Broadening My Horizons

I've been looking through all the beautiful crochet goodies on pinterest and slowly being eaten up with envy until I finally broke down and decided to give crochet another try.

I can crochet. I can even do it fairly competently...but I don't really enjoy it and I can't read the patterns, regardless of whether they're written or charted. And I don't like being made feel stupid by a short length of metal with a hook at the end! It's just rude!

So I decided I would use up a bunch of small acrylic balls of nice colours and make granny squares. I found some instructions I could understand on the bog Little Tin Bird and headed off!

It actually worked out pretty well. I loved the colour combinations. I even managed to figure out the end joins of each round to my satisfaction! I made 12. Now to join them up!

I was going to try and crochet them together but none of my attempts looked nice and they were lumpy. In the end I just whip-stitched them together. I sat back and admired my work...

I had a really small...REALLY small rug. Mmmm....?

Since I still had quite a bit of the yarn left over I thought I would crochet around the edge, tying everything together and make a (quite small admittedly) lap rug.

But the experience with the squares had taught me to be cautious.  I did NOT want to have to sew in hundreds of ends from knots tying each of the colours together.  So I Russian-joined them. Sort of splicing the yarns, cutting off half the yarn bulk and loop them together and passing the left over thread up through the working yarn. It really worked brilliantly! It meant I could just crochet around the squares and watch the colours appear!

I can crochet. And maybe with a bit of practice I might even enjoy it. For now, this was fun. But I think I'll pick up the knitting needles again...

We understand each other a bit better!

I'll tell you about some other forays into different crafts next time. Bet you can't guess what!

See you all later :)
Dx

Boxes, Little Boxes!

I love boxes!

Little, big or medium, the linear pleasure of being able to put things away and put lids on and then create neat little forts of organized tidiness makes some corner of my inner OCD self warm and happy!

So , of course, I had to try and make some out of felt!

Because of the limited size of the felt I have (as well as the limited ability to get any more once I use it up!) the boxes had to be small. The first one I tried was from How About Orange which is really good and uncomplicated. And this would probably have been where I stopped looking except I couldn't get my printer to copy out the template to scale! I tried working it out but it wasn't what I was looking for. Partial success but not quite close enough!

See? I couldn't get the lid tight enough. I struggled with the printer, trying to wrap my numerically illiterate brain around percentages (Failed!) and finally gave up and started looking again.

I found a template for a paper exploding box. I didn't even know that's what these things were called and after looking at it for a while, I was sure I could make something like it with my felt. So...off I went!

I cut out 2 layers of felt for the outer layer and the inner layer, that way I could hide any untidy stitches between the layers and cut out the bottom template and the lid template. Then I running stitched around the square centre at the bottom and the lid so everything wouldn't move any more. Next, because the inner folds would need to fold inwards I cut the centres of the triangles (where the dotted line denotes fold lines) and re-sewed the edges together so the were permanently pointing inwards. I thought I was really clever as I sewed all the pieces together. It looked so nice! And then I tried to put the lid on the folded box...

I didn't like it! 

When I tried to fold it, all the flaps were either piling up against each other or pointing the wrong way so I had to sit back and think again. There had to be a way to line up the inner folds so it looked like a box instead of a screwed up piece of felt with a square hat!

I finally came up with a solution. I pierced the 2 opposite faces of the box with a skewer and sewed a flower over the hole and edged it with button hole stitch. Then I sewed 2 loops (the sort you use when you put a hook and loop on the top of a skirt to help close it as you do up the zip.) on the 2 inward pointing folds and then thread some thin cord through the loops and out the hole in the side and tied a knot in the two ends.

Now with both sides done I found that by pulling them up, the box developed a nice firm form and I could tip the sides up, place the lid on, wrap the cord over the top and tie it down. Viola! A felt box!

Isn't it the cutest thing you've ever seen?? I can think of so many things I could use this for! A sewing needle caddy immediately springs to mind since it's made of felt. A box to hold a special gift. Something to hold thread bobbins in when stitching. And it's so embellish-able!

I enjoyed the details in this and having to adapt the original pattern to make the end result still useful as well as beautiful! And it's so pretty! Never a bad thing. So I decided to make another one, just to see if I'd worked out all the bugs in the assembly.

I really liked the impact of the navy against the red and the little pop of green at the thread holes. I thought I might have done some sashiko design on the top but I didn't really have the patience to slow down and do it. I wanted to finish!

I really like it, especially the beaded ends to the ties. I love details! I love anything glittery and clink-y. I've really enjoyed exploring this box form and now I have one more string to my bow for handmade gifts! Huzzah!

I think I need to give the felt a rest for a little bit though. My fingertips are sore and I'm covered in shredded bits of felt. In a fortnight we'll be going on holidays so I need to figure out what craft I'm taking with me. Especially anything that I can do to distract me on a 5 hour flight! 

What do any other crazy crafty's do on flights? 

See you later :)

Dx

Coin Purses and Felt!

Because I don't have enough mess, right??

But since I had the felt out already I thought I'd try some coin purses...but I didn't have the necessary zips required so I wanted something that I could just shut through a loop or a button...something easy!

                  I knew I'd find it if I looked!

Also I received a lovely order of felt squares in heaps of colours. It's awful but I'd forgotten I'd ordered them and I'll have to look up the order to figure out what the company was I ordered them from but they're perfect for these little purses. The felt is just a bit stiffer than the stuff I have which works great!

I got it!! The felt came from Little Blue Box is located in Perth, WA. I bought it off ebay.

This is the first one I played with before I got the new felt. And while I do like it (it's so cute!!) there were aspects I was sure would improve it. Firstly the two short sides where too low. Coins could (and did!) escape out of the purse in the rough and tumble world of my handbag. Not what I was aiming for, obviously. 

And as a brief side note, the die-cut flower shapes are from bettyoctopus on Etsy . Absolutely scrumptious little things and so many different varieties of shapes attainable depending on how you layer them!

So, now with the new stiffer felt I made some modifications to the original design and tried again!

I was really happy with this one! Even though I had to refine the process as I went along! The pattern was too big to cut out the design in one piece with one piece of felt so I retraced the purse into pieces. The front flap, the bottom flap, the rectangular bottom and the two short sides. Then I had to trace each shape on the felt I chose, twice. For an outer cover and an inner insert. Which meant I had to assemble it a different way to how I'd done the first one. I ended up sandwiching the four pieces of felt (joining two sides which included the inner and outer felt) with a tight running stitch. It actually looks really nice. You can see the layers of colour peeking through.

I also found that while the sides were now high enough, folding the thing down flat was almost impossible because the extra fabric kept wanting to fold over under the top flap when I buttoned it up. Fortunately I hadn't started the blanket stitch around the top edge yet. I found it I scooped out the middle of the short sides, it folded up much better. As you can see from the pic though, not yet perfect...but close!

 And now to the lasted edition! On top of all the other adjustments I'd made up to this point, I also slightly scooped out the rim of the bottom flap. And as you can see above, it folded up pretty much the way it was supposed to! No bump where there's obviously an excess of fabric. And it looks so damn cute!! Lovely bright happy colours! 

I've really enjoyed making these and will definitely be making more. But I thought you'd be interested in the process. Felt is such a wonderful forgiving material and it lends itself to so many beautiful things!

What do you think I should try next?

See you all later!

Dx

Compulsive...

Sometimes I have doubts that it's really a strong enough word to describe how I tend to do things to death when the fit takes me. But I now have quite a few needle books to give away as gifts...if I can think of anyone I know who'd actually use them!

This was the first one that set me off. I was sure I could do this better!

The first one was using fabric for the outer face and various off-cuts of felt for the inside. I used scraps of fabric to cover the press stud but when it was all folded up I didn't like the bump the press stud made. I was sure there must be a neater way. Also edging the fabric and felt with bias binding worked but it wasn't something I wanted to have to do every time!

This was my second attempt using only felt.

I like this one with just the felt as material much better. I only needed the sewing machine for attaching the felt sheets in the middle and to attach the inner and outer parts of the needle case together. After that it was all hand sewing. I really liked the back stitch I used for the heart motive on the face but I used blanket stitch on the outer edges and it worked really well. You'll notice the first test using a button closure? Yeah, I ended up removing it because it wouldn't sit straight and I covered a large press stud in felt and sewed it on instead. Again, still don't like the lump the covered press stud makes!

And the cheery Orange Needle Case AND first experiment with button closure!

I felt I was getting closer to what I wanted, so with this one I went ahead and hand sewed a button hole in the top flap. Discovered that it's a good idea to cut the buttonhole first since the chances are pretty good if you cut it after you've sewn around it you will snip the threads...no matter how hard you try not to!

This Needle Case looks pretty good considering how it got chopped and changed about!

With the Star Needle Case I thought I'd see if I could make a button loop closure out of the top flap instead of cutting a buttonhole into it...the quick answer is...No! It pulled the whole thing out of skew and didn't hold the side flaps in as well so I ended up having to cut the flap off and re-sew a new one in, for both sides! The outer one looks much nicer than the inner one since after doing the inner one by hand I realized even I couldn't pull that off as a design element on the outside of the case! So I used the sewing machine. Much better!

Pretty little Busy Bee Needle Case!

So I now had the design I was most happy with. I'd also finally addressed my issues with the inner flaps by adding a hook and eye to latch them together. It bothered me that the flaps may fall open. I cut a long buttonhole in the top flap and blanket stitched closely around it. I made a pretty little bee motif with scraps of felt and plain back stitch and sewed it in the centre of the face and then blanket stitched around the outer edges.

Tatted Motif Needle Case

Now the creative juices were really flowing so I wanted to explore a few different faces. This was one that turned out really nicely. I used one of my medium sized tatted motifs, sewed it onto a pink circle and then back stitched that onto the face. Lovely bold impression without being fussy. Love it!

And finally...Leaf Needle Case!

I could feel the ideas running down though so I knew this one would be the last...for a little while at least! I drew a pattern on the back of the outer cover and cut it out (which turned out to be a MUCH harder job than I ever imagined!) and then back stitched around the design with a piece of black felt behind it. It makes quite a bold impact, doesn't it? I'd do more like it if I can come up with a method of cutting out the design that doesn't drive me crazy! and if I could sew a consistent line around the design that doesn't look like it was sewn by a giddy drunk!

But over all, I really liked these needle cases! Yes, I may be a bit compulsive but at least I now have some lovely gifts to pass on when ever I may need to...so there!

I think my hands have finally recovered from the charity knitting I did so I may pack up the threads again and get out the knitting needles! 

See you all later!

Dx

Okay, Let's Sew!

I've been really interested in making some needle cases lately, mainly because I'm beginning to get overwhelmed with pin cushions! So I've been scanning through Pinterest for ideas and this is what I've come up with so far.

Needle Case Buttoned Up...

I borrowed a bee image off Pinterest and then made it up the way I wanted it in felt and sewed it on a large circle of felt. I think it looks really good and I like the neat running stitches and backstitches I used to put it together instead of blanket stitch, which is more usual. It never seems as neat as I'd like it. I sewed together the body of the needle case (I had to get out my sewing machine which I hadn't wanted to do but there really wasn't any other choice!) attaching the elastic loop at the same time and then inserted the padding to give the strip some body.

...And Unbuttoned!

I used the machine to sew in the felt sheets inside and then sewed around the edges...badly to be honest. I've not used my sewing machine for a while and I couldn't get the tension right and I lost patience. Anyway, it's all together. I hand-sewed on the felt patch with the bee on it and sewed a nice vintage button I had on. 

Ribbon to attach Scissors and Fine Needles.

 After all that, I sat back and admired it (while dishes remained undone and clothes piled up unfolded!) and realized I needed a couple more features. I added a strip of ribbon on the inside of the front cover to tie a small pair of folding scissors...

Back Pocket for Needle Packets.

 I also added a felt pocket at the back to hold the few packets of needles I have as well as a knitting needle size gauge that I also always carry around. I felt it was a very complete little unit now. Just what I wanted.

Felt Inner Sheets for Needles

And of course, a sheet of felt to hold loose needles. 

I like this but I wanted to make something a bit smaller that I could give away as gifts. Something that allowed a bit of creativity but didn't take quite as long as the Bee patch on the first case.

This is what I came up with.

Little Needle Case Shut

 It's a little folded needle case. Really sweet and cute! The fabric part was cut out in one piece with interfacing ironed to it to stiffen it a little.

Little Needle Case Open

On the inside I used two pieces of felt because I wanted to match some of the colours of the outer fabric and I didn't have a piece big enough. I hand sewed everything with fine white crochet cotton so the felt and the fabric are kind of quilted to each other. I sewed two pieces of felt in the centre for needles. I also covered the press-studs with scraps of fabric to make them look neater.

Little Needle Case Face

I sewed the felt flower on the fabric before I sewed anything else to it so the stitching wouldn't show on the inside. And to join the two fabrics I sewed bias binding around the edges. It was really a very neat little design! If I did it again I think I'd copy out the main template on cardboard and use that to trace the pattern onto the fabric required. There are things I'd change and elements that need a bit of fine tuning but over all I really like it! I might even get out the sewing machine and try and work out the tension problem...bit of a task since I think I've lost the manual...of course!

Okay, I think that's it so far. See you all later :)

Dx

Blackwork Handwork

I have had a lot of fun keeping my hands busy with little hand sewing projects and Huzzah! my knitting mojo has returned.  I've cast on to knit a pattern I've done before but everything was wrong with the first incarnation of this garment. Wrong size, wrong needles and wrong yarn. This time around I think I have a much better chance of completing something I like.

But first to the projects I've finished!

I love making pincushions and scissor fobs because they are small, easy to carry around and relatively quick to execute. And since I'm always putting my scissors down and forgetting where I put them, these little attached pincushions make them easier to find amongst all the stuff I tend to surrounding myself with mid-craft. Here they are!

 This is a little Biscornu Pincushion I made with the last bit of pale blue aida cloth. I did the design in really dark brown that looks black. I like the clean crisp lines of the blackwork so I enjoyed doing this. The worst part is always whip stitching the two parts together and stuffing it! Even ironing thin interfacing on the back to stabilize the base material doesn't always help.

This one I like because of the nice effect with the sage green blackwork lines with the golden-yellow french knots in the centre of the flowers.  It's not that complex a design and I think that's one of it's appeal. It translated into a really nice scissor fob too.

 And this last one I decided to make a Pin-Keep. I never knew this sort of thing existed until recently and I kind of made up the design myself. Not the blackwork design. Just the actual Pin-Keep itself. No doubt I've done this wrong but it kind of works the way it's supposed to so I thought it worth the experiment.

I'll have to look up to see if I can find a pattern for these. It's a handy little thing and I'm already beginning to be overwhelmed with pincushions. Blackwork is a wonderful form of embroidery that builds a great design filled with clarity and clean lines.  It was also a nice interlude after intensive knitting. So as I take up my knitting again, I put aside my needles and threads, fine weave cloth and embroidery hoops until next time.

Whenever I pick it up again, it's guaranteed to be fun!

See you all later :)
Dx