homemaking

12 Days of {handmade} Christmas Tutorials::Day 8 Crocheted Headband/Ear Warmer

November 9, 2012 by Edie Wadsworth 5 Comments

This is day 8 of a the 12 days of {handmade} Christmas tutorials. The landing page where you’ll find all the projects can be found here!

My name is Ruth and I blog at Farmgirl In My Heart. I am thrilled to be here on Edie’s blog, sharing one of my favorite things.

Today we will be working on a crochet ear warmer. The cold days will be here rapidly, for some of us they already are. Ear warmers work for those who are not hat people. They are everywhere recently. These are quick and easy to crochet and make fantastic gifts. You will need a basic knowledge of crochet stitches to work on this project. The stitches required for this project are chains(ch) and single crochets(sc). Both are beginner stitches and you can find basic crochet tutorials on You Tube and Google. Lion Brand and Red Heart yarn both have Learn to Crochet tutorials on their sites.

To begin this project you will
need: one skein of yarn (size 3 or 4) and a size H hook. You can read about yarn weight from the Craft Yarn Council.

To begin this project you will
ch (chain) 6 sts (stitches).

Row 1: Sc in the 2^nd stitch from the hook
and in each chain across; turn-5 sts.

Notice the 2^nd
stitch in the photo. This is where you
will begin your sc stitches.

Row 2-8: Chain 1; sc across
evenly, turn-5 sts.

For these rows you will
crochet one stitch in each of the previous stitches. At the end of the row you will turn your work
and ch 1. Repeat this step until row 8.

Row 9-Inc.: Ch 1; 2 sc in the first st, sc across to last
st, 2 sc in the last st; turn-7 sts

Unfortunately, this picture is
not the best. You will work two sc in
the first stitch of this row.

and in the last stitch of the
same row. When you are finished there
should be 7 sts.

Rows 10-16: Ch 1; sc across
evenly, turn.

For these rows you will
continue to single crochet in each stitch across the row. Turn and repeat. Beginning each row with a chain.

Row 17-Inc: Ch 1, 2 sc in the
first st; sc across to the last st 2 sc in the last st; turn-9 sts

You work this row as the
previous increase rows. There will be 2
stitches in the first and last stitch of the row.

The gradual increases should
be visible in your work.

Rows 18-24: Ch 1; sc across
evenly, turn-9sts.

Your work should look like
this:

(excuse my scribbly pattern in the background)

Row 25-Inc: Ch 1, 2 sc in the
first st; sc across to last st, 2 sc in the last st; turn-11 sts

Rows 26-32: Ch 1; sc across
evenly, turn-11 sts

Row 33 – Inc: Ch 1, 2 sc in
the first st; sc across to last stitch,
2 sc in the last st; turn 13 sts.

Rows 34-50: Ch 1; sc across
evenly, turn

Row 51-Dec: Ch 1, sc2tog, sc
across to last 2 st, sc2tog-turn 11 sts

For this row you will begin to
decrease. For the first st you will work
2 sc together. You can go here for instructions to complete
this stitch.

To crochet to stitches
together you will insert the hook through the first st, yarn over the hook,
insert hook in next st, yarn over and pull up a loop, there will be three loops
on hook, yarn over and pull through all three loops on hook. First decrease st made.

Rows 52-58: Ch 1; sc across
evenly, turn

You will begin to notice the
gradual decrease in your work. It should
resemble this

You are able to see the
gradual thinning. You will now continue
this pattern for the following rows.

Row 59-Dec: Ch 1, sc2tog, sc
across to the last 2 sts, sc2tog: turn-9 sts.

Rows 60-66: Ch 1; sc across
evenly-9 sts.

Row 67-Dec: Ch 1, sc2tog, sc
across to last 2 sts, sc2tog; turn-7 sts.

Rows 68-74: Ch 1; sc across
evenly- 7 sts.

Row 75-Dec: Ch 1, sc2tog, sc
across to last 2 sts, sc2tog; turn- 5 sts.

Once you have completed the
decreases, your rows should have 5 sts. and look similar to this.

Rows 76-82: Ch 1, sc across
evenly, turn.

At this time you can try the
headband on. If it seems that the
headband may be too large you can subtract a couple of rows from above, if it
is seems to be too small you can add a couple of additional rows. We will be adding additional rows and making
two buttonholes so it will be adjustable.
Take this

into consideration when you
try it on.

The buttonholes may sound
difficult but in crochet they are very simple.

Row 83-Buttonhole: Ch 1, sc in first 2 sts, ch 1, skip next st,
sc in next 2 sts, turn.

Unfortunately, this is a bit
blurry, but you can see that I have sc in the first 2 stitches, then I ch 1,
you will skip the next st.

and crochet in the following
one. You can see the space this
leaves. That is the completed
buttonhole.

Rows 84-86: Ch 1, sc across
evenly, turn

At this time you will crochet
through each st and over the space for the buttonhole.

Row 87 Buttonhole: Ch. 1, sc
in first 2 sts, ch 1, skip next st, sc in next 2 sts; turn

This second buttonhole will
make the ear warmer adjustable and better suited for gift giving.

Row 88-90: Ch 1, sc across
evenly-do not fasten off.

Finishing: Ch 1, sc evenly
around edge of headband; join to first st. Fasten off.

Turn the ear warmer sideways
you will now crochet a sc st around the outside edge of the piece. This will neaten the edges.

You will continue around the
piece until you reach the beginning.

Once you have reached the end
you will fasten off. You can view how to
here.

Then using a yarn needle you
will tuck in the ends of your yarn.

Add a button to the end
opposite your buttonholes.

These ear warmers can be
embellished with crochet roses, or any other flower. A bow is a fun alternative if you do not like
the flowers or have not reached that level of skill.

Ear warmer embellished with
flower.

Headband embellished with bow.

For a great gift idea you can
make several embellishments, different color flowers and bows, to create fun styles.

I will be posting some fun
crochet flower tutorials and bow tutorial on my blog so come on over and see all the fun
possibilities for embellishing your ear warmer.

If you have any questions,
stop by, I will be glad to help.

12 Days of {handmade} Christmas::Day 7 DIY Kindle Cover Tutorial

November 8, 2012 by Edie Wadsworth 14 Comments

This is day 7 of a 12 day series of handmade tutorials. All the projects are listed on this landing page!

Howdy to all of Edie’s wonderful readers! I was so excited to be invited to fill in one of these 12 Days of Handmade Christmas spots, so thanks for having me. I’m Heather and I blog over at Lark & Lola {my small craft biz blog} and Last Day Ago {my family blog}. I’m a Colorado native, married to my high school sweetheart, and raising two little girls. There is a long history of artists and creators in my family, so it’s no surprise that I spend most of my spare time making things with my hands. I hope you enjoy this tutorial for sewing your own tablet/Kindle cover!

Cheers,
Heather

diy kindle cover tutorial

My husband gave me a Kindle Fire for an early Christmas gift this year, and I love it! When I started looking for covers, however, I had a hard time finding any that I liked even a little bit. I’m very picky about my accessories, and I just couldn’t settle for a blah plain one…

So here is my FIRST ever sewing tutorial/pattern that I created all by myself. I won’t lie, my first attempt didn’t turn out so well, but I learned from my mistakes and now I’m showing you my second try, which turned out a lot nicer. You can easily alter this tutorial for any tablet–so if you don’t have a Kindle Fire, you should still be able to pull this off. I’m a very novice seamstress, and my second try went off without a hitch.

You will need:

1 – 17″ x 5 3/4″ fabric piece for the outside (I used a laminated fabric for mine)

1 – 17″ x 5 3/4″ fabric piece for the inner lining

2 – 17″ x 5 3/4″ pieces of thin, but medium stiffness fusible interfacing

1 – 8″ x 5 3/4″ fabric piece for holding the Kindle in place

1 – 8″ x 5 3/4″ piece of fusible interfacing

You will also need elastic. I decided to try clear elastic for mine (like the kind used in bras and other delicates), and it seems to have worked out well. You could use regular white or black woven elastic, too, if you feel more comfortable with that.

(Post edit: almost a year later, the clear elastic has held up beautifully!)

And of course the basic sewing supplies: a sewing machine, marking pencil, measuring tape, pins, thread, etc.

If you are not making this for a Kindle Fire, you want to size what would be the 17″ x 5 3/4″ pieces by measuring 1/2 inch seam allowance on three sides of your tablet. Then at the top you will add about 3/4″, the length of your tablet again, and 1/2″ at the end. (Or, more simply, 2 times the length of your tablet plus 1 3/4″ and 1″ wider than your tablet.)

For the Kindle/tablet holding piece, simply cut a piece of fabric that is 1/2″ longer and wider on each side of your tablet.

So you will end up with 6 pieces of fabric which will become your Kindle/tablet cover.

Start by fusing each piece to it’s matching interfacing.

For the 8″ x 5 3/4″ piece, trace the size of your Kindle to help you press the edges evenly when your turn them in.

I attempted rounded corners for this piece (I’m a novice, don’t forget.)

And pressed it like so:

Now you will need to cut four lengths of your elastic, about 5″ each. (If you use the clear elastic like I did, be sure to pre-stretch your elastic.)

This is the way in which you want to sew your elastic onto each corner of the Kindle holder, making a loop that will come out on the right side of your fabric.

It’s hard to see, but if you look close in the photo above you can see the elastic angling out toward me. Start by sewing on one end, then bring it around the front, leaving just a little extra slack (as opposed to running it around the corner straight up against your fabric) , and sew the other end onto the other side of your corner, also at an angle.

Do this on all four corners, creating elastic straps that will hold your Kindle in place.

Once you have those in place, pin the Kindle holder piece to your lining fabric, leaving 1/2″ on three sides, like so:

Then continue by stitching the Kindle holding piece onto the lining, close to the edge. Be sure to pull your elastic straps to the left so that they are stitched around the edge nicely and you don’t lose any slack.

This next little bit is optional, you can simply use an elastic strap if you like, but I wanted a ruffled strap for my Kindle cover, so I took a strip of fabric, about 3″ wide and 20″ or so long.

Fold the strip in half lengthwise, and sew 1/4″ or so along the edge, then turn it right side out:

Flatten your strip, placing the seam in the middle (this will be the backside of the strap.)

Now sew 1/4″ seam down each side, creating a tube in the middle.

Run a piece of elastic through the middle tube portion, using a safety pin to guide it through.

Stitch one end of the tube shut, being sure to get the elastic in place. Now figure about how much elastic & ruffle you want your strap to have, don’t make it too tight. Snip off any excess of the strap and stitch the other end shut, being sure to catch the elastic in your stitch. The ruffle effect is created by the fabric being longer than the elastic.

Now you’re ready to sew it all together. Place the lining and cover pieces right sides together and pin it in place. Remember to tuck your strap (or elastic) inside, don’t pin it sticking out and around like I show in this picture! (Sometimes my mind has to work at figuring out how these things come together.) Simply tuck the edges of your strap piece in between and up to the edges, making sure it will be stitched with your seam. I placed by strap across the bottom about 1-2″ up from the bottom (on the same end as the Kindle holding piece with the elastic, of course).

Before stitching, take a moment to check your tablet/Kindle to get a good idea of how much seam allowance you should have. If you have a lot of excess, now is the time to trim it down. I wanted my cover to fit my Kindle pretty snug, so I stitched about 1/3″ seam all around.

Be sure to leave an opening at the bottom so you can turn your cover right side out!

Turn it right side out. Usually I would press my project at this point, but I don’t want to melt my clear elastic so I skipped this step. Instead I just top-stitched around the entire edge, being sure to stitch my turnout hole shut as well.

Another optional bit: Before top-stitching, I used my Kindle to check for the crease, and added pins where the crease started and stopped.

Using the pins as a guide, I marked 3 straight lines down the middle crease, and I stitched along each line. I find this helps the cover fold well.

Like so:

Now it’s the moment of truth! Check your Kindle to make sure it fits in your cover nicely. Hopefully it does, just like mine:

I have to say, I’m glad I chose the clear elastic. It seems to hold up pretty well and I find it less distracting to my eye than the 4 white elastic strips would be.

You should now have a pretty little Kindle (or tablet) cover!

I love how well it fits my Kindle, and it’s so much more my style than any other Kindle cover I saw for sale.

The nice thing about the strap is that I can flip it over to the backside to hold the cover back when I’m using my Kindle.

And it’s ruffled. Ruffles are always a plus.

If you decide to use this tutorial to make your own tablet cover, please share pictures when you’re done!

Thanks for stopping by and

have a very Merry Christmas!

12 Days of {handmade} Christmas Tutorials::Day 6 Embellished 3 Tiered Stand (and a giveaway!)

November 7, 2012 by Edie Wadsworth 19 Comments

This is day 7 of the 12 Days of {handmade} Christmas tutorials! For an overview of all the projects, click here!

Hi everyone! I’m Teresa McFayden, a Mixed Media Artist from the heartland of America, Omaha. I am a married Mom of 3 great children, ages 21,18 and 14. For the past five years I have been teaching hear and there around the country and love to teach online workshops. That way I get to connect with lots of people all over the world! I love what I do!

I am so delighted to be part of Edie’s 12 Days of Christmas and seeing what she has in store for us. I look forward to sharing this tutorial with you! It’s simple to do, and can add a festive flare to any of your holiday settings.

Be sure to enter the giveaway for my Best of Christmas E-Workshop! This online workshop features over 40 of my favorite holiday art and craft projects. It’s sure to inspire you and your family!

I invite you to check out my site at www.teresamcfayden.com

Wishing you a blessed holiday season!

Friends and family gather together this time of year. Bring out your best and celebrate with some sweet treats. Embellish a platter perfect for entertaining your guests.

Embellished Christmas Platter

Wouldn’t this be a fun platter for any celebration…birthdays, graduations, etc.?

What to Gather:

Platter or cupcake stand

Graphics (or coordinated die cuts)

Coordinated ribbons in various widths

Twine or string

Hole Punch

Glitter, optional

Embellishments (see sample for ideas)

I’ve gathered some vintage graphics for us to use for this project, courtesy of Graphics Fairy.

Right click on jpg below, save and print on highest quality setting. Print on cardstock. This graphic is 8×10. Print two copies for this project.

Or download the PDF here: Download 12dayspostcards

This 3 tiered platter came from Target, but you can find them almost anywhere. Cupcake tiered stands are perfect for decorating, too. Especially a 4 tiered one. I love how this Target platter has the rod iron ring at the very top, which will be fun to hang everything from.

After printing your graphics, adhere to cardstock or patterned paper. Adhere one graphic on the front of the cardstock and one on the back. So they are 2 sided, because they will be seen from all angles.

Hole punch each graphic at the top and bottom.

Thread twine, string or ribbon through the holes. Knot the twine after stringing it through each hole to keep it secure. Space the graphics out so they will cascade down the side of the platter.

Add glitter here and there if you like.

Make two of these graphic streamers…one will cascade down the left and one down the right. Leave extra twine on the top for securing to platter.

While waiting for the glitter to dry, tie various ribbons to top of platter.

Clip 1″ pieces of garland and hot glue to ribbon, on both sides of the ribbon. This makes a fun accent.

I added a string of bells to one side of the platter. Evergreen or any holiday pick would be great here. A red strand of ribbon was hung on each side of the platter.

Before you guests arrive, fill up the platter with sweet treats…appetizers, hot cocoa fixin’s…whatever!

It makes a great centerpiece, or focal point amongst smaller dishes or trays, too. Are you starting to get hungry?

I’m smiling now because I know my family will love this! This will be their favorite project I’ve made for this E-Workshop…I just know it.

Tell us your favorite Christmas homemade candy/treat for a chance to win a free E-Workshop! We’ll pick five winners. It’s your lucky day!

12 Days of {handmade} Christmas:: Day 5 Book Page Christmas Tree

November 6, 2012 by Edie Wadsworth 20 Comments

Note to bookclubbers—I haven’t forgot about you! The Antigone post is up today, courtesy of my darling friend, Michele. I’m hoping to add a short video introduction to Plato to that post later today! I LOVE LOVE LOVE Plato’s Republic. Don’t be scared. This is a good one. Start reading today, if you haven’t already.

This is day 5 in a 12 days series of {handmade} Christmas Tutorials. There’s a handy landing page of all the projects here and don’t forget to check out the projects for 2009 and 2010.

Hello! My name is Stephanie and I blog over at homespunstephanie.

I am new to this world of blogging but have been a “blog stalker” for quite some time and decided that enough was enough and it was time to jump in with both feet!!

I have followed Edie since I began “blog stalking” and was so over the moon when she selected me to be a guest blogger for her annual: 12 days of {Handmade} Christmas!

Grab a cup of coffee and gather all of your old books

so you can get busy creating your very own Book Page Christmas Tree!!

Book Page Christmas Tree How-To

Supplies Needed For Project:

4 inch clay pots

Florist’s foam

Wooden Skewers

Sheet Moss

Old Book

Paint

Sanding Block

Hot Glue Gun

Step 1: Paint your clay pots with your desired color. I found the colors “Cool Blue and Leafy Green” by DecoArt look the best once sanded. Painting does not have to be perfect since you will be sanding the pots down a bit once they are all dried.

Step 2: Once pots are completely dry use a sanding block

to rub some of the paint off to give them an aged or chippy look.

Step 3: Using an old book cut out square pieces of paper starting from 4 1/2 inches and decreasing the size by 1/2 at a time. You will need more 4 1/2 and 4 inch squares so cut plenty of these sizes.

Step 4: Place florist foam inside of the clay pot-you may have to trim around the edges so it fits snug in the pot. Once florist foam is secured stick a skewer in the middle.

Step 5: Using a hot glue gun cover the florist foam

with moss-this is messy!!

Step 6: Start pushing the squares of book pages onto the skewer. Begin with the biggest squares at the bottom and continue moving up the skewer to the smallest squares at the top. As you are adding your book pages to the skewer it will begin to look like a tree!

Completed Project:

Enjoy!!

Stephanie @ www.homespunstephanie.blogspot.com

12 Days of Christmas:: Day 4 Anthropologie Inspired Candle {DiY}

November 5, 2012 by Edie Wadsworth 16 Comments

This is day 4 of 12 Days of {handmade} Christmas tutorials. Bookmark the landing page for the whole 12 Days of {handmade} Christmas series and check daily for updates!
Patty, moi, Ruth{ie}, as I lovingly call her

You’re in for a treat today! My friend Ruth from Living Well Spending Less is here to inspire us with her crafty skills! Ruth and I feel like old friends. We met at Blissdom in 2011 and then she made it possible for me to go in 2012. She came to Bean Station in September to visit and crash my nerdy book club. I wish we lived closer. She’s such a wealth of information and inspiration. Her 31 days series, which was preceded by crazy post on why she took all her kids’ toys away, along with her unique perspective on couponing, all make me want to eek every last bit of information out of her. I never feel like I have enough time to visit with her. And we were lucky enough to spend the day with her and her awesome family while we were in Florida this weekend. She was on local tv talking about her couponing adventures and we sat right by the pool and missed it. Thank goodness for the videos! I’m so thankful for her and know you’ll love getting to know her too! Welcome, dearie! And kiss the girlies for me:)

Anthropologie Inspired Candle {DiY}

I don’t know about y’all but Anthropologie is one of those stores I could spend all day just drooling over every single thing they sell in all its quirky, colorful, vintage-y (yes, that is totally a word) goodness. Most of the time I do manage to control myself, if for no other reason than I simply can’t bring myself to pay $25 for a candle. Not when I can make one that reminds me of Anthropologie for (almost) free using some Glade candles I picked up for next to nothing.

These fabric-covered candles were so fun and easy to make that I ended up making several to give as gifts, and now you can too. Here is what to do:

1. Trace a plate on the back of a pretty piece of scrap fabric, then cut out the circle.

2. Place a dab of tacky glue in the center of the circle, then place the candle over the glue and press down.

3. Make sure the candle is as centered as possible, and that the fabric is equal all the way around. Brush the fabric with a generous covering of Mod Podge.

4. Flip the candle upside down, then bunch up the fabric so that it wraps around the candle. You could try pleating it in an even pattern; I kinda like the messy look. Brush over the top of the fabric with another generous coat of Mod Podge, making sure to get it in all the folds, then let it dry completely.

5. While the candle is drying, you can make the accent piece. Cut a small shape to coordinate with your fabric out of felt, carefully stitch the accent in a contrasting color, then hand stitch a button to the felt for extra cuteness.

6. When it is completely dry, glue a piece of coordinating ribbon around the top rim, wrap it with baker’s twine & secure it with more glue, then glue your accent piece over the end pieces. Voila! SO easy!

p.s. I feel so lucky to have received two of these in the mail from my sweet friend! They’re as cute in person as they look online! Hope you find time to make some.
xo,
edie

12 Days of Christmas Tutorials::Day 2 French Press Cozy

November 3, 2012 by Edie Wadsworth 6 Comments

This is day 1 of 12 Days of {handmade} Christmas tutorials. Bookmark the landing page for the whole 12 Days of {handmade} Christmas series and check daily for updates!

Hello Life in Grace readers! I’m thrilled to have the opportunity to share my little french press cozy tutorial with you all today. My name is Kate, and I blog at Oh Write. I’ve been married for almost 10 years to the best man I could imagine God creating for me. Brett and I share our lives with our children Maren (4) and Truett (1). I spend most of my time being a wife and mother. In all the spare moments (ha!) I enjoy baking, reading, crafting, and spending time with friends.

I prefer my coffee made in a French press, but I don’t like how the coffee is cooled by the time I’m ready for a second cup. This little cozy helps to maintain the heat of the coffee while dressing up the French press itself. Let’s get started, shall we?

You will need:

2 elastic hairbands, 2 buttons, ribbon or other embellishments, fabric, flannel, silver heat-safe fabric, terry or other backing, needle and thread, sewing machine, and scissors. A straight-edge and rotary cutter will make the cutting much easier, but you could improvise if you don’t have those.

Begin by measuring your French press. Mine is a standard 8-cup Bodum press. I cut my fabric to 6 in. by 14.5 in. You could adjust the size of the fabric to fit your press. Cut pieces from the fabric, flannel, heat-proof fabric and terry.

Next, layer the front fabric (right-side-up) on top of the flannel and heat-proof fabric.

Now pin your ribbon to all three layers. Make sure to leave allowances for seams. (I use a generous 1/4 in. seam) I prefer the look of 2 ribbons. You could leave the ribbon off altogether, or use rick-rack, ruffles, or anything you’d like!

Next, you will sew down the edges of the ribbon on both sides. This will also secure the first 3 layers of the cozy together, which will make the rest of the assembly go smoothly.

Once the ribbon is secured, it’s time to attach the elastic bands. Keep in mind, the loop facing to the right in this picture is the part you will see. Be sure your loops are positioned so they will button through the handle of your press. (See how the cozy fastens onto the French press in the last picture.)

I sew over the elastic several times by back stitching. You want the elastic to be good and secure.

Now trim the string and snip the outer loops. Don’t cut too closely to the stitching, just enough to get rid of most of the excess. It should look like this:

Pin the terry to the other layers, right-sides-together.

It’s helpful to see the little tails of the elastic. You’ll back-stitch over those several times again, and this will help you ‘find’ them in order to do so. Sew around the cozy using generous 1/4 in. seams, leaving a 3 in. opening for turning.

Turn the cozy back to right-side-out. Be sure to carefully poke out the corners so they look nice and crisp. You could pin the opening together, but I usually just run the iron over it before sewing around the cozy.