Craft Leftovers

Lady Moss Mittens

2007-11-04T11:05:00.000-06:00

I usually start the summer to fall to winter layering with fingerless glove, a light scarf, and a jacket or thick sweater. Then it goes to a hat, thicker scarf, full gloves, and a medium coat. Now I’m moving into the winter coat, thick wool hat, long warm scarf, and thick mittens. There is only one issue. Last late winter early spring I lost my mittens! What is a girl to do? Well how about whip up some new ones with some stash yarn. I’m feeling particularly cold this year and wanted some extra warmth. My friend had just told me about this technique called thrumming. Perfect! Lets give that a shot too. I must say I really enjoy them, they are super warm and really cute to boot! The neat thing is that as you wear the mittens, the roving will felt and it will make a super warm, somewhat water proof mitten. Hooray! Perfect for any lady in the winter.

Download the Lady Moss Mitten pattern here (pdf).

Summary of updates:
++Email me about having your ad for your indie business on the Craft Leftovers blog
++I'm taking the rest of the day off to recoup because my neck is acting up
++Shop updates throughout the week
++6 Craft Leftovers Monthly subscriptions available
++I'm taking next weekend off pattern writing to update the server and blog and back everything up as well as move Craft Leftovers to its new home! Hooray!

Updates in detail:
I don't know if anyone noticed or not, but there was a google ad up in the sidebar for about one evening.... I didn't like it. I took it down. Instead I'm going to offer really affordable ad space for indie crafter's businesses/blogs/websites and events. I've had to set up a new server account for hosting patterns and need to raise some money to cover the new costs. So if you are interesting in advertising with Craft Leftovers, just email me at craftleftovers@gmail.com for information on rates and whatnot. Send me a link to your site too. I really want to keep the ads on here ethical and independent crafter/artist based. Stuff that I think you all would like to know about and not be annoyed by.

I've decided to take the rest of today off and relax. I've been at the computer for about 2 days straight and my neck is starting to have issues and I fear if I don't listen to it, it's going to go out again. Time to use my lavender neck wrap.

The goal for the shop is to have it completely updated by this Saturday. I'm just going to do a group of kits each day. There is a lot of stuff. It's going to be the most kits and handmade gifts that I will have had in the shop at any one time.

There are still 6 November Craft Leftovers Monthly issues available, you can get yours here. I've decided to just leave them up until the next issue goes on sale. I mean, heck, why not.

I'm going to take next week off. Well, kind of anyway, not off craft leftovers, just no pattern. I'm going to go through and set up the new server as well as convert all the old patterns into pdfs (finally). And also back everything up onto an external hard drive so I can avoid what happened back in August. I'm also going to move the whole Craft Leftovers website! Oh my gosh! It's finally going to happen. Craft Leftovers will have its own website with everything all in place and most importantly, an archive with everything nice

Have a great week everyone! I'll post again during the week to let you know the progress of the shop updates and whatnot.

+++Kristin+++

Bedtime!

2007-11-03T23:55:00.000-05:00

Okay, lame I know, but I'm just going to go to bed. This week pattern is realllllly cool and it took longer to make than I hoped it had (always the case with knitting patterns for me it seems). I really want the images to look nice (way past the time of natural light) and I don't want tiredness to lead to bad pattern writing (i.e. tons of errors, stupid typos, and ambiguous directions).

So I'm going to go to bed now, sleep my extra hour of sleep, get up, eat a hearty breakfast of waffles, scrambled eggs, and thick coffee, and then cruse right through the pattern and have it up by noon time.

Have a good night! See you all tomorrow!

November Craft Leftovers Monthly

2007-10-31T16:38:00.000-05:00

Happy Halloween everyone!
It's two days late going out the door, but it's on its way to you now. Thank you so much for waiting, and I promise it will be well worth it. I have to say I feel this has been the best issue yet. Or at least it's my favorite so far. It's packed full of crafty goodness and some recipes for the season too. With the kit, even if you don't know a baby, the bib works great for dolls for older kiddos too.

It should be arriving at the latest by the end of next week and for international order the weekend after that.

I have a ton of great ideas already flying through my mind and jotted down in my sketchbook for the December issue, so if you are not already signed up for that month, make sure to save the date. It will be on sale from November 18th to the 25th (Sunday to Sunday). In a strange way, or maybe not so strange, it reminds me of my studio work: each piece, or in this case issue, gets better. I'm really excited about the next one and think it will be really fun to put together.

I also wanted to explain the increase in shipping. I decided to go to boxes instead of envelops. It will allow me to send things of a more fragile nature without the worry of them getting to their new home in one piece (aka candy corn and glass buttons). It has unfortunately added a bit more weight as well as cost of packaging.

There are 10 issues left that were made in excess. I'm going to go ahead and re-list those in the shop. They will be on sale until Monday morning November 3rd. So if you thought you missed out this month, head over that way and pick one up. Unlike the regular subscription schedule, these, because they are already made, will be sent out as soon as payment is received.

Well, I hope you all enjoy this month's issue as much as I have and have a wonderful November!

See you all on Saturday! Keep it Crafty!

++Kristin++

Delay of Game

2007-10-29T23:33:00.001-05:00

I'm really sorry to say that due to some out of my hands situation I wasn't able to get clm sent out today as promised. No power outage like before though (thank goodness). I would like to say that it will get out by tomorrow, which is my hope, but with class and everything and just in case I mess something up, I will say definitely by Wednesday.

Thank you so much to everyone who placed and order! It's going to be a really fun one this month. A great project and yummy recipes! I am so sorry it's going out a day or two late.

Also thank you to all the warm wishes and nice comments left! I really appreciate them. I'm glad you like the scarf! I love it too! It's just Simply Soft... oh that joke never gets old.

The sale was good, the wrong venue (lots of smarmy guys selling rip off name brand stuff and Avon type ladies), but still good. I had a lot of fun, met a lot of great people, many of whom are going to now stop by the lys where I work to learn how to knit/crochet/dye. So that's really good. I'm going to apply to some other sales too.... maybe the Bizarre Bazaar and/or Renegade. That could be fun. I think that there would be more crafty folks there too.

Anyway, I'm hitting the hay now. That way I will be fresh and spunky and get ready to go crazy with the glue gun in the morning.

I'll post an update when I get it out as well as send everyone emails.

Thanks again for your patients!

Mosaic Crochet Scarf

2007-10-27T20:55:00.000-05:00

I really enjoy this scarf. It was fun and fast to make, under 3 hours. It's colorful. And it's super long! I can wrap it around my neck about 3 times. Love it!

Download the Mosaic Crochet Scarf Here (pdf).

Thanks Anary for telling me about the bad link!

You can see I have a new addition to the family. My friend from the local knitting group donated her to my crafty cause. She just happens to be just my size too! Perfect! I haven't named her yet though. Any suggestions?

I had an amazing day today at the Sycamore High School Craft and Treasure Sale. And even better it's going to be going on all day tomorrow too! From 9am-5pm to be exact. So if you are going to be in the area, stop by. I would love to meet you!

I also want to say thank you to everyone who came by today! It was so good to meet many of you for the first time. And for some of you, the first time you may have heard of Craft Leftovers and Green Prairie Fibers too! Craft Leftovers is all about what to do with what you have on hand. All patterns are free to download and print. They are all made from materials leftover from other projects. In the case of today's pattern, leftover yarn from making an afghan. In the shop you can find kits for the projects featured on this site, small handmade gifts, and once a month Craft Leftovers Monthly shows up. It is actually on sale until midnight Sunday (tomorrow) evening. So make sure to check it out if you love, or know someone who loves vintage and reclaimed goodness. You can read more about what Craft Leftovers Monthly is in the shop's listing (link).

Green Prairie Fibers started from the decision to try out dyeing yarn with natural dyes. I loved it! I started dyeing more than I could use and so, Green Prairie Fibers was born! I now offer both naturally and synthetically dyed yarns. The synthetically dyed colorways are all inspired by the midwest prairies. I use an illustrated field guide as my starting point, which fills my mind's eye with color, and then start the mixing and dyeing process. Just like wildflowers, each dye lot is unique. The shop will be updated tomorrow night (Sunday) with new yarns.

And I'm totally beat and am going to go knit a bit and hit the hay. Then it's off to the craft sale again tomorrow! Hooray! Have a good night everyone!

November's Craft Leftovers Monthly!

2007-10-21T23:25:00.001-05:00

It's up! They will be on sale until Sunday, October 28th midnight and only 20 new subscriptions are available. Order your November Craft Leftovers Monthly here.

I'm only going to have one and two month subscriptions this month. I'm not sure what will be happening next semester, so I'm going to do subscriptions through December, see what's going on, and restart after the new year.

Each month subscribers receive a package filled with:
+++A kit for a pattern from the previous Craft Leftovers post
+++Reclaimed Craft Leftovers goodies (flat quarters of vintage fabric, buttons, iron on patches, ribbon, etc)
+++Craft Leftovers Monthly - A 10 page zine filled with as much tips on leading a stress free crafty lifestyle, a Craft Leftovers Monthly only project, cutout project cards, and reclaimed leftovers sprinkled throughout as a 10 page zine can hold.

Each subscriber's package is unique because it is made up of reclaimed leftovers and therefore a few of each kind only.

If you are ordering one month, you can just add the subscription to your shopping cart and pay like usual. If you would like to order 2 months, please add just ONE to your cart and check out. +++Select "OTHER" as your payment method+++ I will send you an invoice with your correct total within 24 hours.

Subscriptions cost:
1 month = $15.00 (+$3.50 s&h)(+$9.50 s&h for Europe)
2 months = $28.00 (+$7.00 s&h)(+$19.00 s&h for Europe)

My friend Rachelle of Magpie Girl is having this really fun contest and you should all join in the fun, there are prizes and everything! Let's see how many projects we can finish up by the end of the month for the Creativity Challenge! I'm going to try to get my toe up sock finished that I've been working on forrrrrever! What are you going to work on? There is a flickr group and everything too, so make sure to check it out.

See you all tomorrow at 5!

ps - I put some really cute halloween heatable catnip pillows in the shop today, you should go check them out.

Pain in the Neck

2007-10-20T22:31:00.001-05:00

Blogger is being a jerk and won't let me upload pictures. Grrr.

Okay, well, I'll try again in the morning. Sorry!

Blogger is kind of being a jerk. It let me upload one picture but not the other. So I'll try again later when I post the sneak preview of this month's craft leftovers monthly. It will honestly be way later tonight actually. I have a family function to attend.

It is actually called "Pain in the Neck." It came to me after my post about my neck going out. Once I was able to sew again I made myself a heatable neck wrap that is filled with lavender and rice.

You can download the pattern here (pdf).

Handmade Chicago and Updates!

2007-10-17T15:49:00.000-05:00

Hey everyone! Sorry I took so long to post after the market this weekend, I've been recouping. But now I'm recouped, so here we go.

Here is a picture of my booth this past weekend:

It was pretty dark in the place so sorry about the shoddy photo quality.

It went really well, it was way too short, but that's okay. Being my very first craft show I learned a whole lot. I'll be posting a "what I learned" post on Over Extracted later today. It might be good to read if you are interested in doing a craft show yourself sometime.

I met a whole lot of cool people and swapped some and bought some and had some people buy some from me. It was really great and super fun. I got a lot of great feedback on packaging and display so that made me pretty happy. I don't think I will be doing it again in December simply because they allowed smoking and I thought it would be okay, but my throat is still hurting from it (the guy in the next spot over was smoking the whole show, lame).

So I scooted myself into another local craft sale on a friend's suggestion (thanks Carolyn!). So I'm going to have a table at the Sycamore Pumpkin Festival High School Craft Show on Saturday the 27th and Sunday the 28th from 9am to 5pm. It's actually supposed to be really good and I'm looking forward to spreading the word about Craft Leftovers to people who may not normally be into blogs/recycled craft projects.

On that note, I've decided to not do a large shop update until after I send out Craft Leftovers Monthly on the 29th. I think it would just be too much to try to get done.

On the topic of Craft Leftovers Monthly, it will be going on sale on Monday, October 22nd. I have lots of fun stuff planned out for it. I will post a preview Sunday night so be looking for it.

Well kiddos, I think that's all! See you on Saturday!

Kristin

Ode to Phyllis

2007-10-06T08:54:00.000-05:00

I have all of my grandma’s knitting needles, and let me tell you, for a woman who said “oh I don’t really knit” she had a ton. I guess I’m just like her. I don’t tat, but I have 3 shuttles! I don't really silk screen, but have a print gocco, photo emulsion, screens, filler, and like 5 things of silk screen inks. Geeze. I knit all the time, but honestly, I can’t use aluminum needles because they make my hands cramp up. I really want to use them for something more than just a bouquet of needles on my craft table that they are right now, something to remember her by. My friend mentioned using my needles as handles for a tote, I took it just a little further and bent them into a handle shape and volia and presto chango! Knitting needles into perfect handles from my grandma’s perfect stash!

Download the pattern here (pdf).

My mom is in town this weekend and she was reading in my comfy chair while I was putting the finishing touches on the tote inspired by my grandma's comprehensive stash. She came out to the kitchen and said, "You know, falling asleep in the chair over there reminded me of all the times I fell asleep listening to the sound of your grandma sewing." That just makes me so happy to hear. I feel really connected to her even now, as if she's up there guiding my stitches.

Okay, so, coming up this next weekend is the Handmade Market! It's at the Empty Bottle from noon to 4:30 in Chicago. It should be a whole lot of fun and there are sure to be a lot of great people there, including myself and my friend Joanna.

Along the same line, I realize that this week is going to be nuts with last minute preparations and what not, so there will not be a pattern on the 13th. I'll post some pictures from the market and what not following monday.

If you are by any means in the area, come check it out, I would love to meet you!

Have a great week!

++Kristin++

They are on their way! Hooray!

2007-10-03T15:29:00.000-05:00

I'm so happy and relieved to let you know that:
1) my power is back on, it was only out for a few hours, but it was just long enough to make me miss the post office.
2) I totally messed up the layout and had to reprint and cut and staple the zine (my own fault there).
3) I finally got everything together and no more hitches (except a few hot glue burns) and, woo hoo, it's on it's way!

If you are in the US you should your October Craft Leftovers Monthly on Saturday or Monday and if you are international, by the end of next week. (I hope)

Thank you so much for be patient with me and for ordering and all of the nice comments you left this weekend while I was going through neck junk. It's doing pretty good, but I'm still taking it easy on it (less hunched over working).

Have a good week everyone! See you all on Saturday!

Kristin's Power is out

2007-10-01T14:14:00.000-05:00

Hey everyone this is Jason again, Kristin's power is out and she can't print out the postage and zine as well, hopefully the power will be back on tomorrow and she will have them out then. Thanks for waiting everyone.

Pain in the Neck

2007-09-29T18:57:00.000-05:00

Literally! So, I'm finally at a point where I can give you an update. This morning I completely through my neck out. I can barely turn my head side to side and there is no way I can sew (mooooan... woe is me!). I have the pattern all mapped out, but I'm beat from having to work all day (all my energy went into "suck it up Kristin" while at work and now that I'm home I've turned into some kind of pumpkin), I just can't sew right now. I'm throwing in the towel, I'm not going to get a pattern up this week. But there will be one next week and it's going to be so cool that it will blow your minds.

My friend is coming over tomorrow to help me out with the Craft Leftovers Monthly subscriptions, so that will go out on Monday as planned. She totally rocks and is going to help this poor old lady in a 24 year old's body get things together.

I'm hoping that a good evening of r & r and hot and cold compresses will get me back to good by tomorrow.

Just to give you a little bit of crafty goodness, I dyed this yarn up a bit ago, loved it so much I made two batches, so I could knit with it. (the other batch sold right off, sweet!) It's my first go at toe up socks and I'm loving it. I want to work on that too tonight, but alas, I think I might have to resolve myself to a movie and tea... my little fingers are feeling fidgety just thinking about not having anything in their hands.

Anyway, thanks for putting up with me! I'll post an update on Craft Leftovers Monthly on Monday.

-ps if you did not get an email confirmation, that's because I completely forgot to send them out! geesh! I got about half way through, had to stop and then forgot to pick it back up again until I realized it just now, that little "oh crap" bell just went off in my head. I'll send those out tomorrow in the am (if I'm up to it, just to whine a little more, typing is starting to hurt my poor body too and my hands are going numb, lame!, this is soooooo annnnnnnnoying!*(&#@*&), just to make sure I have your physical addresses correct.

Love,
Ms Whiny Pants Kristin

Fall Knit Head Wrap

2007-09-22T09:25:00.000-05:00

We received a nice arctic blast this past week that made me think about fall and winter knitting. The Summer Knit Head Wrap just wasn't going to cut it for those cool days and cold nights ahead. So, a Fall Knit Head Wrap seemed to be in order. It's wider, warmer, and less holey than it's sister. Perfect for keep your ears warm!

Download the pattern here (pdf).

Thank you to everyone who placed an order this week! I appreciate it so much. All October subscriptions will be mailed out October 1st.

Also, make sure to check out the new kit in the shop for the honey bunny. He's such a cute rabbit and would love to be a part of your home. More new kits will be added on Sunday, so make sure to check back in the PM.

Have a great weekend everyone!

Update

2007-09-20T17:33:00.000-05:00

The Craft Leftovers Monthly subscriptions are sold out! Thank you everyone!

New kits will be in the shop tonight at 10pm! (Finally! I'm so excited about the Honey Bunny having a kit, it turned out really cute!)

Okay, off to class. Check back in the shop at 10pm.

They are up!

Hi Y'all

2007-09-19T23:23:00.000-05:00

Haha, I kind of like the word "y'all." Anyway. I just thought I would let you know that there are just 3 kits left! Wowzers! Thank you! If you were thinking about getting one and haven't yet, y'all should. They are going pretty fast. Plus, the October issue is going to kick it, not to be missed.

I had some annoying junk to take care of this afternoon that cut into my product shot time... so I tried when I got home from class and it was a no go. So I'm going to reshoot tomorrow afternoon and the kits will be in the shop shortly there after.... they . are . so . cute! (girly voice there)

Thanks again everyone!

Craft Leftovers Monthly!

2007-09-16T21:38:00.000-05:00

It's up! Get your's here! They will be on sale until Monday September 24th and will all be sent out at the same time Monday, October 1st, 2007.

Each month subscribers receive a package filled with:
+++A kit for a pattern from the previous Craft Leftovers post
+++Reclaimed Craft Leftovers goodies (flat quarters of vintage fabric, buttons, iron on patches, ribbon, etc)
+++Craft Leftovers Monthly - A 10 page zine filled with as much tips on leading a stress free crafty lifestyle, a Craft Leftovers Monthly only project, cutout project cards, and reclaimed leftovers sprinkled throughout as a 10 page zine can hold.
+++Little handmade goodies that go along with the zine’s content.

Each subscriber's package is unique because it is made up of reclaimed leftovers and therefore a few of each kind only.

If you are ordering one month, you can just add the subscription to your shopping cart and pay like usual. If you would like to order 2 or 3 months, please add just ONE to your cart and check out. +++Select "OTHER" as your payment method+++ I will send you an invoice with your correct total within 24 hours.

Subscriptions cost:
1 month = $15.00 (+$2.00 s&h)(+$4.50 s&h for Europe)
2 months = $28.00 (+$4.00 s&h)(+$9.00 s&h for Europe)
3 months = $39.00 (+$6.00 s&h)(+$13.50 s&h for Europe)

Bibzilla

2007-09-16T00:21:00.000-05:00

There will always be something just so cute about baby bibs, especially when they are covered with pureé pea soufflé of course. They are quick to whip up and super special for that special little one, or friend’s little one, in your life.

I've been in the mind set of "Christmas crafting" and this little guy will be great for any of the little ones that are in the family.

Download the pattern here (pdf).

Sorry about the delay in pattern today. I'm moving super slow yesterday and today, this sick thing hits me hard. I was so excited about these little guys that I couldn't just cancel this weekend. I mean heck, the clock is ticking, we need to get started making stuff... crazy! I suppose hand made does need more time than just stopping buy the local mall. Which I totally love about it, it's way more thoughtful.

Anyway back to the fun stuff. Craft Leftovers Monthly will be going on sale this Monday at 3 pm Central US time. I'm going to post a little teaser tomorrow evening to give you an idea about the fun that will be had. I'm really excited about it... I mean October has Halloween! It's been a lot of fun coming up with themes and projects and such for this issue. I know you will all love it.

Also, check out this awesome review Sister Diane of the CraftyPod wrote about it! Wow! Thank you so much! Totally made my day!

Oh and other fun stuff. I just finished revising the Honey Bunny Pattern and the corrected version (only like 2 or 3 things that were a matter of making it easier to make) will be posted on Wednesday as well as kits to make your own! Hooray! That's right, new stuff will be going in the shop on Wednesday!

And with that I'm going to bed, goodnight and keep it crafty out there!

CraftyPod Goodness

2007-09-09T14:17:00.000-05:00

Sister Diane of the CraftyPod contacted via email about a month or so ago with some questions on craft overload. We did a follow up interview just 2 Sundays ago and now the show is up, wow she is fast! She interviewed quite a few crafty ladies for the show and it's packed with great insights on how to deal with and avoid becoming overwhelmed with all the craft goodness out there.

To listen to the show and for more details click here.

Thanks so much to Sister D, it was such a pleasure to chat with her and I am so honored that I was asked to participate.

And super thanks to all of you for inspiring me to keep at it, you totally rock.

And now back to cutting and stuffing subscriptions! Woot!

Dynamic Duo

2007-09-08T09:20:00.000-05:00

My couch is well, a broken down futon inherited from a friend who got it from a friend and so on. It doesn’t stay in the grooves, so is perpetually sunk in with the bend resting on the floor. When you sit on it your knees can be all the way to your chest (or at least that is how it feels to me anyway). Needless to say it’s okay for sitting cross legged on or on the edge if I’m working on things on my coffee table, but not really just for sitting. My friends avoid it. I don’t blame them. So I need to fix that, or get a new couch, but the latter won’t happen. So the solution? Pillows! I didn’t have enough of the same yarn to make a full knit/crocheted pillow, so I backed them with a sturdy decor fabric. I needed more than just one, so two it is. One is knit and one is crochet.

~~Okay, i thought everything was great, but it's not downloading the revised pattern. I'm going to have to fix it when i get home or I'll be late to work. I'm having issues again!~~

Hooray! It's fixed (I think it was actually just me and my browser not refreshing from the server or some such thing).

Download the pattern here (pdf).

In other news:
I'm steadily working towards revamping the shop (it's coming, just slowly). As soon as I started school everything kind of spun out of control, but life is yet again regaining order, hooray!

Subscriptions will be going out on Monday so you can start checking your mail boxes towards the end of the week (I love getting mail!).

On another note on that end, I've decided that I want to change the send out date to the first Monday of the month instead of the second, so the October subscriptions will be going on sale Monday, September 17th for one week, then be sent out Monday, October 1st. I'll send out the time in the mailing list and make an announcement with photos and whatnot closer to the date. (You can sign up for the mailing list by clicking here - link).

Oh that's the other thing. I'm working on getting all the photos of projects I've taken into the flickr group, I'm going to try to get it organized into topics for each pattern. Feel free to join the group and add your Craft Leftovers project photos too, it's open to the public. (link)

And thank you so much to the pattern testers who tested this pattern to make sure it was A-okay!

Have a good week!

Mailing List and Stuff

2007-09-02T15:55:00.000-05:00

Hey there folks, a couple of updates.

1. After a couple of requests, there is now a Craft Leftovers mailing list. Click on the link in the sidebar under the "About" header. Be the first to know about shop updates, upcoming shows, and craft leftovers contests.

2. I'm not sure how long the hard drive recovery is going to take, so I'm just going to do something else. It will be up by tomorrow morning. I'm just running through it again to make sure all my math is right.

Okay, it's 1 am on monday night/tuesday morning.... this just isn't happening is it. I'm just going to admit defeat and move on. A pattern this labor day weekend was just not meant to be. No labor on labor day right?

I was able to get the hard drive recovered and will have a really great pattern ready for this weekend.

Oh and the other thing. I've realized that now that I've started school, it's going to take longer to get the store revamped. I'm not sure what a more realistic date would really be though. I'm going to think about it, see how things play out with school and what not. I'll let you all know as soon as I get it figured out.

Have a good labor day!

Out of town!

2007-08-31T20:15:00.001-05:00

It turns out that I'm going to be leaving out of town right after work tomorrow and will not be able to revamp shop this weekend. Some stuff is backordered and just isn't going to arrive on time too. I guess everything doesn't always turn out just right.

I'm hoping that things will come through by next weekend. I'll at least have most of the shop updated by next Friday.... hopefully.

The pattern will be updated tomorrow morning as usual though, so no worries there.

See you all in the morning!

Edited in: This must be a day of issues. I know it must be a throw back from the computer issue I had before, but I can't find the pattern that I was going to post tomorrow. I've looked... and looked. Sigh.

Okay, so new plan. Jason is going to extract my hard drive on Sunday, so hopefully, that will get my set of unpublished lost patterns back. And then... by Monday... hopefully.... I will have a pattern up.

I am so sorry about all this mess! And thankfully it will all be ironed out soon. Hard drive extraction. Woot. Maybe. It may not work. I'll keep you posted.

Hopefully I'll be back with good news about the hard drive!

(lots of hopefullies here)

Sold Out!

2007-08-28T14:28:00.000-05:00

All the confirmations have been sent out. Thank you everyone!

Craft Leftovers Monthly

2007-08-27T16:30:00.001-05:00

I've been kicking around the idea of making a monthly subscription for Craft Leftovers for a couple of months now. When the Babylock sewing machine was donated to me, I wanted to do something special for Alice to repay her for her kindness. I started thinking about a kit a month club, maybe a package of reclaimed leftovers, both would be nice, then what about a special project? Well why not a little zine? It all came together yesterday and here it is hot off the press!

Each month subscribers would receive a package filled with:
+++A kit for a pattern from the previous month of Craft Leftovers
+++Reclaimed Craft Leftovers goodies (flat quarters of vintage fabric, buttons, iron on patches, etc)
+++Craft Leftovers Monthly - A 10 page zine filled with as much tips on leading a stress free crafty lifestyle, a Craft Leftovers Monthly only project, cutout bonus projects, and reclaimed leftovers sprinkled throughout as a 10 page zine can hold.
+++Little handmade goodies that go along with the zine’s content.

Each subscriber's package is unique because it is made up of reclaimed leftovers and therefore a few of each kind only.

Subscriptions cost:
1 month = $12.00 (+$2.00 s&h)
2 months = $22.00 (+$4.00 s&h)
3 months = $30.00 (+$6.00 s&h)

Here is a link to the listing in the etsy shop: Craft Leftovers Monthly!

~~The subscriptions are open until Monday, September 3rd and will be sent out Monday September 10th. There are only 20 subscriptions available so pick your's up asap so you make sure you get signed up.~~

The September Subscriptions are all sold out! Holy Moly folks, thank you so much!

I have a busy day today with class, I'm just on break right now. I will send as many as I can manage confirmations and revised invoices right now, and then finish up when i get home tonight. Thank you sooooo much!

We will see how doing 20 goes this month and maybe up it to 25 or 30 next month. I just didn't want to go overboard. One step at a time right.

Thanks again!

Enjoy!

The Perfect Dishcloth.... Knit Style!

2007-08-25T08:49:00.000-05:00

I've been thinking for quite some time now that there was a need for a knit version of the perfect dishcloth. I really like it half felted, or even just with two different colors it looks really nice. It make doing the dishes quite a bit easier and quite a bit more enjoyable. Handmade kind of does that for me.

And unfortunately this is a teaser. I completely forgot that I still needed to set up my server info on my new computer and can't get the pattern up. It is finished. Which makes it all that more annoying. The thing is that I honestly have no idea how to set it up and need to wait until Jason (my boyfriend who just happens to be the best guy ever) wakes up, which will be after I leave to work. I guess that means it won't be up until later tonight.

Download the pattern here: The Perfect Dishcloth-Knit (pdf)

Keep it crafty!

Good stuff to report... finally!

2007-08-23T10:52:00.001-05:00

After many set backs this summer, things are calming down a bit and working themselves out.

I took my ibook to the apple store (a day trip really, it's an hour and a half away) and was confirmed in my fears that it was indeed kaput (not capute, hehe, woops). Sigh. I am just so thankful that because of the generosity of you guys I only had to replace a computer and not a sewing machine too. Oh I did get it the other day and am starting to figure out how to use it... it's kind of complicated... but hopefully a sewing pattern by next week. To read more about the trip to the apple store, you can read a post on it on my personal more ranty blog, Overextracted.

Okay, so good stuff. New computer, new to me sewing machine that works so awesome, my little ferret buddy is still hanging in there and actually doing well.

Now for Craft Leftovers related stuff. I am officially going to be participating in the Handmade Market in Chicago! Woot! Craft Leftovers first show! So if you are anywhere near the Chicago area come and check it out. It is Saturday, October 13th from noon to 4:30 at the Empty Bottle.

Now the other Craft Leftovers news has to do with the Etsy shop. I'm going to revamp it come September 1stish. Most likely it will take the weekend. I'm going to take most everything down, reshoot, and relist it. Mainly the kits. I'm going to start including everything in them, including hooks or knitting needles and anything else that the pattern calls for. I'm also going to add a couple of other types of kits.

After being so "don't under sell yourself, value your time.... etc etc" I realized that is what I have been doing. So the prices will go up a bit come Sept 1stish.

So I guess what I'm saying is that if you have had your eye on something in the shop, you should pick it up before the first if you would like it at the cheaper price. If you would like to get the hook or knitting needles with your kit, just let me know and I can send you the revised invoice.

Oh and priority mail will become an option if you would like to get your package faster. It will be $6 flat rate on all priority mail shipping no matter the size/weight.

And the Winners Are....

2007-08-20T22:49:00.000-05:00

Grand Prize: Alice for outstanding massive scrap use up
Second Prize: Anary for using all those bits and some yo yo fun!
Honorable mentions:
Rachel from http://www.notsosuburban.com
Kimberly from http://artistikdiva.etsy.com
Laurie
Lauren W.
Laura from http://minnie.typepad.com/halfassedcrafter/

The prizes are as follows:
++First Place: $15 gift certificate to the Craft Leftovers Shop; Craft Leftovers Pin Back Button
++Second Place: $10 gift certificate to the Craft Leftovers Shop; Craft Leftovers Pin Back Button
++Honorable Mentions: Craft Leftovers Pin Back Button or Silk Screen Patch (your choice) and 30% off your next Craft Leftovers Shop Order

Pinny Stitch Markers

2007-08-18T10:59:00.000-05:00

I always get these grandiose ideas about polymer clay. I think I'm going to make these wonderfully maticulous little doo dads... and then nothing. Maybe some mashed up bits, but not much else. Combine that with the fact that I made some earrings a while back and you get 20 jump rings and 4 earring hooks. What the heck am I going to do with the other 16!

Well, I decided to make some stitch markers. But instead of those pegs that are used for jewelry making, we are just going to use plain old straight pins. So not only are they super inexpensive, but super quick. They definitely make great presents for any knitter you know. Yeah, I'm thinking about Christmas already.

I went a little nuts once I got going on them and before I knew it I had a whole pan full:

Here you go:

Now you may have noticed the throw back to a jpg instead of a pdf, well..... so... Thursday night, I was sipping tea, working on stuff.... I turn my back for a second to go make some popcorn in the other room and I come back to see the ferrets tag teaming my poor ibook. The dumped my tea all over the keyboard and shorted it out.... So I lost all of my programs, particularly the one that lets me put pdf's onto the craftleftovers server.... among a lot of other stuff like all my patterns' original files for the past few months. Sigh, I now know, a little too late, that even if I think it's out of ferret reach, no liquid is ever safe around my open laptop.

This is what shows up when I try to turn it on:

At least it's turning on now, but I think, what it's telling me, is "woops, I'm not able to find a drive to boot up off of."

So I dusted off my old laptop, a Sony Vaio from about 5 years ago, and started it up. I have to keep it plugged in at all times because the battery is crap, but at least it's working. Then it did this:
Twice...

I think it's telling me "what the heck are you doing? I'm old, calm the heck down, stop openning programs, ah! Blhark." I restarted it, twice, and it seems okay.... not sure how long for though.

So I'm not sure how I'm going to get a new laptop, but I think my old one will work for now... we will see.

Anyway, all that, kept me from posting the winners of the birthday contest last night, and now I have run out of time and don't have them ready still. I have the winners picked out, but I need to leave. I am just going to do a separate post for the winners. Most likely tomorrow afternoon. Maybe sooner.... or later actually, I can't get consistent wireless so I'm going to wait until I get that so I can post pictures and whatnot. Sorry about the delay of game!

See you all soon! Have a good and crafty weekend!

Crewel Of The Deep

2007-08-11T18:03:00.000-05:00

All those yarn strands, just a few yards long are filling up all my little containers and what the heck can you do with those except pitch them in the trash? About a year ago I was introduced to crewel needlework and wouldn’t you know it, it’s the perfect thing. It’s traditionally done with 2 ply wool in about a dk to sport weight, but it’s been so fun to play with different textured yarns and see how they make different textured surface. About this same time became interested in the gulf coastal region and borrowed a book from the library about them. Just one of those field guide ones. I’m not sure why but I became obsessed with drawing them. It is from those drawings that I have made these templates. I hope you enjoy seaside creatures and using up yarn bits as much as I do!

Download the pattern here (pdf).

I don't have an image of them framed with me, but I'll put them up when get back into town (monday).

On another note. Thank you so much to the generous offers of April of Craft Zombie and Alice of Alice's House. You both are so amazingly nice! And also thank you to everyone else who emailed and commented with sewing machine suggestions and well wishes. It made the loss of my machine so much easier to bare.

Thank you!

Help!!!

2007-08-09T12:53:00.000-05:00

Well... it's happened again, my sewing machine broke. Seriously though, what was I expecting? The poor little guy just wasn't made for what I was dishing out on almost a daily basis. Not only is the bobin tension way off, the needle is misaligned, and I've over heated the motor a few times trying to sew through things I shouldn't. So now I'm stuck with a dilemma: do I pay to repair it... over and over again or do I get a better, more durable... sigh... more expensive machine. I honestly don't have enough money to do either, and I am sick at the prospect of the former. It's like they make these machines to be thrown away every year!

So. There are four ways you can help:
1. Buy stuff from the shop to help raise money.
2. Donate money by using the button in the sidebar under "Support Craft Leftovers"
3. If you have an old machine that you don't use any more or want to upgrade, let me know and I will gladly take it off your hands.
4. Email me suggestions on machines that will hold up for a long time and can sew satin to upholstery fabric and don't cost an arm a leg.

Any support is much appreciated, even just a dollar donation is welcomed and encouraged. A dollar donated is a dollar less I have to beg my family for!

Until Saturday!

++Kristin++

Button On Up Necklace

2007-08-04T08:49:00.000-05:00

I first came upon this necklace by chance. I was trying to restring a shell necklace that I had purchased while in France. I wore it so often that after 2 years it finally gave out. Well, there was no way I could re-string it in the same way because I lost the important little clear beads to space it. I found that when I tried they clustered together, which I really liked, so I left it that way.... and then repeated it over and over again with vintage buttons in different
monochromatic color schemes. It’s a super fast and easy way to make unique necklaces for every occasion!

Download the pattern here.

In other news:
Don't forget to submit an image of your fabric leftovers project to craftleftovers@gmail.com with "birthday" in the subject. There are prizes for free kits, gift certificates to the the shop, buttons, patches, and more! You don't need to send a tutorial, just send me an image or link to your image and you could win fun stuff! Woot! It can even be something like applique or a quilt block. It doesn't even have to be an original project, just give credit to the author of the pattern you use.

Don't forget to check out the shop for great kits, handmade items, and reclaimed leftovers. I add things as I can so check back often!

Oh and I just wanted to let you know about the new shop announcements:

+++Orders of $25 or more are upgraded to priority mail service, please select "other" for the shipping method and I will send you an adjusted invoice if your total shipping cost is more than $5.50+++

+++Orders of $10 or more receive a free piece of Craft Leftovers goodness (does not include shipping cost)+++

BlogHer and Stuff

2007-08-01T10:27:00.000-05:00

I'm going to talk about the "and stuff" first off so hopefully more people will read it, then I'll post about Blogher.

Okay so first off, in my haste to get the pattern up on Saturday I made a typo and messed up the pdf link. It's fixed so go have some felting fun.

I also made the banner a link so you can now click on it to send you back to the homepage. There was a typo for like 5mins, but that is fixed now too. I'm going to blame it on my keyboard being dirty and leaving out some of the letters I'm typing... yeah.... sure that's what it is.... ;)

Last thing, I'm extending the b-day contest (info in the side bar) to Sunday, August 12th, 2007! And it can be any kind of project made from any leftover fabric, no size limitation! So send me some pictures and win cool stuff!

Should I have done all caps too? I'm yelling and pointing my finger just so you know. Hehe, not really, I just need some more submissions to make this fair..... and so I don't look lame.... don't make me look lame, send me some pictures of your fabric projects.

Okay, Blogher.

Chicago, wow, so much fun. The conference was so great. I finally met people that I had been admiring from afar for so long. Jennifer from Craft Sanity, Natalie from CRAFTzine, Leah from so many things, Kathy the Crafty Chica, Amy Sedaris from well… Amy Sedaris, Chloe Dao from Project Runway season 2…. And I discovered and enjoyed so many bloggers for the first time that were just absolutely amazing! I collected as many business cards as I could, but if I didn't get to meet you, leave a comment with your url and I'll check it out.

The conference was great. Check out all these freaking people. There were 800 of us! The largest blog conference period, regardless of gender. That’s pretty cool if you ask me.

The cocktail parties were pretty fun too, fancy little finger foods and wine that was decent. I’m happy. And check out the views:

We actually did get to hang out with Amy a bit. We were all starving so we went out to dinner after the panel. Oh and the panel! It was so fun.

Everyone on the panel was super excited and positive. And Leah was such a great moderator. She defused some possibly volatile situations without skipping a beat. The audience asked so many really deep questions no one went on and on and had to be cut off. There was such positive dialogue. It was so amazing to me to have people pulling me (and everyone else on the panel) aside the rest of the night. Many had stories to share about their crafting, their business, and etc. But a lot of people told me how they didn’t craft, didn’t care about crafting, just came to see Amy, didn’t care about the rest of us on the panel…. but that seeing our excitement and passion about crafting and the crafting community made them excited. One woman even said something like “you guys make me want to learn to knit!” How fabulous is that! It’s like we crossed the blogging void between crafting and other blogging types and related to everyone! Now that is A.M.A.Z.I.N.G!

You can listen to it here.
You can see pictures of the whole day courtesy of Natalie Zee Drieu on flickr.

Here is Amy signing books:

And here we all are:

And I got to meet this fab lady, Trish, for the first time:

isn't her dress cute:

Oh and the dress I made from a vintage bed sheet was a hit. I had several people ask to get pictures to put up on their fashion blogs! Me… fashion…. what? I’m so glad I spent that time sewing until the wee hours of the morning to finish it up… and except for maybe Chloe no one noticed the mess-ups. Or at least didn’t point them out…. and even Chloe didn’t… because she is just so freaking nice.

I learned so many things from the women there! I’m so excited I can’t wait to get going on some of the things swirling around in my head!

The cocktail party at the Children’s museum was so neat. Chloe Dao was there doing demos on how to alter a tee shirt so it’s swanky fashionable with no sewing.

Afterwards Natalie, Leah, and I were able to go out for drinks with her, she is so nice. So excited about what she is doing, so smart about her designs for woman. I want to make her clothes. These three women’s passion about fashion made me excited about it and I may just have to start checking it out more. I’m definitely adding Natalie’s other blog Coquette to my rss feed.

Sunday we went down to Millennium Park and saw the “bean” and the pavilion.

I headed back a little early, I took the 2:40 train instead of the 6ish train. It will be good to be home for dinner…. and rest my feet… Oh yes… I had so many blisters. I messed it up the first day by putting inserts in my keds. It raised up my foot just enough to make everything rub wrong. It was bad the rest of the time. It was worth it though. I’m beat, need a shower, my feet hurt, but I’m so excited, happy, and positive about the crafting community both on and off line!

Goodbye for now BlogHer! It was nice to meet you all!

509 again!

2007-07-31T15:21:00.000-05:00

Okay, I'm so sorry! You folks have exceeded my bandwidth again where I'm hosting the pdf's for downloading.

It's totally being fixed and we should be a-okay shortly.

We doubled it from last time.... I'm pretty amazed really.

~~I'll let you know when it's fixed and you can start downloading patterns again.~~

It's fixed!

Hey kiddos

2007-07-30T08:55:00.000-05:00

Really quick, here is the link to audio of the panel session: Link.

Jennifer of Craft Sanity recorded it. Make sure to check out the rest of her interviews, which rock!

I'll be back with more pictures and such.

ps - it is so weird to hear myself talk....

I Heart Felting

2007-07-28T08:41:00.000-05:00

So I finally did it. I felted. I just had to share too of course! This woman at my LYS where I work brought me in her leftovers from all her felting projects and said "I'm not going to use it, does anyone here want it? If not make sure Kristin gets it because I'm sure she will find a use for it." Or at least that's how I heard the conversation went. How nice! So I could resist. Now of course, when I started, I was just "testing out" the yarn so I completely forgot to weigh the separate balls of yarn that I used. The total came out to 4 oz. So I'm apologizing about that in advance.

I've been using it all weekend as my bathroom tote and it's drawn some attention in the bathroom at the hostel. I'm not used to be asked for my web address while brushing my teeth in the morning, but I'm totally fine with that.

Anyway, enough rambling, you can download the pattern here.

Well, I need to take a shower and scoot. I'll see you all later!

Lunch at the Arts and Crafts Table

2007-07-27T13:50:00.001-05:00

It was pretty fun at the Arts and Crafts table today. I got to hang out with Natalie of CRAFTzine, Jennifer Ackerman-Haywood of the Craft Sanity podcast, Lish Dorset of Lish Magic and Handmade Detroit, Dave Coustan, and quite a few others. It was a super fun.
.

And I'm totally just beat so I'm going to cut it short. I'll be back with more pictures and such later today or tomorrow.

Off to BlogHer!

2007-07-25T20:45:00.000-05:00

Hey there folks! I just wanted to pop in and say "hi" before I head off to the Windy City for the BlogHer conference. It should be so much fun! I'm excited and nervous and still in shock that I'm going!

I'm almost packed, including:

Handmade buttons by my friend Jill along with silk screened patches by me. It's for the CL street team to get the word out (I'm the only member of the street team, haha). I'll be handing out free buttons and patches during the conference on a first come first serve basis, so come and get one if you can make it!

The pattern will be posted as usual on Saturday morning. I have it all set to go so no worries there.

I'll try to post some pictures of the conference at night, no guarantees, it might have to wait til monday.

Have a good week and keep it crafty!

Circular Needle Clutch

2007-07-21T14:14:00.000-05:00

Hey there folks! So after doing the hook clutch last week I realized that it would be a great circular needle clutch too. Just a few mods and something for knitting too.

You can download the pattern here.

And so now that I've done this one, I realize that it would be super easy to take the hook clutch, make it a bit taller, and wam-o! dpn holder or artist pen/pencil holder. Try it out and have fun!

Keep it Crafty! Have a great week!

Green Prairie Fibers - My other Obsession.

2007-07-20T17:38:00.001-05:00

Okay, so I have this other project going on and I thought I would tell you a bit about it. It's called Green Prairie Fibers. It started out with me playing with natural dyes, which soon became an obsession. I started dyeing more than I could knit and so, I offered it up in an Etsy shop and dubbed it Green Prairie Fibers... then this past month I started to play with acid dyes, and so it starts again. Dyeing more than I can knit! I love it! Both of them. Natural dyeing reminds me of my chemistry classes I had in high school. The colors are so rich and earthy. And dyeing with acid dyes connects back to what I love so much about painting: the color's spontaneity and emotional charge.

I just updated the shop with new color ways and I really wanted to share this other side of me with you. Go take a look around and let me know what you think.

And don't worry all this other stuff isn't going to take away from CL, I have the pattern just about finished and it will go up tomorrow morning as usual.

Have a good night!

Recycled Blankets into Slippers

2007-07-18T12:38:00.000-05:00

Nikkishell from over at SewGreen posted this great tutorial on how to make your own house slippers out of an old wool blanket. I'm sure it could be applied to an old felted up sweater too! Go check it out! I saw it on TreeHugger.

Holy Moly 509!

2007-07-17T09:36:00.000-05:00

Okay so sorry about the delay in the pattern download for the hook clutch. I exceeded my bandwidth! Well, you all exceeded my bandwidth! It's being fixed now and everything should be a-okay soon.

I've been storing the patterns on the domain space www.craftleftovers.com so you can just click to download the pdfs. So I'm upping the bandwidth so there won't be anymore problems with getting the patterns!

A lot of patterns are still offered in the jpg format so make sure to take a look around.

And you can always check out the shop, hehe, we are still having the buy one get one free sale, even on clearance items.

~~I'll post again and let you know when it's back up.~~

We are all set to go! Thanks for waiting!

Shop Stuff

2007-07-16T23:23:00.000-05:00

Hey folks!
Okay, updates finished for now. Horay! I've added kits for the summer knit head wrap and some more for pencil clutches.

See you all later! Have a good night and keep it crafty!

Shop Updates

2007-07-15T22:33:00.000-05:00

The title says it all, more kits in the shop, go check it out.

I'll be adding more tomorrow and I'll post images then.

Have a good night!

Hook Clutch

2007-07-14T19:35:00.000-05:00

I've been carrying more and more hooks around and my bag and therefore losing them all over the place, travesty!... what to do? A clutch was definitely in order. A necessity for any hooking person.

Download the pdf here.

Now this is for the hookers, but next week I have something in the works for the ones with poky sticks. So this is kind of a two parter just to give you a heads up.

Oh I also am particularly fond of it, so I'm going to make some more to put up for sale as well as some kits for it..... Most likely ready in about 2 weeks... or not because that's the weekend of BlogHer... hmm, well I will asap anyway.

I'm going to work on some kits and such tonight and start putting them into the store tomorrow and Monday. I've decided that it's kind of ridiculous to say "I'm going to post in the store every Monday, only on Mondays." I just rarely have more than an hour to sit down and work at it, so I can only get to about 4-6 things at any given time. I think it would work best, for me anyway, to just put things in the shop when I get a chance. I'll always let you know here when I'm all finished, but you can also subscribe to the rss feed so you can see what's new without having to search all over.

Oh and don't forget, sale time this week, buy one get one half off in both the CL shop and my other shop, Green Prairie Fibers. Make sure to check it out!

And Craft Leftovers has it's own email now! horray! so you can email me at craftleftovers@gmail.com! woot!

Well that's all for now folks, keep it crafty and I will see you all later!

Hey Folks

2007-07-14T00:00:00.000-05:00

I just wanted to let you know:
I'll be posting the pattern in the pm... no big important reason except that I lost track of time and it's midnight and I need to work all day tomorrow at my "real" job. So I'll finish it up and post it in the evening, before 8pm for sure. It's a good job, but it takes me away from what I would like to be doing non the less (I've been working 6 days a week to try to make up for all those vet bills that are due soon, blah).

2. You all rock and thanks for putting up with my delays of game... or should I say craft?

So I'll see you all tomorrow! have a good night.

ps here is a pattern preview:
in pieces of course so as to not give too much away. can you guess what it has become?

Summer Sale Time!

2007-07-11T23:10:00.000-05:00

I just wanted to let you all know I'm having a summer sale in the shop!

Buy 1, get the 2nd half off!
This counts for all regular priced kits, handmade items, and reclaimed craft leftovers.
Just choose "other" as the payment method and I will send you a revised invoice.

Oh I'm also having the same sale in my other shop Green Prairie Fibers (naturally hand dyed sock yarn), so go check that out too!

Also, thank you so much to everyone and all of their encouraging words about the little guy. He's doing better as far as energy and eating goes, but is still getting worse...he had a seizure the other day and I'm afraid I will have to put him down soon. It breaks my heart. At least I have Sloane still, she sure wiggled her way into my heart fast, which is good because of all that breaking going on. He's still here though and we are spending lots of quality time together, and they have too, I found them all curled up in their hiding spot this afternoon... so cute! I'm glad he has a little fury companion to play with during his last days. Hopefully it's like a dream come true. Enough pet talk for now.

Anyway, you guys out there better get cracking at submissions, I'm going to have to make some up myself and then I'll get all the prizes! hehe... seriously though. Submit your project photo, name and address to kristinmroach@gmail.com with "birthday" in the subject header. It could be fun, if only 3 people submit, then they all get prizes, so just think about it. Your chances are really good right now, hehe!

BlogHer Conference Chicago!

2007-07-10T22:30:00.000-05:00

I just wanted to let you all know that I'm going to be participating in a panel discussion at the BlogHer conference in Chicago on Saturday, July 28th @ 1:30-2:45. You should totally come check it out. The other panel members are Kathy Cano Murillo the Crafty Chica, Natalie Zee Drieu of the CRAFTzine blog, and Amy Sedaris author of I Like You. We are all going to be held under control by spectacular Leah Peterson! We will be speaking in general about craft, community, blogging, woman, and commerce, but because we area all in the craft scene but in different ways it should diverse and energetic.

This is what BlogHer has to say about it:
"The Craft Blogging community is diverse and large, covering everything from scrap booking to knitting to other handi-crafts. They use their online communities to collaborate, to provide critiques, to engage in commerce, and simply to learn. How do you find your piece of the Craft Blogosphere? And yes, we'll also talk crafts...our favorite solo and group projects. Leah Petersen moderates the conversation with Kathy Cano Murillo (aka Crafty Chica), Kristin Roach, Natalie Zee Drieu and Amy Sedaris."

First off: I can't believe that they asked me to participate...
Secondly: I can't believe who is on the panel with me! I look up to these women, they are literally my role models and I get to meet them all in person and hang out with them!
Thirdly: I can't believe I said yes because I'm am pretty nervous about the whole thing.... but I'm so glad I did... excitement is compensating for the nerves!

My friend and I are making some special Craft Leftovers pin back buttons for it. I'll be handing them out on a first come first serve basis. I'll post a picture when they get finished.

So go check it out and maybe I just might see you all there... especially if you are staying at hosteling international! I'm bunking it up!

Have a great night!

Happy Birthday Contest!

2007-07-09T23:57:00.000-05:00

Okay so today is the one year anniversary of Craft Leftovers! Woo hoo to sticking to something for more than a week! As I hinted at before, I'm going to have a contest and pass out some prizes for the winners!

Basically scraps are the bane of my existence. Try as I might I always have a huge bag that is always getting fuller instead of emptying out. What to use them for? How to get rid of a whole bunch without just pitching them into the trash. This has been, on the micro level, the hardest quest for Craft Leftovers... those bits.

The contest is as follows:
++Send your scrap project idea and photo to kristinmroach@gmail.com
++The project must be made from scraps 3" wide max (as long as you want because those strips are tough too)
++Projects must be submitted by Aug 1st.

The prizes are as follows:
++First Place: $15 gift certificate to the Craft Leftovers Shop; Craft Leftovers Pin Back Button
++Second Place: $10 gift certificate to the Craft Leftovers Shop; Craft Leftovers Pin Back Button
++Honorable Mentions: Craft Leftovers Pin Back Button and 30% off your next Craft Leftovers Shop Order

My friend and I decided one of our fav ways to use up scraps is to make them into buttons!
Like so:

Other updates:
There are a few new kits in the shop and (imagine a drum roll please): a Clearance Section! Go crazy, buy stuff for cheap, craft it up!
I've decided to post about other stuff tomorrow so check back in the pm (we had huge flash floods and power outages today so I'm running behind).

Sweater Mouse

2007-07-07T09:26:00.000-05:00

I have a mountain of felted sweaters that I have collected from my work. For whatever reason, people don't understand that we really can't resell them for two reasons, it's summer... and they are felted. But all the better for me because I get to take them home and find a use for them (when they have indicated that any thing we don't take can go elsewhere and not back to them). The brown one is actually my own sweater washing mishap, and the pink one is an unfortunate angora sweater that came my way though the shop. I'm going to miss working there when I move, it's my greatest resource.

Anyway, what makes these little mice so great is that they bottom is a flap with a hole that the tail goes though. The catnip is in a separate pouch that can be changed out when it starts to loose it's scent.

Download the pdf here.

Updates:
+++I'm going to announce the contest on Monday as well as some other fun stuff so check back then.
+++I did manage to get 4 new travel tissue covers in the shop so make sure to take a look, they make great little gifts. More shop updates on Monday as well. Hopefully some fun stuff you will all like.
+++Mr B is doing better, and I'm doing my best to make him comfortable, including feeding him this fancy duck soup for ferrets stuff. He seems to love it and has started eating his other regular food too.

Knit Honey Bunny Repost

2007-07-04T20:15:00.000-05:00

I will add the link in the original post as well. But I just wanted to let you know that I finished correcting the Honey Bunny pattern. Most of the errors were more along the lines of "this would be better phased like this," but some were just dead wrong math. Sigh, I was never bad at that subject, but not brilliant either.

Download the corrected pattern here (knithoneybunny.pdf).

Medical Emergency

2007-07-02T23:48:00.000-05:00

Well, I was able to get two new travel tissue covers in the shop, and there are still a hole lot of great kits available from last week. So go check it out.

Unfortunately, I'm having a bit of a medical emergency with the two ferrets. Edited in: After Vet Update: I took them both to the vet and Sloane has a bit of a respiratory infection, so she's on antibiotics. Mr B is unfortunately worse off. He actually has a mass in his chest cavity that is pushing his heart out of place (which is beating fine, but not where it should be). They don't know how long he will live without further testing and that I should make him as comfortable as possible. He gets all the treats he wants, that's for sure! He is eating a little on his own now so that is a good sign. We are going back to the vet on Monday to get an ultrasound. I don't know if there is anything that can be done. But if it's something simple, it would tear me up if I didn't try.

I'm going to update the shop more throughout the week until I get everything up. There is quite a bit.

The pattern this week will most likely be a pretty short and sweet one.

Have a good week!

Lacy Knit Wristlet

2007-06-30T09:13:00.000-05:00

Ah using up little bits of yarn and little buttons makes me so happy. This week's pattern uses 1/2 ounce of fingering weight yarn. And 2 to 4 buttons. It knits up pretty fast, and since it's so small, blocks fast too! Definitely wouldn't hurt to add some beads in their either if you wanted to give that a try.

Download the pattern here (pdf). Correction: Row three should read: K2tog 3x, YO K1 6x, K2tog 3x. The corrected pattern is now the pattern you download. But in case you already downloaded it I wanted to let you know. Thanks to Ren for letting me know about the error in YO K1 repeats. That's pretty key.

Updates and Announcements:
I will be putting new stuff in the shop on Monday so look for it Tuesday morning. I will let you know when it all gets in when I finish up.

Oh there is a new addition to the family. I got another ferret this week and oh boy is she a cutey. You can see pictures and read about it here on my other blog.

There will hopefully be more yarn related kits in the shop on Monday too, sorry about the lack of those, I ran out of yarn to use!

And I'm almost done rewriting the Honey Bunny pattern, sorry that has taken so long. And I was right, lots of errors! I'll let you know when I finish.

Oh, Thanks again to all the people out there who have offered to test patterns, you all rock. I now have enough for the team. The first pattern to test were sent out last week! Horray! (or was it the week before? Well people just started getting their kits in the mail this past week, so whichever you want to go with).

And the best for last: Craft Leftover's one year birthday is coming up in July and I'm going to have a contest. I have a prize, but what should the contest be? Suggestions please!

See you on Monday! Keep it creative!

Bottle Cap Contest

2007-06-27T10:26:00.001-05:00

"TerraCycle is looking for a creative use for bottle caps. As a part of our production process, we collect hundreds of thousands of soda bottles per year, many of which include a bottle cap. Over the years, we've collected quite a few. Help us find a use for these bottle caps and win a lifetime supply of TerraCycle."

There has been a bit, well a lot, of buzz on the internet about Terracycle being sued by miracle grow and how it's ridiculous and etc. But I haven't seen so much on the bottle cap contest. One of the really great things about Terracycle is that they use collected soda bottles as containers for their fertilizers. "Even the trigger sprayers or caps that we use are end-runs and/or leftovers from large corporations that either don't need them or have produced too many." But what to do with all the caps? If you can figure something out, you get a life time supply of worm poop! Who can resist that challenge? As a gardener, I know I'm wishing I knew what to do with them all. You can get the guidelines here.

Updates!

2007-06-25T20:33:00.000-05:00

There are lots of new items up in the shop. A whole lot of new kits for travel tissue covers, a couple for pencil clutches, lots of reclaimed buttons, and heatable lavender pillows! Quite a few people have asked if I could offer this for the human compainions of our kitties, so here you go!

I'm going to make Mondays my store update day so check back Monday night or Tuesday morning to see the new items.

Also, if you didn't notice, I redid the banner here on the blog and for the shop. I just wanted something a little bit more personal.

And I said it before, but I'll repeat. There is now a pattern archive in the sidebar.

I also finally figured out how to make it so you could just download a pdf of the pattern by clicking on the link, so I'm going to attempt over the summer to make it so you can download all the patterns that way, yipes. Oh and this is all thanks to a very fabulous guy I know (Jason Thank You Again!) who showed me how to do it and set me up with some space out on the internet.

Summer Knit Head Wrap

2007-06-23T09:01:00.000-05:00

Here she be, sorry for the wait!

And if you turn it wrong side out it looks pretty good too:
I've been trying think of things to knit during the summer while laying out next to the pool. This seemed like a good thing to do. Plus, I have a crocheted one, but what if some of you don't crochet? It knits up in about 4 hours, less if you are super fast, and only takes up about a 2 oz ball of yarn. Plus you can use your cutest buttons for it. Oh and because of all the yo's you can adjust the size pretty easy.

I've made about 5 to get the pattern A okay, but wouldn't you know I neglected to leave on in tack! Sometimes my lack of foresite amazes me!

So here is the pattern, and I will post a picture when I get off work tonight.

~~Oh and when I get the picture I'm going to put it into pdf format to and you will be able to download it by clicking on the link.~~ Download the pdf here: Summer Knit Head Wrap (pdf) Talk to you soon, have a good day!

Update!

2007-06-22T08:44:00.000-05:00

Alright, I've been looking at things and in the future and past that this week is over and still no shop update (mostly due to spending all of my time trying to get through 10 loads of laundry, I am such a filth). Okay so here is the plan. I am going to make Mondays my store update day. It makes sense for a couple of reasons. Mainly that I can get kits together for the pattern that would have just been published and I won't be competing between writing a pattern and making things.

And here is a little preview of the Reclaimed Craft Leftovers I was rambling about. The first of which will be in the shop on Monday.

I'm really looking forward to this week's pattern that will be going up tomorrow morning and I'm going to put together some kits to go along with it.

I've also kind of solved my dilemma about running out of leftovers. So I realized what was eating up all of my leftovers was using them for kits and doing the sampler (due to go out the end of this month or beginning of july), so I've decided that all of the patterns I write will be made from leftovers and for leftovers, but the kits and items I make for the shop will be made from a mix of on hand and bought materials. A lot of the fabrics will still be leftovers, but the yarn is my main issue. I'm just running out. Gasp! Horror of horrors! Tell me what you think, good idea? bad idea?

Also with all this posting going on I'm getting over stimulated. I kind of gorged myself the first couple of days, but I will find a happy medium. Some days there will be more posts, some days less. We will see how it goes. A balance and a consistent theme will hopefully be achieved!

Have a good Friday! See you in the morning!

Sweater Kitty

2007-06-22T08:37:00.000-05:00

Felicia of Fluffy Flowers creates the most adorable creatures that are whimsical and creative. You can see her day to day musings over at her blog, or check out her shop, which she just updated with a ton of cute stuff. I really like the way she writes stories for each of her little creatures:
"Winky is made from part of a felted wool sweater. He stands about 4 inches tall and is about 6 inches wide at his widest point. Winky’s only got the one button eye yar see. He lost the other one in a cat fight some time back. He wears his eye patch proudly as well as his bell on a wired ribbon. These small parts mean he is best not given to young pirates."

And:
"Frolic is a frisky little gnome who is ready to do some world traveling. She longs to see what gardens are like in other parts of the country and even the world. Frolic is ready to fly at a moment’s notice."

Handmade Shoes

2007-06-21T19:51:00.000-05:00

These littles ladies are made from recycled fabrics and completely custom! The artist, Hetty Rose, says

"I am a freelance footwear designer and maker. I have a conceptual collection of handmade shoes created using recycled fabrics, mainly Japanese kimono fabrics, with reclaimed wooden heels.All products are made to order, embracing that everybody is different and has unique desires and requirements."

Check out images of some of her shoes here. You can order them by sending her a message and she will work with you to make shoes that fit your feet!

Recycled Cuffs

2007-06-21T19:40:00.000-05:00

I saw this over at etsy and fell in love. I'm not sure what her name is other than rust chic, but you can see this and other cuffs from salvaged materials in her etsy shop Bayou Salvage. She also has a blog called Thrifting in Oblivion that's pretty neat. Lots of great tips and ideas on thirfting and salvaging.

Sew Useful!

2007-06-21T19:30:00.001-05:00

I'm such a dork. I saw this forever ago and didn't think to mention it. But now, they have extended the deadline to July 16th! Check out the details here.

They have some super cool prizes!

Recycle Style

2007-06-21T19:04:00.000-05:00

Here is a great project that I came across over at CRAFTzine:

I love what they are doing over on Tree Hugger with plastic bags, not to mention a list of how to use them as a raw material.

And over at Magpie and Cake, they've made a whole quilt out of coffee sleeves, which they collected in just a few weeks! I came across it over at whip up.

Ceiling Milk Bottle Lamp

2007-06-21T18:47:00.000-05:00

I saw these over at CRAFTzine and thought they were super amazing and thought you might too.

You can read about how it was made, all from stuff on hand, over at Whimsy Inc.

And this is pretty cool too. A neat way to avoid all those photo albums and such. Just bind your photos together. You can find the tutorial here over at Five and a Half.

Soap Trick

2007-06-21T08:59:00.001-05:00

Heather has a great idea for using those bits of soap for sewing. Her site is really amazing all around. Check it out here.

Loopy Fabric Bow

2007-06-21T08:54:00.001-05:00

Look what was done with all of those leftover fabric strips from making a quilt over at Craftlog! Deffinately spruces up any gift.

Fortune Cookies and Other Neat Stuff

2007-06-21T08:42:00.000-05:00

What a great way to use up those little bits! This was sent to me by Kristi, she's a pretty swanky cat, and her name is spelled like mine, sans the N. You can find other pictures of this little project over here on livejournal.

She also sent me a link to this:
It's a pretty neat way to use those humungo cans (and that is so not a word, but it will work). I'm not really into the ashtray bit, but place a magnet in the bottom, tilt the edges up a bit, and voila, you have a great place to keep your straight pins, paper clips, etc. You can see how to make one here.

Oh and she also sent me this. It's a great site with a list to tutorials on how to make such and such from this and that. It's pretty good and definitely worth taking a look at.

Criss Cross Coaster

2007-06-21T08:39:00.001-05:00

Jenny over at All Sorts posted a great tutorial about how to make these cute coasters. It is an older post, but I hadn't seen it. Maybe I'm behind the times. Maybe some of you are too. So if you haven't already made a billion of these great little ladies, go check it out here now.

Arm Rest for the Needle Artist

2007-06-21T08:34:00.000-05:00

This great project was put together by Racheal H. She said she made so she wouldn't get needles in her arm while embroidering in her fav chair. I too tend to stick my needles in the side of my chair and forget about it until I get poked later on! It also holds her threads and it was made from an old cloth diaper and scraps that were laying around. Genious idea Racheal. Thanks for sharing!

You can check out the post on Craftster here.

Rick Rack!

2007-06-21T08:27:00.000-05:00

This one hits a special place in my heart. I love this stuff and if I could, and heck why not, I would put it all over everything! You can find ideas for creative ways to use rickrack over at Primrose Designs. I found a link to her site over at the CraftyPod, where Sister D was showing us all how to make these fabulous Wallet Shrines:

Update!

2007-06-20T20:53:00.000-05:00

Okay folks two things.
1. I have finally put together direct links to the Craft Leftover patterns in the side bar. It's the Pattern Archive! Check it out! I had no idea there were so many!
2. I'm having so much fun looking around for tutorials/projects/makers that exhibit the CL aesthetic. Just to let you know. I've been browsing around in the morning while drinking coffee and the end of the day while eating dinner. It's pretty inspiring and fun for me. I hope you like it too.
Oh a #3 too. I'm stocked up on crochet and sewers for pattern testing, but only have 2 knitters! Are there any knitters out there who would like to try their hand at pattern testing?
Oh shoot, and a 4 as well!
4. If you are working on something or have seen something on someone else's blog that meets up with the CL mission, send me a link! Send it! Send it to kristinmroach@gmail.com! I love seeing creative resourceful stuff, especially from not so known crafters and artists.

Sorry about all the exclamations and bolds and italics... I'm excited, I can't help myself!

Cozy Up the Kitchen

2007-06-20T20:21:00.001-05:00

This is a super great idea for cozying up the kitchen with an old felted up sweater. There a quite a few ideas here too. Find it here over at Wise Craft. It's an older post (2006), but pretty amazing idea all the same.

Fire Starter

2007-06-20T19:57:00.000-05:00

I know it's the summer and all, but I'm thinking bonfires here, not fire places. Danny Seo over at Simply Green has a great idea here. I really hate those "fire starter" logs. They seem, somehow, not so great. It's kind of sad most of us don't know how to properly start a fire without them though. This seems to be a great alternative and you can even make it yourself with bits laying around. Go check out how to make your own here!

Cover Your Own Fabric Buttons!

2007-06-20T19:51:00.001-05:00

I saw this over at CRAFTzine and just had to go check it out. What a great way to use up scraps of fabric and leftover buttons! You can see the tutorial here over at Little Thing Tutorials.

And then in a related post there was this little tutorial on how to cover thumb tacks. I love it too!

Placemat Purse!

2007-06-20T08:36:00.000-05:00

Ann from over at the Sewing Geek made this great little purse. What a great idea to use a placemat as the body of the purse!

Duct Tape Dress Form Tutorial

2007-06-20T08:30:00.001-05:00

Here's another great tutorial from Etsy Labs. It's on how to make your own dress form (something I have always wanted, but resisted because of the price tag) out of duct tape and a large t-shirt. I am so going to try this one out this weekend!

Picnic Napkins

2007-06-16T21:48:00.000-05:00

Hey folks, guess what? School is out for the summer! I have not had a summer break for three years now (the first one here was all about moving a getting a job and working lots of hours and unpacking, so I'm not counting that). I'm so excited. There are so many things I want to do!

I've decided to post the pattern in just a jpeg because it is a one pager. Really easy, but honestly, super cool. My friend Andrea suggested this one to me. I guess she's been making them for years. It seemed appropriate to whip some up for that last day of class and then use them for the rest of the summer on picnics. Hence the name. Because that is what I'm going to use them for.

Here are some pictures of it:

Okay so I'm going to try to make it so you can download the pdf by next week just by clicking on the link, no signing in and all that jazz. We will see how it goes.

And if you missed the midweek post, I'll rehash: I'm going to start posting images of and links to things I find on line that I feel line up with the Craft Leftover concept. So pretty much DIY projects/artists/etc that make work from leftovers/potential leftovers/recycled materials. If you have a link to something that you think would fit that send it to me at kristinmroach@gmail.com and I will post it here. I have two thoughts behind this: there is so much out there and I can't possibly get to it/think of it and I want to share more with you, and also I want to continue to interact with all of you guys on a day to day basis and I know I can't write a pattern everyday at this point, so I thought this would be a good way.

In other things: did I mention school is out? I might be too excited about this.

Seriously though. I'm going to try to get some more kits in the store this week and some new items and new kits. I've also decided to add something totally different to the store. Reclaimed materials! I know this sounds kind of weird, but I've come to realize that like ideas, materials are too numerous, so I'm going to offer them on the cheap for you to use! Small things like buttons, zipper, trim, etc at first. We will see where it goes. I'm going to put the first things up this week.

So if you didn't read all that, to sum up:
PDF direct download hopefully by next week's pattern
New kits and items in the shop next week
Reclaimed materials in the shop next week
(I'll post here when I do put them in so you know about it)
I'm now posting about other DIY recycled/leftover material kind of projects, so if you know of something that fits the Craft Leftover aesthetic, send me a link.

And with that I bid you farewell! Have a great weekend everyone!

Great Idea for Using Plastic Bags and an update

2007-06-14T09:14:00.001-05:00

Amanda L. from over at Etsy Labs posted a great tutorial on how she makes fabulous totes out of shopping bags. I really love this (wish I would have thought of it!) because plastic bags seem like one of those unending resources that are hard to reuse. They rip and tear so easily.

I saw this little tote over at CRAFTzine blog and just had to go check it out. It really fits the whole aesthetic of Craft Leftovers so I thought I would post a link here. I guess that is something I have been thinking about. I come across a lot of neat-o diy with leftovers/recycled materials projects when I'm wandering the web every morning. I think I'm just going to start adding links to them as I find them.

I also think of small quick ideas for using stuff that doesn't really need a pattern, so I think I'll start posting those during the week too.

Oh and another update that I couldn't think of last Sunday. I'm working on making it so you can just click on the link to download the pattern. That way there is no messing around with signing in and clicking on more links and yadda yadda. Just click and it prompts to download. Hopefully I will get it figured out by July! I'm slow when it comes to html, so be patient!

Magnet Fantastic

2007-06-10T22:43:00.001-05:00

So I completely changed my mind on the pattern today, which caused an extra delay. It turned out for the best there because what I had planned on, well, I had no idea how to explain it, so it wouldn't have been posted at all! Geeze.

I did have a whole lot of fun making these and I hope you do too. It's a pretty simple little pattern on how to make three different types of magnets. They are all pretty easy to make, but I honestly love the way they jazz up my frig so nicely.

The first pattern is just your straight up gluing a magnet to an object kind of thing, the second is how to laminate an image with a backing and make that into a magnet, the third is a little scrappy magnet that you sew together. I have 4 little templates for the last one.

Download the pattern here.

Okay so, yesterday wasn't the last day of class, we are having are final final critique on Saturday. So I'm going to post another scrappy pattern next week too because I'm going to be in my studio working like a mad woman.

I don't really have any updates in particular. I'm going to hold off on trying to stock up the store until class is out. But then it will be a kit making extravaganza.

Have a good week everyone!

Pattern on Sunday

2007-06-08T19:31:00.000-05:00

Well yes. Choices sure are hard. Sometimes, like today, I do get hit with guilt that I should be working on my school work. I have been pretty good about it so far, but this week, what with breakdowns, studio refashioning, and working extra hours, I don't have nearly enough done for class tomorrow (advanced painting critique class). And, it's the second to the last class. Thankfully this week's pattern doubles for class, so I have it finished, but I don't have time to write out the intructions (it's a technique I've been doing for a long time but have never tried to explain so it's going to take a little longer). So here is what is going to happen: Work on painting tonight, class and knitting in public tomorrow, posting the pattern on Sunday.

Oh and this goes for the pattern testers too. I'm going to put the finishing touches on those patterns as well and send out the "welcome" email Sunday too.

I'm almost done with this class, so things should be pretty fab and on schedule again really soon.

I'll be back on Sunday! Thanks for waiting!

DIY Screen Printing

2007-06-07T08:34:00.000-05:00

I just found this tutorial on a do it yourself without fancy supplies screen printing. No photo emulsion, no crazy cutting of stencils. Just some old fabric, embroidery hoop, water proof glue, and fabric paint. Fantastic. Go check it out here.

This was put together by Threadbanger over at Curbly! Amazing idea! Make sure to check out her other tutorials too, they all look pretty great.

Host Tote

2007-06-01T19:37:00.001-05:00

I was in a bind. I wanted to do a knitting pattern, but the one I was working on was taking too long. There was no way I was going to get it finished in time. So I asked my friend Andrea if she could think of anything and immediately she had something. I could see it in her eyes. And did she ever! The perfect little tote to give a gift to a host in, or a friend, or whomever. It knits up fast and uses fabric as yarn. You can stuff it with dish cloths (the perfect dishcloth works well), or make it taller and slip in a bottle of wine. Thank you Andrea for a great pattern idea!

Edited in: I was just thinking today that this would look pretty cool if it was done with recycled silk too. I can't see it taking more than one skein either, so if you don't have scraps of fabric on had, that would work great too!

Download the pattern in pdf here.

Updates: You rock! I mean wow! I received a bunch of emails and what great comments. I now have a group of pattern testers who are willing and to try things out. I still need more, so if you are interested shoot me an email at kristinmroach@gmail.com with "pattern tester" in the comments field.

Thanks to some great feedback, the H2O Slinger pattern is corrected and good to go.

I also added a bunch of new stuff to the shop. Kits, items, new stuff, already seen stuff, go check it out and see for yourself.

I am also going to work on adding all of the previous patterns to lulu, so they will all be available in pdfs.

I might have some really great news, but until it's finalized, I'm going to hold off telling you.

I think that's it. Have a great week!

Summer Fling

2007-05-26T13:07:00.001-05:00

A lot of times you can find really great fabric at the thrift store in the form of an outdated frumpy dress. That was definitely the case for this little summer fling. The dress had buttons up the front, so they even matched the top. The great thing about dresses from the 80’s and early 90’s is the excess of pleating and buttons and zippers. Great for making multiple items. Who knows, maybe I’ll make a little skirt to match. Heck, why not a little going out bag as well.

About the pattern, it’s made in a formula, so you plug in your measurements and draw your own pattern pieces. Read the whole pattern so you have a feel for how it goes together, that way you can make any alterations before you cut the pieces. You can allow for more ease, put a zipper in the side instead of buttons, or even put a draw string in the below the bust band.
The sky is the limit as far as alterations go. Have fun with it.

Now something has changed a bit. Instead of clicking on the image in order to print it out, you can download it in pdf format here. It's hosted on lulu.com, and it's still free. If you have problems with it, just let me know and I will post the images of the pattern here on the blog like before. I had a really difficult time deciding whether or not to charge for the pdf format or not, looking at the "price" box honestly caused a dilemma. The argument was running though my head "I could just continue to offer them the way I do now and make the pdf available for a $1, that wouldn't be too bad, and it would be nice to help raise the money for the application fee for renegade..." well, no. I think it's really important to offer my patterns for free. Period. No matter if they are printed, jpg, pdf, etc. So what I decided was that there is a suggested donation of $1. So if you appreciate the pdf, click on the donate button in the sidebar here and donate a $1 towards the Craft Leftover project. Every bit helps.

Now there is something else I need to talk to you about. That's right you. Everyone out there who reads this blog and maybe, just maybe take a swing at making them. I need your help. I need your feedback, I'm on my knees here. It has come to my attention that I really need help proofing my patterns. Making, writing, and testing them all myself, well, just makes it inevitable that there will be errors. Big errors. And I really don't want to confuse you, I want it to be crystal clear as to how the pattern is supposed to be executed. So two parts. One if you notice an error, think you notice an error, or fix an error, let me know by leaving a comment or emailing me at kristinmroach@gmail.com. The second part: I'm going to try to start working about a month ahead and would like to get a team of pattern testers out there. I would send you what you need as far as materials go, pretty much like a kit, and you would make it and let me know if it's a-ok for being put out there or if it needs revisions. This most likely wouldn't get started for another month or two, but if you are interested, send me an email with "pattern tester" in the comment field to krisitnmroach@gmail.com.

Okay so recap:
+++PDF format is now available, donate a $1 by way of the donate button in the sidebar if you feel so inclined
+++If you have problems with the download, please let me know, it's my first time trying this out
+++If you find an error in a pattern email me at kristinmroach@gmail.com and I will fix it asap
+++If you would like to be a pattern tester email me at kristinmroach@gmail.com with "pattern tester" in the comments field
+++Enjoy your weekend and keep it crafty!

Crocheted H2O Slinger

2007-05-19T07:22:00.000-05:00

Edited in: Okay, I re posted the pattern with the corrections. I had added in an imaginary round in the base! Sorry about that. There were some other smaller errors that I fixed too (spelling and such). I also added in my gauge and the yarn that pattern was written with (Peaches N' Creme). Oh and that all of the sts are worked though both front and back loops. Thank you so much to that anonymous commenter who pointed out that it was huge! I really appreciate it. I really want these patterns to be A+ quality! Thank you!

Ever since I started up Craft Leftovers I have been getting requests for the Knitted Water Bottle Sling. It takes about 4 hours to make, which is a little bit more time than I have to spare for everyone and their mother and vice versa. It's sad and maybe selfish, but there it is.

Anyway, so crochet. I love crochet. So fast. So strong. Less stretchy. (I'm sure you can all tell I have been taken with crochet because, yes, I realize this is the third pattern in a row, sorry guys, next week there will be some sewing and the week after that some knitting, what can I say, I'm in love). I'm digressing. Point is that crochet is perfect for a water bottle sling and is, unlike the knitted version, really fast to make, about an hour and a half. Just half double crochet (my fav stitch) and single crochet. Now I'm not saying this version is better, it's just different, and as the newest different thing I'm singing it's praises. Another good thing too, this one is made out of cotton. I'm thinking about redoing the other in cotton as well. I mean, wool, in the summer, on your tank topped shoulder? What was I thinking. I've learned a whole lot in the past year. In fact it will be a year coming up this June I think. I'll have to double check date. We can have some kind of delurking/prize give away contest. Maybe I will bake a birthday cake, j/k. I'm rambling on like this is the "after the pattern" part of the post! Here you go:

It's kind of funny how talkative I have been since moving the pattern day to Sat morning. I think it's because I'm sitting here, jumping full of my morning coffee instead of running on empty at 1 am. I think I might actually be a morning person... I should go back and tell that to my 17 year old self that would stay up until 9am and sleep until 2pm, just in time to go to work. No wonder I felt like garbage all the time. "But all of my friends are doing it, so it must be okay/healthy". Haha, oh the things we do for the sake of friends.

Okay so, the "better" pictures of the last pattern I posted, well, I'm going to come clean. I haven't quite finished it yet. I'm mean, it's close, it was close then. I thought I would have plenty of time to put the last two rows on, no problem. But even crochet cannot speed up this process, the barrel twine, is well, great for a shoe scraping mat, but not so great on my hands so it's slow going. I'll post finished pictures when it is finished, hopefully by next week's pattern.

And more rambling. I've given up trying to stop it at this point, just so you know. Maybe this is a pre-anniversary talk, I'm not quite sure. But it's something I want to share with you. So here it is:

Sometimes I become delusional about how my patterns are not "complicated" enough and how I'm a fraud and what am I thinking that I should write a book with all these simple patterns that people could figure out just by looking at it. And then something great happens. Two people, my mom and a co-worker, who haven't crocheted in years (to my knowledge) tell me "I saw your little coasters and I thought to myself 'I can do that', so I picked up some yarn and am going to make some for my kitchen, porch, etc." Which makes me think about the people who have emailed and left comments saying "I have been wanting to try sewing/crochet/knitting for so long and your project inspired me to give it a whirl" Okay so i'm paraphrasing a bit, but the point is the same. Let me tell you, it makes me really happy. If just one person picks up a hook or needles or thread and fabric because of this project, well, (excuse the language) that just kicks ass. So that's my goal. Inspiration. A mix of simple and intermediate and maybe every once and awhile I will get a bug up my sleeve and make something more complicated (like next week's pattern). You ladies/gentlemen really do make my day and I mean that it the dearest sense of the phrase (not like Clint's "make my day!").

Okay, so that is that. But, if you have gotten this far, i'm going to assume you are in for the long hall so you get to know the extra special thing going on. Well, maybe crisis, but I don't see it that way. I'm just not sure what to do and some outside advise would be great.

Here is the deal: My stash is diminishing, rapidly now because of all the kit making that is going on. And while I don't so much have an issue with having to buy more for the kits (I honestly knew I couldn't keep it up and factored in cost of buying new materials from the get go, good thing too because I don't have to raise the prices now) I do have issues with making the projects with items bought for said projects. So what do I do? How do I retain the main point of "Craft Leftovers" when my leftovers from crafts are gone? Will they ever really be gone or will they just plateau at a reduced level? I don't know, it most likely won't even be an issue until 2008 if ever. It just the other thing that I've been thinking about. So give me some thoughts if you care to.

The main thing that brought on this whole question was preparing the Sampler for the Sampler. I made and packed up 30 items and 20 kits. It was really fun and I'm hoping to do a repeat for the shop as well as the Renegade Craft Fair. And now my stash is down to 2 boxes of fabric, a bag of felted sweaters (i'm going to make a slew of pillows or something), and one small rubbermaid of yarn. Considering where I started out it's kind of amazing. I feel like I'm gaining square footage in my apartment, it's pretty cool. So anyway, this is way too long, even for me and I need to get my butt to class. Have a good week!

ps - there are now variety packs of reusable tea bags in the shop, go have a looky.

++Welcome All ++ Crocheted Welcome Mat++

2007-05-15T20:18:00.000-05:00

Nothing quite welcomes summer (or winter for that matter) guests like a handmade welcome mat. I've had a ratty looking carpet sample since I moved in and with all this crocheting going on I couldn't help but whip up a new welcome mat with some craft leftovers that I had from about a year ago. I can't even remember now why I bought it, but somehow a spool of barrel twine seemed like a good idea. I guess it was because now I have a great mat in front of my door.

I want to also thank everyone who commented and sent emails and what not, I always really appreciate it. It honestly does make my day.

If you want the details of the weekend eventfulness/craziness, you can check it out on my blog.

I do have some pretty exciting news. I'm putting together a box of samples for the Sampler. 50 for Craft Leftovers and 30 for Green Prairie Fibers. In all of the making of stuff, I'm also making items for the store. So I'll be adding a few things this week and then a whole lot more next week.

I'm also going to start gearing up for the Renegade Craft Fair. I will be selling kits, handing out patterns, and selling the items from the patterns, it should be a pretty good time. It would be so amazing to be able to do Craft Leftovers all the time and publish multiple patterns every weekend instead of just 1 and put many new items into the store each week instead of just a few.... ah to be self employed doing something I love. Someday.

ps- i'm going to do a reshoot of the mat, so I will see you all then!

Life is getting in my way

2007-05-10T23:00:00.000-05:00

I really hate having to do this, but it seriously cannot be helped. Because of time constraints there will be no Craft Leftover pattern this Saturday. But. There is a but. I will post twice next week. I'm looking at Tuesday most likely for this week's make up and then Saturday as usual.

I had to take the day off on Saturday for health reasons and my balance of getting everything done has been thrown off completely. I hope to recover completely by the end of next week.

Best wishes everyone,
Kristin

Crocheted Sun Tea Spot

2007-05-05T09:11:00.000-05:00

For one of the first times of the year I sat outside on the front stoop with my drink to work on some research stuff on my laptop. As I put my drink down I had a deep seated fear that I was going to put my glass down to hard and crack the bottom on the concrete... no good. So what to do? How about crochet my own little spot for my sun tea.

It's also heating up around here, finally, and condensation is getting everywhere, so they will be coming in handy for that too!

And so this week's Craft Leftover pattern was born.

Unfortunately, today is not one of those "sit outside in the glorious bliss of the sun" so here it is keeping my external from getting wet.

And here's the corrected pattern:
Edited in: While my mom was crocheting up her own little coasters, she called me up and said, "Kristin, I'm not sure if it's me or your pattern, but I just can't get this thing figured out." Much to my horror, I had completely forgoten to write in the second round and completely miss wrote what is now round six. I swear I have made and tested this pattern so many times! If you ever find an error or a possible error, please email me or leave a comment about it. I'll post again about this on Saturday when the new pattern goes up.

I really like making coasters, it's a super fast project, that takes up those little craft leftovers, and it's a great way to practice stitches or working in the round. Good stuff.

So more updates:
I totally didn't get anything in the store this past week, but I did get my first wholesale order, which is kind of funny if you think about the fact that I feel I will have a constant store of leftover fabric to the point where I can provide it whole sale... i suppose it does cut my costs and it does help to get through my stash faster.

This weekend is pretty packed. I'm helping out in the Fashion and Labor Trade Show where we will celebrate the labor of making your own cloths and show off everything made in the last 6 months of workshops about making your own textiles. It's at Mess Hall in chicago from 2-5pm on Sunday.

Then finals Monday-Wednesday... ah to be done, and then start again, I have summer school starting a week from today. It's going to be really neat though, advanced crit and seminars about chicago artists. It would be nice to have the summer off school, but by working hard at it now, I get to graduate a semester earlier.... which I really like the idea of.

Oh and in the comments it was mentioned that I should keep the rss feed if I go to a more "website" format. I really like that idea. I know that I wouldn't look at half the blogs I do if it weren't for bloglines. I think what will happen, is something like a webcomic, where the most current pattern will be on the front page and then you can click back though the archive or search it by materials, date, technique, item type, that sort of thing. As more and more patterns are being added I would like the archive to be a bit more user friendly, something that blogger doesn't really offer, which is okay, it's been great so far. I also have some other ideas that I want to keep under wraps for a bit while I talk to my programing friend about it, make sure it's feasible.

Hopefully, once I recover from the finals week, I will get some more kits and stuff together in the store.

Oh I also had my first Green Prairie Fibers sock yarn order! Yah!

See you next time! Keep it Crafty!

Sink into it

2007-04-28T08:26:00.000-05:00

Maybe this pattern is coming out of my own end of the semester fatigue. I can think nothing better to do than sink my head into an over stuffed hand made pillow. And yes I'm still on the "what can i do with these strips of fabric" kick. It may last for awhile. I'm actually proud to say that with this and the project from last week I am about half way through. This pillow really got me thinking about how quilt blocks are a great way to use up extra leftover fabric too. For your own pillows it might be fun to do some embroidery, use some fabric paint and stencils, or some applique.

I am going to start adding kits and things to the shop again after school gets out, so around the 14th of May. Maybe sooner though, it just kind of depends if I go into a coma after finals or not.

I did add something to my other etsy shop Green Prairie Fibers. I am in the experimental stage of starting up a naturally dyed yarn company and before I order in bulk I want to really nail down process and fiber. So while I'm working on my consistency and fiber types I am going to sell pairs of skeins (enough to make 2 pairs of small socks or 1 pair of really large/long socks) on etsy. The yarn is all really great and one of a kind. I just can't knit as much as I'm dyeing or I would keep it all for myself! I just added 4 pairs of walnut dyed sock yarn on wednesday, you should go check it out. After schools out I'm going to dye up some more with walnuts and maybe a batch with some onions so look for that in about a month.... sock yarn would make a great mothers day present and if you order now I will send it priority to get it there in time. +++wink+++ okay I'm done with my commercial.

In more craft related news I've been thinking about different approaches to craft leftovers and have been thinking about getting it out of the blog format and having it as more of a website so the archive is easier to browse... but I'm not sure how it will work and what direction/format I want to take it. It will most likely happen over the summer while planning out the book.

The book, so that is the other thing. Progress is actually being made. Right now it's my turn to bust my butt re working all the patterns so they are publishing worthy, tweeking the actual projects, remaking some, and re photographing a lot of them... then the summer is hitting and my friend jill is going to start working out the layout/design of the book and hopefully by fall we will have it together enough to get some print. I'm actually hoping to be able to sell it at the Renegade Craft Fair in the Fall... but that is a deadline fast approaching. We will see how it goes.

And this is a really long post and I need to head out, I'm taking some other students into chicago for the city wide fun going on! Mainly we will stick around the Mart for Art Chicago though. Have a good week!

Scrap Skirt

2007-04-21T11:43:00.000-05:00

So last semester I did a project for a fiber arts class that included a strip of fabric about 50 yards long and 5 inches wide. And honestly, I'm not to the point where people are collecting my school assignments, that will come later in about 15 years i'm sure haha. It's been wound up in my closet ever sense. So this skirt takes care of some of it, but I seriously might need to make about 20 more to use it all up!

Oh I added larger reusable tea bags for tea pots and herbal bath infusions and crocheted head wraps to the etsy shop. I'm going to try to add some other stuff this week, but we will see how that goes, finals are in 2 weeks and it's that freaking out time.

Have a good week!

Shop and Ride

2007-04-13T23:43:00.000-05:00

I'm really depressed by this April winter that has interrupted my spring riding joy. Didn't mother nature get the memo, winter was to end promptly on March 20th and spring to start March 21st! Anyway, regardless of missing memos I'm sure she will get around to it in the next week or so (fingers crossed here). And I'm going to be riding my bike all over kingdom come in the purest of spring delights. The breeze will be in my hair as I enjoy the excuse of grocery shopping to take a bike ride after class and/or work. Which brings me to the point of today's (this evening's/morning's) pattern. I have a basket on my bike, which can be taken off, but with a lot of pain and suffering on the part of all parties involved, so how to know when the right amount is really too much to ride back with, without pain and suffering. A grocery tote to fit my basket is in order! I say, make your bag out of whatever you please, out of what will make your heart delight while filling it with books, groceries, flowers, or maybe even an abandoned kitten, well that's just a bad idea, nix the kitten in the basket tote idea, I could just see hitting a bump and... well, I'm not going there... Flowers, flowers are nice in a basket tote. But on the hitting of bumps topic, I really despise outside pockets on a basket tote because well, hit a bump and there goes your keys/cell phone/wallet/kitten. No good. So this little guy has inside pockets... with buttons for keeping things in! And they expand more than just a straight flap through some fancy folding. So here he is, all ready to go for when it's warm again. In the mean time, totally a knitting/lunch bag for work tomorrow.

Edited in the new pictures. It looks like until it gets warmer out the window is the best light in the place. Sorry about the extra delay in getting them up. There aren't too many projects that I get really super excited about. But after carrying around this bag, I really do love it and recomend it not just for your bike, but just a nice go around too. I think the next one I make will be about an inch wider and an inch longer. That way i can fit folders and what not in there too. Have a good week! See you next time!

Hopefully I will get some outside shots tomorrow or Sunday and post those. Something that looks nice. I was thinking about just waiting until tomorrow to put in pictures so I would have better lighting, but for you night owls that might see this before I get a chance to add pictures, I wanted you to see what the completed bag looks like.

Also I've decided to start posting on Saturday morning instead of Friday night for three main reasons:
1. photo opertunities aren't so great past dark, which is usually when i get things finished up.
2. I travel almost every weekend and Friday is the day I do the driving here to there, where as on Saturday I usually have as much time as I need to get things finished until about 2pm.
3. I've been trying to write more complicated patterns for at least 2 patterns a month (or at least complicted for me to write). I'm really trying to get better at this. And well, I'm needing more time to write/make the projects and breaking up the making time over Thurs and Friday and then writing and taking pictures Friday night/Saturday morning would be a great boon.

So that is that, patterns on Saturday by 2pm.

Oh and I'm making lots of headway re-writing past project sheets and turning them into pdf files. I'm think about offering them up on lulu.com as downloads. They will be free, but any donations though the paypal side bar donate button would be greatly appreciated.

And, I have good news, kind of. After almost a year of Craft leftover projects I have downsized my various stashes. And in a way, it's leading to problems and solutions of ever increasing resourceful usages. Which you will see in next week's pattern. Oh that's right, I am so working ahead! So some statistics for you all:
Starting yarn: two 29 quart rubbermaids, one comforter bag, 4 sheet set bags, various shopping bags.... I'm going to say about 3
Present yarn: one 29 quart rubbermaid, no comforter bag, 2 sheet set bags (but one for an afghan I'm working on with the yarn in there with it and one for a sweater that is on the needles, so no loose there), and no random shopping bags.
Starting Fabric: one 50 gallon trunk rubbermaid, 2 comforter bags, 4 garbage bags, random piles everywhere.
Present Fabric: one 50 gallon rubbermaid, 1 comforter bag full of scraps, 1 garbage bag of old clothes to use as raw fabric, no random piles.

Pretty good right? Now not all of that has been used for craft leftover projects, but the idea of the craftleftover project has spread to all my other projects. I look at what I have before I follow that impulse to buy more. My apartment is slowly getting less cluttered as I use what I have instead of acquiring. In a weird way it even goes into the closet too, I am downsizing my wardrobe. I only wear/keep things that I really delight in wearing. Like these green pants I have one right now. Delightful. It's amazing how much I want to get rid of when I think in terms of what is important/necessary to keep around.

Okay so I'm clearly tired and rambling so I think I'm going to stop things here. Have a good night! Keep thinking creatively! More pictures tomorrow!

Pictures and an Update

2007-04-02T23:29:00.000-05:00

First off I want to thank everyone for the super nice comments that were left the past couple of days, it's what makes posting these patterns worth it. Also, thanks for ordering more kits too! I'm super excited about the response they are getting.

Now I do have some bad news: I forgot three of my double pointed needles at Jason's and won't be able to do a retest knit of the pattern until later. I am rechecking the math and I think everything is okay, but let me know if it's not.

Now the really bad news, Craft Leftovers won't be in its first sale this month after all... boo! I just found out today that due to lack of vendor response it's going to be canceled. I'm so disappointed, especially because last semester we had such a good response. The good news out of that though is that I know have a stock of 12 crocheted head wraps, 20 catnip pillows, and like 15 crocheted dish cloths that I will put into the store. I'll be adding new items every couple of days so check back often. And the store won't be closed for a week, so there is that too. I was just so excited about and am feeling let down. It's okay though, there will be other sales. And of course there is the Renegade in the early Fall to look forward to. (hope we get in, there are only so many slots open).

Oh and of course, remember, no pattern this Friday. Until next time!

Easter Honey Bunny

2007-03-30T23:35:00.000-05:00

So in light of easter, I thought I would post an easter bunny knitting pattern. It turned out pretty cute, but a little more complicated than I had intended. He's kind of fun, so it will be nice to have two, maybe my sis will get one for Easter.

Download pattern here (pdf).

I lost my yarn needle as well as my front tooth, what a weekend, seriously, so I'm going to run out to the store and pick up a yarn needle so I can finish up this little guy and post picture, as well as some cement so it at least looks like I have a front tooth (stupid crown, stupid dentist).

Anyway, enough griping. On to other things. So I'm going to be taking Craft Leftovers to its first art and craft sale in less than 2 weeks! I'm going to be selling kits, items made from the patterns, and the patterns themselves (just 50 cents to cover printing and card stock). So in a week I'm going to be temporarily closing the etsy shop, but when I get done with the sale I'm going to update all the items in the shop. I'm not going to be post any new kits until this time (two Fridays from now). The sale is the 11th and 12th at NIU in the Glass Gallery in the Holmes Student center from 10am to 3pm. It should be fun. There is always a good turn out for it. And... it's going to be the test run for taking Craft Leftovers to the Renegade Craft Fair in Chicago! Which is this year's goal. Hopefully by then, I will have the book finished up and will be able to sell it there too. How exciting!

And and and, I'm going to help out in a performance piece at Links Hall in Chicago in conjunction with the sewing rebellion on April 6th, so I've opted to not post a pattern that day. I think it would just be a bit much. I will post revisions by then, so there will be plenty of bunny goodness to keep you going.

Keep it Crafty! Have a good week!

Springy Crocheted Head Wrap

2007-03-23T20:00:00.000-05:00

I have been oogling head bands and other things like that to show off my new bangs. It’s the first time in years. There is a problem though, art supplies or hair accessories... hmm... of course the art supplies win out. So what to do about showing off these new bangs? A little crocheted head wrap! The perfect thing.

Also, there are now kits for The Perfect Dishcloth, Pencil Clutches, and Travel Tissue Holders. I will be adding more of each of those tomorrow along with kits for the Springy Head Wrap. It should all be up by 2pm central time.

Have a good week!

Fancy Fricking Napkins

2007-03-16T18:35:00.000-05:00

You can embroider them with wool or cotton, either way they are Fancy fricking napkins. Easy enough to make, they add that special something to your fancy fricking dinner. Depending on your dinner, you can fancy them up or fancy them down style.

The pattern also includes a how to on making a crocheted napkin ring. Sewing and crochet! My favorite!

You can see here how it was embroidered by outlining first with the back stitch, then filled in with satin stitch and french knots.
There are few more dish cloth kits in the store and I'm going to make up some more kits tonight. They should be added to the store by midnight. Thank you to everyone who bought kits, commented and sent me super supportive emails about the book. I really appreciate! It always makes my day!

Have a good week! Craft it up folks!

Stash Socks

2007-03-09T16:21:00.000-06:00

So this pattern completely has to do with impulse buys... Cotton Fine in Rue and Hempathy. Two of my fav yarns and, especially when it comes to the hempathy, I just can resist picking up a skein and feeling it and then, of course, buying it... only one skein. I can't justify more than that, it's just too pricey for me at $6 for 50g on average. I do impulse buy yarn too often, but I did and so now what to do with it. I combined it with some other impulse buy yarn and voila! stash socks were born! The model+hemp+cotton blend of the hempathy makes for pretty good socks and the cotton fine in Rue makes it a pretty fun little pair of socks to knit and wear! I made a little stripe after the heel gusset decreases were finished, just two rnds to add a little something.

Have a good week! Keep it crafty!

Think Spring

2007-03-02T19:34:00.000-06:00

Oh it is so cold out and I really wanted something to help me think spring. I grabbed some of my spring time colored yarn and had a go at it. I figured a little shoulder bag would be the perfect thing, then I could take it with me wherever I go.
Now something that I discovered after the fact is that the bag is kind of floppy, even with the extra supported sides and on top of that, as all knitted and crocheted bags have a tendency to do, my knitting needles/pens/pencils/fork and what have you inevitably slip through the holes. My suggestion is that this would be great with a sturdy liner. I am going to put one in and I will post a “how-to” for that when I get it done and post some pictures. You could also use a smaller hook too, that would help it be a bit thicker.

Okay so, I have some exciting news! In celebration of the upcoming one year anniversary of Craft Leftovers (this summer) I'm going to publish a collection of patterns from this past year, along with tips, hints, ideas, and bonus projects. I need your help though, I honestly lack the funds to make this project come to life. So I wanted to let you know in more detail what the CL kits are all about and how they can help this book happen.
+++ Every kit is priced at the cost of supplies, s&h, and 50 cents.
+++ The 50 cents will go into a fund for the book and help cover production and publishing costs of the books.

+++I'm also setting up a donate button in the side bar to help cover costs of the book and will also to help support the site in general, like packaging for the kits and postage and hopefully some contests and whatnots. If you would like to donate, you can just click the button and follow the instructions. Anything you decide to give is deeply appreciated.

And with all of that I'm going to put together some more kits and add them to the etsy shop.

Have a good week! I will see you next Friday!

Zip It!

2007-02-24T09:38:00.000-06:00

I recycle a whole lot of cloths into other things, but was kind of lacking as to what to do with the left over zippers. I really just don't use that many. So I came up with this little solution. The whole bag takes maybe a half hour to an hour to make and it looks oh so cute!

Also, there won't be any new kits today because I'm out of town and setting up for group show opening tonight at the Leger Gallery in Davenport. It's on 3rd Street and there will be free wine and food. There is a $2 cover charge which goes towards needy artists in the area, which is a really good cause. The opening is from 7-9pm. Maybe I will see you there. Have a good week!

edited in: here's pictures of the clutch that I made, have a good week.

Rah!!

2007-02-24T00:29:00.000-06:00

Okay, so here is the deal, my computer just crashed and I had just finished the pattern.... and hadn't saved it... at all. So I am going to do a rewrite tomorrow morning. I'm really sorry about this, but I'm really tired and I think the quality of the pattern writing would be quite poor at this point.

I will see you in the morning!

Pin Tin Canny!

2007-02-16T17:39:00.000-06:00

The table in my studio always has a mix of things on it, often making it difficult to get anything done because of all the clutter. So I decided to make something that would keep it all in one place, straight pins included! I put pens, pencils, scissors, rotary cutters and all that other stuff inside and all the pins and sewing needles on the outside. My table is still cluttered, but at least I have all the small stuff in once place+++in my pin tin canny!

Also I'm hoping to get the first Craft Leftover kits in the etsy shop tonight. I'll post an update here when I do.

Have a good week and craft it up folks! See you next Friday!

Edited In:
2 Craft Leftover Kits are up in the etsy store. They are for one pencil clutch pattern. They contain all materials needed along with a project sheet. All you need to do is sew it together! They are $4.00 each and shipping and handling is free. I am going to start adding new kits each week. Enjoy!

Stick a Pin in It!

2007-02-09T17:03:00.000-06:00

Okay kiddos, here is this weeks pattern. It's a little book to put your sewing needles and straight pins in. It's made out of an really ugly past it's time micro suede shirt and a cute, but way to felted to ever be worn again cabled pink sweater. It may not be Valentines themed, but hey it is pink!

Thanks for all of your super nice comments last time around, I really appreciate all of it.

I have an update on the kits that I talked about offering a bit ago: I was planning on making a little booklet to go with each kit, but it would significantly raise the price. So I have decided to just include print outs of the project sheets in each kit. The price will be set at the cost of supplies and postage. I'm hoping to have the first ones up in the etsy shop when I post next week's pattern.

Have a good week!

Pinch of Tea!

2007-02-02T18:20:00.000-06:00

Well, it's only 6:30pm on Friday and I have the pattern done! woot! Sorry about last week, it won't happen again... well, no promises, but I will try my best.

Anyway, this week's pattern is a nice little tea bag that you can reuse. I just love tea.... love it. But I’m not too fond of tea bags. They just seem so wasteful to me. Unfortunately, as on the go as I am, they are sometimes the best option for my travel mug. A solution was needed and these little reusable cloth tea bags were the perfect answer to my problem.

Here is a recipe for a good cup of tea:
Use 1 Tsp of tea per 6oz of water.
Bring water to boil. Then cool to 175 degrees.
Pour water over leaves. Steep for 3 mins.
Remove tea bag and enjoy!

Have a crafty week! See you next time!

Edited in: I've been asked several times this week "well how do wash these little guys?" so I figured it would be best just to answer everyone here. There are two different ways. If you have the time, or two of them, hang them to dry. When they are dry, just turn them inside out over the compost, trash, or disposal and all the tea leaves will come out no problem. You may wish to then hand wash with a little warm water once you have all the tea leaves out. The second way is if you are in a hurry or don't have a place to hang them where they drip to their hearts content. It's basically the same way: just turn inside out over the compost, trash, or disposal and then rinse with warm water to get the remaining leaves off.

I hope that helps! And thanks everyone for you super nice comments and all your questions!

Boo Hoo!

2007-01-25T22:29:00.000-06:00

I completely forgot that I would be leaving right after work tomorrow for an out of town trip so there will be no pattern this week. I'm really super sorry folks. Next time I will give you sooner notice or get the pattern ready before hand to post as scheduled.

Well, I'm going to finish packing and head off to bed. Have a good week!

Needle Wrap

2007-01-19T22:23:00.000-06:00

I have acquired quite a few felted sweaters and ridiculous blouses with weird patterns from the thrift store over time, just for fun, but I'm trying to clean out my closet and they were something that needed to go... Just a little past their prime. Put that together with the fact that I'm trying to organize my knitting needles into one place where I can actually find them and voila! A craft leftovers pattern is born. I hope you like it!I don't really have any updates this week, so I guess I will see you all next Friday! Craft it up yo!