Crocheted Flowers

Initially I wanted to learn to crochet so that I could create some fun embellishments for knitted hats. After a few failed attempts I think I found a couple of patterns/tutorials that are easy to follow and have a lovely end result.

Made using 50 chains initially with Hometown USA super bulky yarn, this flower is BIG! I haven't decided where to use it yet. I have visions of it on a child's hat, but weight might be an issue. Stay tuned!

The flower above and below were both made using the same pattern as the big purple flower, but used a single strand of worsted weight yarn and a chain of 50 to start. This creates a big enough flower to make a statement on any size hat without becoming heavy or overbearing. These flowers are so easy to make and are so cute on hats, headbands, bags, scarves, pins, hair clips, etc...

Here is the tutorial, easy to follow and can be adjusted for smaller or larger flowers depending on the number of chains you start with. The bulkier the yarn, the bulkier the flower. You can get a lot of different looks just by switching up the yarn. 

Non-curling Loomed Hat

Ever since I began loom knitting I have had problems with the issue of curling edges. While I am still trying to address this issue when knitting scarves and flat panels, I found a pattern that I love for making a hat brim that doesn't curl or roll and doesn't need to be folded up (but looks very cute folded as well!). It creates a lovely finished edge and adds interest to a basic knit stitch hat.

Of course when I took pictures of this hat, I neglected to leave the brim unfolded. But you can see in the picture below that the brim uses a different stitch pattern that allows for a neat finished edge. No rolling. Here is a photo of another hat that uses the same method and isn't folded:

I used the red Knifty Knitter round loom for the purple hat, this pattern isn't size specific and can be used with any size or brand loom.

Use the Long tail cast-on method. A great site for cast-on and bind-off tutorials can be found here.

Purl one row. Knit one row. Purl one row.

E-wrap and knit over until your hat is the desired length.

I love using the flat draw-string bind-off method over the traditional gathered bind-off. It creates a more smooth top with fewer gathers. A bit more complex, but once you get the hang of it and compare it with a gathered bind-off you will see that it is worth it. Directions can be found at the link above.

Add your favorite pom pom, flower, or leave it as is! This is definitely my go to hat pattern because it is quick, well made, and very cute. Enjoy!

Loom Love

To my husband's dismay, I have taken up another crafting hobby. Loom knitting. I purchased the round set of Knifty Knitter looms on amazon and got to work experimenting right away. Here are a few of the projects I have completed.

A purple pom pom hat

An Ewok inspired hat with ears

 A loomed hat with a crocheted flower

This snowman was such a great model, not a diva at all!

I have found Pinterest and Youtube to be invaluable in helping me figure things out. Follow my Needle Crafts board on Pinterest to find things that have inspired me or taught me new skills.

Stationery card

Holly Jolly Wishes Christmas Card

Customize your Christmas cards this season at Shutterfly.com.

View the entire collection of cards.

I absolutely love our Christmas card for 2012! It perfectly captured the vintage feel I was going for. The lesson I learned, this being our first card sent out as a couple, was to figure out how many cards you think you will need and then add 20! I ended up paying an arm and a leg for an additional order of these cards and will not be making the same mistake next year!

Halloween

This Halloween was fun. Thanks to the wonder that is Pinterest I found several spook-tacular crafts to complete the look I wanted outside our home.

The first project was very simple. The original idea came from Country Living. This is their rendition:

http://www.countryliving.com/crafts/projects/craft-ideas-for-halloween-1009#slide-9

My version is more simple, but it actually looks pretty cool. The bats were easy to cut out free hand. Country Living does provide a pattern (click the link above). My overall goal was to create some dimension with different layers and the color orange. It all leads to the front door and that sugary Halloween candy!

I used some small logs that were leftover from our wedding as pedestals and a tin planter bucket from Ikea to add a little height. The large pumpkin was the perfect shape for a monogram and since it's my first Halloween as a Paulson, I decided to do a simple polkadot "P". Ryan got out the drill and we went to work. It turned out to be a very easy process and made for quick carving. It also looked great lit up. 

This is a simple wreath I made using a tutorial I found on Pinterest as well. The felt flowers came together very quickly. No need for perfectly formed circles of the same size here. A stack of felt in whatever color(s) you like, a little hot glue, and a wreath (I actually ripped the burlap flowers off another wreath I was tired of looking at) and you can have yourself something quite lovely.

Here is a closer look. And here is the link to the tutorial I used to make the flowers.

http://www.littlethingsbringsmiles.com/2010/12/felt-fun.html

Add a few gourds to a vase, an antique chair...and some more gourds, and you're done! Just because it's Halloween doesn't mean the decor needs to be scary. This is a classic look that can easily carry over into November with a few minor changes. Hope you liked it!

Free-Hand Embroidered Deer

For Mothers Day this year, I wanted to make something really unique for my wonderful mom. I decided to embroider something that could be hung up in my parents room at their cabin. My maiden name is Buck, so I thought it would be nice to do something with the animal of the corresponding name. I found the picture below and had an idea of what I wanted to do, a sort of stained glass mosaic pattern on canvas.

I traced the deer onto the canvas and began embroidering triangles. I did these mostly free hand and did not feel the need to take the time to draw the lines on. I did draw lines for the legs at first until I got the hang of what I was doing. 

Close Up!

Extreme Close Up!

           I added a little outline of Minnesota to personalize it a bit. Oh Minnesota, my home sweet home.

The antlers were the most difficult, but I think they turned out well in the end.

I alternated colors and did a simple satin stitch for the insides of the triangles.

I left the Minnesota patch empty so that it would stand out and I liked the end result. 

Here is a close up of the filled in triangles. I forgot to take the final picture before giving it to my mom, but will try to get one soon! I framed it in a modern frame and it now hangs in their cabin bedroom. It was a challenging, time-consuming, but rewarding project. Plus I love the way it turned out. Making something like this for my mom made me appreciate her all the more. She definitely deserves more than a store bought gift and I think the hours I poured into this embroidery were well worth it. Love you mom!

DIY Burlap Flower Wreath

After acquiring a cheap grapevine wreath from a garage sale I did some looking around to find options for creating something new with it. There are wreaths galore on pinterest. I decided to use a fabric flower technique that I have used before when making hair clips. I wanted an outdoorsy/rustic look that would be versatile and could carry over from summer into fall.

Here is the finished wreath hanging on the pillar outside our home. 

I started by cutting many circles out of tan burlap. They were about three 2.5 inches in diameter. Each flower  needs 5-6 circles.

Take each circle and fold it in half.

Fold the circle in half again.

Next, on the side where two sides meet (look below my thumb in the picture above), fold each flap back on either side. This is a little hard to show in a picture, sorry! Looking at the picture below, this petal is half finished. The flap that is at the bottom would then be folded back up towards my ring finger. 

Now, thread a needle and tie the thread to a button. The button will not show, so it can be any size/shape. This is so your thread won't slip through the burlap. Pull the needle through the burlap where a point has formed (like a tiny slice of pizza).

I find that it is easier to stack a few of these little "pizza slices" and thread them at the same time. You will want to keep all the pieces stacked so that they do not spring apart in all directions before you have them all on the thread. Next, let go of the pieces and pull the thread tight. Then tie the needle side of the thread onto the button.

This is what the bottom of your burlap flower should look like. Clip any loose threads. 

Here are a few of the flowers.

Burlap sheds like crazy when you cut it. I sprayed my flowers with cheap hairspray which works great to keep the flowers together and stops the shedding. 

I had some green burlap on hand and decided to make a few flowers out of that as well. I then hot glued the flowers to the lower right hand side of the wreath.

Finally, I sprayed the finished wreath with more hairspray. A lot of hairspray actually! This wreath was going outside and I didn't want it to be affected by wind and rain. I can vouch for the fact that this wreath has been up for a couple of months and looks the same as it did when I put it up. Yay!

Here is the finished product. The only thing that I would change would be the color of the burlap. The tan color is a little too close to the grapevine color. It looks very nice close up, but far away, it is a bit hard to see the tan burlap. Luckily, burlap comes in many colors and this could easily be done in colors to compliment your home or for holidays (red/green, black/orange, etc...). So go make your own burlap wreath!! It was easy, fun, and I love the end result. I hope you will too!

Woodland Creature Baby Gear!

These little guys made it onto some baby gear I made for a co-worker of Ryan's. She is having a girl, but loathes the color pink. She and her husband are into the outdoors and more natural themes. So, I decided to go with woodland creatures. I forgot to take photos using my actual camera, so these aren't the greatest as I took them last minute with my phone....

On the left is a pacifier leash with a hedgehog on it. This hedgehog took me waaaay too long to sew by hand. I created the pattern first. I sewed the top layers of blue and tan together first, then embroidered on the cream quills (not sure if that is what they are called), eyes, and nose. then I stitched that piece to a slightly larger piece of brown felt. And finally, I did a blanket stitch to attach a second piece of brown felt to give it some bulk. So cute!

Attaching the hedgehog to the suspender clip was tricky and I need to perfect my methods. You can see the slight dimpling where I stitched through the blue felt which I don't love. 

The second little guy is a fox that embroidered with cream and black thread. I coated him on all edges with fray check, ironed him dry and them sewed him onto the front piece of the bib prior to sewing the layers together. I used a wood grain cotton for both projects and love how it looks with the animals!! Simple, but cute and funky all at the same time. There is nothing girly about these, but they aren't boyish either....I hope!

My tag is sewn to the back of both items as well. For the bib, I did a cream terry cloth backing with an extra layer of tan flannel in between to make it more absorbent and sturdy. It has a snap closure and I still swear by the tutorial I posted HERE.

The real lesson I learned while making these things is that sometimes I need to better manage my time, or do things a little differently in the interest of time. At some point (way in the future) I would love to make and sell things and I will never make any amount of money if it takes me several hours to complete one pacifier leash!! I'll get faster too with time, but still, I could be more efficient for sure.

Wedding Save the Dates!

I designed these Save-the-Dates for my upcoming wedding. I printed them on my home computer and probably saved around $150 by doing these myself. I designed them using Microsoft Publisher and simple photo editing software that comes with every computer.

I love them and they really captured "us". Relaxed, casual, and simple.

Even little Rhubarb made it on! We treat her like our child, so it only made sense to include her cute little mug on the back of the save-the-date.