Mini Sweaters

If you were watching my WIP list carefully, you may have noticed that this project dropped off about a week ago.  I didn't post about it yet because it was a gift for my sister for her first Christmas with her own place.

I found this pattern in a Better Homes and Gardens magazine from 2008.  I looked for it on their website to link it here, but all I found were more projects that look interesting.  I started it just thinking that it would be a quick and fun surprise, but it actually turned out to be an excellent project to learn some new knitting skills.

I'm not even going to attempt to discuss knitting techniques.  Everything I know about knitting I learned from KnittingHelp.com.  She has video tutorials for every skill I've needed so far.  Here are the skills I got to practice on this project:

• Cast On
• Knit
• Purl
• Bind Off
• Weave in Ends
• Slip onto a Stitch Holder
• Pick Up Stitches
• Circular Knitting using Double Pointed Needles
• Decrease
• Mattress Stitch (Seam)

Once the knitting was done, I appliqued the ornaments to the front of the sweaters.  This part really went rather quickly.  I had the first sweater completely knit before I began to applique the stocking to it.  It was a little hard to work in such a small space, so I left the seaming for the very end on the other two sweaters.

Here's a view of the scale of the finished sweaters.  I do have huge hands compared to the rest of my body, but they're not that big.

Here's a shot of all three sweaters in different stages.  The green one is completely knit, the variegated one is done except for the seaming, and the red one is just the torso of the sweater and the beginning of the neck.  The sleeves are added last.

And finally, a shot of working with double pointed needles.  I took a lot of pictures of this process so I may try a small tutorial on that in the future.

Supplies Needed:

• Yarn (a small skein will probably make 2-3 sweaters)
• Size 6 needles
• Size 6 double pointed needles (these come in sets of 4)
• Scissors
• Yarn Needle (for weaving in ends and seaming)
• Embroidery Needle (for applique)
• Felt
• Embroidery Floss
• Seed Beads (for decorations on the applique)
• Miniature Clothespins
• Clothesline

Christmas Bells (Guest Crafter)

I’m going to start occasionally including crafts by other people here.  I’ll always include “Guest Crafter” in the title of the post so that I don’t inadvertently take credit for someone else’s work.

Christmas pictures used to be as much a tradition in my family as Santa Claus.  Every October, my siblings and I would dress up in matching outfits and get our pictures taken at JC Penney.  My mom even made our outfits until I was about 15.  Once she got the pictures back, she would make her own little picture frame.  If she had made our outfits, she would use a scrap of the fabric from our dresses around the bell.  I think we stopped getting formal pictures done when I was 20, so my parents have a collection of bells that goes up and down the staircase in the entry way to their house.

This picture is of me as a baby.  At one point we thought we lost the original bell, so my mom made a replacement for it.  Then the original bell was found, so I have this single bell for my own tree.

Supplies Needed:

• Cardboard (to stiffen the bell shape)
• Photograph
• Fabric
• Thread
• Needle/Sewing Machine (Hot Glue could also be used)
• Stencil in bell shape
• Pencil

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas....

We got our first snow of the season last night. I also finished(!) the biggest (in terms of hours spent) project of my life this week, so I thought that it's appropriate to officially kick of the Christmas season here at DaVinci Brand Crafts.

I finished my very own Christmas stocking! It is 100% complete, and hanging on the fireplace already! My goal was to get it done by Thanksgiving, but I actually finished it almost 3 weeks early!
I started this 2 years ago. It's hard to work on a Christmas stocking in the summer, so the majority of the work was actually done last fall.

The time consuming portion is the cross stitch, of course. When I bought this stocking, I picked out the most beautiful stocking in the store, not thinking about level of difficulty. I have since learned that most beautiful also means most tedious. No part of counted cross stitch is actually difficult; if you know how to count to twenty, you can figure it out. The tedious part came from having so many colors involved; I was constantly switching thread. The area at the top with my name in it is the only part that had any solid blocks of color, and even there I had to stitch the stars in first. The Christmas tree is a good example of an area that has a lot more colors than you would expect. Also, usually with counted cross stitch you get a break from looking at the pattern when you go back to complete the Xs, but this pattern used mainly half cross stitch, meaning that instead of Xs, I was making /s.

After all of the cross stitch is done, it's a little anti-climactic. It seemed like I should be done, but my stocking looked a little dull, not beautiful like the picture. The backstitching really made everything pop. It also went a lot quicker than the cross stitching. Here's a few before and after shots.

(Note how you can barely make out the deciduous trees on the left, but how well they stand out on the right.)




Once the backstitching was done, I moved on to couching. I had never heard of couching before. At first it seemed like more work for the exact same effect as backstitching. Basically, you have one needle that pulls the outline thread around. Then, with another needle and piece of thread, you tack down the outline thread. This allows you to make curves rather than all straight lines with a back stitch.


(Notice the floating sleigh on the left.)





After the couching was done, I took a 10 month break, because I was dreading the next part...French knots. Previously, I was afraid of French knots because there's not really a good way to redo them if you mess up. So last weekend, I got the stocking out again and tackled the knots. Over 200 French knots later (rough estimate), I'm pretty good at French knots. I even figured out how to do them left handed!

So after all of the detail work was done, I again was a little down. All of this work and I still don't have a stocking? I decided to just plow through and finish it up that night. This was probably the scariest part of it all. I had to cut my beautiful stocking. Of course, I wasn't cutting through the part where I had stitched, but I really couldn't recover from a mistake at this point. So I cut it out, stitched it together on the sewing machine, and then hand stitched the top down inside the front. It was a stocking! The last part was just making the hook to hang it on. I really like braiding, so I was happy to braid the yarn for the hook. Then a few stitches tacked that on to the side of the stocking and I was done! It was a great feeling.

So, my WIP list has one less item in it now (never mind that I've added two more), and I have my stocking done by Christmas. Yay!

Supplies Needed:

• Hoop
• Pencil (To cross out what you've already stitched)
• Sewing Machine and Thread (To join front and back)
• 
  

Trick or Treat!

Happy Halloween!

Supplies Needed:

• Pumpkins
• Carving Knives
• Stencils
• Straight Pins (to hold stencil)
• Black Marker (to trace stencil)
• Scoop (to remove seeds)
• Shaped Metal Punch (like a cookie cutter, but for pumpkins - this is how the bat was made on the left)
• Mallet (to punch it through)
• Newspaper (to contain mess)
• Candles
• Lighter

My Problem

I've mentioned before that I have a problem finishing projects that I start. I can't tell if it's getting worse or better since I started this blog. I spend more time working on crafts, but once the excitement of a new project wears off, I get bored with it and start a new one.  Then, I don't want to post about something until it's finished, so I eventually finish it up and write about it several months later.  In order to embrace this habit, I've added a "WIP" list over on the left.  Right now, it doesn't look very bad - only 5 projects.  However, I'm pretty sure I've forgotten several.

I recently thought that I had all of my sewing projects organized in the basement.  I went upstairs to search the last place anything could be, and I found a backpack with two partially completed scarves from several years ago when I taught myself how to knit.  I started out with one skein of yarn.  When I got to the end of it, rather than learn how to join another piece of yarn or finish off the scarf (simple concepts, I've since learned), I apparently went out and bought a new skein and started completely over.  I even bought a new pair of knitting needles.  At least they were a different size.  I unravelled both of these scarves because I don't like the colors anymore, so maybe I'll start something else with them.

So let's see what happens when I have a list displayed publicly to the Internet.  My guess is it will get embarrassingly long and then I'll remove it.

Blast from the Past: Beaded Bracelet

My 5^th grade teacher was Mr. Wendel. The thing I remember most about him is that he abhorred little scraps of paper. You would think that an elementary teacher would just learn to deal with little scraps of paper, but he made us cut out paper in way that only left one scrap. If we made a mistake and had two or more scraps at the end of a cutting activity, we had to stay in from recess. To this day I still plan out my cutting so that I only have one single piece of paper to throw away at the end.

Anyway, the purpose of this post was not to demonstrate how well I can cut paper. Mr. Wendel also taught us how to make beaded bracelets. We started by coloring our designs in on graph paper. Then he had enough looms that we could each work on our bracelets while he read to us after lunch. Here is the design that I made.

I liked this activity so much that I convinced my grandpa to make a loom for me. He nailed three pieces of wood in a U shape, then made thin cuts in the two open ends to hold the string. I wound the string around the loom to create the base threads and then was able to weave in the beads. Here are some instructions to make your own loom that’s only slightly different than the one I had or you can also buy one on Amazon: Darice 1012-24 Bead Loom

Thinking back on this, it really seems like seed beads rolling all over the tile floor while Mr. Wendel was reading would have been at least as annoying as multiple scraps of paper created by 5^th graders.

Supplies Needed:

• Graph Paper
• Markers or Crayons for Design
• Beading Thread
• Seed Beads (Several Colors)
• Needle with Small Eye
• Scissors
• Bead Loom
  

Hot Shops

Last summer my husband and I visited Hot Shops, a local art center here in Omaha. The first area we went in was Loken Forge. They had an activity where you could choose up to seven pieces of metal and arrange them into a sculpture. I immediately got really excited and started picking out my pieces, and then looked up a few minutes later and wondered why my husband wasn’t picking out any for himself. I found six suitable pieces and designed this awesome structure.

Since this activity was actually planned for children (and I don’t know how to weld), the guys at the Forge actually welded it for me. I did get to look through welding goggles while they did it. We walked around the rest of the Hot Shops while it cooled and then went back to the Forge where they spray painted it for me.

The rest of the Hot Shops were also very interesting. They have just about every medium of arts and crafts there. The one area we didn’t spend a lot of time in the glass blowing area (it was August when we went). I see they have another open house planned for December 4^th and 5^th, though, so I’ll probably check it out then!

Supplies Needed:

• Steel or iron base piece
• 5-6 small steel or iron pieces
• Blow torch
• Safety goggles
• Spray paint

Paint Yourself Silly

For the entire four years I was at UNL, I wanted to go to Paint Yourself Silly. I finally went on one of the last weekends before my younger sister graduated (five years after I did). She, my mom, and I spent an evening in Lincoln's Haymarket painting and chatting. It was as much fun as I had dreamed it would be. Mom picked a flower vase, my sister choose a mug, and the moment I saw this Sun & Moon candle holder, I knew it was meant to be.

What I learned is that I am an extremely slow painter. By the time they were both finished and the workers kicked us out of the store because it was closing time, I was about 40% done with the first coat. Luckily, my husband ran the Lincoln Marathon a couple weeks later so I was able to finish my project then. The shop then glazed and fired it for me, and my sister picked it up the day before she graduated.

It was a fun time and I'm happy with the way it came out, but I need to learn how to paint quicker. They recommend applying at least three coats of paint so that the colors stay bold after it is fired. I thought I applied three coats everywhere, but you can see that the paint is pretty thin in some areas. I think one more coat would have done the trick.


Supplies Needed:

• Money (They supply everything else at Paint Yourself Silly)
• Ceramic Pottery
• Up to 6 Colors of Paint
• Paint Tray
  
• Paintbrushes
• Water
• Clear Glaze
• Kiln Fire
  

My First Quilt - Part 2 (Strip Piecing)

The pattern I chose for the quilt is quite possibly the simplest and most basic block pattern available.  In the world of quilting, common block patterns have names, and this one is "Rail Fence".  I also used the common technique called strip piecing.  In strip piecing, you sew long strips of different colored material together, then cut the strips to the proper size, turn them, and then sew the small pieces back together into larger blocks.  In this picture, you can see an example of the strip before it is cut.

Next, I cut the strip into 6.5" pieces.  Here is the same strip, cut down to size.

Finally, I turned the pieces, then sewed them together into my first block.

When sewing the strips, you don't need to reinforce the ends so that the stitches don't come out.  First of all, when you cut the strips, only the first and last piece would have that reinforcement.  More importantly, though, once all of the pieces are sewn back together, the seams intersect enough that they reinforce themselves to the point there is no danger of them coming apart.  Of course, if a lot of time passes  between sewing the strips and putting the blocks together, or you handle them a lot, they may start to unravel a bit.  Since I was in a hurry to get this done by the baby shower, I finished them quickly enough that I didn't have a problem.

Finally, I decided to be a model quilter and iron frequently.  Once I had the long strips put together, I ironed them so that the seam allowances laid nice and flat.  I also ironed them away from the lightest colored fabric, so the dark purple didn't show through the light yellow.

I'm not including a supplies needed on this post because my next post regarding the quilt will be dedicated to the supplies for the whole project.

Way Back Machine: Bear Cross Stitch

When I was in grade school, I attended a program at my church called "Skylarks".  It was essentially the exact same as Girl Scouts, in that we worked on projects and earned badges.  My church was two blocks away from my elementary school, so once a week I would walk with two other little girls after school to our Skylarks meeting.  Our big project for the year was a stamped cross stitch picture.  When I finally finished it, my mom framed it and it hung in my room for the next 20 years.  My parents recently made me take possession of everything I still had in their house after moving out three times, so the bear has claimed a new spot on the wall above my sewing machine.

Supplies Needed (I don't actually remember):

• Cross Stitch Kit
• Open Frame

Art as a Cover Up

Once upon a time, we had a plasma TV hanging on our living room wall. Then, we rearranged the room so the TV sits on an entertainment center on the other side of the room. The room "flows" a lot better, but it left the wall looking like this:

Actually, it was worse than this because the hardware that held the TV up left big holes in the wall that I later spackled over. So, we had a rather large empty space with an electrical outlet floating in it. I looked around for a wall hanging to cover it up, but anything big enough was very expensive. So, the wall remained empty for about a year until I finally put the following display together.

To determine where they should be placed on the wall, I taped pieces of paper up that were the same size of the canvasses and my parents, husband, and I moved them around until it looked right.

It was actually easier than I thought it would be. I used masking tape on the canvasses to keep the lines straight. If I were to do this project over, I would pick out a set of 5-6 colors in advance rather than start without a firm color scheme. I would also use only muted colors. I think the two small canvasses are a little too bright for the room, especially the green and yellow one. Overall, though, I like how it turned out. It sure beats the crooked outlet in the middle of the wall!

Supplies Needed:

• Canvas
• Masking Tape
• Ruler
  
• Paintbrush
• Paint
• Picture Hook Kit
• Picture Nails
• Hammer
  

My First Quilt - Part 1 (Selecting the Pattern and Fabric)

Last September, I somehow decided to try quilting. My plan was to start very slowly, following instructions in a book, and make a practice quilt. Then, I was going to make a baby quilt for my 1st niece before she was born. Well, the day after I bought the fabric for the "practice" quilt, we found out that Hailey was most likely going to be born early, so I needed to speed up the process. As a result, the practice quilt is still just fabric in my basement, and Hailey's quilt has a lot of beginner's errors associated with it.

Step 1: Choose a Pattern
I searched for "easy baby quilts" on google, and eventually settled on this pattern. A "baby quilt" is usually very small, and I wanted Hailey to be able to use the quilt when she got older, too, so I decided to convert the pattern to a larger quilt size myself. This was beginner's mistake number 1. I didn't quite do the math for the backing correctly and was a little short on fabric when I got to that point. Also, I just now found the full size version of the same pattern, which would have made it a lot easier for me.

The pattern itself isn't that difficult, but since I had absolutely no experience quilting, it was a little over my head. It basically just had the instructions for the top piece, and figured that I knew how to turn it into a quilt from there. So, beginner's mistake number 2 was to assume that instructions that fit on two sheets of paper (including diagrams) could teach me all that I needed to know about quilting. Luckily, I had the book I had purchased for the practice quilt as well as the Internet to fill in the holes of my pattern.

Step 2: Choose the Fabric
The pattern called for three different fabrics: a dark tone-on-tone, a medium tone-on-tone, and a light print. When I went to the fabric store, I was looking for pink and purple fabrics, but I ended up with contrasting purple and yellow.
Stay tuned for the rest of the story!

Supplies Needed:

• Pattern
• Three types of fabric
  

My Sewing Machine

I know, I know - three posts right away and then nothing for 10 months doesn't really mean that I have a blog. However, I did warn you that this might happen. Luckily, the lack of posting does not mean a lack of crafting! I kept myself busy over the winter (and spring and summer) with several projects.

I'm going to start off with a simple post about my sewing machine, which I bought last summer more or less on a whim. I purchased a Brother CS 6000i machine, shown here.

It had been about 10 years since I had even touched a sewing machine, and let me tell you - this is nothing like my mom's sewing machine of my childhood. It's so simple to use and make fancy stitches on. I'll showcase some of those later on, but here is a picture of the computer part where you select which stitch to use.

It also came with a ton of accessories which are conveniently stored in the free arm of the machine.
Last, but not least, there is an accessory table to increase the sewing area or to use for quilting with a walking foot. I have not used this feature yet.

It does come with a cover, but it is just to keep dust off of the machine. It is not a carrying case.

Overall, I have been extremely happy with this machine. I have used it for one major project and it worked wonderfully.