Homemade Hand Hotties

I'm in the process of crafting for this Christmas and it reminded me of my "makes" from last year.  I created a little hand hottie for each family member we get presents for.

I created simple rectangles using half double crochet(hdc), ranging in size from about 14hdc across to about 20hdc across. 

I had to make the rectangle long enough that folded in half it would create a nice sized hottie, plus a little extra for a flap at the back to keep the hottie insert inside.

For some I had to think about the colours I was going to use, for others I simply used the same colour for the rectangle and then added felt for decoration.  

For a couple I added crochet flowers as decoration.

I had a lot of fun making these, and so had the covers finished way before Christmas, hence I have a fair few pictures that weren't taken on Christmas Eve in the fading light!

The insides took a little longer to complete, only because I was hoping my daughter would do them for me!   I used small rectangles of material and sewed them together leaving a small opening for some rice.  We turned them inside out for a prettier finish, added the rice and then sewed up the holes.  

We added instructions saying that:

" I'm a hand hottie.  Put my insides in the microwave for 40 second and then return me to my holder and keep me in your pocket.  I will keep your hand nice and warm!"

My Mum is really pleased with hers, and has also nicked the one I made for my Dad to keep both hands warm (should have thought about that really!).  She used hers everyday in the cold.  I'm really pleased with how they turned out.  I still can't decide which is my favourite.

The method also works for hotties that are a larger size, I created a couple for the kids and they ask for them every night to keep their beds nice and warm.

They would work as phone socks too.  

A Quick Little Project

I wasn't sure whether to share this, as it is something that I'm considering to create for presents, but it was such a lovely project to complete, and so quick I thought I should.

Some crochet covered coat hangers.  Yarn bombing on a small scale!

I organised a little craft evening, where everyone was bringing a project to work on and shortly before my guests were going to arrive I had a sudden panic - I didn't have a project to work on!  Oops.

I grabbed some sweetie style colours (at least that is what the remind me of) and a coat hanger that had been hanging around (pun intended) for ages waiting a restyle.  I had read a couple of tutorials and they all seem to go about this in the same way - create a rectangle of fabric and then sew together once you've made one big enough to go round the hanger.

I dislike sewing lots of stripes together, I've done it before it takes me ages and ages and ages and ages.  You get the picture.  So after one row I decided this would be a project best worked in the round, and it didn't really matter if it didn't work because I was just experimenting.

Obviously this technique is much easier before you get to the hook part, you can work it up off the hanger.  Once I got to the hook I simply kept the cover on the hanger and crocheted around and around.  It did take significantly longer to do the second half (twice as long maybe), and the hook seemed to get in the way a lot for the first few rounds, but soon I got into the rhythm and then it was finished.  My daughter loved it straight away and my son requested one for him too.  

I bought these hangers pre-padded, but I'm trying to work out whether I could fancy up some less pretty ones.  A project for another day.

New Sewing Machine

I was very lucky this Christmas and I got such lovely presents, particularly exciting was my very own sewing machine.   This is a very new craft for me, I've never been a seamstress before.  I have tried, but never really got on with sewing machines, or anything that has needed sewing.  Since having children, I've had to learn how to hand sew a bit - sewing on buttons and badges.  I've even managed a couple more complicated sewing projects, you can read about them here and here.  My poor Mum did try and teach me, but it never seemed to click, my siblings could manage fine and then I would mess up whatever it was that Mum was trying to get us to do.  But now, finally I'm going to crack it, well at least that is the plan.  I tried learning knitting as my New Year's  Resolution three years running and never mastered it, but I have my fingers crossed for sewing.

I got the same machine that my daughter has, and it is fab.  I love that they come in different colours, mine is yellow (my favourite colour).  It also helps that when I get stuck she can help me and it made threading it for the first time a breeze. It is a little embarrassing to have to ask your 9 year old for help, but she has been very good.

So far I have made a toddler dress out of an old shirt, it was meant to be big enough for my daughter, but doesn't quite(!) fit. The idea came from here, and I loosely followed the instructions on the tutorial.  

My daughter did try to squeeze into it, but I would guess it would fit a 2 or 3 year old.  You can see the quality of my work in these pictures.  It is going to take a while before I can produce something really beautiful.  Now it is hanging up in a cupboard and I'm not sure what to do with it, it isn't good enough to give to someone, but it is the first thing I did on my machine so I don't want to chuck it either!  

I also turned an old t-shirt into a shopping bag.  The top had a stain on it so I used the parts I had cut out to create some fabric flowers which I attempted to sew onto the bag, and then promptly broke the needle on my sewing machine.  

Doh.  In the end I reverted to a glue gun - this is probably an improvement on some of the materials I've been known to fix clothes with - sticky tape, staples  and paper clips...

Anyway, despite breaking the needle on my machine I'm really pleased with this, it is actually usable, and it gave me a chance to try sewing something stretchy.  It was easier that I thought - no doubt some false confidence for when I next try making something!

I'm planning on something a little more adventurous next time - outfits for World Book Day dress up for the kids for school.  I need a princess cloak and some wizard robes.  Could be interesting! 

Stripy Pencil Case Tutorial

Great imaginative title, I know!

I've wanted to do something like for ages, but I've just been too scared of zips.  My Mum finds them a nightmare on her sewing machine and probably I would too, but I did these by hand.  In case I'm not alone in my fear of zips I thought I would put together a little tutorial of what I did.

I know I've said before, but I am not very confident when it comes to sewing and although I'm delighted with this there are areas where it all looks very messy.  I think I must be the only person on the planet that can ends up in a tangle of knots within the first three stitches.

Anyhow, to start this project I first decided what size pencil case I wanted and simply cut the felt accordingly (no pictures of this I'm afraid).  Next I lined up the zip with the top of the felt. I had the zip closed and attached one side of the zip to ones side of the felt. At this point I still had the zip closed.  The picture is of the zip open so you can see (just) the stitches I made to attach it.  They're not beautiful little even stitches, but I'm proud of them anyway.

Next I opened up the zip, and attached it in the same way to the other side of the felt.  So far so good.  I then closed up the zip again and used a blanket stitch to close off the ends of the pencil case.  Now it was starting to look like something that could be used.  

After that the next job was to create to the outside cover of the pencil case.  I love crochet and I love stripes and my son loves red and orange, this was a mixture of our favourite things.  This was easy, I started with a chain that was just longer that the pencil case middle I'd already made and then used a  half treble crochet (half double crochet in US terms) stitch to create the rows of stripes, changing colours at regular intervals.  I finished with a row of double crochet (single crochet in US terms), once it was large enough to fit the pencil case middle inside.  Then I crocheted the edges together using double crochet (single crochet in US terms), two stitches for each space.  Here it is before I sorted out all the ends, and tidied it up a little.

Next I slipped the middle into the cover.  Despite checking the size I seemed to have to sort of push it into the corners to make it fit properly.

But phew, in the end it went in fine without any problems.  Next I just had to attach the middle to the cover.

I just did this around the top of the pencil case and it has worked fine.

Next add your stationary to the pencil case and you're ready to go!

 I've made a couple now, and both are in use all the time.  My daughter uses hers to keep her money in, much of which is change, so I can say they will hold a fair amount.  My son has taken his to school and uses it everyday.  So far, so good, I've not needed to make any repairs anyhow!

Beatles Costume

My kids both do gymnastics and each year they perform in a show to demonstrate what they have been learning.  Each year has a theme, each theme needs translating into an outfit that will also work when doing gymnastics.  It is harder than you would think!

So this year we managed to work out early on that the theme would be Beatles related.  Immediately all I could think of was Sergeant Pepper outfits.  I found a couple of tight tops in bright colours (I made one pink and one blue) and popped to the craft shop for supplies.  I knew I need some trim for the front and different trim for the shoulders.  In my head it was going to be easy.  I already had some beads and buttons at home to complete the look.  Needless to say it wasn't quite as easy as I had imagined!  Nor was it as quick, even when I admitted defeat and used craft glue instead of sewing the second top!

I think they turned out well.  Here is a picture of one of them, not because it was completed first and the second one was only completed the morning of the show, nope, nothing to do with that at all...

Look What I Made - Pyjama Trousers

So, watching my daughter sewing all sorts, including some skirts, but also bags, trousers, and some appliqué, I figured it couldn't be that hard and certainly I didn't have to fear the sewing machine any more.

So I waited until the house was quiet, and I could bin the creation if necessary, and I had a go.  I found a simple pattern for drawstring trousers in a charity shop, and an old sheet - also from the charity shop and just went for it.   

Actually when I opened the pattern I bought, it seemed to be missing the "back" section for the trousers,so I just turned over the "front" section and kept my fingers crossed. I basically cut out four leg sections and then sewed down the seams.  Then the pattern said to turn one leg the right way round and slot it into the other leg and then sew the legs together.

I finished that and I was so pleased, and then realised I managed to sew the legs totally together so there was a seam running up the middle of the trousers.  Doh!  I unpicked and did it again and finally I had something that looked like a pair of trousers.  I had cheated earlier on and cut the bottom of the legs along the already completed hem of the sheet, so that was already done, all I needed to do was the waist.  I cheated with that too.  I ignored the pattern with its waistband ideas and simply folded over the existing material, twice to make a casing for the elastic I already had to hand.  And then, I had completed my first pair of trousers:

They are not perfect, and things that are wrong with these pj bottoms, include:

- the legs are actually different widths  (I'm still learning to be accurate with the sewing machine!)

- the hems at the bottom of the legs and different heights (something I didn't spot when I was cutting out the material)

- the seams inside are not nice and flat as directed by the pattern and as my daughter had only demonstrated to me the day before (still actually no idea how she managed that)

- the "casing" for the elastic is very wibbly wobbly, I can't take out pins and carry on sewing at the same time apparently

However, they do fit my little girl and they do actually look like a pair of trousers!  I think I'm going to have a go making some for me next.  I'll see if I can show the progress with pictures - to keep you guys amused with my lack of skill!  

DIY Hello Kitty House

This is pretty much from my own head - scary huh?  I'll admit to a little dinosaur related inspiration, on Pinterest of course!

I wanted to make something for my nieces who were going to be on a long flight, and as they were moving countries didn't have a lot of toys available to play with.  So it needed to be small and have a lot of play value.

I found some little Hello Kitty people in Poundland and bought two packs for each girl.  Each pack came with a Hello Kitty and some furniture.  Great I thought, all I need now is a couple of little tin pencil cases  and maybe some stickers to decorate....But the Hello Kitty furniture and in fact the Hello Kittys themselves were too big for the pencil cases. I hunted around and found the CD cases.

You should know something about me - I'm rubbish at sewing.  My repairs to clothes at senior school included sticky tape and staples, despite access to needles and thread.  So what made me think I could create a little house by sewing felt over cardboard I will never know!  

I cut a cardboard house shape (measuring against the CD case) and folded and cut felt around it.  I then sewed around it with a contrasting colour leaving a hole at the top to hold the stand.  Oh and I sewed on windows and a door.

I removed the CD holders section on the CD case - I was so pleased this worked - I was worried the whole case would fall apart!  I then sewed the house to the same place.  Not entirely easy, but honestly, if I managed it anyone can!

Next it was just decorating.  I made a couple of rugs, one fringed rectangle shaped, and one round with blanket stitch around it.  For the garden I cut a green piece of felt and added a pond shape and a vegetable patch.  The veggies are just french knots (I say just, but really that bit took  me the longest!).  I also found some cute little erasers on sale in a stationery shop

 It all folds away into the CD case, with a little  room, in case of extra visitors!  The girls seemed to really love them and certainly played with them non-stop after they opened them.  My daughter wants me to create another one for her too, so they obviously look quite good fun!  Finally a sewing project I'm actually proud of!