Some Dish Scrubbies

I decided I would make something to decorate for Valentines Day. I came across this crochet heart garland and thought it would be cute on my mantle. http://www.skiptomylou.org/2009/01/28/crochet-heart-garland/ Since it was cold and snowy today staying in the house was the thing to do. I started working on the hearts for the garland with yarn from my stash. The yarn is Bernat Handicrafter Holiday Sparkle. It is a Christmas yarn but it is cotton with a silver thread in it. So I think it is nice for this project. Here are the hearts I have completed so far. Since I get distracted easily I started thinking about making a new dish scrubby because the one I have is getting very worn and doesn't even work that well any more. I got it in a package of 3 along with some pink measuring cups from JoAnn's. I like those scrubbies from JoAnn's but I really don't need any more measuring cups. I have been wanting to make some scrubbies out of nylon tulle for some time now. I have had these various colors of tulle on a spool in my stash for a while now. I may as well use them. I got 20 yds by 6 inches for $.97 on the clearance rack, with the intention of making dish scrubbies.

I found this lovely bright pink tulle spool and a Pattern for Rosebud Dish Scrubbies in the book MaryJane's Stiching Room by MaryJane Butters. This book has all kinds of old fashioned crafty things inside. I have tried a few of them. So with the pink tulle and the pattern I whipped up a Rosebud Dish Scrubby in no time at all. Since the pattern called for 3 inch wide pieces of tulle I cut the whole roll in half before starting on my scrubby.

After making the rosebud I still had enough to make another one. I had this brilliant idea to make a heart shaped scrubby. I used the same pattern from Skip To My Lou for the hearts. I just used tulle strips instead of yarn. I made two hearts and crocheted them together with single crochet all the way around the hearts but only going through the back loops on each heart to join. Before stitching the last few stitches closed I stuffed the heart with the remaining tulle and finished closing it up. Now I have a cute new Valentine Dish Scrubby. And even the Rosebud Dish Scrubby will be decorating my kitchen sink for Valentines Day.

Wild Olive: seeing shadows...

Wouldn't this be adorable to make up for groundhog day, Yes we all need something special to commemorate Ground Hog Day. You still have time to craft this up by Tuesday February 2. Wild Olive: seeing shadows...: "seeing shadows...

We're just around the corner from a major holiday. OK, yes, Valentine's Day...but before that, Groundhog Day. For those of us in cold climates, the arrival of a small furry creature can be key. I'm still a few days early, but I wanted to give you time to be making something fun for this amazing weather prediction holiday."

Vintage Sewing Books

I have been thinking about writing a tutorial for some time now.

I really like this basket apron idea from this sewing book I picked up at a local antiques mall. It is called Sewing Made Easy. I can't find an exact date of when it was published but it does say that the first edition was published in 1950 and has shown almost 200,000 women that the fine art of sewing is as valuable today as it was in their grandmothers' day. I love it when I find an old sewing book while shopping. I always look for them at Goodwill or any antique mall. Usually they are not very costly either.



I have one called The New Encyclopedia Of Modern Sewing from 1946. This one has several adorable aprons in it too along with several items for organizing your closet that I would like to try.

My oldest sewing book is from 1930 called Whites Schools of Costume Art by White Sewing Machine Company. Cleveland Ohio. It has several guides to drafting different patterns. These seem to be missing important information such as what part of the pattern goes with what measurement. But I may be able to figure some of it out with some trial and error. There is a pattern that says it is for a slip. There is only a few lines of explanation and a diagram. It tells how wide your fabric should be if you have 40 inch hips but I see nothing on the diagram that refers to these measurements. I may try a bit of fiddling with this maybe I can come up with a workable slip. Maybe this book was a guide that went along with some hands on classes. I feel like it came with a sewing machine because it has many references to special feet and attachments. But there is a lot of hand sewing in this book too.



Most of these old sewing books have very little in the way of directions. They seem to assume that everyone already knows how to put something together. I think I can handle figuring out an apron or a slip. And really I have no desire to draft a dress pattern from scratch I can get a lovely pattern for about $2.00 on sale at JoAnn's. Actually I have plenty of patterns I can play with. But I would also love to try making something from my old sewing books.

A new bag

I picked up this kit for bags back in August 2009 at the sewing expo. http://www.barboriginals.com/ Everything I needed to complete the project was included in the kit and all I needed was thread and a bit of time. The pattern is called Three Bags Full. There are three separate bags of various sizes that hook together with d-rings onto the strap. I think these would be great to use when shopping or sightseeing when you want to be hands free but have a place to keep a few items organized. The strap is adjustable so that you can wear it over your shoulder. This was a very easy project and went together quickly. I think the hardest part of this project was getting the sliders on the zipper tape. I changed the pattern a bit by boxing out the bag bottoms.

Some new clothes

I don't know if anyone has noticed but it has been a while since my last post. I just haven't had time to take pictures or think of something to write on here. But I have been working on a few projects. I made up this herringbone vest and knit top a few weeks ago. I have worn it several times since I made it. I used Simplicity 0568. The pattern envelope called this a sleeveless jacket. There is a view with sleeves in the envelope too. The pattern also includes a skirt with a flared bottom. and a basic pair of pants. I am considering making the skirt at some point. I really like the knit top it has a good fit and is flattering on me. The top has a mock turtle neck with a zipper in the back for a close fit. I used an invisible zipper because I like the way they look and I think they are the easiest to install.

For the vest I used a wool blend brown herringbone fabric. I got this at JoAnn's in the clearance section. It even has a bit of sparkle to it. I thought about adding a lining to it even though the pattern doesn't call for it. I had some fabric leftover from another project that I was going to use. But after I started sewing I decided I didn't want to do that much thinking so I just made it according to the pattern. It really isn't that hard to add a lining to a unlined jacket pattern. I have done it many times before but I guess I just wanted a quick project. Both the jacket and the pink knit top were quick and easy to finish. I will probably be making more of the tops.