jim

jim
Originally uploaded by Adaiha

Our kitty Jim just turned ten this month. This was his way of celebrating. Come to think of it, this is how he celebrates pretty much every milestone!

pretty chain link

Lace fence is brought to the United States and Canada exclusively through Droog. Hostility versus kindness, industry versus craft.
Originally uploaded by LYNfabrikken

I wouldn't mind our chain link fence if it looked like this one! More pictures here!

I'm on vacation this week! Yay. It has been a long couple of months, and some bad things have happened. But then again, so have some good things. How are you?

red shoes

red shoes
Originally uploaded by Adaiha

tiny granny hexagon

tiny granny hexagon
Originally uploaded by Adaiha

sci fi paperbacks

Old sci fi paperbacks have the best covers. I've scanned some of my favorites and added them to this flickr set. I wish I knew who the artists were, but in most cases, they aren't indicated. Why did the covers of paperbacks have to become so boring? Check out these newly released covers by designer Sanda Zahirovic. Pretty cool!

happy fathers day!

Because I know all your dad wants for Father's Day is a pillowcase embroidered with this oh-so-manly design, it is yours for the taking.

See my flickr set of embroidery transfers for the really cool Alice Brooks castle design above and lots of cute little test patterns. Somehow even if I hate every other design in the package, I love the test pattern. I have lots more vintage transfers--I seem to find unmarked bags of them every time I go to a yard sale or thrift store! I'll scan some to share from time to time!

featured on one pretty thing!

:)
Originally uploaded by Adaiha

My granny square blanket was featured on One Pretty Thing's Flickr Friends Roundup! I'm so excited about it! I love this site and always check it out to find cool new projects. :)

Sorry for the blog absence this week. Work is kicking my ass!

giveaway winner!!!

Thanks for all of the great comments! Random.org has selected Lane from Sometimes Maybe as the winner!

I had a lot of fun participating in giveaway day. Check back, this will be at least a monthly occurrence!

If you didn't win and still want something neat, consider participating in my pay it forward post. I still need two people to sign up!!

cross stitch kit giveaway!

I'm participating in Sew Mama Sew's May Giveaway Day! Leave a comment on this post by May 31st, and I'll choose a winner at random to receive my handmade "Tiny Village" cross-stitch kit and a random assortment of cross-stitch and embroidery goodies! Be sure to leave your email address or blog link so that I will have a way to contact you when you win!

the granny square throw is complete!

I'm so happy with the way this turned out! You should know that "neutral" is not part of my vocabulary. Below is how it will look most of the time but probably on the couch instead of the bed. I used the "join as you go" method to put this together (check out sarah london textiles' flickr set with super clear step-by-step instructions for doing this), and I added a row of each color used in the squares for the border. I need to block it, but I'm not in a hurry!

Bonus shot of the quilt I made a couple of years ago from scraps of vintage bedsheets and pillow cases.

fabric covered floss bobbins & new fabric

I've seen these in a few places before, but The Small Object's tutorial was what made me get motivated to make some. I made a template, scanned it, and printed out multiples on the large side of a cereal box I had cut up. This meant no tracing. Yay. I have a bunch more cut out to make later.

And here is my very own almost complete collection of Heather Ross "Far Far Away" fat quarters. I can't wait to figure out what I'm going to make with this!

granny squares

I'm so excited because my granny squares were featured on One Pretty Thing! I have been working feverishly on completing my blanket this weekend, and I am only two rows away. I can't wait to show you the finished product!

Meanwhile, here's some crochet inspiration from my flickr favorites!

1. WIP AranciaBag - teia detail, 2. My Granny blanket, 3. hexagon work in progres, 4. Crochet Mushroom, 5. "Sunset" Crocheted Circular baby blanket II, 6. 71/2009: Crochet Inspiration, 7. Crochet granny's, 8. j o i n i n g, 9. making.it.up.as.I.go, 10. crochet skirt, 11. Crochet cuffs, 12. patch pillow, 13. calypso stripes com, 14. Green Maryjane crocheted slippers, 15. Crochet flowers

crochet newsboy cap

I used the "Soon Come" pattern from Get Your Crochet On: Hip Hats & Cool Caps. The book has great instructions with clear photos which was a great help for a beginner like me. I used a bulky wool blend yarn in several colors that I have had stashed for a few years. The hat turned out too big (because of the bulky yarn) until I washed it with hot water for a cycle or two. Now it is perfect!


On to the pictures!

Finished:


Unsnapped:


Top:


Top (pre-felting):


Pre-Felting:


I love it!

neat projects

katamari-ish pattern at berroco

bitty bug pincushion at goody goody handmade

storage basket pattern at jcaroline creative

granny squares

I love making these. This first picture is a pillow cover I made. The granny squares in the following photos are going to be made into a blanket soon...

I'm using the "join as you go" method. The most clear tutorial I have found is this photo set from sarah london textiles. Instead of sewing each square to the next, you use the last row of each to connect it to the whole. I love the way it looks!

ripple pattern from Attic24

Ripplesome Ripples
Originally uploaded by Attic24

I love this easy to follow, photo-filled tutorial for crocheting ripples!

flower girl pen holder

flower girl pen holder
Originally uploaded by Adaiha

Another thrift store find. Kind of cute and yet kind of creepy.

more crochet

I'm crocheting basket with all of the tshirt yarn I have left over from the rug. I'm not really happy with the way the colors look together on this one, but I don't really want to start over either. It looks better in the picture than it does for real. Maybe I will like it better when it is complete.

I'm very much a beginner at crochet, even though I've known how to make a chain stitch since I was old enough to hold a crochet hook. No matter how many times my mom showed me, I couldn't get past it and only recently taught myself to take it any further. I want to make something like Wunderkammer's Scupltural Crochet Primer on SuperNaturale. I love how this looks like a display of a stuffed animal's internal organs or maybe weird parts of stitched sea creatures. What a great tutorial!

pay it forward

The first three people to leave a comment on this post will receive a hand made gift from me!!!

The only thing you have to do to participate is carry on the gift giving to three more people. As soon as you have left a comment do a "pay it forward post" on your blog and continue the giving!!

crochet rug made from tshirts

I knew from the moment I saw this tutorial on CraftStylish that I wanted to make a crochet tshirt rug.

I used eleven tshirts for this. At first I did cut them all into continuous strips like in the tutorial, but the second half I cut up in strips of rings with my rotary cutter and joined all of the strips. I don't know which method is more time consuming. They're probably about the same. I made the whole thing yesterday, from cutting to crocheting, so it is a pretty quick project. My colorful rug is 26" in diameter, and I think it is going to replace the ugly neutral one I have in my bathroom now. I think it should be pretty easy to run through the wash and shouldn't shed all over my washing machine like the old one did. Maybe someday I'll make a huge one, but I'm far more likely to finish a project if it can all be done in one day!

dorothy moore's pattern drafting and dressmaking

dorothy moore's pattern drafting and dressmaking, originally uploaded by Adaiha.

This is one of my favorite finds from this year's Friends of the Library book sale. I have yet to use the book to actually draft a pattern, but the illustrations are awesome. The clothes they picture remind me of the old sewing patterns my mom owns and Barbie clothes she used to make for me.

vintage cups and glasses

vintage cups and glasses, originally uploaded by Adaiha.

My favorite is the Sabrina the Teenage Witch one in the forefront. It must have been a jelly jar or something because it has a little stamp on the bottom.

Since I'm from Tennessee, I was excited to add this one to my collection.

captain picard embroidered portrait

captain picard embroidered portrait, originally uploaded by Adaiha.

I need to do some more embroidery. With all of the work that I have been doing for my actual job lately, I feel like there's never any time to do anything for fun. Here's something I made a couple of years ago. I think I made the pattern from a star trek coloring book.

I worked this mostly in split stitch, with a little backstitching for the small details. I have a few more sci-fi themed pieces that I need to put on the walls, too! Look at all of those smudgey fingerprints on the frame. How embarrassing!