ohmygoodknits! » crafts

Make it: Embroidered Heart coaster

Lisa — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 18:31:29 +0000

I made heart shaped coasters, but you could switch out the shape with whatever you like. You could give THESE away as Valentines! They’re fairly quick to complete and easy peasy.

Materials
embroidery floss
a needle
double-sided tape
4″ x 4″ cork coaster (I bought 12″ x 12″ tiles and cut them up. 9 per tile!)
heart shape to fit your tile

not shown:
ruler, pencil

1. Adhere your heart to your coaster with a small piece of tape. Mark the “corners” of the heart by placing a ruler across the tile diagonally and making small marks on the edges.
2. Working with a LONG piece of floss (leave the non-working tail connected to the rest of your floss), insert the needle at the bottom tip of the heart, from front to back.
3. Bring the floss back over and insert about 1/8″ from first spot. Continue bringing the floss to the front and stitching at evenly-spaced (as even as you can muster) intervals along the edge of your heart.

4. When you get to a corner, stitch in the spot, then come up along the adjacent edge and stitch into the same space.
5. Continue stitching along this side until you get to the next corner. Stitch into that space, bring the floss back over along the adjacent edge and stitch into the same spot. Continue stitching until you run out of floss. If you get back to the beginning, stitch into the first spot, then knot the ends together and weave them under the stitches on the back. You’re done!

If you run out of floss, follow steps 6-7:

6. Cut a long piece of floss from your non-working end and re-thread your needle with it. ON THE BACK of the coaster, bring the now working thread through the first two or so stitches, then start embroidering up the side, the same way you did the first half of the coaster.
7. When you get to your original thread, knot the ends together and weave them under the stitches on the back. Now, you’re done!

Like I said above, use them as coasters or little pieces of art! You could use this same method to embroider on cardstock to make a lovely Valentine’s Day card. I’m going to make some for my boys!

Pin It

Craft Night: Felt Camera

Lisa — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 16:10:09 +0000

The night before last, My Girl Thursday and ♥elycia hosted Craft Night! I logged on while they were getting their camera and stream situated and proceeded to cut my pieces during the first few minutes. I followed along with them for about an hour and a half and then had to help with bedtime. I was able to pick up where I left off when I got back and finished all of the sewing that night. I stuffed my camera the next morning and presented it to Andrew.

He LOVES it. I took these photos this morning and you can see where the felt is already pilling. I used the craft-store stuff because that’s all I had on hand. I intended to make it all blue, but…ummmm I ran out. Ha! Oh well. I like the contrasting yellow sides and top/bottom.

Did you participate? Show me!

Pin It

Past Valentine’s Day Projects

Lisa — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 21:37:01 +0000

[Knit heart, thrifted garland]

[Cupcake containers]

[Heart crayons]

[Amigurumi heart friend]

[Heart pins]

My husband has been in Las Vegas 4 out of the past 5 Valentine’s Days. He works for an apparel company and so he’s there for the men’s fashion convention, MAGIC (ha). The first few years it really bummed me out, but now I’m used to it. These days, I consider it more of a kid’s holiday. We get to play with pinks! Reds! Whites! Hearts! Cupcakes! It’s a crafty holiday and so I really dig it. How about you?

Do you like Valentine’s Day or do you ditch it? Is it more of a romantic or fun holiday for you?

I’ll be back soon with a super simple under-five-minutes crochet heart pattern.

Pin It

Make it: Hanging Card (& photo) Holder

Lisa — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 17:44:50 +0000

Are you receiving Christmas cards yet? We got our first a few days ago and it’s been hanging out on my shelf since then. This morning, I decided it needed a new home. I wanted something small, but still cute. ALSO, I wanted something I could hang on to past Christmas. Perhaps something to hang my Instax photos from? Mmmhmmm!

Supplies:
random thin tree branch (this one is about 11″ long)
yarn (I used regular worsted weight for stick-wrapping and some fine weight cotton for hanging)
tiny clothespins
cards! and/or photos!
other: scissors, pin or nail to hang the holder from

1. Tie a knot and start wrapping up your branch.
2. After about an inch or so, tie on your second color and start wrapping.
3. Wrap the second color around your branch AND the first color’s tail.
4. Keep wrapping, alternating colors (OR keep it solid OR add more colors). When you get to the end, cut off about 2 feet of your last color and tie a knot on the branch.

5. Your excess yarn should be able to reach across to the other side of the stick. 2 feet is what I used for my 11″ branch.
6. Tie your yarn around the other end of the branch. Trim any excess.

7. Grab your finer weight yarn and cut a piece about 18″ long. Tie a knot an inch from the end. Thread the yarn through the spring of your clothespin.
8. Tie another knot (large enough to not slip through the spring) and thread more pins. Leave about 4-5″ between each pin.
9. When you have about 4″ left, tie your string of pins around the branch.

Make another string of clothespins and tie around your branch as well. Hang and enjoy!

Print it: Christmas Gift tags

Lisa — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 20:04:21 +0000

One of my favorite things about the holidays is gift wrapping. I like to add personal touches and combine colors and textures. I thought that since a lot of folks put up their Christmas trees and are probably beginning to put presents under them, I would offer these printable gift tags to you.

I have never offered any printables, so if you use them, do come back and tell me how you like them!

The tags are available in 8 different shades. You can download each individual color using the links below, or click [HERE] to download them ALL in one single PDF. Each page has 9 tags on them. They’re pretty large files, so right-click and “Save as…”

{GOLD}
{MINT}
{TEAL}
{NAVY}
{PINK}
{RED}
{GRAY}
{BLACK}

I’m a fan of layers, so after cutting them out, I layered a paper doily over a piece of kraft paper and put the tag on top. A small piece of double-sided tape between the layers is all that’s needed. I left enough space on top of each tag for you to be able to use a standard hole-punch for threading ribbon or lace. I used some lace trim I had. I think it looks pretty lovely on a white box tied up with gold tinsel ribbon.

I free-handed this Christmas tree a ton of times to get it perfect for my Christmas card. THEN, I got the idea to use Photoshop the design and use it as a gift tag. I’ll share my Christmas card soon! Hint: It involves gold speedball paint and my sons looking adorable in blazers…

**These tags are free for personal use only!**

Christmas: layered doily tree skirt

Lisa — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 19:48:49 +0000

I was sitting in my knitting chair (tell me you have a designated knitting spot!) thinking about how I should make a tiny tree skirt for my tiny tabletop tree. I sighed when I realized that December was pretty much already here and I’d have to settle with a quick felt skirt. Nothing against felt, I just don’t have any of the GOOD stuff around and would have to use craft store felt, which is just plastic-y and gross.

I decided to forget about it and arrange one of my new shelves full of yarn. Upon combing through a few bags (tell me you sometimes store your yarn in plastic bags), I found a little stash of doilies. LIGHT!BULB!ON!

I took the base off my tree and threaded the metal tube through a few of the doilies and voila! A pretty lace tree skirt. No sewing, no gluing, no cutting, no nothing. It took me less than a minute to put together.

I like the messy mound of doily snow. I think it’s perfect for this tree full of little doily ornaments…

Now I need a bunch of tiny presents to put under it. I already ordered my husband’s gift off Etsy. It will be the first. I’m finally finishing up my toddler’s socks and I’ll wrap those up for the tree, too. I need the perfect little gift for my 6 year old, though. Hmmmm. He’s already getting a ton of random crap (I know, I know), so I need something meaningful.

Patch up your woollies!

Lisa — Mon, 28 Nov 2011 14:40:08 +0000

Please tell me I am not the only one who has passed up wool sweaters, hats, etc. at the thrift store because of tiny little moth-eaten holes. I have done it on a few occasions and now I completely regret it. Last year, I found this big comfy grandpa-ish cardigan at one of my favorite thrift spots. It had the tiniest little hole, but it felt so warm I HAD to buy it. Fast forward to me bringing it out of the closet this year and finding at least 4 other tiny holes.

Booooo! After wearing it a few times and always fidgeting with the small hole near my wrist, I decided I needed to mend my poor sweater. the gauge was too small for me to actually darn any holes, so I found an alternative: FELT it! If you’ve never done any needle felting, don’t worry. This was my first time too! The supplies are very inexpensive (under $10 including shipping, inexpensive) and it’s SO quick!

Supplies:
Felting needle [I purchased mine from hi-fiber kits for $1 a piece]
Small amount of wool roving [I also purchased some from hi-fiber kits and they sent me a little bonus in two diff colors! woo!]
Little piece of foam [THIS came with my needles! Perfect!]
your woolly sweater

Put the piece of foam under the hole and place your bit of wool over it. Stab it with the needle to felt it into place. Yes, STAB! Stab it with the needle to attach it. I was surprised at how gratifying this was. You can make those tiny patches into cute hearts following the steps below:

1. Grab a sliver of wool and stab the center bit right under your hole. You only need to stab a tiny bit to attach it.
2. Shape half of the heart and stab it into place.
3. Shape the other half. Stab, stab, stab all over to secure it completely.

Done. Peel off your foam and wear your adorable patchy sweater with pride.

This patch was made by felting a rectangular piece and then shaping a heart over the top.

Have fun and relieve some stress by stabbing your holey sweaters. You could also grab a bigger piece of wool and felt some elbow patches on them! How cute would heart elbow patches be?

Make it: Winter Hat Ornaments

Lisa — Sun, 20 Nov 2011 16:05:02 +0000

Another November sponsor is here with a SUPER adorable DIY! My son is on Thanksgiving break and I think we’ll be making a few of these this week!
——————————

Hello, Goodknits readers!

I’m Kate from, Otillie’s Closet and I’m thrilled to be posting on one of my favorite knitting blogs. Lisa is such an inspiration by balancing an active knitting and crochet life all while keeping track of her two adorable boys. Because of that, I thought her readers (you!) might enjoy a fun holiday DIY that involves yarn and is kid-friendly. I remember making these as a kid and in fact I still have a few hidden away in a box that I put on my tree every year. These simple Winter Hat Ornaments are perfect to make while digesting your Thanksgiving turkey.

You might have even made these as a kid as well! In case you don’t quite remember this tutorial is for you! Let’s get started by gathering a few supplies…

1. Scissors
2. Toilet paper or paper towel tube
3. Sharpie
4. Measuring tape or ruler
5. Scraps of yarn! Grab any size and any colors you have in your stash.

Flatten your paper tube. Don’t worry about bending it.

Measure sections that are 3/4 of an inch wide. Use your sharpie to mark and then cut.

With a regular toilet paper tube I got five rings.

Cut yarn strands roughly 14 inches long. Don’t worry about being too exact! Fold each piece in half and cut as many as you possibly can.

Slip the loop from one strand of yarn through a paper tube. Loop it around the two ends and pull tight.

Keep going all the way around the tube. Make sure you have enough strands to cover the paper but don’t squash the yarn too closely together.

Now squish all those strands through the tube….you’ve just formed the brim of the hat!

Using one of your spare strands of yarn tie a double knot about an inch from the brim. I also used this strand to tie a little loop which I will use to hang the ornaments.

Trim the loose strands to form a puffball. Make it as fluffy or as short as you want!

And there you have it! Pretty cute, right? It’s pretty fun to get creative with different colors and fibers. I used two worsted weight yarns and one bulky. Little fingers might have more success with bulky yarn.

I hope you have fun with these little guys…they are kind of addicting to make! Thanks to Lisa for letting me do this post – it made me feel like a kid again. If you make any of your own stop on by my blog and let me know!
——————————

Aren’t these the cutest??! I want to grab my whole jar of scraps and start making a bunch. I may have to pass this DIY on to my kiddo’s teach for them to make before Christmas vacation. Go visit Kate’s blog and tell her how awesome she is!

The August Break 26 (fun with a doily)

Lisa — Fri, 26 Aug 2011 15:36:05 +0000

I’ve wanted to make one of these for a while. I didn’t have any starch or fabric stiffener on hand, so I used a bottle of Elmer’s. It worked pretty nicely.

Those are the general steps I took. A few hours after #4, I applied some more glue. I suppose one could pour the glue in a bowl and dip the doily in it beforehand to completely saturate it without re-applying later.

The August Break 18 (cyanotypes)

Lisa — Fri, 19 Aug 2011 01:00:25 +0000

A photo by the sun.
A doily cyanotype.

The contrast in this sun print isn’t as great as I would like it to be, but it still looks pretty neat. I don’t know if the age of the paper has anything to do with it, but this kit is a few years old, I believe. I had a different kit with smaller paper that produced better results.

The August Break 10

Lisa — Wed, 10 Aug 2011 22:30:56 +0000

White on white.
Because sometimes we need a break from color.

The August Break 07

Lisa — Mon, 08 Aug 2011 01:50:30 +0000

i’m kind of addicted to making these.

diptych: doily & pumice

Lisa — Sat, 11 Jun 2011 03:54:48 +0000

I love the looks of lace covered stones/river rocks/whatever. I thought I would try making one, but I don’t have any flat rocks AND I put away a lot of my crochet cotton. I DO have a few of these pumice stones from some personal care kits and a pile of doilies. And so I decided to use it to wrap this stone.

I love the clash of the textures!! The doily I used on this was annoyingly small. All my vases covered it completely and it felt purposeless. Not anymore!

I ♥ Vintage Craft [#2]

Lisa — Thu, 09 Jun 2011 01:49:53 +0000

I’m back again to share some more Vintage Craft LOVE! My last post can be found here.

In the book, they say to use old NYLONS. Like, old PANTYHOSE that you DYE whatever color you want. Ummmm I don’t wear pantyhose, so…no. I just tore some strips of vintage fabric and got to knotting!

I started on the end of the hook of the hanger and went down and around. If you know how to make a macrame bracelet, then you can do this project! It’s just a bunch of square knots. Imagine the hanger is your center strands and make your knots around it. Easy peasy! My rough estimation had my strip length total at about 11 yards. I had ten 40″ pieces. I knotted two together to start and when those ran out, I knotted two more to their ends. It took less than one episode of Big Love to complete.

Join in on the Vintage Craft fun:

I

Lisa — Fri, 27 May 2011 05:01:56 +0000

Did you see the vintage craft challenge on Thompson Family-Life? I LOVE the idea. Complete a project from/inspired by a vintage pattern and post it to the new Flickr Group, Vintage Craft. Use the group as motivation to complete a project every month! I know I could really benefit from curbing my project-hopping.

I finished a project inspired by a vintage pattern, just last week. It’s a little pin cushion inside of a napkin ring. I found the original idea/pattern in THIS book and changed it up a bit to suit my materials and tastes.

I didn’t have the right size needlepoint fabric to make the petit point, so I went back to my trusty triangles pattern and voila! A pretty motif the perfect size for my wooden ring. It’s filled with a tight roll of batting on the inside and a circle of cardboard at the bottom with a piece of kraft cardstock covering it (making it smooth).

I don’t know what’s next on my Vintage Craft agenda, but I do have a ton of beautiful books to look through. I saw a knitting stitch pattern that was a bit intriguing. I may adapt it into something else.

Won’t you join the vintage craft fun?