Easy Knit or Crochet Kitchen or Bath Cloths

I love these soft and chunky cotton cloths!  I make them using two strands of cotton yarn held together.  We use Dr. Bronner's soaps, and the little spaces between the knit and crochet stitches really make the soaps lather wonderfully well.  I love the bright colors too.  They are so cheerful!  I've included a knit version and a crochet version.  Both are super easy and fast projects.  They're great for mindless knitting or crocheting while watching a movie.

Knit Cotton Cloth
This is my favorite because I enjoy knitting more than crochet.

Holding two strands of yarn together, cast on 25 stitches.  I used large needles - size 11.  You can vary the needle size to make the thickness you like; size 11 needles are just right for me.  Knit every row (garter stitch pattern) until you have the length you like.  I like the cloths to be square.  Then bind off and weave in the yarn ends. 

Crochet Cotton Cloth
I added a little loop for hanging with the crochet version.

Holding two strands of yarn together, chain (ch) 21 stitches.  I used a large hook - size P.  Again, you can vary the hook size to get the density and thickness of cloth you like best. 
Single crochet (sc) in the second chain from the hook and across to the end of the row. 
Turn, ch 1, sc across to the end of the row.
Continue this way until you are almost ready to finish and only want to crochet one more row.  On the last row, instead of ch 1, chain 10 ( this will make a little loop to hang the cloth).  Sc across as usual.  Cut the yarn and pull through the last loop.  Weave in the ends, and you're finished!

Thanks so much for your visit :)

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Sleep Mask with Sheep in Hand Embroidery

 

 

My easy-to-sew sleep mask makes a little gift for someone special OR yourself.  I added a hand embroidered sheep for a little bit of whimsy and fun. 

I love linen, so I used linen for the front and back of the mask.  Unfortunately though, linen isn't tightly woven so it isn't very good for blocking light.  I added an inside layer of fabric to block light.  I used a light weight (but densely woven) polyester to provide the light blocking that I wanted. 

The little sheep is about 2.5 inches wide (just the right size for the mask).  Here is the link for the sheep pattern...

Sheep Hand Embroidery Pattern

Stitch the sheep first before you sew the mask pieces together.  I used a simple back stitch for the sheep.

Since I worked this sheep on dark brown linen, I couldn't trace the pattern onto the linen.  I usually use a water soluble marker and a bright window.  On dark fabric, I like to use tracing paper.  I trace the design onto the tracing paper (using ink), then use large stitches to sew the tracing paper to the linen.  I stitch through the tracing paper on the lines of the design, then carefully remove the paper a little bit at a time.

I used DMC colors for my sheep - 712 for the body, 435 for the legs and 353 for the face.

 

 

Here is a link to the pattern for the sleep mask. 

 

Sleep Mask Pattern

 

I cut two pieces of brown linen for the front and back of the mask and a dark blue polyester for my light-blocking liner.  I used two pieces of ribbon (about 20 inches long each) for the ties.

 

 

Using the pattern, cut out the sleep mask pieces.  Cut the ribbon ties.

 

 

 

 

Next, I stitched the ribbon ties to the right side of the front of the mask.  I have marked where I placed the ties on the pattern.  Be sure to test if this spot is best for you.  Move them if you need to make the mask comfortable for you.  Since the seam allowance for putting the sleep mask pieces together is .25 inches, I sewed the ribbon ties with a little less that a .25 seam allowance so the stitching wouldn't show on the finished mask.  After I stitched the ribbons, I pinned them to the front of the mask so they wouldn't get in the way when I stitched the mask pieces together.

 

 





 

 



Next, I put the mask pieces together for stitching.  I put the lining on the bottom, the front next with the right side facing up, and the back of the mask on top.  I pinned and stitched the pieces together with a .25 inch seam allowance.  I left a small opening at the top of the mask for turning and I snipped the seam edges at the curves before turning.

 

 

 

 

 

 

After turning, I hand stitched the opening closed and then machine stitched (top stitched) all around the mask near the edge to give it a nice, finished look.

 

 



 





 

 

I hope you enjoy this little project :)  Thanks for your visit!

 

Blueberry Pie Bunting Tutorial

We really love blueberries at our house -- we eat them all year (thanks to frozen blueberries).  We use them for baked oatmeal, smoothies and of course, blueberry crisp for dessert!  I created this fun, summery blueberry pie bunting using fabric and felt.  It's simple to make and a great way to use some of your fabric scraps.

The Materials

·         Fabric for blueberry pie “filling”.  I made seven pie slices and used one piece of fabric approximately 20 X 24 inches to cut the “filling” pieces.  Of course, if you want to make more or less pie slices, your fabric needs will change. 

·         Felt for the pie crust.  For the bottom crust, I used one piece of felt approximately 20 X 24 inches.  For the lattice stripes, I used one piece of felt approximately 25 X 14 inches.  For the crimped pie crust pieces, I used one piece of felt approximately 21 X 8 inches.

·         Blue and tan sewing thread to match the blue and tan fabrics.

·         Sewing machine or you could hand sew if you wish.

·         Scissors.

·         Ribbon or cord to hang the pie slices.  I used a piece of white ribbon that measured  91 inches long.  Decide where you are going to hang the bunting before you sew and adjust your ribbon length accordingly.

·         Straight pins to keep everything in place before you sew.

·         Water soluble marker – nice but not essential.

    The Templates

 Click here to download the templates

The Steps

1.      Using the filling template I have included, cut seven pie filling pieces with the blue fabric.

2.      Using the bottom pie crust template, cut seven pieces of tan felt for the bottom crust.  Place the blue pie filling on top of the felt crust with the right side of the blue fabric up.  Position the pieces so they line up at the top (the short side).  When you do this, you will be able to see a bit of tan felt crust bordering the edges of the blue “filling”.  Pin in place.

3.      Using blue sewing thread that matches your blue fabric, stitch each blue piece to each tan felt piece all around the edges of the filling.  I stitched ¼ inch from the blue fabric edges.  No matter how carefully you pin, the fabric and felt may shift a bit as you sew.  This is why the template for the bottom crust is a little larger than needed – so I could trim (and even) the felt edges after stitching to the blue filling fabric.  After you have stitched, trim the crust edges to the width you like.  I like to trim so I can see just a hint of crust peeking out from under the blue filling fabric.  Set these pieces aside for the moment.

In the photo below, the pie piece I have trimmed is on the right.  The untrimmed pie piece is on the left.

 

 

4.      Now for the lattice – using the tan felt, cut the following for each pie slice – two strips that are 8 X ¾ inches, two strips that are 7 X ¾ inches, two strips that are 5 X ¾ inches and two strips that are 3 X ¾ inches.

5.      Arrange the first layer of lattice this way… and pin in place.  The lattice edges will hang over a bit to be trimmed away after you have stitched.

6.      Now arrange the second layer of lattice and weave the strips over and under to look like a real pie.  Pin.  Don’t try to be too perfect!  No two pieces of real pie are exactly alike and your fabric and felt pie shouldn’t be either J

 

7.      Using the tan thread that matches the felt, stitch each lattice strip to the filling and bottom crust pieces you made earlier.  Stitch down the center of each strip.  Trim threads and trim away felt lattice strips so they are even with the bottom crust edges.

 

8.      Cut a piece of ribbon or cord that is ninety-one inches long.  You may want to adjust the length of your ribbon.  I arranged my seven pie slices with eighteen inches of ribbon at each end (for hanging) and one inch of space between each pie slice.  To determine how long I wanted my ribbon, first I decided how much extra ribbon I wanted at each end (18 inches), then I measured the width of one pie piece where I would be sewing the ribbon (7 inches), then I decided I wanted a little space between each pie slice (1 inch).  So---I added all this together to determine how long to cut the ribbon.  Make adjustments to suit how many pie slices you are making, where you are hanging, space between each pie piece, etc.  This is how I calculated it…

18 + 7 +1 +7 + 1 + 7 + 1 + 7 + 1 + 7 + 1 + 7 + 1 + 7 + 18 = 91 inches

 

9.      Arrange the pie slices along your ribbon, pin and stitch.  It doesn’t matter which thread you use because it won’t show J

 

10.      Using the tan felt and the template I included, cut seven crimped pie crust pieces.  Pin the crimped pieces to the tops of each slice.  On the template I have included dashed lines to indicate where I stitched these pieces to the pie slices.  Here is where you can use the water soluble marker to sketch in a stitching guide OR just stitch how you would like.  Remember each piece doesn’t have to be exactly the same or perfect!  Just make sure to position the crimped pie pieces so they hide the ribbon and that all stitching goes through all the layers of each pie slice.

Yeah!  You’re finished!  Have fun decorating with your summery, blueberry pie bunting J