Northern Spark Project Progress

These are very fantastic lino-block stamps which will be used to stamp secondhand clothing for our Northern Spark project.  We are quite excited about the progress so far.

Making Monday: Sculpture Play

These things will someday soon become a cool outdoor sculpture.  Many a good time to be had working on it.

Tiny Tunnel

Our nephew loves tunnels.  Simply turn two, three, or four chair backs together and throw a blanket over the top.  Hours of entertainment for you and the little ones.

Making Monday: Freezer Paper Magic

 

1.  Take a piece of paper.  Draw a design.  We would suggest something not as complicated as our first one, shown here. 

2.  Trace your design in ink or colored pencil so you will be able to trace the design onto the freezer paper clearly.

3.  Cut a piece of freezer paper slightly larger than your design.  Trace the design onto the matte side of the freezer paper by placing your drawing underneath the freezer paper shiny side down.

4.  Tape the freezer paper to a cutting surface and use a crafting knife to cut out the parts of the design you would like to be inked.

5.  Choose a fabric item to affix the design to.
6.  Using an iron on medium-high heat attach the design, shiny side down, to the fabric.  Hold the iron even and flat to press down across the design a few times first so that none of the edges get folded over by the iron.  Then move the iron back and forth a few times to stick the design completely to the fabric.  We also found placing a piece of paper between the iron and design can help keep the corners from folding over.  This process does not take long at all.  Be sure to keep the iron moving and not burn the fabric.
7.  Attach another piece of freezer paper the size of the design on the other side of the fabric to avoid bleed through.  You can do this before or after you attach the design to the fabric.  We did it before the design because we had to turn the t-shirt inside out in order to attach the protective sheet to the inside.
8.  Use fabric paint to paint within the stencil using a brush by dabbing up and down or pulling the paint from the freezer paper to the fabric to avoid getting paint underneath the edges of the stencil.

9.  Wait for the paint to dry.  Add another coat or two if necessary.  Then peel off the freezer paper using a tweezers for any tough spots.  Peel off the back piece as well.

10.  Use a small brush or toothpick to touch up any problem spots.
11.  Heat set with an iron, wash, and use.

New Old Jars

With mothers getting rid of things we have been gaining things left and right. This new, for us jars, have just found a home in our pantry holding our bulk goods.

Making Monday: The Basket

I began a very intense adventure of trying to use all the t-shirt material left over from making t-shirt quilts. What had started as a medium bowl/hamper thing to hold projects I was in the middle of or latter in life toys the kids had left on the floor, grew into crocheting a basket to hold blankets next to the couches.

The project has now been completed! It is very unwieldy, and huge, and works quite well. It is really very fun to touch and look at.

Making Monday: Project Tote

I was so inspired by my grocery tote that I modified the tote bag pattern a little to make myself a small project bag to make transporting knitting projects smoother. My great aunt Bertie has been cleaning out her fabrics which has meant amazing things for me. The outside of this bag, is made almost only out of pre-cut squares, she gave me, sewn together to make this patchwork fabric. I used some of the leftover ones to make a small pocket on the inside, which is adorable. Now all I have to do is get knitting.

Making Monday: Quilt Square

I recently saw someone who's sister had sewn a log cabin onto the back of her fall coat. Well I got inspired and made up a quilt square of my own to sew onto my coat. I'm quite happy with the result. It is so much fun to pull out the scraps of fabric and make them into yet another thing.