Quite some time ago I first wrote and posted the pattern for the Cherry Chirp Bird. I love this pattern and think it came out really cute. Standing about 8 inches tall, 4 inches wide, and 8 inches long they are a quick knit and takes a mere 40gram of […]
journal
Central Iowa Sewing Rebellion!
I’m really excited to tell you about a great project I’ve become involved with and will now soon be the host of here in Central Iowa! It’s called the Sewing Rebellion! I first joined the Stop Shopping, Start Sewing cause 2 years ago when I did an art history (contemporary) […]
journal - knitting
Coffee Sweater :: Free Knitting Pattern!
I was pretty put off by all the leather sleeves on my coffee mugs and at one point I had finally just had enough. I just didn’t like the idea of it. So I knit a new cozy for my coffee mug from the no kill alternative – wool. And best of all, you can also use this sleeve on those paper coffee cups instead of using the card board ones or double cupping. Perfect!
journal
The Weekend Before Christmas…
…and all through the house, there were piles of craft supplies and disenchanted sighs… ‘oh why, oh why did I not start these projects in July!?’ Here are some of my Favorite Craft Leftovers Patterns that can all be made up in a snap and would be great gifts to […]
fabric - patterns & tutorials
Spruce :: Sewn Fingerless Gloves :: Free Pattern!
I had pulled out a few different scraps from my fabric bin to play with. I was thinking a small something something. Nothing big. Quick. Easy. Small. Well, my hands were cold. Really cold. And it hit me! Sewn fingerless gloves! Not exactly the easy peasy tiny project I planned, but very well worth it. I dug around in what I had pulled out of the bin and bingo! Felted sweater scraps. Perfect. I had one that was the shoulder section, then another that was the bottom ribbing and a sleeve. Hmm, how to make this work. Well I figured it out and work it did! Now my hands are all toasty while I work! Spruce as in the color as well as sprucing up some old sweaters!
knitting - patterns & tutorials
Knit Sock Rockin’ :: Free Knit Ornament Pattern!
My friend Carolyn has been knitting up little mini sock ornaments like a whirlwind of crafty goodness. And I have been envious. They are just so cute! So i decided that this was just the perfect thing for leftover sock yarn and wrote up my own litlte pattern for using up this bit and rockin’ around the christmas and jazzing it up a bit with little mini replicas of socks you’ve knit over the year. And best of all, it’s a sock you can finish in just 2 hours or so! and no need to worry about second sock syndrome because you only need to make one to be done with your project instead of two.
nosew - patterns & tutorials
Paper Snowflakes :: Free Paper Craft Template
My friend Carolyn of Knitting Crimes told me the other day “you know, you should make a paper snowflake pattern. It would be a lot of fun, really cute, and make great decorations in your windows or on your tree.” Now that’s not an exact quote, but pretty close. I […]
embroidery - patterns & tutorials
Vellus :: Free NeedlePoint Ornement Pattern
Vellus simply means Snowflake. I thought Latin would give a nice twist to the simple “Snowflake Ornament” title that popped into my mind initially. When I first started this project I mapped it all out on paper, made sure everything fit, and then after stitching the border threw it all […]
journal
How to :: Saving my Knitting :: Part II :: Picking up Dropped Stitches – Fast.
Knitting experiences, especially early on, are scared by all sorts of odd ball issues. During my year and a half (or so) at the Yarn Exchange I came to realize that dropped stitches were the number one culprit of all time. They would stop knitters dead in their tracks. And […]
destash - patterns & tutorials
Free Crochet Pattern: Felted Scrap Basket to Use up and Organize your Yarn Scraps
all those ends because of the felting, it’s the perfect thing to use up all those scraps. Support the Craft Leftovers pattern archive restoration project by purchasing the PDF on Ravelry or Etsy.
journal
We Have a Winner!
I’m happy to announce by random selection Meg is the winner of this month’s postal give away! I mixed the post up, fanned them out, and Jason picked one with his eyes closed. She gets to pick out any item she wants from the shop and I send it to […]
journal - patterns & tutorials
Hattery Round Up
Thinking of Christmas Crafting lately? I know I sure am. I see many many hats and scarves in my future, haha. I’ve been trying to find hat patterns that I like that would be quick to knit, that are good for stash and leftover yarn, and look super nice that […]
crochet - patterns & tutorials
Crocheted Scruby Bumpy Face Cloth
Another great face cloth from the yarn I recycled last month, this time though, it’s crocheted!
fabric - patterns & tutorials
Love Bug Clutch
I have been making quite a few clutches lately for Green Prairie Fibers and from that I wrote up a pattern for Craft Leftovers. Well, I wanted a clutch just for me for my accessories. And I also had all of these great 9” X 9” squares paired up for a kit that ended up not selling. So how do I get a cute clutch for craft accessories out of just 2 small squares of fabric that isn’t just a plain liner and an outer with a zipper.
howto - nosew - patterns & tutorials
Boxing Up Giving
These boxes are great to add a little extra something special to any small gift. I like them for any kind of jewelty, stitch markers, and other small handmade goodies for friends. I love these boxes and have been making them for quite awhile. I figured it was about time […]
fabric - journal - patterns & tutorials
A Walk in the Park Apron
This apron sure is a walk in the park to make. It’s so fast and easy to whip up in an evening or morning, or afternoon for that matter. Use a pattered fabric for your main piece. Something kind of darker and kind of “filled” works well to hide stains and smudges from cooking. I’m always wiping my hands on the sides of my pants because I’m used to wearing my studio apron just about all the time. I made this apron a bit more wrap aroundish for that reason.
fabric - journal - patterns & tutorials
Stitch Clutch
Hi ya folks! Success! Well, haha, kind of. No embroidery still, but some stitchy goodness all the same. This clutch was originally inspired by a few different sources. I wanted to create a light weight, thin, lovely gift to feature in Kro Postal for starters. I had a need to use of scraps of fabric that I had laying around. I wanted to try my hand at machine appliqué as well as using the sewing machine to draw. It was so fun to make and even better to give as a gift to a friend who is far away and could use a package of goodies.
journal
Link Link!
I was looking for crochet stitch patterns today and came across this great site! They have a wonderful selection of free patterns and stitches as well as some nice ones for sale. I downloaded this one and realized, I have no idea how to read a crochet lace chart! (which […]
crochet - knitting - patterns & tutorials
Oopsies and Toofsies
I love my tréo and he loves his iTouch and we are pretty happy using our little gadgets. It’s getting pretty banged up already in my bag. This is an issue that needs some solving. So here we go, a little tréo pocket! Best of all it only takes about 25g of any sport weight yarn! Hooray for using up scraps and half skeins!
fabric - journal - patterns & tutorials
Temari Ball Bag
I saw a new book on Temari at the public library. Dang it. I just had to bring it home. Then I just had to read it. And you see where this is going, I just had to try it! I collected up all my temari ball making supplies and soon realized that I would need something to put them in. I’m normally okay with zip lock bags, but for whatever reason, I wanted a temari ball bag that would have all my essentials for the ball I was working on. The other driving factor is that a temari ball is just the kind of favorite thing that my ferrets love to steal and hide and re-hide until they have really done a number on it. So a zipper was needed too.