Month: April 2010

craft, crochet, Uncategorized

Still hooking

There’s been secret sewing and even some free-motion quilting lessons but mostly there has been hooking.

IMG_2534

I came across a marvellous photo of a crocheted bag on Flickr recently, which led me to the maker’s crochet photostream and beautiful blog.  She does exquisite crochet in perfect colour combinations, as well as knitting, embroidery, patchwork, and other crafts.  And did I mention that she’s French?  I somehow found instructions for the Mamy Bag (scroll down about halfway on the linked page) and armed with the high school French I was able to dredge from my memory and combining it with my knowledge of granny squares I made a start.  27 hexagons done, 16 more to go.  Each hexagon takes me around 20 minutes to crochet, then another few minutes to weave in the ends.

IMG_2526

Two of my cushion fronts now have backs. I chopped up one of my old jumpers to make two cushion backs, machine sewed them to the cushion fronts (catching in all those pesky ends)  and then added crocheted buttonholes and some colourful buttons to close the overlap.

IMG_2527

Hmm, I think I’d better give those cushion backs a bit of a “shave” – there are a few pills showing up in that photo! It was a well-loved jumper.

May is going to be huge for crafty commitments. I’m heading to the Australasian Quilt Convention this Saturday with my Mum and Clare.  The following Friday I’m planning on checking out the Stitches & Craft Show with Miss Stella (so be warned if you’re going on Friday morning – I’ll be there with a not-yet-three-year-old in a stroller).  Then I’ll be busy assisting Nikki at Stiches on Saturday.  Have you begun to feel a little tired on my behalf yet?  Because that’s not all – the following weekend is Sew It Together!  And then the weekend after that I’m off to Sewjourn witha marvellous group of crafty women – and I think we’ll all be in need of a rest and laugh – inbetween doing yet more sewing, of course!  I’m not quite sure just how so many craft-related events managed to implode coincide in the one month, and it’s not ideal, but it will be fun.  Somewhere in there I’ll fit in my paid job, my unpaid one at home, spend time with my kids, spend time with my hubby, attend school council, do the washing and ironing, go to book group, do the business paperwork, go to the gym…okay, I’d better just take things one day at a time.  Breathe deeply.

IMG_2535

And there’ll definitely be some more hooking.

by thornberry
craft, crochet, my creative space

My creative space…

If you take a look in my creative space this week you will find yarn, and plenty of it.  Especially yarn in skeins, needing to be wound into balls.  And this handy item:

IMG_2509

Yes, it’s a turkey baster. So what does a turkey baster have to do with yarn, I hear you ask? Well thanks to an excellent post from Salihan Crafts I have discovered the perfect low cost tool to help me wind yarn into balls.  You thread one end of the yarn down the centre (after taking off the rubber top, of course) and then wind the yarn around and around the baster.  It’s easy to remove when the ball is wound.  Thanks so much Salihan for putting me onto such a great idea!

The pink yarn is beautiful sqishy 4 ply merino from Pear Tree Yarn, bought at Stitches and Craft last year to crochet a wrap jacket for Clare.  Better get it started ASAP so that I have an excuse to buy some more yarn at this year’s Stitches in a couple of weeks time!

For more creative spaces pop over to visit Kirsty – definitely the host with the most!

by thornberry
sewing

not quite enough

Oh yes, that trim will be just perfect!  I love the way that ric rac makes such terrific little scallops peeking out from the hem.  Sewing, sewing, sewing, goodness me, I don’t seem to have a great deal of this trim left, sewing, sewing, sewing, oh yes, it should just make it around the hem, sewing, sewing, expletive.

not quite enough

Not quite enough after all.

by thornberry
2009 CAL afghan, crochet, my creative space

My creative space…

After a busy weekend of secret-sewing and secret-crochet, it’s time for me to sit down and join together the twelve-inch squares I crocheted last year.

IMG_2419

Twelve squares joined, twelve to go. Then to crochet the edging, then to weave in the ends. I’m using Rustic 12ply wool from Bendigo Woollen Mills in Midnight Tweed to join and edge the blocks.  I’m using the flat braid join, which is very forgiving on these slightly differently sized squares.  There are also tutorials for the flat braid join on YouTube.

Pop over and visit Kirsty to find some more creative spaces (and to see her beautiful embroidered fashion).

by thornberry
craft, sewing, softies

Unzipped

After making zipper-mouth monsters for the Clare and Stella last week I thought I’d better make one for me.

Monster for me

This time I added some crocheted trim courtesy of an old doily (oh, I found it hard to take the scissors to it, but after a few snips it became strangely satisfying – now I know why CurlyPops has so much fun with old crocheted tablecloths).  And what does my monster say to everyone who is reading?

Zipper-mouth says...

Zipper-mouth monster patterns will be officially launched by Jodie at The Stitches & Craft Show in Melbourne from 5th – 9th May.

by thornberry
craft, crochet, sewing

On the edge

I love to sew, and I love to crochet.  So what better than to combine the two loves and make pillowcases with crocheted edging?

Pillowcase crochet-along

I followed the On The Edge Pillowcase Crochet Along tutorial from You Go Girl.  It’s a great tutorial with clear explanations, and was lots of fun.  It took me forever to blanket stitch around the edge of the pillowcases in preparation for the crocheted edging – much longer than actually crocheting the edging and possibly longer than it took to assemble the pillowcases in the first place!

Pillowcase crochet-along

I made two pillowcases, one for each girl. Identical, so that there was no excuse for argument. The fabric is from Spotlight and the yarn is 8 ply cotton from Bendigo Woollen Mills.

Pillowcase crochet-along

These were fun to make, and you could really go wild with fabric choices and edging colours and patterns. Highly recommended!

by thornberry
craft

Brooching the subject

Sometimes I am a little pedantic.  I loathe mis-spelling and the incorrect usage of words (although let me add a disclaimer right here and now: I am not perfect and occasionally get things wrong myself).  So let me state very clearly: these are brooches, not broaches.

IMG_2387

I finished sewing these together while on holiday at the farm over Easter.  I took along a box of unfinished items and broken jewellery to repair, and managed to complete these and re-string some necklaces.  The butterfly brooch and the flower brooch on the right are both from CurlyPops kits that Clare made a start on then passed over to me. The felt flowers in the left brooch were bought at a craft fair last year then quickly sewn together.

I can now reveal the name tag I made for the Sew It Together name tag swap, since the owner has finally received it.  I suppose that it qualifies as a brooch as well.  It went to Beck.

Sew It Together Name Tag unmasked!

And lucky lucky me received this name tag/brooch, made by Lucy of The Princess and the Monkey.

Sew It Together name tag for me

I adore this name tag!  You can find photos of some of the other beautiful name tags that have been made over here.

And don’t even get me started on the word “prostate” versus “prostrate”…

by thornberry
craft, sewing, softies

Monstrous!

Yesterday I did a little test-sewing for Jodie.  Two zipper-mouth monsters, pattern ready to be released at the Melbourne Stitches and Craft Show which is coming up very, very soon (5th – 9th May). I could barely tear them away from my daughters to photograph them.

IMG_2455

Guess which belongs to which – yes, the pink is Clare’s and the purple is Stella’s. Stella knows what hers says – it’s very cute when I ask her what her monster is saying to her.

IMG_2452

They’re made from the most divine wool, a bit like blanketing except lighter, and a heavier weight cotton for the trousers. Although you could make them in quilting cottons, I think these slightly thicker fabrics are a better choice.

IMG_2449

These were super fun to make and quick and simple – just my sort of softie! Although I love to play with softies, I don’t generally love making them – but for some reason I do especially like this one! I’m going to make one for myself as well.  Clare had loads of input into the fabric and decoration combinations for these two.  I really do adore the zipper-mouth and the little sayings within – mind you the ones that Jodie makes tend to be a little more debonair (and even slightly risque) than these ones.

IMG_2456

So if you are looking for a quick and super-fun softie to make, you can’t go past a zipper-mouth monster – whether for children or for adults! Stella loves hers so much that it even went into the bath with her last night – I don’t actually recommend that though.  It did get a decent spin in the washing machine before she demanded it back to sleep with her last night.  Clare slept with hers as well…

Now I’d better get back to some more secret test-sewing – I’m up to around nine items already that I haven’t been able to blog!  I am SO looking forward to the publication of a certain book.

by thornberry
View More