Just Pure Lovely

On Frogging & Trying Again

Cast on, knit, purl, purl, purl, purl, knit ....frog*. 

Sigh. 

Where's the J hook? 

Chain, single, single, double, double, half double, single, bind off....huh, it's another not-what-the-pattern-photo-looks-like. 

Improvise.

Decide it's a little bag, or a hand cuff or...I know! It's a neck sweater!

And that.  Sums up my weekend. 

Did you get a little more than that done over the weekend?  (I hope so)

*frog  (frôg, frg)n.

1. Any of numerous tailless, aquatic, semiaquatic, or terrestrial amphibians of the order Anura and especially of the family Ranidae, characteristically having a smooth moist skin, webbed feet, and long hind legs adapted for leaping. (from this dictionary)

2. To "rip" out one's stitches, as in "rip-it," "rip-it," "rip-it" out (go ahead, say that out loud.  hear the frog noise?).  I have frogged more projects than I've finished this weekend.  (from the dictionary in my head, but frequently said in knitting & crocheting forums).

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A Simple Box for Thread (& Dozens of Free Sewing Tutorials)

I recently noticed where our ballerina keeps her sewing thread, and thought it was such a good idea, I wanted to share it with you...

You can find those boxes at Michaels, in the wooden objects section.  It holds three thread spools neatly. Great idea, right?  She's a smart kiddo.

Speaking of sewing (aren't we?  speaking of sewing?), Sew Mama Sew is showcasing the most wonderful free sewing tutorials on the 'net, categorized for us!  Here is Imagination, here is Color (which includes this amazing Scrap Map of America that I will make for our little school room), and here, under Growing, is a recipe for Lemon Sugar Scrub (so, obviously, it's not all about sewing).  There is one category for each weekday of November, so surely we can find a gift idea to sew!

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Speaking of Inspiration...

I have spent more hours than I'd care to admit at Ravelry lately (I'm JustPureLovely there...find me if you join!).  I know I'm spending more time fingering my yarn and looking at patterns than I am in crocheting and knitting things, but the yarn is so soft and the patterns so endless! 

Here are a few of my favorites that I hope to start crocheting or knitting soon:

Do you prefer knitting or crocheting?  Or do you like to keep a project (or two) going in both, like I do?

I prefer knitting for relaxation and for my smooth bamboo needles, but I prefer crochet when I want to finish a project quickly. Most gifts from me are crocheted. 

If you want links to any of the above, let me know! They are all free patterns I found on Ravelry.

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On Turning 14 (& Sewing an Infinity Dress)

Our ballerina turned 14 recently! Right before she turned 14, she sewed an infinity dress. Have you seen those? They're dresses that can be worn this way and that way, thanks to two very (very) long strips of fabric that may be folded or wrapped in different ways.

Our gal used a purchased pattern because I had a hard time finding a pattern online. But now that there's Pinterest, the patterns are easy to find! You'll notice our version is a bit more "decent" than some versions. Our girl is, after all, just 14. We didn't want the dress wide open down to her belly button.

She used a t-shirt-type fabric (you can tell I know nothing about fabric names!) from Hancock Fabrics on the clearance rack for just 99 cents a yard. The dress takes about 5 yards so our cost was only about $6 with the pattern.

I must have taken too many pictures...

Here's a view of the back. There are many ways to tie this dress; this is only one way:

And here is the front, tied the same way:

 

Isn't 14 such a sweet age? Happy birthday, baby girl!

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How to Make Lavender Dryer Sachets

I made lavender dryer sachets a couple weeks ago.  We're smelling lavendery these days, and now I cannot breathe deeply enough to satisfy my nose.  I love the smell of lavender!  

The dryer sachets last through several (or more) dryer loads.  I just use them over and over until they run out of scent.  And then I place the sachet in our linen closet just in case it has any lavenderness left.  I do love the smell of lavender (as I said).  Just in case you do, too, here is how to make your own Lavender Dryer Sachets:

1.  Put a scoop of lavender into a drawstring muslin bag (I'm linking to the place where I purchased my products, but by all means, let us know where you'd suggest buying them, too!). 

2.  Add a cotton ball to help keep the lavender from floating around your dryer and onto your clothes.  I, personally, don't mind having lavender cling to me, but my family members are not so appreciative. Lavender buds do look like little bugs, I suppose.  

3.  Draw up that drawstring.  I double knot it.  

And that is how ridiculously easy it can be to have your clothes and towels smelling like lavender, too!

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On Similarities

I took a photo of our teen lying in a box on the ground (no.  I do not know why) at our homeschool field day, and it flashed in my mind that I had taken a photo of something oh-so-similar just a month before on a field trip to the New Orleans Audubon Zoo.  'Nuff said.  Let the photos show the proof.

 

This explains my last post, right?

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On Choosing Colours

I avoid choosing paint colours.  I love them all.

How could I possibly choose among hundreds of blues or yellows or greens?  And so, unless the hubs steps in, I don't paint our walls, the chicken's door, the garden fence....

I read tonight, "a white fence with a robin's-egg-blue gate," and thought, I should use nature to inspire my paint selections!  Instead of standing in the painting aisle, confounded by the choices, I could do my paint shopping while out in nature.  I'm crazy about these blues:

Next, figuring out which project to start with!  I do have problems deciding things.  

It's not eternal, Lori. It's paint. 

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photos taken by me, in March, at the New Orleans Audobon Zoo

 

We'd Love Your Easter Ideas!

I just sent an email to our 13yo ballerina (I know.  But. She's sleeping.  Email will do).  My email said,   "Let's do some Easter crafts & cut-out cookies with lil sis this weekend.  Wanna?" 

We noticed recently that we sort of stopped doing some memory-making things as the older two got older.  I guess our (non) thinking was sort of been-there, done-that, what's next?  But our younger two, now ages 11 and 8, need to have those happy memories, too. 

I found this adorable project tonight from Design*Sponge:

Do you have any other ideas to share with us?

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Handmade Christmas Idea: How to Embroider a Child's Drawing

 
This is my favorite gift to receive!  The following post was first published in 2008 and refers to the embroidery at the bottom of the page.   I apologize that most of the in-the-process shots have been lost over time!  ~ Lori

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Our children like to embroider their drawings.  The following was created by our eldest daughter (the ballerina) when she was 8 years old.  Just this week she created another one (she is now 10). 

STEP ONE:

 

First, draw a picture.  Our ballerina (8) drew a picture of her new kitten.  She drew it left-handed, even though she is a righty, because her right elbow is broken and in a cast right now.  Pretty good, considering all that!

 

STEP TWO:

 

Transfer the design onto any fabric of your choice. Denim, broadcloth, linen, cross-stitching Aida cloth, burlap, silk, etc.   For the child's first time, choose a cloth that is light-weight (eg. not denim this time) so the child can insert the needle easily.  Our ballerina transferred her design onto a piece of pink linen purchased at the needlework store. 

 

There are several options for transferring a design. One idea is to just have the child draw on the fabric in the first place. If they drew on paper, you might use a transfer pencil, use some kind of transfer paper, or simply do what we did:  put the drawing under the fabric and copy it with a fine-point Sharpie (see Step 4 to view the results) or a pencil.

 

STEP THREE:  

 Choose your thread. On burlap or plastic canvas, use yarn.  On the other fabric choices, use perle cotton thread or embroidery thread.  We used DMC cotton embroidery thread.

 For the needle, use a chenille needle or a tapestry needle.  You may also use a plastic child's needle.

 

STEP FOUR:

 

It's time to embroider!  . Back Stitch is the most common stitch used for outlining in cross stitch, and was very easy for my children to master.  My favorite is the Stem Stitch (also known as other names).  For filling in small spaces (like the bunny's carrot in another project), we used Satin Stitch.

 

STEP FIVE: 

When finished, you have lots of options.  Here are a few:

• Leave the project in a wooden embroidery frame, such as above, and hang it on the wall
• Mat and frame the embroidery (there's a huge debate amongst needleworkers as to whether or not you should use glass in the frame - you choose)
• Turn the artwork into a small pillow
• Use it as a stool cover
• Turn one or several of them into a child's apron, like Wee Wonderfuls did in this post.
• what else?  add your ideas to the comments.

Our ballerina's finished design (which turned freakishly purple when photographed in the shadow of a blue door)....

was turned into a pillowcase.

See my post, Sunday School Lesson in Embroidery for more on this beautiful memory craft.

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A Handmade Christmas: How to Make a Disappearing Nine Patch Quilt Top

I wrote this tutorial  in February of 2008 and it is still the most popular post on Just Pure Lovely, bringing in a lot of new readers.  It's crazy that I could help anyone out, as I was a brand new quilter when I wrote the tutorial.  It's even crazier that I was brave enough to write it.  Here you go:

Project: A Tutorial for the Disappearing 9 Patch Quilt Top

First, select your fabrics.  If you're like me, the decision takes a while, so just hang fabric swatches up like laundry on a clothesline, adding one/taking one down every time you walk by until you notice that you're not taking any off anymore.  That's what I do.

Or you could be less indecisive and just go to the fabric store and choose quickly.

Cut the fabric into squares.  I cut 4" squares, but you can choose another size. I forgot to take a photo of the little squares.  Sorry.  You can imagine 4" fabric squares, right?

If you want to make a doll quilt like mine, which is about 18"x13", you will need 27 squares.  I used 9 different fabrics (see them above), so I cut 3 squares of each fabric.

Is that too much math for you?  It is for me.  Let's not do any more math. 

Sew the squares together, to make "9 patch" quilt blocks, which are each 3 squares wide by 3 squares long.  You'll see what I mean in the photos below.

Square up each 9 Patch.  I like this part.  It allows me to get the piece back into a square shape.  After the way I iron (lumpily) and the way I sew (crookedly), it is a lucky thing indeed that I can square up the piece.  I squared my pieces to about 10-11", I think.   Just get them square again.

 

Cut the 9 Patch in half.  Oh, yes. I did just say that.  You can hold your breath but don't close your eyes.

(I used a rotary cutter. That's what that pizza slicer-looking thing is doing there.)

Cut the 9 Patch in half again.  Yep, again.  Keeping the pieces together in their original position (as if you hadn't cut it already), cut it again, this time across).

See? They are cut and they look still pretty.  Now catch your breath again.

Turn the cut pieces in any direction you fancy.

Arrange all of the pieces in the order you find most pleasing.  Indecisive person that I am, I spend quite a while turning the squares, adjusting, counting (oops, I mentioned math again), and worrying over them.  This time, our 10yo daughter said, "Mom.  It's fine."  And I said, "I'm obsessing again, aren't I?"

She wisely kept silent.

Sew the pieces together. As in the other quilt I made, I worry that you experienced quilters might giggle-snort into your coffee when you see my multitude of blips, tucks, and, ugh, a complete misalignment (I don't like to pin things before I sew them).  Look at the photos below after you set down your cup.

I love the Disappearing 9 Patch for the way it covers up glaring errors, like those I make while quilting.  It's a good design for new quilters like me.

Add embroidery (if you like), batting (if you like), a backing fabric...then machine or hand quilt the piece.  Then bind the edges as you like.

I've loved embroidery for years, so hand quilting is appealing to me.  Blissfully ignorant of any quilting rules (there are some, right?), I am freehand-quilting, going in a square here, creating a little trail there, making tiny plus (+) signs there.  I know I have much improvement to make in my stitches, which should be even & tiny and not wonky & big like they are. In embroidery, we don't deal with such thick layers.

Here's a peek at the quilting and embroidery progress so far:

 

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