Anthro Inspired Skirt Tutorial

So here's the tutorial I promised...

To refresh everyone's memory, I found this late last fall, and said "I HAVE to make one!"  She is beautiful, no?!

(SOURCE)

This is the piece I entered back in February for Creative Bloggers Got Talent, and today I'm going to show you how to make one for yourself.

I bought a pattern for $1.65 (on sale and with teacher discount), made a base template from muslin (leftover from another project - you could use a repurposed bed sheet), and repurposed denim from blue jeans.  I think I paid more for the zipper than anything else!

One Yard Wednesday - Fun Fabric Butterfly

Grab your scrap basket and some bright thread and get ready to play!

A new technique today!  YAY!  I love new techniques!

I've seen a few shows on PBS that had thread painting as a technique.  Some fabric artists used it as an embellishing technique, some used it to actually paint pictures using thread.  ALL of them warned that this is addictive, and now that I've tried it myself, I can honestly say THEY'RE RIGHT!!!!!

Today, we are making a butterfly for The Butterfly Project using just scraps and some thread.  I used some 4" charm squares I had in my stash.  You can use a repurposed sheet or pillowcase as a base, a large scrap of material, or muslin.

Take 2 pieces of fabric, and place them wrong sides (backs) together.  I used a patterned fabric for both sides because that's what I had in my stash.  Feel free to use whatever suits your fancy.

Now you'll need the template.  Right click the image below, select copy, then paste it into your favorite editing software.  I used PowerPoint, but you could even paste it into Word.   Resize as necessary to fit your scraps.  Remember, our butterflies for the Butterfly Project should be no bigger than 8" x 10".

If you'd prefer, you can make your own template from scratch, or find a different butterfly shape in a coloring book or online.  It's your butterfly.

Because of the size of my fabric pieces, I made my butterflies about 3 1/4" across at the tips of the top wings.  After printing my butterfly on plain old regular paper, I cut it out and traced it onto my fabric.  I "fussy cut" my butterfly, because I wanted those little pink flowers to be on her lower wings.  For those who are new to sewing and quilting, fussy cutting means positioning your pieces to take advantage of elements in your fabric.  Usually, it's done with floral fabrics to really make certain flowers stand out.  It's one of those little details that makes the difference between handcrafted and homemade.

So this is where the fun really begins.  Next, we'll add some decorative lines.  You can use any color of thread, any stitch you'd like.  Instead of coloring in the lines, we are going to make the lines! I used the stitch for the straight sides of a buttonhole.  You can use straight stitching, zigzag, a decorative stitch - whatever you think will really make your butterfly show its personality.

Start with just the outline of the butterfly.  Go slowly around the curves.  If you are one of those really brave souls, you can drop your feed dogs.  I'm not that brave - I just drove slowly.  It's just like the curve of the inseam of the Little Boy Shorts we made in January except it's smaller and tighter.  Feel free to leave your needle in and lift your presser foot to do some of the turns if you want some really crisp points.  That's what I did.

Don't be afraid if you make an oops (see how mine has that line that kind of heads off into space).  Remember, these butterflies represent children.  What would a child do?  They'd change their minds, and call it a brilliant inspiration!  You should do the same, and embrace a little spontaneity.  I decided I liked the outline of the "head" better with the shape of the oops.  If I didn't, that's ok, because in the end, when we cut these out, it would magically disappear.  No fretting, no tears.

So to do the actual thread painting part, I highly recommend a really tight zigzag (like a buttonhole) for filling in.  It will give you a bit more precision, and if you have gaps that you want to go back and fill in, it can't be beat.  Here is what mine looked like when I started to fill her in.

See how I was able to keep those two flowers on the lower wings?  Just make an outline, then work your way around, from the outside in.  Keep your stitches as close together as possible.  It can be a bit tricky, just take your time.

Fill in as much or as little as you want.  Maybe you want to outline something?  Use a straight stitch for that.  If I wanted to highlight the stems of these flowers, that's what I'd use.  Maybe you are good at hand embroidery.  You could add French knots to centers of the flowers, or make polka dots on your butterfly that way.

If you want to paint with more than one color, think back to what we learned about choosing fabrics that coordinate (here and here).  You may be fortunate enough to have the colors on the selvage.  Choose some of these.  Or choose a color from within the fabric that you want to highlight.  I love those little pink flowers so much that I used a hot pink.  I also picked a bright orange because that's the complementary color for blue on the color wheel.  Plus it looks rockin' awesome with the pink because they are analogous (think reds and oranges).

I also wanted you to see the back.  I use a white bobbin when I sew - probably 90% of the time.  If I wanted, because of the stitch I chose, I could EASILY have used a thread color in my bobbin that coordinated with the fabrics on the back.  Just something to think about.

I thought it was kind of ironic, that without even trying, I managed to get two little pink flowers on the lower wings on the back, too.  Maybe I should buy a lottery ticket today?

Here she is from the front, just before I cut her free.

Use really REALLY sharp scissors to release your butterfly from her fabric cocoon.  You want to cut as close as possible to the stitching without cutting through the stitching.  I used my good sharp sewing scissors, and did a lot of cutting with them only half-closed.  Down around her little bum and in between her upper and lower wings, I used the tips to be sure to get all the way into those tiny points.

Oh, and be sure to trim all your threads!  Neatness counts!

And here she is again - ready for her flight to Houston!

Again, PLAY with this and have a lot of fun!

Make one or a dozen.  Send them off as part of our March Craftivism Challenge.  Make a bunch, and use them to build a baby's mobile.  Decorate your windows, or add a wire and insert the butterfly in some silk flowers.  Use the same technique to make some flowers, or bumblebees, or anything you feel like making!  Use your new creations as patches on jeans or purses or skirts.  Use them to embellish a headband.

PLAY and have fun!

March Craftivism Challenge - The Butterfly Project

One day when I was a child, my mom and I ran into a family friend she'd known most of her life growing up...

He was an older gentleman, seemed kind of frail.  They chatted away for a few minutes, hugged, and then we left.  While they were talking, I noticed a really strange tattoo on his arm, and I asked my mother about it on the way home in the car.  She explained he was a survivor of the Holocaust, and that the tattoo was his number when he was in the concentration camp.  Now, I think I was only in 3rd or 4th grade, and we had not studied the Holocaust yet in school, nor had I read The Diary of Anne Frank.  Of course, when you learn about the horrors of the camps, it is very difficult to even imagine, and even more difficult to think of the children who were in the camps - some surviving, some executed.

So fast forward to the present...

After responding to a comment by one of my lovely readers and visiting her blog, I noticed the following button on her sidebar:










Here's the scoop:  In an effort to remember the innocent children who perished in the Holocaust, The Holocaust Museum in Houston is endeavoring to collect 1.5 million handmade butterflies that will then be displayed in the Spring of 2014.  These are the rules from the HmH:

This project may be completed by all ages as individuals or groups.

• Butterflies should be no larger than 8 inches by 10 inches. 
• Butterflies may be of any medium the artist chooses, but two-dimensional submissions are preferred.
• NO glitter or glitter-related products (i.e., glitter glue, etc.).
• NO food products (cereal, macaroni, candy, marshmallows or other perishables).
• If possible, e-mail a photograph of your butterflies, to butterflyproject@hmh.org.

Please send/bring your butterflies to the Museum by December 31, 2012, with the following information included:

• Your name,
• Your group or organization,
• Your address,
• Your e-mail address, and
• The total number of butterflies sent.

Mail or bring your butterflies to:
            Holocaust Museum Houston
            Butterfly Project
            Education Department
            5401 Caroline Street
            Houston, TX 77004
            USA

For questions or additional information, please e-mail butterflyproject@hmh.org.

I really hope you'll join us on this one!  This is a great activity to do with scout groups and Sunday school classes.  You think of some ways to make butterflies, and I'll think of some, too, and we'll make them together.  Project(s) to be posted soon - stay tuned!

And of course, I'll have a link at the end of March so we can share our projects...

Craftivism Challenge Link-Up

Here we are already at the end of Feburary!  Time to show and share about your beautiful HeartScarves.  Remember, mail them to:

WomenHeart HeartScarves Program

c/o Big Show Fulfillment

1525 Gin Road

Gold Hill, NC 28071

Thanks again for all your efforts!

February Craftivism Challenge - Knit HeartScarf Pattern

Let's practice our knitting skills some more, and learn something new...

You will need about 3 balls of Lion Brand Hometown Yarn (or similar super bulky yarn) in red.  Just make sure your bulky yarn is red for the HeartScarf project.  Lion Brand has Tampa Spice or Cincinatti Red in the Hometown.  Red Heart has Red Heart Chunky in Berry Breeze (which appears to be reds and hot pinks on the screen).  I am using a red super bulky which was donated to me by a friend, and the amount is approximately 8 ounces.  You can also hold together 2 strands of worsted weight yarn in red.

You will also need chunky size needles.  Mine are 17's.  I think you could use anything size 13 or above.

So let's start with the basics.  Start by casting on 12.

So the pattern goes like this:
Row 1 (and all odd rows):  Knit across
Row 2 (and all even rows):  K2, p8, k2.  The k2's on each row keep your scarf from curling in on itself.

This pattern (knit one row, purl one row) is called stockinette stitch.  This produces the texture we usually associate with a knit item.  The Special Olympics Scarf we made in November and the dishcloth we made in December are all knit.  This is called garter stitch.  If you ever see these terms in a pattern in the future, you'll know what the designer has intended.  Let me show you a couple samples so you can see what I mean.

This is the back of my scarf (in progress).  It has all the loops/bumps.  This is what garter stitch looks like on both sides.

This is the front of my scarf (in progress).  It has the smooth columns of v's.  This is what stockinette stitch looks like.

Did you catch my crazy trick?  I have made projects in stockinette stitch in the past.  While making them, I would {NEVER} be interruped and then, of course, would {NEVER} forget whether I was knitting or purling.  NEVER - HA!  So, I find a way to mark one of my needles to represent the purl.  In this case, I happen to have 2 sets of size 17's in 2 different colors.  I use the purple for the purl.  You can put a piece of painters' tape or masking tape on the head of your needle, mark a plastic needle with a Sharpie, whatever works for you.

Continue knitting and purling until desired length (60"), knit one row and bind off.

Now, one of the neat things about stockinette stitch is that you can use the v's to do cross-stitch on.  You can stitch on stripes, or shapes (like a heart), or a monogram.  That's if you want to.  I chose not to do that this time.  By the way, if you want the LOOK of argyle (you know, all those really cool diamonds with the intersecting lines), but don't want to try to knit it - think cross-stitch!

If you'd like a fancier border, you can crochet around the edges (like we did for our cup cozy).

Add fringe if you want to. You could use a thinner/lighter weight red for the fringe.

If you need a practical present in a hurry, these are GREAT!  Make a bunch in different colors for all your friends and relations.  Or, make a bunch, then stitch them together to make a nice throw.  Use the basic stockinette pattern with a longer chain to make a baby afghan.  Use smaller needles and lighter yarn or use multiple strands of yarn and Speed Stix (size 50's).

Next weekend, I'll have a linky up again, so we can link to each others' projects.  Come back and link up!

Have fun knitting!

January Craftivism Challenge - Round-up

Well, we've spent the last 3 weeks making pillowcases, Little Dresses and Little Boy Shorts.



These are my pillowcases (all 12 of them) - they are headed to Children's Memorial Hospital in Chicago.

Now it's time to show off what you've made, and tell us where your goodies are headed!  Sorry, no photo thumbnails, but you can list your blog, or a link to Flickr or other photosharing website.  Be sure to go visit others who've worked hard for these challenges, and leave them some blog love!

Here we go!




Thanks so much for your participation!

Tea for Tuesday - Knit Heart Mug Mat and Tutorial

A great project to boost your new knitting skills, make as a gift for someone special, or keep for your favorite cup of java.

So how cute is this little mug mat?!

We'll practice the knit stitch (k), learn to purl (p), follow a "real" pattern, and how to weave in your beginning tail.  Before we begin, though, if you are left-handed, READ THIS:

***LEFT-HANDED DISCLAIMER***

We are going to use this pattern from FaveCrafts.com.  If you need a pattern for a project, FaveCrafts is the place to go to get one free.  They have everything from sewing to knitting to crocheting and more.  Go check them out sometime when you have a chance.

For this project, you will need:
1 ball of cotton worsted weight yarn (like Sugar-n-Cream), your choice of colors (I used a hot pink)
Size 6 needles (I used 7's)
Size D crochet hook
yarn needle
piece of scrap cardboard
ruler
scissors

Following the pattern, cast on 19 stitches.

The first row of the pattern is just a plain knit stitch (k), but here's where you start to weave in that leftover tail of yarn.  Start by knitting 1 stitch.

Flip tail yarn away from you, towards the back of the work.  Knit 1 more stitch.

Flip the tail back toward you.  Continue moving the tail back and forth between stitches until you are about half way across the row.   Finish knitting the row, then knit 2 more rows.

So this is where our next new stitch comes in.  Start by knitting 9 stitches.

The next stitch is a purl (p).  Begin by bringing your working yarn forward to the front of your piece.

Insert the right needle into the loop on the left needle from right to left, on the front side of the needle.

Loop working yarn UNDER the right needle.

Pull through the loop on the needle.  Slide old loop off the left needle.  It's just like a knit stitch, but in reverse.  By working k's and p's, the yarn creates "bumps" on one side and a smooth side (what we typically recognize as a knitted texture) on the other.  Switching back and forth allows the knitter to control where the bumps are, which in this pattern, creates the little heart.

By the way, when I first learned to purl, I CONSTANTLY would lose my stitch off my needle.  If this happens to you, DON'T PANIC!  Just slide your left needle CAREFULLY back into the little loop and try again.  Keep trying until you get it - remember, practice patience and persistence.

Now you will knit the other 9 stitches across the row.  I know just making 1 purl stitch isn't going to teach you how to do it very well, so that's why this pattern is really great.  Continue following the pattern, working k's and p's as directed.  After 6 rows, you'll start to see the bottom of the heart.

After 12 rows, it's starting to really shape up!

Since this pattern does involve some accurate counting, be sure to mark your pattern as needed to keep track of your progress.

Before you know it, you'll be all the way to the top!  Bind off and fasten off.  Use your yarn needle or crochet hook to weave the loose end in on the back side.  If you need to, use the hook to pull the beginning tail to the back side, too.

Now if you want, you can stop here.  The mug mat in the original pattern photo has fringe, and if you'd like to add fringe to yours, here's how to do it.

Cut a rectangle from scrap cardboard (think cereal box - I used a leftover butter box) that's approximately 5" long.  It doesn't have to be exact - it's not like it's a heat shield tile on the space shuttle.

Wrap the yarn around the rectangle LENGTHWISE 19 times, ending when you get back to the top of the rectangle on the back side.

Remove the cardboard.

Snip the top loops with scissors.

Snip the bottom loops.

To add this fringe to your mug mat, insert your crochet hook from BACK TO FRONT in the corner of the base row.

Loop one of the fringies over the hook.

Pull through, then loop the tails over the hook.

Pull those through the loop on your hook.  Pull tight.

It should look like this.

Work across both the base row and the top row.

When you get all the way across, both rows, use a ruler to trim your fringe.

And then you are all done.  Now, you can knit anything - all knitting is knits, purls, and yarn overs/unders - even cables.  Aren't you just so talented and clever!  Make one of these or a dozen.  Make them in all reds, pinks and whites for St. Valentine's Day.  Make them with larger needles, in pastels, and stitch them together to make a cute baby afghan.  Make a bunch in a friend's favorite color, and stitch them together to make her a throw for her birthday or a scarf for Christmas.  Quite a lot of versatility for a little heart!

Enjoy your newest knitting stitch!