One Stitch Two Stitch

DIY Roll Call: Picnic Time

Picnics are a great way to relish the summer. They're definitely meant to celebrate sunny days! One thing I've realized is that the key to a successful picnic is good planning. That means you've your blanket and picnic-happy supplies present and accounted for. With that in mind, I've discovered some terrific and easy how-tos on sewing up your own picnic wonderland. From making your own blanket to storing your utensils, it's all here, so enjoy!

**Patchwork Picnic Blanket from Centsational Girl

** Picnic Basket Revamp from Ever Kelly

** Picnic Basket Lining from Smile and Wave

** Picnic Bowl Cover Strap from maya*made

** Napkin/Flatware Rolls from Make It Do

Talk soon! Sue

Summer Trip, Stop #1: Edgar Allan Poe's House

I had mentioned in my previous post that my recent absence was due to my summer trip. My bf and I flew up to Pennsylvania and drove to upstate New York for a total of 8 days, and it was so much fun! The first 2 days of our trip were spent in Philly and I got the chance to visit Edgar Allan Poe's house. To say that I'm a fan of Poe is an understatement and taking a tour of his home was like an outerbody experience (I was that excited!). Here are some peeks of the tour:

 This really cool mural is located right across the street from Poe's house.

 I took this picture outside the gates of the house. The facade of the house actually faces the roadway, but to enter visitors must go in through a side entrance.

 This raven sculpture is located right outside the home. It definitely adds a feeling of creepiness to the house.

The house in itself is quite large but the rooms are tiny. Poe's room and writing quarters were located on the 2nd floor of the house.

 This is the infamous cellar (eerie, right?). It's supposed to be the inspiration for his short story "The Black Cat." If you've read the story, the cellar where the main character's wife is entombed holds a hair-raising resemblance to Poe's own cellar.

This is the side-end of the house that leads to backyard and pretty flower garden.

 A view from the opposite end of Poe's home.

Even though Poe only lived 6 years here, it is said to be the most productively creative years of his life where he wrote his most celebrated short stories like "The Tell-Tale Heart" and "The Fall of the House of Usher" (a personal favorite). It was also a time that was filled with great tragedy since his beloved wife Virginia perished of tuberculosis here.

If you love Poe and are in Philly, make time to visit his home! Oh, and as promised, here's my crafty homage to Poe: a free Poe Embroidery Pattern for you to enjoy (drawn by yours truly). I do ask not to distribute this pattern for sale since it's intended for personal use only. If you do whip up this pattern I'd love to see it, so don't forget to drop me a link! Talk soon, Sue

My Summer Projects - June

I know. Long time no post, right? Well, I was away on vacation up north for the last 8 days and it was amazing (more on that later!). My trip was definitely inspiring and I have a lot of ideas that I want to work on. Throughout the summer, I thought it would be fun to share my project to-do lists. I'm one of those people who would be lost without a list. Here's my end of the month list:

One thing I don't do after writing up my list is follow it in order. My lists help keep me organized but I never seem to prioritize (they all seem important to me!). Today, I worked on #3: Making my ice cream cone pillows.  

Unlike my cupcakes that have a 'Hhhmm, yummy' expression, I wanted to give these cones an "Oh no! I'm melting" look! I'll be back tomorrow to share part one of my favorite moments of my trip and a free embroidery pattern! Talk soon, Sue

Embroidery 101 - The Rice Stitch

Hello again! This lesson is a variation on the cross stitch that I went over last time. The Rice stitch is basically overlaying 2 continuous cross stitches,and it's most commonly used to fill in patterns.

Step 1 - Begin by creating a continuous cross stitch.

Step 2 - Using a contrasting color, bring your needle out at A which is the bottom-middle of the first cross stitch (see pic above).

Step 3 - Take your needle from a A to B (your needle should go in the middle of the 2nd cross stitch's top.)

Step 4 - Create a set of diagonal stitches across the first continuous cross stitches (as shown above).

Step 5 - Once you have completed your diagonals, go back to create your cross stitch (for a quick how-to refresher go here).

The back of your fabric should show alternating colors of vertical lines!

Are there any embroidery stitches you would like to learn that haven't been covered here yet? Let me know and I'll create a lesson on the most popular stitch requested. Thanks! Sue

Welcome Summer with Popsicles!

Whip up summer on a stick using one of these refreshing recipes (just click on the link for recipe details).

1. Blueberry popsicle, 2. Homemade Fudgesicle, 3. Orange Yogurt Popsicle, 4. Fudgey Banana Pudding Pops, 5. Fruit Pops, 6. Pineapple-Chile Paletas, 7. Strawberry and Mint Popsicles, 8. white chocolate-berry popsicle, 9. mango-sicle

The strawberry-mint pop looks sooo yummy! I'm definitely going to try one out this weekend. Sue

Vintage Craft Challenge

For the last two days, I've been fervently working on finishing up this vintage bunny pattern that is near and dear to my heart (read about it here). I was inspired to create the bunny thanks to Danielle Thompson's Vintage Craft challenge.

When I began the task of recreating this bunny there was one bitty problem - the instructions are for knitting and, well, I'm not too keen on knitting. Not that I don't know how to knit because I taught myself awhile back, but I just never got used to the knitting needles (my hands always felt awkward). At first I was bit discouraged but decided then and there that I would translate the pattern into crochet stitches.

Easier said than done because I had never done such a thing before. After using my bf's bunny as a model and many stumbles and fumbles, I finally got the hang of it.

I'm happy with the outcome. Even though my bunny isn't the spitting image of its original, I think it captures that vintage feel. I still have one gnawing question - since I didn't go by the actual vintage pattern, can my bunny still be considered vintage craft? Hhhhmmmmm . . . Sue

Embroidery 101 - The Cross Stitch

I'm back with another embroidery lesson. So far we've learned the back stitch and the Peking knot. This time, I'll be focusing on the cross stitch which is one of the oldest and most commonly known stitches in needlework. It can be used singularly as pretty embellishments, on a continuum for borders, or even for filling in. In this post, I'll cover the single and continuous cross stitches.

Singular Cross Stitch

 

Steps: (1) Bring your needle from the back to the fabric’s front at A. (2) Make a diagonal stitch at B (3) Bring your needle back out at C (4) And take the needle at a diagonal again to D (easy and simple in deed!)

Continuous Cross Stitch

Step 1: Create multiple diagonal stitches, follow the pattern in the above pic. Start at A, put your needle in at B and come out A; repeat as many times as needed. Make sure that the beginning of each stitch (A) aligns with (B). Suggestion - draw parallel lines on your fabric to create even stitches.

Step 2: Now go back over the first row of stitches with a new set of diagonal stitches. Take your needle from C to D and then to A; repeat until finished.

Your continuous cross stitch should look like this, with no spacing between the stitches! And the back of your fabric should look like . . .

. . . this - just vertical lines! Hope you enjoyed this lesson. Join me on my next lesson - the rice stitch which is a variation of the cross stitch! Talk soon, Sue

DIY Roll Call: Polaroid-themed

I really love Polaroids. I still have the Polaroid camera that my dad got for my sister and me back in the 80s. It still works, but I haven't come across film that's within my budget (it's quite expensive). Nonetheless, Polaroids are quite popular and there are troves of Polaroid-inspired DIYs across the web. Here are some fun and cute polaroid-themed ideas that you can try:

** Tiny Polaroid Magnets from Ambrosia Girl

** Polaroid frame from The Spotted Fox

** Polaroid Post-it Notes from Punk Projects

** Fabric Polaroids from LDC Designs

** Polaroid Garland from Birds of a Feather Girls I'm really digging the Polaroid magnets.

Do you have any interesting Polaroid DIYs? Let me know! Sue