Art, Craft and Needlework, January, 2015

[Twins' Mom]

Bookie, I agree on keeping it simple. Last month I put together kids crafts for the Hanukkah party at temple and I thought I was keeping it pretty simple - I had Hanukkah coloring pages which were a bit hit, a Hannukah paper craft which was too much for most kids to focus on, a popsicle stick craft with glue (which the boys played with) and then the star of the evening - gold Hanukkah tatoos. I really needed help and dd came over too late really to help much.

[FelineFriend]

I've woven in loose ends on DGD-2's Empire dress. Now I'm starting to attack the skirt in a contrasting variegated baby colors Bernat Baby Sport. The bodice, the tie, and heart pocket and trim will be in white. It's going to be a very, very cute and pretty dress! I've decided to:
1- Give DGD the variegated plum-purple-rose pinafore dress I've crocheted her,
2- Give her this Empire dress, I'm currently crocheting her,
3- Will try to crochet her a pastel yellow pinafore dress, with flower buttons on the yoke....

My "idea" is to take this Empire dress pattern, make it in March, using larger hooks, and it'll be a larger dress, than the 24-months size, the pattern has the max directions for. This way, DGD will have a dress to grow into.

[Nancy]

I finished the yellow toddler size sweater got the zipper put in today.

[Nancy]

Working on the mauve knitting project now.
Hoping to do a sweater for me this time.

One of the workshops I watched on u tube said to start new yarns on the edge for easier working in of ends this could be applied in crochet as well .

[BookSaver]

Last night I finished Fancy Nancy Tea Party project #3: butterfly table decorations.
One of the other volunteers is a quilter, and she found a piece of cotton fabric printed with a variety of butterflies in different colors. She backed the fabric with a solid pastel pink or lavender cotton, with a lightweight interfacing between the layers, and fussy-cut around each butterfly. She also machine sewed a zigzag around the butterfly outlines, but I'm not sure if she did that before she cut them out or after.

They turned out beautifully, and we originally planned to hang them from the ceiling. However, when I mentioned that they turned out so pretty that I wished we could figure out a way to use them as table decorations so the girls could really see them up close, the woman who made them suggested gluing them to popsicle sticks to stand in something. There were 24 butterflies so it only took me about half an hour to glue them on the sticks and lay them out to dry overnight.

(This site's spell checker doesn't like "popsicle" but that's how it's spelled in my Webster's Dictionary ... which, by the way, is dated 1978 but still has a permanent place on my desk shelf.)

Another volunteer is loaning us some tiny white metal buckets, which I think she said a friend used at a wedding reception. We will tie a ribbon around each one and fill them with crayons, then put a fabric-butterfly-on-a-popsicle-stick in each one. We'll probably have 3 tiny buckets on each table, so the tables will be colorful in multiple ways.


I don't think I got around to mentioning some other table decorations. Another volunteer donated pretty papers and cut them with her Cricut machine for paper rosettes, teacups, and little Eiffel Towers. Also paper butterflies to glue to hair clips. I helped fold, assemble, and glue the rosettes and teacups 1 day a couple weeks ago. The girls will be able to keep the hair clips in their goodie bags, but the rest of the paper decorations have already been requested to be loaned to another library for an event they are having.

(Seriously, someone saw a couple pictures on FB and was gutsy enough to call and ask if they can "borrow" the paper decorations after our party. I wonder what the chances are that we'll get any of them back?)

Oh and each girl will be given a fancy cloth drawstring purse to fill with all the party favors. Although I offered to help sew some of the purses, someone's sewing group ended up making them all.

The girls are really getting a lot of stuff to keep in addition to refreshments ... all for only $8!

[FelineFriend]

I start new colors and new skeins of yarns, in the margins of the projects, to avoid a knot in the middle of my piece. It hides them, I can knot them twice, in 2 square knots, pull tightly, and it's on the edges, where I can crochet edgings over the knots or have them inside seams, if it's on clothing.

Also, I DO NOT do this, but.... I read once, how a lady does not knot her yarn ends together, when starting a new skein or color. What she does (this sounds too silly, to me) is she unravels about 3 - 4" of one yarn skein, and 3 - 4" of the other yarn skein, and she twirls both ends together, much like she's a yarn-joining machine, and she makes 1 yarn string, from 2 skeins. I've never done this, because I'm afraid it might unravel. Also, when joining 2 different colors, I felt that the joined section, could possibly show up in the work, caddy-waumpus and look off-centered and totally homemade. I know the point of handmade it just that: handmade, but this method of joining 2 skeins, rather than knotting it in the seam or edge of the pattern, seems ridiculous, to me, IMHO. I don't think it'd work for me.

I got frustrated with the Empire dress. I need TWELVE INCHES on the skirt! I worked and WORKED on Wednesday on the dress, started working fast and furious on it today/Thursday. I went to measure it and only had 3". It is a SC in Ch-1 stitch below, Ch-1, SK next SC, SC in next Ch-1 space, across. It's a very tight weave, which is good for a skirt, on a toddler, because it'll be more rugged and more like a fabric, although it's made from yarn and is crocheted. But it was taking too long. I got out some pink yarn, started working on a shoulder-tie shell-stitch tunic, which is lacey-looking. I like it, also, because the back is the exact carbon copy of the front. I can, if I want to, take a silk flower rose or a couple of button, to decorate the front bodice with, so they can tell the back from the front. OR I can leave any decorations off, so they can wear it both ways. This way, if it should snag or get stained on 1 side, their Dmommy can turn it around, and use the stain-free or snag-free side, as the front.

Also, I decided to make DGS-turning-6-in-Feb. a snake or two. The pattern's free, from Ravelry, and the snake has crocheted eyeballs and a crocheted tongue. What makes this snake unique is how it's a coil, which can wrap easily around the child's wrist, like it's a real snake! It's so adorable in the photo, too. So DGSs will get snakes, hats, and puppets for their upcoming b-days.

I was "talking" to Dsis, via emails. She's having shoulder problems. I told her, in 2010, when I was in P. T. for my shoulder, for 11 months, had surgery, etc... Crochet was my lifesaver! My affected shoulder, was my left shoulder, I'm right-handed, and I was able to write stories, letters, to journal, AND CROCHET! At that time, I had fewer grandsons, so that year, I was able to crochet, to keep my sanity, to cope, and have an escape from pain and the P. T. exercises 2 x daily. I made each grandson an afghan, for Christmas that year. It was cool, to be able to give of my heart, to them, and crocheting sure helped me emotionally that year. It was the Best Focus Ever. I'll never forget how it helped me so much. ♥

[Nancy]

I too do not trust a join unless it is double knotted.
Yesterday re did some knitting again to get the guage right and have a crack on my thumb so I need to take a break from it sigh!

[FelineFriend]

I started a tunic yesterday, for DGD-2. It's in a pretty pastel pink, it ties at the shoulders, and it's so cute. I'm done with side #1, side #2 is identical, and the bodice is HDC in the front loops, for even rows and back loops, for odd rows. It's this way for 4.5". Then, the skirt is shell stitch with 1 DC - Ch-1 - 1DC. The hem has a ruffle, which sets the entire dress off, especially with the cute ties.

The instructions say to lay the 2 sides down, fit it to the measurements on the pattern, and put a damp cloth over it. Then you let it dry, and after it's dry, you sew it together, weave ends in, and it's done.

[Harriet]

Nancy, do you mean you are fighting that dry skin again, or was this a cut? Sorry it's affecting your yarn work.

FFriend, that was such a blessing it was an injury to the side you could allow to rest.

BookSaver, you don't need anyone to tell you this event got a little perfectionism out of all you ladies. (smile) I remember once for VBS our church kept having great ideas for the Bible village theme, and by the time we were ready for the week, we had an entire village made of appliance boxes on the lawn, painted in pastel colors! We were exhausted, but really it was a great time. I hope all of you ladies feel that way about this experience, too.

[Nancy]

Dry skin not fun yep ever since I was a kid in the winter I have had it. Other folks do too seems to be no cure.

Got a seam ripper to replace the one I missplaced,
so glad to find one like, the other only in a diff color.

Thought of what I can use for handles on the bag I sewed up last night. I can use ribbon.