new toy!

anyone who knows me is aware that i am a sucker for a crafting gadget. i tend to be more textile and yarn oriented, never having developed an interest in scrapbooking, but i i have to admit i am often drawn to materials and tools intended for that particular craft. maybe it's because all of those scrapbooking pages look like delicious vintage textiles, or maybe it's just the cleverness of some of the die cutting devices. in any case, i'll sometimes find myself perusing the clearance section of the craft store and on a recent trip, this little creature caught my eye.

it has a very specific purpose. basically, it's for making paper lanterns and these interesting mobile swirly things (is that the technical term...?). i was primarily interested in the lanterns and had seen this device before, but couldn't justify the price. however, on clearance for about $7, i couldn't resist. i also found a large pack of 12" X 12" scrapbooking card stock for about $6 and was thrilled to see the paper size called for to make the lanterns was 6" X 6". i happily took my purchases home and found an exacto knife, pencil and straightedge.

after cutting my paper into quarters, i opened up the box and check out the instructions. the process is really simple, open the hinged template, fold the paper in half print side up, slide it in place, and use the enclosed safety blade (which i managed to prick my finger with by pressing on the guard that i thought was removable...silly crafter...) to cut straight lines along the indent to the fold. the top half inch or so is protected, so there's no chance to cut too close and lose your top and bottom edge. next, unfold and roll the paper into a tube and staple at the top and bottom to close. voila! fancy paper lantern in about 2 minutes!

last of all, i punched holes on either side and threaded some yarn through, looping around each time to secure it in place. i absolutely love them!!! i may get some cool touch string lights and set them in. how pretty would that be for an outdoor party, or indoor one for that matter! so, despite my best friend threatening to put me in a crafty 12 step program (that she freely admits she should probably enroll in herself), i think this purchase was worth it. now i just have to find more dark corners in my apartment that need a little cheering up.

never stop stitching

work has kept me MIA for the last couple of weeks, and my poor blog has been sadly neglected. i've been up to my elbows in stewardess hats and animal ears and tails for a new stage adaption of 'Martha Speaks'. fun, yes, but it left me little time or desire to tackle my own projects. the show ships out on Monday, so at last i have some time to myself. and what do i do? i start stitching. yup.

i made a pair of pants for one of the characters in the show and loved how the pocket was put in, so i decided that i needed a new skirt with the same detail. after all, spring is coming and my wardrobe could use an update. but was it enough to make a new skirt? oh, no. of course not. so out came the long needle, crochet cotton thread and my G hook. time to make some fancy edging!

the first step was to stitch to the hem of the skirt a nice embroidery chain stitch. in this case, in a multiple of 8. when that was done, i single crocheted all the way around to create a nice foundation for my intended lace border.

to create this particular trim, follow these 2 simple additional row:

Row 1: Ch 1, sc in same space, ch1, skip 1 st, *sc in next st, ch 3, skip 1 st, sc in next st, skip 1 st* continue around, join at end with slip stitch.

Row 2: Ch 1, sc in space formed by joining sc. in next ch 3 space: triple crochet, Picot 3 (for picot: ch 3, sl stitch in 1st loop of chain, creating a tiny loop) create a total of 4 tr/picot combos, then tr once more: there should be 5 tr topped with 4 picots total.

skip next ch 1 space, sc into next tr, skip next ch 1 space.

repeat this pattern all the way around, skipping all ch 1 spaces and alternating the picot/tr cluster in ch 3 spaces with sc in ch 3 spaces.

join at the end with a slip stitch.

admittedly, i'm a bit obsessed with embellishing these days (there was an earlier post on this blog of a skirt i made and created a shell stitch edging when i first learned the technique). but what a fun way to refresh a spring wardrobe! and there are endless possibilities when it comes to crochet borders. aside from many excellent books bursting with edgings and motifs, the internet is lousy with them. then there's the option of going rogue and experimenting. the nice part is, you can always frog what you've done and start over, no yarn wasted and no harm done. and now, i'm off to dig through my closet to assess the possibilities for my 'new' spring wardrobe.