Fiber Crafts « mama urchin

Archive for the 'Fiber Crafts' Category

About Those Socks

Published October 5, 2009 Fiber Crafts , Knitting 4 Comments

So as some of you probably realized the socks I started last week are the 2009 mystery socks by Kristen Kapur. I figured they might be a good way to get some sock knitting mojo back. As you can see I am knitting them for my purple-loving grandmother. It will be nice to end October with one handmade Christmas gift ready for the wrapping paper. I got both cuffs done before the weekend began and have made a lot of progress on the poor sock that has been languishing in the knitting basket for six months. It’s not too late to start your own mystery sock and have toasty toes by Halloween.

Seasons Round Exchange

Published September 24, 2009 Crafted by Friends , Fiber Crafts , In the Mailbox , Knitting , Sewing , Swaps 1 Comment

We were lucky enough to participate in the Seasons Round Exchange, hosted by Kyrie. This round of the swap had a Harvest theme and the idea was to send a few things for the children to use on their nature table or seasonal display. We have a nature table on our front porch which corrals any natural stuff the urchins collect. Inside we have a basket of seasonally appropriate toys that get switched out every few months.

On our end we collected acorns and a few other things on our walks. I made two drawstring bags — one to hold the acorns and one to hold the other things — for the two children in the family we swapped with. We also made a little book about oak trees and acorns. I knit a hedgehog — pattern by Little Cotton Rabbits — and felted him in the wash. He was knit in worsted weight yarn — held double for his body — so he is quite large and perfect for snuggling. I also made a little quilted mat from some harvest prints. The last thing we included was a fabric pear and undetermined red fruit. It was meant to be an apple but I think it looks a bit more like a tomato. Oh well, more room for imagining I guess.

In return we received a fabulous box of goodies. The urchins have been fascinated by the jar of buckeyes — I am in love with the actual jar. The felted acorns have been a huge hit. I seriously was looking to make/buy some of these before the package arrived. The acorns live in that cute little knit basket. The little gnome has journeyed all over the house already and his cloak is perfect for taking on and off many, many times. We’re really looking forward to the next round, sign-ups open October 1st.

Scrap Management

Published September 15, 2009 Fiber Crafts , Sewing 10 Comments

Do you have a lot of fabric scraps? I do. In fact my scrap bin has been overflowing. I’m always inspired by Amanda Jean’s scrap quilts — have you seen her latest? — and then I realized we needed some more quilts around here. And the kind of quilts we need are the kind we can take camping, or to the beach, or on a picnic. You know, the kind that can be dragged through nature and since scraps are free that was in the price range I was thinking of I knew some scrp quilts would be jumping to the top of my to-do list.

So, back in July the scrap management began. First, I separated the scraps by color. Next I mostly cut the pieces into 2″ wide strips. I also cut a number of 3″ and 5″ squares. The 5″ squares are intended for a charm quilt — only 1 square of each fabric — and the 3″ squares are the centers for log cabin blocks. So that’s what I’ve been doing, building single colored log cabins. I’ve got 44 red ones and 32 yellow ones done so far. Up next, orange maybe? And I’ve got quite a few ideas about how to put them together. First up, my girl has requested a rainbow, ROY-G-BIV, here I come.

A Few Ideas for Daddy’s Day

Published June 19, 2009 Crafting With the Urchins , Fiber Crafts , Not Cards , Paper Crafts , Sewing 1 Comment

Thought I’d pop in and remind you all about some cute Father’s Day crafts we’ve done in past years to give you some ideas for this weekend.

Father’s Day Photo Book

Father’s Day Altoid Tin

Father’s Day Luggage Tags

A Quilt for Mom

Published June 1, 2009 Fiber Crafts , Gifts , In the Mailbox , Sewing 5 Comments

My parents — really my mom — recently spruced up their bedroom a bit. They have a new bed quilt and gorgeous new draperies in an up-to-date color palette but kept their beautiful dark cherry furniture. I think it was just the right kind of change, it made their bedroom — which is on the main level of their home — look much more current but didn’t break the bank. Anyway, back in February I was visiting a fabric store and saw the Twiggy fabric collection by Moda and was inspired to make my mom a quilt.

I used some of two layer cakes to make 35 rail fence blocks. I then laid them out in a way to create the brown and cream zig-zag lines. After completing the top and back — sorry for the it being sideways in the photo — I sent it to Amanda Jean who agreed to stipple it for me. I love how the back — when facing the right direction — looks like a forest with a sky. My mom loves it of course and keeps getting annoyed with my dad when he puts something on top of where it is draped across the back of a chair.

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Summer Clothes

Published May 29, 2009 Fiber Crafts , Sewing 4 Comments

It’s time to spruce up the summer wardrobe and Katie was first up with a couple of new shirts. First is a short-sleeved raglan shirt in Heather Ross’s adorable mendocino fabrics:

This is a modification of pattern #18 from the latest issue of Ottobre (03/07) size 122. Bascially I shortened the length and the sleeves to accomodate the fabric I had on hand – scraps from a quilt I hope to finish and show you soon. Since this photo I made her a pair of shorts to match.

The other top is this halter top. I just love this deer fabric from Jay McCarroll’s woodland wonderful line. It matches the tree fabric — from Joann’s — perfectly. I made this pattern up on the dress form while Katie was at school so the fit is a little off — dress forms don’t move — but Katie really loves it so I think she’ll be wearing it a bit anyway.

Sunny

Published May 8, 2009 Fiber Crafts , Sewing 3 Comments

Has it been raining in your neck of the woods? It’s been non-stop here. The grass is growing inches a day it seems and there is no way to mow it. Spots of sun have been measured in minutes, until today. Today, we have had hours of sunshine. Thank goodness, we were all starting to feel a little grey.

This outfit for Katie is actually the same as the previous one with minor changes. I omitted the bottom panels on the dress to make it a tunic-style shirt. I also shortened the pants as well as adding about an inch in width to each leg to make comfy pedal-pushers. Yellow is Katie’s favorite color so when I saw this sweet embroidered cotton at Joann’s with a matching seersucker plaid I knew it needed to be in her summer wardrobe.

A New Outfit

Published May 4, 2009 Fiber Crafts , Sewing 8 Comments

Finally, something to show you, a new outfit for Katie. I got my new issue of Ottobre about a week ago and I’ve been itching to make a few things from it. This was a really good issue. First up was this dress. The sample in the magazine is a sundress with attachable/detachable sleeves. I modified the pattern to just sew the sleeves to the dress. The pants are just the generic pant pattern I always use modified to have a ruffle on the bottom. The sash is a strip of kona cotton with the ends cut on an angle. The prints are from Alexander Henry, not sure of the line. My mom says the outfit is a little loud and I guess it is but I kind of feel like age six and loud go hand in hand. And the verdict from the six year old is that she loves it and clothes don’t have voices so how can they be loud anyway?

Circus Quilt

Published March 20, 2009 Crafted by Friends , Fiber Crafts , Gifts , In the Mailbox , Sewing 7 Comments

If you read Amanda Jean’s blog you’ve seen this quilt before. She quilted it for me a bit ago and I just needed to get the binding on. I did a poor job of it but it is now bound and ready to send off. It will be joining the blocks and balls that were made of the same fabrics. The back is chenille and super soft — learn more about quilting with this type of chenille backing from Amanda Jean — and will be very tactile for the baby. I love this circus line by Felicity Miller for baby gifts. It’s so fun and bright. I think it’s still around so if you’re looking to make a baby something you might want to hunt for it.

A Bit of Random

Published March 16, 2009 Fiber Crafts , Gifts , In the Mailbox , Knitting , Sewing , Virtual Quilting Bee 8 Comments

I was up half the night with a sick little urchin so the best I can offer is a little bit of random this grey Monday morning:

- I finished this pillow for my friend Sarah. Now Martha’s pillow is safe from the threat of the pillow-napper.

- I also finally finished these big brother gifts. That pencil case drove me crazy. It’s pretty cute though so I’m getting over it.

- I finished my last two squares of the Virtual Quilting Bee. There is more to say as this project wraps up so I’ll save that for another day.

- I started a new pair of socks. The yarn — Lorna’s Laces Shepherd Sock Multi in Pinstripe– and the pattern — Jaywalker by Grumperina — were made for each other.

Happy Monday!