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Crocheting Edges – Flour Sack Tea Towel or Pillowcase

Feb23

Have you recently received a “Save the Date” invite for a wedding or special anniversary get-together and would like to make a really wonderful keepsake gift??  Customizing a set of purchased pillowcases or simple tea towels with a beautiful crochet edging makes a lovely treasured present. SONY DSC

It is important that you have a good foundation stitch as your starting point.  If your sewing machine has a buttonhole or blanket stitch built-in, this makes for a great beginning edge.   Just sew this stitch along the edge of your item to create your foundation stitches that you will then crochet through.  In my sample, I used a hand quilting thread by Coats & Clark with regular thread in bobbin to provide a good strong foundation.

Machine blanket stitch 4.0 length x 4.5 width

Machine blanket stitch
4.0 length x 4.5 width

If your machine doesn’t have this type of built-in stitch, creating a buttonhole or blanket stitch by hand is a rather simple embroidery stitch to do for your foundation.  OR you could embroider a chain stitch or stem stitch to use along the edge of your project to crochet through.   Uh-oh, creative juices flowing here!!

Once you have established your foundation stitches, now you can begin making your crochet design.  You will find different edging designs that will call for an odd or even number of crochet stitches to create your pattern.  Therefore, I like to crochet my first row with just single crochet stitches along my foundation so I can make the necessary increases (if needed) to insure I have the correct number of stitches necessary to work with to complete my pattern.

Making SC in blanket stitching row

Making SC in blanket stitching row

Here’s a very nice, simplistic crochet edging pattern to do.  This design requires you to have enough stitches for: multiple of 4 + 1.   Your first row:   Ch 1,  1 Sc in each stitch, turn.  Row 2:   Ch 1, skip first Sc, then 1 Sc in each stitch across to end, turn.  Row 3:  Ch 1, skip first 2 Sc,  5 Dc in next Sc,  skip 1 Sc,  1 Sc in next Sc,  *skip 1 Sc,  5 Dc in next Sc,  skip 1 Sc,  1 Sc in next Sc, repeat from * to end and fasten off.

Crochet with a Size 1 steel hook and Size 3 thread

Crochet with a Size 1 steel hook and Size 3
thread

   TIP:  Always have your work with the right side of the fabric facing you and use a heavy duty sewing machine thread,  DMC floss, or your actual crochet thread for your foundation stitches.   Try to closely match your crochet thread that you will be using for your design.

HAPPY CREATING!!

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Fabric Scraps for Kids

Feb11

If you are a sewer or quilter and have fabric scraphobia (can’t bear to throw away any leftover fabric) then maybe you should start a “scrappy” bin for that young child to use for their creative moments!!

I definitely have SCRAPHOBIA!!

I definitely have
SCRAPHOBIA!!

 

Nothing more exciting than rummaging through a big pile of fabric to pick out those special colors or textures to create with.  Using scraps is a great way to introduce the sewing machine to a youngster with adult supervision close by.

Let them select about a dozen different fabrics and sort them out into two piles – light colors and darker colors.  Then cut out a wide selection of squares and/or rectangles.   Designing  a template for them to trace their shapes onto the wrong side of the fabric helps with the cutting process.

Used an old file folder to make my template guide.

Used an old file folder to make my template guide.

Remember to include a 1/2″ seam allowance on all sides of your template.   Try to keep the fabric squares or rectangles a good workable size; something like 4″ x 4″ and 4″ x 6″.  Easier for their little fingers.

Now begin sewing the fabric shapes together in whatever design that appeals to the child.  Let them think “outside the box” and use their imagination for their finished scrap fabric project.   They might want to create a blanket for a baby doll or stuffed animal or maybe their design will be a cool “shawl” for those dress up games!!

You could finish all the edges of the scrap fabric design with just a simple zigzag stitch.  Or if your children is more experienced, cut out a light weight batting and backing; then stitch together on three sides (right sides together) with the batting in the middle.  Turn to the right side and machine stitch closed to make a scrappy little quilt that they could tie together.

Have loads of fun!  Exposing your child to new craft techniques makes for wonderful memories too!!

HAPPY CREATING!!

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Fun, Little Crochet Heart Applique

Feb1

Who doesn’t like hearts!!!  They are one of my favorite designs and shapes to be creative with on many of my sewing, quilting or crochet/knitting projects.  So I came up with a cute pattern for a simple crochet heart applique, which I hope you enjoy as much as I have.

Approx. measurement - 2 1/4" x 2 1/4"

Approx. measurement –
2 1/4″ x 2 1/4″

The yarn I selected was a Bernat Satin, worsted weight 4, mainly because of the slight sheen and I had some left over in my stash.  I used a Size G hook for my samples too.

Stitches used:    sc (single crochet)     ch (chain)     tr (treble)     dc (double crochet)                                                                              sl (slip stitch)

I began my heart using the “magic loop” technique making 11 sc within the loop and then sl stitching through the first sc made.

Now make 3 ch stitches.  Complete 2 tr stitches in first sc stitch.  Make 3 tr stitches in 2nd sc stitch.  Now complete 1 tr and 1 dc in 3rd sc stitch.  Make 2 dc in each of the 4th and 5th sc stitches.   Make 1 ch, 1 tr, 1 ch within the 6th sc of your loop.

Complete 2 dc in each of the 7th and 8th sc stitches.  Make 1 dc, 1 tr in your 9th sc stitch.  Complete 3 tr stitches within your 10th sc stitch.  Make 2 tr, 3 ch stitches in your 11th sc stitch of your loop and end with a sc in that same stitch.  Now complete a sl stitch within your first sc stitch and fasten off.  Pull the tail very tight on your beginning “magic loop” to close your circle and then weave in your ends.

Now you have a fun, little crochet heart to do with as your “heart” desires!!  You can make a bunch of these very quickly and use them for many different projects.  They will fit nicely on top of my napkin ring design or as a center for the crochet ruffle too.   Add them to barrettes, headbands, hats or applique them to clothing and home decor projects.  Enjoy!!

HAPPY CREATING!!

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Taming Your Yarn!

Jan4

Whether you are crocheting or knitting or doing any type of craft using a skein of yarn, keeping that yarn easily accessible can be a job.   Sometimes you feel like you need to “whip it” into shape so you are spending more time crocheting/knitting and less time untangling or retrieving your yarn!! This year I received a Yarn Buddy by Sun Valley Fibers as a Christmas present and boy does it work great!!  Basically, as described by SVF, it is a wooden spool lazy susan for your skein of yarn.  You don’t need to fuss with locating the center-pull yarn strand anymore.  Just slide your skein onto the spool and work using the outer yarn strand.  Because the spool is on a turning gear, your yarn spools off either in a clockwise or counter-clockwise direction depending upon how your skein of yarn was wound.

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They are made for a single skein of yarn or two skeins of yarn.   I was fortunate enough to receive the double spool for two skeins of yarn, which will be perfect for doing a project using two skeins or I can actually have two projects going at the same time.  The quality is outstanding, very smooth gear operation and the wood is sanded incredibly smooth!!  No varnishes are used either.

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The Yarn Buddy is not too large or too heavy and should be easy to take to a class or “knit nite”!!  I am actually thinking about taking one of my cloth tote bags, putting a couple of grommets in the center of the bag, placing the Yarn Buddy with yarn down in the bag and then threading my yarn through the grommets.  That way my project is ready to travel or to be stored by my easy chair ready at a moments notice. Of course, I have already started a project using the Yarn Buddy and have found that I can even place my completed crochet pattern pieces between the spools so I have them all in one place until I can sew them together.  I know this will become one of my favorite items to use for crocheting and knitting projects!!

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SONY DSC

 

 

 

 

I did do a little exploring on-line for information on Yarn Buddies.  Here is another site I found that looks kind of interesting too, landwoodworks.com, which shows their Yarn Buddy design. This is a super gift item for that special “hooker” in your life or add it to your wish list so that maybe you can receive one as a present too!!

HAPPY CREATING!!

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