Lady Kirkbay

Yet another dress (or two)...

2009-07-09T09:41:00.001-07:00

Spring dress

2009-04-16T16:35:00.001-07:00

I was in a "crafty" mood this afternoon and this is what came of it.

I love designing clothes for Adeline.

Now all it needs is a Skirty!

Grandmotherly inspiration

2009-02-20T20:05:00.000-08:00

My mom and mother-in-law are very talented ladies. "Oma" made this gorgeous quilt and "Granny" must have been crocheting like a mad woman for the entire nine months of my pregnancy! If these lovely blankets aren't a fresh source of inspiration, I need more coffee in the morning.

Five-minute pillows

2009-01-22T16:45:00.000-08:00

Well, this project is nothing impressive, but I loved Sarah's idea of getting some fresh, Spring ideas on here! I make these new covers for my throw pillows to add some additional colors to the room. it really helps to brighten things up inside when it isn't very bright outside. And an easy change is always welcome this time of year. The best part is that these little covers take about 5 minutes to whip up, and you us whatever fabric you feel like! We already have alot going on in our living room, so I went with a solid color, but a funky fabric would be adorable! My husband made the wooden buttons for me, and although he said they looked like pig snouts, I thought he did a great job!

Fresh Ideas

2009-01-19T16:29:00.000-08:00

Okay ladies, I'm sure now that you have your Christmas decor put away you are itching to start cleaning and sprucing up the place. I personally would love to see what you're working on or what crafty Christmas gifts you whipped up for your loved ones (Rachel that means you !). Even if you paint a room or find a lovely bouquet of flowers at Safeway, please share! I think we all need a some fresh inspiration and creativity to get us through to sunnier longer days. Here's some photos of some of the things I've been doing at my house. Please share your projects and inspire us!

free scraps

2008-10-22T15:09:00.001-07:00

I have two grocerie bags full of scraps of leather (suede I think) black and tan. Free for the taking!

2008-09-25T23:34:00.000-07:00

We had fun getting these items together for you all. Please come shop!

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2008-09-25T23:21:00.000-07:00

2008-09-25T23:14:00.000-07:00

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2008-09-25T22:57:00.000-07:00

Available at the Jolly for $75 each

2008-09-24T10:23:00.000-07:00

Jolly top

2008-09-18T14:47:00.000-07:00

I finished this top for the Jolly this week. It's size 2, in pale blue linen with white stripes. It's a variation on Sugar City Journal's Village Frock pattern. (By the way, I talked with a prominent craft blogger who reassured me that it's fine to use these types of patterns to sell for nonprofit fund raising purposes. She just said you need to be sure to give credit for the pattern on the tag. Thers some great free and for-purchase patterns on some of these blogs that are a lot of fun and super cute.)

Tag "Sailors" at Work! :)

2008-09-15T10:58:00.000-07:00

Hello Ladies! We had a couple of good work days for the Jolly's Tag Sale. There are some pretty nifty pieces being fixed up, refreshed, or just cleaned up and prepped for a new home! Some adorable baby and kids' rooms items too.

Molly sorting and fixing and painting!
Trish and Jan painting away!

Baby Squash

2008-07-15T14:02:00.000-07:00

So, yeah. We haven't been being exceptionally diligent in the whole blog posting respect, but that doesn't mean we haven't been doing anything!

Jolly Good Time!

2008-06-26T10:16:00.000-07:00

I know you guys are thrilled that I snapped these pictures from Tuesday night's shin-dig. :) Here are a few pictures for those of you who couldn't make it, and for those of you who might want to do your Christmas shopping there! For the record, everything is way cuter in person!

Thanks Ladies for a wonderful turn-out and for all the lovely crafts!!

Please Come!

2008-06-23T14:45:00.000-07:00

Tuesday, the 24th! Tomorrow! Bring what you have made so far, and be inspired to do more! At the Jankovic's home, in the back yard from 7-9 p.m.

Just to make this event more exciting, we will also have a craft/art supply swap. Bring any old fabric or other crafty/artsy goodies and take anything you want. You do not have to bring things to take them, and you do not have to have made a single thing for the Jolly in order to come. Please come and give ideas, drink strawberry lemonade, and just join in the fun of preparing for the Jolly. We will hope to see you there!

Cake Toppers

2008-06-18T21:36:00.000-07:00

Here's a fun no-sew idea for all you crafters. I particularly like this project because the kiddos can do their thing with the play-dough while you craft up some of these cuties, guaranteed to make any cake or cupcake cheery and party ready. My sister and I made ours out of the Sculpey clay, then varnished them after they had baked and cooled. Anything is possible, from penguins to polka dots.

Jolly Jewelry

2008-06-13T21:31:00.000-07:00

Well, we had a very fun time creating jewelry for the Fall Jolly. I'm posting a sample of

earrings made by Allison Ryan, Laurie Ditton, Christine Cohen, Jamie & Jacqueline Nance, Rachel Jankovic, Patricia Nieuwsma, Sandy Hoeft and Abby Stevenson. Thanks so

much Sandy and Abby for ordering the supplies and sharing your expertise!

Jewelry Workshop II

2008-06-12T14:08:00.000-07:00

(Sorry about the lame picture, this is the only one I can find right now, as all my pics are packed.)

Don't forget the jewelry workshop at the Ditton's tonight at 7pm. Materials are provided, but there is a fee of $4. I think there will be a few instructions for beginners, but if you are a seasoned earring artisan, you are still invited to come. (I also hear Christine might make cookies.)

See you there!

Bunny Slippers

2008-06-11T13:19:00.000-07:00

So this was my first attempt at baby booties. Over all, I think they were pretty successful, considering I ran out of yarn and and thread by the end! They are very simple to make, just a bit time consuming. But the little tail just makes them worth it.

Puppet mania

2008-06-10T20:50:00.000-07:00

I learned how to make this fun, versatile hand puppet in college. This particular one is called a "neutral" puppet because it has no eyes or mouth and allows the operator to decide what kind of mood the puppet is in, or what kind of expression he is making. The pattern is fairly simple (my favorite of all the puppets out there) and I'd be happy to teach anyone aching to learn. :-) But I warn you, some stages are tedious and waiting for the glue to dry is the most boring part. The most expensive supply item is probably the stryofoam ball that forms the head, but even then you can get 'em 2 for $3 or so. And then there's lots of hot glue invovled. (Yes!)

These guys are a little fragile, so I'd probably want to aim them at slightly older children who might be cruising the craft fair, and who have big enough hands anyway.

Dressin' up!

2008-06-03T17:19:00.000-07:00

I'm very excited about dress up clothes! When I was a little girl, I always wanted to be in Little House on the Prairie. I can't imagine little girls have changed that much... ? This Apron Bonnet was pretty easy, even for me, who can be kind of slow in sewing. I had to adjust the pattern I found online (http://tipnut.com/projectfiles/apronbonnetpattern.pdf) in order to make it fit smaller ladies. The lovely Summer Stokes (my neighbor) graciously agreed to model for me. :-)

I have many more ideas for dressin' up, including a more "prairie-looking" bonnet, but wanted you-all's thoughts first.

What with the lack of new posts and all...

2008-06-03T10:11:00.000-07:00

Yes, it is true. I am posting pictures of unfinished projects. It turns out that I have a bit of a fixation on making rugs. I have not yet completed a rug , but I have started a few. Here are two of the few. Both are ridiculously easy techniques, and I think they are both pretty cool results. The one on the bottom is made with rag strips and yarn. You use a tool that is basically a crochet hook with a yarn needle handle. You thread the yarn through the eye, hook a row of strips through the backing, then pull the hook through them (pulling the yarn through too). The reason I have not finished this one is that in the fever of new project enthusiasm I started a design without thinking about it, with whatever colors of fabric I had that I didn't mind cutting up. I would recommend a more structured plan, or a less structured. The rug I saw that got me into this concept was just a straight rag rug (no pictures) which would be both faster and easier. I do need to finish it, since I refuse to throw it away.
The second rug is knit. This is a very fun method, and although the original concept was to use old T-shirts, I found that it takes a lot of T-shirts, and is kind of a pain. I switched to using knit sheets purchased at Ross. Here's the basic plan: fold a sheet in half, and sew or serge the long edge together. For the fitted sheet, trim off the elastic first. Then, cut strips about 1 " wide. They should be coming out like huge rubber bands. You will then loop these together in the classic rubber band looping technique, and roll into the largest ball of yarn ever. I then knit in basic garter stitch on size 19 needles. Cool rug begins emerging right away. I think that a larger needle would work great on this, as my rug could be looser. Make sure to buy circular needles so that your rug can be wider than 12". Also, I should note that if you are using different fabrics in stripes, make sure that the weight is about the same, so that the size stays consistent. Both of these are very quick and easy to make (says the girl who hasn't finished them), and would make a fun addition to the craft fair. What do you think?

Super Easy Reversible Dress

2008-05-20T16:41:00.000-07:00

I've been making a lot of these reversible dresses lately. I'm rounding out Grace's summer wardrobe and stocking my etsy shop. I think for Fall Jolly some fall prints in this dress would be super cute. Even though they have a distinct summery feel to them they have been known to serve as smocks in the winter over jeans and a long sleeved tee. I got the pattern here if anyone else is interested. I'm going to let you in on my little secret about this dress. The posh boutiquey website Right Bank Babies sells them for around $50 and you can make your own for the price of two yards of fabric and some buttons. They are a cinch to whip up and moms love them because if your little cupcake spills her popcicle all over the front, you just flip it over and voila' a brand new dress!

Get your craft on

2008-05-20T09:18:00.000-07:00

If you're in a hand-crafty mood please come to my house tonight for a little informal evening of crafty goodness. We will have some treats and make progress on our projects. Bring whatever type of crafting you do and come to 313 S Monroe at 8:00 tonight. Call me with any questions. 882-6799.

Reusable Shopping Bag

2008-05-16T13:13:00.000-07:00

It feels good to put a little bit less trash in the world... especially if Alexander Henry fabric is involved. (Thank you, Joann's.) The fabric was my final motivation for whipping out a little grocery tote. I'm still hoping to sew on a little tie so that the bag will fit compactly into my purse for surprise trips to Winco or fresh baby greens at the Farmer's market. My favorite things about homemade shopping bags are: 1)you can make them big enough to carry 2-3 regular bags of groceries, and 2) if you want to squeeze through the thick crowd at Winco you don't have to push a jumbo cart because you have a handy shopping bag with you.

Fabric Covered Notebook

2008-05-14T11:56:00.002-07:00

I made these two fabric covered notebooks last weekend. It took about fifteen minutes to make each of them and I used scraps left over from handbag projects. I did modify the tutorial by using home decor weight stabilizer that I found at JoAnn's and I didn't do the same patchwork pattern because I was short on time.

Mother / Daughter Aprons

2008-05-12T20:45:00.000-07:00

I whipped these up using some fabric I bought a long time ago. They are very cheerful! The adult apron is a size Medium and the little girl apron fits a 4-5 year old girl. I am eager to make a few more using some different views and fabric.

I have to confess that I misunderstood an earlier email and brought these to the ladies luncheon. I jumped the gun I guess. I wasn't supposed to bring anything in yet. Then I forgot to go get them off the display table. So if those of you who packed up the table are wondering about these; mystery solved. It was me. :-)

Take Two Stencil Tee

2008-05-12T10:16:00.000-07:00

Here is the boy version which I promised would be making an appearance pretty soon. I was much happier with the technique I used this time, and the results were much sharper. Here's how I did it: Choose a picture to use (this is easiest if you can find a good black and white image). If you are computer savvy you can put it into photoshop and play with it until it looks like a stencil. Otherwise you will have to do a bit of freehandy work. Trace your picture onto a blank stencil sheet (making sure that all the light pieces are anchored to the stencil somehow). With an exacto knife, cut out all the parts of the stencil that you want to turn into paint on the tee. I used a mini roller and textile dye to transfer the design. You could use the more easily accessible soft fabric paint. Wait for the design to dry completely, and set with an iron. Cute, huh?

stencil tees

2008-05-08T12:15:00.000-07:00

This is one of those things that is just so easy it hardly even qualifies as a project. Still, I think it can turn out pretty cute. I plan on making some boy versions, so you can expect to be seeing Titus modeling something pretty soon. What do you all think? Would you ever consider buying one?

lonely mitten

2008-05-06T17:10:00.000-07:00

Here is the first mitten I have ever knit.

The yarn is a wool/acrylic blend, and it is washable! Perfect for the tiny tots! Here is the pattern I used, it is very basic, and I didn't include the stripe because my yarn did the stripe on it's own. I extended the ribbed band at the wrist so they will stay tucked inside baby's coat a little better. If you have never knit on double-pointed needles, here is a video you should watch, it's really much easier than it looks. I should also mention that every time I hit some abbreviation that I had no clue what it meant, I searched it on You Tube (ex: SSK... I just typed it in and got knitting tutorial videos on how to slip, slip, knit...boom!). Also, if you want a bigger mitten, you can just use bigger needles and yarn.

Modified Dishcloth Bib

2008-05-01T09:31:00.001-07:00

So remember that easy peasy dishcloth pattern we linked to a couple posts back? This is it, coming back to us as a bib. When I first made the dishcloths I fell in love with the stitch pattern. It knits very quickly, looks harder than it is, and it is fun to change colors. I was always interested in starting the next one to see what it would look like. Well, here is another way to satisfy that longing. Just turn it into a bib with some very easy, and very quick modifications! I think it turned out pretty cute, but it doesn't hurt to have such a sweet model!

Summer at the Fall Jolly?

2008-04-29T18:05:00.000-07:00

What do you all think about having some summer items available for those buy-in-advance folks?

This dress and hat are simple and require very little fabric.

Pillowcases

2008-04-24T10:22:00.001-07:00

Adding ribbon to a pillowcase is so easy and it looks so snazzy. I made this one for Adeline's room and plan on making a pair for Titus' room in great boy colored stripes...no bows, of course.

I think I'll make some of these for the craft fair, do you think they'd sell? I think they look so Pottery Barn!

The Knit Washcloth

2008-04-23T08:03:00.000-07:00

With the craft fair in our future, and the Ladies Luncheon getting ever closer, I started trying to do all the things I signed up for. And, one of the crafts were these fantastic knit washcloths. Now, I've heard that these things are quite the hot items at craft fairs, that women travel from afar just for the washcloth. Whether or not that's true, these washcloths are so easy to knit. I am not an experienced knitter by any means. My repertoire consists of one baby sweater (which was going to be for Will when he was about 12 mons. I just finished it. He was 3 1/2.), christmas stockings for my family, and these washcloths. It takes me no time to whip out one of these puppies. Once you get the pattern down, which doesn't take long, you can easily do this while watching tv, talking on the phone, etc. etc. And then, you have a knit creation that you can be proud of! So, knitters, get out those size 7 needles and knit yourself a washcloth and then do one for the Fall Jolly!

Church Babies

2008-04-18T19:00:00.001-07:00

My mother used to make these for me when I was little. I loved them. They are a very old design and women used to make them for their little girls to keep them occupied in church!
You make them with Hankies, some cotton balls and thread. I like to make a bonnet for them so they don't look like ghosts. These are great for keeping in your purse/diaper bag, and they only take about 10 min. to make. It's also a fun way to use Granny's hankies. You can also make these out of sweetly trimmed vintage pillow cases. Those are more "rag" doll type, and they are so adorable when finished, and make very special and inexpensive gifts for little girls!

Yo-yo!

2008-04-18T14:38:00.001-07:00

It is hard to see in the photo, but I hot glued vintage buttons into the middle of each yo-yo.

I, like many of you, am a busy stay-at-home mom with limited time and often limited resources. I'll post a few easy little projects that only take an hour or so and can be done in stages. These project require mostly scrap sized pieces left over from other projects or charm packs which you can purchase at many quilting stores or online at fat quarter shop. Projects that start to finish take about two hours, preferably less, are my favorites. Most of my crafting occurs in two hour nap window, but I also like to get dinner started and scrub something before my little ones are up.

I discovered yo-yo making last November when my friend Sarri showed me an adorable Christmas garland she made for her banister. I immediately began a garland for Eliot's Christmas tree by simply hot gluing thirty of them to a strand of red ric rack. When dreary February hit, I was again inspired by a charm pack of 4 inch quilt squares which I transformed into another garland for my kitchen window. You do not need a sewing machine to make yo-yos and Sarri even commissioned her seven year old to make them too. I love to work on them while curled up on the couch drinking tea and making them helps me stay awake while watching a movie on the weekend.

I think for Fall Jolly it would be cute to do the Christmas yo-yos on ric rack and put them in a garland of greenery which can be obtained at Wal-mart or Michael's with possibly an added string of white lights. With the right fabric you could make a garland to adorn a nursery wall, a fall display, or Easter tree. Heather Bailey has an excellent tutorial which she has allowed me to post here for your convenience. There's really no end to the possibilities for yo-yo's. I have seen them attached to hair bands, used to adorn a child's dress, or if you're really ambitious sew them together to make a table runner or quilt.

What's with the crafting famine?

2008-04-16T21:31:00.000-07:00

Okay, if someone doesn't hustle up and complete a craft to share with us I might just up and start posting pictures of Popsicle stick and googly eye somethings that I can crank out! Look out people, this blog is about to go out of control! Do something, quick!

Knitting Bag

2008-04-10T14:32:00.000-07:00

Sorry about the lighting on this picture, but most of you know about the weather right now, so we won't complain, we'll just press on with dark pictures. Anyways... I felt more like sewing than knitting I decide to sew a bag to put my then unfinished baby socks project in. I'm not sure why I ended up finishing the socks before the bag, but now both are done, so it must have been a good idea! I want to make a knitting notions bag to go with this, and I think other knitters will agree that you can never have too many project bags! Keeping your projects in cute bags with all of the necessary equipment makes picking up a project a pleasure, and easy to take along to boot.

Evening Clutch

2008-04-06T18:11:00.000-07:00

I made 3 of these clutches–one for each of my sisters. They are fairly easy on a sewing/embroidery machine! The ones I made have all their inside seams covered with velvet, but I would just serge the seams. They have a small zipper on top under the flap so nothing falls out. They look great with the metallic thread. They're a bit larger than my hand, so are a great clutch size! I have more dark satin fabric (although this is a cottony jacquard) that I think would work well. Do you think they would sell?

Save the earth! (one craft project at a time)

2008-04-04T14:50:00.000-07:00

Come on, reuse some stuff in your closet or linen drawer. It's the perfect solution if you've been wanting to make something but can't make a trip to the fabric store. It's also a happy way to hang on to something you love but will never fit again. Plus, it's free. And if someone's being snarky about your carbon footprint you can reassure them that you repurpose old clothes. That'll show 'em...

I'm hoping that there will be a decent showing of little girl clothes at this craft fair. Here's my latest repurposed craft, a skirt for Alice from an old dress of mine.
Even the lace trim was part of the old dress. I didn't even have to hem this or make the sideseams, I just used the bottom of my dress, added a yoke, elastic, and some tucks, and voila! See? Repurposing also saves you from having to do a lot of the sewing.

I used some fabric from another project for a shirt:
And we're ready for the hopscotch playing field!
Any thoughts on clothes for the fair? Would you buy them (or at least want them)? Maybe some Christmas dresses or fallish skirts?

On a repurposing note, if any of you have an old skirt/dress out of solid black, navy, red, brown, or grey fabric that's heading for the goodwill bin, send me an email. I have a boy project perfect for the craft fair I've been wanting to try.

Soap

2008-04-03T10:25:00.000-07:00

Making your own soap with pure glycerin soap is super easy. You can buy it in 1, 2, and 3 lbs. bricks which you then melt in the microwave, color any color you want and add your favorite scent. You then pour it into a mold of some sort (a milk carton works well) and let it set-up! It's so fun being able to make soap that's in bright cheerful colors. And bright soap looks so wonderful in glass jars in the bathroom. Another great idea from Martha Stewart is pouring the melted soap into an ice cube tray and making what she calls soap cubes. they're really cute and the perfect size for little hands in the kids bathroom! Michael's has the glycerin soap bricks for sale but I recommend buying them on-line as they are the same price per pound, (except shipping), then you can get pure and natural soap gentle enough for newborns!
A great place to buy it is at...www.clearlynaturalsoaps.com
I thought this might make a great craft fair item!

Man crafts

2008-04-02T13:47:00.000-07:00

Since I'm not really a knitter or crocheter I have trouble sometimes coming up with things I can make for my husband and sons. My husband really gets a kick out of crafts done just for him, but it takes a little more work to come up with 'manly' rather than 'cute.'

One year he bought me a copy of Cynthia Treen's book Last Minute Fabric Gifts. So I made him this scarf:

It's made out of a nice brown wool herringbone that was a suit jacket in its first life. The fringes are a cream wool yarn. It was pretty easy (except that the fringes took WAY longer than I had anticipated). It looks nicer in real life than in this picture, honest.

Bethany mentioned that she has a slick way to make kid ties from men's ties and I'm excited to try it. But I want to see some more man crafts! Bring yours out and post it!

Hair kerchief

2008-03-31T14:04:00.000-07:00

With Spring and Summer weather not to far away (hope, hope) I thought I'd try and make some of these kerchiefs for Adeline's. I don't want to cut her any bangs, so this is a great way to keep hair out of her eyes which really bugs her already! They're super easy to make (only about 15 min.) and I use elastic in the back which makes it a bit easier to put on.

A little something for casual Friday

2008-03-30T16:12:00.000-07:00

So, here is a silly little project. I finished this (when else?) late the night before Easter, but forgot to take a picture. So we did a little photo shoot this afternoon. I think this is pretty funny in this size, but it would be even better in toddler lengths. It ties like a real tie, is knit out of Patons grace yarn, is seamed up the back until the decreases, where it just rolls into almost an i-cord. I love this, because it was something manly to craft for a baby boy - and because it is just plain groovy. Titus loves it because the cotton absorbs all the drool he puts on it, and because he makes people laugh when he wears it!

I'm really not a copy-cat

2008-03-29T16:17:00.000-07:00

All I can say is...great minds think alike...right? I laughed when I saw Rachel's vintage tablecloth dress, thinking "Oh, that's just like what I was planning for Sissy." So I made that up and enjoyed doing so. Then I thought I better not post it for awhile so no one thinks I'm just copying Rachel again ( after I did with the "bag bag") and lo and behold I look upon this site and what do I see, but an artist's smock not unlike the one I was making for Adeline's birthday. I'm really not copying you Rachel...let's just say you beat me to the punch, or rather, the seam!:) So here they are, and they did indeed make splendid gifts.

Little Artist Smock

2008-03-27T10:55:00.000-07:00

Easter is all cleaned up now, and the house is recovered, so we are back on the crafting train! I've been thinking of something like this apron for a while. Initially the pocket for each colored pencil seemed a little too fiddly, but then I watched my daughter using something like the art roll-up Bethany made, and realized that taking things out of the pocket and putting them back in was practically more fun than coloring. Anyways I decide to try it, and I really like the results. I think that we should do something like this for the craft fair because it could be a great Christmas gift along with a little easel, or just art supplies. What do you think?

Rosette Barrette

2008-03-24T15:40:00.000-07:00

Sarah Mortimore bought one of these barrettes for Grace and let me be nosy about it. So we had to try it.
It's very easy - just a stack of felt (or felted wool - the red flower is felted wool, the yellow just felt) all sewn together and stitched to a clip.

Here's the front:

And the back:

Tablecloth dress

2008-03-20T16:31:00.000-07:00

Rayia said something a while back about using vintage tablecloths, and I thought oh yeah, I did that once. And, since I am working on a few projects that are not yet to the "that's so cute I should take a picture" phase, I thought I'd share something old.

art roll-up

2008-03-19T17:42:00.000-07:00

Here is a sample of something I thought would be cool to have at the craft fair. It is an art roll-up, and can hold anything from crayons, markers, colored pencils, to paint brushes. I even thought it would be nice to sell them with a set of dollar store colored pencils in them. They are fairly easy to whip-up, and I may (no guarantees!) have a pattern with instructions to make these available at the next ladies meet-up.

Let me know what you guys think!
Would you buy one?
Would you make one if you had a pattern?
Bring on the feedback! :)
Cheers!

Dolly clothes

2008-03-19T15:35:00.001-07:00

One thing I really hope to see at the crafty fair are some haute couture doll clothes. From silk gowns to school jumpers and everything in between.

This is not haute couture, but everybody needs summer jammies.

The best thing about doll clothes is that they're quick and take very little fabric. And it's a great opportunity to let the doll's owner do the picking of fabric and patterns.

By the way, this doll is a "My friend Jenny" from the early 80's late 70's. I like her a lot because she's very sweet, sturdy, and easy to sew for. She's about 16 inches tall.

Jewelry and More...

2008-03-19T15:08:00.000-07:00

I, too, had a great time at Beading 101. It is so fun to see what each person creates. I think Abby and I have passed on some easy techniques to making earrings and other jewelry. We will have to have another workshop!

I read on another post about Fire Mountain Gems, a wholesale bead supply company, that Abby had earlier told me about. Here is the link http://www.firemountaingems.com/. There are fun tutorial videos that will make a beading addict out of you!

If you are interested in ordering, I will be placing a group order around the 1st of April. Just email.

Horsing around

2008-03-18T15:30:00.000-07:00

My daughter loves horses. I have to admit, though, that I would have never of my own accord chosen to sew with horse fabric. But I found some fabric from Heather Ross and we made ourselves a horse dress.

My sewing has changed as my daughter has gotten bigger. When I first started sewing for her it was really just for me; I had fun and she was too small to know or care. Now she's getting more into it. She picks fabrics or rejects patterns for reasons I never would have thought of ("I love short sleeves." or "This doesn't twirl big."). And since I really am sewing for her now what I sew is not always what I would have picked. And actually, I'm enjoying it even more.

So is she.

Easter Tree

2008-03-18T14:45:00.000-07:00

I am frankly a little smug about this bunny. I have not sewed a stuffed animal since ages ago when
I attended Mertie Kohl's sewing group for little girls. Even then, I was in the felt hand sewing and rarely used the machine. I didn't have a pattern and it took me quite a while to make it look like a bunny and not a double chinned brainy squirrel. The body is not really what I was wanting, but I know when to stop trying and just settle! Hopefully, if all goes well I can crank out another one before Easter for Daphne. If not, this will just be a group bunny! We know how to share, right?

Knitted Baby Toys

2008-03-17T13:43:00.000-07:00

I've been working on several large projects (quilts, knitted blankets, etc...) so it was very nice that I was able to start and complete this project in a short amount of time. My friend had given me this pattern a few years ago, but I never had a chance to make these knitted baby toys.

I think they're quite cute! And they were super easy.

Not necessarily applicable to the craft fair . . .

2008-03-17T08:03:00.000-07:00

So here is a wild little craft. I decided to get all organized and make a chore sheet for the kids where they could check off the jobs as they did them . . . but it started to take on a life of it's own and ended up a little more extreme than what I had first started off to make! I designed this on the computer, and then printed it off. (In two pieces since it's bigger than 8.5 X 11 - I just made the break point at the bottom of the red area so you don't see the seam.) Then I laminated the front of it - I figured that since this would be in the kitchen it would have a fair amount of things splashed on it, and a computer printout bleeds if it gets wet. Next (follow me closely here!) I painted the back side of a cookie sheet with a sky blue enamel paint. After it had dried, I Modge-Podged the chore sheet onto it, leaving a snappy blue enamel border around the edges. Note the subtle cunning: It is now not only spill proof, un-crumpleable and hard to lose, it is also magnetic!
So the next step was obviously to make some snazzy little magnets. I had a pack of those little round ones, so I made a star on the computer the same size as the magnet and printed out 20. They all got the same treatment as the chore sheet with the laminate and Modge-Podge routine.

I popped a few of the plain magnets on the back of the cookie sheet and stuck it to the fridge - and now when the kids have done one of their chores they give it a star . . . they love it, and it makes it easy for me to check who's done their jobs!

Taking pity on the bag bag

2008-03-16T13:05:00.000-07:00

After reading Rachel's post "projects no one loved" I felt like I should give the bag bag a chance. So I whipped one up that night and found it is easy and you can really have fun with the design, adding ribbon, rick rack, and using vintage tablecloths. They are also quite handy to have around and a great way to keep plastic bags out of the little ones reach.

Bambino Bandito!

2008-03-15T13:59:00.000-07:00

I said I needed to make a bib for my drooling boy, and I did it. Mackenzie said to re-purpose something and I did. To be honest, I'm really just cracking myself up here. The fun thing about this is that one bandana easily makes four bibs, and your little bambino can look like he's holding up coaches while doing nothing but relaxing and drooling.

Repurposed: the story of a dress

2008-03-15T13:22:00.000-07:00

Once there was a linen dress that was too big. So it sat in my closet, alone.Then one day I chopped it up and added some silk ribbon embroidery:

And some vintage buttons and pretty cotton lining:
And the old dress became a new dress:

And together we made someone happy.

The end.

(Repurposing is a great way to make things without spending money. Check your closets. There's sure to be a wool sweater with a hole that can be shrunk and made into mittens. Or a out-of-date style in cute fabric that can become a bib, bag, or baby toy. Tablecloths are also great sources of fabric for repurposing projects. Come on, I challenge you to be creative with something you already have!)

Rookie Jeweler

2008-03-15T11:38:00.000-07:00

Earring making 101 with Abby Stevenson and Sandy Hoeft was a blast. I only bought one strand of big green beads from Michael's since this was my first go at jewelry making. The fact that Saint Patrick's day is coming up is sheer coincidence, however, you would be very appropriate wearing the middle set of earrings to any St. Patty's day event. Clearly, I need to expand with my color choices. But as Abby said in a comment below, I am now a bit of an addict.

The evening was so fun with Paula and Chelsea Jones to my left, Susanna Rench to my right, Cindy Roberts and Laurie Ditton sitting across from me and Hope and Beth Littlejohn at one end of the table with Christine Cohen at the other end. Christine even made snickerdoodles and they were really good.

Aaron sent me with the best needle nose pliers he rummaged around for in his toolbox. Fine point needle nose pliers with spring hinged handles provide constant tension when squeezing or releasing the plier handles. This is really helpful when you are dealing with small loops and little pieces. Also, round nose pliers are helpful in easily creating the loops you need to make earrings. So, buy some beads and come to the next party. It really was a lot of fun.

Bibs

2008-03-13T17:42:00.000-07:00

Bibs are pretty quick and easy to whip up, but they also be a canvas for all sorts of creativity. To get a quick bib pattern, grab any baby bib you like and trace it. You can then add a bit for a seam allowance and you're done.
I made a few this summer out of linen and some vintage repro fabric and then embroidered on the linen part. It makes them more fun (if not more practical).
Embroidery is great because it's very portable. It's a perfect summer vacation project and if you can't draw (I can't) you can trace something and then draw it on the fabric and embroider it. For a few of these bibs I used something in the cotton print fabric that I liked and traced it to embroider on the linen half. Here's a very handy 'video dictionary' of embroidery stitches so you can watch and learn how to make any particular stitch you fancy.
Just choose two fabrics (or three or more if you patchwork the front). You can sew the two halves together inside out (leaving a small gap), then turn out and top stitch in a fun color. For extra absorbency use flannel and/or sandwich a piece of terrycloth inside.
Here's the finished product. Paula Gibbs took this photo.

my work-in-progress

2008-03-13T15:32:00.000-07:00

This is a baby-babette blanket that I am making for a friend, but thought I would post it to give you crocheters ideas for baby blankets for your friends as well as the craft fair. The pattern for the original Babette Blanket can be found here. However, I am just improvising this one, making granny squares (you can use any square you like!) and using my tetris skills to piece it all together. I like the idea of this blanket, because it keeps your interest and it's small, meaning you only make one square at a time and can easily work on it in the car or on-the-go. Check prettier blankets out here and here.

Projects no one loved

2008-03-13T11:05:00.000-07:00

As a member of the craft fair committee I have taken it upon myself to champion a few of the projects that no one signed up for. We did not have samples of these projects, so it is really not surprising that no one was moved to action simply by the name "bag stuffers". I made one last night, and let me assure you that if you decide to make some for the craft fair you will not have donated much more than fifteen minutes!

And, further crusading for the projects no one wanted to do, I made a sample pincushion/threadcatcher. I think I would change a few things next time, but on the whole I am pretty happy with it. Do you want to make any yet?

Making Jewelry

2008-03-12T13:55:00.000-07:00

For those of you who already signed up, don't forget there is a learn-how-to-make-earrings party tonight (wed. 3/12) at the Ditton's. For those who didn't sign up, but still want to learn, I am trying to have another party to accommodate you. (In fact, leave a comment here if you want to sign up for another one.)

It's such a gratifying and simple skill. Although I'm a major klutz, I've been able to make most of my jewelry since I learned how a couple years ago. Additionally, it's a very inexpensive craft. These are a few of the earrings that I've made in the last few months. They might not be to your taste, but if you learn how, every pair you make can be completely your style. Imagine making earrings to coordinate with your outfit before you walk out the door to church. It brings new meaning to the word "custom."

Jamboree

2008-03-11T15:50:00.000-07:00

What? Lots of tasty jams. From left to right meet a small jar of apricot, a medium jar of sweet spiced plum, and a large jar of pear butter.

Why? Because your family will love you. Because you can taste summer in January. Because it's beautiful. And because if you make a batch it's so easy to set aside a few jars for the upcoming fall bazaar...

I use Pomona's pectin, because you can put in as little sugar as you want. We like our jam 'low sugar' because it tastes so fruity and fresh, but you can really put in as much or as little as you like to suit your family's fancy. Farmer's market has great fruit and the beauty of jamming is that it's okay if the fruit is a little past its prime (so you can grab a box of overripe apricots for super cheap).

If you can boil liquid and peel and chop food you can jam. Seriously. So let's jam this summer, ladies!

pincushion shortage

2008-03-10T14:14:00.001-07:00

I've been meaning to make some pincushions for a while (that is how I justified having some ridiculously small fabric pieces around), but never did it. Finally I was inspired to fill the void on the craft fair sign ups, and look what happened! But this has got me thinking about the pincushion concept..
Back in the eighties my Mom made thread catcher/pincushion combos for gifts for all the female relatives. We had one around for years - in a nice dusty rose with lace. I am thinking that not only do I need one, but so does the craft fair! Here is a link to one cute one I found.
Who wants to make some of these? Or, a better question - who doesn't?

http://www.flickr.com/photos/redwork-in-germany/231735495/

FREE ninety-nine!

2008-03-09T22:06:00.000-07:00

Just thought I would post a couple links to some sites that have free crafty-fun patterns. Keep your eye out for copyright issues though. Some patterns indicate you cannot sell items made from them, and so we wouldn't want them for the craft fair. The Internet really is a great crafting resource. So you're not sure what that knitting abbreviation means? No problem, just Google it! :)Enjoy!
A fun purse tutorial
Printable Paper Dolls! (These specify not to be sold, but they are way cute!)
Felted Knit Oven Mitt
Handmade Napkins (Sewing)
The Purl Bee is a great website for crochet and knit tutorials, and have some super-cute project journals as well. You should really just explore the entire site!
Knit Baby Booties (The pattern is a pdf...click on the side-bar picture of booties to download)
The Daily Knitter has TONS of free patterns!
Lion Brand Yarn Company has both knit and crochet patterns available for free, although you may have to enter your e-mail address to access all of them (for the record, my inbox hasn't been overtaken by e-mails from them... in fact, I don't think I have received anything from them!) At the ladies brunch we had some samples and patterns of the crocheted penguin and turtle which are found on their site.
Don't forget our old buddy, Martha Stewart, whose website has more craft projects (with patterns!) than you can shake a stick at! I really like the strawberry pincushions, and we had a low number of sign-ups for pincushion making... a perfect first craft project!
If anyone has some links that they would like to add please feel free, just make a comment.

Primitive Potholders

2008-03-06T10:31:00.000-08:00

These could also be called "reclaimed children's tights" since they are made out of do it yourself craft loops. I had some tights that were no longer needed (one had a communion stain on the knee), so I tried this. Simply cut strips across the legs (of cotton tights) about 1/2" wide, link them up and roll into a ball. I used size 13 knitting needles, cast on 15 stitches and worked in a basic garter stitch until the size seemed right. While they are definitely primitive, I like them. They also work very effectively, and the texture is nice.

p.s. T-shirts, knit pants, knit pillowcases, or anything that can be cut into loops works fine for this. Experiment!

The craftiness will be unlimited!

2008-03-06T10:23:00.000-08:00

Hi there ladies-
This is the place to come for all things related to the craft fair coming in October. We will be posting the patterns for projects here, as well as photos of completed things. You are welcome, nay, invited to join in and post yourself! If you have something to get rid of, do it here! If you want help with something - need some craft brainstorming, or whatever, do it here! Leave a comment on this post to receive an invitation to be an author on this blog. Let the networkiness begin!