Archive for the ‘Tutorial’ Category

This week we're giving away a copy of Beyond Knit and Purl, a new book by Kate Atherley. Today, we're featuring one of the projects from her book as a little treat for all our readers.

Kate points out that this is a great way to practice your cable skills before starting a more complicated project – and that one of these would make a sweet little Valentine's Day gift.

Cables Mini Project: Coffee Cup Cozy
Choose a color that matches how you take your coffee so spills don’t show.

Finished Measurements:
3.25 inches/8 cm wide, 9 inches/23 cm around unstretched; will stretch easily to fit the largest take-out coffee cup.

Materials:

• 1 ball Sirdar Eco Wool DK (100% undyed virgin wool, 100m/50gm ball; color 201—grey)
  • Designer’s Tip: If you can’t find this yarn, any worsted weight wool like Cascade 220, or Paton’s Classic Merino will work nicely!
• 4mm (US #6) straight needles—wood, bamboo or plastic needles are easiest
• Cable needle
• Yarn needle

Gauge:
22 stitches and 28 rows across 4 inches/10cm in stockinette stitch on 4mm needles.

Method:
Cast on 20 sts.
Row 1 [RS]: K4, p2, k8, p2, k4.
Rows 2, 4, 6, 8 [WS]: K6, p8, k6.
Row 3 [RS]: K4, p2, k8, p2, k4.
Row 5 [RS]: K4, p2, C8R*, p2, k4.
Row 7 [RS]: K4, p2, k8, p2, k4.

*C8R: Slip next 4 sts to cable needle and hold in back; k4, then k4 from cable needle.

Repeat the last 8 rows until piece measures 9 inches long, ending after a Row 1.

Bind off, leaving a 12 inch tail to use for seaming.

Finishing:
Wash the piece.
With RS facing, seam using the invisible horizontal seaming method as given below, using the tail left over from the cast-off.

How To Work the Invisible Horizontal Seam
If you look closely at your knitting, you’ll see that at the bottom of each knit stitch – each V – you’ll see a point. You’ll use these for seaming.

Fold the coffee cozy in half along the short side, with right sides facing you, and line up the cast-on and bind off edges. The cast-off tail should be on your right if you’re right-handed; on your left if you’re left-handed. Thread your darning needle with your cast-off tail.

Starting with the cast-on edge (that is, the edge that doesn’t have the tail attached to it), run the darning needle under the point of the V of the first stitch, right at the edge.

Next, run under the corresponding V on the other side, right up by the cast-off edge. And then back across the other side, going in where you came out, and under the next V....

And so forth. When seaming purl stitches, the v is still there, it’s just hiding a little bit. Stretch the fabric out to see the V's.

Pull snug as you work. When you get to the end, weave in your ends.

Don't forget that you've got a chance to win a copy of Kate's book, Beyond Knit and Purl. Just leave a comment on the giveaway post for your chance to win.

I've resisted the urge to buy any Christmas-themed wrapping stuff, and am instead reusing all the paper bags I've collected over the past year. All they need is a bit of fancy dress.

I first made sure the bags were actually reusable (I threw out all the torn and wrinkled ones – and then looked for stray receipts hiding in the bottoms). To make the yellow and red ones above, I cut bits of ribbon and scrapbooking paper into shapes that would cover the store logos, then attached them with double-sided tape (an essential crafting tool!) or hot glue as necessary. I used a glitter glue pen to write on my own sentiments, and added some bits and bobs from my sewing stash for added festiveness.

For the one on the far right, I was inspired by these modern paper ornaments from Design Sponge. I cut six strips of scrapbooking paper (all the same length, but varying widths) and pinned them end to end using a paper fastener.

I spread the strips out into a flower design, attached the whole thing to the bag with hot glue, then used a foam snowflake to cover up the centre. If I had a longer paper fastener, I would have used more strips, even layering two different lengths.

Don't forget to cover the logo on the opposite side of the bag as well; it's not necessary to decorate both sides, so you could use circles of coloured scrapbooking paper or gift wrap. And, if you're really pressed for time, just put some glitter on it. (While you're at it,  jazz up your holiday manicure, too!)

There's a moment in life when you realize you're closing in on your middle years. And my moment has come. I've recently realized that my arms are not, in fact, getting shorter, but that I need...are you ready for it? Bifocals. Ugh.

But since I'm a champ at denial, I'm not planning on getting any right away. But that still leaves me with a dilemma: how do I manage all the popping on and off of my glasses that needs to happen when I'm sewing, reading or working on something close-up?

Now, stay with me. The eyeglass chain, or lanyard, gets a bad rap. True, it's very Marion the Librarian, but it's a handy little apparatus. Here's how to make a cute beaded one. (P.S., They make a great gift for Grandma while you're at it.)

The 15-Minute Eyeglass Chain

Supplies

• Beading wire, thickness dependent on size of beads
• Elastic eyeglass holder ends
• Crimp beads and assorted decorative beads
• Needle-nose pliers, and wire cutters or heavy scissors

Directions

1. Cut a piece of wire to the desired length to allow glasses to hang down around your neck, adding about 8 inches for insurance. Thread one end through two crimp beads, then through one of the elastic eyeglass holder ends.

Step 1

2. Thread short end back through both crimp beads. Pull wire gently to tighten crimp beads close to eyeglass holder end, leaving about a 1-inch tail. Using needle-nose pliers, crush crimp beads well to secure wire.

Step 2

3. Thread decorative beads in desired pattern onto wire, making sure beads cover both strands near the crushed crimp beads. Bead until chain is desired length, leaving at least a 4-inch tail uncovered.

Step 3

4. Thread end through 2 crimp beads, then elastic eyeglass holder end, as in Step 1. Thread end back through about 1 inch worth of the strung beads, then pull to remove gaps between beads and tighten against crimp beads. Crush crimp beads with pliers.

Step 4

5. Snug scissors or wire cutters up against beads over wire tail. Cut off wire, making sure cut wire end tucks under beads.

Step 5

The result, attached to my glasses

Now before you ask me to model this, let me stop you right there. I'm not going to be wearing this little number to the grocery store or work anytime soon. I'm afraid this will have to be my little secret. Until those bifocals come in....

My little guy will be too young to remember his first Halloween, but I'm pretty excited to make his first Halloween costume. (It's top secret till the big day, but I'll post a pic next week!) I've been thinking about how much fun holidays will be once he's old enough to participate. In a few years, I can't wait to make mini-ghosts with him – they were one of my favourite things to make when I as a kid. I loved taping them across door frames so that everyone had to duck as if they were in a haunted house.

I'm pretty sure this is one of those staple Halloween crafts that kids make at school, but just in case, here's what you need.

• Tissues
• Cotton balls (interestingly, the ones I bought were 100 per cent nylon) or bits of stuffing
• White thread
• A fine black marker

The instructions are pretty simple. Place a cotton ball in the centre of a tissue, and wrap the tissue around it to create the head. Take a long piece of thread and tie it around the "neck" of the ghost, making a couple of knots and leaving one end long for hanging. Draw on a superscary (or supercute!) face, taking care not to press too hard with the marker or the tissue will tear.

If you want to be earth friendly and make something that will last till next Halloween, construct your ghosts out of cloth. Use pinking shears to cut a square of fabric the same size as a tissue (about 8 inches/20 cm square). You could use plain white, or go a little crazy with a patterned fabric. If your kids are a bit older, they can embroider the facial features on instead of drawing them.

I can't decide: Is this gingham ghost scary, cute, or just plain weird?

Happy spooktacular crafting! Here are some other fantastic Halloween crafts from around the web.

• Turn an old paperback into a literary pumpkin centrepiece.
  
• Take a store-bought paper lantern and give it an owlish treatment.
• Made by Joel features lots of neat hand-drawn things for kids to print and cut out; here's a fun trick-or-treat scene.
• Another kid-friendly craft: paint some creepy rocks.
• Your little one will be a lot more visible with a glow-in-the-dark treat bag!
• This isn't Halloween-related, but I just had to share these amazing paper cuttings (via Poppytalk).
  

Tired of the usual jack-o'-lantern with triangle eyes and a gap-toothed grin? Me, too. Last year, some friends and I experimented with a set of hand-carving tools and some plastic fangs.

But that still wasn't exciting enough. This year it was time to get serious. Because what's more fun than disfiguring a huge squash with power tools?

Some folks make incredible jack-o'-lanterns using a Dremel rotary tool. Since I had one gathering dust in my basement, I figured it was time to try my hand at this odd holiday craft. (Note: I bought my Dremel as a private citizen – I don't have a swish endorsement contract, though it might sound like I do.)

Dremel offers a pumpkin-carving how-to on their website, and there are some good tips here and there on the Interwebs that can help you figure out the process. (Reading either of those tip sheets before starting would have been a good idea, but whatever.)

The one tool you need more than anything is patience.

How to carve a pumpkin with power tools

1. Draw or transfer your pattern to the pumpkin. Dremel suggests printing one of their templates and using spray adhesive to stick it to the pumpkin. I did this, but it was really messy. I'd suggest freehand drawing your design or using a skewer to poke holes along the outline of your design.

2. Cut out the lid. Last year, we discovered that a sabre saw makes a dandy lid cutter. Use a sharp kitchen knife to make the first cut, then insert the blade into the cut. Rev up the motor and off you go. Just remember to clean all the pumpkin goop out of the saw before you put it away. Yeeech.

3. Trace the outline of your design with the Dremel. Once you have all the pumpkin guts cleaned up inside, it's time to get creative outside. Use one of the finer carving heads for this task. I made the mistake of using a thicker one, and it made the end result a bit of a mess (you'll see).

4. Carve to add depth. The black areas on this template represented deeper cuts, and grey areas represented shallower ones. The deeper you cut into the pumpkin flesh, the more light will shine through, adding depth to the design. I got tired of getting splattered with pumpkin shrapnel from the Dremel, so I just cut out the darkest spots around the castle with a knife.

5. Set it aflame. Votive candles or tea lights are great, but there are very cool little battery powered lights out there that don't threaten to burn down your porch if left unattended. Look for them at the dollar store.

The verdict? Hrrm. I think I do a much better job with the old-school knife method, but with a simpler design and a little less fine detail (or perhaps a smaller carving head), I might just starting turning out masterpieces. Next year.

Are you ready to give power-tool pumpkin carving a try this year?

It's been chilly and gloomy in my part of Canada for the past few days – perfect conditions for catching up on Corrie Street, eating ginger cake with pumpkin cream cheese icing (thank you, Austen!) and doing a bit of handiwork. My husband bought a shirt recently that came with cute little cufflinks that were made of two buttons connected by a length of wrapped thread. I got out the old Jar o' Spare Buttons, a needle and some thread, and set to work.

The original ones are on the left (in white). I made mine pink, just for fun, but had to use four different buttons because I didn't have any matching ones. (My husband said they looked "okay," so I don't expect him to wear them anytime soon.) This is the kind of project that I make up as I go, but here's the basic idea.

• Cut about 60 centimetres of thread, and double it on a needle, knotting the end.
• Loop it through the holes in one button, leaving the knotted end hanging from the underside. Stitch through buttonholes so that button looks as if it's been sewn on.
• Make a knot underneath so the stitches will stay tight. Loop thread through other button, leaving about a centimetre of thread between buttons.
• Stitch on second button and make a knot underneath.
• Use rest of thread to neatly wrap length of thread between buttons. Push needle through thread at one end, make a knot and trim ends.

I used regular all-purpose thread, but a heavy-weight one would have done better. Making your own cufflinks is even easier if you can get your hands on some blank cufflink backs. I picked up a bag at a craft sale last year, and discovered yet another use for googly eyes...I'll let you know if my husband ever finds the appropriate event to wear them to.

As a former tomboy, I am surprisingly fond of pink things. Pink pens, pink shirts, pink wine, pink nail polish – I love them all. Kinda like an 8-year-old might.

So I thought I'd try out an age-old trick for dressing up plain-Jane metal barrettes, like these:

The key to vivid colour and a little glam sparkle? Nail polish.

I stuck with the garish shades I save for toenails: sparkly hot pink, grape-y purple, electric turquoise and cherry red. And I brought in the big guns for a top coat: sparkly glitter clear coat and silver shatter (my new favourite).

I love OPI nail polish, but you can use whatever brand you have on hand. Just channel your inner Katy Perry and you'll be fine.

Here's how you do it:

1. Sand each barrette lightly with rough sandpaper (something around 60 grit should do it). It should look gently scratched when you're done.

2. Lay waxed paper on your work surface. Paint barrette with your favourite shade of nail polish. Let dry well. Some folks advise a full 12 hours for proper "curing," but I think you can do a second coat as soon as the first one feels dry. (Like when you paint your nails.) Make a bunch of barrettes in different shades.

3. Finish with a top coat. I like glitter-infused clear or a fancy shatter – preferably in silver or something really outrageous. If you use the shatter, top with a clear coat at the very end to seal it in.

This craft is great to do with kids who are old enough to handle nail polish. Think birthday parties, sleepovers or holidays when there's nothing on the tube. The barrettes cost about $5 for a pack of 12, so it's a low-investment, high-satisfaction craft.

Happy painting!

My newfound workout regimen has left me with some looser-than-usual waistbands. (Yay!) Rather than shopping for new belts to break up the monotony that is my wardrobe, I thought I might try my hand at making a simple one.

I loved Austen's ribbon belt from last summer, and I love the preppy tie belts that Land's End carries. And my collection of tired old silk ties was just waiting to be transformed into something fun.

A lot of tie-belt tutorials require narrowing the wide side down or doing some sort of sewing gymnastics I just wasn't in the mood for. This belt uses just the skinny ends of two ties, sewn together at the midpoint.

The 20-Minute Recycled Necktie Belt

Supplies

2 silk ties of the same width, in coordinating colours and patterns

Matching thread

Set of 2 metal D rings, large enough to thread narrow end of tie through comfortably

Instructions

1. Thread measuring tape through the belt loops of your favourite, best-fitting jeans to get waist measurement. Add 11.5 inches to waist measurement to get total length. Lay one of the ties on work surface. Starting at narrow point, measure HALF of total length; mark fabric. Cut straight across tie. Repeat with second tie.

2. At cut ends of ties, place ties on top of each other, WRONG sides facing (this is important, as you want the right side of the tab facing out when the belt is done). Pin.

3. Using 1/2-inch seam allowance, sew seam across width of ties. If your ties are thick, try a jeans needle and possibly a walking foot on your machine.

4. Open out belt and press seam allowances outward so ties lie flat. Edge-stitch rough edges so they lie flat on back.

5. At 1 end of belt, press point toward back, RIGHT sides facing. Pin. Sew close to edge where point starts to tack down.

6. Thread D rings over sewn end; fold about 1 inch of fabric over D rings, RIGHT sides facing, to enclose loosely. (Leave enough room so rings move easily back and forth.) Pin.

7. Edge-stitch near sewn edge to enclose D rings.

8. Wear! The belt looks jaunty with the end untucked and hanging down.

If you're looking for cool old ties, check out your local thrift store. Or ask your male relatives to dig a few unloved ties out of their collection. Everyone has a couple!

Hi friends,

Today I'm happy to share a tutorial for a mini quilted place mat – an easy project that goes together in a couple hours and is perfect if you're looking for a fun, self-indulgent afternoon of sewing, a stash-busting project, or even a last-minute Easter dinner hostess gift. It's also an easy project to up- or downsize (think table runner or coasters). Even better: it brings a bit of longed-for spring colour to your table.

Click through for photos and instructions!

(more...)

Hi friends,

Today I'm happy to welcome back guest poster Jeromina Juan. Her Valentine vases and Leprechaun hats were both a big hit, and I think you're going to love these super cute (and unbelievably easy) carrot Easter baskets. Take it away, Jeromina!

Carrot Easter Basket

If you are hunting for hip Easter baskets and have hopped into your local dollar store, you may want to give the hardware aisle some extra consideration. Most dollar stores carry small orange pylons which are perfect for making this fantastically fast carrot Easter basket craft. Three simple steps leave you with plenty of time to focus on the planning of your egg hunt.

You Need:

-a small orange pylon (9" high is sufficient)

-brown acrylic paint

-a wooden coffee stirrer (or popsicle stick or thin paint brush)

-5/8"-wide green ribbon

To Make:

1. Dip coffee stirrer (or popsicle stick) in paint. Press the edge of the stirrer on the pylon to make random horizontal markings. Let dry. You may use a thin paint brush, though it would require a much sturdier hand to make straight marks.

2. Cut four lengths of ribbon, approximately 2 feet each. Thread one length of ribbon through one of the pylon's screw holes. Repeat on all sides.

3. Gather your ribbon above the centre of the pylon's opening, making sure to leave a little bit of slack. Tie into a knot.

Enjoy the egg hunt and have a wonderful Easter holiday!

Jeromina Juan is crazy about containers. She authors Paper, Plate, and Plane, where she shares plenty of original DIY packaging ideas and many more creative crafts.