Top Without a Pattern

I fell in love with this plaid fabric I found at Joann's and I knew I had to make a tank out of it. I stumbled upon Sew Mama Sew and found a cool tutorial by Rae from made-by-rae. Her Spring Ruffle Top can be found here. This is my kind of tutorial. I am an "eyeball it" girl. I love simple projects that don't require a pattern. I had to try it on several times to get it just right, but I love the finished project. I think I will make another one with some embellishments next time.

Deconstructing a Garment to Make Your Own Pattern

I was ironing a couple of my favorite summer tops the other day and I started to get sad,  because I realized they were starting to get those awful pit stains. One I love because of the fit, and the other I love because of cute cotton print and little pleated pockets. Then I thought, maybe I could learn to make my own. I decided to deconstruct one of the tops (the one that had the worst stains) and use those pieces as a "pattern". I first tried to use a seam ripper, but got too impatient and just decided to cut along the seams.
APRIL 6- Just found a tutorial for this method from Dana at Made . Find it here. She says to remember seam allowances (which I almost forgot).

Machine Quilting

I have always wanted to learn to make a quilt, but the thought of doing it all by hand was very daunting. So I decided to give machine quilting a whirl. And I also did a "cheater" quilt. I did not piece squares together like a traditional quilt. I used one large rectangular piece of fabric and just sewed a criss-cross design, by first sewing parallel lines in one direction, and then more parallel lines across the first set. I made my own bias tape from a great tutorial here and also learned how to bind it.

Knitted Necklaces

I love a good quick knitting project, and both of these can be whipped up in a day.  The twisted necklace is a pattern on Ravelry called Knit Your Pearls. The knotted necklace is called the Gilded Knot Necklace by Nicky Epstein. It was published in Vogue Knitting Winter 2010/11. I was able to use old stash yarn on these (which I love) cause I hate to waste yarn.

Yarn Jewelry

I always have several knitting projects going at once, and sometimes when they are all time consuming, I start to get bored. So, for a little instant gratification, I will make a very small project. I came across a cool bracelet pattern on Ravelry, and I was inspired to make yarn jewelry. It also got me excited about doing crochet again. I tried a new technique of pre-stringing the beads on the yarn. It worked out great. I am hoping to incorporate more beads into my knitting. I have been considering getting into jewelry making for awhile, and this was a good step in that direction. The first bracelet is called the Beaded Chains Bracelet. The pattern can be found on Ravelry. The second, is one I call Island Bracelet. It is my own design.

Fabric- Covered Buttons

I never knew how fun this could be! This past winter, I made a hat that required fabric-covered buttons. I definitely want to do this again. The hat I made, didn't turn out so flattering, but the buttons are adorable. The button cover kit was very easy to use and only cost a couple of dollars.

Husband Gets a Hat

My husband Shawn was happy to have me finally knit something for him. I used the "Turn a Square" pattern by Jared Flood. Instead of the pricey, hand-dyed Noro yarn that I'd love to try, I used Knitpicks Swish worsted in black, lemongrass heather, and squirrel heather. I used the jogless stripe method as recommended. I casted on only 88 stitches because my husband like his hats to fit snug.