Voulez-vous crochet avec moi?

Twirly Scarf Tutorial

2012-01-26T15:44:00.014-05:00

As promised, here is how I made the fun, twirly scarf! I used worsted weight yarn (Vanna's Choice for the Christmas scarf and Wool-Ease for the one in this post) and a size J hook. Any yarn will do - the bulkier the yarn, though, the bulkier your scarf will be and the twirliness (pretty sure I just made that up) kind of bulks it up already, so be careful. A different yarn may also require a different hook size.

Chain (about) 200 (or however long you want your scarf to be). Turn and single crochet (sc) in 2nd chain from hook and in each remaining chain across. OR Foundation Single Crochet (about) 200 stitches (or however long you want your scarf to be). I used futuregirl's awesome tutorial when I was learning how.

Chain 2 and turn. Double crochet (dc) in first stitch. 2 dc in each remaining stitch across.

Chain 2 and turn. Dc in first stitch. 2 dc in each remaining stitch across. Fasten off and weave in ends.

I told you it was easy! There are some variations you could do for fun, like change colors on the rows for some cute stripes, or add a row of sc of a contrasting color. I made this one last night in about 2.5 hours. Have fun making yours!!

pic

Knitting....

2012-01-16T00:05:00.003-05:00

I am SO excited. I took a knitting class on Saturday! I have taken one before, but I was a loser and didn't practice any because it was so much FASTER to crochet because I was already good at that (not practicing what I preach to my recorder students....). So needless to say, I forgot it all! The class was at an awesome LYS that I should go to more often, Friends and Fiberworks.

It was so fun!! One of my friends took the class with me and we started a cotton dishcloth. I am still too embarrassed of my shoddy beginning knitting to show it to you yet... maybe later. Our instructor taught us English-style knitting, which I found awkward as a crocheter, but I powered through. I downloaded the KnittingHelp app (SO good, btw) and used the video to try out Continental-style, which is supposed to be better for people who already crochet. The main difference (and if you knit and I am a wrong, please correct this noob) is in which hand you hold the yarn in. For crocheters, we hold the yarn in our left hand, which remains the same for Continental knitting. The English-style holds the yarn in the right hand, which is what make it feel so strange to me.

I found that my stitches from the class with the English-style knitting were much more even and my tension was more consistent than when I worked on the Continental-style at home. This really baffled me since that way felt so much more comfortable. I am going to keep trying out both ways, but I am leaning towards the thought that with the left-hand yarn I was working too fast and not paying enough attention (since it felt so much more comfortable) and I got careless. I am hoping that will remedy itself as I practice more.

I also had a few places where I messed up, either dropped a stitch, added a stitch or didn't follow through all the way to the right needle and didn't quite know how to fix it. I will have to study the knitting more as I practice in order to understand the stitch construction. I feel like it is more complex than the crochet stitch - that may not be true simply because I understand crochet so well (which is a great feeling and makes knitting that much more scary!).

I am so impressed by crochet badass, Alice, (at futuregirl) who recently starting knitting and she is amazing now! I do not think I will improve and expand my skills quite that quickly, but she is such an inspiration for me to continue practicing this time and not give up because it is more work right now than crocheting.

I'll keep you posted and maybe get up enough courage to show you my wonky dishcloth.

ps - I'm still working on those tutorials I promised you from the last post - I didn't forget!!

Stuff I've made...

2012-01-08T14:21:00.008-05:00

Well, Christmas was busy as expected, but I did get (most of) the presents done that I wanted to. I would like to tell you all about how I made these things, but I'll link to the tutorial I used instead. (*I just noticed as I was doing the pics that I don't have a tutorial for the crochet projects because I didn't use one. I'll make writing that up the goal for my next couple of posts!)

Sorry that the pictures aren't the best - I just haven't been great about photographing my projects lately, so getting even poor quality pictures is better than none at all! (*just noticed that I didn't edit/crop these pics - oops - maybe I'll go back and fix them later. or not.) I have several projects in the works and I have also found some really cute things on Pinterest that I want to make. I think I was really behind in joining, but I'm glad I did. If nothing else its good for inspiration! Here are some of the things I've made over the last few months.

Twirly scarf
These are so fun to make. I also made one in pink and blue
for my niece with a matching one for her American Girl doll.

Cute Post-it note holders.
Easy and fun!
Here is the tutorial I used.

Earbud (or coin) pockets.
So cute! I did a couple more of these that I didn't get
pics of - sushi print and fishy print.
Here is the tutorial I used.

Fingerless gloves/wrist warmers for my sister.
I made her a hat a scarf out of the same yarn last
year and I found another skein - score!

Crochet hook holder for my Secret Santa at school.
I also made a cute one for my sister in that
same gnome fabric from the earbud pouches.
Here is the tutorial I used.

Creating for Christmas

2011-12-11T12:56:00.011-05:00

So as much as I love giving handmade gifts, this year it has been really hard to find the time to make them! You get 1 guess as to why...

I have been making a few things, though. Remember my last post? Small projects are getting me through. I have crocheted some wrist warmers (SO quick and easy) and I have nearly finished a scarf. I'd post pics, but they're for (yet to be given) gifts. I made the gift for my secret santa at school (so neat - I'll post that after Friday when it is delivered). I have also sewn some lanyards (you know, those long necklaces to hang your name badge or keys on) at the request of some teachers at school. I made myself one and several people asked about them, so yay for (easy) commissions!

I have several quilting projects that I'd like to do/finish for myself (like my excellent t-shirt quilt) and for others (babies who are nearly a year old, slacker Aunt Nancy). I am hoping to get some time in on my few days off at home over Christmas break.

I may need to finish my quilt first, though, as the fireplace in the basement we watch TV and where I sew has decided it doesn't want to work. Its no fun to sew in the cold, I'll tell you what.

No new Ruffin pictures this time. He and I are both stuffy-headed snotty-faces right now. At least we're getting it out of the way before Christmas, right? :P Instead, how about a few more from the amazing photo session by Brittany at Inspired Life. They are from from the end of October, but still adorable! I'll put up some current ones soon!!

Bloggy vaca??

2011-11-20T10:50:00.008-05:00

Hi, everyone (if anyone is still out there!!). So I took a little unannounced bloggy vacation. Wow so many things have happened to me since, when was my last post? July? That seems like three years ago. I took an awesome class this summer (I took the first level last summer and this was even better!!). My sweet little Ruffin had his first birthday and is a walking pro (wow!!).

Yes, that is my child and not a GQ model. Amazing photography by Brittany at Inspired Life.

I started a new school year which is going well. I haven't had much time to make many things, which is so frustrating!! I do really small projects so I can have at least a small feeling of accomplishment. I took an awesome t-shirt quilting class with Michie over at Asheville Cotton, but I haven't finished the quilt yet (but I will!!). I am helping out with a crochet club at one of my schools once a week which is really fun. It is hard to teach 4th and 5th graders how to crochet! I have even more respect for my Grannie teaching me now!! :)

The biggest change in my life over the last five months, however, is something that I am having a hard time typing right now. My mother passed away unexpectedly over Labor Day weekend. I don't know when I will be able to really talk about it here, or if I will. I know that I won't ever be able to fill that space in my life where she is supposed to be. My friends and family have been an amazing support system, as have you, my bloggy friends. I may not have posted many comments lately, but trust me, you have helped. I have been trying to continue my life as best I can, which is all any of us can do.

I hope to be back on bloggy track soon since I need to make some things for Christmas. I think we will not have as much handmade this year, just to be real, but I will do what I can!!

Thanks for hanging in there!

Crochet yay!

2011-07-06T23:15:00.005-04:00

I have been working the last few days on some crocheting. I knew that I missed it, but I didn't realize I missed it this much! Sewing is really fun and usually much faster than crochet (to finish a similarly sized project) but I love the construction of crochet. I can change the shape of my creation with every stitch - its thrilling!

Oh man, I just totally geeked out. Those of you reading this will understand, though. :)

I especially love creating my own projects from scratch (sewing and crochet), but given my limited crafting time, it has been faster for me to use patterns lately. In the last few years of my crochet life, I have come to love patten diagrams. They make so much more sense to me than the written pattern directions. I can read a written pattern, but I have to really think about it and picture it in my head. With the diagram, I look at the picture and I automatically know what to do. If you are a crocheter and haven't tried using a diagram, you should! A good place to start would be to pick up and issue of "Crochet, Today!" They have started putting a diagram for every pattern as well as an explaination of how to read the diagrams in the back of each issue. *side note: I am a subscriber, but you'll see that this is obviously not a compensated endorsement. I'll be honest, not all the patterns are winners (in fact, some of them are downright hideous), but they do come up with some cute ones too, and it would be an inexpensive way to try out reading a pattern diagram and if you don't dig it, you still have the written directions.

I have been working on a couple of cute hats for some friends who have baby girls on the way and some amis for another gift (so I can't show you those yet). I need to find some real baby models for the hats because I have tried two different versions using different hook sizes and it still seems big (and mushroom-y). This is odd because my tension usually runs tighter than the pattern calls for. I tried the first hat on Ruffin, but he's older than the baby I'm making it for (since she hasn't been born yet, haha) so it was hard to tell on him. That, and he hates wearing hats, so he pulled it off immediately. :) I'm a little dissapointed because it looks so cute on the little girl in the pattern picture! Maybe ~~I have~~ Ruffin has a stuffed animal that I can try it on...

More to come on this...

Home again, home again, jiggity jig

2011-07-01T10:21:00.006-04:00

"To market, to market to buy a fat pig,
Home again, home again, jiggity jig."

My parents used to say that when I was small and we were approaching our house in the car. I just got back home from spending a week with them and I still hear it when I'm coming up the driveway. I had so much fun, but not as much as Ruffin and Grandpop! I love watching them play together. Ruffin also loved the garden and its fruits:

My new favorite face:

Its even funnier accompanied by the silly sound he makes with it (don't worry the bottle was empty). Now back to the quilt! I can't wait to start the quilting this week (I hope). I also started a crochet project - finally, I know!! I am SO excited about it. I have so many friends who I need to make gifts for (before their babies get here!) so we'll see what gets done. How is your summer going?

Sandwich

2011-06-21T14:17:00.005-04:00

Oh yes. The quilt sandwich is done. I'm getting so close! I really like how this quilt is turning out and it was so easy! I can't wait to show you the finished product. Sorry about the poor photos of late... Some day I'll take a class. Right now I feel luck to get the pictures at all. Partly because...

Sweet Ruffin has learned a new skill. He is so ready and so proud of himself! :)

Sewing Inheritance and Quilt Action

2011-06-17T22:03:00.018-04:00

*Advance apology for an image-heavy post :)

Wow! Three blog posts in two weeks, which means I'm actually getting things done! Summer is AWESOME! I have three things to report on today:

First of all, some of you may remember my post last fall of some memories of my Grannie, who passed away. Well, she did teach me to crochet, but she was also an excellent seamstress. She worked in a sewing factory for nearly 30 years, so you know when she came home and sewed even more, she wasn't doing it for fun, but for practicality - pretty much all clothes for her children. By the time I came along, she was retired, but she was still sewing, more for fun, but still mostly clothes for us. Well, when my dad and sister were going through her things this winter, they packed me a bag of some of her sewing stuff (my sister got some too). Here is my sewing inheritance:

Check out the crazy tiny spools of thread!! Does thread have a shelf-life? I would guess the polyester is okay to use, but what about cotton blends? Either way the old wooden spools are really awesome! I also got some clothing patterns. The green shorts pattern is dated 1972. The cute girls red & gray dresses in the center of the last picture are dated 1959. I will have to look for dates on the other ones. Many of them have my dad and his siblings' names written on them - how cool!

Second report: The stacked coin quilt top for cousin Jack is done! Now I have to sandwich, quilt and bind! Yay! I showed it to my husband and asked him what he thought and he said "Its funky." Judging from my facial expression (I assume) he quickly added, "I mean, but not in a bad way. It's, you know, colorful and has lots of different patterns." Oh. So you mean, it looks like a quilt? This is why I don't usually bother to ask him... Sheesh. Here is the finished and pressed top!

Last order of business: Ruffin love, of course! We recently got a set of those puzzle-piece foam mats to create a play area for him in our basement where I sew and my husband ~~plays video games~~ works on his computer. He loves it. Here is the mat: (before anyone complains, we have already covered up the cords behind him...)

Here is how much he loves it! :)

Yum!

Yay for summer sewing!

2011-06-12T20:36:00.010-04:00

Even though we have a teacher workday tomorrow, this weekend has felt like summer vacation already! I got all my normal weekly cleaning done yesterday so today I GOT TO SEW!!! I think most of you who read my blog know how good that felt! I am working on a quilt for cousin Jack and it is going to be great! I am using the stacked coin tutorial from the Moda Bake Shop - yum. I cut my own coins, however, rather than use a charm pack. Even though I didn't have the easy "chop the coins in half" step, this quilt is a breeze and I love the way it looks! I bought this fabric (Shade Garden by Michelle Engel Bencsko in the blue colorway) for a quilt for Ruffin last summer, but that never materialized (big surprise). So when I found out that Jack was having a "seaside" theme for his nursery, I knew that this fabric would be great. I remembered that there was another rose colorway that would make a perfect beach mix! I think the blues and greens are ocean-like, the yellows are the sand and the pinks are reminiscent of seashells (Carmen, I totally just typed "seaschell" haha). All of that beach aura without pictures of the beach - I like it! What do you think?

Coin strips sewn and pressed!
I hate all the pressing, but I love, love the way it looks when its done!

Oh my.

2011-06-05T19:58:00.007-04:00

So I skipped April AND May. Yikes. In my defense, those are really busy months at school. Also, Ruffin is 9 months old now (What??!! I know!!!) and has 6 teeth, has started eating and is crawling all over the house, which is much more involved than nursing and lying there looking cute. I have managed to make more recorder bags for my students (they still love them) and some more of those cute boxy pouches (special order from my sister-in-law). I have even cut out most of the pieces for a quilt for Ruffin's cousin (who was born in January - oops) and its going to be even cuter than I thought! I am hoping this summer will be a crafty-productive one. Only 5 more days of school. Keep your fingers crossed for me! I would really like to make some pants for Ruffin. I got some super cute fabric for it. Anyone know a super-easy pants pattern?

I figured you don't really care about more recorder bags or boxy pouches, so here is some Ruffin love and cousin Jack's barely-started quilt! I will try not to be gone so long next time. Thanks for hanging in there!

...In which I talk of many things.

2011-03-05T22:45:00.000-05:00

Okay first things first, I know you've been dying to hear the latest on my little man (haha). Ruffin is doing awesome! He's 6 months old now and rolling over and sitting up and he's got two teeth peeking! He's so close to crawling and he wants to stand up soooooo badly! He's eating rice cereal (which he loves) and he's tried banana and carrots (which he's not sure about yet). He is SO. MUCH. FUN!!!

Disclaimer to all my soon-to-be mommy friends! Please don't let this next paragraph discourage you! It's a bit of a vent. Being a mommy is the 100% absolute best thing ever.

So here's what I've been doing... a whole lot of "working mom." I feel like a whiner, but it has been a real challenge going back to work and being a mommy. Don't get me wrong, Ruffin is THE. BEST. thing EVER. I wouldn't trade being his mommy for anything in the whole world. Before he came I knew that this would be a huge adjustment, but it has still been difficult to deal with. I have been struggling to find time for myself - for crafting, blogging (I totally skipped February), family, friends, reading, showering, eating... Moving into a new house didn't give me any extra time either (not that I'm complaining, I love the house. I am, however, still too embarassed to show you pictures of it yet. I'll get it all clean someday). I struggle to balance how much time I spend on school stuff (I pump during my meager planning time, not to mention I am a perfectionist-over-achiever) and how much time I want to spend with my little man (all the time!). And I keep adding things to my plate. Why? I guess I like punishing myself...? Luckily, I love my job and we have the best-best-best baby sitter ev-ar. If either of those things weren't true, I don't think I would've been able to go back to work! I hope I can learn to say no to people and just let things go. I hope I learn it soon.

Here is what I mean: If you didn't know already, I teach elementary school music. Everyone is hurting with the economy, schools especially. I feel lucky to still have a job, really. So obviously, we are not getting much (or any) funding for supplies/instruments. My 4th and 5th grade students are helping me do a fundraiser so that we can buy a set of african drums for our school. We are selling pin-back buttons on Friday mornings at school. We have big ones and small ones and the students looooooooove them! I've been making buttons since I was a child - my mom used to make them for the kids in my class when we went on field trips or had parties. I've made buttons for fundraisers as a high school band student, a middle school band teacher, and now as an elementary school teacher. I have a button machine (from Dr. Don's - don't bother with any other brand, this one is absolutely the best) and I print out the designs from Illustrator (I use royalty-free clip art and cute free dingbat fonts) and the students make the buttons after school. Really. 9 and 10 year old kids can use this machine - its that easy! And it makes perfect buttons every time. I spent years using a different hand-press system, and when it finally broke I'm so glad I found this one! (This is not a paid advertisement, I just REALLY love my button machine.) The fundraiser is going really well, but its been taking a lot (A LOT) of my time. At least its a fun-d raiser... haha.

But I actually made something this week! It felt SO. GOOD. Even if it was for school. I teach the 4th grade students the recorder. They get so super stoked on the recorder that it actually makes me laugh sometimes. I love it! Most students purchase a recorder through school, but I had so many students this year that already had a recorder but didn't have a bag/case for it that I decided to make some (I know, I know, glutton for punishment). I will sell them for $2 and put the money toward the drum fundraiser. I used fabric from my scraps and I modeled the bag after the one that comes with the recorders I buy for the students:

I was trying to make it as easy for me as possible, so I made a few prototypes to try to avoid the drawstring, but velcro and snaps turned out to not to work very well. The drawstring just closed easier and ended up looking better. For the sake of time and effort, I forced myself just to pink the raw edges on the inside instead of finishing them with a zig-zag stitch. I think they turned out really well and the students are chomping at the bit for them. The only problem is that my scrap bag doesn't really have much in the way of 9-year old boy. I think I may hit up the remnants this weekend and see if I can find something.

Next up are some (lots) of baby presents! I have sooooo many pregnant friends - yay! I've been working with some minky (aka cuddle bubble) and its pretty infuriating. Which is why its all balled up right now. :(

So slippery and stretchy. Any tips from bloggie land? I'll let you know how it goes. And I'll try not to take another two-month hiatus... We'll see what Ruffin has to say about it! :)

Still here...

2011-01-22T17:58:00.006-05:00

Hey, blogosphere, I'm still here! Things that have happened:

1. snow
2. snow
3. bought a house
4. snow
5. moved to new house
6. pretty sure its supposed to snow tomorrow...

Yay! We bought our first house! I love it so much and I will post pictures once it is no longer a piggy, piggy mess from moving. It does mean, however, that I haven't done any crafting since Christmas, which makes me sad. The craft area (its gonna be sweeeeet...) is next on the unpack list. I wanted to do it first, but I got overruled by a husband and son who wanted somewhere to sleep. Boys have no sense of priority.

Here is some Ruffin love to tide you over until I get to take house pictures. I have some cool pictures from our handmade Christmas to share as well once I sort through them...

Quick Update

2010-12-19T21:18:00.016-05:00

I don't have much time to type but I want to pop in and say "Hi! I'm still here!" and give you some promised Ruffin pics. I also have a couple of completed presents to share with you! First of all, these pouches (which have been delivered - stuffed with goodies, mostly chocolate!) were so easy and turned out perfectly that now I want to make myself an army of them. Right now. *ahem* What I mean to say is I really want to finish Christmas presents first...

I used a modified version of this tutorial. I wish I could get that adorable elephant fabric that she used, but alas, it was not to be. I will fill you in on my mods later when I make my army of them.

Also, I figured it was safe to post the present for my 2-year old niece because I'm pretty sure she doesn't read my blog. Thanks for this idea, Carmen!

Lastly I would like to shower you with a little Ruffin love. He is sporting some of the amazing things Carmen sent me! She told me she made "a little something" for Ruffin, but I was blown away with the awesomeness of what we received! Check out her post about it!

This is the sweetest little monkey lovey/blankie. It is so soft! Ruffin has a similar monkey lovey that has a rattle in his head, which he adores. This one does not have a rattle, so we have named it "Night-night Monkey" and its perfect for sleep snuggles. It keeps him happy until I get to him when he wakes up at night, which is great!

This is a fleece blanket with a crocheted edge and a cutie cute crocheted monkey in the corner. If you can't tell by now, we love monkeys. Love. Them. Ruffin has been snuggling with this one in the car.

Carmen also send a gorgeous changing pad (which I will not be showing in action), a monkey ornament for our Christmas tree, the sweetest card (which she made, of course!) and a quilted zipper pouch and headband for me! How awesome is she?!!? (You will have to check out her pics of those things for now, since its been yucky cloudy here and mine turned out poorly.) Thanks so much, Carmen!!

Stover Family Stockings

2010-12-13T15:57:00.011-05:00

Yay! We have a snow day from school today so I finished our stockings for Ruffin's first Christmas. Now, we may not have anywhere to hang them since we are in the process of buying a house and may be moving over Christmas, but we'll at least have them!

They are reversible (I am so excited about that) but since the wind chill was ZERO today (for real) I didn't hang around to snap a photo of the inside view yet. I'll try to get better pictures soon. I designed this stocking and I have written my very first pattern/tutorial - coming soon to my blog! I am really REALLY excited about that! I need to finalize it and proofread. Carmen (who just sent me the most Ah-May-Zing package for Ruffin - my pics in the next post, stay tuned!) inspired me to do this with her first tutorial for her skinny daisy chain scarf.

Ruffin's stocking...

Daddy's stocking...

Mommy's stocking...

And, as promised, here is some cutie pie Ruffin love!

Look out, Daddy, I'm claiming your chair!

Sweet man!

And now back to the sewing room for me to finish my Christmas presents!

Aaaaaaahhh Diaper Bag!!

2010-11-30T10:00:00.003-05:00

I am FINALLY done with my diaper bag. Only three months late. If you remember, I got a late start (Ruffin was nine days early and his mommy is easily distracted by other projects) and I had some issues with my first attempt. Take-two went much more smoothly. I used the "Modern Diaper Bag" pattern from Amy Butler's Little Stitches for Little Ones. Its huge and I love it! I had to cut out a billion pieces for it. Well, okay, just 52, but that's a lot! The directions were pretty simple to follow, as I have found most Amy Butler patterns to be. I did hit a few snags (mostly my fault). One morning I started sewing before I had my coffee and ended up with this:

Oops!!

Now that's better! Starbucks' Gingerbread Biscotti is my absolute favorite coffee accessory. Yummy!!

I had trouble with the pleats on the inside pockets. I found those instructions a little confusing, but luckily I was not the only one (yes, its that big and isn't her fabric is gorgeous?). I ended up kind of pleating as I sewed there, and it worked out alright. Once I got to the instructions for the cell phone pocket, those were much more clear and I realized what she intended for the inside pockets. Oh well, mine worked. I actually ended up not using her instructions for the cell phone pocket and just made a small pocket on my own.

The pattern called for fusible fleece as interfacing. I have used fusible fleece before, but not on such large pieces and not on things that were handled so much. Next time, I will use the more permanent fusing technique (with a damp pressing cloth) instead of the light-weight fusing because my fleece came un-fused in several places, adding wrinkles to my liner. I worked most of them out, and since its the liner and not the outside, I am going to ignore the rest. ;)

The last part was the hardest - finishing the handles. In other bags I've made, I sewed the outside and liner together completely inside out (right sides together), leaving a hole for turning in the liner construction. This pattern did not use that technique - it had me turn through the inside handle opening and then fold the edges under and topstitch. That is always harder for me to get even and, with all the interfacing, was even more difficult on this bag. The inside corners were especially frustrating. I'd say that I would use the turn-through-the-liner technique next time, but I figure my self-taught minimal sewing experience is no match for Amy-freaking-Butler, so she probably had good reasons for using that method. Probably all the interfacing, as well as all of the pockets on the inside, would make it hard to turn through the lining. If I hadn't spent three months trying to finish a diaper bag I might've had a little more patience finishing this one. :)

And here is it - my e-nor-mous diaper bag. After re-reading what I just wrote it seems like I had a lot of trouble, but it really was not too difficult! I love this bag! I will try to get some better pictures, it been raining here the last two days.

Next on the list are Christmas presents (yes, I made a diaper bag for myself first) so I won't be posting those projects until they are handed out. I have already started some, so don't panic. I know Christmas is sneaking up frighteningly fast! I will, however, keep you entertained with pictures of my sweet little Ruffin until I can share the projects with you! Here he is helping me with the laundry. :)

New address

2010-11-28T14:31:00.005-05:00

Hi! If you've tried to visit my blog in the last week or so, you've been dissapointed. Sorry! I moved to a new address - welcome to www.nancymoo.com! I love my blog name - "Voulez-vous crochet avec moi?" even after finding out that Debbie Stoller used it in her book "Stitch-n-bitch Crochet: the Happy Hooker." BUT its a hell of a name to give to people as an url because most people can't spell in French. So please change your bookmark to the new addy, but don't worry if you don't, blogger will redirect you! And for those of you with ambitions of your own url, blogger will send your site to your own domain name and you don't have to pay a hosting fee - score! Here's the link to the how-to.

Here's some Ruffin love to tide you over until I finish my Diaper Bag post - its nearly done - YAY!! I took the pic with my phone, which is why it looks fuzzy. I wish my phone had a better camera on it. Who would've ever thought that sentence could exist a few years ago??

Quilt Show!

2010-11-10T09:40:00.021-05:00

So I took most of these pictures three weeks ago, but didn't get to finish this post then because I hadn't finished my new quilt yet! I got to spend some time with my family, which was so wonderful, but I didn't get any sewing done. Not to mention the whole new baby thing... So the little present that I was supposed to "whip up" took a month instead of a week! Oh well. So these Ruffin pictures are from three weeks ago - he is even bigger and cuter now. :)

A wonderful friend, who knew me when I was this age, made this sweet quilt.

This quilt was made by Michelle at Dreams of Sewing Machines. Check out her etsy shop and blog!

That's right. Its a fire flower. Its super geeky awesomeness!! Did you like being Mario or Luigi? I always wanted to be Luigi.

Lastly, this is the little quilt I made for my friend, Dana, who gave me all the cute clothes from her boys! Her new little girl is 2 weeks younger than my little man.

It has a snuggly minky back and since it is solid, I decided to use some scraps from the front to spice up the binding. I was talking to Michelle about my idea and she says "Oh, a reversible binding! You know how to do that?" and me, thinking I'd been really original, say, "Uh... no, I was just going to make it up." So, thankfully she told me just what to do, and the quilt looks good because of it! Thanks, Michelle!

And, just because I can, here is a gratuitous picture of my sweet little man from today (in a shirt from Dana's boys!).

Cherished memories

2010-11-09T09:22:00.012-05:00

If you've read my blogger profile, you will know that I began my crafting life as a little girl when I learned to crochet from my Grannie. I don't remember how old I was, but I still have the crochet hook she gave me from her collection. The times I spent with her are some of my most cherished memories.

I grew up on the same farm where she and my Grandaddy lived and raised my dad and his siblings. I could walk over to see her any time I wanted and I spent the afternoons, summers and Sundays of my childhood at her house. She was retired by then and we spent the summer mornings in the garden and in the afternoons she would sit and crochet. She would make things for the church bazaars and for our Christmas presents - I don't know how many pair of crocheted slippers I went through as a child! When I became curious she handed me a hook and a skein of yarn. She was so patient with me and would show me the same things over and over when I forgot a stitch.

As I got older, I didn't crochet much until I got to college. When I did get back into it, I picked it up again with a passion. I started simple, with the things she'd taught me - basic stitches, granny squares and hanging dish towels (these are still some of the easiest, most useful gifts to make!). I gradually taught myself more things with books and the (new, amazing) internet. A few years later when I finally had the guts and patience to undertake an afghan, I brought the finished product over to show her and she told me how proud she was of me. At this point, her arthritis made her unable to crochet anymore, and she asked me to make her some hanging dish towels (that she taught me how to make!). I was so flattered! Every time I went over to her house after that, she had my towels hanging in the kitchen where the ones she used to make would hang.

Grannie passed on October 27 at age 91. She was a strong woman who always spoke her mind and loved her family fiercely and unconditionally. She had an enormous influence on my life, not just my crafting one, and I will miss her always.

Diaper Bag Woes

2010-10-18T18:00:00.001-04:00

I wrote a post a (long) while ago about making this diaper bag from Anna Maria Horner's Handmade Beginnings. I also posted in my project list that I hit a snag and was trying to figure it out. This was all before I had sweet Ruffin, so I never finished the bag. Since bringing him home, I haven't had much sewing time. In the time I have fit in, (when he allows me to hang out in the sewing room with him) I have become even more frustrated. I am pretty sure I am to the point of putting this bag aside and finishing it later, or maybe even never, which is a shame since I was so excited about the cute sock monkey fabrics. I took some pictures of the screwiness, but they're not even worth it.

Its not all woes in the sewing room, though. I have bought some new fabric (yay!!) and I have plans for a new diaper bag (Amy Butler pattern this time), an Emmeline apron for myself, and several baby quilts - so many pregnant friends!! Check out the sweet new fabrics!!

Lastly, I have a super cool friend who gave me TONS of baby clothes. She was also pregnant the same time as me and had a sweet little baby girl two weeks after Ruffin was born. Our due dates were only 3 days apart (hers was before mine, actually) but my little guy came early and her little gal came late!! Anyways, to thank her I am making her a little surprise - here is a sneak peek...

Yay to be back in the sewing room!! So far Ruffin has only spent his napping time with me in there.

Now I have to convince him how super duper fun it is in there when he's awake (which is most of the day now)!! Good thing he's super cute! Check out his new shoes! :D

Lazy Post

2010-10-09T15:55:00.002-04:00

I don't have the time (or energy) for a real post, so enjoy some super cuteness.... :)

Pictures!

2010-09-21T13:05:00.003-04:00

Sorry I'm so slow. Here are some pictures!

Yay quilt!

Yay Ruffin!
(2 weeks old in this pic)

Eventually I'll get one combined of Ruffin *on* the quilt... :)

So much excitement!

2010-09-08T22:58:00.002-04:00

Hi all - Sorry I've been away. Here's a quick run-down of what happened in the last month:

Started school
Prepped for long-term sub
Finished Quilt-a-long
Had a baby!!

Yep! Ruffin was born on September 3 at 11:07. He was 7lb 4oz and 19 1/2 inches long. He's amazing and I promise I'll post photos soon!!

:D

Lots of cutting...

2010-08-08T23:12:00.015-04:00

I am still debating about the binding of my quilt, so I've put it on temporary hold until I can get to the quilt/fabric store (the awesome Asheville Cotton Co).

Today I worked on two projects: my next quilt and my diaper bag. I think all in all (considering the goofing off I did this morning and later snag...) it was a productive day.

I cut the "coins" for my stacked coins quilt. I now have 112 "coins" - wow. Next step - get them arranged in 5 rows of 22.

I wasn't feeling up to the coin matching, so I moved on to my diaper bag. The pattern I picked is the "Here We Go Bag" from Anna Maria Horner's Handmade Beginnings.

I am going to use the awesome sock monkey fabric that I got at a baby shower in June. Here is what I am thinking for the bag:
For the main outside part, the red sock monkeys.
For the handles and top edge, the polka dots.
For the side panel, the "sock" fabric.
For the liner/inside pockets, the blue and off-white sock monkeys.
How do you think that will look?

The patterns in the book are overlapped so you have to trace them onto something else to use them. There were also some pattern pieces to make with simple measurements. I didn't have anything at home to do that with...

I did a little internet searching and found some pattern tracing paper options. So I drove out to our local Hancock Fabric store, but they did not have it. Or anything like it. The only tracing paper they had was 8 1/2 x 11. Boo.

I went next door to the A.C. Moore to see if they had something and happened upon a large pad of tracing paper in the art supplies. Its a little more than I wanted to spend, but it is 50 sheets of 19 x 24 paper. Its sturdy enough to re-use, so I think it will be a good investment. I could have ordered the stuff I found online, but I really need to get this show on the road before I go back to school this week. So, I got the pattern pieces all cut out and, man alive, there are a lot of them! I knew that this bag would be a harder project than I've done before, and I hope I haven't gotten in over my head!

So close!!

2010-08-07T08:15:00.005-04:00

Yesterday I finished quilting! I really was nearly finished the day of my last post - all except for the last little tiny section. I love how it turned out. I still know that my quilting needs practice, but its really not as bad as I thought it would be. All that's left is the binding and I need to pick a color for it. I would love some suggestions from you. I have been contemplating the pink from the birds - but would that be weird since only the bird fabric has pink in it? What about yellow? Or blue? See, I need help. Please let me know what you think.

Free-motion quilting

2010-08-04T11:06:00.011-04:00

Well, I did it. I am free-motion quilting. I am half-way through my quilt and it is certainly not gorgeous, but its not horrific either. I do have some definite opinions on the process, though. Here is what I've figured out so far.
Some of the pictures are hard to see, but if you click on them, it will show it to you a little bigger...

1. It was recommended to use a setting on your machine always that leaves the needle in the "down" position when you take your foot off the pedal. Holy crap I wish my machine had that option! Because you are working with such a large object in such a small space, if the needle is not down when you stop, it is highly likely that the quilt will slip and you will restart slightly off from where you stopped, making a little notch in your quilting line. I tried to hold onto the quilt each time and manually place my needle down before I moved my hands, but I wasn't always able to do that, or sometimes I just forgot.

2. I don't think I could use this quilting technique on anything larger than this quilt. It is very difficult, in the middle especially, to move the quilt around smoothly because of all the extra that is all around. I have the right side rolled up like the tutorial suggested, but it is still very awkward. Making nicely curved lines and keeping the stitches even is all about how smoothly your hands move, but even if I had the fine motor skills of a god and years of practice, it would be hard to do that with that much extra quilt to the sides, top and/or bottom. Then again, lots of people do it, I reckon.
(Now that I added the picture, the rolled-up part doesn't look so big, but its awkward, trust me.)

3. Machine quilting is SO MUCH FASTER than hand quilting. That is a VERY big plus. The other quilts I've made and/or helped with have been hand-quilted, which is nice, but it takes for-eh-var. I can't imagine how much even faster this would be going if I'd decided to use a straight-line pattern with a walking foot. I think that is what Christine is going to do, so we can compare later.

4. I need more practice. I am glad I decided to go for it with this quilt, even though I was really nervous. Like I said previously, the quilt is not perfect, but not awful either. Chances are, as time passes, I won't even really be that bothered with the funky places. The quilt on my bed is so super wonky (yeah, we didn't measure anything.) and I don't even notice it.
side note: I looked for a picture that I am sure I took of that quilt and included in a blog post, but I couldn't find it. I really should add those neat labels to my posts for that kind of thing.

Here are some close-ups of the quilting. Its definitely not as smooth as I would like, but it will do.

I will update again when I finish the rest. Hopefully it will happen today!

Quilting

2010-08-03T09:48:00.002-04:00

I'm going to start my machine quilting today. There I said it. Now I have to do it. I'm nervous, but I think it will subside once I get started. I hope...

Here is the quote from the tutorial that makes me nervous:

"The first quilt that I stitched like this is TERRIBLE. Really, it is."

I don't want my quilt to be terrible. Then again, if I never try, I'll never get any better. And in fairness, the next sentence on the tutorial says this:

"But we use it all the time and I love it. I just don't look too closely at it."

So I guess it can only be so bad. We'll see.

Pics to come. Maybe.

Mei Tai Carrier

2010-08-01T22:40:00.007-04:00

I finally finished the baby carrier! It seems a little small, but then again, I hope the baby is small - at least to start with!! I followed the pattern, so I guess its the right size. The pattern I used is the Mei Tai Baby Carrier from sewliberated. Meg had got such great patterns - I highly recommend them. They are stylish, yet classic, and (perfect for me) very easy to follow. I've also made a couple of the the Emmeline Aprons from her pattern collection as well. Here is Meredith's apron and Karen's apron.

This carrier was so simple to make! The outside fabric (brown) is a cotton corduroy and the inside (green) is a snuggly cotton flannel. The very top should have been a little more rounded, but I guess I got off on my cutting/sewing somewhere.

The outside has a pocket that is supposed to be for folding up the carrier for easy storage - I guess I need to practice that part - mine looks a little wonky.

Next up - quilt my Quilt-A-Long quilt and get started on a diaper bag! Yay!

Running Out of Time!!

2010-07-31T08:45:00.006-04:00

So I finished up my two-week class yesterday and it was awesome! I'm so glad I took it, but now I have to go back to school in a week and a half - wait, WHAT?!!? Not only that, but I am 34 weeks along now and I have SO. MUCH. I still need/want to make for the baby! Where has the summer gone?!? So I need this week to be calm and relaxed. Too bad that's not gonna happen. We have appointments with 4 daycares, we need to make some with pediatricians, not to mention the OB, chiropractor and allergist. This week I am also helping interview for the interim music teacher who will be in charge of my kiddos when I'm out on maternity leave. Holy freaking crap I feel overwhelmed. I did manage to get a little progress made on my project list last week. I got my quilt sandwiched and pinned. I'm still trying to decide if I'm brave enough to try quilting it free-hand or if I'm going to go with straight lines. I also got a good start on my mei-tai carrier. Really, I think (hope) I'll finish it today. Next up is the diaper bag. Then the next quilt. Or maybe the stuff my husband wants me to make for him. We'll see who wins that one. :)

I also finally can post pics of the wedding presents that I made. Actually I could've done it several weeks ago, but I forgot... so here are the shopping bags I made for the newlyweds!

Checking off my list

2010-07-18T14:09:00.009-04:00

Craft Hope items: DONE! I ended up with 14 hand towel-sized and 30 wash cloth-sized pieces to send. They are all made from old t-shirts and towels. I will get those mailed this week - yay!

Practice machine quilting: WHOA! I thought I'd be productive on two fronts to do this and make pot holders (because who cares if the quilting is wonky on those?). The trouble I ran into is that to feel heat-proof enough, I had to put so many layers of batting that I couldn't get it under the machine! I could go out and get some of that heat-resistant batting, but I won't today. Maybe later. I guess I'll hand quilt it someday (ha!). Too bad because this would be a cute pot holder.

See how thick it is? :(

So I pieced together some 1-layer squares to practice with. I've been using my walking foot and darning foot both and I can definitely handle the straight line quilting with the walking foot. The free-motion quilting is another story. Its pretty awful right now. I'm still playing with speed and pedal pressure to try to get better looking stitches. Here is what I have so far:

With walking foot (and some darning foot on top...)

Free motion with darning foot...

Making space

2010-07-17T09:50:00.020-04:00

As I mentioned in a previous post, we have been making space in our house for our new addition (which is a baby, for those of you who aren't keeping up). In making space for him, it made some new space for me - hooray! It also made space for us to eat NOT in front of the television - double hooray! I can't really complain about all of the TV eating because it was completely my fault that we did not have a table on which to eat. Instead, we I had a table on which to sew.
I went back through my pictures and I can't find a "before" picture of the new crafting room. Probably because it was so messy that I would never have taken a picture of it. Well, here it is the last time you saw it. Imagine there is no desk, add a double bed, a large bookcase, lots of laundry and stacks of fabric. That is why there is no picture. We moved the bed and bookcase out and this week I got to work organizing and arranging my new space! I am really happy with how it turned out. Here is the progression:

First of all, we had to get all of my stuff out (yikes!)

Then we got the big stuff arranged. I love*love*love the shelves!! And how about that funky zebra chair? Its not what I would have picked if I had a choice, but I think I kind of like it... :)

Next, I had to do a little organization. Mostly of my insane yarn stash. Here is part of it...

Then I could start moving some other things into place. If you remember the first picture of this room, maybe you will notice that I was able to store the Christmas tree and wreath somewhere else and replace it with paper towels and t.p. :)

Making progress! So that's what color the table is....

And finally - hooray - we can eat!

Three-step panorama of my new space!!

Whew! A lot of work, but it is so worth it! Next on the list: finish Craft Hope items (started last night), pin quilt together (bought the correct kind of pins yesterday) and practice some machine quilting on some scrap fabric (maybe turn out some potholders?). I am taking a class (Kodaly I certification, if you were interested...) starting on Monday and it lasts for 2 weeks, so I don't know how much crafting time I will have. I am going to try to fit some in because once my class is over, it will be nearly time for school to start back! Yikes!! How does summer go by so quickly? I hope yours is going well and not too fast!

Quilt Top and Crafters Block

2010-07-09T09:40:00.008-04:00

I finished sewing my quilt top together. I haven't ironed it yet (obviously...) but I am really pleased with how it turned out. I'm currently visiting my family out of town (yay for laptops and wifi) so I can't work on week 4 (quilt sandwich) until I get back. Christine is also done with her top, but I didn't get a picture, so I'll get one of her sandwich when she's done with week four. You can also check out Carmen and Mia's progress on their quilts too! Carmen has done a gorgeous stacked coins quilt that just might make me change my mind about the pattern I picked for my next quilt... Check her quilt out here. Here is my quilt top in all of its glory!

Close up....

Instead of jumping right into week 4, I needed a break so I picked a quick (or so I thought) project to work on during one of my group sewing parties with Jaime and Christine. I've had this Starling Handbag (awesome, AWESOME pattern and tutorials at futuregirl's website!) finished for at least a year just waiting for some embellishments and a liner. (sorry for the crappy picture, and please ignore the ugliness of my sofa - its hideous, but terribly comfortable...)

I got the liner sewn rather quickly...

... but I've gotten a case of crafter's block with the embellishments. My other Starling bag just told me what it wanted, but this one is not giving me any hints yet. I don't want to leave it just plain, but I've already had a few disasters.

First I tried some felt... hated it.

Then I tried crocheting some flowers.... hated them. (I didn't even finish two of them.)

But for now its just plain and I have NO inspiration. The poor liner is just waiting to be sewn in, but it will have to wait until I have a brilliant idea.

Unless you have one... :)

Project List Updated!

2010-07-03T11:30:00.006-04:00

F-I-N-A-L-L-Y finished the super (duper) late wedding presents. That is a load off! I have some pics for you as soon as I get them to their recipients. Here is a picture of them all wrapped up to tide you over.

I also got my quilt strips ironed and I may (or may not) feel like sewing them together today. Or at least starting them. I may start on the top of the new quilt idea instead. I decided on the Five Strip Rail Fence pattern since I happen to have 5 fabrics that match the requirements. I still really like the Basket Weave pattern and intend to make one of those at some point later on. I read through and through that book and can't figure out exactly how much of each fabric I need, so I'm going to start making strips and see if I have enough. Maybe not a 100% solid plan, but I need to start somewhere...

Here are the 5 fabrics for the Five Strip Rail Fence...

New Space

2010-07-01T11:15:00.013-04:00

We are making room for baby in our tiny house and that has opened up some space for me too! In our "2nd bedroom" (also known as the closet-sized room behind the fridge in the kitchen) we moved out the bed and bookcase this week. It still looks pretty chaotic right now, but we really had only used it for storage (no, we don't leave out the Christmas decorations all year) and the occasional house guest.

Now I have some space for my new sewing table and we'll be able to eat at the dining room table again! I am working on organizing my supplies and how we want to arrange the room. We will still need to use it for some storage (oh, to have an attic!) so the wardrobe will have to stay, but basically this will be my crafting/sewing room. YAY! I'm a little worried about being lonely if I'm stuck behind the kitchen (my husband is usually on his computer in the office/dining room/sewing room while I'm working) but at least I have my own space now. I have our extra laptop to keep in there so I can put in a DVD or check out something on Netflix (instant watch is awe. some.) to keep me company.

If you notice under the new table is a door in the floor. Yes. Door in the floor. It leads to the (unusable) basement. Unfortunately it is not level, so I'm not sure how we'll move the furniture around yet. I will update again when we get it all sorted out.

Speaking of updates, its time for a quilt-a-long update! I finished sewing together the strips for my quilt top. I got the strips all in order (not this order) and next is ironing the seams down (ugh) and sewing the strips together. I'm really pleased with the colors I chose - this will be such a happy quilt!

Lastly, my project list has been so helpful. I'm really glad I put it down on paper (screen...?) to help keep me in check. I have updated that as well. The wedding presents are this close to being done. I finished the mending on my maternity dress today. I had some serious issues with the stretchy knit fabric, but finally overcame them. I also finally crocheted something small (a tiny baby hat!!) and I'm starting tonight on a blanket. Jaime and I are having a movie/crochet night.

Ahhhhh... summer is awesome. :D

Quilt Bug

2010-06-22T11:43:00.015-04:00

So, I think I have the quilting bug. After an excellent sewing session with Christine on Sunday, I got half of the strips for my Quilt-a-long sewn together. It was so much fun and a lot easier than I remember the last two quilts being - possibly because my sewing skills have improved a great deal since then. If you've read my previous post about my project list (also now shown on the sidebar to the left), I've already put two more quilts on it! I got awesome fabric from my fellow teachers at work that I'd like to turn into a quilt and then I also bought some fabric to make something for the baby that I think needs to be a crib quilt.

Here is where I run into a dilemma. I am a novice quilter, so I don't have a huge idea of how to plan this out. Since I already have the fabric, I am somewhat limited there. I think the sock monkey quilt will be fine (I mean any kind of quilt made with really cute sock monkey fabric is going to be really cute by default), but its the other fabric that concerns me. I have considered doing an Irish Chain (mostly because I've done it before - see photo at top - and I have the instructions!) but I'm not sure that would work for my fabric selection. I have another book that has a few patterns in it that I like - namely the Basket-Weave pattern and the Five-Strip Fence Rail pattern. I think either of them would work for my fabric selection.

Here are scanned in photos from my book - yes, its vintage. :)

Basket-Weave Pattern (this is shown in a crib-size)

Five-Strip Fence Rail Pattern (this is shown in a queen/full size, but I would make it smaller)

So I think my next step will be to settle on a pattern, then look at how much fabric I have versus how much I will need. I think I like the fence rail pattern for the fabrics I have, but the instructions call for like 20 different fabrics and I only have 5. I wonder how it would look if I just used the 5 I have? I should probably do this soon since I may have to supplement what I have and I want to make sure the awesome Asheville Cotton Co. still has it in stock!!

Wow, thanks for helping me hash that out, blog!

Updates to come....

versatile blogger!

2010-06-19T20:00:00.001-04:00

My friend, Jaime, gave me the "Versatile Blogger" award this week. I was (am) very flattered mostly because I think my blog is mainly me talking about why I'm so behind on my projects...
Maybe the versatility comes in other ways. :)

The rules upon receiving this award are simple. Thank the person who gave you the award, tell seven things about yourself and pass the award along to some bloggers you love. So.....

Thanks, Jaime! I really enjoy reading your blogs (all of them!) as well as having the pleasure to know you in real-life! For those of you who don't know, Jaime and I have been known to do some sewing together.... :)

Seven things about myself... here goes...

1. I am about to become a first-time mommy. I am so incredibly excited about it and simultaneously scared out of my mind. Its a good scared, though. I can't wait for the amazing challenge of parenthood!

2. One of the reasons I'm excited about being a parent is that I deal with approximately 750 elementary school students on a weekly basis in my job as a music teacher. Its the most amazing thing for someone to pay me money to have so much fun every day. I really love my job, even with the stress and frustration that comes with it. When you get a big hug from a child who tells you that they love coming to music class, its all worth it!

3. I have been posting a lot about sewing lately, but my first love is crochet. I miss it and I need to get myself back in some projects! I think I have been doing more sewing lately because you can finish a project so much faster. Who doesn't like instant (or at least faster) gratification? I have envisioned some projects for the baby (toys, blankets, hats) that need to come into reality. Its on my list...

4. I really like cleaning my bathroom. There is not much that is more satisfying to me than a freshly cleaned bathroom. Pretty much every other bathroom in the world grosses me out except for mine.

5. I drive a big pick-up truck and I love it. It doesn't get great gas mileage, but it can drive up a tree if I put in 4-wheel drive. I hope I never have to drive a car ever again. I. love. my. truck.

6. I sometimes let my imagination get the best of me. Its why I get freaked out when I'm home alone at night and why I can't swim anywhere I can't see the bottom - or swim at all really, since pools are gross.

7. Sometimes I really like to listen to rap music. Ludacris and Snoop Dogg are my favs and, yes, I can sing all the words. I don't only listen to rap though, I also am obsessed with Josh Ritter and I adore Chet Baker, Pearl Jam, Hank Williams, Sr. and Harry Connick, Jr. (and many, many other artists) but I thought the rap aspect of my musical tastes might surprise some people.... :)

Okay, so I hope that was interesting for at least one of you and that you learned something about me that you didn't already know. :)

I would like to send this Versatile Blogger award to:
Carmen @ seachell
Alice @ futuregirl
Michelle @ Dreams of Sewing Machines
Amy @ Amy Lives Her Life (I miss your bloggies - come back to us!!)
Michelle @ Coordinated Chaos

Holy stacks of fabric!

2010-06-18T20:00:00.003-04:00

As I surveyed the war-zone-like area that I sew/craft in (formerly known as the dining room table), I realized there were projects in these piles that I have been wanting to make for months now. And this is minor compared to the piles in the "staging area" (a.k.a. back-room-of-crap). So I'm going to do it. I'm making a list of my projects. I'm publishing it on my blog. Then its public and I'll have to get them done. So here is my list:

Wedding present projects for J's and D's
Quilt-a-long with Carmen
mend cute maternity dress (before I don't need it anymore!!)
Mei Tai Baby Carrier
make liner for finished Starling Handbag
Sock Monkey (quilt?)
Craft Hope project
Irish Chain baby quilt
Burp cloths & receiving blankets
finish my set of Classic Tote shopping bags (4 more to go)
Crochet SOMETHING because I miss it A LOT
Diaper bag - haven't decided which one
Hanging book display - how cool is this??

This is so helpful! I have more to add, but I just can't right now... whew!

I will try to keep it updated and hopefully this will keep me on track. I am working on the wedding presents (which are late, of course) tonight. Here goes....

*update 6/20* Okay, okay I added a few items to my project list shown on the side bar of my blog. I hope it means I will actually get to them!!

Quilt-A-Long: Week 2

2010-06-17T18:40:00.010-04:00

I am really excited about the quilt-a-long I'm doing with my bloggy friends Carmen and Mia and my local friend Christine. We are on week 2: cutting the fabric. Christine came over today and we were the cutting queens! Two quilts cut out and ready to sew together! Yay!

Here is Christine's before pile:

And after:

Here is my before pile:

And after:

I'm excited to start piecing in together soon! The tutorial calls for a random selection, but since I only chose 5 fabrics instead of 10 (I strayed from the instructions) I am going to plan it out. I know, straying from the instructions again, but I think it will work better this way. Plus I like planning! :)

And, just as promised, here is the gift I made for the baby shower. It's a girl! I was so excited to get to make something super girly! There are two of each bib, so its a set of 6.

Crazy like a fox

2010-06-13T10:19:00.018-04:00

So, my last post was titled "Bib Crazy" and I felt bib crazy at the time, but not as crazy as I did yesterday! I've had those 12 bibs pinned together and ready to sew since my last post (so, like 3 weeks....) and I didn't get to them until yesterday... and I got to them alright. The snaps went much better this time. I only had to pry one out and re-do it. I'm not totally sold on snaps, but they'll work for the bibs. Now I have a total of 15 handmade bibs for my sweet little one. There are 2 of each, except for the polka dot one on the left (that's the one Jaime made - Thanks, Jaime!).

Now, I haven't been lazy since my last post.

First of all, its the end of the year at school, so of course craziness ensues there. Yay for summer!

Secondly, my nesting instinct has kicked in full-force and my house looks like a tornado hit it. Must prepare for baby. Must re-organize house. Must move furniture. Must throw/give away. No pics of that, its too scary. Its like a sickness, but a really good one. I think my husband is going to lose it if I don't stop, but I might lose it if I don't. I think I'm gonna win that one. :) In my tornado I made a huge pile to take to goodwill and then this pile to cut up and fix for the CraftHope project helping out in the gulf coast.

Lastly, I have actually done some crafty-productive things. I am doing a quilt-a-long with Carmen, Mia and my non-bloggy friend Christine. I have completed week 1: to select and prepare my fabric. The tutorial calls for 10 different fabrics, but when I went to the awesome Asheville Cotton (my favorite fabric shop in town!!) I couldn't settle on that many. There are so many good choices!! Maybe I just wasn't focused enough. Either way, I decided to use only 5 different fabrics, but to double up on them. The paisley is my "neutral" fabric as well as what I will use on the back. I think it will work out fine. What I'm hoping is that it will make the quilt seem more cohesive and not more boring. We'll see.... Next up, week 2: cut, cut, cut. Hooray for rotary cutters! This will be the first quilt I've made in years, so I'm really excited!!

I have also been working on two wedding presents and a baby shower present for some friends. Finished pics to come of those when I deliver the presents. Until then, here's a sneak peek...

Also, my awesome co-workers threw me a baby shower last week and in addition to all of the excellent baby supplies I got, I got a huge crafty score as well! Many of the other teachers at my school are crafty as well, scrapbooking, card-making, crocheting, beading, knitting, collaging - you name it and someone does it. So they gave me a sock monkey themed shower (oh how I love sock monkeys!!) and they decorated with this great sock monkey fabric that I got to take home! Hooray! I've washed it, folded it and it is staring me down, begging to be created into something. Any suggestions? Maybe a sock monkey quilt?

Bib Crazy!!

2010-05-27T16:40:00.001-04:00

I did it!! I finally made something for the baby! Way to go, me! :)

I got together with my friend, Jaime, to sew and we needed a quick project since it was a weeknight. We decided on bibs from Amy Karol's Bend-the-Rules Sewing book. After a few mishaps (that is what happens when I don't read the directions all the way before I start sewing....) we ended up with two bibs each. I think it took us about 90 minutes, which is pretty good since we were distracted by season 4 of Friends. Jaime and I both have the complete series... :)

Here are the two bibs I made, plus one that Jaime made (and gave to me! yay!).

The front is cotton and the backs are super soft flannel.

The pattern calls for a snap, which Jaime did a great job of setting on her bib. Unfortunately, I am not as good at it, so I got one decent snap set and then I took the other one out and sewed on velcro. It definitely doesn't look as cute, but it was way easier. Anyone know of an easier way to set snaps? I've tried the hammer setter and the clamp setter, and apparently I suck at both of those. See the difference?

Tonight I've been bib crazy!! I cut out material for 12 more and I'm sewing as soon as... well as soon as I can! This weekend I will be working the last two shifts of my part-time job (yes, in addition to my teaching job) and I am SO excited! Think of all the time I'll have to sew, crochet, clean my house, crochet, sew.... :)

what the what?

2010-05-24T18:40:00.001-04:00

Man alive, what a super-busy time of year!! I've made so many projects for other people (gifts), not to mention all the things I have to do for my real job. Yeah, I have a real job - I know, its a bummer.
** but seriously, I love my job. Sometimes it just takes a lot time. sigh. **

I've made several projects for special people, and I wish I had time to make more. But what I really need to do is make myself stop doing things for other people (but its so FUN) and make things for myself and the baby. That will be fun too. I promise.

So here are the things I've made recently that are not on my make-for-baby list...

Classic Totes from Sew, Mama, Sew!
I made this first one at home and then the second one at one of my group sewing parties. They turned out great and I'm already using them at the grocery store. I have several more cut out that just need sewing. I figure this will be useful to me when I'm a mom too, so I shouldn't feel guilty....

Here is the birthday present bag (Margaret bag) that I teased you with in a previous post:

I made another Emmeline Apron for a friend's wedding shower. It turned out really cute and I think she really liked it!

I especially liked the swirl patterns! I hope these pics didn't turn out too crappy. I had to use a school camera since I forgot mine today... :P

I also made the Amy Butler swing bag for another friend who lent me a ton of maternity clothes. She loves orange and turtles, so I am really pleased with how it turned out. I think I will do a few things differently next time I make this bag, but it went really well for the first time using this pattern.

Look at those turtle peeking from the inside. So sweet!!

I think she likes it.... :)

Next on the list: baby/mommy stuff. Seriously this time.

Mother's Day

2010-05-15T09:58:00.003-04:00

My sweet, sweet husband surprised me for my first Mother's Day. Since I don't actually *have* the baby yet, I didn't expect anything, but he had other ideas... :)

It is soooooooo comfy!! I am looking forward to doing some crocheting in this chair soon!

Bags, bags, bags and a new project

2010-04-24T21:32:00.015-04:00

Well, I finally finished the late birthday present. I'll post a real pic after I get to deliver it, but here is a preview...

Hint: Its a bag. I have really been on a bag kick lately. They are so useful - who wouldn't want a bag?!!? That's my line of thinking, at least.

The other project I've had going is bags as well, only not the kind you're thinking of...

Yep - bean bags! I am working on a set of them to use in my classroom. I have the ones you see done and several more sewn and are waiting to be filled:

I am using poly-pellets instead of real beans. I'm not taking any mice chances - oh yeah, schools have mice. And - hooray for using scraps! The ones you see so far are scraps from a quilt I made about 8 years ago.

A quilt??

Yes, I made a quilt! It look me nearly 8 years to make it too! ....Okay, okay, more like 2 and half, but still. We had some sewing machine issues - like the THREE different ones we (my college roommate and I - yes, it was that long ago) tried to use all were old and died on us. We ended up piecing the last of it together by hand, and we also quilted it by hand. It is queen-sized, so that part took a while, but it was fun because we did it together on a huge hoop as we watched Friends and Frazier (I told you it was a while ago). We were both sewing novices at the time, though my roommate had done a beautiful star quilt before (totally by hand, wow!) that I helped her quilt. We had no experience with machines which, I think, was our downfall. We didn't have a pattern, we just used blocks of fabric that I liked from the remnant bins and sewed them into strips, which we then sewed together into the quilt top. We didn't measure anything, so (needless to say) the strips didn't all line up, so it came out a little wonky, but it is still probably my favorite thing I've ever made and am most proud of. I still keep it on my bed! Here it is... (sorry for the sucky picture... the bedroom was just too messy... :P)

SO - all of that is leading up to my next project - a new quilt!! I have made one other quilt since this one, a baby quilt for my niece when she was born, so... 5 years ago. I think it was from the pattern book "Irish Chain in a Day" and it was so easy! I asked my sister-in-law to send me a picture of it, so I can be sure. I remember it being so easy and it turned out so nicely, that for my next quilt (for my baby!) I will use the same pattern.
Here is the fabric I bought for my quilt.

I get nearly all of my fabulous fabric from Asheville Cotton Co. The girls there are so helpful and fun and I can't go in without finding something (usually LOTS of things) I want to buy! If you're in the area, you should definitely check it out!

Hang in there....

2010-04-18T21:59:00.005-04:00

Hello, hello! I'm still here... working a lot, but sadly not on crafts as much as everything else. I did get a visit from my awesome sister two weeks ago and my parents last weekend. I also finished the bunnies and took a few spring time pictures of them.

I still have several projects in-progress - a present for my nieces, a birthday present for a friend (late, of course), and a b-a-b-y quilt!!

More to come....

Oh, the cuteness!!

2010-03-24T11:49:00.001-04:00

Scarves for spring and more sewing

2010-03-23T16:24:00.021-04:00

Well, I finished my scarf and also made one for the birthday-girl, Amber (my friend who got the secret Margaret Bag), just in time for the warmest day of the year.

Here is mine:

I'm waiting for a photo shoot for Amber's scarf, but here is the yarn I used:

Luckily, we got a little spring-time snow storm yesterday (which I took a picture of with my phone, but I guess I didn't save it - boo!), so the scarves were able to get some use!

I also got to have another sewing session with my friends to make the Lickety-Split bag. I made one of these before for my friend, Lina's, birthday. That's me (well, my arms) on the left.

I made this one for myself for spring!

Here is a sneak-peek at my next project. Hint: It involves a gorgeous felt bundle from felt-o-rama and a c-u-t-e pattern from purl bee. Welcome spring!!

Secret projects and sewing parties!

2010-03-12T10:59:00.017-05:00

I had the most fun this week with some crafty friends! We joined forces (Form of a sewing party!) to make laptop/ipod cases. Mine is a project that was meant to be done at Christmas for my sister, which was foiled by no power due to 13 inches of snow. Finally I'm getting my late-present list checked off! I wish we had taken a picture of our sewing area - it must have looked pretty sweat-shop-y to an outsider and if anyone was listening in, I am sure they were offended more than once with the sailor language. We'll photograph (only - no audio!) next time.

For the laptop sleeves we used this free patten, which turned out great! I had planned to have all my pieces cut out before I went, but that didn't happen. Even without my cutting done, I was pleased at how quickly this project went - I started from scratch and left with a finished laptop sleeve - all in about 3 hours! I had my sister send me the measurements of her laptop, so I hope it fits well. I'll let you know when she gets it! We're still looking for ideas for our next group project - any suggestions? The bag is shown with my husband's laptop, which is a little small for it.

I also recently made a top-secret project that I wasn't able to post about (being top-secret, obviously) but now the cat's out of the bag! Well, Amber had her birthday. :)
I was in on the secret with her fiance, Jeremy, to make her one of the Margaret bags. She loved mine so much when she saw it that Jeremy stealthily went out and bought the fabric (which is hard because they share a car!!), delivered it to me and I made the bag. It was so much fun! Props to Jeremy for the sweetie pie idea! Here is Amber's birthday bag:

I also have pictures of Amy 's bag from Christmas that I have been too lazy to post... Thanks for sending these, Amy!

My next project is from the book One Yard Wonders and it is a (late, of course) birthday present for my nieces. There are some cute ideas in this book, though I don't recommend the adult clothing pattens unless you like a lot of skin showing...

I also found this sweet tutorial for folding your fabric stash. I think that will be the next day-off project!

Big news, snow days, and WIPs

2010-03-02T17:50:00.010-05:00

Hello blogging world! I have been MIA lately because my mind has been elsewhere and the place my mind has been has made me super. duper. tired. I know many of you that read my blog also live nearby and we probably see each other pretty regularly, so you already know why. For my bloggie friends out in the world: Guess what! I'm pregnant! I am planning on posting some baby crafty goodness, but these first few months I have come home completely drained, so not too much has been going on other than napping. I am due in September and I am so excited!

I have my friend Jaime to thank for kick-starting my motivation again. I went over and helped (at least I hope I was helpful!) her put zippers in the cool doggie beds she made. It made me realize how much I miss my sewing and crocheting. I have so many projects that have been in my head for the last 3 months and I've done nothing on them! This is my first pregnancy, so all my info is second-hand from friends and books but from what I understand, now that I'm almost through my first trimester, my energy levels are supposed to be back up. I've pulled out my WIPs and even some projects that are still little ideas in my noggin.

Here's the list:

I *finally* wove in the ends of this scarf I started in December and have almost finished crocheting.

The laptop sleeve that is my sister's Christmas present is going to be cut out and sewn next.

The super cute birthday presents for my nieces (on Feb. 9 & 16) also need to be done soon. (See how behind I am?!?)

Today's project is a pillowcase for the body pillow I bought this afternoon. I have been having trouble getting comfy enough to sleep at night and I was told this will help. I found the pillow on sale, but the cover for it was just as much as the pillow - yeah, right! So, I just finished sewing it from some cute fabric from my stash! I also owe some of this motivation to this winter's billionth snow storm that kept us from school (again) and probably will tomorrow too. It means we will have to attend school on Saturday (boo!!) but hooray for getting back in crafty gear!

Project for me and present catch-up

2010-01-26T17:52:00.006-05:00

First post of the new year! I know, its about time...

So, in my last post I told you about all of the presents I made for Christmas and one of them was this Margaret Bag for my friend, Amy (which I still need a picture of.... ). I liked it so much that I made one for myself! I am really pleased with how it turned out and its nice and BIG, which I love in a purse!

I think this picture mostly shows how wonky my pie safe is...

Pretty liner!

I also made this Lickety Split bag as an incredibly belated birthday present for my friend, Lina. Happy Super-Late-Birthday, Lina!!

And its reversible! Yay!

I have been kind of a bloggie slacker because I'm only showing you pictures of what I've finished instead of my in-progress action. I think the creative/thought/crafting process is the most fun part, especially when I'm pleased with the finished product. I'll try to do better!

More presents!

2009-12-27T15:59:00.014-05:00

So I haven't done a great job taking pictures so far. I made this diaper clutch for my sister-in-law and this awesome bag for one of my best friends, Amy. Maybe I can get them to take pictures for me... hint, hint. I do however, have pictures of the fairy dollhouse that I made for my niece and the fairies who inhabit it!

Here are the cutie fairies who will live in the house. I used the patterns in this book to make them. How sweet is that?

Here are my first attempt at sewing the sides together. If you click on the picture, you'll get a bigger image - at your own risk. I call these my frankenstein stitches. Ugly.

Here are the redone pretty stitches. Yay!

Christmas Time's A Coming

2009-12-22T23:17:00.006-05:00

Here is the progress on the Christmas presents (that are safe to post). I'll keep taking pictures so that as people receive their gifts, you'll be able to see what I've been working on!

This is the Emmaline Apron from Meg at Sew Liberated. What amazing patterns!! This was more difficult than I had originally thought, probably my most ambitious sewing project to date. I wish I had better pictures, but I am really proud of how it turned out. It was for my Secret Santa at school, who loves to cook!

Its reversible! Please ignore my husband's pajamas in the corner.... And yes, those are chickens on the red side (you can see a bigger image if you click on the picture). Too cute! I got my fabrics from Asheville Cotton. They have the such an awesome selection. I wish my photography skills were better. Anyone know some good tips?

Here is my Secret Santa in her new apron! Yay!

Dollhouse and fairies coming tomorrow!

Busy (Messy) Bee

2009-12-13T20:46:00.013-05:00

I have been a busy (and messy - my husband is so understanding...) bee since my last post! I found the link to this fabric dollhouse tutorial on Carmen's blog and I knew I had to make one for my niece for Christmas and I have been working ever since. I am having so much fun that I want to start another one and I'm not even finished with this one! What I really love about it is that I get to design and be creative. I've had a few snags, but I think that now that I've made one, it will definitely be easier the next time. Here are a few of the obstacles I've encountered:

When sewing the side panels onto the main part, it was difficult to keep them aligned in the correct position. I pinned it, but it kept slipping, I think because of the batting-wrapped insert. The seam-ripper was my best friend (or worst enemy...?) that afternoon. It took me three tries to get it lined up all pretty like this:

When I finally got it lined up, it was so thick - especially the second time when there were two panels sandwiched in - that even with my zipper foot, it was hard to sew around it. The stitches are not pretty, but at least you can't see them!!

Another thing I wasn't sure about was attaching the designs to the house. I think in the future it may be better to actually sew the felt onto the fabric before sewing it all together. So far I have been using fabric glue to apply the decor to the house. It works fine for the felt to fabric bonding, but it is not holding the felt to felt very well. I'll have to keep experimenting with that... Here is a little preview - some of this has not actually been attached yet, its just propped up.

I am really happy with the fireplace. I need to figure out how to put a chimney on the outside. Yay!

My next step (after I finish the house) is to make the fairies that will live in the house. I am using ideas from this book. Stay tuned for the next installment...

P.S. - I haven't fixed my fused plastic bag yet... It turns out that my iron is not keeping an even temperature, which is likely the problem, so I'll update when I get a new one...

I'm still here!!

2009-11-29T20:11:00.004-05:00

Hello blog world! I am still here! Since school started its been crazy and I have not been very (or at all) inspired to make anything - or as Carmen at seaschell said "lost my crafty mojo." I absolutely love teaching, but it is draining. I don't have much left in me when I get home! My scant crafting has been my husband's Halloween costume. It was fun to make and I got it done in plenty of time, but it didn't inspire anything else. He was very proud, however.

This weekend I started a birthday present for one of my friends. Her birthday is today, so of course I've been procrastinating. She and I learned how to fuse plastic together this summer so I thought something made from that would be a fun present. I started a tote bag with a fabric top and handles with a cute felt flower applique. I didn't have a pattern or anything, I was just making it up. I was so happy and inspired to start making this and it was going really well. I got the bag sewed and the fabric top put on and the applique cut out and then... I burned it. Yep. That's right. I burned it. I wanted to make sure it was super sturdy and I over did it with the iron. When fusing plastic, over heating it doesn't turn it black, it melts it too much and leaves holes. Boo! Now I need to regroup and hopefully I can salvage it. I'll update you...

This is the bad so far. It was going to be really cute....

Here are the yucky holes I made. :(

Heirloom Crochet

2009-08-17T10:12:00.008-04:00

These past two weeks have been kind of crazy for two reasons. One: I've made several small thing in rush mode because I needed to get them to people so I didn't even get pictures (some coffee cup sleeves and some tiny ami's for a sweet, sweet baby). Two: I've been spending some time with my family and my in-laws this past week.

Normally when we go on the big summer trip down there I get a ton of crocheting done, but this time we were flat out BUSY! We didn't get to do one big get-together with everyone, so Andy and I went all over to see his brother here and my sister there. I am glad we got to see everyone, but kind of bummed that I didn't get my relaxing craft time.

The last day we were there, my mother-in-law called me into the living room and said she had something for me. Andy's parents are in the process of moving in with his grandmother to help take care of her, so they've been giving out a lot of stuff, but to their children. So I was a little baffled when she wanted to give me something. I was even more so when she pulled out this bag. Andy and his siblings get cool old books and furniture and I get... the trash? Well, actually I was afraid it was a bag of baby clothes for a not-so-subtle hint that we needed to get the show on the road. Luckily it was neither. What is inside the bag is priceless.

It is a crochet project that Andy's (other) grandmother was working on before she died. It is tiny and beautiful and I am honored that they wanted to give it to me. Granted, no one else in the family crochets, but I still feel special. There are at least a hundred of the squares done and a ton of the yarn to do more. I didn't find any directions, but after looking at it for a few minutes, I think I've got it figured out - all except for the center of the square. I have so. many. crochet books that surely it is in one of them. No one was sure what she was making - bedspread, tablecloth, couch cover - so I'm excited that I get to decide! I have never worked on something so fine before, I'll probably have to go buy those teeny tiny hooks because I don't think I have any. Now that school is starting up (this week!! ack!!) I don't know how quickly I'll work, but I'll keep updates going. What an awesome challenge for me!

Look how tiny those stitches are!!

I have to add the fact that I LOVE the macro function on my camera. I mean seriously - click on that picture - you can see the freaking pixels of the fake-o wood on the crappy desk!! Wow!

Hero of Craftrule

2009-07-30T16:16:00.025-04:00

I was complimented on the t-shirt I was wearing the other day by a Geek Squad agent. If you have read my previous posts, you know my husband is a part-time agent, so being complimented by one of them could be alright, but this was one of the real geeks. The shirt I was wearing said "Hero of Hyrule" on it which, for those of you not into the Nintendo scene, references the kingdom in the video game "The Legend of Zelda." I bought this shirt when I finally beat the "Ocarina of Time" on our N64 a *few* years ago. (I think Andy - I mean "we" - have upgraded three times since then...) It was the first video game I've ever beaten and (for a very not-hardcore gamer like myself) it was hard! I enjoyed the game very much and was proud of myself. I reckon I probably deserve to be complimented by a real geek since wearing the shirt probably makes me pretty geeky myself.
So by now you are probably wondering where I am going with this, since this is supposed to be my craft blog. Today I again feel proud like the Hero of Hyrule - or Craftrule, which is my new kingdom in the office/dining room where I have my station semi-permanently set up on the table. I knocked another item off my list before lunch today. I love having days off. I could really get used to this!
As promised here are some details of the recently completed projects!

Starling Handbag

I posted on the completion of the crochet part of this bag here. Since then, I sewed the liner and added some embellishments to the outside. Overall I am quite pleased with it! It was very fun to make and I can't wait to make more. Watch out - it is probably what everyone is getting for Christmas this year. I wonder if a brown one is manly enough for my dad.... kidding.

The embellishments were a new thing for me. It was the first time I've really tried embroidery and I think it turned out alright. I ended up going around the flower petals because I accidentally ripped off one of the petals on the left flower at the bottom. Can you find it? I felt more secure about the flowers once I did that and I kind of like the way it looks. My embroidery skills are a little clumsy, but I figure the more I do it, the better I'll get! I used these awesome tutorials to make the flowers, bag and liner.

Tooth Fairy Bag

I made this for my 5-year old niece who just lost her first tooth. I wish I had found this cute pattern before she'd lost that one, but I can't wait to show it to her! The tooth on the front is actually a tiny pocket to put the tooth in and the tooth fairy leaves the goods in the bag. Purple is her favorite color - and mine too! :D

Lanyards

I've been wanting to make Andy something for a while, and I am mostly a crocheter, which, let's be honest, isn't super manly. Now that I've taken up more sewing, I have a lot more options for him! Here is where the lanyard idea came from: After an incident of my keys falling off my lanyard while hiking way up on the Blue Ridge Parkway and the following ordeal which involved no cell phone signal, my wallet in my locked truck and hitchhiking - and I'm just scratching the surface there - I decided to chunk that lanyard and get a new one. Then I decided not to buy one, but to make one. No problem, right? Well, actually it was no problem! I made one for myself and one for Andy. Yay crafts for Andy!

Other Crafts!
I also make a set of napkins for my sister. This was my first time trying mitered corners. I am such a novice sewer and its all been self-taught, which works for a lot of things. I feel like I would benefit from some tutoring, but these napkins ended up being alright. The corners were fine, but I am not quite there with pressing my seams evenly enough yet. I don't know if that is something I'm doing altogether wrong, or something that will just get better with more practice.

Lastly, I made a wallet out of the fused plastic that I made on a crafting play date a few weeks ago. It was my first time sewing on plastic and my first time using my zig-zag stitch on my machine - which is way cool!

This is the Summer of New Crafts in Craftrule!

Craft Central!

2009-07-29T21:55:00.005-04:00

I have three days in a row off of work this week and I am making the most of them! I saw this post by seaschell which inspired me to make my own list of projects that I want to finish and/or start. I am not quite brave enough to put it on my blog yet, but I will say that there are currently 13 things on it and it continues to grow! Over the last two days I have checked four things off and and I am working hard on two more! Here is a quick run-down of the progress:

1. Finished my first Starling Handbag
2. Sewed together a fused plastic wallet
3. Made new lanyards for myself and my husbang
4. Made a tooth fairy bag for my sweet niece who just lost her first tooth

I will post details of each project in coming posts... stay tuned! :D

New toy

2009-07-25T21:47:00.005-04:00

Hello blogging world. I am here to apologize for ignoring you for the last few weeks. This post is not really about crafting at all, but it will explain why I have been absent. I got a new toy - this lovely MacBook Pro. I am super stoked on this computer. I grew up in a Macintosh household - I think we were the first people in North Carolina to get the Macintosh SE back when it came out in the 80's. I was a music major in college, so of course all of the labs in the music department were Macs and the techs loved me because I was a Mac geek too. Being a geek has its perks sometimes. When I graduated from college and started teaching, my school did not use Macs, it used Windows machines. So after a year of trying to use my Mac at home to do work from school, I got so annoyed that I bought a Dell with Windows. I was very happy with the Windows machine - once I learned how to use it. I've had three others since then and have liked them all. So this time when I was ready for a new computer I said (as I always do when I'm ready for a new computer) 'I wish I could get a Mac.' Well, my husband, who is a part-time Geek Squad agent, went into a long informational session on how I could easily get a Mac and have it work with my PC files from school and how compatible they are now and yada yada yada. If my super-geek husband okays the ease in which I could do it, then I was convinced! I would not call myself a computer geek anymore. At this point I think I would describe myself as 'relatively computer savvy.' I am very proud of myself because I had no problem whatsoever networking the two computers and transferring all my docs, music and pictures to my new machine. My Office docs that were created on the PC machine opened up just fine on the Mac! Hooray!
I am even more happy with this purchase because I got an educator discount for being a teacher and also a free iPod touch! What a deal! So you see, I have been a little preoccupied in the last couple of weeks. Again, I apologize and I will get myself back on track. With my new computer.

Cool giveaway

2009-07-15T08:51:00.003-04:00

I found this blog through Wendymoon Designs, one of the other blogs that I read and I am so happy I found it. I adore classic film and Kate Gabrielle's art is wonderful. She is doing a really neat giveaway now (you get to pick your prize!) - but hurry it ends today! Head over to Silents and Talkies to enter.

Starling Handbag

2009-07-14T15:18:00.008-04:00

I have been so excited about the Starling Handbag pattern that futuregirl just published on her website! I had to make myself finish my other bag first since I was so close to being done. I started the small sized one in yellow as soon as I finally completed my grey bag. I picked the small size first because I could finish it the fastest! Does everyone else have multiple craft projects going on simultaneously? I have so many things I want to make! I went to visit my friend Amy, who also crochets, last weekend and I started a large sized one in red even before I finished the yellow one.

Well I have finally finished the crocheting part of the yellow bag. I am completely in love with this handbag. Alice is a crochet goddess. I am now starting on the embellishments and liner. I decided to use brown-eyed susans on the outside with stems and leaves in green. The liner will also be green, probably with some funky pockets.

This bag is like a futuregirl tribute bag because I used her pattern, foundation single crochet tutorials, seamless single crochet tutorial, felt-daisy tutorial, and lining tutorials to make this bag. Its almost like she made it for me. I'll be back when I finish the lining!

The door is my favorite part of my house. Its the original from when the house was built in the 1920's. I took the picture here in honor of the Starling Handbag - notice the swell bird on the screen door!

Close-up of the handbag. I still need to embellish and line it.

Here are the brown-eyed susans I cut out with leaves. I need to stitch them on and embroider stems. I have never done that before onto crochet, so we'll see how it goes. Loads of people do it successfully, so surely I'll do alright...

Sewing Project!

2009-07-12T10:01:00.017-04:00

I recently got the book Bend the Rules Sewing by Amy Karol and I have been itching to make one of the very cute things from it. I thought I would start simple and try the No-Cash-Wallet. Now, I am not an experienced sewer by any measure, so please keep this in mind as you read.

The book has instructions for each project with measurements and, for some, a pattern that you can enlarge on a xerox machine and cut out. I do not have access to a xerox machine, so I was going to try to just use the measurement given with the instructions. I am not sure if it is because of my lack of experience or if I was having a foggy-headed day, but I could NOT get the pattern worked out using only the measurements given in the book. No matter which way I turned it, it just doesn't work. I even measured the small scale pattern in the back and used that math I said in 8th grade that I would never use to figure out what the enlarged measurements would be and it just doesn't work. I consider myself a relatively intelligent person and this made me feel the opposite and very frustrated as well.

So I ended up scanning the pattern picture into my computer, enlarging it with a program and printing it out over several pages, then cutting and taping it together. When I did this, the pattern worked, but I still say the measurements in the book have got to be off.

I made four wallets - one for my sister, my mom, my friend Amy and, of course, for me! I forgot to get pictures of my sister's finished product but, trust me, it was cute. I almost kept that one for myself! :)

*Note - I am still trying to get the image functions of blogger figured out - I feel like it should be more user-friendly. The captions for the pictures are underneath this time*

This is the one I made for my mom. It is a little crooked, but it was the first one. The quarter is a button that I didn't end up using but, for reference, it is the size of an actual quarter.

I picked out these two pieces to go together, but when I got them cut out and next to each other I wasn't as sure about it. Too much going on, I think. I will find something more subtle to match with these and save them for later.

This material is so pretty. I love that I found a positive/negative match. I made Amy's wallet with the white background on the outside and pockets with the brown background as the liner. My wallet is the opposite.

This is the material I used for my sister's wallet. The blue mousies are on the outside and pockets and the pink is the liner. It has teeny tiny white hearts on it. I told you it was cute.

The Learning Process

2009-07-02T22:21:00.012-04:00

My purse is finally finished! Its not what I thought it would be in my head when I started, but I am very happy with it. I read an inspiring post by futuregirl about the crochet learning process. I have always been nervous about more complex projects because I'm afraid I will spend so much time on something and then be dissapointed. After completing this purse and liner, I have found quite the opposite.

There are things I definitely dislike about how it turned out. I don't know that I will/can use it as a pocketbook - its really better as a tote. It is pretty big. And floppy. The original purse pattern called for a drawstring closure and now I see why. The way the sides are crocheted do not support themselves and droop down when I pick up the bag. It kind of gapes open, which is why the drawstring would be a good call. Also I didn't sew the straps into tubes like the pattern called for. I might still do that. It allows the handles to be very stretchy like it is, but it may end up being too stretchy.

There are things I really like about it, though. I love the color of it and how soft the yarn is. I am very proud of the liner that I sewed for it - my first one! I followed this awesome tutorial to make it and this awesome tutorial to sew it in! I made some neat pockets for it and I think it will be very sturdy. Lastly, it is something that I made from scratch! That in itself is fun.

So you see, I really am not dissapointed at all. I am excited about the things I did right as well as the things that I know I will do better next time. I am all about the learning process. (Thanks, Alice! :D)

magnet snap closure

you can see how it sags with all my stuff in it when I hold it up

zipper pocket - yay!!

cool skull pockets!

Picture Editiing

2009-06-19T15:13:00.004-04:00

I finally found a picture editing program that I didn't even know I had. Apparently the version of Microsoft Office that we have has a VERY basic editing program. That's all I need really. So here are the promised pictures from the last post!

As I was looking at the pictures of my messy crafting, I realized that most of you may not agree with my assessment of "messy" for my craft area. I felt very messy that day, I can assure you. So you can laugh if you want, but this is my messy sewing station from the last post:

My pictures of the bag liner didn't turn out as well as I wanted, but here is a pic of the badass skull pockets:

I haven't finished sewing the liner into the bag yet, but it is pinned into place. I am going to have to force myself to do it before I start on my Starling Handbag. I, among many other people, am super stoked about futuregirl's first crochet pattern! Her handbags rock and I can't wait to make my own! :D

Messy Crafting

2009-06-13T17:51:00.006-04:00

As you will see in the following pictures, I am (apparently) a messy crafter. I was *in*the*zone* today with my bag liner, so maybe it was just the frenzy I was in - I don't think I am ususally that bad.

I started that liner a few weeks ago on a super-productive day, but I still needed to add the pockets because, what purse is cool without inside pockets? I mean, really...

So, today was a challenge because I was not thinking when I sewed the liner into the bag shape that it would be w-a-a-a-y easier to add the pockets beforehand. Ugh. Still, I triumphed, especially for the first one I've ever made! Not only did I add two kick-ass skull and crossbones pockets, but I added a zippered pocket on the other side and a heavy-duty interfaced bottom - all after I'd sewn the sides of the bag together! I'm pretty impressed with myself because it was tricky to do it this way. I have definitely learned to do the pockets first for next time, though. I hope you can see enough from my shoddy pics... I'll post better ones when I finish the bag! Hooray!

** ( I forgot, we are currently without a photo editing program, so the pics are on the way...) **

Yay! Craft time!

2009-05-21T22:19:00.006-04:00

I have spent this week crafting when I get home instead of making lesson plans (I guess testing is good for something :P). I finished the baby blanket on Monday - hooray! It turned out huge - just like I suspected. I did alter my original design (check 2 posts back for that), thankfully, or else it would have been a grown-up blanket! I can't wait to take it to my friend this weekend! Here are some shots of the finished product.

Looking at it lying out on my quilt makes me want to sew another quilt... hmmm ...

On Tuesday/Wednesday I make my first sock monkey! If you know me (or have read my profile) you know I love sock monkeys. Strangely, I had never made one myself. It was a little trickier than I imagined in my head to get everything straight, so he is a little crooked, but that gives him character. Andy named him Carlos. Here are some pics of his creation.

We have legs!!

Yay - he is stuffed - look at his cute bottom!! :D

This is where I stopped on Tuesday night. He is patiently waiting for the rest of his body parts. Do you see the mini-monkey pal keeping him company? I can't even stand how cute that mini-monkey is....

Its Carlos!!

Finally tonight I made my way back to the liner for the purse I crocheted at the first of March - yes, March and yes, I do realize its almost June. What can I say? It just hasn't happened until now. But now that it is happening, I am so excited about it! The lining is sewed (pictures coming soon), it just needs pockets and then to be sewn into the purse. I need some handles for the purse too, but if I can be as productive next week as I was this week I don't think it will be a problem! :D

How do they do it?

2009-05-16T11:38:00.004-04:00

So here is my monthly blog post. I'm so dissapointed in myself. When I got started with this, it was supposed to help keep me on track with my projects, but it has seemed more like just one more thing to do. I already work two jobs - one of which is teaching, which is like working two jobs on its own - so one more thing to do is not a good thing. I keep making excuses for myself, like I my pictures aren't good enough (I really do wish I was better at that part - any tips, y'all?) or I haven't made enough progress to make a post. But really, that is why I should be posting - that is the part that will keep me on track. How do other bloggers do it? How do they keep up with their busy lives (because I'm not trying to say I'm busier than most people) and still find time to write blog posts regularly?

Here's what I thought of - if I make a schedule and I post on my schedule, even if I'm not that much farther along on my projects, then I'll feel better about it. Right? Or if I at least do two posts a month - that would be an improvement. I reckon this is easy for me to say since school is almost over. Ha! So here is my promise to myself - I *will* make another blog post before the month is out.

I am still working on that baby blanket (I really am almost finished!!) for my pregnant friend - only she's not pregnant anymore - she had the baby on May 8. Its okay, she'll still want the blanket. :)

Blanket Dilemma

2009-04-16T19:23:00.004-04:00

Wow, what a crazy busy past month this has been! After I posted about the mushrooms I made, I had to make some more for my friends and family! Now I am working on a baby blanket for a friend at school. She is due the day before my birthday, so I told her to wait a day so we could share a day! We'll see how that goes... Anyway, her nursery colors are sage green and chocolate brown. If you have ever bought yarn before, you will know that baby yarns do not come in those two colors, so I am using Vanna's Choice acrylic yarn which does! I usually prefer to make baby things out of cotton which is soft and durable through many washings, but a lot of baby yarn is acrylic so I figured this would be alright. I designed this to seem random but really it is not. Here is my dilemma: After following my design and getting about halfway through it, I think it will be massive! I can't decide if I should keep on truckin' and just have a big blanket or if I should alter the design I started with. Here is what I planned for the brown/green pattern:

And here is what I have done so far. I am just shy of half way through my design.

Part of the problem is that the proportions of the table that I made to plan my design don't quite match up with the size of my actual stitches. The blanket will also have a brown border around the whole thing. I think I will keep going with my plan for a little longer before I stray. We'll see how it goes....

Finally here!

2009-03-16T21:08:00.014-04:00

My mushroom box came! I haven't been this excited in a long time!! Yay for mushrooms! We went outside for a photo shoot.

My new mushroom family!

made by Vanessa of A Fanciful Twist

made by Alison (crochetsamurai on Flickr) of Pepperberry Crochet

made by Valerie (valpowery on Flickr) of Yarni Gras!

made by Michelle (here's her blog)

made by Pam

Thanks everyone, and especially to Sonya who organized all of the
excellent crafters and their mushrooms!

This should happen more often...

2009-03-16T20:40:00.004-04:00

My sister has been here visiting (hooray!) so I've been pretty busy. Crocheting isn't really a group activity... so this post is not about crochet, but it is a craft... in a way... The teachers at my school raved and raved about these cake pops and I kind of brushed it off until I actually tried one at a Christmas party. W-O-W!! It was the yummiest thing I've ever had! The closest description I can come up with is a cake truffle. Sounds good, right? I recently had another from a bake sale at school and was inspired to try to make them myself. I searched the source, Bakerella, and found this recipe, but substituted chocolate cake for red velvet. The result was so yummy!!

Here is the inside of the delicious cake truffle...

Whip it good!

2009-03-04T20:22:00.005-05:00

Andy and I were catching up on last week's Jeopardy episodes (DVR is the most amazing thing!) and I whipped up these hand warmers for a friend at Starbucks. We work at a store with a Drive-Thru (ugh) and, let me tell you, your hands get COLD! I love the thick-n-quick yarn because it works up so quickly! Hooray! I have so many projects that I want to start, but I think I am going to concentrate on finishing some WIP's that I have stashed all over the house.

Now in progress...

2009-03-02T20:19:00.006-05:00

So many things to talk about in my first posts! I promise I will not update this often in the future!! I mentioned in my previous post about crocheting on a bus to Atlanta with some middle school students. Well, I was nearly done with those 'shrooms when we started for the ATL, so I also started a new project on that trip. I am making a purse/bag and I am following a pattern from Crochet Today! only I am modifying it to my liking (as usual!). So I finished the 'bag' part of the purse during that trip (and the subsequent trip - the NEXT DAY with my hubby to see the opera - crazy I know, but so fun!). I need to add the handles and some way to close it. The pattern calls for a drawstring closure, which I do not like. I need a flap, or maybe a zipper. I will be making a liner for it, which will be my first, so why not my first zipper at the same time? Did I mention that I mostly crochet? I'm not so good a sewing... yet... I also have in my head my next project, which will be something special for my Starbucks co-workers...

Here is what I have so far...
I need to do something about the lighting or location for my future pics... these aren't so great...

This is done with ModaDea Tweedle Dee yarn in Blackberry - its dyed to give a shaded effect. I kind of pooched the sides out in this shot (above).

I pleated the side in for this shot... I think that is what I will do if I use the zipper closure idea...

Recent excitement

2009-03-02T12:08:00.005-05:00

I just mailed a package to knitsonya yesterday. In the package were five little mushrooms that I crocheted for a handmade mushroom swap. This is my first craft swap and I am SO excited to get my mushrooms! Check out the pictures on flickr and you'll see why! Here are some pics of my mushies...

First mushroom

In progress...

In progress...

I was working on these last two on a charter bus on the way to Atlanta. There's nothing like crocheting with fifty 7th graders yelling around you...

All packaged up and ready for their big trip!! Yay!!

My first real post

2009-03-02T11:55:00.002-05:00

Okay, here is my first real blog post. I really mean for this to be about my crafting, but I have to talk about the name of this blog. I heard the line somewhere (voulez vous crochet avec moi) and thought it was the funniest and/or cutest crochet reference I'd ever heard. When thinking of a name for my blog, I wanted to use "nancymoo" but it was already taken - bummer! Since I wanted my blog to be mostly about my craft projects, and I since mostly crochet, this line came back to me. I asked some of my distinguished teacher friends and they all liked it. My husband thought it was too long and too hard to spell. I realized that my teacher friends had all taken french like me, so the spelling part didn't occur to me. Finally I decided to ignore the naysayers and use my cute crochet line, and so here I am in the blogging world! Let's get started!