Adventures in Pocket PillowsHere

Did you know that small pillows make great stash busters for fabric? Now you do! To be fair, these were actually quite fun to make. I especially like how the pockets fit on the smaller pillows (note the purple pillows with butterfly pockets). 

Here is a snapshot of all the pillows I made.

 

 

 Here, we again have our panda fabric featured. I think I have about used up all the panda fabric, though it might make one more appearance later. As you can see below, these little pocket pillows are quite small. They are great for decorations, kids bedrooms, and even Tooth Fairy pillows. 

My son claimed the blue chevron pillow above. He thought it was the neatest thing and decided I had made it for him. I can't complain, though, it feels good to have my work appreciated.

The pillow below I made and sent to my brother and sister-in-law... yes, the same brother that works at Texas Tech and asked for the adult bibs. It's thematic... I like it.

 

My sister-in-law also really likes pugs, so I put together this pocket pillow (above) for her. 

Next up, I experimented with ruffles. There are definitely some things to figure out if I want to use ruffles regularly, but it turned out really cute either way.

Again, the solid fabrics worked well with the chevron fabric. The light blue was paired with this same chevron fabric for 2 of the adult bibs. The green fabric also worked out perfectly. 

John Deere anyone? I somehow managed to acquire 2 different John Deere fabrics in my stash.

I had a handful of small-ish purple fabrics that worked great for these pillows. Between the different shades of purple and the butterfly fabric, I had my choice of combinations.

The design for these might seem different or odd, but I think they are cute.  I have also gotten several compliments on them when I had them out for display. I especially like the "crooked" pocket... it is like an extra accent.

The final pillow (below) does not have a pocket. I found the floral fabric a little too nice to cover. Also, it reminds me of my husband's grandma. I think this pillow would have looked nice in her living room. She had such lovely taste in her decorations.

 I hope you enjoyed these pillows! See you next time!

 

Blessings and Peace!

Tabitha

Tabi's Creating Adventures

 

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Adventures in Adult Bibs

So, my brother requested adult bibs for one of his in-laws. This was a great opportunity to make a bunch of adult bibs in different designs, because you know that I like to make things in batches. So, after a rummage through my larger fabric options and a trip to the local fabric store, I got to work on these beauties... functional Velcro and all. I really like the way they turned out.

Above: Since my brother works at Texas Tech, the licensed fabric was a good choice. Patterned fabric on the front and solid fabric on the back tends to be my go-to, though I experimented with some different options.

Below: The two fishing fabric bibs were made from fabric that I bought for this project. I actually made 4, but only pictured 2 because the other 2 are part of what I made for my brother. The others were all fabrics I had in my stash. If you have been with me for very long, you might recognize the panda material from a quilt I made a few years ago.

The panda material had a few options for the back side material. I decided on chevrons for one and polka dots for the other. I think both of these turned out cute.

This chevron fabric paired well with light blue and light orange. One of the unexpected things for these specifically is that the chevron material shows through to the back side, especially with the blue. It looks neat, though it was completely unintended.

 

 

Finally, the fishing fabric paired well with a couple of different green camo fabrics. It was a challenge to find something that is a general "guy" fabric. I will have to keep my eyes peeled for other good fabrics I can use for things like this.

 

 

And for reference, a not-so-great modeling picture to show how they fit. I think this might have been the first one I made of this batch. (I may have to find a model or camera person that will make it easier to get a good picture.)

 

I hope you enjoyed these adult bibs as much as I enjoyed making them!

Blessings and Peace!

Tabitha

Tabi's Creating Adventures

 

If you would like more information, feel free to connect with me at one of the mediums below:

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Adventures in Microwave Bowl Hot Pads in Different Sizes

Welcome back to another installation of interesting items!

Today we'll be looking at Microwave Bowl Hot Pads (MBHP), the things that help you keep from burning your hands when you microwave foods.

As a note, some of these are for gifts and some are for sale. See the information at the bottom for more details. Additionally, I used my own Fiesta cereal bowls (clean from the cupboard) to show how the large and medium sized MBHPs fit the same size bowl.

Above: The collection of my latest round of Microwave Bowl Hot Pads. This group contains 7 large MBHP and 2 medium MBHP. The two on top are the medium sized ones. (Also, this picture does not include all of the larger size MBHPs.)

Above: This little winter wonderland inspiration is also the first one where I experimented with a larger size base. I think it turned out pretty nicely, even though not quite how I envisioned. The walls are more vertical than intended, though it's still very much so functional.

Below: This picture is the second variation of the larger size option. They still have a more vertical wall, but it turned out nicely as well. I think this print would be a wonderful addition to a cowboy themed kitchen.

Above: This floral design worked up nicely with a wall angle that accommodates a bowl nicely. I especially like the complementary colors on the different floral prints here.

Below: Here I show how a cereal bowl fits in a larger size MBHP.

Above: I found this Christmas gift themed fabric too cute to pass up; a wonderful accent for guests.

 

 

Above: This pair of MBHPs features a geeky computer theme and complementary green reverse side.

Below: Here is what the computer theme looks like with a cereal bowl.

  

Above: These DC comics themed fabrics combined well together and will be a fun gift for my friends. (Note: These fabrics are specifically licensed and are not fore sale.)

Below: Again showing my cereal bowl in a large MBHP.

Above: I personally enjoyed the contrast of peaches and bananas from my fruit themed fabrics, so I combined them for this MBHP. As a note, this is a medium size MBHP.

Above: A medium size MBHP in brown polka dots and spots. I found this combination to be adorable. It is nice how the earth tones between the two fabrics complement each other.

Below: Here you can see how a medium sized MBHP fits my cereal bowl. (Yes, I used the same cereal bowl for each picture in this post.)

I hope you enjoyed this adventure as much as I did! Stay tuned for more!

Blessings and Peace!

Tabitha

Tabi's Creating Adventures

 

If you would like more information, feel free to connect with me at one of the mediums below:

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Adventures in Sack Socks

   

Do you collect grocery bags? They make great trash sacks, but it can be hard to keep them organized. Some people stow them under a cabinet, others put bags inside other bags, but I like to keep my grocery bags in a sack sock. I actually have 2 sack socks in use at the moment. Both were gifted to me. That's where I got the idea to make sack socks for others.

 

These sack socks were made from a stretchy nurses' uniform material. Originally, they were supposed to be sold  through a friend's shop, but she ended up not being able to continue her shop due to the demands on her from her main job. 

I used a 15 inch by 10 inch piece of fabric, 2 elastic bands to stretch to 10 inches each, and a strip of fabric 2 inches wide folded for the loop. While there is more than one way to construct a sack sock, I prefer to sew up the side first, then sew the elastic "pockets" leaving an allowance for the elastic to be run (placing the hanging loop at the top), running the elastic, then sewing the elastic together before closing the elastic "pockets" to finish. 

I hope you enjoy this product as much as I do!

Many Blessings,

Tabitha

Tabi's Creating Adventures

 

If you would like more information, feel free to connect with me at one of the mediums below:

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Adventures in Wood Crafts

Okay, okay... building shelves is outside my normal creative streaks, but hear me out... it's for the yarn and fabrics. Does that make it better? Maybe not, but here we are! I only wish I had taken more pictures of the process. That's the trouble with being goal oriented and on a time crunch, no time for pictures!

If you look to the right side of this picture, not on the shelves yet, I stacked most of my boxes of yarn and fabric so I could build the shelves where the boxes were stacked. Now that the boxes are stacked on the shelves, the rest of the garage is coming along nicely. I even managed to get rid of a few things that were hidden under a pile or two of boxes! By the way, this was all finished at the beginning of January 2023.

It may be out of the norm, but hope you enjoyed this little side-adventure, too!

Blessings and Peace!

Tabitha

Tabi's Creating Adventures

 

If you would like more information, feel free to connect with me at one of the mediums below:

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Adventures in Hats

As I have mentioned before, I tend to make things in batches. This time it's hats featuring bulky yarns. I experimented with a couple of different hat constructions and knitting patterns this time around. I especially like the pompom hats (pictured at the bottom) because they have a simple beauty to them.

This hat (above and modeled by Mani below) features a basic cable. Sized for a child, this hat would be a great option for a cozy princess.

On the basketweave kick, this pink beauty is sized for an adult large.  Accented with a knit one, purl one border, the basketweave pattern turned out cozy, too. I will likely make something similar to this one again.

Also, sized for an adult large, this one reminds me of cotton candy. Stockinette is probably my favorite visual texture. There's a reason knit beanies are so popular.

This pastel rendition is identical in pattern to the cotton candy hat immediately above. It's hard to decide which color variation I like better.

This slouchy beanie is sized for an adult large. What makes this hat different from the others is that it is crocheted instead of knit. Inspired by another design I found several years ago, I free-handed a loose, comfy version. I think it turned out pretty good.

While I enjoy making cables and basketweaves, there is something about a simple stockinette that really appeals to me. Even crochet doesn't compare to the simplicity of the stockinette stitch. 

 

I hope you enjoyed seeing this collection of hats as much as I enjoyed making them!

Blessings and Peace!

Tabitha

Tabi's Creating Adventures

 

If you would like more information, feel free to connect with me at one of the mediums below:

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Adventures in Kid Hats

After working up the blankets for my friend's kids, I still had some fuzzy-blue yarn left. So here are three kid-sized hats with three different patterns: simple cable, basketweave, and plain.

The method by which I worked up each of these hats definitely affected the size and overall shape. 

On the first hat, below, the simple cable was knit as a short pattern then joined together like a headband before picking up stitches around one edge to close off the top (with a pom pom). Making the cable pattern wider would have made the hat taller.

The basketweave hat was knit up similarly, with a slightly wider pattern, so you can see the difference that made in the height of the hat. 

Most simple of the three patterns, the plain knit hat is also the largest hat. 

While I certainly enjoyed experimenting with the different patterns and learning what affects hat size, I also have determined that I would like to make more pretty designs in larger sizes. 

I'm not sure where these hats will go, but I am certain that the recipients will have warm heads while they wear them. 

I hope you enjoyed this sampling of hats!

Blessings and Peace!

Tabitha

Tabi's Creating Adventures

 

If you would like more information, feel free to connect with me at one of the mediums below:

TabisCreatingAdventures@gmail.com

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Adventures in Kid Blankets

Welcome back, Merry Christmas, and Happy New Year! 

 

I made two blankets recently, and I am pretty happy with how they turned out. Normally, I would say that there are more than enough blanket makers to make the world go 'round, but these were inspired by the idea of play. Large enough to wrap around a little one, these blankets are still small enough for a little one to handle by themselves.

This beautiful variation of mermaid colors is a play blanket for my friend's toddler girl. I took a variegated pink yarn (without the green and purple) as a border for a bit of color contrast. It should be about the right size to lay on, lay under, or wrap her toys as she sees fit.  I hope she enjoys this colorful creation.

For my friend's little boy, I knit up this fuzzy-yarn blue blanket. The nice thing about novelty yarn is that it is usually very forgiving because of its thick nature. Even though I knit this blanket in a basic garter stitch all the way through it's hard to tell. Even so, I believe it turned out super cozy (even I had a hard time putting this one down)!

As far as design goes, knitting creates a different texture than crochet, so I selected the more smooth texture of knitting in hopes that the blankets will be more pleasant for my friend's kids to hold. Overall, I think both blankets turned out nicely.

 

I hope you enjoyed these little projects!

Blessings and Peace!

Tabitha

Tabi's Creating Adventures

 

If you would like more information, feel free to connect with me at one of the mediums below:

TabisCreatingAdventures@gmail.com

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