Dinosaur Hat!

A couple years ago, I made DS a balaclava. It was red, and tied in the front, and had a mohawk, and was awesome. He loved it. So did lots of other people.

Anyways, I made the pattern available for free, but I'm really super glad that I wrote everything down, because it has come in handy again.

After two winters, and many washes, the mohawk portion of his old hat went from being a fluffy adorable mess to a matted nasty dead animal on top of his head. Not cool.

So, I decided to make him a new one!

I asked him which colours he wanted, as well as how he wanted it decorated. Not a mohawk this time, but a dinosaur.

I set to work with some blue yarn, and an idea. I worked the balaclava first, then crocheted 8 triangles & sewed them together, turned them inside out, stuffed them, and attached them along the top center. Two semi-domes, stuffed & attached, and lastly, two random trapezoid shapes attached for eyelids.

He loves it :)

Starting to Work

Yesterday, I went to my BFF's house for a much-needed break from reality & a visit. After some fun & adventures outside with the kidlets, we headed inside, where we inevitably began talking craftiness. Since 9th grade, we have been best friends. We're so much alike that we joke that we share half a brain, as well as a passion for crafts of all kinds.
I talked about my to-do list and my desire to dedicate a little more time to my passions. We went upstairs and grabbed her grad dress (that she made herself and wasn't entirely happy with the overall feel of) and changed it up to be a beautiful summer dress. We cut off the top (the part she had a problem with) and grabbed some thin jersey knit to make a simple twisted bandeau top. Eventually we will likely add straps, but she loves it, and I felt accomplished.

So, back to that to-do list. I have started #4. A floor-length rainbow patchwork skirt. I decided I like the skirt better, because then I can wear pretty much any top I own with it.
I knew this would be one of the biggest endeavors on the list, but last night, I finished sorting my fabric and ended up with one large rubbermaid bin of full yardages+, one large rubbermaid bin of clothing & linens to recon or use as fabric, one smaller bin of large scraps, several very small bins of small scraps, and a big box of quilting fabric.
I took out the finished quilt squares & tablecloths that are just awaiting quilting or finishing, as well as all the pre-cut batting & quilting stencils. I'm not a quilter, and although I would love to have the patience for it, I really can't imagine myself sitting down to such meticulous, detailed work for such a long period. BFF does simple quilts and enjoys it, so I am forwarding it all to her.
Today, I attacked that big box of quilting fabric and sorted it into it's various colours. Except for white, all of the neutrals got added to BFF's pile (she loves browns, and has already made a gorgeous queen size quilt for her bed)
I then sat down with my calculator, pen & paper, and figured out all the numbers for a 10-tier rainbow patchwork skirt, with 1.5x increases between the tiers.
Let me tell you now, this is one hell of a major project! The numbers that I have to use are as follows:

Rainbow Patchwork Skirt

Using 4"x4" squares, construct a 10-tier skirt with 1.5x increases, using the following colour scheme:

             Colour                      # Squares           Width of Row (appx)

• White                           13 squares             50"
• White                           20 squares             75"
• Orange                         30 squares             113"
• Yellow                         45 squares              170"
• Green                           68 squares             255"
• Teal                              102 squares           383"
• Blue                              153 squares           575"
• Purple                           230 squares          863"
• Red                              345 squares           1295"
• Pink                             518 squares           1943"
•    OR                              690 squares           2590"

The reason for the "or" is because I would really like to have more ruffle on the last row, but if I can't manage enough squares, then I will settle for a 1.5x increase instead of a 2x increase. Also, I wanted a HUGE waistband, so that just about anyone could wear it. I'm a big girl (5'10" with a 42" waist - ugh)

Beyond that, I then have to stitch each tier of patches together, then ruffle them, then sew each tier to the next. After that, the waistband, and lastly, the dreaded hem.

So, I have started cutting. I started with larger numbers, but felt that a 60" waistband would be far too cumbersome, and adjusted accordingly for a 50" waistband instead.
Thank god for my rotary cutter!

*Total planning & organizing time: ~1.5 hrs*

Wants & To-Do's

Don't we all end up with a mile long list of things to do? Things we want to own, or make simply for the sake of making them?
Right now, my major to-do is still trying to get organized. I have never been very good at it, so it's never really happened. With over a decade of chaos and multiple moves to sort through, it really is quite the chore. But I still manage to set aside time to craft. Of course, my son always comes first, but THEN comes organizing, and THEN crafting. OK, maybe crafting before organizing... hehehe
So, I have a couple things that I have to make for this summer:

1. I have been eyeing the jumpers that have been seen everywhere. Craftster use violentjayne (who's work I adore - one of my many Craftster crushes) has posted a few truly fabulous ones. I want to make a wide-legged, shirred-top, strapped one, and try to incorporate jayne's trapdoor idea (which is really quite ingenious). I feel like something with a flowy top, cinched at the waist, and wider legs will help hide my problem areas (read: flub) and accentuate the fact that I have killer tits and a waist that is over 10" smaller than my bust or hips. For this project, I have a large amount of olive green jersey. If that one works out well, I have a super-awesome thrift store find to make my second incarnation. The fabric is a light-weight knit in the most amazing azure with a slight pattern to it. It's soft & luxurious & reminds me of something that one might find a lehenga made of. I have a smaller amount of a similar fabric in the same colour, but with a white stripe. The edge of that one is a beautiful purple. It could easily be the sari worn over top.
Which brings me to my next project:

2. Make a simple sundress out of the azure/white striped fabric. I'm not 100% sure on which style I will use, but I don't think I want to incorporate any shirring into it. Partially because I've never done any, and taking on too many projects with a new technique will be too daunting. I was considering using the purple trim and some of the striping in a horizontal across my bust, with the remainder of the stripes in a vertical from underbust to knee. Just a simple strapless dress with an empire waistline & flowy skirt.

3. Another dress. I have this old piece of fabric that was given to me. I'm not sure what exactly it was meant to be, but it was store-bought & I don't think it was ever used. It's white cotton with a large blue floral pattern all over it. One end has a huge amount of wide eyelet lace ruffled on it. I want to use that end as the bottom of my skirt with the lace still attached.
The fabric goes almost 3 times around me, and is over twice my length, so no problem at all with making a dress. I was thinking perhaps a petticoat-style dress with a simple bodice? I might incorporate some shirring into the back of this one and opt for a slightly lolita-esque feel to the piece. Knee-length again, with 3 tiers on the skirt? I don't want to attempt any puff sleeves, though.... Or something closer to this one I found over at Hong Kong Badger. Either way, AntiCraft has a great tut for pettis.

4. A patchwork skirt or dress. Preferably rainbow. I have a bunch of quilting fabric that was gifted to me (two large boxes full!) And I'm not a quilter. It would be perfect for something like this, and I have wanted one of these for so long.








5. A lace-front button-down tank top. I bought a slightly oversized white button-down dress shirt. I plan to take off the sleeves & collar & add tons of lace trims down the front. I have several bags of mismatched trims in white & some more antique-looking. Perhaps dye the shirt as well? Make it all somewhat antiqued? This shirt is about the closest I could find online in a quick search. I want it to wear with my navy pinstripe bermudas. And a wide red or navy belt. And some cute red peep-toes, either flat or kitten heel.

As far as my organization goes, you can see my earlier post on my craft area. I have since opened all of the boxes & bins of fabric & separated lengths of fabric, folded them up nice & neat, and taken a sample of each stapled to a card with the width & length of each fabric. That way, I never have any guessing errors again.
I also pulled out all of my sheets, curtains & other miscellaneous household linens that I had set aside to use as fabric. They are neatly folded & patiently waiting for me to catalogue them all.
What's left to sort? I still have a couple of boxes of scrap to sort through, and a big rubbermaid bin of mismatched scraps & old clothes for reconning. I want to separate my scraps into quilting scraps, larger fabric scraps & smaller non-quilting fabric scraps. Anything I find not useful will be sent on it's merry way.
My yarn is still out of control, and I think I just have to use a lot of it up to get it under control. I have a 5-drawer organizer for it, and it's full, as well as a couple more bins & some random bags. Some of it was gifted, some of it was bought on a whim, some was bought with a project in mind, but never occurred (or never got finished - my unfinished projects are absolutely shameful)
I also found a multi-drawer organizer for $1 at a yard sale! I used it for all of my buttons, embroidery floss, beads & supplies. It was a bit rusty, but I gave it a quick coat of gold spray paint (I have a can from an old RHPS Columbia costume) Which means I have 3 smaller organizer boxes with nothing in them. I am going to either give them away or sell them.
I still have my under-bed storage system sitting empty (since there is no under my bed, just a mattress & boxspring on the floor). I think I will pull everything down from the space above my closets and fit it into those boxes, then put them up top. It should help keep everything a little neater and more organized.
Well, the organization part of this post is getting long-winded and depressing, so I'm going to cut myself short before I realize just how behind I am...

More slippers?

Another WIP :)
A few of my close family friends are diabetic. One of them has requested a pair of slippers to help keep her feet warm when she's sitting at home. She has had multiple surgeries on her feet due to infections & poor circulation, and can't get out much anymore because her calcaneus has been debrided to the point that her calcaneal tendon no longer has an attachment site (this means that her calf muscles don't work because her heel bone is all but gone).
With the loss of the bulk of her calcaneus, the shape of her foot has also changed drastically. I am starting with this pattern for unisex slippers, then altering the heel slightly to allow more room for the scar tissue that has formed. Her feet are the same size as mine, so these are fitted on me for now.
Here's the first one up to where I have to start the heel:

(Please excuse my messy floors & callused heel)

I have left the top a little shorter to make it easier to take on and off for her.

Oh, and they aren't quite as neon red as they look, but just a nice primary red.

If these work for her, I have a feeling I am going to have to make a set of cappies in the same style for her brother (my stepfather) since he lost both of his legs due to complications with diabetes this past January.

If you know where I can find a good cappy pattern, please share! Sewn or crocheted will work :)

Fishing, Anyone? revised

If anyone has attempted my "Little Fisherman's Toy Net" pattern, they may have found the last couple steps to be confusing (eg. after row 39)

Today, I was asked to clarify the last couple steps in the pattern, and I realized that they were written completely wrong! I have edited it to correct the error, and there should be much less confusion when making one of these now.

If you haven't tried the pattern yet, why not give it a go? It's super easy, works up quick, and great for getting some of those stuffed animals up off the bed/floor/bins/chairs/wherever you keep them :)

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Thanks, Theresa for pointing this out!

Quick one

I haven't done a lot of crafting lately, but I did whip up this pair of Fun Folded Toddler Slippers last night over two episodes of American Dad.

DS has been complaining that the floors are cold in our new place (basement apartment) and asking for slippers, so I finally made him a pair.

Sarah recommends worsted weight yarn & a 4mm hook to make for a 2-year old. I used chunky yarn and a 6.5mm hook to make them fit a 3.5-year old.

On to the pics!

DS showing me how happy he was by putting them on right away & saying "Thank you, mommy!"

"Take a picture of my feet, mommy!"

Child's/Toddler's Tie-Front Mohawk Balaclava

Last winter, I started making a balaclava for my son that would be adorned with a mohawk.

I couldn't find any patterns that I liked, so I decided to wing it. The first couple attempts were useless.

But, then I made one that was actually wearable!

There were some flaws, of course. Like it was too long above the face, and a bit too narrow, making it a chore to get it onto his head. The shaping in the back was sloppy and pointy, but the mohawk covered most of that; it was too long in the back of the head and neck, making it always ride up. But he wore it, because I was damned proud of it!

He went away for a weekend, and the hat was lost. I was sad, but then I turned it around and realized that it was an opportunity to improve upon the pattern. This one in blues and browns didn't match most of his winter clothes anyways, just the one set.

So, I sat down with some more yarn and worked on making improvements.

A couple days later, I presented him with this:

It is a much better fit, and doesn't have the shaping issues of the previous version. Instead of a buttoned neck, I opted to make this one longer and have it tie-front more like a scarf. The nice thing about the ties is they offer two wearing options: I can fold them up on themselves and tie them like in the pictures, of I can leave them down over his upper back and shoulders to keep snow out of his coat.

This time, I wrote down what I did, and am sharing the pattern.

I'm also in the process of making another one in blues for my friend's 7 year old.

Toddler's/Child's Mohawk Tie-Front Balaclava

Pattern no longer available...sorry!

Fishing, Anyone?

When my son was less than 5 months old, we moved to a basement apartment that would need a bit of work to keep everything organized. His room theme was "under the sea," so we found an old waterbed headboard, sawed off the supports and refinished them, then hung it up on the wall filled with antique toys, a fishtank, sea shells, and pictures. There was a giant stuffed shark hanging from the ceiling, and various other little details that tied in. But my favorite item was the one I made.

As any new parent is aware, you become inundated with stuffed animals. And as your child's life progresses, the collection is ever expanding. We had a rocking chair FULL of stuffed animals, stuffed animals on shelves, in hanging baskets, in bins, and EVERYWHERE!

So, we discussed toy nets that you can purchase in stores, but I didn't like any of them that much.

Instead, I went out and bought a large ball of cotton and started coming up with a net of my own. I used natural, unbleached, undyed cotton so it would better mimic a fisherman's net.

And of course, tried my hand again at writing a cohesive pattern to share.

Little Fisherman's Toy Net

Pattern no longer available...sorry!