Tag: handmade

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Beautiful Brights!

I have been a bit under the weather but I am feeling better now. I spent the week hanging out on the couch with a blanket, yarn, crochet hook and netflix. I am working with these yarns that are from my stash and I have worked quite a bit on the 100 item challenge. I just didn’t take any photos as I felt so bad. I hope to show you some things later this week.

Here are some of the colorful yarns that I am working with this week.

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It is Stylecraft Dk Special and I can’t wait to show you. It is another blanket and it is an easy one! I am working on writing up a pattern. It is looking good but I don’t want to give it away.

Talk to you later,

Karen

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Rats, rats…. and double Rats!

Rats… the fabric I thought was 100% cotton muslin isn’t. There just isn’t any other way around it. It isn’t 100% cotton and it won’t wear well as a quilt, if it isn’t. I am not sure about the pedigree of some of the other larger pieces of fabric. The ones that are 100% cotton are patterned pastel florals, strong stripes, super dark polka dots. None that work with what I am trying to do…which is quilt. I almost have the top done but now I need to wait until April! Unless the fabric fairy comes to visit, which is really not likely and totally against the rules I set at the beginning of the 100 items in 100 days Challenge. So bah!  I might be able to make a baby quilt, or placemats, or pot holders etc… I could make quilt tops but they wouldn’t be finished and that is the key to the whole challenge. I feel a bit lost, and this is a definite monkey wrench in the whole works. I need to regroup and see what else I can do with my scraps. Hmmm, I see some Pinteresting in my future as I pin, unpin repin things!

talk to you later,

Karen

P.S. Almost all of the larger pieces of fabric that I got from my Super organized MIL’s stash was labeled with fabric content and quantity. She was amazing.

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Some Purse Organizers!

This post is just mostly photos today as I must run. Our oldest has his birthday dinner tomorrow and I have to get a bunch of things done. Life seems to be on fast forward these days. I sure wish it would slow down for a day or two.

These are all made out of up-cycled denim. They are fully lined and three of the bags have pleats in the bottom so they can stand up if they are full. I had great fun matching the different fabrics and of course the denim is soft. It feels really good in your hands.

 

Must run,

talk to you later,

Karen

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100 items in 100 days: # 23 – 29

Yesterday was productive. I finished up quite a few Use Your Stash projects and thought about others.

Here are the ones that I completed along with the back story.

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When I was a young teenager, my Mom made these stars for our Christmas tree.  Parts of the stars were made from scraps of clothing she made for me. I have always wanted to make some for our tree but lacked the skills to get the points to turn out nice in the center.

Finally, I have made them and I do like them. I made five of them and will probably make more in different colors.

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So, there are my Christmas stars ornaments. I made five out of scraps in my scrap bin. They count in my 100 items in 100 days and make up numbers 23 – 28! Yay!

I also finished a cute crochet pin cushion and I will post a photo later. Here is the photo of it in process.

IMG_1508Which makes number 29!

Woohoo! Only  79  or correctly 71 more items left, today is not a good math day!

Talk to you later,

Karen

 

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Today: Feb. 3, 2014

Today has certainly been very odd. Hubs was home for part of the day and then left for work halfway through the day. So it has felt off balance all day. We were out of bread, so lunch was a rather yummy potato soup made from hash browns, left over ham bone broth, ham pieces and home made biscuits.

Anyway all of this to say that I got a huge long three hour nap in the middle of the day. I got my next crochet blanket figured out down to the number of squares per color! We now have homemade bread and I have no idea what we are eating for dinner! Woohoo, it seems I am on a roll! Well, not really, but the blanket though is a beauty and seems to just roll of the crochet hooks. The colors are incredible. I am not going to give any sneak peaks this time until it is finished all 248 little 4″ squares! I think it would give it all away.

I have been working on a new pattern for fingerless gloves and after three pairs I am about ready to kick that into production. The pattern is simple and there is no sewing involved.

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It is a version somewhere between the red ones above and the grey ones below!

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So that is what I have been working on. OH, the sewing machine part came in and I have been working away on #10 The quilt. I hope to be finished with it soon as well. I feel a bit like Einstein to be able to diagnose and order the correct part for my machine!

Talk to you later,

Karen

 

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100 Items in 100 days…#15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20

Here are some new Supply busters!

The red and blue scalloped scarves from a few days ago was joined with scalloped fingerless gloves. I finished several new headbands for our youngest daughter. So this would make numbers 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, and finally 20!

I can’t decide which pattern to use with some new bright yarns. I have a new type granny square that  I am considering.

Which pattern would you suggest?

Talk to you later,

Karen

 

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#13 and #14

These are just a quick peek at #13 and 14 out of 100. I have to admit that it is hard to stay on track. I have been deleting about 15+ emails a day that have to do with sewing, yarn, craft supplies or patterns. I am also trying to use the patterns I have or free online patterns. #13 is a crocheted bowl using cord and variegated left over yarn. The other is a scalloped scarf like the red one only in bright blue and a little chunkier.

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There you go two more down and only 86 left and no #10 isn’t finished yet, I am waiting on a sewing machine part.

 

Talk to you later,

Karen

 

 

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#11, #12

Confession time

The quilt is quietly killing me. Well, not very quietly, I must admit that there is a certain amount of huffing and puffing as I haul that quilt around, between and through the sewing machine. If you add in the fact that my sewing machine isn’t quite happy to be sewing right now, then you can guess what I am going to say next. After fussing about it to myself anyone who will listen, I moved on to crocheting, and modge podging. Something that will actually allow me to complete a project. These photos are just quickie phone photos but they get the job done.

I found this pattern here and it is wonderful.

http://www.creativejewishmom.com/2011/11/crocheted-skinny-scalloped-scarf.html

I also decoupaged some tea boxes with fabric as I was needing some drawer organizers.

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Here they are drying.

 

Talk to you later, My FIL just arrived for lunch!

Karen

p.s. I am in deep trouble. My father in law brought four more tubs of fabric from my mother in law’s stash. oh wow. He said I could make 100 more items…!

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#8 and #9 of the 100 items in 100 days!

Here are #8 and #9 in the 100 items in 100 days!

I’m including the photos of the beginning of the project and then the finished product! Some I list in my shop and some I am using at home!

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This is a great cowl. Large enough to pull over your head if you need to but small enough not to be in the way! The buttons are handmade ceramic buttons. The yarn is dark charcoal grey and goes with anything.

#9

2014-01-24 10.35.45Here was the humble beginning of #9 a Head band with interchangeable flowers.

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Whew, this Challenge is a challenge but I am wading through it and I hope to get through #20 by this time next week. My sewing machine is acting up so I haven’t really been sewing much, but I am going to try.

Talk to you later,

Karen

 

 

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Grey and Red Granny Circles Blanket Finished!

I feel like I have been working on this blanket forever, but I haven’t.

You first saw it at this point.

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Then there was this point.

2014-01-23 12.53.01It was about the straw that broke the camel’s back. It felt SO small, and it was the trouble was that it was already 10 x 10 squares. It need to get bigger…so it did.

 

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Here are the “WOW, I can’t believe it is finished photos IMG_3626 IMG_3630 IMG_3632 IMG_3633It is  12  x  16  squares and measures 41   x  53 inches.

It is now listed for sale in the Etsy shop. https://www.etsy.com/listing/177178442/crochet-blanket-granny-square-afghan

 

I hope to list the pattern soon as well.

Thank you for stopping by!

This is #7 for me in the Use Your Stash for 100 projects!

Talk to you later,

Karen