Category Archives: crafts

No-go mojo and a sneak peek

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Even though my knitting mojo was a no-go for a few weeks, I did manage some relatively mindless knitting making more scrubbies.I love the top one but dealing with two balls of this scratchy yarn in one row was too much for my hands.  All were made with Red Heart Sparkle Scrubby yarn.

So all the others were two or three color blocks.  Much more interesting than a solid color.  They do hold up well and the best part is they dry quickly.

Craftsy was hosting a week-long series of Valentine crafts and I decided to make a heart-shaped scrubbie.  The pattern is free but you might have to sign up to get it.

My mods were to stop increasing after 36 stitches (34 rows), straight knitting for 10 rows then follow the instructions for the decreases.  It is just too cute for dishes!

I also signed up for the fourth season on The Handmade Sock Society and already have the first sock started.  More on that later this week.

While waiting for the first sock pattern, I decided to sort through all my yarn stash for something suitable.  I found some DK weight yarn leftover from the cowl I knit for my grandson that was enough for the Twist Again Shawl from the Deep Fall 2014 issue of Knitty.

Here’s a sneak peek of the finished shawl.

How is your crafting coming along so far this year?

Patti

Quilted cover

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Sewing is one of my more regular craft-type pursuits.  Quilting is a more recent one and I’m willing to experiment with my sewing machine.  Specifically the quilting, free-motion, or darning foot.

Without getting too technical when using this particular foot, the feed dogs are lowered and the pressure on the foot is set to light.  This allows the sew-er to gently maneuver the fabric in any direction while sewing, not just in a straight line.

I wanted to experiment with free-motion quilting and our heating pad needed a new cover.  No one would ever see this so what better way to learn than to practice!

I layered a piece of 100% cotton batting between two pieces of cotton fabric and pinned this all together before taking it to my sewing machine.  The total size was 12 inches by 27 inches. I began stitching in the center and made my way out toward the edges.

My stitches aren’t even as I moved the fabric around.  Going slowly gave me better control of stitch length.  You can see some longer stitches and very short stitches as I tried to make this star.

I drew a leaf with pink chalk and tried to go over the lines here.

More leaves and a heart.

Can you see the hidden messages below?

 

All quilted.

I added binding around the entire piece (don’t look at the horrible corners!) then folded it in half to make a padded envelope for our heating pad. I also made a new flannel cover to conceal it all and make it removable for washing.

I do need lots more practice using this foot on my sewing machine before I tackle a regular-sized quilt. It was fun and I learned a few things.

Do you sew and have you tried using all of the feet that came with your machine?Patti

Something to do

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A long, long, long time ago Mr. Aitch had gifted me an origami kit as I was obsessed with this cool art form using a sheet of paper.  This kit included a great booklet that showed the basics of paper folding.  The last project in the booklet was the flapping bird. This is different than the famous crane.  The crane is a stationary object and the flapping bird can move.  I still have the original kit but loaned the booklet to a friend…and never got it back.

Last October I taught one of the twins how to make an origami flapping bird as she had learned how to make some shapes. We made several birds and she got quite good at it.  So I emailed her yesterday with a suggestion of something to do every day during this unusual period in our lives.Email to granddaughter

This is the flapping bird.

You can see that by holding it at the base of the neck and pulling on the tail…

…the wings move.origami, flapping bird

Here is a short video of the flapping bird in action.

There are several videos and written instructions on the interwebs that you can find but I made my own instructions based on how I learned how to make it.  If you are interested, click here.  Warning, you will need some basic knowledge of origami folds that I do not provide.

I’m bored

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With many schools closed for a few weeks, children will get bored.  I know my grandchildren will be home for an unexpected vacation from schoolwork though some will have access to remote teaching, online classes or whatever the counties/school districts are calling it.  Not all children can think of something constructive to do with their newfound “free time.”

I’ve come up with some ideas for my grands when the “I’m bored” statements happen to escape their mouths.  None of these suggestions include looking at a screen and most of them can be done alone.

This list includes:

1. Paint nails or do nail art on your toes.  Acrylic paint will work for nail art as long as a clear coat of polish covers it.
2. Clean the top of your dresser.
3. Clean under your bed.
4. Make a bracelet.
5. Make your bed.
6. Write a note to someone you haven’t seen for a while.  Friends, cousins, aunts, uncles, grandparents.
7. Make a card…birthday, holiday, get well, thinking of you.
8. Practice a new language such as sign language or Spanish.
9. Walk 1,000 steps.
10. Do 30 jumping jacks.
11. Do 30 sit-ups.
12. Write in a dedicated notebook or journal about gratitude.
13. Relax with a cup of tea or hot chocolate.
14. Paint or draw a self-portrait.
15. Color a picture.
16. Write a book report about the last book you read.
17. Ride your bike/scooter.
18. Draw on the driveway with chalk.  Ask Mom or Dad first.
19. Pull weeds from a flower bed or garden plot.
20. Play hopscotch.
21. Jump rope 100 jumps.
22. Make a paper chain to count the days till an upcoming event: party, birthday, special trip, last day of school, vacation.
23. Clean your bathtub or bathroom sink area.
24. Learn how to sew a zipper pouch.
25. Knit a scarf, hat, mitts.
26. Work on a jigsaw puzzle.
27. Play a board game.
28. Build a Lego house or castle.
29. Learn a new origami figure or teach someone how to make one.
30. Measure something: the back porch, your bedroom, or any room or furniture in your house.

I’m sure you can think of other activities as well.  Do you have a game plan for “I’m bored?”