Crafty Sunday - Onesie edition

I've taken the plunge and I feel like if all works well, I may have a little problem after and no fabric will be safe.

I bought these three onesies ages ago thinking that I'd add an appliqué or something. BUT - then I saw this tutorial over on MADE. I have never dyed fabric before as I find the whole concept TERRIFYING, but really - what is the worst thing that could happen?
   
I got some RIT dye from Michaels. The package said to dissolve the dye in 500ml of water, however, the tutorial says to completely cover the fabric in the water so I just kept adding water until they were covered. The package also said to add 250g of salt to the dye bath which, thanks to Google I found out was 1 cup. HOWEVER, the tutorial at MADE said 1tbsp (which I read after adding the cup of salt - I have no idea which advice was right). I left the onesies in the dye bath for 6 hours. Not really by choice, it's just that I had a nap (not a 6 hour nap!!). When I finally did take them out and rinse them, I really thought that the colour was just going to rinse away, but alas, it didn't! The next step was to put them in the washing machine. Again, I was pretty sure that I'd have stark white onesies after the cycle was done, and yet again, I was surprised to see that the beautiful teal colour was still there.
After they dried, I noticed that the colour wasn't completely even but if you ask me, perfection is overrated.

I created the stencils using freezer paper. Have you heard of freezer paper stencils before? Tons of tutorials online and they work great. Cut it out, iron it on, paint, remove stencil and let dry. I used a hairdryer because I'm impatient like that.

p.s sorry about the colour in some of the shots. I just don't know what I'm doing when holding a camera.
p.p.s - this Crafty Sunday edition was completed MONTHS ago. I'm just now getting around to blogging about it. Two of the onesies were sent to a friend with twin girls and one of the transformer ones adorned our little lady for about a week before she grew out of it. Must. Make. More.

Crafty Sunday

Again, I didn't knit this all today - I'm no superhuman. I had started this bad boy back in the fall before my school took over all my free time. I finished knitting him last week and put the finishing touches on him today.
You may realize I have a little crush on Rebecca Danger's knitting patterns....this one can be found in her book.
I can't seem to find the perfect name for him though - perhaps you have an idea?

Crafty Sunday - Monster addition

No, I did not knit this today but I thought you might like to see it, and considering that I didn't have time to craft today (went to a movie instead) it fits right in to a Crafty Sunday post!
I started knitting this back in 2010!! (I'm ashamed to even admit that) and didn't finish it until this past September. As you may have guessed, this mama and baby are another one of Rebecca Danger's fabulous designs. Ravelry link.
This adorable pair is currently living at Bridget's store, Needles in the Hay, where they are surrounded by beautiful yarn and yarn loving people.

Photo credit: Bridget @ Needles in the Hay

Photo credit: Bridget @ Needles in the Hay

Photo credit: Bridget @ Needles in the Hay

Photo credit: Bridget @ Needles in the Hay

Crafty Sunday...on a Tuesday

(this was knit on Sunday...however, it took until today to get a pic of it)
Looking for a quick knit? Look no further than Rebecca Danger's Chubby Chirps. Ravlery link
Quick and adorable.
I'm thinking the baby's room needs a nest full.

He was used as a 'yarn bomb' on a colleagues desk this morning

Valentine's Day Came a Little Early This Year

I don't know about you, but every holiday that comes around I think of all the wonderful things that I could make (craft) to make each holiday extra special. For example, this past Christmas, I was going to make this:

and this:

And....I didn't do either. I didn't even prepare to do either. 
There was no gathering of pine cones (even though we have a HUGE pine tree in our backyard - literally just outside, a few steps away) and there definitely wasn't any stash busting wreath making either. 

After whatever holiday passes I am usually kicking myself for not making the crafts that I wanted to as I dream of these said crafts being in our family for centuries to come (yes that's right - centuries. Not years or decades....centuries!). A little delusional, I know.

SO, to the point. I realize that Valentine's Day is about a month away but I wanted to get a head start. PLUS, now that my second course has started, I tend to get a lot of crafting done while procrastinating on reading or writing a paper that's worth 45% of my mark (ouch!). 

I saw this idea on Pinterest. Yes...I succumbed. (Thanks Amelia). Now my procrastination is at a whole new level!

The original blog that it comes from is in a foreign language that I cannot read. Luckily, they posted step by step pictures so I could figure it out. 

Here is the final project. Hanging up in the house already. Because if I don't hang it up now, I'm surely to forget about it by the time February rolls around.

Have I mentioned that I hate my wall colour??? But I digress...
The picture, I realize, doesn't really show you what exactly that is besides being a garland. The garland is made up of white and red hearts, separated by white pom-poms, strung together. I was hoping I could get pink pom-poms but I wasn't that lucky.
To make this, you will need:

1. 2 pieces white felt
2. 2 pieces red felt (the felt I bought at Michaels. I was surprised to find out that the felt is made from 100% post-consumer recycled plastic. The pieces were 9x12)
3. Pom-poms (I bought a bag of 100 - I have no idea how many I used. Sorry)
4. Sewing Machine
5. Scissors
6. Pins
7. Ruler

Some equipment that isn't necessary but makes this a super quick project include:

1. Rotary cutter
2. Self-healing cutting mat
3. Clear ruler

The steps:
1. Put the 2 pieces of felt together, making sure to line up the sides
2. Cut the felt into 3" strips (you can get 4 strips from a 9"x12" piece - making the strips 3"x9")

3. Sew ONE of the 9" sides together. I used the edge of my sewing foot as my margin

4. Turn your strip inside out and match up the other 9" sides. Pin these in place and then sew along this edge. Your strip will now look like this

5. Now cut 1" strips from your sewn piece. You will get 9 1" 'hearts'

sorry for the fuzziness. Pictures are not my forte - or my camera's.

6. Repeat with the other 3 strips of double fabric that you cut, both in red and white.
7. Once all your hearts are cut out, cut a long piece of thread (this will be what the garland is threaded onto) and attach a sewing needle
8. Starting with a pom-pom, thread the hearts, alternating with pom-poms, onto the string. My pattern went like this: Pom-pom, red heart, pom-pom, white heart, pom-pom, red heart, etc, etc..

9. Once all your pieces are threaded, create loops at each end of the garland so you can hang it up somewhere. When you're threading the hearts onto the string, the hearts will get a little 'smooshed' so just fluff them out a bit before you hang them up.
10. Hang it up and admire your work. If you have a 4 year old - they'll think it's pretty cool (for approx. 30 seconds, and then they'll move on to something else that has cars involved).
There you have it. And since the felt is made out of recycled plastic perhaps it can last for centuries!!