My New Bag

Wouldn't it be wonderful if a new project just flew off my hook, fitted together perfectly and immediately looked fantastic.....alas it takes some trial and error and rather a lot of stitch counting to make sure my patterns details are correct. But would I stop designing new items? Never!

Here is a peek at my newest project, and yes it is a bag.....

I love bags, I love having a selection to chose from, do I need a large one today to fit my lunch in? or would a small and pretty one suit me better? And the beauty of making my own bags is that it is so cost effective I can afford to make even more!

This one has been quite time intensive because I wanted to line it with fabric but realised I couldn't whip it through a sewing machine without it making ugly stitches on the lovely crochet.....so I have hand stitched the entire thing. It is taking shape very well and I am looking forward to seeing it finished, it still needs its pretty finishing touches which I will complete in the next day or two. I would love to make it in pink and cream, or multiple blues! And with a cute Amigurumi heart, star or flower dangling from it. The different possibilities are exciting and this is why I love creating, why would I want a mass produced item when I can own an item made by my own hands.

You are all most welcome to look through my Etsy shop My Gorgeous Home  for more ideas and inspiration.

Have a happy crafting week x

Crochet Hearts

I've had a wonderful week with lots of time to do crafty things, which at the moment means lots of crochet-yay!

I have finished my flowery blanket! 154 squares..wow...I am so happy to see it completed, and it is lovely and warm.

Whilst perusing for my next project which I had decided would be a bag....... I came across some crochet hearts and knew I had to make some.

The pattern for the larger heart can be found here Large Heart and the gorgeous rose with leaves can
be found here Roses at Attic 24.   I love Lucy's blog and it is one of the few that I have subscribed to, Her sense of style and vibrant colours appeal to me.

I also wanted to make some smaller hearts that I could attach some funky flowers to and after a quick google search this is what I found,

The pattern for these adorable little 3d hearts can be found here at 3d Heart. Aren't they great, after the first one they are so quick to make and I spent a lovely couple of days making them and playing with flowers to add. I have stuffed then with regular filling as I am currently travelling and I don't want any problems with quarantine restrictions, but these would be wonderful with a cedar ball or some dried lavender hidden inside.

So my hunt for a bag pattern turned into lots of hearts, a happy change of direction!

You are welcome to click over to my Etsy shop My Gorgeous Home for more ideas and inspiration.

Have a great crafting week.

My Crafty Beginnings

I learnt to knit first, it was the beginning of my adventure with craft, I was about 5 years old and I bet if my grandmother had realised that I was left handed she wouldn't have been so quick to offer. Next I learnt tapestry on that plastic canvas that you can still buy, my Aunty Gay taught me that. From then on there was no stopping me!

These days I am proficient in many crafts, but my main pleasures are:
Patchwork (I prefer hand piecing for personal items but use the machine for kids quilts)

Quilting (again I prefer hand work but will machine quilt for less precious items)

Embroidery (my Aunty Gay gave me a hand learning this after the plastic tapestry lessons, since then I have learnt from books with some classes in Hardanger)

Parchment Craft was a split second decision when I spotted a starter kit with a wet and cold weekend looming ahead of me. Now I am a registered teacher and have had patterns published in Parchment Craft Magazine.

                       

                                                      A PARCHMENT CRAFT CARD

Knitting and Crochet, what can I say....easy to do when watching a movie and they keep me toasty warm in winter.

Bobbin Lace, my newest craft and possibly the hardest. I owe this talent to a patient and knowledgable lady called Helen. She gave up many an afternoon teaching me to 'cross and twist' in the correct order.

I used to sew clothes when I was younger but this dwindled away with the advent of mass produced and therefor cheap clothing however I have had my interest renewed by a stall at a local market. The
stall sells retro items from the 50's (I am the proud owner of the grooviest LP Record drink coasters!) and her clothing was fabulous, Betty boop t-shirts, a-line aprons and high waisted pencil skirts! I can see myself whipping up some one-of-a-kind outfits in styles not seen for many years!

My current project is these Amigurumi mushrooms, I like that they are quick to make and can be used for many different things, I currently have them adorning my coffee table nestled amongst leaves and twigs, however the next baby born can expect a multi coloured mushroom mobile!

            

MY FLOWERED MUSHROOMS - The crochet pattern is available as a downloadable file from my Etsy shop called My Gorgeous Home

With an unseasonal wet and cold weekend ahead of me I think it is time to snuggle up with my next project!

It's almost finished!

It is 45 days since I started this blanket and I can't believe how fast it has grown. I also can't believe I have completed 154 squares in only 45 days! That is a testament to how interesting this pattern is to work on.

This pattern was originally for a cushion cover that I spied in an Etsy shop called Dada's Place. She has a fantastic blog at dada4you this blog is well worth a look. Since then a pattern has become available for a baby blanket using the same squares. Some sharp eyed readers noticed in last weeks blog that there was a yellow square in my layout, there is one yellow flower that I added, I just thought it would be cute to have one odd flower hidden in the blanket.

I still have the edging to do and will need some time to play with colour and stitches but that is always the fun bit isn't it.......isn't it? Hmmm well that remains to be seen however the excitement of a nearly completed piece always makes my thoughts turn toward my next project...........

Lately I have noticed rather a lot of crochet bags, is that my subconscious telling me I should make one or are there just a lot of bags in magazines at the moment? I do also have a Hardanger piece that got  temporarily shelved so that I could make my beautiful rug, but to be honest I don't feel inclined towards that at the moment, it is at a rather intense stage and I feel like doing something more free and creative. It's interesting how my emotions affect my choice of craft. Sometimes I love nothing more than spending hours of intense effort creating one special piece, but that isn't how I feel right now which means I have the rather indulgent pleasure of looking for something new to create!!

Why not click over to my Etsy shop My Gorgeous Home for more ideas and inspiration!

Happy crafting!

Flowery Crochet Blanket

A was having a browse through Etsy when I came across a very cute shop called  Dadas Place, she had a pattern for a cushion cover made from 16  crochet granny squares and I loved the look.....but I didn't want a cushion. Not one to shy away from a challenge, a quick calculation revealed that I could make a good sized lap rug with a mere 154 squares....easy I thought! So here it is.....

With only 35 squares to go I am well on my way and still enjoying it. I loved the main colours of orange and pink but wanted a random scatter of blue squares throughout to bring it all together.....(random for me means extremely careful planning of the 'random' placement because I am a little compulsive in balance and evenness.)

This is the spreadsheet I used to ensure that my placement of blue squares looked random even though they very much were not.

I am joining them with a simple chain that is a little fiddly but it is the look I am after so went with it. I have been joining it together as I go because 1. It keeps me motivated to see it growing before my eyes, and 2. It would be a fairly mind numbing task to leave all of the joining to last! I need to complete all of the horizontal lines before I can start the vertical joins but I'm pleased with the result so far.

I have used a cotton blend yarn which is gorgeous and soft and has a nice weight to it, it will be lovely and warm to snuggle under in winter (it is currently the middle of summer here in Australia.)

I still need to decide on a border/edging for the blanket but will leave that until all of the squares are together in the hope that inspiration will strike, saving me from hours of trial and error!

Please have a look in my Etsy shop My Gorgeous Home for ideas and inspiration.

Happy crafting!