Craft: magazine... finally arrived!

Well, I thought subscribing would mean I'd get my copy on or around the release date, but boy was I wrong! I've FINALLY received my copy… they made me wait for it, but it was worth it! I LOVE it! I can't wait to make my own LED top & robot amigurumi!

1/2 of my furball family!

Last night while I was taking pictures of my new bag and pendant, my kitties decided to grace me with their presence. They're pretty aloof most of the time, so I was happy to snap some pics while I had the camera in my hands, and cats in my view. Since I'm trying to get better about posting regularly, I thought I'd just use them! I don't think I've posted pictures of the cats before, just their respective Pointy Kitty effigies. So, without further ado, here is Spazz & Monkey.


Spazz is a Russian Blue, from a shelter and about 9 years old. Monkey's a stray, found behind my Mom's garage and was only 1/2lb when we got her (a little over 5 years ago.) She's a little runt still, at 11lbs; Spazz last weighed in 15lbs. Spazz is aptly named, he's a freak… he loves attention, but only when you let him come to you. If you reach out for him, he'll run away most times. Monkey got her name for climbing up everything we owned when she was a baby, including furniture & me! She's really that white, and so silky soft it's ridiculous. Spazz is more the norm, with slightly oily hair that gets dander-peppered sometimes.

My 2 dogs, Cody & Ginger are much more photogenic, so I'll have to dig a a few fun pictures of them out soon!

MORE goodies for me!!!

Woohoo! I've gotten some awesome gifts from family and friends, and thought I'd share. First up is the awesome felted bag my sister made me, isn't it gorgeous? She's so thoughtful, it's going to make a great project bag!!! The white handle twist is alpaca, so it's extra soft! Thanks Jenn, I LOVE it!!!

Yes, I know I'm totally spoiled - AND there's more! Mwahahahaha!!!

Next up is a beautiful bird's nest pendant, Shirley sent me (WEEKS ago! I'm so sorry it's taken me so long to post pics!) It's copper wire, with blue pearl "eggs" and glass bead "leaves" - isn't it adorable?!!!?!!! She also sent some tasty candy (which was devoured within days!) - the almond crunch pocky and fruitips were soooooo good!

She also included some goodies for my Mom & sister; spider web earrings for Mom, and a Hershey's bookmark for Jenn. A GREAT BIG Thank You!!! You're so sweet, it made my day!

Now, somehow I just have to get Jenn to start a blog!!! LOL Jenn, I WILL get you, one of these days!!! :)

(I feel I must also mention that she's working on a Lady Eleanor wrap/scarf, which I'm TOTALLY jealous of!!! I'm like a year behind everyone else, knitting-wise… Sewing wise I like to think I'm on the right track for me!)

Here come the Holidays!

However hard I try to get a leg up on my holiday crafting & shopping; I never seem to get my act together until the end of the year. I have such high hopes for myself, and yet somehow, I put it off until I can't anymore. I'm sure there are others out there like me, I just know it! LOL

This year I'm focused on gifts that are relatively easy to make, mostly because I've made 1 or more of them before! That's not to say I'm rushing, because I'm kind of a perfectionist when it comes to the quality of my work; but putting my best efforts into items I know can make well makes the whole lot a little easier to deal with! I'm hoping to get a few tutorials together soon, it's a big part of why I started my blog, and I haven't put together one yet! I really enjoy sharing crafts/techniques with other crafters, there's so many awesome patterns and tutorials out there!

So, with the holidays fast approaching, I'd like to wish everyone easy crafting & shopping, and lots of holiday cheer!!!

::Tsumami Kanzashi Flower Snaps::

When I saw the theme this month, I knew it would work perfectly with what I've been making lately! (Plus, I've been DYING to get my greedy little hands on a Sampler subscription!) A few months ago, I found a fun technique to fold square pieces of fabric into flower petals. This excerpt from PuchiMaiko describes it best, and was what inspired me to try it myself!

The word Tsumami means to pinch – specifically, pinching a square piece of fabric to form a shape. The word Kanzashi means hairpin. Tsumami Kanzashi is a traditional Japanese art form that dates back over 200 years. Tsumami kanzashi is most often seen worn by maiko (apprentice geisha) and young girls for shichi-go-san celebrations however, with the revival of traditional arts, and a younger generation appreciating them – tsumami kanzashi have become quite a fashionable accessory to be worn both with contemporary clothing and kimono.

What I really like, though, is that I now have a use for all of those little fabric scraps! The petals I use most frequently are only 1" square, (you could use larger squares, but it increases the final flower size, and I prefer smaller.) I love being able to make coordinating flowers, for the sewing projects I have the scraps left-over from! A fun feature I came up with was adding a snap on the back, so I could pop them on & off. I like changing my mind a lot, and I thought it'd be fun to add other snap-on items like pin-cushions (for function!) and bows (for fun!) The snaps are anchored to a button on the front, which hides the messy middle. It also gives me the opportunity to use coordinating (or) contrast thread, or embroidery floss.

There's only 2 different petal shapes, round and pointed; but they can be combined in a ton of different ways. My favorites so far are double petal plum blossoms (which have 5 round petals that are 2 layers of fabric sandwiched together,) chrysanthemums (16 pointed petals,) and camellias (8 round petals.) I'm working on more combinations of shapes and colors, but I can't seem to decide on names for all of them!

The wristlet is nice ribbon I just added some velcro and a snap to, and the headband was store bought. It's fun to think of new things I can add snaps to, and to come up with new items to snap on! I tried a magnet to hold pins & needles, but it turned out kind of heavy, and sort of flops all over the place. I guess I'll stick to plain-old stuffed pin-cushions. I'm always amazed at just how much stuffing will fit in! LOL I really like hair clips (although I can't sew the snaps on, I have to use special glue,) and God knows with all the hair I have, I need them! :)

If you'd like to see masters in action, check out these Kanzashi movies - #13 Edo hair ornaments: actual craftsman using traditional techniques. These are ABSOLUTELY worth the time! (5 movies, a few minutes each)

Sorry for the pics! Chicago sun hasn't been cooperating, and it was tough trying to photograph my own wrist! Maybe I should've waited for my husband to get home from work!

I couldn't quite figure out if this belonged in the Design category, or Skill. I like the design aspects of the flowers, but they also take quite a bit of skill to create! I'm really not sure, so I'll leave it to you guys!

Good luck to all of the participants! Whiplash rocks!

Affordable art!

I found this post on Design Sponge's Guest Blog, and just about died! I instantly fell in love with the Leafy Mystery series, and I'm scheming to work #'s 2, 5, 6, 8, 14 and 15 into our home decor enough to justify getting them all!!! Insert wickedly evil laugh here!!! Mwahahaha! At only 20$ a piece, they're not so expensive's it's impossible!!! Seriously, you have to check out Christopher David Ryan's site - My Little Underground - the work is wonderful, and totally affordable!

Crafty Ginger Opens Shop!

Here's a link to the store; I'd love to hear comments/suggestions, I really want to make my products the best they can be! If anyone's interested, I have a previous post on how I make my tsumami kanzashi flowers & how I came to find the techniques - here. Sorry this is so short, I had no idea all the tiny little details that needed tending to with a new store!

::La Femme Fedora::

First let me just say, Thank You Whiplash! (BTW: This is an entry in the Skill category for Whiplash September,) I realized a week ago I had a great hat pattern (Vogue #7460,) and wonderful fabrics - already on hand! That's right, this is a Finish What You Have project! That only took me 3 years to get back to and finish!

Alright, so I'm totally embarassed to admit I left it sitting that long... the thing is, I tested it with cheaper fabric, and screwed up the seam allowance; resulting in a non-fitting hat. Insert 3 years of total intimidation about sewing anything 3d. And then, something wonderful happened! I got back to it, and learned it wasn't so tough after all! I read all of the directions, twice. And measured my head, twice (LOL!) But the neatest part for me this time, was that I had already done all of the design work, all I had to do was construction.

Ok, so I'm going to skip back to the beginning here, but stay with me, it's worth it!

Ahhh, the fedora. One of my most favorite hat shapes of all time. This came about after noticing Peta Wilson wear one on La Femme Nikita, a tv show based on the film by Luc Besson. LFN was so beautifully costumed, and the sets and props were so captivating. The music was unbelievably amazing, and it's how I found Coldplay (among many other amazing artists/bands *see below for a few!) years before they got big! Anyhoo, Nikita's first fetish in the show was sunglasses. Her second was hats, and she had some awesome ones. Her oversized black fedora is my favorite, but she had wider brims & smaller ones all the way down to a tactical ski mask!

I've always wanted a fedora of my own, but thought it might be more fun in fashion colors. For this one I used cotton broadcloth (admittably too lightweight, but oh-so-gorgeous!) and turquoise silk charmeuse for the lining. I thought 1 layer of fusible interfacing wouldn't be enough to support itself, so I used 2 layers of (very lightweight) sew-in interfacing for the body, and 3 for the brim. The top & edgestitching could have been a little more even in some places, but I have to remind myself that nothing is totally perfect! It's my first-ever hat, and first contrast top & edgestitching, so I'm pretty pleased with how it turned out.

I bought the fabrics on Ebay, and only had to pick up the gosgrain ribbon trim, for the inside. (It looks a little pink in the pic, but it was just a red-toned purple. Didn't quite match my main fabric, but I liked it better than the sky blue back up.) The band and brim were the first easing I've ever done. they're slightly warped, but I managed to avoid wrinkles. Sorry for the non-action shot, I've been too tired & head-achey this week to want to pose for this one!

Oh - and it fits perfectly! Thanks again Whiplash for the much needed sewing gusto! Now I have no fear of curves, or tricky fabrics, or something new! It feels so good, I wish words could really express it! (I'm not so great with them, so I'll just say another Thanks! to everyone participating in Whiplash from month to month. You ladies (guys?) totally rock my world!)

There are so many great entries already! Good luck to everyone, and thanks again for the inspiration!

*Music from La Femme Nikita - The Philosopher Kings, Artour De Lucie, Beth Orton, Massive Attack and Diana Krall were just a few of the artists/bands I listened to while crafting my entry!

FO - Black Dream Shoulder Wrap

Well, the wrap has been done for almost a month now, but I was a lazy-butt with pictures... and posting them! LOL Well, here it is finally! (Click to see a bigger pic @ Flickr) I hope it cools down here soon, so I might actually want to wear it out!



(I might trim the fringe shorter... I left it long so I'd have the option. My husband & I agree it might be a little too long @ 13"! LOL I just like to cover my bases... I have the tendency to change my mind mid-project!)


Here's the Specs -

• 2 balls of Lion brand Microspun, black - 100% Microfiber Acrylic
• Cast on 60sts with sz7 needles (held with addl sz2 for looser cast on & off)
  
• 32 (6-row) repeats of the modified-dropped-cable
• 5 rows of hand-tied fringe - 13" long (considering shortening this up...)
  
• Dimensions before blocking - 11"wide by 40"long (w/o fringe)
  
• Dimensions after blocking - 11.25"wide by 46" long (w/o fringe)

Next knitting project...

Here's a pic of the Blue Sky Alpacas - Pleated Skirt pattern I picked up last Friday, as well as a peak of the yarn I'll be knitting it with! Shock & awe - it's turquoise! I want to finish up my Razor cami before I cast on for this one, but I'm super-psyched!

FO - Craft: Skirt

I knew I wanted to enter in August's Whiplash challenge when I saw the topic - Wardrobe Surgery; I just didn't know what I was going to make. Then I saw Etsy's Craft: challenge, and inspiration hit! I believe craft is a very misunderstood word in America today, so I used the definition of the word to decorate a plain white skirt. I saw a few pieces of clothing a few years ago, done by Anne Demeulemeester, and this really reminds me of that. I think her words were screen-printed on, but I really like the bleeding-effect the fabric pen had. Originally I was going to use a more scrolling, French-ish font… but I've recently been watching a lot of Firefly & Serenity lately, and thought I'd take a more authentic, slightly Western, but not prairie style. I'm very pleased with the way it turned out, and it was really easy-peasy! I found snow-white cluny lace at the craft store, and knew that was all I wanted to add. (I struggle with where to stop sometimes, although not to Santino proportions!) I believe this would go in the Embellish/Decorate category.

Here is the "before" picture...


And here's the "after!"



Time - 20mins to position & trace words w/ fabric pen, 5min to pin & 15min to sew lace
Total time - 40 minutes
Cost - Skirt 29.99$, fabric pen 1.99$, lace 2.28$
Total cost - 35$

I really couldn't be happier with how this one turned out! I hope you guys like it! I'd love to hear comments!

Razor Cami - UFO

After I saw Kati's cami, on the knit-a-long, I knew I wanted to try it. It's my first sweater, first circular and first lace project ever! I'm pretty proud of my progress, I started about 2 weeks ago. Here I'm at 16" in, and I need to measure (myself,) to see if I want it longer than the pattern calls for. I should probably just split for front & back though, because I don't have very much of my second (& last,) ball. (YarnMarket only had 2 left, last I checked!)





I whipped up a set of stitch-markers for this project, so counting would be easier. I'm SO glad I did, there's 12 sts between each, and I can even knit the lace in front of the tv!

...and more presents!

My sister made the sweetest little bag for me! It's the Best Friend pattern from Knitty, I found it awhile ago and loved it, but had no clue she was making one for me! Thanks Jenn! She even added some lavender from her garden, and it smells so lovely! She did an amazing job on the seaming (which I haven't pictured here,) they're almost invisible!



Oh, and did I mention...? It's CASHMERE!

Presents!

Shirley, from Warm Fuzzies, is such a sweetheart! (You SO are!) She sent an awesome apple cozy for my Mom, and a sock pup and Shiba Inu card for me! She left the pup's face for me, and I think he's probably going to be a sleepy guy! I LOVE lazy stuffies! LOL Here's the lovelies!

Thanks again Shirley! I'm a little late mailing your card, I hope you don't mind!

Time Flies!

Jeez... I haven't updated since the middle of last month! I really can't believe July went that fast! I knew I had been procrastinating getting good pictures of what I finished, but now I really feel like a lazy bum! Ok, self! Get it together! LOL

Hopefully, pictures will follow this afternoon; I've finished the black & white floral memo board, the microspun dream wrap and a new knitting needle roll for me (of course it's Tiffany blue!) I'm making good headway on my Craftster Tiny Challenge entry - thanks very much to Shirley's wonderful words of encouragement! She has a great blog - go check out Warm Fuzzies! Thanks girl - you rock! I hope your linen shows up soon, it sucks to be waiting on materials. I mostly wait on my lazy ass procrastinating things I have control over! LOL