded it as an embellishment so that it could be moved around to get the best position under the template. The butterflies and heart are from the Photo Shoot Mini Kit I rotated the butterflies a bit, and guesstimated how far down they would need to be in order to not be covered by the flap. I left the back plain.

For the inside, I started with the background from the Sea Memories Kit The flowers are a page element from One True Love Floral Scatters (if you like it, grab it quickly, as I believe it is soon to be retired.) The vellum tag is from another freebie download. The 'vellum' is layered over the flowers, but is opaque, like real vellum, so that the lower layers show through. I wanted two different fonts for the verse, and the reference, so I used two separate text boxes. The swirl embellishment is from SunshineArtz DejaVu Kit and is titled SATZ_DejaVu_peaswirl-01

Crocheted Grocery Tote

2012-06-15T23:39:00.000-04:00

Somewhere I have a chronological list of things that I've finished that need photos and blog posts. I can't find the list, and I'm probably the only one who cares about what order they were finished in. I finished this crocheted tote a while ago, but haven't used it yet (due to its' needing to be photographed for the blog). It is made out of the plastic sleeves that the newspaper comes in, and some colored grocery bags.

The directions for making the bag 'yarn' are here and the directions for making the bag are here.

The pattern was easy to follow, and all the pictures were very helpful. It does take a lot of bags. I was collecting the newspaper sleeves for at least a year, and then I still didn't have enough. Ultimately, it was a fun 'green' project, but took too much prep work for me to consider making it again.

Stitches in Life

2012-06-07T01:35:00.003-04:00

It seems as though more than three months have passed since my last post! Since my last post, I have spent 3 weeks total babysitting, helped my sister and brother-in-law move, my cat had to be put to sleep the next weekend, gardened for some friends, celebrated my Grandma's 90'th birthday, and have been dealing with a sprained back and tendonitis. I'm sure I left some stuff out, but I wouldn't want to bore you all. When Grace and Anthony moved out, I spent the next two or so weeks cleaning their apartment in the basement, and their upstairs office space. The office space is now mine. Yipee!! My doctors have repeatedly told me that my bedroom should not be used for reading, crafts, etc. "Your bedroom should be just for sleeping in" they say. I laugh and figure they don't have a clue about living with one's parents, and only having one room to keep all your stuff in. Now my bedroom is 'just a bedroom' and I am using the extra room for my desk and crafts. It's a bit of a disaster, but here are a couple of photo collages I created with MyMemories software. Clicking on the thumbnails will show you a larger image.

Dishcloth Project #3

2012-03-08T20:04:00.000-05:00

The Dishcloth Project; my quest to knit all of the dishcloth patterns from my 3+ years of Creative Knitting magazines.

This dishcloth was completed sometime in 2011. The pattern is one of their 'must try stitch' features. Often the must try stitch is in one of the larger projects in the magazine, although not in this case.

The Details

The Pattern: Creative Knitting, May 2007, 'Spring is in the Air Dishcloth'.
The Yarn: Sugar'n Cream, Violet Veil.

Dishcloth Project #2

2012-03-05T19:43:00.001-05:00

In December of 2010 I started on the Dishcloth Project. One of the knitting magazines I subscribed to had a dishcloth pattern every couple of issues. I decided to knit them all! Here's the second one - it was completed in April of 2011.

The pattern is from Creative Knitting, March 2007, Mock Cable Dishcloth. As I was knitting this dishcloth, I kept thinking that the pattern seemed really familiar. I finally figured out that the mock cable pattern was the same as the mock cable on my Wristlets! I had enough yarn leftover to make another dish scrubber.

The Details

Patterns: Creative Knitting, March 2007 Mock Cable Dishcloth, and Mini Double-Thickness Scrubby Cloths from 2009 Knitting Pattern a Day Calendar
Yarn Used: Sugar 'n Cream Twists, Taupe Twists

Scrappin' Saturday XIX

2012-03-03T10:28:00.000-05:00

Welcome to Scrappin' Saturday - peek into the pages of my scrapbooks.

Tatting Page: This is the first of several pages of tatting projects. Details are below the picture.

Background: I used one of the sheets that came with the scrapbook.
Photos: The photos were cropped to the desired size, then the edges were rounded.
Die Cuts: The die cuts on this page were made using Spellbinders Nestabilities Labels One and Labels Two.

Other Embellishments: I traced both a tatting shuttle and a tatting needle using a sharpie pen. I used the computer to journal a paragraph about tatting, and the photos on the page, printed it onto a decorative paper, and used the cuttlebug with Labels Two to get the desired shape. I also took several of my tatted 'scraps' and glued them onto the page.
Projects Pictured: Medallions The pattern for the square one is no longer available from the site I downloaded it from. If anyone knows where to find it, leave a comment so I can update this post. The other medallion is actually a failed attempt of the Pearl Accent Earrings from the Big Book of Tatting. I blogged about the bookmarks here and here. They are the same pattern, just with different ribbons. The pattern is Ribbon and Lace Bookmark from the Big Book of Tatting.

My Memories Freebie

2012-02-28T11:51:00.000-05:00

My Memories has sent a freebie link for me to share with you! Check out the 'My Memories' page for the link, and to see what I've done with the freebie. The freebie files are .png and .jpg and will work with any graphics software, not just My Memories software. In order to (hopefully) give you a better idea of the versatility of the freebie pack, I have refrained from using any other packs with it.

If you wish to purchase My Memories software, use the following code to save $10 at checkout! Here's the code: STMMMS47620

Scrappin' Saturday XVIII

2012-02-25T17:05:00.000-05:00

Welcome to Scrappin' Saturday - come take a peek into the pages of my scrapbooks. This page is devoted to the two beach bag totes that I've made. One for myself, and one for my Grandma.

The Details

Paper: The paper is a 12x12 sheet of Decorative Scrapbook Paper.
Photos: The photos were cropped square and the corners rounded with a punch.
Journaling: The journaling was written by hand and consists of the pattern title and some notes about making the pattern.
Project Link: I blogged about these here. The project is 'Girlfriend's Beach Tote' from Mary Mulari's Travel with Style book.

Lady of the Thread Cross Stitch

2012-02-18T12:45:00.000-05:00

Lady of the Thread is overdue for an update. I haven't taken a picture of her in nearly a year! This morning I finally finished the large green part of her skirt. It doesn't look very big in the photo, but when you're doing it one stitch at a time, it's gigantic!

The Pattern: "Lady of the Thread" by Lavender and Lace.
The Fabric: 28 ct black linen from my LNS
The Thread: DMC Floss
Date Started: 3-10-09

Goals for 2012

2012-01-13T16:23:00.000-05:00

Did you make any resolutions regarding your crafts last year? What about this year? I was just looking at my list of craft resolutions for last year:

Finish at least 1/2 of the projects on my current WIP list.
Take pictures of completed projects.
Start Christmas gifts ASAP, and finish them by the end of August.
Empty &/or downsize sewing basket.
Frame completed cross stitch projects.
Update Etsy shop on a regular basis.

How did I do?
1) I should have finished 7 projects from my WIP list. I finished two.
2)I did well with taking pictures until April. Now I have a pile of things on my desk that I need to blog about, but can't because I haven't taken pictures yet.
3) Yeah...I'm lazy. 'nuff said.
4) Accomplished! I purchased a plastic container, so that when enough projects get done I can put the lid on and stack stuff on top. (Anything for more storage space!)
5) 2 out of 6. Maybe that should be 2 out of 4 - one I have decided to make into a pillow cover, and another will be attached to the top of a box. If I can ever find a box the right size.
6) I did fairly well with renewing items when the listing expired...

Although my resolutions didn't go very well, I did manage to complete a lot of projects, including some that should have been on my WIP list.

Here are my crafting goals for this year:

Blog regularly
Scrapbook regularly
Keep Ravelry and Stitcher's Showcase projects updated
Get ideas for Etsy shop out of my head and into the Etsy shop
Keep working on finishing things in my WIP list
Get better at photography (I got some awesome gifts for Christmas that should help me with that.)
Have Christmas cards and gifts finished by November 1
Reduce my yarn stash to one basket (that's my stash, before sorting it into two baskets)

Upcoming posts: Projects that were finished last year, pictures and details about WIP's, some cooking and baking, and a Stitches in Life post.

My Memories Giveaway

2011-11-05T11:16:00.000-04:00

A few weeks ago I was contacted by My Memories, and asked if I would like to host a giveaway of their software. Ironically my Mom had just been telling me about them the week before. I said yes, and have been playing around with it. My Memories is a digital scrapbooking software but don't let the name fool you - you can do a lot more than scrapbooking with this software! So far my favorite project has been this calendar page:

I challenged myself to see what I could make without using any photos - I'm delighted with the results. The picture does look a little grainy - all of the pictures that I have exported as JPEGS are not as sharp as the originals. All of my projects (so far) have begun as scrapbook pages. Some stayed that way, and others have evolved into something different. The next picture would make the perfect Christmas card.The picture is from one of our annual visits to a local Christmas Tree Farm.

The following link will take you to a slideshow of the six pages I've created. http://img38.imageshack.us/slideshow/webplayer.php?id=salbumgiveaway004.jpg

Now for the Giveaway! There are two ways to enter:

Go to the My Memories website and find a paper pack, theme, or kit that you like, and leave me a comment about how you see yourself using it. Be sure that I can contact you through your comment.
For an extra entry, go to the My Memories Facebook page, and "like" it. Leave a second comment telling me you've liked their page, or if you already like their page, mention it in a second comment.

The drawing will be open for two weeks from Saturday, November 5, thru Saturday, November 19. Look for the winner to be posted on Monday the 21'st.
If you don't win the giveaway, or can't wait to try the software, My Memories has given me a discount code to share. This code is only valid for purchases of My Memories Suite v.2.
The code is: STMMMS47620 When you are checking out, simply copy and paste the code into the "coupon/promo code" box.

Granny Square Afghan

2011-11-04T20:30:00.000-04:00

The Granny Square Afghan is finally done! Actually, it's been done since April. According to the pattern, the finished size is 46x66 inches. Mine ended up 54x34 inches. It is a nice size, though, and I don't think I would like to have it bigger.

I made it with Caron Simply Soft Yarns. The only change I remember making was to make the shell border in a rose color. It makes it a little less Christmas-y (I want to display it all year!) The pattern is from Crochet World's December 1996 issue. The pattern can be downloaded for free from freepatterns.com.

October Goals

2011-10-11T13:50:00.000-04:00

Blogging seems to always be at the end of my priorities list. Yesterday I realized that since my priority list is ongoing, I will never get to the end of it, hence my lack of blogging. So, here I am with a cup of coffee finishing a post I started two weeks ago. It as been a long time since I've posted any goals. Earlier this year, I was fairly productive with projects and goals, and I think part of that was due to setting goals every month. Here are my October goals.

Complete my 'sewing challenge'. A friend of mine asked me to turn a set of headphones that no longer work into earmuffs. I have spent a lot of time thinking about how to do it, and writing down ideas. Now I just need to sit down and work on it!
Christmas gifts! This is something of a perpetual goal. Every New Year, I set the goal to finish Christmas gifts by June or July. Every year I end up scrambling Christmas Eve, and sometimes Christmas Morning finishing gifts. So far this year have not been any different. I have decided on the ornaments I'm doing for everybody, so, again, I just need to sit down and do it! I have yet to decide if I will make gifts for close family and friends, or purchase them.
Update Ravelry projects and stash. I have always liked the stash feature on Ravelry, but have never kept up with it. Most of my projects are up to date, they just need photos.
Finish updating my blog - I have been keeping a running list since January of all the projects that need to be blogged about.
Celebrate I Love Yarn Day (October 14) with some knitting! (And blog about it!)

*Clip Art from Classroom Clipart

Scrappin' Saturday XVII

2011-10-02T14:49:00.000-04:00

Welcome to Scrappin' Saturday - take a peek into the pages of my scrapbooks, and learn how I made them. This page is a sort of collage of sewing projects. I know that the phrase 'a stitch in time saves nine' applies more to mending, but I couldn't think of anything else to put in the blank space.

Background Paper: The white paper that came preloaded in the scrapbook. In the lower left corner, is a piece from the DCWV 8x8" Luxury Stack. It worked nicely to separate the hangers from the other projects.
Letters: The letters are from the Cuttlebug Die Set Olivia.
Photos: For the hangers, I simply cropped them by hand. The doll dress in the upper left corner was closely cropped, then I rounded the corners. The picture in the upper right corner was cropped using Nestabilities Spellbinders Labels One.
Die Cuts: The upper right photo was double matted with Nestabilities Spellbinders Labels One. The upper left photo was matted using Nestabilities Spellbinders Labels Two. For the journaling I used Nestabilities Classic Ovals Small, Nestabilities Classic Scalloped Ovals Large, and Nestabilities Classic Scalloped Paisley.
Projects Pictured: Padded Hangers, "Dronkles", and Doll Dress.

February Tatting Challenge

2011-09-29T23:16:00.000-04:00

In February I participated in a tatting challenge with one of my Facebook tatting groups. The challenge was to make at least two pieces of jewelry. I made a pair of earrings, and a ring. The ring pattern is from YarnPlayer's blog, and is available here. Apparently my method for hiding ends is not very good, because both ends pulled out. This picture was taken before the ends pulled out.
The earrings are from the booklet Beaded Tatted Earrings Set 2. I purchased the booklet from Handy Hands. I did have a little trouble with the last motif or ring. (It's been a while so I can't remember exactly) Other than that, I don't recall any trouble with the pattern.

Punch Needle Rose

2011-09-27T20:32:00.000-04:00

In February, I completed my punch needle project. It took me a while to figure out what to do with the finished piece. My Mom suggested a pinkeep, a method she frequently uses for her cross stitch projects. I don't have many comments about the pattern - I had no trouble with the pattern, and no improvements or complaints to mention. The pattern is by Jeri Kelly. I purchased it at my LNS, but it is available here.

I'm Still Here....

2011-09-17T00:00:00.000-04:00

I can't believe that my last post was in April! Life has been so crazy, with my job, my families health issues, and my own health issues. Things have calmed down slightly, so maybe I will be able to catch up with my blog.

Here is a list of upcoming post topics:

17 finished projects (possibly more)
Pictures of the projects that are in my UFO list
Monthly goals (and maybe weekly goals)
Scrappin' Saturday posts
Some tutorials that I've been working on for a while

I am also contemplating starting a weekly Stitches in Life feature. I try to keep this blog about my crafts, but sometimes I want to write about what's going on in my life. Lately life has gotten in the way of my crafting. I've barely touched any of my projects in the last few months, other than on craft nights. My Etsy shop listings expired and I didn't even realize it. This weekend I plan to get my Etsy shop back up, and start on some long overdue blog posts.
*Clip Art by Fiber Images

The Circular Solution

2011-04-14T17:30:00.002-04:00

My Grandparents gave me The Circular Solution for my birthday! I had prior to this been storing my circular needles in the original packages so they wouldn't tangle. However, they were always kinky, and somewhat frustrating to work with. Here are before and after pictures.

The kinks are working themselves out, and I can quickly and easily find the needles needed for my projects.

I also received circular needle ID tags. Now my circulars are doubly labeled. Once in the Circular Solution, and second with the ID tags.