Greetings Friends!

This is one of my favorite projects, and I know you're going to like it too! I'm all about finding new ways to use what I have around the house. I'm not really a hoarder, but I hang on to a lot of things that I think might have potential - someday. This earring holder is a perfect example of turning forgotten items into something special.

For a long time I had the idea about making some sort of holder for all of the earrings that I have.using a picture frame. Writing an article for the Craftsy Blog about different ways that you can display your crochet work gave me a chance to do some experimenting. I tried wrapping string around cardboard and sliding it in a frame, but it didn't have the look I wanted. Eventually I stumbled across a piece of crochet lace. It actually is one of my early pieces of thread work that I had abandoned. A mistake in the border made it unusable for it's original purpose - a pillow top. But, when I held the lace together with one of the old frames I knew I was on to something. The glass was missing and the finish flaking off, but it had an undeniable charm.

It really was easy to put together. I found a piece of fabric (actually an old skirt) that matched the lace. I wrapped it around a piece of cardboard I cut to fit inside the frame. Then I stretched the lace over the fabric and laid it inside the frame. It fit nice and snuggly. 

The front looked perfect, but the back was a big mess. No one will ever see it, but things like that really bother me! I secured everything with packing tape. Then I cut a piece of cardboard from a cereal box to cover the back. I used craft adhesive (a super strong epoxy like glue) to attach the cardboard to the frame. I clamped it all together and let it dry overnight.

Now I have a lovely place to display all of my earrings. 

One of my favorite things about making jewelry is having pieces that match or complement pretty much everything in my wardrobe! My shabby chic lace holder now proudly sits on top of my bureau making all my earrings easy to see. Now the hard part is deciding what pair I want to wear!


Thanks so much for stopping by and spending a bit of your day with me!
Until next time friends,
Be Blessed and Stitch with Love!

Greetings Friends!

Having the right tools is important to any craft or hobby. However, that often means spending money! If you're like me, that's not always an option. and even if you have the means to buy what you need, that doesn't help you when you want it right now!

When you're blocking or stiffening crochet lace you don't need a giant blocking board.  You also may not want to get the stiffening solution all over your "good" board.  Why not make one? I've used this method throughout the years with great results. Here's what you do::

1) Gather your materials.

You need: A flat(ish) box - maybe a few inches high. The size of your box, is the size of your board, so consider what you'll be blocking. Some extra pieces of cardboard (I cut up another box). Make sure it's the nice corrugated cardboard, not the flat stuff from a cereal box. Scissors, tape and a disposable plastic table cloth. For some reason I have a stash of these table clothes.  Not sure why, but there you go!  Don't have one? Don't worry, I've also used aluminum foil, wax paper and plastic wrap.

2) Cut your extra cardboard the same size as your box.

This gives your board stability and makes it easier to push the pins into. I used two layers and then secured them with tape on each side.

3) Wrap your box. 

Cut your table cloth so it will cover the box a few times. (If you're using foil, plastic wrap or wax paper use a few layers. They'll last for several uses, just make sure you secure it tightly.) Wrap it up just like a present!  Tape the ends firmly and voila! you're ready to get busy blocking those ornaments!

That's all there is to it. I think having the right tools is important, but it's so easy to stress over having the same one that the "professionals" are using. Let's not get caught up in the gadgets!  We're creative people, right? and when we can make our own that does the same thing - I say hooray! After all. it's about the making and the end result., not about the tools!

Thanks so much for stopping by and spending a bit of your day with me!
Until next time friends,
Be Blessed and Stitch with Love!

Howdy Folks!

Working on multiple projects simultaneously makes me happy.  It keeps me from getting bored.  Plus it generally ensures that I have something that I want to work on handy.  Mostly these days I've been doing a lot of knitting.  The one problem that I have with knitting is that I can't do it when I'm tired.  Well I can, but I'm prone to making mistakes.  And fixing mistakes in knitting is way harder than it is in crochet. I've learned that it's better to set it aside than try to squeeze out one more row.

This is the Reflections Doily.  I found the pattern in the June 2013 issue of Crochet World magazine.  It struck my fancy because I had recently purchased a ball of Aunt Lydia's crochet thread in Monet.  It's not often that I actually have the exact yarn (or thread) that a pattern calls for on hand.  Being a fan of crochet lace and doilies in general it seemed like destiny.

I started with a flourish, but quickly  lost motivation.  If memory serves, and history repeats - I got bored.  The majority of this project is a simple V-stitch (dc, ch 3, dc).  And so, like many other projects it was stashed on a shelf and pretty much forgotten. For months it languished, until last week.  I needed something that I could pick up and put down without a lot of hassle.  Turns out that this is just that kind of project.  It also fits well in my travel bag.  We'll see how long I stick with it!  For right now though it's my "in between" project and any progress I make is a good thing!!

Thanks so much for stopping by and spending a bit of your day with me!
Until next time friends,
Be Blessed and Stitch & Read with Love!

Greetings!

Throughout the summer I've been dabbling with different thread projects.  Keeping them short and sweet helps to ensure that I'll stay interested and actually follow through to the end!  I was working on the review of the book 100 Colorful Granny Squares to Crochet which meant that I tried out several of the patterns.  I made some with worsted cotton and more with cotton thread.  It didn't take long for a collection to develop.  They were just too pretty to leave in a basket, so I bought a bunch of plain white washcloths and hand towels to embellish.  Stitching one square to each washcloth worked beautifully (you can see how I did it in this post).

I wanted to try something different with the towels.  Flipping through my library of books and magazines I came across a pattern for lace edging that was perfect -  the Dolly Dish Towels in the Sept/Oct 2012 issue of Crochet Today.

It was just a coincidence that I had the same color thread they used on hand. The soft cotton towel was supple enough to work the foundation row without pre-poking any holes, and once that was done the design rapidly took shape. Perhaps the toughest part was making sure that I had the right multiple of stitches evenly spaced along the bottom of my towel. After finishing this quick and easy project I understand why lace edging is such a classic embellishment.  In times past if you wanted something fancy you had to make it yourself, unless you were wealthy enough to pay someone to make it for you.  Adding lace to household linens makes them look good and was probably excellent practice for more intricate pieces like wedding dresses, veils and christening gowns.  While I don't see any of those in my future, my towel and washcloths make a lovely addition to our bathroom.  My husband says they're too nice to use, but I say they're too nice not to!  

That's all for now.  Thanks so much for stopping by and spending a bit of your day with me.
Until next time friends,
Be Blessed and Stitch & Read with Love!