In which I wear pink and chat about Halloween costumes, swaps and birthdays!
Shae’s Etsy
Laci’s Etsy (which she does with her mom!)
Breast Cancer Awareness:
Crafts, Etc. (I Love This Yarn)
If you make a Sew Awesome Craft or any pattern, craft or recipe from sewhooked, I’d love to see a photo. Email me or add it to the sewhooked flickr group.
Queue On Ravelry
I’m not sure if it’s the awesome “hearts on a string” appearance of this square, or maybe it’s the lovely squashiness of working with two strands of yarn. Either way, this is my new favorite pattern! I’m envisioning an entire afghan made from 12″ blocks, possibly in a rainbow of colors!
Special Note: The pattern is achieved by changing colors at the top the dc sts.
The color pattern is Row 1: 2 color A, 1 color B, 2 color A, etc; Row 2, 2 color B, 1 color A, 2 color B (repeat pattern)
You will be working across the strand of yarn that you are not using throughout. This means you’ll only have ends to weave in at the beginning and end. See the illustrations in BD Chessboard for examples on how to do this.
Because you’re working with two strands of yarn at all times, pay special attention so they don’t get twisted.
With Color A For 6″ square, ch 22 (for 12″ square, ch 42)
Row 1: dc in 4th ch from hook, change color at top of dc, (dc in next ch, change color at top of dc, dc in each of next 2 ch, change color at top of dc). Rep ( ) across, changing color in top of ch 3.
Row 2: dc in next ch, (change color at top of dc, dc in next st, change color at top of dc, dc in each of next 2 sts). Rep ( ) across, changing color in top of ch 3.
Repeat Row 2 for Rows 3-12 (3-21 for 12″ block), always working across the color not on the hook, finish off.
Border: Using one strand of either color, sc evenly around all sides (2 sc in side of dcs), 3 sc in each corner; ch 1, sc in each sc around, 2 sc in corners. Finish off.
12″ Square
6″ Square
More free crochet patterns from sewhooked
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I can only ponder an idea for so long before jumping on it and making it a reality. Maybe that’s why I have don’t ever get quite enough sleep!
Introducing The Batiks On Black 6″ Paper Pieced Block Drawing!
How to participate:
Make a 6″ (6 1/2″ unfinished) paper pieced block, any design, made with batiks on a black background. Send that block to me via snail mail. It will go into a pot and on the December 15 January 19 Talk To Me Tuesday, a name will be drawn from all entries. That person wins ALL the blocks sent to me between now and December 15 the week of January 12, 2010 (deadline extended!).
What patterns?:
Blocks must be paper pieced in order to participate. You can use any pattern you’d like, but here’s where I sweeten the deal. If you use a sewhooked pattern, you will receive 2 entries instead of 1. Nice, eh? If you use a sewhooked pattern AND post it to the sewhooked Batiks on Black flickr group, you will receive 3 entries. Even nicer!
Size:
Blocks need to be 6″ (6 1/2″ unfinished). You can use a smaller pattern (most sewhooked patterns are 5″) and add sashing, or you can size it up, as long as you follow the Batik on Black theme.
The Paper On the Back of This Block:
Ordinarily, I’d say leave the paper on your blocks. However, since this is a drawing and there could possibly be loads of blocks, I think it would be much nicer to the winner to remove the paper. SO, either use sashing to lock in the possibly bias paper pieced seams and then square it to 6 1/2″ OR make a 6 1/2″ paper pieced block and then staystitch the block 1/8″ from the outside edge and then remove the paper before sending.
Ready to Send?
When you’re ready to send, email batiksonblack@sewhooked.org and I will send you my mailing address. What? You didn’t think I was going to post it here, did you? 😉 When you send your block, be sure to include your name, mailing adddress, email address and user/screen name (optional). Only your first name or screen name and location will be posted if you win!
Why should you trust me?
Well, I’ve been organizing swaps and challenges for several years. I spent almost two years as the Swap and Challenge Elf at HarryPotterCrafts Yahoo! Group, have organized challenges for the Livejournal communities: hp_paperpiecing, paperpieced, and both challenges and swaps for twilight_crafts. I also have hosted a monthly drawing on hp_paperpiecing for the last two years, giving away fabric from my own stash each month for participation. I promise I won’t keep your squares, no matter how tempted I might be!
Link to this post!
Text boxes do not work on WordPress.com, where I host this blog, so I cannot include copy & paste html here. Please feel free to grab the icon of your choice for your blog or website and link it back to this post OR you can grab copy & html from the sewhooked home page.
Batiks On Black 6″ Paper Pieced Drawing!
Small Icon:
Large Icon:
The more blocks, the bigger the pot, the bigger the pot, the bigger the quilt the winner will be able to make!
Now, have fun sewing!
Do you see those scrummy little booties there?
They’re for baby feet. I LOVE baby feet. We have new baby feet in our lives, and even more coming as our friends and family welcome new members over the coming year.
Me? Oh, no. The only pitter patter you’ll hear around here are from my pre-teen and teenager (which, to be honest, are more like herds of elephants when they’re upstairs than pattering feet), as well as the plethora of cats I keep around for cold winter nights.
The booties above are made from an older pattern that I printed from online years ago simply entitled “Baby Bootie”. It was written by Janie Herrin (aka Bea Wells) and printed from a now-defunct website, crochetdesigners.ifitsa.com/crobeanie
Before writing this post, I spent several hours trying track contact information for Ms. Herrin down. You see, she’s a professional, published crochet designer, with her patterns appearing in a number of compilation pattern books. If you’re on ravelry, you can see some of her wonderful designs here.
Here’s where the problem comes in. This used to be a free pattern, but it might not be anymore. So, I suppose instead of “Desperately Seeking Booties,” I’m actually seeking Janie.
Janie, if you’re out there, I’d love to link to your bootie pattern, be it free or not, or, with your permission, repost it.
Why, do you ask? Because this is my absolute, tip-top favorite pattern to make for new baby feet. It’s worked from the toe up, is easy, and just plain cute.
If you make a Sew Awesome Craft or any pattern, craft or recipe from sewhooked, I’d love to see a photo. Email me or add it to the sewhooked flickr group.
UPDATE: HUGE Thanks go to Sandie from Crochet Cabana who tirelessly searched out information on this pattern. For those crocheters that are interested, this pattern is no longer available. The rights have been sold, so hopefully we’ll see it in print someday!
UPDATE 2: Janie Herrin passed away on Friday, March 19, 2010. She will be missed.
In which I have pigtails and show loads of crafty goodness!
In this video:
Me ~
sewhooked
sewhooked blog
Fan me on Facebook!
TTMT
Explanation on the sewhooked blog
LJ community
On ravelry
On Facebook
If you make a Sew Awesome Craft or any pattern, craft or recipe from sewhooked, I’d love to see a photo. Email me or add it to the sewhooked flickr group.
It’s hard to believe it’s already time for another Blogger’s Quilt Festival! It doesn’t seem so long ago that I was writing up a my post for the Spring Festival!
Facets of Friendship, 2008
Last year, my best friend, Jewells, of Julia Makes Stuff, had a big birthday. It was one of those lovely, once-in-a-decade numbers that seem ever so daunting when we’re staring them in the face.
She and I have been friends since college. In some ways, we’re polar opposites, but in all the ways that count, we’re not. The older we get, the more in common we seem to have. Jewells has been there for me through some crazy times in my life. She knew me before I started dating my husband of 15 years, before I had kids or a college degree. She stood up for me at my wedding and has been more like a sister to me than anything. The only thing I would change about our relationship is the geographic distance between us.
Jen & Jewells in 2007
To celebrate the big birthday and all the years we’ve been friends, I designed a quilt for her called Facets of Friendship. In it, I used only scrap fabrics from other projects I’d done. I wanted her to have a little piece of (almost!) everything I’ve made over the last decade and a half, just like she’d been woven in and out of my life over that time.
The quilt is inspired by a quilt top I found in a thrift store. It was completely hand pieced and unfinished, with a couple of blocks coming apart at the seams when I found it. I made my own version of the Four Pointed Star/Arkansas Snowflake pattern (paper pieced, of course!) in order to fill in those couple of damaged blocks. Those couple of blocks spawned the idea that to make an entire quilt for Jewells with that same paper pieced pattern.
The Thrift Store quilt that inspired Facets of Friendship
Over the course of several months, I shared lots of teaser photos, trying to not give more of a clue than I could. I wanted her to know I was working on something big for her, because, in my opinion, anticipation is one of the best parts of life!
collecting the scraps (teaser #1)
all the quarters pieced…close up! (this was teaser #2)
I also took photos of the process, so I could share them with her once the quilt was finished and in her hands.
arranging the quarters into blocks…with Marie’s help
The back pieced…with the paper still on
chain piecing the neutral border
the top pieced
My favorite way to gift a quilt – in a coordinating pillow case.
Jewells’ birthday is coming up next week on October 16. Her gift this year is not quite so exciting as last year, but she is still my best friend, so I guess that’s okay!
If you’re reading this, I’d love for you to take a minute to tell my best friend Happy Birthday over on her blog!
Fandom is not just a noun, it’s a verb. To be a part of fandom is to participate, geek out and show your love by wearing your fandom literally on your sleeve, or in this case, on your chest.
Oh Torchwood, how do I love thee? Let me count the ways…
22 hexagons worth, that’s apparently how much!
The amazing calypsobard shared her Torchwood stencil with me, which I photoshopped up to make it more user friendly. This one is easy to cut out, but, in calypsobard’s words is “a bit hinky,” so I’ve added directions to the stencil itself that will hopefully make it more user friendly.
You’ll need:
Pre-wash t-shirt without fabric softener.
Carefully cut pieces out with an exact-o knife. Start with the hexagons first, keeping them in order. Then cut and discard the gray area. (Or, if you’re my teenage daughter, pinch it from the trash and put it in the clear pocket of your binder.)
Set a dry iron to medium.
Place cardboard or newspaper inside t-shirt to help prevent bleed through.
Place stencil on t-shirt, aligning the hexagons until they are even. Carefully press in place with the iron.
Use the foam brush to gently paint on the fabric paint, being careful to not push it under the edges of the stencil.
Allow a few minutes to dry, then carefully remove the outside of the stencil.
If the stencil is still wet, use a straight pin to remove the hexagons. Otherwise, just gently peel away each one, setting them aside as you go.
Finish drying according to manufacturer’s directions.
Final product.
Freezer paper stenciling is my favorite stenciling technique and can be used for any of my stencils and for most stenciling on fabric.
More Free Stencils on the Craft Page!
Add your Sewhooked-related photos to my flickr group and you might be featured in a future post!
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If you make a Sew Awesome Craft or any pattern, craft or recipe from sewhooked, I’d love to see a photo. Email me or add it to the sewhooked flickr group.
Congrats to the amazing Droxy on being the first Featured Crafter of the Month on Leaky!
You don’t know Droxy? I bet you do, even if you don’t realize it! Click on the link above and you’ll see what I mean.
Droxy is an AMAZING crafter, costumer and make up artist. And? She’s one of my online friends. I shall bask in the glow of knowing her and direct you all to read about her crafty exploits.
I expect to see loads of my crafty peeps popping up over the upcoming months because HP Crafters are made of WIN.
You can find out about FCotM more by clicking on the banner below…
Thanks Crafty Witches and Wizard for the awesome new feature!
If you make a Sew Awesome Craft or any pattern, craft or recipe from sewhooked, I’d love to see a photo. Email me or add it to the sewhooked flickr group.
add to your ravelry queue:
The original version of this pattern was given to me by a friend as a hand written pattern. I lost that pattern for years, but continued to make the blanket, and when I finally found the pattern again, I realized I’d modified it significantly from the original version as I’d tried to work from memory. Oops!
Another name for this blanket could be “stash eater” because it loves yarn! It’s a very simple pattern that makes a squishy, thick and snuggly blanket.
The one pictured will be donated to The Linus Connection.
The blanket works up to be approximately 36″ wide. It looks great with wide or thin stripes, in variegated yarn or solid!
You’ll need:
Shell = (sc in next sc, ch 3, dc) in same st
Ch 130
Row 1: dc in 4th ch from hook, skip next 2 ch, (sc in next ch, ch 3, dc) in same st. [sk next 2 ch ( )] to end of base ch, sc in last ch.
Row 2: ch 3, dc in same st, sk ch 3, (shell) in each sc across, sc in last ch 3 sp.
Repeat Row 2 for desired length.
For edging, continue pattern around by working (shell) in ch 3 spaces along sides and back of foundation row. Finish off.
I donated this one to Linus in April of 2005
Add your Sewhooked photos to my flickr group and you might be featured in a future post!
