Simple skirt and matching hair bows – Yo-Yo flowers Sewing project idea

I had lots of the fabric leftover from the dress project. So I figured a skirt wouldn’t go a miss! Nor would a matching hair bow! Check out the pictures below. Super simple elasticated waist. For a 14 Month old I had a 19″ waist and 7″ length for above the knee. I’ll be posting another project that I have done putting more of this fabric to use. It was originally bought to match a custom made cloth nappy my niece had. One metre of fabric has gone a long long way, and there is still more of it left!

Baby Summer Dress Crochet Cotton and Fabric – #2 Pink version

This gallery contains 3 photos.

As in the previous post, I have made another dress, but in the next size 18 Months. No pattern because it’s just a large rectangle of fabric for the skirt and as I’ve said before, I used the crochet pattern from here. I thought I’d post as another idea for fabrics you can use.

Baby Summer Dress Crochet Cotton and Fabric – Brief How to

So pleased with how this turned out. Considering I had just a picture in my mind of how I wanted it to look. I scoured the web for a free crochet pattern for the yoke of the dress as I wasn’t prepared to wing this bit. Plus, it’s been a while since I had a 11 month old to judge the size.

You can go HERE for the crochet part. The rest of the dress I did wing. The skirt part measures 10.5″ incase that’s helpful in sizing. Chest/Waist is 19-20″. This is to fit a 9-12 Month baby. (They also provide instructions for 18 months and 2 years.) However, I just used a length of fabric that I had already. This worked out to just enough to create a few pleats to give the fullness to the skirt. Basically you just have to hem and sew on a panel to the bottom of the crocheted bodice. This could be large pleats like mine or small pin tucks. Depending on what look you wanted. Just measure them as you go around and pin them into place. I recommend a deep hem on the skirt as these press better to create a nice pleated finish when ironed.

I finished it with coordinating ribbon and buttons. The little heart pocket on the skirt is also part of the free crochet pattern. I just threaded a bit of ribbon through the holes and secured it with sewing thread. Always remember to seal off the ends of your ribbon when using it like this tho. You don’t want it ruined with one wash. I used poppers on the back as a fastening, but you could probably utilize the natural holes in the crochet to use small buttons. Just test the buttons first by pushing them through.

You will need 4mm crochet hook and Lightweight cotton DK yarn. Also, at least 150% of the width of the bodice in fabric length to make the skirt. Preferably 200%. Matching sewing thread of course, and at least 3 snaps or buttons for fastening. Everything else is really optional. Just use your imagination! =D

Front

Pocket Detail

Back

Fimo Polymer Clay Skylanders Health Potion Bag Charm

I’ve been getting my groove on with polymer clay lately. I’ve only made a couple of little charms and such but I’m really liking it. I did buy myself polymer clay some time ago now, but I never got around to making anything with it. Whether I was scared to use up the cool colours, or just plain outta inspiration, I don’t know. I have a tendency to hoard favourite craft items for ‘something amazing’ and never end up using them. So I was determined to actually use the stuff, rather having it rot inside a box!

I was really surprised that my Fimo had not actually dried up. So I thought I’d share with you a charm I made for my son’s school rucksack. I used two different blues to get the right tone and mixed it 1:1 with transparent clay. I think I should have used a lot more transparent tho. I did however apply a coat of liquid Fimo clay. The ankh was drawn on afterwards with a blue promarker.

Crochet Unicorn #2 with Wings – Free Ravelry Pattern

Hermione #2! This time I went for pink with rainbow mane and tail. I think this version looks even better than the last one.

Here’s the link again for this pattern at Ravelry. Here is the link to the pattern for the added wings.

Skylanders Chompy Chompie Free Crochet Pattern

Crochet your own Chompies!

So my son is obsessed with Skylanders! But you can’t find any patterns for anything related to this game. So I decided to try to crochet him a Chompy, the small critter that features in the game. So, forgive me if this pattern is not 100% accurate as this is my first toy crochet pattern. The single crochets refer to the US version. If you have any problems with the instructions, please leave a comment or contact me and I’ll fix it/advise you. The teeth and fingers are just cut out from felt and sewn in. The eyes are just embroidered with a satin stitched.

Have fun with this little guy, it didn’t take too long to wip up, and uses less than half a ball of green dk yarn (100g), so leftovers would probably work.

He stands at 8″ high, including his eyes.

Each new line depicts a new row or round.

sc = single crochet
sc2tog = Single crochet 2 stitches together
ch = chain
sc2 in nxt = Increase
dcr = decrease
PATTERN

Skylanders Chompy

3.5 hook Hayfield Bonus DK yarn Shade 0886 100g Ball
Yarn colours needed Green, Red and Black.
Small felt pieces in green and white.

Hands Make 2
Ch16, sc into 1st chain to make a circle (now work in rounds)
sc round x2 (16 sts)
*sc2tog, sc2, *repeat to end (12sts)
sc round
sc2tog, sc2, repeat to end (9sts)
sc round x2
tie off
Flatten and sew in felt fingers using the picture as a guide.
Stuff and set aside

——–
Feet Make 2

Magic circle 6 sts
2 sc in next each st. (12 sts)
*1sc, 2 sc in next st, *repeat to end (18sts)
sc2tog, sc 1, sc2tog, sc 1, sc2tog, sc 10.(15 sts)
sc 15. rows x4
*sc2tog, sc 3. *repeat x2. (12sts)
sc2tog, sc2, repeat x3 (9sts)
2sc in every st to end of row (18 sts)
*sc 1, 2sc in next st, *repeat to end (27 sts)
sc row
tie off 1st but not second.
Stuff and set aside

Hermione the unicorn Crochet Pattern with wings – Free – Ravelry

Hermione the Unicorn

Check out this free pattern on Ravelry. It’s SO freaking cute, it’s not too difficult, but I wouldn’t recommend it for beginners. The original pattern does not come with the wings pictured as I added those myself. If you’d like to add them too I have included the instructions in this post below. Enjoy!..

Wings – 3.5 Hook (Make 2)
Ch16
Sc in 1st chain, skip 1 ch, sc in next 15 to end, ch2 turn.
Skip 1 st, sc in next and following 10sts
Slip st in next st, ch2, turn.
Skip 1 st, sc in next and following 3 sts.

chain 1, work 3 dc popcorn st in next stRepeat x5 .. Chain3, turn.

Make 3 Trebles in spaces between the popcorn sts already made below, slip st inside next popcorn st belowRepeat x3

Tie off + Sew on ..OR.. Slip st straight onto side of the body along top edge of the wing.

On the second wing you will want to push the popcorn stitches out the opposite way to the first wing. So you get a pair, and not two the same.

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Black Swan Theme Hair Band Accessory – Using Vintage Buttons, Beads, Felt and Embroidery

Sooo pleased with this!

Alice Band Black Swan

A little project just for me. I just couldn’t resist making myself this cute head band. The swan itself was drawn by myself, transferred onto felt and embellished with a lace ‘half’ yo-yo’, then decorated with seed beads. Other decorations I added were some little vintage black buttons, bugle beads and faceted glass beads. For the eye I used a vintage green Mother of Pearl button with a fish eye design. I embroidered a simple trellis on the chest too.

I’m so pleased with this, I’m going to make a few more animal designs. Next I want to try an octopus, I think this will look great too in those white and dirty vintage creams and off pinks. *squeals* can’t wait!

Oh, and to top it off.. I’m going to the NEC in Birmingham to the Sewing for Pleasure Craft Event at the end of March! Will be buying loads of fabric goodies and crafting essentials.

Let me know what you think of my head band below! Happy Crafting. =]

Black Swan

Front view

Felt Bookmarks with Embroidery detail and Applique Gift idea

Gift for an avid reader!

Veteran Remembrance Poppy

Jacobean Peony Flower

These 2 bookmarks were made for my Grandparents. My Grandad is a WWII veteran and his father was in WWI. So a gift to show we still remember what they gave was lovingly received. My Nan, she just loves her flowers. At a risk of being boring or predictable, I designed a Peony flower in a Jacobean style. I guess it could also pass for a rose too. However, I thin it worked out looking nice. Let me know what you think below in the comments!

I want to share some tips with you about working with felt. Although I’m a relative newcomer to felt. I have taken some time working with it. Especially embroidering. It’s not too hard to embroider onto, altho if you tug at the work the felt will, over time distort. The worst is, you probably won’t notice until it’s too late and you’ve done all the hard work. Soooo.. my tip is to work with a piece larger than you intend to use for the end result. That way, the edges you’ve been gripping during any sewing will be trimmed off and you’ll have a lovely neat finish.

If your felt is thin or the acrylic type. You might want to strengthen the overall design by sandwiching a light card in between another piece of the felt. Sew close to the edge of the card. so that it’s trapped inside. A thin layer of PVA glue between the layers is a good idea too.

To finish I topped them with a button, and on my Nan’s, a bit of ribbon from my stash. These are around 6.5″ x 2.5″ in size. The poppy design ended up being a smidge taller due to the script.

The stitches used are, running stitch, satin stitch, back stitch, heavy chain, trellis, split stitch, french knot and fly stitch.

Any questions about these bookmarks are welcome, please comment below!

Appliquéd

Poppy close up

Baby Born Chou Chou 17″ Doll sized mitten Free Knitting Pattern

Free Knitting Pattern for a Doll 17″ Tall

Doll Mittens

3mm Needles – 4 ply yarn

Make 2 c/0 34sts

k2, p2 to end
p2, k2 to end
k2, p2 to end
p2, k2 to end
(Knit Row, Purl Row) x 5
k4, k2tg, k8, k2tg, k8, k2tg, k5, k2tg, k1
Purl Row
k4, k2tg, k4, k2tg, k6, k2tg, k4, k2tg, k4
Purl Row
k2, k2tg to end
Purl Row
k2tg to end
Purl Row
Cut yarn leaving 6 inches of thread, use this to thread through the loops remaining on the needle using a darning needle. Pull Tight and knot. Fold to join edges right sides together and sew up the seam. Additionally you, so they don’t get easily lost. Braid, or using a crochet hook create a chain long enough for your doll and tie to each wrist of the mittens. Thread through the clothing of the doll, just like you would for a child.

Hope you have fun knitting these easy cute mittens! They make a lovely gift, I will be posting more patterns for 17″ dolls soon.

Suitable for Chou Chou, Baby Annabell, Walk and Learn Doll and dolls of similar size.

Doll Mittens

Winnie the pooh themed wall hanging nursery decoration personalized

Handmade Gift

Front - Click to enlarge

I’ve been quite busy over the winter months, especially before Christmas. So I have a backlog of stuff I need to post. Most of the things you need for this are tools most people and almost definitely frequent crafters’ will have already.

The wall hanging is made from 2 x A4 chipboard (cardboard), cotton fabric, acrylic yarn and felt. Held together with fabric glue I used PVA glue as it does a good job, also I used some cotton embroidery thread. You’ll also need scissors, a hole punch suitable for heavy card and hammer, pencil, embroidery needle or a large sewing needle, iron, and last but definitely not least a decent craft knife/Stanley blade.

Made for my niece as a Christmas present. I wanted to include her name, Summah. The name is cut out using acrylic felt because it was what I had in my stash. But you could use any you have.

Directions
Draw out yourself a cloud design. To make it as even as mine you can cheat like I did and draw around something =] .

I used a plate  and something else small I can’t remember, maybe a cookie cutter to draw the rainbow. You could just use a rectangle though instead of a rainbow shape. Cut both out with a blade.
At this point make sure you mark evenly according to the weight balance of your shapes the wholes and don’t punch them too close to the edge as it will not work very well. Important – Keep the bits you punch out. You’ll need them afterwards!

My Mission – Minnie Mouse Cake Pops – Birthday Gift

Not as easy as they look!

Cute and tasty!

I made it my mission to make some Minnie mouse cake pops. However, I didn’t anticipate this to be as frustrating as it was. With the overall waiting for the cake to cook, fair enough, but there was soooo much waiting for things to cool, set or cook. I was getting rather tired of doing them.

I followed instructions from another website that sounded like they had it in the bag. I started out with 20 cake pops. After lots of hassle with them staying on the stick I went through several techniques in coating these little babies in chocolate. I knew I couldn’t just dunk and pull it out all fresh-as-you-like. Cause the weight of the chocolate would rip the cake ball apart and stay put in your nice bowl of melted chocolate.

In the end the best technique I found was to use a heat proof silicone pastry brush and slowly coat the balls supporting the ball underneath with your hand so it didn’t shift down the stick. Place on its head on grease proof paper and don’t move it until it’s set. You won’t need to refrigerate for it to set. Plus it attracts condensation if you do.

Once I had a thin layer on and it had set and could be peeled from the paper. I was able to coat allot easier due to the chocolate acting like glue and it (mostly) stayed put. Your next layer of chocolate should include placing the ears on. I used chocolate buttons. Don’t bother trimming the side off like some websites tell you. This only inhibits the attaching part, which frankly is quite important! =D Push the ears in after the second coat of chocolate, as this will soften the previous layer just enough to help with that. Otherwise they just break up! These are then to be stood up on their sticks to set, a block of Styrofoam is useful here. A useful tip I did pick up is to make use of a cocktail stick. Just to pick define areas like the ears and to move the chocolate and to remove any excess. I coated mine until I was happy with them. Or at least, not so disappointed!

You only need to make them around 1 inch diameter at first, as the chocolate layers bulk them out. I was worried I wouldn’t get them inside the cellophane bags I had that were 3.5″x5″ I bought from Ebay. I chose 4.5″ lolly sticks or the plastic variety, if they don’t come with, you will need some plastic coated wires too to seal them. On my travels around my local town of Cannock, I picked up some lovely ribbon the I thought was just right, at 20p a meter I wasn’t complaining!

I just cut the ribbon a few inches long and tied once tightly. You could, with thinner ribbon tie a bow. But at this point in the baking and making process, I was ready to give up altogether. In the end, I managed to salvage 11 decent looking Minnie silhouettes. They didn’t taste bad at all either. My 2.5yr old son was happy to eat any disaster pops. Although to be fair they were very rich, so don’t worry if you don’t make a lot. I probably wouldn’t eat more than one at a time.

Click to enlarge

Click to enlarge

Overall, I’m happy I gave it a go, but I won’t be in a hurry to try this again. Maybe plain round ones with decoration on top to disguise the dodgy coating of chocolate. Let me know if you have tried this and how it worked out.

Knitted Cowl / Buttoned Scarf – How to – using super chunky wool

Knitted Gifts Fast

Fast knits!

This super chunky knitted scarf took less than a day start to finish. Including figuring the style and making the buttons. The pattern was one I thought of that would work best for this project.

You can use any alternatives but these are what I used and would bode best for this pattern. Plus the quality of the yarn speaks volumes on this project. Ideal as a winter time gift.

Dimensions 7.5″ x 28″

What you need
1 x ball of  Sirdar Denim Ultra Wool (super chunky)
8mm Knitting Needles
3 x 15-18mm Odd but similar sized buttons with preferably 4 sewing holes.
Small piece of colour coordinating Wool Felt to cover buttons
Needle and thread

Directions
Using the 8mm knitting needles
Cast on 18 sts

(Rib pattern row)
[Row 1 -K2, P2 until last 2 stitches, K2]
[Row 2 -P2, K2 until last 2 stitches, P2]
knit Row 2 of rib pattern
knit Row 1 of rib pattern

(Body of scarf)
(right side row)Knit row
Purl row
P2, K14, P2
K2, P14, K2

Continue scarf body pattern until you reach 26″ ending on a wrong side

Knit Row 2 of rib pattern
Knit Row 1 of rib pattern
Knit Row 1 of rib pattern
Knit Row 2 of rib pattern

Cast off and tie in any ends not weaved in.

How it's fastened

The buttons were made using a simple technique. With leftover yarn from the scarf. There should be more than enough if you have good tension.

Cut 3 lengths of yarn at around 8″
3 x 2″ diameter felt circles, or big enough to cover the buttons as pictured.

Tie knots in the centre to make a bobble. Split the yarn so you have 4 tails (see picture below) and thread each through the 4 eyes of the button.

Using small stitches, make a running stitch around circles of felt. Do not knot yet.

Pull slightly on the thread so that it creates a slight dome shape. Place in the prepared knotted wool and button. Pull the thread and make sure the thread covers the back of the button centrally. Tie off the thread after sewing over the felt and yarn to secure the back, as these will be pulled at when used.

Using the picture to help you with placement, use the tails of the buttons to tie onto the rib of the scarf. Making sure they line up with the natural holes created by your stitches.

The three stages of covering the buttons

Threading Technique

Finishing the button

Yarning around! – knitted toy dinosaur

Knitted Gifts for Kids

Smile!

I made this dinosaur from a magazine pattern, I forget which one, in September. It’s taken me a while to post on here as I’ve had a few distractions keeping me away. The magazine also features another dinosaur and can be knitted in any colours you like, even girly pinks and purples. My dear son loves this dino, and takes it to bed with him!

You can buy poly stuffing quite cheaply. This was an easy pattern, however it did seem like an eternity sewing up all those ends for the back plates. But was fun and glad I gave it a go.

Remember to always be extra careful sewing up toys for toddlers as they can be quite rough and tough on your knitted gift. Use a crochet hook to pull all the loose ends into the toy and firmly into the stuffing.

If you gave this pattern a go, let me know how you got on, I’d love to see the different colours you used. I used Hayfield fantasy in the green tones with orange and yellow toy yarn for the plates and spots.

Stegosaurus - Click to enlarge

Embroidered and Appliqué Purse – using wool, silk, cotton etc

A Birthday Gift for my Mother

Pink and Silver Theme Bag - Click to Enlarge

If you remember an earlier post about me going to the craft fair in Birmingham. I posted about purchasing lots of wool roving, silk and embroidery threads along with a few other things. Well, this is one result of this shopping spree. Let me know what you think below with a comment. I love to hear peoples opinions!

I was inspired by some of the work created by the people who run 21st Century Yarns. I created my own bag pattern to work from, and for anyone who knows me, would know how much of a perfectionist I am when it comes to planning and executing my craft projects. It took me a while to figure out how I wanted it to look. In the end I was very happy with this design. Although if I could change one thing I would have added even stiffer interfacing. I did think it would be heavy enough though. Something to learn from I guess.

As you can see by the pictures, I used my machine to fix the threads that I layered over the cotton fabric. I took time to make sure the placement was right. I used a wide silver coloured ribbon as an added accent which I really love. The background layer is calico that has been dyed in different tones. The colours are subtle but really work well. It’s lined with a silver coloured hand woven silk that I picked up from a different stall.

I am going to make a cushion in this similar fashion. Except I’m going to work in wool felt to add a bolder texture. This will be in a red/plum and a selection of greens. Any questions about my crafts are welcome! Happy Crafting!

Click to Enlarge

Click to Enlarge

Quick and Easy Chilled Pasta Salad with Bacon – Recipe

Pasta Salad Recipe

Tasty!

Ok, so I needed a recipe for cold pasta salad that wasn’t too …fussy. I did search google for recipes, cause I wasn’t too confident with flavours at the time. But came up with nothing that really appealed and fit what I needed; which was to satisfy many different taste buds for a BBQ. So here’s what I threw together. Simple flavours, but big on taste! Leave a comment if you try this. I’d love to know what you think.

Serves 8-10 buffet portions

Ingredients
400g Dry weight Cavatappi (spirals)
8 Heaped Tablespoons of Light Mayonnaise (using regular dinner spoon not measuring type) Approx 600g
340g Drained Salad Crisp Green Giant™ Sweet corn (large can)
5 Large Spring Onions
12 Rashers of Streaky (or any that you prefer) Bacon
Salt and Pepper to taste
Large pinch of Paprika

Directions
Cook pasta and bacon in your usual, preferred way. Pasta should not be overcooked. Drain pasta and let sit to cool in the drainer, washing with cool water to help speed up the process. Let bacon cool on a plate.

Roughly chop the onion and place in a large mixing bowl along with the sweetcorn. Add cold pasta and mayo and lightly mix together, being careful not to break up the pasta shapes. Sprinkle on most of paprika.

Using scissors or a knife if you prefer, cut the bacon into slithers over the pasta mix. Stir to incorporate the bacon, add more mayo with you feel you need it. Place pasta salad into a container with a lid and finish off with a sprinkling of paprika all over. Cover and store in a fridge.

Best eaten 3+ hours after making, to give the mayonnaise a chance to absorb the flavours otherwise it can taste really eggy.

You could substitute the bacon for ham or chicken. Spring onion can be subbed with chives too. When including any meat, please make sure it has cooled thoroughly before you mix into your pasta mix.

Cake recipe – Best used with fondant icing

Yummy cake mix

Ingredients
225g Softened Butter
225g Caster Sugar
4 Medium Eggs
2 tbsp Milk
1 tsp Vanilla Extract
170g Plain Flour
1 tsp Baking Powder
½ tsp Bicarbonate of soda (Baking Soda)

Directions
Pre-heat your oven to 180°C/350°F/Gas 4. Line your cake tin with butter and place a sheet of baking paper on the bottom. This recipe is enough for a round 9″ pan.

~Using an electric mixer combine butter and sugar until light and pale. Add eggs one at a time, mix well between eggs. Stir in vanilla and set aside.

Into a separate bowl sift flour, baking powder and soda together. Gradually add flour mixture to the butter mixture in several batches adding milk in-between batches. Mix only until you can’t see any flour.

Set out into cake pan and bake for around 35-40mins or until springy to touch. Set out onto cooling rack before decorating. Don’t cut the cake until the it has cooled or you’ll loose alot of moisture.

Never open the door to the oven until at most ten minutes before recommended baking time or your cake may sink.

This recipe was used in baking this Mickey Mouse cake.

Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Theme Birthday Cake – How to

Mickey is number one!

Mickey Cake

For my son’s first birthday (last year) I baked him a Mickey Mouse theme cake. I used 9″ and 6″ cake tins to do this 2 tier cake.

I baked the cake base using this recipe or you could choose your own. You only need 1 and half times the recipe. One for the bottom and half is for the top. I halved my tiers and layered butter cream in the centre. You wouldn’t need to do this. But you will need to make a batch of butter cream to ‘stick’ the fondant to the cake.

To get the top cake, not to sink into the other cake while it’s on top, cause that just wouldn’t be pretty! Use 3 or 4 cut down straws or wooden skewers to the height of the fondant layer. Rest your cake on its own 6″ base or if using a different size tins it should measure the same as your cake so you can’t see it. It will be easier to remove it after for cutting that way. The bottom layer should probably have one at least an inch larger base than the bottom layer cake.

Ok, so you’ve baked your cake and let it cool, added butter cream to the outside and you’ve rolled out the fondant and placed it neatly over the top. Once it’s all smooth and square with the cake, you’ll want to start decorating. I only used supermarket fondant that is fairly cheap, but tasty. With the white you can also dye it any colour you like using gel colours. For mine I’m sure I used Ruby Red, Violet, and Christmas green and licorice black. Of course with any dying process you will have to add a bit at a time to get the colour you want.

The best technique I’ve found for blending the colour the best is by making a well in the white fondant ball and using a cocktail stick to control how much I put in. Place in a small amount and close the well up so the dye is inside. This will help stop the majority of the dye getting straight all over your hands. Cause it doesn’t come off your hands easily. Now roll, just using your hands, the ball into a sausage shape. You want it to be long enough to turn back on itself. Now just rinse and repeat until it is all blended. This method will help stop it sticking all on your hands too. If you add too much dye, try adding icing sugar powder to soak up the extra moisture. Now let the coloured icing sit aside and cool down. You could now dye another batch and so on. Once you have all the colours you want, return to the first colour as it should have cooled enough. Don’t leave it a long time or it will start to dry out. If you plan to use it later that day you can wrap it in cling film to stop it from drying up.

I used letter fondant cutter for his name. The Mickey heads were about 1.5″ in diameter. If you don’t have a tiny cutter for his ears (assuming you don’t just have a mickey mouse cutter) you can roll a small piece into a ball and press into shape straight onto the cake. You may want to test your sizing before going straight to the cake and make all your ear balls before applying them so they are uniform in size.

A way to get your fondant shapes to stick is to use an edible glue or make your own by using good spoon full of icing sugar and add drops of water until a glue consistency. Remember though, it takes more sugar to water to fix it if you put too much water in. So do it gradually.

You can finish of (or hide any messy edges) by using ribbon around the bottom of each layer. Hold in place with a tiny piece of clear tape or like I did using butter cream as a glue.

You should end up with an awesome, but more importantly, handmade cake! Enjoy giving and eating together! Hope you found this guide useful. Let me know if you try this! I love to share others photos too. Post a comment to contact me.

Crochet – Coaster / Cover for alfresco dinning – Quick project

Stash Buster Project

Beaded Coaster or Cover

So, I was given a free book of crochet patterns. It was from the May 2010 ‘Let’s Knit’ Issue. I hadn’t picked up a crochet hook for a long time. Since I struggled to complete a blanket for my unborn son at the time. But as this seemed quite quick, I referred to my ‘how to’ book of crocheting and finished it in a flash! These would make excellent stocking fillers. You could easily convert them to look Christmas-ee. Sorry I mentioned the ‘C’ word already. But hey, you gotta be prepared. So many crafting options, so little time.

The beads I used were glass, but I should have used more or chosen a heavier bead so that they would weigh it down to bring out the shape better. You could, of course, use any colour combination. I just used what I had, and I just happened to only have white in 4 ply. The suggest you can use ribbon, but you could use any yarn you like. Just choose an appropriate hook and if your yarn or yarn substitute  is much thicker then make reduce the amount of rounds you make.

If you missed this issue and would like to get this pattern. It can be found in the book ‘Two Balls or Less’ by Jenny Hill. It’s RRP is about £12.99 and has over 30 simple crochet and knitting projects.

As an added note, the hook used is 3.5mm.

Fusing Plastic – My attempts so far

Fusing Plastic, is not so, fantastic!

Supplies

Armed with my plastic bag supplies, which consist of Asda, Superdrug and Card Factory. Chosen mainly for their colours. Green and Pink =D . I followed the guides of the likes on youtube.com but it didn’t really go all that well. I think I may have had my iron on too high. Although, some tutorials were saying you need  8 ply, others were saying that’s not necessary, and that you can have the iron on full, others on a wool setting. Other than the slight difference in opinions, I thought that the general ‘rules’ of fusing the plastic were fairly easy.

I did start with a cool setting, such as the wool temp on my iron. I used the recommended baking paper and made sure the inked side of the plastic was always topped by another plastic to stop bleeding.

A few passes with the iron on Wool for about 15-20 seconds, but it seemed to do nothing at all. So I turned up the dial and it seemed as though the plastic just didn’t want to fuse together.

Until… it all went horribly wrong and started to shrink at a rapid rate. You can see my results below. Any tips would be great. I really would like another crack at this. As I’d like to make myself a knitting bag using the ‘plastic fabric’. But at the moment. I’m passing this one by. Like I said, any tips on where I may have gone wrong. Also, there doesn’t seem to be much guide on whether some plastics don’t like other plastics and just WON’T fuse together, rather melt upon each other leaving air pockets galore, like in my case. I was disappointed with the results overall, but I did like the composition. You live and learn!

The results

I also wanted to experiment with yarn fibres fused inside. If anyone’s had success with this (or not), please let me know.