Athletes! Get A Load of This! Cold Pack Bags - September 2011

So, I've been irritated because of no good solution for cold packs sliding around.  It's a pain to use an ice pack when you need it!  And for all the stuff that's happened in the las couple of months, we've needed ice packs a lot!  

Here's the how-to:

Step one: cut out your material so you can put an ice pack on one quarter of it nicely, and cut out ties.  Here I made four.

Step two: start with the tie.  Iron it and get the folds out.

Step three: iron the tie in half to preserve a crisp crease (you'll need it later).

Step four: iron the (two) ends in so you can sew around them.

Step five: iron the sides in (depending on how wide you cut the ties they can be from 3/4" to 2").

Step six: make sure the ends will sew together well.

Step seven: sew the tie together (end, side, end) to make it look like a small tie-belt.  (I used straight pins to keep my work even.  The material I worked with was terrible about going through the machine.)

Step eight: get the bag material out and iron it smooth.

Step nine: iron a crisp crease in the vertical center of the bag.

Step ten: pin and sew the tie to the bag. (It should be centered where the ice pack will settle.)

Step eleven: pin the tie out of the way.  This will help keep from sewing it somewhere it doesn't belong!

Step twelve: iron the top down to sew a seam.

Step thirteen: sew around the outside (with it right-side-out, this is the first part of a French seam).  This should only be the bottom and one side.  We don't want to sew it shut!

Step fourteen: turn the bag inside-out, iron and sew the second sewing for a French seam.

Voila!  You have made a cold pack bag!

Now all you need to do us insert a cold pack...

... and put it to use!!

I hope this proved helpful to someone!  I know this would have been a handy thing to have after the car accident!

Blessings and Peace!

The Original Reason for Sewing - September 2011

This is the reason I started sewing in the first place... to put patches on my husband's uniforms.  Isn't it amazing how things blossom from such a simple inspiration!

Blessings and Peace!!

Scarf, A Side Pattern - Sept 2011

The whole purpose for this scarf was to use some yarn I found at the church's thrift store.  The pastor's wife wanted to have a thrift store for a long time and finally opened it about a year ago.  People bring in donations, she sorts through them, prices them, and sells them to people who come in looking for stuff.  She has mostly clothing, but also a lot of other stuff, too.  I happened to come in at the right time to buy this partial skein, from her, then later a lady donated a big bag of yarn (which I also bought for $5!) and knitting needles... needless to say I have more yarn and knitting needles than I know what to do with!  Now if only I could find enough crochet hooks and Tunisian crochet hooks to finish those sets!  (I'm still missing a few sizes of knitting needles, but I have soooooo many I don't know what sizes I'm actually missing yet!)

This is a pattern I found in one of my Knitting Made Easy books (I only have two).  It's super simple!  But since I don't want to copy write the pattern, I'll cite the book!

Knitting Made Easy

Beginner Basics, Illustrated Stitches, Updated Techniques

Featuring Red Heart Yarns - www.redheart.com

Distributed in the USA by Coats and Clark, Greer, SC 29650 

Blessings and Peace!

Bags: An Official Pattern - August 2011

Okay, this project (yes, I know, two bags but one project) was inspired by a conversation I had with a clerk at our local yarn shop.  She complimented the bags I brought in for shopping, so I told her about them.  Turns out she was one of the manager/owners of the yarn shop and offered to work with me, if I wanted to make sample products with their yarn and write up a pattern they would sell the pattern for me at the yarn shop!  NEAT!  So... I got busy with making the samples and am now working on the patterns.  These are the first drafts, I'm still working with test crocheters.  (If you're interested, test the pattern and leave a comment!  [note: google accounts are FREE!!!!])

Hook - H (5.00mm)

Weight - Worsted

Gauge - 4x4” ~  13 st x 8.5 rows

Finished size ~ 19.5” wide x 12” tall

Note 1: This project is worked in the round (starting in Row 3) with connecting at the end of each round.

Note 2:  May need to go down a hook size if you crochet loosely.

- CA

Row 1: ch 63

Row 2: dc in fourth chain from hook and each chain after to end. (60 dc).

Row 3: (worked in the round) ch 3 (counts as first dc), dc in second st of previous row and each st to end, dc 2 more in first corner (last st of previous row), dc 3 in first st of opposite side, dc in second st of previous row and each st to end, dc 2 more in third corner (last st of previous row), dc 3 in first st of opposite side, sl st to beg of Row 3. (130 dc)

Row 4-8: (do not turn) ch 3, dc in second st from previous row to end, connect with sl st. (130 dc)

- change yarn CB

Row 9-23: ch 3, dc in second st from previous row to end, connect with sl st. (130 dc)

- change yarn CA

Row 24-26: ch 3, dc in second st from previous row to end, connect with sl st.  [do NOT cut yarn yet!!] (130 dc)

Handles:

Measure: Flatten bag and measure distance from edge of bag to handle positon (approx 4”), mark distance for the outside of each handle with crochet markers (or safety pins), count 5 st toward the inside of bag and mark inside of handle with crochet markers (or safety pins), should have 8 markers.

Row 1: attach yarn *ch 3, dc in next 4 stitches, turn* repeat for 100 handle rows.

Sew handle on: cut yarn to ~ 4” from hook, straighten (untwist) handle, (may use darning needle or crochet hook) “sew” handle onto bag between markers.

Tie in ends.

Hook - H (5.00mm)

Weight - Worsted

Gauge - 4x4” ~ 16 st x 22 rows  (may use other hook size to attain gauge)

Finished size (body) ~ 21” wide x 12” tall

Note 1: This project is worked in the round (starting in Row 3) with connecting at the end of each round.

Note 2:  May need to go down a hook size if you crochet loosely.

- CA

Row 1: ch 81

Row 2: turn, sc in second ch from hook and each chain after (80 st)

Row 3: (worked in the round) turn, ch 1, sc in each stitch from previous row to end, sc 3 in last stitch from previous row, sc 3 in first stitch of the opposite side, sc in each stitch from previous row to the end, sc 3 in last stitch from previous row, sc 2 in first stitch of previous row (should be at the beginning of Row 3), connect to beginning of Row 3 with sl st.  (170 st)

Row 4-15: (do not turn) ch 2, sc in each st from the row before to end, connect to beginning with sl st. (170 st)

- change yarn CB

Row 16-40: ch 2, sc in each st from row before to end, connect to beginning with sl st. (170 st)

- change yarns CA

Row 41-50: ch 2, sc in each st from row before to end, connect to beginning with sl st. (170 st)

- change yarn CC

Row 51-65: ch 2, sc in each st from row before to end, connect to beginning with sl st. [do NOT cut yarn yet!] (170 st)

Handles:

Measure: Flatten bag and measure distance from edge of bag to handle position (approx 5”), mark distance for the outside of each handle with crochet markers (or safety pins), count 5 st toward the inside of bag and mark inside of handle with crochet markers (or safety pins), should have 8 markers.

Row 1: attach yarn *ch 2, sc in next 5 stitches, turn* repeat for 100 handle rows.

Sew handle on: cut yarn to ~ 4” from hook, straighten (untwist) handle, (may use darning needle or crochet hook) “sew” handle onto bag between markers.

Tie in ends.

Blessings!!

Little Pink Blanket, Because I Had the Yarn! - August 2011

Soooooo, I wanted to try something new with blankets.  I started at one corner, made the middle wide, and ended at the opposite corner.  The first picture is about half-way finished.  As you can see, though, it didn't exactly come out square.  It's more of a diamond shape than a standard blanket, but it's okay, because that's the way this one worked out.  Besides, who says all blankets have to be squared (or rectangle)?  

The first stitch was a double stitch and expanded it into a three-stitch shell.  That is basically the pattern.  The second row had 2 shells, the third row had 3 shells, and so forth and so on until it was at its widest point and I started decreasing the rows.  I used a simple double stitch and anchor before I started the first shell of each decreasing row.  If you look in the last picture, my index finger is at the bottom of a shell and my middle finger is at the side of the same shell so you could see the pattern up close.  Each shell (except for the very first one) begins and ends with an anchor from the row before.  It's a really neat stitch.  I hope that whatever little girl receives this blanket enjoys it!

Notes: A shell stitch starts with a double (or triple) crochet stitch and can be expanded to 3 or 5 stitches.  The base of the shell stitch is the first loop made at the base of the first stitch, each subsequent stitch of the shell starts in the same loop.  Each of the side shells are anchored at the bottom in the corner of the shell from the row before.  In rows 2 through the middle, increasing, there is an anchor at the top of each shell from the row before that makes the corner of the current row and the bottom of the next row.  In the middle rows to the end, decreasing, start with a double (or triple) crochet, anchor it at the top of the shell from the previous row, then yarn over (loop the yarn over the crochet hook) once for a double stitch or twice for a triple stitch and anchor at the bottom of the current row like normal.

Love and Blessings!!

Adventures in Bag Making - September 2011

These were a God-inspired project.  That's right, God inspired me to make these for someone else.  The church has some new members, new to the Faith and new to the church, and they have some needs, so the church asked for donations of food to help the family, specifically fresh produce foods and other non-canned stuff.  That's where God came in.  He nudged me into purchasing extra produce when I went to the produce stand and, before I went to the produce stand, He inspired me to make bags for them.  These bags are a heavier type of material and therefore more sturdy than those plastic bags you get from the stores.  How neat would it be to receive a set of sturdy grocery bags?  I really hope this family appreciates and enjoys this gift (as well as all the food and other gifts the church provided!).

First, I cut the material to about the right size for the body and handles for each bag.  Below is the folded cut material ready to be worked for two bags (of the same material).

The first thing I did was ironed everything out and got rid of all the creases and wrinkles.  then I ironed the handles in half. 

I used the center crease from the ironing to measure about 1 to 1 1/2 inches for the handles on both sides of the crease.  One bag had 1 inch handles while the others had 1 1/2 inch handles.  I ironed down the extra so it would be easier to sew.  When I folded the center crease, the ironed under parts came together and lined up so I could sew a seam with the sides tucked in.  Then I folded the bag body in half and creased the bottom there, too.  I also needed to trim the tops of the bags so they would be even (I don't cut very straight sometimes!).

After that, I straight pinned the edge of the handle to the bag and sewed with the machine to reinforce the handles with the bag.  Below is a picture of the handle attached to the bag before I sewed the top seams.

Next, I ironed the tops down inside to make the top seam.  Keep in mind I haven't done anything with the sides yet, so there are two sides to iron and sew.

Then I sewed the seam across each of the two top sections.

Once both sides of the top were sewn, I folded the bag in half and held it by its handles, lined up the top corners and sewed from top to bottom for the first part of a French seam.

Then I trimmed the extra material off (about 1/4 inch from the thread, again, sometimes I can't cut very straight in the first place!) for both sides.

Then I turned the bag in-side-out to make the second part of the French seam and sewed from the bottom of the bag to the top of the bag.

Once the French seams were complete on both sides, I boxed the bottoms of the bags by sewing a triangle piece on each corner with the bottom crease of the bag lined up with the side seam.

In-side-out it looks kind of funny, but I promise it works GREAT!!

Turned right-side-out it looks pretty nice!

Also, I made three produce bags for them to use!  I made them with the same pattern as the rest of the bags but left off the handles.

Below is the picture of all the bags I made for the family plus one random mat I made for the tea set I inherited from my great-grandparents.  There were six grocery bags and 3 produce bags.

I wanted something to break the white in this area, so I figured I'd sew something up right quick while I had my sewing stuff out and ready to go.  I made the mat like the lunch and dinner napkins by ironing around the edges to a thin border and sewing the rectangle.  Pretty simple.

That's all for this post, folks, I hope you enjoyed and have new inspiration for gifts and useful things at home!

Blessings!!!!

An Experiment in Clothing... June 2011

All right!  Let's follow this logic of experimenting with clothing!!

First of all, this **is** my first article of clothing ever made **with** a pattern!!  With that in mind, I believe it came out nicely.  This is the New Look pattern 6515 bin 117 size A 8-18.  My attempt was variation B with shorter sleeves.

As you can see in the photo below, I managed to cut out all of the pattern pieces (I think!).  Sometimes reading the patterns can be quite tricky!  Oh what I would have given to have someone with experience there to help me with this one!

Between here, there, and yonder I managed to get it all sewn together... hopefully close to what the pattern showed.  Below is the finished product.  Looks nice, right?

I made this for the largest size it showed (18 misses) and, as you can see, it still came out snug!!  Surely I haven't gained THAT much weight in the last 4 years!!  Maybe it's because I sewed it together weird... yeah... we'll go with that....

Overall, I feel accomplished by the completion of this shirt.  It is a learning experience for certain!  But now I know how to do things a little differently so maybe the next one will FIT!!

Blessings!!