The Magic of Blocking

Finished a shrug earlier this month and despite the tight armholes, I was sure it would fit after blocking.

Before:

You can see how much I stretched it width-wise by looking at the center mark on the board in the “before” picture.  I pulled the arms a lot, too, to make sure they were roomy.  After:

I was right!  It’s perfect.  One of my girls modeling:

More info about the crochet pattern at Ravelry.  The blocking board I used is great and stores nicely, but I wish I had thought of an alternative before purchasing it (I’ve already mistaken it for my cutting board and sliced right through it).  Lots of folks online having mentioned using interlocking kids play mats & I think they’re right – you can adjust the size to what you need, even the shape – like extra long for a scarf or shawl – and they’re more affordable to replace.  Here’s a set of 4 I found at Amazon*:

 

Do you ever find good uses for things that they weren’t originally intended for? 

I feel like I’m getting back into the swing of things, and just in time for school to start next week, also. Did I get to work on all the projects that I had planned for this summer?  Not a chance.  But I have a feeling that this fall and winter will be more productive than ever before.

New Handbag Progress

New quilted bag coming soon.  Here’s a little photo detail…. I’ve been piecing this slowly and only working on it about 30 minutes each day – if I had more time to myself during the daytime I’d have it done already.  (Never thought that teenagers would take so much of my summer hours – I haven’t had time to craft let alone blog about any of it!) 

It’s been a fun project, as it progresses I’ve added different elements.  Learned how to make my own bias tape and created my own piping with it; that’ll coordinate with the green handles that I found for this crazy mix of fabrics.  (Which have been in a bag in my stash since I picked them up at PurlSoho last summer!) 

Tonight and tomorrow I’ll be hand-stitching some inside seam-binding down.  I used to dislike sewing by hand – why complicate things when a sewing machine is so much quicker?  Why add hours (and thus raise the price) when it might not be appreciated?  Well, I’ve found two things-  sometimes doing it by hand is just necessary to finish something off nicely, so it’s worth the time.  And, it’s not really a chore, it’s even relaxing. 

So, tomorrow, if the weather is nice, I’ll be picking up branches from Hurricane Irene’s aftermath and doing some quiet stitching when I need a break.

Returning from Vacation

I’m mostly back from my vacation, (physically, I’m here,  mentally is another story…)  I need to catch up on sleep and get organized once again.

I tried to relax during our trip, but really we did so much sight seeing in CA, that there wasn’t much time for rest!  Here’s a photo of my crochet-in-progress one morning while I waited for everyone to get ready for the day.  (I actually finished it last night and will have photos of the completed shrug in a day or so.)

Want to see some pictures?  There were lots of animals to see, some movie stars, and patterns that caught my eye.  You can see some here at my flickr account:

 

One other set of pictures that I started uploading were “faces”… it’s a little odd, but since I take a lot of these, I figured I’d put it somewhere.  I have a lot more to put online, just have to take the time to do it one of these days:

Going to focus my crafting on the future now, going to take this seriously and get down to work each day like it’s my job.  I think that’s the only way I’ll be more productive.  Any thoughts on vacation, renewal and crafting-as-work?  Or just want to comment on my pictures?   (You can do that at the flickr site, too.)

Quick Sewing Summer Hats

Quick post about a project I did pretty quickly.  These were made with Betz White’s Reversible Bucket Hat Pattern.  The first one I made was the blue denim version.  Created that from a pair of jeans and a men’s shirt – both had been torn and unwearable as they were.  Loved it, so made another one with natural colored denim and a floral fabric. 

Now I have a hat that will actually fit my head.  It’s been a very hot, sunny summer & I need a hat to keep my [now that I dye it] hair from fading in the sun.  Been busy, traveling a little, sewing when I can… will update with more projects in a few weeks. 

Hope you’re having a great season!  (Can’t assume it’s summer everywhere my readers may be – how’s the weather been where you are?)