flowers in progress

after I learned to make the crochet flowers for the headbands I made to go with the baby slippers, I thought it'd be cool to make a bunch and connect them to make a throw blanket.
I don't have a plan yet on how to put them together... so maybe I'll come up with something by the time I have enough!

I've only been doing two layers so they work up pretty quick. I can whip up a few in the evenings while watching TV or out in the backyard while Leo runs around. I love watching my stash grow :)

hook roll tutorial

I made this crochet hook roll from a place mat I found at World Market and some leftover bias tape I had. it was easy to do and came out exactly how I wanted.

you'll need:
- place mat
- bias tape twice as long as the width of your place mat (optional)
- sewing machine
- matching thread(s)

open up the bias tape and fold it backwards in half, sew from the middle to the folded edge only and trim the corners so it can fold back up and not be too bulky.

place the finished edge of the bias tape over the corner of the place mat and sew from that corner all the way down the length of the rest of the bias tape, finishing off the other edge by folding it under before sewing it down.
if you don't want to use bias tape, you can just stitch some ribbon to one edge of the place mat to tie it off.

fold up the bottom edge as high as you need it (I measured based on the length of my hooks), line up the edges, pin, and sew down both sides.

measure the opening between the lines stitched down the sides and divide it up how you want it for the size hooks or whatever you'll put in it.

you can mark the lines with a fabric pen or chalk. I just pinned each spot and creased the fabric line at a time with my straight edge before I sewed each one. you can also eye-ball it if you can sew a good straight line.

this one was for my mother-in-law so I'll definitely be making another for myself!

shirred dress and bloomers

I found the cutest little sandals the other day at the .99 store, so I just had to make an outfit for them! there happen to be a scarf there that sorta went and I thought would make an easy dress.

I prewashed and dried the scarf, and gave it a light press, and since the edges were already finished I didn't need to hem them!

using one of Leo's old onesies as a guide, I doubled the chest measurement, and the width of the scarf seemed like a good length so I left it as it was.

I sewed the ends together and made a tube, then started the shirring.

I started on the back seam and just spiraled down using my presser foot as a guide for the next row. when I thought it looked about right I finished the last row into the previous one, again at the back seam.

I sewed 2" strips of fabric for the straps and attached them where I thought they looked good. next time I'd sew them on before I do the shirring so it'd be easier to measure where they go.

I made the bloomers with the other half of the scarf using the diaper cover tutorial from made. I had just enough of the scarf to make it all! there really wasn't anything left.

I think it turned out really cute for a $2 outfit :)

and for the boys...

I wanted to use what I learned from the Mary Jane's I crocheted to adapt a booty for a boy. I really liked these from bobbinoggin, but I wasn't ready to buy a pattern so I just made it up as I went using the picture for inspiration.

I'm pretty happy with them for my first try. I might try again with a few adjustments and use brown yarn like bobbinoggin did, but they still came out super cute and I was excited to give them away :) after I make another pair I'll pay more attention and post my pattern!

crochet baby slippers

seems a lot of people I know are having babies. with the exception of a few boys they're all girls. one thing I always wanted to do was make baby booties, but when I tried knitting them they just weren't as cute as the crocheted ones. now that I know how to crochet I've been making them any chance I get.

I watched it through once, paying attention to what she was doing, then I followed along. I had to pause throughout while I crocheted with her and they still worked up pretty fast.

I made a second pair following the video for the first shoe and then went by memory for the second. the yarn was a little thicker and it made a big difference in the finished size even though I used the same size hook.

the last set I did without the help of the video and I think they came together the easiest. definitely a quick gift that can be made at the last minute if I only have a few hours! but now that I have a bit of a stash I think I'm gonna keep making them so I can pull them out when I need them.

I think the matching headbands and removable/interchangeable flowers really make them a cute gift :) they also work up really quick.

doily baby rug

I picked up some thick yarn to make a baby blanket with thinking it'd go real quick, and it actually did!

the pattern said to use super bulky yarn, and a size 9mm hook. the pattern's suggested hook size was bigger than the bulky yarn package suggested to use, but I thought the 9 was still too small so I did a 10.

I liked how it was coming together, but it just seemed too thick to be a blanket.

I kept going thinking as it got bigger maybe it'd make more sense, but after it was finished I was leaning more towards it being a rug instead.

Easter!

I made bunny cookies for Easter this year with these clever edible googly eyes I saw online a while ago.

I did mine with candy melts and sprinkles instead of black pearls (not really sure where to get those) but I think next time I'll look for the pearls because the sprinkles are so small and lightweight that they stick to the candy melts I used as a base and they require a good shake to make them googly again if they sit for too long and it gets too warm. but, overall I think they're too cute!

I found a dozen favor boxes at the Dollar Tree to put the fronts and backs in and I made little tulips to put on the fronts of the boxes since they're kinda plain. I displayed them on a plastic tray and bowl I glued together for my last luncheon.

I used some clear plastic bowls to add some height to my egg platters as well.

I love how my purple deviled eggs came out, and they were so good! definitely making these again.

I made a couple of banana rolls for dessert. I always forget how much we love this, and I usually have at least 6 bananas in my freezer, so I don't know why I don't make it more often!

I decorated my swing outside with a couple of flower garlands for a place to take some family photos before the rain came.

I'm usually terrible about taking pictures when I host something, but I'm trying to be better about getting more pics of the stuff I make and the people that were there.

it was Leo's first egg hunt and he did really well. he was reluctant in the beginning but once he got the first one he was enthusiastic about finding more. we had to help by pointing them out to him, but once he saw one he'd run over and grab it and chunk it into the basket! so cute :)