Crocheted Bracelets and Bookmarks

Well as you can tell by our lack of posts we have been much  too busy being crafty to actually post about our craftiness....at least that is the story we are sticking with....

Over the last couple of weeks I have been busy crocheting (shocking, right?!). However, most of it has been things that I have already blogged about. However, I do have a few new things in the works. On my last post I talked about purchasing crochet thread. I used it to make granny square bracelets. Since I have this new thread I figured I should figure out what else I can make from it. I have kinda been on a bracelet kick lately after my first successful attempt so I thought I would look for another pattern. I remembered seeing this pattern for a scarf  and thought I would try doing something similar with my crochet thread for bracelets.

It takes me about an hour to finish one, but I think they turn out even cuter than my granny square bracelets. I have also made several into bookmarks as well by making a smaller eyelet and attaching a ribbon to the end. I found the thread for sale pretty cheap at Walmart, so I look forward to trying out new colors as well.

 

I think I am really adapting to this smaller hook and thread. Can't wait to find other patterns to try! 

beautiful, unique tri-fold wallet!

I had been fiddling around with the idea of creating a wallet pattern for several months, and last March, I finally sat down and did it.  There were several parts of this that kinda scared me to begin with.  First, is the whole idea of designing my own pattern, which I had never before attempted.  It’s just that none of the patterns I looked at were exactly what I wanted, and if you make a wallet from scratch you might as well have it have everything you want! One pattern would have no coin purse, then another wouldn’t have enough pockets, then another wouldn’t have enough credit card slots, or they would, but not the right location….apparently I’m picky about my wallets, who knew? 
  
The other thing that scared me about this pattern is that I wanted a zippered coin purse, and before this, I had never sewn a zipper, and in fact had strictly avoided them.  However, once I dived in this fear quickly dissolved only to be replaced with another major problem.  Lining.  Of course my wallet has lining, but lining in general is such a hassle.  I’m not afraid of it, it’s just a lot of extra sewing that doesn’t seem all that necessary.  I cut this process down considerably by using a folding technique that cuts down on the sewing necessary.  
  

All in all, this pattern turned out pretty dang good for being my first pattern. It is a tri-fold wallet with a zippered coin purse, a bill pocket, and an extra pocket for all your receipts, checkbook, etc.  In addition it has 6 credit card slots! It fastens with a coordinated colored elastic and button fasten. I also added a cute rosette to the outside to dress it up a little. The pattern is probably of medium difficulty.  Don’t be afraid of the zipper! It’s one of the easiest parts for me now.  Unfortunately I will not be providing the pattern on this blog for free ( I do have some patterns up my sleeve that I will put on the blog later, so don’t be too bummed).  I’m trying to sell them and putting it on the web for free is kind of detrimental to that process.  However, I am selling the patterns for $8, or I can make a wallet for you with your specific color choices for $20+shipping. Just comment below, or e-mail me at columbiacrafts@yahoo.com.  Sorry for the plug, but I’m done now. One more wallet that has more of a landscape fabric to it.  

Granny Squares, Not Just for Granny’s Anymore…

Since Teresa posted the link to the Craftgawker sight I have been busy browsing and finding crafts I would like to try. I saw this one and thought it looked like something I could do. However, the link didn’t have any instructions attached. It is pretty much just granny squares stitched together to form a bracelet using crochet thread. 

Once I found out it required crochet thread and a really small hook I began to doubt my abilities. I tend to avoid working with tiny hooks and thin yarn…it usually does not end well. However, I gathered my courage and decided to give it a try. I figure that eventually I will be unable to do crafts like this because I will have bad eye sight and arthritis, so I better do it while I am still young!

So I went to Joann’s and bought the size 10 crochet thread and the size 8 (1.8mm) hook. I think that might have been the first time I spent less than $5 in that store. I was very proud. Now I had the supplies, but I had to figure out how to make a granny square. Odd as it may seem with all my crocheting I have never actually made a granny square. I think I have avoided it because to me if I wanted to take the time to actually attach multiple blocks together to form something I would just stick to quilting. Also, it is a pretty horrible name for a crochet pattern…Why would I want to make a granny square when clearly that is something old people make. I on the other hand am too young and cool for that.

However, I decided to ignore my fears and prejudices and give the pattern a chance since I liked the end result pictures I had seen. So I googled ‘granny square’ for a basic pattern and I proceeded to make my first granny square. After the first block I found the process was going pretty well. I was happy to find that the thin thread and the small hook weren’t as bad as I feared they might be! 

So I created four more blocks and then started slip stitching them together. Once I had them all together I went around the bracelet once with a single crochet for the border. I started in the middle of one of the ends so that once I got back around I could chain 8 and then slip stitch it back into the border to form a button holder. I raided my small button stash to find an appropriate button and I sewed it to the middle of the other end.

   

Ta Da! I successfully created a stylish bracelet! I made my first one near the end of last week and have already made several more! I am getting used to the crochet thread and have even made a few ornaments, which turned out pretty good too. I’m very excited for the possibilities this opens up and I can’t wait to see what else I can find to make! I’ll be sure and keep you posted on my future creations. Until then, happy crafting!

FULFILLING A CHILDHOOD DREAM

As a child, we are told not to get anything on our clothes that will stain. There was an emphasis on not drawing or coloring on clothes with pens, markers, paint, and any other art tool that will leave a mark. We had to be clean, neat, and proper. I heeded to the command and rarely ever got dirty and certainly never had art stains on my clothes.

That is not to say that I was never tempted to. As a child, and let's be honest as adults, when you are warned not to do something, it becomes a desire to do it just to see why you cannot. It is like forbidden fruit that dangles in front of us, tempting us. I remember being tempted to color on my shirt and the white walls of my bedroom...to create and mark something unique and totally my own.

Finally, I can say I have lived out one of my childhood desires and painted on a shirt....and it was awesome!

Before I continue on, I hope you do not mind another segment on shirts. While I am creative, I usually do not have crafts every week to write about and before I start tapping into past crafts, I figure I should write about any current ones I have whenever the chance arises. That, and I absolutely love my new shirt and I want to show it off on this blog too.

So to fast forward from being a tempted child to a couple of weeks ago. This inspiration came from Laura and Teresa, who were making shirts for a Taylor Swift concert. The craft looked fun and simple enough to do and the shirts looked amazing. I wanted to make one too!

I do not know who came up with this process. None of us did. I learned the process from them and they learned it from someone else. Hopefully, one of them will blog about their own shirts or comment on my entry and give you the site or book they learned it from. If not, at least you will have my instructions from a third or fourth party.

In the end, the instructions are probably more interesting than who came up with the process. So here you go:

Step One: Finding a shirt (or whatever item you plan on decorating). It should be a plain color and fabric (ex. no ripples). This is a semi easy part of the process. Mine was only difficult because all such shirts I owned were work shirts and I had to decide one that would become a regular shirt.

Step Two: Choose what you are going to put on it. I found this to be the second difficult part. There are billions of choices to choose from. I knew I wanted a quote, but where to choose from? Favorite book, tv show, movie, saying, song lyric? The options were endless! There were so many I loved! After a while, I choose a quote from William Shakespeare's “A Midsummer Night's Dream.”

Step Three: Whether from a printed out design or from your own artistic mind, trace the design on Freezer Paper. You heard that right. Freezer paper. Trace on the paper side of it. I suppose you can trace with anything, but I chose a simple pen.

Step Four: Using an Exacto Knife, cut out your design. I found this to be the most difficult (especially if you traced something fancy like a special font) and the most time consuming step. It took me a couple of days to cut everything out. To be fair, I had work, chores, and other things to do, so it was not a solid two days of cutting. It all depends on what you chose. But take your time in cutting. You do not want to mess up and have to do it again (I'm saying this from experience).

Step Five: If you want, you can use a pair of scissors and cut out the words or pattern and place them on the shirt wherever you like. With the long quotes I chose, I had to do this. Afterwords, place the pieces on the shirt (paper side up) and iron on for a few seconds. I cannot recall how long Laura and Teresa did theirs, but I only had mine on there for a few seconds. So I say, iron on a few seconds and if the paper is not stuck on the shirt continue to iron it until it is. You will know when it is stuck on there (and it is supposed to be).

Step Six: Now for the fun part! Place cardboard, a paper grocery store bag, or any barrier in the shirt so the paint will not soak through the shirt and onto the other side. Finally, grab some Acrylic paint and brushes and start painting!

Step Seven: Once done painting, pull the paper off your shirt. It comes off fairly easy. You may need a toothpick or other small stick (I used a sharp nail filer) to pick out any small pieces.

Step Eight: Let it dry. For each side, it took a couple of hours. But I should caution you, I made this shirt during a heat wave and that may or may not have played a part in the drying process, especially considering my little apartment was an oven. So my advice is give it a few hours and play it by ear. And if it needs touch ups, repaint the spots and let it dry again (I did that a couple of times)!

Now you have the instructions. All you need is to get the supplies! Have fun relishing in a childhood desire!

Complicatedcrafticitis

I bought a shirt a while back that had a necklace attached to it. It is very cute and perfect for me, who rarely stops long enough to put on jewelry on the morning. However, the metal necklace kept coming apart in the washer and dryer, and I’m too lazy to hand wash it, so I decided to instead take the necklace part off and make it into a separate piece.  There was just one problem.  I had no idea how I wanted to do that.  The easiest way would be to buy a necklace fasten in the craft store and attach it to the chain, then tada! You have a necklace.  But of course, I hate all things easy.  It’s a sickness, it really is.  That was just waaay to simple for me.  This was a perfect craft opportunity and I was supposed to just slap a fasten on it and call it good? NO! I refuse! But for lack of better vision, I put it to the side until inspiration stuck/ until bazaar season was over.  Then I got sucked into this site and discovered this! How beautiful! How wonderful! How perfectly exactly what I was looking for! So inspiration had struck, but it was past midnight, and I had to wait till morning to try it out.  I’m ashamed to admit that sometimes when inspiration strikes that late at night I actually stay up thinking about it in bed and have difficulty sleeping because of it. Insomnia: another symptom in the disease of Complicatedcrafticitis.

So the next morning, I started right in on this great project.  I took a ton of ribbon, about two feet for each side and threaded it through the fist chain half way, so that I now had two pieces of ribbon.  Then I started a kind of braid process and wove them alternatively through the chains.   

There are just a few tips I would suggest.  First make sure that the chains are always laying flat and straight, otherwise they can get all bent out of shape and won’t rest right.  Next, always thread the ribbon in the same direction.  I always threaded it in over the first piece, under and through the chain. This makes it look and rest nicer, and it makes it easier to remember where you were. 





  


Other than that, this is a pretty simple craft, it’s just a little lengthy, especially if your chain is longer.  I tied it off at the end of the chain with a knot, and again near the end of the extra ribbon, which I left on to tie around my neck, around 6 inches extra. 

And there you have it! This is the actual shirt it came on.  That's why it looks so good with it! Ignore the goofy smile, I have difficulty taking pictures of myself.

 

 It is also incredibly difficult to take a picture of the back of your neck.  However, after several failed attempts, this one came out.  So here is hoping that you come down with a case of Complicatedcrafticitis.  It's really worth all the the insomnia. Just look at the results!

Crochet Baby Blankets

It seems to be a reoccurring pattern that I post on crocheted crafts, but honestly I do other crafts too! It just happens that my main focus tends to be crocheting. I enjoy this craft because generally it is easy to transport the project if needed, and I can do it while I am watching TV or hanging out with a group of people talking.

One of the crochet projects that I can most often be found working on is baby blankets. I like doing these because it is fast, easy, and cute! Plus at this stage in my life it seems like I always know someone who is pregnant. This way I always have a gift on hand. :) Also our church donates to The Caring Pregnancy Center every year, so I generally am able to offload my blankets there as well.

My favorite baby blanket pattern is the shell stitch. I like this stitch because it make the blanket look fancier even though it isn't any harder to create. My hook of choice is a "J" --this is my standard size, although lately with other projects I have branched out a little more.

I often do this pattern all in one color, but the picture also shows how different yarn can be added in to create patterns. The 2nd color is simply added in once you reach the end of a row. The shell stitch is created by chaining a multiple of 5 (I generally go with 105 stitches, but it is your choice). Then:

Row 1: double crochet 4x in the 4th chain from the hook. Skip two chains, single crochet. Skip two chains then double crochet 5x in the same stitch. Continue this til you get to the end of the row. End with 3 double crochets instead of 5.
Row 2: Chain 1, double crochet 5x in the single crochet spot from the 1st row. Single crochet at the top of the shell stitch created in row 1. Continue to the end of the row
Row 3: Chain 3,  double crochet 2x in 1st stitch. Single crochet at the top of the shell stitch created in row 2. Double crochet 5x in the single crochet spot from the 2nd row. Continue to the end of the row
Row 4-completion: Alternate rows 3 and 4 until you reach the blanket size you desire.
Border: Work border yarn the same way as previous rows. When you reach the end of the row turn blanket and stitch on sides; continuing the shell pattern.
Finish off.

A fun circus train snack

Last week I had my grandson down to visit. He is quite into trains these days so I decided to make these cute cookies from a Pillsbury cookie book I recently found at a garage sale.

You start with chocolate covered graham crackers and add animal crackers and make a cage with frosting. His favorite book is about the little red caboose so I added red by using a fruit roll up. The original called for life saver wheels but I used starlight mints. I made the scene on a piece of aluminum foil and let him place the cars on it when he came. It was quick, easy and he really enjoyed setting them up and eating them.

Saran Wrap+Napkins=Cards

Yes, you read the title correctly. You did not imagine or hallucinate the words. Saran wrap and napkins. They are not just for the kitchen; you can use them for art as well!

Card making is probably the easiest craft to do and likely the first one you will do. In general, all you need is some markers and paper and wa-la, you have a greeting card for someone special. If it could not get any better, making cards is one of the most inexpensive crafts to do. It is a win-win situation.

I love making cards. I think it is because I love receiving cards in the mail. For me, they are ten times better than presents. Uh...I do not know if I should mention that. Watch, I will never get another present again.

Oh well, I still love cards. There is just something great about getting a card that makes me feel special and loved.

Handmade cards are the best. They are twenty times better than a store bought one. Seriously, they are. Take my word for it.

I am not the only one who thinks cards are fantastic. The Card Club is huge and growing! People love them. Whether someone is five years old or ninety, whether it is two hundred years ago or now or five hundred years in the future, people love getting them. I believe they will always be popular.

Who wouldn't want a card that was unique, one of a kind, specially made for them that came from the heart?

Making cards can be a lot of fun and can take little effort or be highly detailed. There is so many different ways to create them! The sky's the limit!

This past Saturday, Laura, Teresa, Jan and I learned a new process for this craft. Who would have ever thought to use saran wrap, napkins, and an iron to make a greeting card? Certainly none of us. Disclaimer: we did not come up with this invention. Laura found this cool idea from this incredibly gifted person's blog.

Once we figured it out, it was a lot of fun to do. The process is quick, maybe a minute or two. I managed to crank out twelve cards in a few hours (and that was with sharing an iron. With an iron all to yourself, I am sure you could make a hundred a day if you wanted!).

The hardest part for me was the saran wrap. While it is great for sealing food, it is difficult to work with in card making. Of course, to give the Inventors of Saran Wrap credit, I doubt they envisioned their product to be used for greeting cards.

As I am sure everyone knows, saran wrap can be tricky to cut if it is not done just right. If any of the sides touch, they get stuck together worse than glue and it can be very difficult in smoothing it out once again. There is only two outcomes: either it will smooth out or it will not and therefore cannot be used. If you are lucky to have a crinkle-free piece, this project goes by super fast.

As I get older, it seems I continue to meet more and more people and develop relationships with them. With these new people in my life come holidays, birthdays, weddings, and babies. Making cards come in handy for these very occasions and to keep the relationships strong.

For now, I think I have enough cards for the next couple of months....

Iris Folding

This is a technique I use to make cards.  I love it because it is relatively simple to do, and it is incredibly cheap because you are using old magazines and free online patterns.  Here is what you will need:

-scissors

-tape

-paper cutter

-exacto knife

-glass cutting board

            I use this as a hard surface for cutting with the exacto knife.

-glue sticks

            Do not use liquid glue, it will warp your cards!

-Card stock

            I like using these 4 ½” X 6 ½” stacks that you can find at craft stores.

-Old magazines

            I recommend National Geographic, Country, or any other magazine that has lots of pictures that are not covered up with words. 

-Iris folding templates

            The pattern in this tutorial is from this site, but I also find a lot of them here.

1. Cut up pictures from old magazines into 1” strips that look like this.  Then fold them in half so that they are ½” wide strips.

 

2. Pick out the pattern you want to use from the above sites.  I am using this pattern at the bottom of the page.  These are the three shades of blue I am using for my bird, but you will want a wide variety of colors for all your different patterns.  I store mine in plastic sleeves in a thee-ring binder, but this has a big flaw because there is a hole at the top of each sleeve and if you turn the binder the wrong way, all of the pieces of paper fall out!  I haven’t yet figured out a good solution to this…My sister Laura uses zip lock bags, but then you have to fold them and I don’t like that either.  Anyway, you can store a lot of these strips in a small area, I sort them by color.  

3. Once you pick your pattern, you can copy it into Word and make it the size you want it to be in order to fit onto your 4 ¼” X 5 ½” card.  Print two copies of this pattern.  Cut out one to use as a stencil and trace it onto a piece of card stock cut to the above dimensions. You will be laying the card stock over the pattern, so you want the bird (or shape) to be traced in the same position as the pattern page (in other words, do not mirror image the pattern when tracing it).  The card stock I used had a decorative floral design on one side of it that I didn’t want to accidentally cut into, so I held it up to the light and traced where it was on the back.  Once you have traced your pattern, cut out the pattern using an exacto knife.   

4. In addition to the three shades of blue, I have a small orange piece for the beak, and a brown piece for the branch.  Tape those on now, making sure that they do not overlap onto the bird section, and that the pattern you want showing on the other side of the card is facing down.  After this is done, tape the card stock onto the pattern paper, but only on one side so that you can life the paper and look at your bird.  

 

5. Cut a piece of your first shade of blue big enough to cover the "1a" section on your bird. Position it over this section and tape down.  Continue in this fashion, following the numbers and changing colors when beginning a new spiral section.  Always position the pieces so that they are laying over the previous pieces, never tuck the piece under the one before it. 

 

When you are finished, the back will look like this, and the front will look like this!

 Glue the cardstock down onto the front of a blank card, and press it in a book as it dries if necessary.  

This may seem overwhelming at first, but trust me, it is super simple, and fun.  Plus, the end result is so impressive! I have had several weddings this summer that I have used a set of varied iris folded cards as gifts, and they are always oohed and awed over.  Some of the brides have even come back saying that they couldn't use them as cards and instead framed them and used them as art! With all the different patterns available, it never gets old.  Good luck! 

Crocheted Prayer Shawls

For my birthday this year my mother-in-law gave me this book on crocheting prayer shawls. I found this pattern inside and adapted it so that it worked for me. I had issues understanding what exactly the pattern in the book was asking me to do, but the finished product looks the same to me! It is a simple "block" stitch. Crocheting 3 double-crochets and then a single crochet followed by 3 more double crochets. By offsetting the stitches it creates this block pattern. :) I bought yarn at Joann's and ended up having enough to make two prayer shawls. I made one with the border pattern in the book and then just made the second one with tassels instead.

Here is the one directly from the book. I plan on giving this one to Reuben's Grandma for her 90th birthday in September.

A close up on the bottom border section:



I liked the pattern so I made a second one. This one doesn't have the extra border portion.




I liked this pattern so much that I will likely be making more of these in the future. They went by really fast and look impressive once finished.

One thing leads to another

A couple of weeks ago we replaced an old worn out couch with a new reclining one with a love seat to match. This led to a domino effect of consequences and work to be done. First we had to get the furniture in the house which was no easy task. Then we had to get rid of the old couch which we gave away. Then we moved all the chairs from the room to make room for the love seat.

By then I realized the curtains didn't match anymore, or the pillows… thus leading to my latest craft project. It is not especially talented or fancy but I made some new curtains which are a simple gathered style from a pretty paisley design. I found some cut fabric left over from a previous quilt and made some matching pillows. Some left over curtain fabric was used for the back of the pillows. I think the end result adds a lot to the look of the room and I was glad that I actually got the project done since I had put it away for awhile thinking I would like to do that “someday”.

Unexpected Delight

My recent project has been a quilt. When I say recent, I mean I just finished the top face this past Monday night at 9pm. Whew! As it is my own creation, I have the right—nay, the duty—to name it. Thus, from henceforth, it shall be known as, “Unexpected Delight.”

Of all the quilts I have made, this is the most unique. Besides being the biggest one I have made so far, it is the first one that I have created outside of my comfort zone. I usually go for the easiest pattern so I do not have to spend an eternity on one project. The quicker it is done, the sooner I can move onto the next one. Makes sense, right?

Feel free to grab some hot chocolate and let me tell you the story of this amazing quilt...

It started in a Saturday Sampler class I took with Jan and Laura. I tend to choose colors that are me such as blues, greens, earth tones, and other laid back colors. In this particular class, there were two options offered (a chic black/red/white one and a loud, bright colored one). I was instantly drawn to the second one with its vivid colors, wanting the fabric and knowing the quilt made would be for me. I daresay my choice surprised my partners as much as it did me, but it could not be helped.

It was fate, written in the stars, God's providence, whatever you want to call it.

After a year, I had 12 blocks. It took until my birthday this June to get complimentary fabric to finish my blanket. With the needed fabric in hand, I eagerly looked through my quilt books for patterns.

As I searched the pages, something peculiar occurred. I did not want to do my usual easy square pattern with two simple outer borders. This quilt was too special for something that ordinary. Thus I decided to challenge myself. Nothing big, of course, but something a little different.

I was inspired by a friend's quilt that was set in a diagonal pattern with sashing. That led to the idea of what I was looking for. With the quilting books not giving me inspiration, I sketched a basic pattern and then decided to create my own. Now that is highly unusual for me. Creating my own pattern? With no guidance from a book? Who is this person?

With the blueprints written and the measurements taken, my would-be quilt took a life of its own and took me on a road I have never been on or thought I was ready to go on. Not only was I going to do a diagonal pattern with sashing, but I was going to have fancy sashing with a design within that and square points! In addition, I was going to add another block to do this design! If that was not enough—to add to this madness—I was going to add fancy outer borders instead of using simple solid ones!

This crazy quilt also led me to spend more time on a quilt than I normally would have. I double-checked and triple-checked the blueprints regularly, I took out stitches of perfectly good blocks so I could make them great, and ripped out seams whenever points and squares did not match up perfectly.

All this hard work was well worth it and the final product is stunning. I never thought it would turn out as great as it did. This was the result:

Besides getting a story from this entry, I think you can take away a few moral lessons on the importance of planning, of taking your time on a project, that challenging yourself once in a while can help you grow and produce something far more beautiful than you imagined, and...well, whatever other lessons your mind comes up with.