March is International Crochet Month!

My favorite month!  Not just for the crochet, it's also Otter's birthday on the last day of March.  But this post is about this:

Which means this:

(This is just a very small sample of my yarn stash)

(Yes, everywhere!)

(Yes, great pain.)

Just a few thoughts!

Fabric Material Covered Mouse Pad Mat Mousepad Mousemat

This was actually a very easy project.  It just took a few minutes start to finish.

I started with a cheap mouse pad, which cost less than $2.00.

I bought a small package of Heat N Bond.  Make sure you get the iron on kind!

It cost less than $2.00 as well.

Sorry the picture is sideways.  We have 2 irons and boards, one is for clothing and one is strictly for crafting.  That is not a necessary step, but it's easier not to have to worry about adhesive, etc., getting stuck on the iron and then transferring to the clothing.  Same thing for the board, we have a tabletop board which we use with the craft iron.  The craft iron is actually one that I've used for years to iron clothing but it's getting old and I bought a new one before the old one actually conks out since I've had that happen before.

I bought crochet printed fabric a while back, I've used it for a couple of things now.  I'm not sure what the cost is because I bought it several months ago and also I bought a lot because I've had things not be available when I wanted to get more.  It's cotton fabric, which has not been washed because of the types of projects I've used it for.  If it's for an actual sewing or clothing related project, then it would need to be washed first.  But so far, my projects have needed it to still be slightly stiff. 

You'll want to cut a piece of fabric slightly larger than the mouse pad.

The Heat N Bond will also need to be cut larger, I used the fabric as a template so it would be the right size but the fabric can be a little larger.

Place the Heat N Bond ADHESIVE SIDE DOWN ON THE BACK OF THE FABRIC, THE PAPER BACKING ON THE HEAT N BOND NEEDS TO BE FACING YOU.  Then just follow the directions on the package, in this case it was to warm the iron mid-way (no steam) and then place the iron down for 2 seconds and hold it at a slight pressure, then move it to the next section until the entire piece has been ironed.  At this point, you might need to put a napkin or piece of scrap material down so that the adhesive won't stick to the ironing board cover if it exceeds the size of the fabric you are using.  Let it cool completely, it will just take a few minutes.

Peel the backing off, it should come off easily and the back of the fabric will have a slight shiny appearance.

Then when the fabric piece has cooled down, lay it over the TOP SIDE of the mouse pad - be sure to put the adhesive down AND THE FRONT OR RIGHT SIDE OF THE FABRIC NEEDS TO BE FACING YOU.  I put the backing that came off of the Heat N Bond down underneath the mouse pad to protect the ironing board fabric cover.  Then follow the directions on the package again, in this case it was to hold the iron down for 6 seconds then move it over until the entire piece had been exposed to the hot iron.  Because this was a rubber piece and I didn't want it to melt, I counted to 6 seconds exactly and then lifted the iron to move it over.  I let it cool for a minute or so, then I flipped it over so that the back of the mouse pad was facing me.

I checked it gently at the corner and it looked like the fabric was adhered, if it isn't stuck down then just give it a few more seconds with the hot iron.

Then it was just a matter of cutting the excess fabric off.  I used a pair of very sharp scissors, but you could use an X-acto knife or similar sharp blade.  But you'll need to be sure you have it against a hard surface before you take a blade to it.  The excess fabric needs to be cut off right against the edge of the mouse pad.

Here's the finished product!  It was very easy to do and it works perfectly with my optical mouse.  This would make a great gift and it could be personalized to the person you wanted to give it to.

Today is I Love Yarn Day!!!!!!!

One of my very favorite days, that's for sure.

There is so much that can be done with yarn.

My chosen art/addiction is crochet, which is probably no secret at all.

It doesn't matter if you crochet, knit, weave, or any of several other crafts that involve yarn, today is a good day and I encourage anyone who might be interested in yarn art to find a way to learn and see where it takes you!

Yarn is magic.

Yarn Bombing

The article gets one thing wrong, which is actually a major thing:  IT'S CROCHET.

Yarn Bombing Keeps You Young!

National Sewing Month (September)

September is National Sewing Month.  I'm not big on sewing, but I do occasionally sew.  I leave that to Froggy and Otter, and occasionally to Bill.  I am planning a lap quilt for Bill, but I'm looking for fabric that fits him.  I have a lot of patterned fabric, such as tools, chocolate chip cookies, many TEXAS related items and also bandaids - if you know him, you know why bandaids are appropriate for him.  I'm trying to find fabric that at least resembles pachinko/pinballs but that might be a wasted effort.

Sewing machines have changed a lot since this, but the basic principal is the same.

This was one of Otter's early sewing projects, she made a fleece scarf.

She also made the pants in the pirate costume she's wearing in this picture, after she'd had a little more experience sewing.  I think it was originally a pattern for pajamas but it worked for what she needed.

Bill made this quilt, it's the one we refer to as mine and we use it in the spring and summer.  His quilt is the camo pattern and we use it in the colder months.

This was also one of Otter's early sewing projects, zippered pouches.  She made this one for me to keep my crochet hooks in and that's what I use it for.

So, get busy sewing!  And have fun!!

Painted Wood Wooden Fabric Back Tray

I originally bought an unpainted wooden tray with the idea of turning it into a clock.  But I decided to go a different direction with the clock idea and I was left with the tray.  I've made this type of project before and I wanted another one.  It's easy.

Supplies needed:

Unpainted wooden tray, size and shape are up to you!  They can be purchased at just about any hobby store and aren't too expensive. 

Craft paint.  I use white or beige as a base coat, then 2 or 3 coats of the color I like.

Clear varnish

Modge Podge glue

Fabric for the inside back of the tray

The tray may need light sanding.  The next thing is to paint with the base coat, then let it dry completely.  Sometimes it might need more than one coat of the base, and I don't usually have to sand between coats.

I painted just on the inside of the inside tray back because I wanted to make sure that if the fabric wasn't quite big enough the base coat wouldn't show in the gap.

Measure the inside back of the tray for the fabric.  Measure carefully and probably more than once!  I used a thin poster board that is slightly heavier than a manila folder.

 You want to get the edges as straight as possible.  After it's cut, I usually put it in the tray to be sure it fits.

 The next step is to cut the fabric.  I found some really neat crochet-pattern material, the name is actually Crochet and I bought 3 yards of it.  No idea what else I'm going to use it for, but it's like yarn:  buy more than you need so you don't run out!  Also, I didn't wash it before use because I didn't want it to be too soft.  It needs to be crisp.  If you are using fabric that has been washed, it will need a good ironing.  I prefer to use 100% cotton.

Next step is to be sure the tray back is dry and dust-free.  Then you can apply the Modge-Podge.  You could probably use another type of glue, but this one works very good.  It dries fast and holds well.  But, because it does dry quickly you need to work fairly fast on this step.  I use a foam brush, it spreads the glue the best.  The brush is not really reusable after being used with glue, but if you use a regular brush it will need to be cleaned pretty quick.

After the glue is down, the fabric needs to be placed carefully.  It won't really slide if it needs to be moved, but you can grab it at the corners (tweezers work well for this) if it needs to be re ositioned.  I usually start at the "top" - the side furthest from me and work my way down.  Once the fabric is in place, you will need to (gently!) smooth any bumps or bubbles out because they will be permanent if you don't!  Not a heavy touch, but fairly firm.  I usually use my fingers for this but you can use a rubber scraper if you want to - just don't push too hard because the fabric may stretch out a bit.

The next step is to trim any edges, strings, etc. that don't fit or are sticking up too far on the sides.  I used a box cutter but I really should have used an x-acto knife because they are a lot sharper.  Be very careful, you don't want to cut yourself!  I did go find an x-acto knife after a while, but I should have started with one.  This needs to be done pretty soon after placing the fabric and you will also have to try hard not to stretch or move the fabric.  The corners and edges of the fabrics may need to be pushed down gently to be sure they stick.

This is the debris pile after I trimmed the edges.  Normally, things like this get put into my pile to put out for birds to use in the spring for nesting but these get thrown out because they have the glue on them.

The next step is to apply the varnish, I didn't get any pictures of it but it's basically just using a good-quality paint brush and the varnish of your choice.  It may take several coats.  Also, sometimes the fabric is not going to be smooth to the touch.  It depends on how much of the glue as been absorbed, as well as the texture of the tray itself.  But the fabric will need to be varnished as well.

The finished tray:

It's not food safe, but I use trays like this to hold condiments in the middle of my table.  It can be used as wall decor or to hold whatever you feel like.

March is International Quilt Month

(As I was reminded today!)

I do sew some and I have made a quilt, although it took me something like 18 years!  Actually, it took me closer to 13.  I have another one planned for Bill, but it's still in the planning stage because I'm looking for fabric that fits him.

Bill made the following quilts:

This one is bigger than our king size bed.  It's very lightly batted but it is very warm.  The top fabric is all official Army camo, it came from some uniforms that were surplus.  The backing is a forest-type pattern.

This one was made for his step-mom for Christmas a few years back, it's slightly larger than a lap quilt.

He made two that year, this one was made for his mom.

This is the one he made for me, it's not quite as big as the camo quilt but it is probably slightly larger than actual king size.  It's got a fuller, fluffier batting.  It's warm but not as warm as the camo quilt and we use it in the spring and summer.

This one is the 13 year quilt!  It's backed with solid blue fabric.  The top fabric is a combination of types of fabric, some of it is stuff that Otter liked and some of it means something specific.

Quilting is something that Froggy does, it's her specialty and she makes some really spectacular quilts.  It's her chosen art form, really it's her Gift.  But I discovered that I don't have any pictures of any quilts she's made, or I would post them here.