Sweet Fabric [Search results for super 8] 

Tutorial: How to make these pillowcase craft project can be found in PDF form here.

Project Pillowcase:
5 speedy quick “present cupboard” craft projects made from one pillowcase for "A Week of Pillowcases" hosted at Meet Me at Mikes.

I try to use materials from Op Shops in my projects & I’ve been successful with this challenge. BUT…you shouldn’t feel restricted to using pillowcases. Remnants or lovely new fabrics will work just as effectively.

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1 of 5
The End Product:

1 eco-friendly shopping bag.

The How To:
Can be found here.
You need to use bias tape for this project. So visit here for the best tutorial ever.

The Verdict:
Super easy, super speedy & a AAA rating for the present cupboard. People on the nice list WILL be getting these for Christmas

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2 of 5
The End Product:

2 Covered Suspension Files (per pillowcase).
The How To:
Can be found here.

The Verdict:
Super easy, super speedy & a AAA rating for the present cupboard. People on the nice list WILL be getting these for Christmas.

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3 of 5
The End Product:

1 Peg Apron.

The How To:
Can be found here.

The Verdict:
Super easy, super speedy & a AAA rating for the present cupboard. People on the nice list WILL be getting these for Christmas.

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4 of 5
The End Product:

1 Blog Roll

The How To:
Can be found here.

The Verdict:
Super easy, but not so super speedy (the embroidery takes a bit of time). This pressie is for super special people.

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5 of 5
The End Product:

4 Tealight holders (you will be able to make 8-10 from one pillowcase).

The How To:
Can be found here.

The Verdict:
Super easy, super speedy & a AAA rating for the present cupboard. People on the nice list WILL be getting these for Christmas.

The date & I talk a lot about the making of a memory.

I have so many wonderful childhood memories & we really want that for the smalls.

We've come to the conclusion that the very best memories of childhood holidays were not the "once in a lifetime" trips. It's more about the ritual type of holiday. The annual event...

the packing
the pilgrimage
the daily routine

These annual holidays & therefore the memories seem to merge into one event. I can't remember on exactly which Murray River holiday I learnt to slalom, or which year I burnt my feet on the parched earth, or when it was that we purchased garbage pail lollies from the milk bar. I've no idea which year we invented thong skiing, I'm pretty sketchy on the details of when the Block Ice Manufacturer closed, & how many years it rained.

In my memory... every day was 40 degrees, the sprinklers were always going, the meals at the golf club were in a class of their own, cartwheels on the putting green were always perfect, I never got burnt, the shrimps stayed away & a soft heavenly glow settled over our holiday rental belonging to Bee Jones.

Part of what has helped cement these memories is the footage shot on our Super 8 camera.

My Dad had these put onto video about 15 years ago...this confirmed that our holidays were nothing short of perfect (I'm skiing to Chariots of Fire!).

I'm planning to share some holiday snaps "Super 8" style. Feel free to switch off if you like...

OR maybe you've got some great holiday memories to share.

You can do it too!
Today is your day!

How
It seems that the mulberry granny shrug has inspired a few of you to have a crack yourself. That's super exciting & exactly why this patch of web space exists. Over the weekend Lara & I have worked together to present to you the whole box & dice for the granny shrug enthusiast.

There's something for everyone. This is the master class...for lovely folk who like to follow a pattern, or maybe you need the visual (like me) or perhaps you'd like to watch a dinky video.

If you know how to make a granny square then you know how to make this shrug. Just crochet yourself a couple of lovely granny hexagons.

You can just skip over the "instructions" & make the granny exactly as you always do. Maybe you slip across to the next chain space...ripper knock yourself out. There is no "right" way to make it.

You'll just end up with a lovely curly hexagon...good, that's great...exactly what we want. Just keep checking your sizing after each round to decide when you're done.

Mine have been 9 rounds (in the Wilderness) but depending on your tension & hook size yours might be 8 or 10 or more. Keep folding the curly hex in on itself until you're confident that the fit will be right for you.

the pattern
My very favourite crocheter is Lara. She's one of the reasons I picked up the hook in the first place. She likes to be good at stuff & works hard to make sure she gets things right. Well, guess what? She's written a fabulous, fabulous pattern (it might not have posted yet...be patient) for you to print & keep. And spared you all from my effort at a written explanation. Thank you Lara, you're the very best & it was lovely to share the making of the how to with you.

& the video
Just so you know it was really hard to crochet standing up stradling a tripod & keeping (or trying) the crochet in the frame.

Australian/UK terminology

Yarn
You've got a HUGE amount of flexibility here. You want to achieve a good deal of chunkiness & you'll just adjust your number of rounds accordingly so pick something that suits your style. I did make the suggestion the other day to use stash yarns crocheted together to make up the chunky style yourself.

I used Patons "Wilderness" 14ply. I like it...A LOT. It's a blend so purists might like to check out other options but I think it's just the perfect yarn for the job. Here's why... (& where to buy too).

OR you can have a go with 2 balls of 8 ply held together or whatever else takes your fancy. You'll just adjust your number of rounds according to tension & fit. Go nuts. Lara's using two strands of 12ply & is very happy with the result.

Hook
I'd say 15mm. I'm really happy with the result I'm getting with the 15mm hook. You need it to be loose so that you get a nice drape with the finished "fabric". We're not going for sturdy here folks...we want the pretty drape.

Making Up
I switched to a 2.65mm hook & just used double crochet up the centre back seam.

Then I doubled along the top sleeve seams & single crocheted along the back of the neck opening to give extra strength.

Again if you know how to do it your own way...do that. It will be great.

What, haven't had enough? Here's the steak knife! A round by round for the visual learner.
How to make a granny shrugView more presentations from kootoyoo.

Other Stuff
There's a flickr group. If you make a shrug we'd love to have it added to the group.

HAC class? There have been a couple of requests for a HAC class for the shrug. If you still think you need it or would like to make it up with a bunch of other girls over tea & biscuits, I'd be happy to run it over two evenings. If you're keen please email me kootoyooATgmailDOTcom & if we get enough interest we'll go ahead.

I've just realised I missed a whole round of the .. in the centre of the double clusters. Blow.

I found one of the hexagon jackets that inspired the granny shrug. I'd completely forgotten where I'd seen it most recently & it was (of course) Sarah London.

I'm really pretty terrible at reading instructions & prefer to "read" the actual piece.

But I've prepared a little "how I" rather than a how to.

Yarn
Caressa Express - it's one of those "super chunky fast knit yarns" which isn't a ply. As the gorgeous grey (& possibly the yarn) is discontinued I did a bit of experimenting yesterday to offer some alternatives.

The top hex is the Caressa Express which actually works out kind of expensive as each ball is only about 50 metres long.

The other grey one is a 14 ply which is about the same price per ball but has around 100 metres per ball.

Finally, the blue is two balls of 8 ply crocheted together. This would probably work out around the same price as the 14 ply but what I like about this option is that your colour choice is massive.

The Hook
I used a 15mm hook. I am super tight though so you might want to try something a little smaller if you're an average or loose crochet queen.

Begin
It's just the same as crocheting a granny square (if you don't know how to to that you can learn from Pip or Sarah) except you're making your double clusters from the six points rather than four corners.

I made my hexagons "reversible" which means that the work is turned after each round. There's no right or wrong side. I like it because it seems to keep my work nice & even. My squares are square when I use this method. When you're not changing colours each round it does seem more prone to wonk uncontrollably (for me anyway).

Just keep adding rounds until it's the right size for you.

Have a go! Pretty small time investment & it does look really cute over a long sleeved top.

I understand that the emoticon is a necessity of faceless communication (& I've been known to throw in a :) myself every now & then but I admit, I'm not a fan.

I've got a fabulous book filled with gold & one of the pieces of advice is...

Don't use emoticons ;-)
they're just annoying

BUT I reckon when you've got your tongue planted firmly in your cheek it's probably OK. I made myself laugh if nothing else.
8-) = wearing glasses
B-) = wearing cool shades

My research did lead me to these characters of note. One a super model & the other a super woman:

:-.)

&

######:o)

We all know I'm a huge fan of just about anything "on wood" but I had no idea just how much I was going to love the crochet table cloth hacked & tacked to a couple of pieces of thrifted furniture.

Things are coming together quite nicely in the new house. If you've had a peek inside my place you'd notice that there was only a tiny patch of our bedroom photographed. We've been looking for something nice & skinny for the TV to sit on. It's in an awkward place because it's very close to the ensuite door.

I'd picked up this glass fronted cabinet at the Op Shop (for $5) intending for it to be hidden in The Date's office & reserved for his "straight to the pool room" golf trophies & such. It looked ridiculous & he pitched it out into the hallway earlier in the week. I seconded it for this maybe temporary maybe permanent fixture in the bedroom.

I'm not a huge wrap for the basket shelves (which came out of this unit) I've fashioned below & prefer a more open look. I've got another idea for that (which will hopefully still hide the power cords). I'll keep you updated.

While I had the glue gun out I worked a bit of crochet magic on this sweet chair (also Opped for the princely sum of $5).

Beautiful floaty images by Bricolagelife.

So I think I've managed a pretty nice bedroom makeover for under $20! Unbeatable value & my very favourite ... reused, repurposed, recrafted, upcycled.

If you fancy having a go at this yourself it's just super-easy-thrown-together fun.

You'll need...
double sided tape, spray adhesive, hot glue gun, a thrifted crochet table cloth ($2-$8).

For the cabinet...
Using double sided tape create a frame on the inside of the door (as close to the glass as possible).

Then...
Rough cut the table cloth to size. Keep all the motifs intact at this stage.

Now...
Expose the double sided tape & position your crochet piece.

And...
Use your hot glue gun to more permanently adhere the crochet piece.

Finally...
Trim away excess fabric so that everything looks nice & neat.

Repeat for the other door.

For the chair...
Rough cut the table cloth to size. Keep all the motifs intact at this stage.

Then...
Spray the wrong side of the tablecloth piece with spray adhesive.

Now...
Position on the chair.

And...
Use your hot glue gun to more permanently adhere the crochet piece.

Finally...
Trim away excess fabric so that everything looks nice & neat.

The girls with their finished multi tasker booklets.

Cindy
Karen
Jeana
Tina
Leah
Lara
Melanie
Eleanor

It turns out that 8 was absolutely the perfect number for the HAC craft workshop. The girls & I chatted & worked away making the multi tasker.

The session began with fabric selection. All vintage sheeting & table linen with a cameo Aunty Cookie (which was snapped up super fast). I think that they all turned out beautifully & best of all...totally functional crafting tool.

The multi tasker "how to" will appear in an upcoming issue of mixtapezine. If you'd like to make your own, you should subscribe.

& as an added bonus the fabric is totally reusable.

We're all about the new house at the moment. The kids are so excited about their new rooms.

The smallest needed a toy box to store her super favourite things & so we set about covering an old Australia Post box. This is a great project to tackle with kids as they can handle much of it alone & therefore really feel as if they've made it themselves. I thought you might enjoy a "how to" for a bit of rainy holiday fun.

Select your fabric & trim the box up. You need to keep the "lid" of the box as this will become the base.

Position your box so that the fabric folds up the sides & down the inside of the box (just reaching the base of the box on all sides). Cut to size.
Tip: we used a single doona/duvet cover & it was the perfect width for the standard Australia Post mailer, so we only needed to cut a bit off the length.

Spray both the fabric & the box with spray adhesive.

Smooth all the sides flat & secure with pegs. Once you've done that you can manipulate the corner fabric so that it gathers nicely. Once you're happy with the placement just masking tape the fabric down to secure.

Now just cover the base piece of the box (formerly the lid trimmed to fit) with a contrasting fabric & push it into the bottom of the box.

I say that this is temporary but I made one of these for the big girl 8 years ago & it's still going strong!

I love her treasure selections...owl by me, crochet granny square blanket by a family friend, peg bear by One Red Robin, knitted ballerina by Aunty Pat & the pink softie is Loobylu's project from Meet Me at Mikes The Book.