Deciding upon an Applique Design

May16

There are a lot of things you can do with a simple applique whether it is a purchased design or one created by yourself.  It is a quick way to update a piece of clothing to give it your own personal look and feel.

Making your own applique design doesn’t have to be labor intensive.  There are many ways to help you create that very special look you want.  Flipping through a basic coloring book is a quick resource idea for animals, trucks, planes, flowers, hearts, etc.

When searching for an applique design for your T-shirt,  keep in mind proportions and details.   You don’t want your applique to be too big or too small for your shirt  and you will find it an easier process if the design is more simple.

Of course, you can’t beat searching through internet sites either for that perfect design.  Twistynoodle is a wonderful site with 100’s of free coloring pages for kids which can be turned into an applique design too.

Fonts are another great source to get that unique alphabet letter you might want.  Of course, the internet offers a lot of  free selections like Dafont or 1001 Free Fonts to help you make that perfect design selection.

Again, select a coloring book page with that special character your little one might love.  Or search the web for their favorite character and see if you can draw a simple likeness to use as an applique design.  Free applique, planet applique or laughing lizards are sites specializing in designs too.

Have your child help you in the design process, especially if you are making it for them.  It really will be more special to him or her if they played an active role in creating their unique look.

HAPPY CREATING!!

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Best Marking Tool

May12

You know when you are sewing or quilting,  you sometimes have to mark your fabric so that you can stitch an accurate line.  There are many different tools available for you to use that can be found at your local sewing store.  However, I have found that the best thing to use to mark your fabric is a bar of soap.

You know how you always end up with those little remnants of soap pieces!!  Well, they are perfect to use for marking on your fabric.   The soap makes a nice, white line which is simple to follow and easy on your needle and sewing machine too.   And best of all, once you have completed the stitching along your soap line, all you have to do is steam is out of your fabric.

I would not recommend using a soap that has lotion within its contents but just about everything else works get.  When the edge of the soap gets rounded, just go wash your hands with it to give yourself a sharper edge to work with.

A perfect use for all those little “hotel” soaps that you collect too.   This is truly a sewing notion that you will always want to keep within your sewing basket!

HAPPY CREATING!!

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Creative Recycling

May10

Taking items that have outlived their usefulness and putting them to work for you in another fashion is always fun, creative and beneficial at the same time.   Children can have a lot of fun too with updating those recycling items to make them attractive for their new purpose.

Shoe boxes are one of my favorite things to reuse and they always have to be updated to look fashionable in my sewing/craft room.   Letting a child cut out fabric squares and glue them onto the outside of the box and then trim with some rickrack is so cute and so much fun.  Or if they are learning crochet, let them create some square motifs and glue them onto the outside of the shoe box and add buttons to give it a festive look.  I love to use these boxes to store packages of bias tape, ribbons, hem tape, etc.  Also, a great storage item to organize my crochet threads by colors and thread size.

Reuse the cardboard tube from a roll of paper towels.  I like to cut them in half and glue several together.  Then you or your child can crochet just chain stitches to make a nice decorative trim to tie around the tubes.   Crochet maybe three different colored chain ties and secure them around the tubes close to the top, middle and bottom for a fun look.   These are a good way to store crochet hooks by sizes.  Or some of those sewing items, like turning tools, pencils and/or markers, rulers, etc.

Also, plastic butter tubs or sour cream like containers and their lids are great ways to store pins, beads, machine needle packages or to use with some of your small to go type projects.  You can cut a small opening in the lid, place a ball of yarn inside, pull your yarn through the opening in the lid, close it up and off you go to dance practice, little league practice, etc.   Now you can crochet away and not lose your skein of yarn or have it fall on the floor and get dirty.

Have a recycling party and discover new and fun ways to reuse everyday items!!

HAPPY CREATING!!

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Changing Yarn Colors within your project

May8

Anyways, it really, really doesn’t have to be such an ordeal no matter what process you use when it comes to changing your yarn colors.  For me, this is the best way to change yarn colors and takes all those stressful thoughts and throws them away.

All I simply do is when I come to the end of the row of where the new color is to be added, I fasten off.  For me, it gives me the satisfaction of knowing that my crochet stitches will not come unraveled.  Now turn your work to get ready for the next row and the new color.  Make a slip knot onto your crochet hook using your new color, insert your hook  into the first stitch of the next row and make a single crochet (sc) stitch and continue with your pattern.

IMPORTANT NOTE:   If you are working half double crochets (hdc),  double crochets (dc) or treble crochets (tr), you must begin your new row adding the new color with one of these stitches to give you the correct height needed to continue your pattern.  Therefore, you will make your slip knot onto your hook, yarn over once for (hdc) and (dc) and yarn over twice if continuing with a (tr) —  now insert your hook into the first stitch of new row with the correct number of yarn overs and proceed to make your appropriate stitch according to your pattern.

If making a stitch that requires you to add a yarn over loop to your hook when changing colors, keep your right index finger placed securely onto the yarn over loops to hold them close to the hook, now insert your hook into the first stitch, yarn over and when you begin to pull that loop through the stitch use your thumb and index fingers of your left hand to help securely hold the loops on your hook as you begin to pull your stitches through the required number of loops to make the designated stitch.

Now you have a completed stitch and you can finish working your crochet piece according to your directions and resume holding your work as always.

Fastened off with first color

Turned crochet work, inserting hook into first stitch with new color

 

Completed couple of rows with new color

  •  TIP:  I like to take my yarn ends when possible and crochet them into my rows.  I just lay the yarn ends along the top edge of the row I am currently working along and hold in place while I crochet the necessary stitches for my pattern.  Trim away any yarn pieces that don’t get woven into the stitches.  Time saving technique and you never see them in the finished work.

HAPPY CREATING!!

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