Stash Bags to Organize Your Stuff

When my kids were little, our "mud room" was a 3' by 3' entrance way off the garage.  This area was at the base of a set of stairs.  So when the six of us were getting ready to head out, we headed down the stairs, piled on our coats and shoes, and tried to make it out the door without bashing anyone in the head.  We hung our coats in a closet under the stairs and eventually bought a boot bench to have a place to sit and tie our shoes.

It was a tight space.  When we remodeled a few years ago, we ditched the idea of fancy bathrooms and so on and changed our utility room into a mud room.  It has been a wonderful, practical addition to our house, but in no way guarantees that coats will be hung or or shoes placed in their bins!

We consider ourselves "bag people" because, with kids in tow, if we can stick things in bags we can sling bags on our shoulders.  You should see us going to the beach!  I made two bags years ago which are still in use today.  One is made out of a heavy tapestry that I use for our beach towels.  The other, a huge mesh bag to carry our sand toys.  We made it over sized with a set of handles.  It had a fold-down flap so if we had extra stuff, we could open it up into an even larger bag and carry it like a sack.

Back when we had only a landing space for our entrance way, storing coats, hats, scarves and mittens was a real challenge. So I took the mesh that was leftover from our banister protector (you know, to keep the kids from falling through the railings) and made four simple bags, each with a different color edging.  I then took four, plastic, stick-on hanging posts and hung them on the door.  Each child then had a place to stash their winter accessories.

In theory, each child was to be responsible for returning his/her items to his bag.  This did not always happen!  Sometimes wet items had to be thrown into the dryer or hung up to dry.  Sometimes (most oft the time) they were flung by lazy children to the far reaches of the house.  But dutiful mother could at least have a place to return all the accessories, ready for the next outdoor adventure.  As the weather changed, we replaced winter hats and gloves with baseball caps and sunglasses.

I improved on my original design and introduced Stash Bags into my Etsy shop.  They still have a mesh bottom to allow for air circulation and identification of what's in it (or what's missing.)  I then added some fabric to add a little style.

The bags could be used in a bedroom to stash headbands, ribbon or other girly goodies.  They could be hung on a dresser or door handle.

 

This one is going to be used for my son's army guys.

I made some in cute doggy fabrics to help keep your pet's accessories in their place, too.

Some are made with home dec fabrics, boyish fabrics and girly fabrics.

They each have a drawstring, too, so that they can be used as a tote to take toys or treasures to Grandma's house.

As soon as Craft Hope gets caught up with their many donations, I hope to donate a Stash Bag to this wonderful cause.

An Adorable Tote Bag to Dye For!

A woman can never have too many bags, right?

Marie, from Permission to Unwind has designed the cutest tote bag and has made it available for free.  It calls for one cone of Lily Sugar & Cream kitchen cotton and a box of Rit Dye.  Yep - Dye!  I have only dyed yarn with Kool-Aid, which is quite fun.  But I think I may try blue for this bag.  (Can you tell I got the blues lately?)  Or maybe "miss pink" would like a variation on that color....so many options.

I can't wait to start!  Thanks Marie!

Download the Pressed Flowers Carry-All from Ravelry.

Bobbing for Apples

That's Annie - Annie as a bobble head!  It freakishly captures her being.  My crazy older brother has always enjoyed novelties.  Prior to Christmas he asked for two photos of Annie - one straight on and one profile.  I wondered what he was up to....I thought he was going to get some kind of ornament.  Annie and her cousin were astonished and excited to open amazing, custom, bobble heads.  He ordered them from HeadBobble.com.  What a fun and thoughtful gift!  Thanks Uncle Tom!

Tutorial: T-Shirt Pillow

Some of you may have seen my tutorial on Suzannah's fab blog Adventures in Dressmaking.  She is very creative, with recent posts devoted to ruffled shirts.  Her most recent post shows how to make a zig-zag rug like those that are all the rage.  Check it out!  She invited me to write a tutorial for her blog so I chose to show how to make a pillow from old t-shirts.  I make t-shirt quilts for my nieces and nephews as they graduate high school.  My son will be graduating this year so I will finally get a chance to clear out a few of the 40 or so t-shirts in his closet!  When I'm making the quilts, I use 12 t-shirt sides.  Sometimes the kids can't narrow down their favorites, so I make a pillow (or two) with the extras.  Today, I'll share with you how to make a pillow based on my t-shirt quilt "block".

If you are not a sewer, I am also offering a made-to-order pillow on my Etsy shop here.  I hope you find the tutorial useful.  I'm off to "Chicago!"


T-Shirt Pillow

Materials:
• 2 t-shirt sides, washed
• 1 yard of fusible interfacing (Pellon 906F, 911FF)
• 1/2 yard of fabric for border, washed
• 18” pillow form

Notes on Materials:

• Use a t-shirt front and back or two separate t-shirts.
• The border fabric can be a contrast or coordinating fabric. I have used polka-dots, tie-dye, and anything that does not have a directional pattern.  My pillow fabric is Oxygen from Contemporary Cloth.
• Prewash the t-shirts and border fabric to preshrink them, especially if they are brand new.
• It isn’t necessary to use an interfacing specifically designed for knits. The t-shirts will not need stretch for the pillow. The interfacing is added for stability and ease of sewing.
• Pillow forms are available in many sizes. If you decide to make another size, you will want your completed square to be one inch larger than the pillow form. So if you want to make a 16” pillow, then you will design the square to be 17” before sewing the two sides together.
• When cutting the t-shirt into a square, I use an Omnigrid that has been custom cut to a 13 ¼” square template. You can make a cardboard template or simply measure and mark a square.

Instructions:

1. Rough cut square: The application of interfacing can cause the shirt to shrink so I cut a larger square than needed. Place template over the desired area of the t-shirt. Cut the t-shirt out with an extra inch around the edges.

2. Cut Border Fabric Strips:

              Cut 4 strips 3 ½ x 13 ¼
              Cut 4 strips 3 ½ x 19 ¼

 
3. Apply interfacing: Apply the interfacing per the manufacturer’s instructions to the back side of the t-shirt.
When I have large areas to fuse, I take an old plastic tub and fill it with water so that I can quickly dampen the hanky I use as my press cloth.

Place the t-shirt on your ironing board with the logo side down. Then place the interfacing on, covered by a damp hanky. Fuse using a dry iron. When the hanky stops steaming, the fusing is typically complete.

4. Cut the T-Shirts to 13 1/4" Square:  I use my Omnigrid to center the t-shirt design and cut using a rotary cutter.

5. Assemble and Sew Pillow Top and Bottom: Pin the shorter border pieces to the top and bottom of the t-shirt.

Sew or serge using a ¼” seam. Press the stitching line and then press seams toward the border. When pressing, especially from the right side, avoid pressing the t-shirt logo. It can melt!

Now pin the longer border pieces to the sides of the t-shirt. Sew and press.

You now have a completed t-shirt block.  Repeat for other t-shirt.

5. Prepare the Squares for Sewing:  I use a handy tip from "Singer Sewing Step by Step" (what a steal that was!  I can't believe I left the price tag on.)

I modify the pillow squares to remove excess fabric in the corners. Fold the fabric into fourths. Mark a point halfway between the corner and the fold on each open side.  t the corner, mark a point 1/2" from each raw edge.

Trim from the corner to the center marks.

6. Sew the Top to the Bottom: Pin and sew the two squares together using a ¼” seam allowance. Leave an opening in the bottom to insert the pillow form. I usually leave about 10” open.

7. Turn Inside Out, Press Seams and Press Under 1/4" on open edge.

8. Insert Pillow Form and Hand Sew Opening: Pin the opening closed and sew closed using a slip stitch.

Enjoy your pillow!

It's Raining Yarn!

Just when I thought I had figured out a project for Kate's Lace KAL (see the button on my sidebar and join in the fun if you'd like!), I am showered with lovely, lace weight yarn!

My dear friends Cindy and Barbara meet with me over coffee and knitting once a month.  We've been chatting and knitting since our boys were in Kindermusik together (11+ years ago)!  I have learned many things from their technical expertise over the years.  More importantly, our time together is therapeutic.  Why?  We have teenage boys - enough said.

We have shared knitting-related gifts over the years and I think I blogged about the SOAK given to us by Barbara.  Cindy's gift arrived as a New Year's gift and I couldn't be more thrilled.  She experimented with kettle-dyeing and I think the result is fantastic!

But this yarn opens up some possibilities for me.  Cindy suggested the lovely project Haruni.

I also saw a nice Argus Shawlette just listed by Wendy of Wendy Knits.

There's the Boxleaf Traingle by Anne Hanson.

There's Swallowtail.

Shetland Triangle Lace Shawl.

Blue Jeans Lace Shawl 

I would be excited to knit a shawl that was not too big and something appropriate for a beginner.  Does anything come to mind or do you have thoughts on some of these suggestions?

Instant Gratification in Autumn

 

My daughter was looking for a slouchy hat and we came upon some patterns I wanted to try.  I selected Autumn by Jane Richmond.  It is a super-quick knit, made of Lion Brand Wool Ease Thick and Quick.  Talk about fast - one day!  I added a few extra inches for a bit more slouch.  It has a sophisticated look that I think a younger person can pull off.  I thought it had potential for me, but I'm not sure....

Working with such thick yarn must be my antidote for the upcoming Lace Knit - A - Long sponsored by Kate.  I'm excited about it, but still unsure what I'm going to knit.  I've ventured into lace only a few times.  I guess my Cece qualifies as lace.

And my feather and fan stole.

One of the ideas I am thinking about is the Katharine Hepburn Cardigan.  I have some cotton yarn that is the right weight.  I think I'd make the short one for one of my girls.

Since I have Whimsical Little Knits 2, I could make the Scroll Lace Scarf.

 

 

What do you think?  Any suggestions?  You know, I'm almost as cute as Ysolda...

A Vest For My Mother-in-Law

 

Some time ago my mother-in-law asked me to help her find a vest pattern.  She had admired a vest that I had knitted and found that vests were not easy to find in stores.  She has crocheted all her life, but her arthritis makes it difficult, at times, to continue.  Although she had also knitted, she did not make many garments.  She loved to crochet and knit afghans and baby blankets.  I found a pattern that began with knitted ribbing and continued in crochet for the body of the vest.  She quickly relearned how to knit and purl, but ripped out multiple times before she ever reached the crochet part.  One day she brought the yarn and needles over and handed it to me to get it out of her house.  In hindsight, I should've knit the ribbing for her and let her pick up on the crochet.  But I set it aside and thought I'd surprise her with a vest.  She had picked out the yarn, which had a lovely color.  But, I have to say, it was an awful acrylic.   I've knit with many acrylics which are very nice and soft.  But this one truly felt like plastic!  Perhaps that was really her problem, too.  She was constantly fighting the yarn.  I decided to try a vest on my Ultimate Sweater Machine.  I found this machine at a garage sale for $15.  I have had some minor success on the machine.  There is definitely a learning curve and I am learning.  I then "designed" a vest using Sweater Wizard.  Sweater Wizard is software (given to me by my husband a number of years ago) which enables you to design sweaters using the yarn and needles you choose and the gauge you get by using them.  I find it a great tool.  Although I've used it for simple designs, many people use it alongside commercial patterns to customize those patterns.  I measured some of my mother-in-laws sweaters, but wanting it to be a surprise required some guesswork on my part.  When I finished it, I presented it as a birthday present.  She was thrilled and showed her appreciation by wearing it the next time I saw her.  It has flaws.  It needs a few extra inches of ease, more buttons to prevent the pulling that occurs, and the shoulders should have been more narrow because of her body shape now.  Lessons learned, as always.  After her failed attempts using this yarn, she turned to crocheting simple triangular shawls (one of which I posted about here.)  They are lovely and she has made quite a few for siblings, daughter-in-laws, and nieces.  At 83, I hope she continues to find enjoyment from her craft.

On Chin Hairs and Knitting

"Her shiny jaw bristled with so many ugly hairs she could have knitted herself a chin wipe out of them!"
from A Lion Among Men, by Gregory Maguire

I know only a knitter would appreciate this quote....or maybe other gals who are in their upper 40's...I laughed out loud as I listened to it.

One college audition down.

Winter's OK If You Have Some Snow and a Backyard Ice Rink

Does winter have you down?  We have just completed a two-week stretch with absolutely no sunlight, heavy snows and blankets of gray.  But as long as there's snow, the kids can get out and have some fun.

I grew up in a neighborhood on the shores of Lake Erie.  The lake was our entertainment, as well as the kids that were constantly running about the neighborhood.  We all went to school together, played together, laughed and cried together.   Whether it was pickup football in the street, hide and go seek under the street lamps, swimming off the rocks, riding our bikes, playing games on the front porch, there was always something to do.  One family in the neighborhood flooded a grassy area in the park and turned it into a fantastic outdoor ice rink.  As soon as we were home from school we would get our skates and head down to the rink.  We'd come back for dinner just to return afterward, although the evening crowd was a little rougher - usually the big boys were playing hockey.

In homage to that memory and to provide our kids with plenty to do in the winter time, my husband builds an ice rink in the back yard.

I can't remember how many years he has been building it, but it's part science, lots of hard work, and part dancing to the snow and ice gods!

It's perfect for us girls to practice our twirls and for the guys to bang each other up in a game of hockey.

 

Last weekend the gods were particularly kind because they let the sun come out.  Although temperatures were low, the winds were nonexistent and their was a calmness in the air - perfect for a backyard snow party!

My husband spent hours preparing the yard - snow blowing paths to the back.

 

 

 

My husband made these street signs years ago for the kids to use along the front sidewalk.

 

The rink was in perfect form with a nice layer of snow surrounding it.  The fire pit was ready.

 

The hill in the background is our artificial hill.  They abound in the suburb in which we live.  The city deposited that dirt after clearing out a creek.  It is not the biggest hill, but it has been perfect for my kids over the years.  It's not so big that you tire easily when walking up.  (My husband also made a wooden ladder to make the walk up a little easier.)

 The hill, especially under the icy temperatures, provides a thrill and a long glide.

 

The sleds and toboggan were ready.  The sun was ready.

My husband had a surprise for me this year...strings of lights along the rink!

We managed to enjoy four hours in the cold!  We had hotdogs, pepperoni bread, chili and potato soup kept warm on the grill, hot cocoa and all kinds of goodies.  The old folks had their turn on the hill and later the teens built a ramp to catch a little air.

The evening was a blast.  I enjoyed seeing and hearing the kids on the sledding hill and ice rink.  It's nice to see even the teenagers enjoying what the outdoors has to offer.  When the usual forms of entertainment are movies, bowling or video games, this was a fun alternative for them.  And I was surprised how many of them went home and told their parents what a good time they had (their folks called me the next day.)

So, winter in Ohio?  Bring it on - just bring me some SNOW!