Archive for I'll show you how!

Sweater Mitten Tutorial!

December 7, 2009 · Filed under I make things., I sew., I'll show you how!

It’s here, it’s here!  As promised, the Sweater Mitten Tutorial is ALL YOURS, with plenty of time to whip out a dozen pairs for the Holidays.

These are patterns I’ve used dozens of times, so many times that I’d rather not make them in bulk ever again.  The patterns were given to me by a kind and generous woman in Northern Wisconsin who whips out dozens of them each year, both for her family and to sell.  It was in this spirit of generosity and crafting for the greater good that I’ve decided to in turn, share the patterns with you.  Through my own use, I’ve made my own modifications, omitting the turned cuff that you may have seen as part of many sweater mittens, and modifying the fit slightly.  But more than that, I’ve consolidated the hundreds of hours of know-how I’ve logged making these myself, and distilled it into a four page tutorial complete with pictures and diagrams.  While I’ve poured over the details for many hours, trying to be concise and as clear as possible, I don’t doubt that some polishing can be done.  Please do share your feedback, good and constructive.  To facilitate this, I’ve created a Flickr group to both showcase and discuss the patterns and our magnificent results.  Go see for yourself and share your own results!

http://www.flickr.com/groups/mittens/

To print:  You’ll need to print all 5 pdf docs.  When printing the actual patterns (front, back – top, back-bottom) BE SURE TO PRINT at 100% or the scale will be off.

Tutorial – Sweater Mittens

Patterns – Sweater Mitten

pattern front

pattern back top

pattern back bottom

All right.  Now get sewing!

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How to: Puffy Applique Tutorial

December 12, 2008 · Filed under I'll show you how! · Tagged ,

Here’s a completed Christmas gift I thought I’d share, which means I get to cross something (albeit small) off my to-do list. I made the appliqué from a kid-sized sweater and a salvaged tshirt, and in a moment of inspiration, thought I’d try a slight departure from my normal appliques and make it a bit more 3D. Following is a tutorial for it, though it’s certainly not rocket science. Sometimes I find that all I need to just do a project is someone spelling it out for me, so that I don’t have to think about it. Maybe you can also benefit from this…

Puffy Applique Tutorial

Materials:

Applique source. Look for great designs on thrift store tshirts, sweaters, etc. Or cut out your own. Felted wool from sweaters would work really nicely.

Backing fabric. I like to contrast my fabric textures and chose a tshirt knit to contrast the sweater, but anything will do. See what kind of great color combos you can make!

Fusible webbing. Also known by brand names Wunder Under and Heat & Bond, among others. Regular weight is appropriate, as you’ll be sewing through it. Or, if sewing freaks you out, get the heavy-duty craft version and just iron the bejeezes out of it. Ask your friendly fabric shop staff for direction here.

Stuffing. Poly-fill works well. As does the miscellaneous stuffing from a pillow you no longer want, or one that’s real cheap at the thrift store. Or shedded dog fur. Hee hee.

Chopstick or other poking device. Really crucial for getting the stuffing into those hard-to-reach places.

Something to apply applique to. I’ve appliqued this tote bag. A tshirt would be nice, a pillow, tea cozy, you name it. Incidentally, if you find yourself wanting a nicely-colored, inexpensive tote bag, I’ve got some here.

Directions:

1. Cut out applique and backing fabric (mine is the kelly green tshirt in this example), leaving a generous border around each. Apply fusible webbing to the back side of the backing fabric. It also helps to stabilize a crazy, all-over-the-place fabric like tshirt knit.

2. Place applique on backing fabric, and sew it on, making sure to LEAVE AN OPENING for the stuffing. I find that a free motion foot is infinitely useful for all appliqué applications. I sew around the perimeter of the appliqué design, trim off the excess border, and then sew down that edge for extra reinforcement. If you’d rather not sew it, I suppose you could apply a thin perimeter of fusible webbing around the edge and iron it on, leaving a stuffing opening. Really, though, you’d be doing yourself a HUGE favor if you run out, right now, and find someone who knows how to sew to teach you. There’s more and more of us every day. Sewing is power; embrace it. (I digress.)

3. Insert your stuffing to your heart’s content, making it as flat or as fluffy as you wish. Here’s where the chopstick comes in real handy.

4. Sew up the opening left for stuffing.

5. Iron appliqué on to your desired base. (tote bag, etc) Sew the perimeter to reinforce it.

6. Take a picture of it and show us what you’ve made!

Like I said, there’s nothing profound or difficult in the process here, and the whole tutorial could have been easily written by Captain Obvious. Perhaps it’s just the inspiration you needed, though, to finish off your own crafty Holiday list.

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Welcome to Five Green Acres!

February 15, 2008 · Filed under I knit. (and crochet), I make things., I sew., I thrift. A lot., I'll show you how!, I'm Momma; this is my family., We are busy in the kitchen., We grow things., We have chickens., We like music.

Home Again Home Again, Jiggety Jig

Hello and welcome to our little slice of The Good Life!

In the hopes that you don’t ALREADY have enough blogs to read compulsively, I’ve decided to chronicle our journey here, in this virtual green space. I’d love for you to join us vicariously, as we begin to forge this new life.

What new life, you say? Oh yes, of course…

Three months ago, we set out on a journey. Leaving our city-sized starter home and our city-sized yard and our city-sized neighborhood behind, we packed up and moved to the country. Yep. These City Mice decided that it was time to put on our Country Mouse hats and blaze a new trail for ourselves. We decided, rather suddenly in fact, that we needed SPACE. To grow our family, to grow food, to grow our minds. Our New Home Search derailed very abruptly from the “biggest-city-yard-we-could-afford” to a very different track entirely, one called “The Farmette”.

And somehow, the home of our dreams found us: a spacious, well-loved Victorian home nestled in five acres of rolling hills. Oh, and there’s also a pristine trout stream in our back yard which pretty much sealed the deal for my husband. The Chickens sealed the deal for me – 15 beautiful laying hens that were the icing on this delicious cake. All this, and we’re still within spitting distance from our beloved city.

The Lovely Ladies

So here we are, beginning our transformation. From here, we will grow our own food (that’s veggies, herbs, and some meat too,) produce our own energy, make by hand as much as we can, and hopefully instill in our growing family the skills, values, and little nuggets of wisdom that we’re able to pick up along the way.

To be fair, we acknowledge that we’re certainly not the first to undertake such a journey. Scores of folks before us have made this pilgrimage “back to the land” and undoubtedly scores after us will do the same. Regardless, this journey is our own and we bring to it our unique perspectives. We’re a young family: Andrew and I are both under 30 (though not for long!) and Isadora is almost 2 1/2. I was trained as a fine artist and have transformed these skills into making functional art for ourselves and our home. Most recently, I’ve begun my training as an herbalist, which is a journey unto itself. Andrew is also a rather skilled Handyman, and brings what is perhaps the most valuable to the table: Patience. He acts as the grounding rod which helps our visions take root. And we’ve not strayed too far from our roots: both Andrew and I grew up in the country, with a strong foundation of family, hard work, and home-cooked meals. Speaking of food, we’ve developed a bit of a Foodie status during our time in the city. Honestly, with access to such great, diverse food, who wouldn’t? You can expect lots of talk to come of what we’ve grown, prepared, and enjoyed on our plates.

Have I hooked you yet? Join us – the journey promises to be honest, colorful, delicious, and no doubt humorous as we forge this new path.

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