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Hi guys! This post is a little late in coming because I’m away, but here’s a little something regardless. : )
I claimed Craftster user Rangerbeth for fruit cozies and an eye pillow. Here’s what I came up with:
Pattern: This one from I think I’m gonna purl.
Yarn: Lily Sugar and Cream cotton
Needles: US 7/4.5 mm dpns
Mods: I made the blue one smaller to fit smaller applies, peaches, and plums.
They’re cute! If I ate apples with any regularity, I might make some for myself.
(Note: This picture is courtesy of Rangerbeth because I brilliantly forgot to photograph these.)
I also whipped up some eye/neck/back pillows. They’re filled with rice and a little bit of lavender soap and you can put them in the microwave or the freezer to heat or cool your aches and pains. I might make some for myself cause they were so easy and they’re perfect for using up small scraps of fabric (you could quilt them too). The rice is contained in a smaller bag inside the pretty fabric. I used t-shirt scraps because I didn’t want the rice to leak out all over.
I really LOVE how these came out and I think they’d also make great gifts, so I’ll definitely be making more. Plus, they’re top-stitched. Everything looks better with top stitching. ALSO, I bothered the iron the fabric, which was basically amazing. I love the iron.
I also got my package from the person that claimed me, but as it is at home and I am not, pictures of that will have to wait. I may have other FO’s coming up though, including a tank top.
With the extra fabric I got in my epically awesome rainbow swap package, I made a zipper pouch:
I left the image large so you can see the awesome fabric. : )
It’s a pretty simple design, the pouch, used a zipper I had in the stash that I bought in a bunch from an Etsy seller several months ago and for the lining, I used some of the flowered sheet I still have TONS of. The pouch currently holds all of the stuff that had been floating around the bottom of my purse: Chapstick, lotion, hair ties, band-aids, and that sort of thing. It’s just the right size and I got to use every inch of the fabric so I get to admire it every time I pull the bag out of my purse. : )
In other (knitting news), I’ve finished the knitting on Climbing Vines and now I’m just waiting for the pieces to dry so I can sew it all together. I currently have a tank top on the needles (more about that later) and I’ll have pictures of something I knit for a friend’s birthday as soon as she takes them (I forgot). Tomorrow I’ll have a post about a totally unrelated craft.
More on the Ongoing Wish Swap: I had two claims in a short-ish period of time, and since they both received, here is what I made:
For Leighi123, a crochet sandwich:
I used random scraps of acrylic yarn I had lying around and made up some patterns. There’s lettuce, cheese, hard boiled eggs, onion rings, and pickles. I really like how everything came out. : ) Also, I got to use up some scrap yarn.
and a tote bag for her son to use for the library:
I used the legs from some old jeans to make the bag and strap and some other fabric for the shark, which I glued on cause I hate sewing appliques. I love how this thing came out. I didn’t bother to line it since it’s just going to hold books, but like I said, I love it. I’d have wanted to keep it if I needed another tote bag.
And for AbbyRose, a paintbrush roll
Used some Houndstooth and some orange fabric I’ve had forever. The construction was pretty easy since I’ve made a bunch of this type of thing. There’s some interfacing in it like she requested so the bristles of her paintbrushes wouldn’t bend. I also included some felt and some kool-aid for dyeing, but I don’t think you guys really need pictures of those things. : )
I’m still waiting on another OWS package and also a rainbow swap package, so that’s coming soon. Also, I’m still plugging away on the Climbing Vines sweater (it’s taking FOREVER and I’m not sure why), but the last sleeve is ALMOST done. Then it just needs blocking and sewing and it will be ready to show.
So I recently participated in the Rainbow Swap on Craftster.org. Unfortunately, my partner seems to have flaked on me, though she has until Friday to contact someone before the organizers of the swap get an angel (someone else on Craftster to make me a package and in return, they get Friend of Crafster status for a year).
Since I am sure she received my package (which I’m kind of bummed about) I’ll go ahead and show you what I made for her:
Fingerless mitts using Peaches and Cream in fiesta and some black Simply Soft
Crochet bracelet that took me a while and I liked, so I’m pissed I gave it to someone who flaked on the swap.
Little pouch I wasn’t using anyway.
Shrinky-Dink jewelry, which I’m really pissed about because I love how it came out and the ring was a bit of a PITA to get right. Rawr.
I also sent her a couple of extras, like shoe laces, the rest of the Peaches and Creme yarn, an a flashy light up thing. Hopefully I’ll get an awesome angel and I won’t feel quite as bummed.
At long last, the items for the Craft my Wish Swap on Craftster have been sent and received by the intended parties, and I have finally received my final package from sg1psychopath, which came all the way from Great Britain and somehow managed to do that is less time than it took for Nikimac’s package to get from Virginia to Washington. *shrug*
Anyway, here’s what I got from sg1psychopath:
Sweet buttons (the red ones will probably go on my version of Lilith, which I think I’m just going to design myself), a phone holder, which I will make an honest effort to use, a bookmark, a little box with shells (which she didn’t make but had around) and a pillow cover, which doesn’t have a pillow in because she (understandably) wanted to save on shipping, and one of these days, I’ll just haul my ass to Michael’s to get my own pillow form.
And here is what I made for my partners:
For Nikimac:
A little itsy-bitsy sweater for her baby due in July:
I’m so excited I got to make this. : ) I used Lion Brand Cotton-Ease, US 10/6mm needles and the 5 Hour Baby Boy Sweater pattern. It’s so tiny and so cute! Now I want to make a ton of baby sweaters. : )
Also, this little earflap hat for her two-year-old son:
I freehanded the pattern top-down using US 7/4.5mm dpns, red Ella Rae Class wool, and blue Lion Wool. The earflaps were picked up after casting off, and there’s a border of single crochet around everything. I love this hat too because it’s cute and tiny.
And also this kickass apron:
Oh my God… This apron. It is my opus. Okay, not really. But it WAS extremely frustrating and turned out extremely AWESOME. I am kind of sad I don’t cook and therefore have absolutely NO use for any such thing because I really love it. Niki really loves it though, so that’s good. : )
I was going for a retro sort of look, and I think I got it. I found the fabric at Walmart on the day before send out (yep, I did this all the night before, as I do everything) for $1.50 a yard and bought a yard. And I used every inch. The white bits are pieces from various t-shirt scraps. The ruffle at the bottom was extremely frustrating and I did not enjoy sewing it on and poor Mary, my sewing machine, did not enjoy sewing it on either. She does not like knit fabric. Nor did she like this this, seersucker-ish fabric that the main bit of the apron is made of. But she pulled through like a champ, and it looks awesome. I am SO SO proud of this thing.
For JanelleJ:
Amigurumi Fruits and Veggies:
With faces! Cute. Had to put these off til the last minute because I lack food-colored yarn at school. Fail. I actually intended to make many more of these than I actually did, but I ran out of time and also desire. And food colored yarn. So I have a pear, a lemon (which I made up and did NOT use a pattern for, even though there’s one on Ravelry), and an orange which actually looks more like a peach and I guess it doesn’t matter which. Pretty basic patterns.
A stuffed elephant:
I improvised this design using Vanna’s Choice, left over from Talia way back. It’s based on the crochet elephants I used to make, and I definitely like the knit design much better. Mostly because I prefer knitting and find it’s much faster and much less annoying. *shrug* I think this little guy came out looking pretty cute though. : )
Headbands for her two-month-old:
Basically some elastic and some fabric scraps. These were definitely a last minute decision, and I, of course, made them Thursday night. I like how them came out though. They were very simple, and I would definitely make them again given an occasion.
Decorated Notebooks:
The smaller one I got in a previous swap but knew I would never use, so I slapped on a carrot (one of her desire themes/motifs) and called it a day. The other one I am MUCH more fond of, but I went through a couple different octopuses before settling on that one. I think that one is adorable though. The paper inside of it is the innards from a small notebook that was missing a cover. So I glued some black construction paper to the spine, slapped on an octopus, and called it a day.
And because I didn’t make anything large like the apron I made for Nikimac, I also threw in two skeins of Bernat Matrix and two spools of ribbon. You don’t need pictures of those.
I’ll be honest. I picked the Matrix because I wanted it out of the stash. I have no regrets.
So yesterday, as a lovely end to a fairly crappy day, I received one of two packages for the Craft my Wish swap on Craftster. This was something of a nontraditional swap in that the people/person you craft for are/is not the people/person you receive from. I’ll show you what I sent off in a later post, but here I’ll show you what I got from Craftster user zcrafter:
A holder for my circular needles, a drawstring bag, and a vintage knitting magazine full of sweaters. I haven’t really flipped through the magazine yet, but I’m thinking it will be interesting and maybe have some cute vintage-y patterns. : )
I had a bit of sewing-related inspiration recently, so I sewed up a couple of things, one of which you can purchase and keep and own for yourself.
First: Coffee Cozy number one:
(That last one is the backing fabric.)
There was a bit of trial and error involved in getting the pattern right, but I like how it came out. Two pieces of scrap fabric and a piece of cotton quilt batting, a hair tie, and a button. I wish I’d have sewn the button on before I sewed the whole thing together, but I love how this came out anyway. Also, it’s topstitched, and I love things with topstitching. Also, I love both of these fabrics, which I’ve had forever.
Second: Coffee Cozy number two:
Same pattern as the last one but I attempted to machine sew on the buttons (without a button foot). It came out… Interestingly. I like it a lot, actually, but unfortunately, my bobbin went a little screwy so the back is all messed up, so I can’t sell this extra one. : ( Also, I used a piece of a t-shirt scrap, part of a curtain I bought at the thrift store a while ago, and the quilt batting. And a hair tie (cut in half) and some buttons. : )
Third: Iron Maiden Tote Bag
And this is the item you can own for yourself! If you love Iron Maiden or if you know someone who does, this would be the perfect gift for them (or you):
A Hot Topic tee I picked up at Rugged Wearhouse for like four dollars (in the kids’ section… win) and some stiff canvas-like fabric. The straps are from a roll of thick fabric ribbon that I got from Target after Christmas.
If you’d like this bag in your possession, you can pick it up here on Artfire.
Coming up soon: Swap things and perhaps the Button Me Up/Superman Sweater which now measures 12.5″. Why yes, I do knit almost constantly. : )
I finally received my tree swap package from Lunakitten on Craftster.
Let me just say it is fucking amazing:
These AWESOME paintings on BOOK PAGES. Seriously, I am in awe. Until I obtain frames, they’re just chilling on my desk, but I’m totally going to frame them because they’re amazing.
Tote bag. HUGE totebag. I could fit myself in this totebag. It is awesome. I shall carry everything I own in it. Or at least use it for my books. : )
This BITCHIN’ box, which currently houses my button collection, meager though it is (my button collection, I mean. The box is kickass).
Sweet stitch markers to add to my collection. These are so pretty!
Thanks a ton to my super AWESOME swap partner, Lunakitten. So much win!!
And here’s what I sent her:
Pillow cover made from a bedsheet, random brown wool yarn, Red Heart yarn, and hair ties. The tree is freehand crochet (I made it up as I went along) and the cover is removable but buttons together with two crocheted buttons that secure via cannibalized hair tie.
Another pillow cover. Made with a thrifted curtain, brown stretch knit fabric with houndstooth on one side, an old green tank top, part of a white t-shirt, the leg of some old jeans, a button, and a hairtie. Basically, I took parts from all the old clothes I had in my fabric stash. She (and her son) seem to really like this one and I am thrilled because I wasn’t thrilled with how it came out (though I guess it came out alright). It was fiddly as hell to sew the tree on there, and my sewing machine did not enjoy sewing through denim. I actually sent her two covers and one pillow form, so she could change them out as she saw fit, but apparently she just got another pillow form so she could display both. : )
Made from a curtain, a cereal box, white paper, t-shirt scraps, awesome glue, ribbon, and dental floss. I did a bit of searching to find how the hell to do this, but I mostly just made it up. It was pretty easy, but if anyone wants a tut, let me know, and I’ll see what I can do.
http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v447/EssenceJaded/Crafting/?action=view¤t=2103.jpg
Possibly my favorite papercraft thing I’ve ever made ever. I just used construction paper and computer paper. I think they came out wonderfully, even though holepunching for the autumn tree took a VERY long time. I love how it came out though. Also, look at the cute little bird on the spring tree:
So cute.
The gallery for this swap is located here if you want to see more trees.
And because I forgot to mention it before, the gallery for the quotes swap is here in case you want to see more quote crafts.
(Hey Teach pictures are coming… eventually. I promise.)
I finally received my swap package from Rockmygypsysoul on Crafster, and it is rockin’:
KICKASS tote:
Sweet coasters:
Stitch markers:
She used almost all of my quotes between the bag and the coasters, and the bag has such a great shape. Because I know you can’t read it, the quotes on the bag are:
“The one you love and the one that loves you are never ever the same person.” (Invisible Monsters)
“You know that old saying about how you always hurt the one you love? Well, it goes both ways.” (Fight Club)
“We are not special. We’re not crap or trash either, we just are. We just are, and what happens just happens.” (Fight Club)
And now, here are the things I sent to her:
Notebook made completely from scratch (recycled cardboard, white paper, decorations from stash). Interestingly (I think anyway) it’s sewn together with dental floss–I wanted something stronger than thread but didn’t want to buy anything new. Stash item ftw.
A set of notecards made from computer paper and construction paper. The quote on them is “You are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think. But the most important thing is, even if we’re apart, I will always be with you.” (AA Milne). They were lots of fun to make.
And finally:
Tote bag made from red houndstooth fabric, a flowery bedsheet (the lining), and felt. I used this awesome-strong fabric glue so I didn’t have to fiddle with sewing on the letters, though I did cut them out free hand. The quote that this goes with is from the West Wing and is something to the effect of, “Victory is mine! Victory is mine! Bring me the finest muffins and bagels in all the land!” The muffin is a t-shirt scrap and a scrap from a thrifted curtain.
Stay tuned for one more swap, which is finishing up soon.
Before I get to the pictures, here’s an update: I have completely finished Hey Teach, buttons and everything. Still need to photograph it (that’ll happen soon), but in the mean time, I have plenty of other things to post over the next week or so. I sent out one of two swap packages and am expecting mine any day now, so look for that post probably Monday.
But as for now: Two things I’ve done recently and (OMG!) how you can get them in your possession.
First: ADCD tote bag!
Made from an ACDC t-shirt I purchased at Rugged Warehouse and some fabric I purchased at Walmart. It’s 15″ by 15.5″ with a squared bottom and the straps are 16″ tall. It’s totally machine washable and very sturdy. It also has a line of blue topstitching around the top of the bag.
This totebag, perfect for an ACDC fan, is available here on Etsy and here on Artfire.
Item number two: Another dpn/pencil/crochet hook roll.
This is made from cotton houndstooth fabric and a thrifted Barney bedsheet. It has eight pockets, six of which are an inch across and two of which are two inches across. It ties securely with ties made of t-shirt scraps.
This little organizer would be perfect for dpns, crochet hooks, pens, pencils, paint brushes or colored pencils for yourself or as a girl. It’s available here on Artfire.
Stay tuned for more crafts, including Hey Teach, a hat, and the swap.
Stitch, Brinn, Stitch! 
