Washcloth Woman

I don’t know if I’ve mentioned this before, but my Mother has a thing about washcloths.  She always has washcloths on her Christmas list and no matter how expensive or high quality a washcloth is she can wear it out in a year.  I don’t think I have ever worn out a washcloth, gotten tired of the color and bought new ones, yes, but not worn out.  She says they get thin in the middle, I must use mine differently.  I’m more of a pouf user anyway.

When I started knitting washcloths were a good way to try out new patterns without a big commitment and they were really good practice.  Bonus, I really liked knitted washcloths and so did my mom.  I don’t have a pattern that I always use, I like to try out new stuff, but I may have found my go to washcloth pattern:  The Linoleum Dishcloth. I love this pattern because it makes a thick, textured cloth that is easy to knit and the back looks nice too.This would be great for a beginner, the only thing you need to be able to do is the knit stitch and the slip stitch and using multiple colors is easy, only one per row.  I think that I would prefer this pattern in only two colors, what can I say I like it simple. On my needles now is the Amber Perry dishcloth, I like the pattern, but there is no texture and I even tried to add a bit by using garter stitch in the design.

I’m making these for a friend, we are doing a trade washcloths for soldering, I think it’s a fabulous deal!  I will be making one more, I just need to decide what pattern to use.  What is your go to dishcloth/washcloth pattern?, I’d love to try something new.

Sew What’s New?

Once again I have bought a new pattern that I have been working on obsessively for the last week and a half.  It’s an amigurumi sewing machine and it’s pink!  I bought the pattern from Skymagenta on etsy.  It seemed like it took forever, but I think that it’s because it used four ply yarn (baby or sock yarn) and a tiny hook.  There were also a lot of pieces that needed to be sew together (I hate that part).  I made it for the craft room, but Little Miss has been eying it, it may be a special toy that only get to be played with when mommy really needs to get something done.I really think it came out cute, but boy are my hands sore, I don’t know if I’ll be making anything else on this pattern, she does have a really cute pattern for sushi that I might have to try.

Have a super crafty weekend!

Are You Going to Throw that Out?

I think that is my catch phrase. I say that a lot, just try to throw something away when I’m around. My friend Lisa (oobbles) even saves her trash for me, she has really good trash. I will also circle the block to pick up something off the curb and I can’t walk by a trash can or dumpster without peeking in.

Plastic caps, lids, and cups have really captured my attention lately. I really enjoy making bottle cap pincushions, I like that the pins won’t poke through the bottom. Then I had a thought: why just use soda caps?, any size would work, right? I have sorted them by size in my crafty “spice” jars, small, medium, and large. BTW I have a lot of soda caps, let me know if you need any. I have started covering them, so they are ready to be embroidered when the mood strikes me. I also just bought that floss winder for $.99 (best investment!), I keep my floss on bobbins on a ring and it keeps everything neat and portable. If you embroider a lot winding the bobbins might be counter productive, but I don’t so it’s great for me.

I think that the medium sized ones are my favorite, what size of pincushion is the best?

The Collector

It seems like almost everyone has something that they collect.  I am a collector of lots of things: art supplies, aprons, shoe figurines, Halloween decorations, and more, but my favorite collection takes up very little space. 

For my confirmation I received a lot of cash gifts and my Mother insisted that I spend it on something that I would have forever (now I’m really glad she did that, then I just wanted to blow the money on clothes).  Jewelry seemed to be the best option, I selected a lovely ring (yes I still have it, but it needs to be resized) and a charm bracelet with four charms.  One of the charms is a confirmation charm and it’s engraved with the date so I know when I started collecting my charms (ahem, 1989).The great thing about having a charm bracelet is that charms, even sterling silver ones, are fairly inexpensive and easy to find.  Several of these charms were gifts, but most of them have been added by me.  About a third of them are engraved with dates, all of them have special, personal meaning.  Surprisingly enough I think that there is room for about six more charms.  A few of the “cheap” charms need to be replaced with real silver and I need to get another head charm for Wyndham.  I buy my charms online at BlueMud, they match the antiqued look of my bracelet and they have a really good selection.  You can also get beautiful, hand stamped charms on Etsy.

If you have any questions about my charms just ask in the comments.  What do you guys collect?

Eco Chic Grocery Shopper

It started off with a plarn tote and was followed by a MEAT bag and now the set is finally complete, reusable produce bags!I used this simple tutorial from Craft Stylish.  I used tulle for the fabric (it’s what I already had) and ribbon instead of yarn for the ties.  I also did not turn the finished bag, but left the raw edges on the outside, I figured you would see the edges either way so why add an extra step.  I made six in about an hour and a half and I can’t wait to use them at the store.  I also need to make at least one more plarn bag, I’ve been collecting and cutting some interesting bags, but I don’t have enough yet.

Have a super crafty weekend!

New Baby Set Design

I am still in the mood to make baby things, I think it’s a combination of instant gratification and the cuteness factor. This is the Diva set, with ribbon tied peep toe shoes and a ribbon embellished hat.

I would love to have some opinions about the hats: I have edged the yellow one with eggplant and the other one is plain, which one do you like better and which hat looks better with these shoes. I was also wondering if you think that sets like this are a good thing to sell.

I’m not 100% on the ribbon (it’s a color thing), I made the set and then tried to find ribbon. I now have some super cute ribbon and I got yarn to coordinate and I’m much happier with how it’s going to look. I have ideas for three more sets, the one I’m working on now is called Skater, I hope to have it worked out soon so I can share pictures.

Craft Fail

I have this picture in my head of how I want my kitchen to look and it includes a giant spoon and fork that have been painted red.  I knew just what I needed, they should be easy to find and I’ll just have to slap a coat of paint on them and they’ll be good to go.  I found some on Craigslist.   Wow, that was easy and I was super excited to pick them up.  When I got them I realized that the handles were carved (with monkeys) and not quite what I was going for, but maybe a coat of paint would still work, but oh wait, in order for the monkeys to be going the right way the spoon and fork must point down, noooooooo, they must point up.   So, this vision does not include monkeys (normally I really like monkeys), it’s modern, clean, and shiny red.  I have been brainstorming for a month how to get rid of the monkeys and have the modern look I am going for. 

I decided to try using insulation foam, the kind that comes in a can that you spray on and it expands to fill cracks and such.  It is supposed to harden and they it can be carved and shaped, I even had some already.  I was thinking that a few layers of foam that I could then carve and sand into a relatively smooth surface would be the perfect answer.  It looked good going on and it would definitely cover the monkeys, maybe I could even copy the shapes of the cutlery on my silk screened curtains (that still aren’t finished).  I got excited that this was really going to work, I was going to need another can of foam, but that was okay.  I think that my foam may have been old or maybe it’s one of those things that has to be used all at once (this was a partially used can) because it goes bad, anyway it didn’t harden well and it did not stick well, sigh.  Now I’m back brainstorming, I think I might have to give paper mache a try, I don’t think the finish will be as smooth, but it’s worth a shot.  I’m taking suggestions.

If you enjoy seeing my craft fail you may enjoy the Craft Fail website, it’s always nice to know you’re not the only one with crafting mishaps.

Friday Favorites

Here are some more of my favorite things from Etsy.  Listed left to right, and top to bottom.

Paper Plane Wall Graphic – michellechristina

Primitive Halloween Cabinet Card – gfxgirl

Baucis Print – lisachow

Hollow Book Cash Safe – pommesfrites

Needle Felted Nursing Mama Egg – asherjasper

Mini Goals Clockboard – MaryKateMcDevitt

Vintage Style Dressmaking/Sewing Greeting Card – craftypagan

Gothic Heart Tags with Lace – craftypagan

Secret Identity Bracelet – sisicata

Bobbin Gals – mqsquare

Owl Antiqued Silver Pendant – Steinvika

Diary Deco Stamps Set – nothingelegant

Have a super crafty weekend!

Cupcake Baby

I have been working on a new baby hat design using knitting and crochet.  In fact, this design has been sitting in my knitting bag waiting for the cherry to be sewn on the top for a couple of months.  Now for the perfect test, how will it work on a brand new baby.This little set has a cupcake hat, cupcake swaddling blanket, and it’s in a cupcake reusable gift bag, I really like cupcakes!  There is also a cupcake purse (like this) for the new big sister.

P.S. Congratulations Lisa and Josh!

Squirrel Pouch

I discovered this very interesting shirt at a yard sale and just had to have it.  It seemed new, I don’t even think it had been washed. Yes, those are squirrels, chipmunks, and nuts!  This shirt spoke to me and it really needed to be turned into zippered pouches.  There are darts in the front and back of the shirt that needed to be taken out and to make it even more of a challenge they are all topstitched, who does that?!? (the answer is the people in Hong Kong at the Espirit factory).I used some left over orange batik fabric for the lining and decided to finish the edges by zigzag instead of stitching and turning.I don’t think that this top would have been cute on Little Miss, but it sure made a fun little pouch.  I have enough fabric to make a few more, the fabric pattern is interesting and the pieces have to be carefully cut to get a squirrel or chipmunk on every piece.  I also thought it was interesting that the pattern in not directional, the animals go every which way.

I guess I’m a collector of unusual fabrics, what is the strangest fabric you’ve found?

Quilts

My family loves to make quilts, I have so many hand made quilts I don’t think I’ll ever have a naked bed.  A lot of the quilts I have are special with memories attached and are not used as blankets, but I do have several that get used daily and will be used until they wear out.  I should also point out that all of the quilts I am talking about today have been made by my Mother.

Currently there are four denim quilts in use, two that I have had since high school, they were made in the traditional quilt style with a backing, batting in the center, and tied instead of quilted.   The denim is still in fabulous shape, but the backs are almost totally gone. 

Now we make denim rag quilts, with the seams on the top and the edges frayed, they seem to hold up better, although 15+ years for the others isn’t too bad.  I also wash my quilts more that the average person probably does, with kids and cats they’re always seem to need a good wash. 

We have one plain flannel back one and one with special appliquéd stars and circles that Little Sir has for his bed. My Mother is also making two new denim quilts for the boys when they start sharing a room.  One with orange flannel backing and one with turquoise flannel backing.  I really like denim, it holds up so well and goes with almost anything.

The latest addition to my quilt collection is the baby’s new quilt. I got to pick out the pattern and fabric for this one, but I didn’t get to see the finished project until Little Man was born.  (If you would like to make a quilt like this the pattern is from The Purl Bee:  zig zag quilt.)

Little Miss has a quilt waiting for her to get her big girl bed, she’s still has a toddler bed and isn’t ready for a big bed yet.  It’s a sun bonnet Sue quilt the my Mother started for me when I was little and just finished it last year for Little Miss’s birthday, so I guess it’s new vintage?!?

Here’s a close up of my favorite one, look at the hand embroidery!

That’s all for today, believe me, there are a lot more.  Do you use or keep you quilts?, I think I’m kind of half and half.  Which one of these is your favorite?

A Little Peek

This is just a little peek of what I’ve been working on, it will be much cuter with some little toes in it.It’s still a work in progress, but I am on the right track, just a little more tweaking and I’ll have it.  I now need to find the perfect ribbon, what’s pictured just isn’t quite right.

Tomorrow is the last day of kindergarten for Little Sir, hello lazy summer days.  What will I do to keep him entertained?

Status Report

First, how was everyone’s long weekend?  Did you work on some special or exciting projects?  I did, kind of.  Not fun and exciting crafty projects, but around the house stuff.

I have been in the mood to clean for the last week, I know, weird huh? and when that happens I just go with it.  I have accomplished a lot, but not the awesome before and after shot of progress that I want to share (I think this is my first post EVER without a picture).  I cleaned the laundry area and actually caught up with the laundry(I know, crazy, I even ran out of hangers), I got it all folded and put away too.  The big achievement was sorting through all the outgrown clothing:  two totes to resell, one tote to donate, one small pile to save, and one very small pile to throw out.

We also got some really awesome shelves for our basement, (they can hold 2000 pounds a shelf) and totes to fill them.  I really want to get rid of every cardboard box in the basement.  I expect to be working on that project for quite a while.

There has been some furniture rearranging in my bedroom.  The crib that we used for Little Sir and Little Miss was one of the cribs that has been recalled (twice).  I was able to return it and with the refund purchased a new crib for Little Man.  I cleaned everything up there and basically flipped the furniture around.

I have been doing a little crafting, but I’m going to go with the cleaning until the urge leaves (it never lasts long).  I do have some really great quilts that I received from my Mother to share with you, I have so bottle cap pincushion “blanks” made up, and I am working on a new crochet design, more on that later this week.