Monthly Archives: November 2014

Adding Crochet Edging Refashion

Cooler weather and yarn are a combination that go together well, just like soup and sandwich.  At the mall this fall, crocheted and knitted pieces started appearing  as urban art covering and decorating the plain poles.  I especially like the stripes and the colorful strips cut from t-shirt fabric.

I bought this Villager Sport by Liz Claiborne shirt dress with a printed border from the thrift store.  The fabric looks like a lightweight denim but I think it’s actually chambray.  I didn’t quite like the fit, so I quickly cut it in two, and used  foldover elastic for the skirt, like I detailed in my previous post, “Easy Fix for Too Small Skirt”.

Villager Sport DressDress cut into skirt and jacket top

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I made the cut high in order to preserve the inseam pockets with the skirt portion, and had the idea to add crochet to the top piece to make it long enough to be wearable as a little jacket.

I found a tube of unlabeled number 10 thread that matched well, and began by sewing a blanket stitch with a needle.  Then I crocheted a foundation row of single crochet.

beginning to crochet edgingblanket stitch edge and starting crochet pattern

Next I started my pattern by crocheting three double crochet clusters in every third chain. On the next row I crocheted in the spaces, which I love because it’s so easy.  The pattern is called granny stripe.

I was happily going along at a nice rhythm when I realized after crocheting two inches that I wouldn’t have enough thread to finish.

out of thread

Oh no, what now? I went to the store and looked online, but I couldn’t find a match.  The variegated thread was one I already had.  I didn’t like any of the options.

trying to match threadsVariegated crochet thread

I started crocheting this in June, and it became one of those dreaded UFOs that was cast aside for several months.  When I found it while cleaning, I was determined to finish it.  I should have bought both the lighter shade and the bright blue, and tried them both as well as the variegated to see which looked best.  My idea was to have an equal number of rows of the different shade so it would look like a design plan.

Jacket with crocheted bottomJacket with crocheted bottomWell, I didn’t do that.  I just started crocheting with the thread I already had, and this is what I ended up with.  It’s kind of strange looking, don’t you think?  I could always rip out and redo with the lighter blue.

Even though I had a problem with the execution of the crochet trim on this project, I love the idea of mixing crochet with fabric and I’d like to do it again, possibly on a yoke of a knit shirt.

Fall Applique, Needlework, and Crafts

Inspired by Pinterest, I made several Fall and Halloween decorations this year.  I especially enjoyed rendering the classic jack o’lantern-faced pumpkin in different mediums: glass, wood, felt applique using a sewing machine, and cross stitch on linen.

Blockhead Pumpkins:

Happy Wooden Jack Pumpkins

A painted glass jar was surprisingly effective with a flickering light inside.

Glass Jar Pumpkin

I wanted to use some of the felt I picked up at a curbside for free.  This pillow worked up so quickly on the machine with the felt appliqued on black canvas. I decided to make the pillow two-sided just before I was about to sew it together.

Cross stitching this design on linen was easier wearing my new prescription glasses for close work, although I still needed the magnifying glass as well.

On Pins and Pumpkins Cross StitchHalloween Cross Stitch Pumpkin, Wood, and Nature's

Every project was finished with twine.  It was fun to branch out and create using natural objects in addition to my usual stitching.

Do you like to stick with one craft or experiment with many?