Silkscreen Doily Tote on Whimseybox

Click over to Whimseybox today to see my how-to for a silkscreened doily tote.

Vintage Pattern Giveaway

The giveaway is now closed. Congrats to winner Meg!

I love Sew Mama Sew Giveaway Day because it helps me meet so many new crafters. Hello, there!

What I'm Giving Away
Three vintage sewing patterns:
Simplicity 6934
McCall's 7759
Simplicity 9610

These patterns represent two very lovely decades: the 70s and the 80s.

What You Have To Do
Just follow my blog, then leave a comment telling me about an outfit from childhood/teen years that you thought was really awesome, but now makes you cringe.

Knitted "Pearl" Necklaces

 

I've never been a fan of pearl necklaces [insert sex joke here]. They remind me of Barbara Bush and the girls who worked in Hillary Clinton's Senate office. (Side story: When I worked for United Way of America, we'd drop off public policy literature in the Senate offices. Hill-C's office was chock-full of the exact kind of girl you'd think would work for her: sweater sets, pearl necklaces, hair pulled back in sensible updo -- stereotypical Wellesley.)

 

Anyway, a knitted pearl necklace is another story. I made Knitted I-Cord Necklaces a few weeks ago, and I was riding the I-cord train when I saw this pattern in Knitting from the Center Out. I didn't like it at first because the pearls went all the way around the necklace. I'm way too impatient for that, so I just made five pearls in the middle and called it a day. It's prettier that way, don't you think?

 

 

 

And you know what makes these pearls so pearly? Cotton balls! Yep, just regular old drugstore cotton balls are stuffed in there.

I gifted this necklace to my friend Jessica for her birthday, but I want one for myself, too!

Knitted jewelry is awesome. If you have a favorite knitted jewelry pattern, tell me about it so I can add it to my to-do list.

Great British Sewing Bee: Addicted

That does it. I'm hooked on the Great British Sewing Bee.

Before you say it, this isn't Project Runway. Project Runway is about design; this is about actual, in-real-life sewing. There are little how-tos in each episode, like how to sew curtains and pillows. There are neat diagrams and illustrations to teach you about French seams and other techniques as the sewers work their way through challenges. There's even history lessons about fashion!

And my goodness, everyone is so nice. It's almost unreal. You won't find any of the cattiness of Project Runway, and in between challenges, they all go to the local café and drink tea. Tea! I even spotted some of them drinking tea right by their sewing machines. Oh, how I love the British.

I was also thrilled to see Tilly from sewing blog Tilly and the Buttons as a contestant. It's funny how well some bloggers can translate their actual personalities onto their blog. That's certainly the case with Tilly. She's just as sweet and cute on the show as she is on her blog.

Watching the show really inspired me to get in my craft room and pick up a dress I've neglected for a few weeks. Watch Episode 1 on YouTube and just try to stop yourself from watching the other three. Do it!

And if you have watched the show, who was your favorite?

Knitting Posts on Craftsy

Remember how I told Martha Stewart to take my job and shove it a few months ago? (Just kidding. I didn't have the balls to do that. We're still friends. See? I linked to her website!) But I did leave the MS empire to be a full-time freelance craft writer/editor.

My lips are zipped regarding a lot of the projects I'm working on now. But one I can share is writing knitting posts over on Craftsy's blog. The latest one is about how to knit in seed stitch, and there are gonna be many others to follow.

Craftsy, if you don't know, is an educational craft site with amazing instructors. Courses and workshops are taught via video. You pay for the class and the videos are yours forever, plus you have access to the instructors so you can ask questions. It's a craft site I've always been a fan of, so it's really awesome to be working with them.

Have you ever taken a class online? Was it helpful?

Mohair Toddler Tutu

As an unmarried, non-preggers gal, I feel a little strange having a book called What to Knit When You're Expecting on my shelf. But man oh man, when I saw this mohair tutu, I knew I had to make one for my niece's 2nd birthday.

The patterns in the book are only sized up to 6 months, so I had to do some fancy math to make it the size I needed for my niece. (Don't you hate it when teachers are right and you actually have to use math for something you need? Bleh.)

I made a few changes to the pattern -- changes to suit my new I-don't-know-when-I'll-get-paid freelancer lifestyle. I only knit one layer instead of two, mostly because I really wanted to use the Debbie Bliss Angel yarn, but I couldn't afford to get enough balls to make two layers. I also pulled a plain cotton yarn from my stash instead of buying new yarn to make that teensy little waist.

The only problem: I'm not sure what my niece should wear this with. Should she go full-on ballerina and wear a white leotard? Or is there another option?

Kids' Easter Corsage and Boutonniere

When I was a kid, my mom made a bunny corsage for me to wear to church every Easter -- matching poufy dress included. Now she makes them for my niece and nephew.

They're quick and easy to make. Just grab an artificial carnation or rose, then hot glue eyes, nose, mouth, and whiskers on. Use pipe cleaners to make ears, and you can fasten the ribbon bow with wire, then wrap it around the flower stem.

These can be worn around the wrist using elastic as the base, or worn as a boutonniere fastened with a pin.

What Easter traditions did you have as a kid?