How to make a mini dress decoration inspired by the book DIY Art at Home by Lola Gavarry

Today's subtitle is "No scrap left behind" because that is what the primary ingredient is-the tiny little scraps of fabric I save.
Pretty cute little dress, hu?
This page from DIY Art at Home: 28 Simple Projects for Chic Decor on the Cheep with big wall dress decorations was my inspiration. Maybe some day I can make some big wall art like this but for now tiny it is.

How I made my tiny dress scrap fabric wall art:

I sketched a little dress silhouette on the back side of sticky back paper and then cut it out.
Then all I did was cut strips of fabric in varying widths and lay them onto the sticky side of the paper touching edge to edge.
This is what it looked like with all the strips of fabric on from the back side. All that was left to do was trim off the excess fabric.
On the right you can see my first mini dress. It was a bit small for my wire hanger so I mad a slightly bigger mini dress. I do have to say it makes me want to make a full size dress just using horizontal strips of scrap fabric!

More about the book from Watson-Guptill Publications:

DIY Art at Home: 28 Simple Projects for Chic Decor on the Cheep
By
Lola Gavarry

DIY Art at Home shows how easy it is to create modern masterpieces by using a few simple art supplies and the full-size templates that are also included. The book begins with The Practical Studio, which outlines the materials and tips that you'll need to get started. The five chapters that follow--Living Room Spirit, Kitchen Inspirations, Bedroom Influences, Office Décor, and Sweet Expressions--offer 28 fresh, beautiful, step-by-step projects for every room, all with a clean, modern aesthetic that will complement virtually every style of decorating.

Lola Gavarry is a designer who creates artwork for residential clients throughout France. Hiroko Mori is a commercial photographer based in Paris.

Book Review-The Knitter's Guide to Hand-Dyed and Variegated Yarn: Techniques and Projects for Handpainted and Multicolored Yarn

I don't know about you but I love variegated yarns.
I tend to buy multicolored yarn over solid colors. This then poses a challenge because often times the stitches I want to use won't show up with the mixed colored yarns. Well, The Knitter's Guide to Hand-Dyed and Variegated Yarn to the rescue! The Knitter's Guide to Hand-Dyed and Variegated Yarn if filled with stitches and patterns that include a single yarn and multiple yarns that really feature and accentuate all the great colors. There is even a Checkered Fair Isle pattern that comes out looking like a fabulous plaid!!! And even better it is a simple stockinette stitch! So if you are ready to kick off 2011 with some knitting projects that feature hand-dyed and variegated yarns I'll bet you will find just what you are looking for in:

The Knitter's Guide to Hand-Dyed and Variegated Yarn: Techniques and Projects for Handpainted and Multicolored Yarn
By
Lorna Miser

More about the book from Watson-Guptill:

"Cast on for your next variegated yarn project with new skills and renewed confidence

Do you covet the gorgeous colors of multicolored yarn but have been disappointed by patching, pooling, and other unintended “designs” that develop as they’re knitted?

In The Knitter’s Guide to Hand-Dyed and Variegated Yarn, hand-dyed yarn guru Lorna Miser transforms the experience of working with these beautiful yarns, whether they’ve been dyed by hand or commercially produced.

This informative stitch dictionary includes 10 simple, accessible techniques, 65 stitch patterns, and 20 projects that make the most of the dazzling color combinations and creative possibilities that variegated yarns have to offer.

LORNA MISER is the founder and original owner of Lorna's Laces, a well-known brand of hand-dyed yarns. She teaches classes and workshops on knitting technique and knitwear design at yarn stores, knitting guilds, consumer knitting shows, and yarn industry trade shows around the country. She is also the author of Faith, Hope, Love, Knitting. "

Book Review-Wild Color, Revised and Updated Edition: The Complete Guide to Making and Using Natural Dyes

Wild Color, Revised and Updated Edition: The Complete Guide to Making and Using Natural Dyes
By
Jenny Dean and Karen Diadick Casselman

Have a hank-erin' to learn to dye yarn or want to try all and I mean ALL sorts of things, then you will love this book. It breaks the process down step-by-step with wonderful pictures and directions. It also covers lots of color theory so the process becomes something you really can design cool (or warm..hehe color wheel joke) shade and tint variations.

With the trend toward doing things naturally, why not dye that way? You can with the help of this comprehensive how-to source book on natural dyeing.

More about the book from Watson Guptill:

"The best resource on natural dyeing is back, updated to make your colorful hobby even more beautiful and rewarding.
A practical and inspiring guide to creating and using natural dyes from plants,
Wild Color, Revised and Updated Edition, offers the latest information on current environmentally friendly dyeing techniques and more than 65 species of plants and natural dyestuffs. This comprehensive book outlines all the necessary equipment, how to select fibers and plant parts, choose the right methods for mordanting and dyeing, test color modifiers and the fastness of dyed colors, and obtain a range of gorgeous colors from every plant, from alter to woad, shown in more than 250 swatches.
Wild Color, Revised and Updated Edition, is the all-in-one resource for fiber enthusiasts, including knitters, sewers, and weavers; gardeners who are interested in new uses for traditional dye plants; and eco-conscious DIYers who want authoritative information about the natural dyeing process and the plants that are essential to it.

JENNY DEAN has worked with natural dyes for more than 30 years. She is the author of several books and numerous articles on natural dyeing, and also conducts lectures, workshops, and courses on the subject. A collection of her dyed samples is included in the collection of the Royal Institute for Cultural Heritage in Brussels, Belgium.

KAREN DIADICK CASSELMAN has taught dyeing techniques throughout the U.S. and internationally. Her dyed pieces are included in the collections of the Smithsonian Institution and other museums. "

Skull and cupcake necklace using "Chaos" Wire wrapping from the cool new book: Chain and Bead Jewelry Creative Connections

I had posted a while back that I had some cool skull and cupcake buttons from Cathi Milligan's BeadsBrains and I was saving them for a "special project". Well, here it is. When I saw the "chaos" wire wrapping technique in Chain and Bead Jewelry Creative Connections I knew just what my first project was going to be. This technique really worked well to feature the pretty little shank style buttons.

The book is packed full of more formal link style projects that I will most certainly be trying in the new year! And if learning how to make all sorts of chain jewelry is on your "to-do" list you will love this book.

Chain and Bead Jewelry Creative Connections: New Techniques for Wire-Wrapping and Bead-Setting

By
Scott David Plumlee

Far from its original utilitarian use—to create armor—the chain-mail technique has been adapted over time to create beautiful, unique jewelry. In Chain and Bead Jewelry Creative Connections, chain-mail expert Scott David Plumlee shows jewelry makers, beaders, and crafters at all skill levels how to incorporate beads into a variety of chain-mail weaves to create showstopping pieces.

First, Plumlee walks readers through basic skills and provides detailed information on traditional chain designs. He then presents more than 20 wire-wrapping and bead-setting techniques that incorporate beads seamlessly into a variety of designs, from the creative “Chaos” wire-wrapped bead to the sinuous Snake.

With step-by-step instructions for assembling age-old chain patterns—from simple to complex—and gorgeous designs that can be executed using only simple hand tools, Chain and Bead Jewelry Creative Connections is sure to inspire jewelry artisans at all levels to expand the creative possibilities of their work.

Scott David Plumlee has led more than 140 workshops on chain jewelry at crafts venues nationwide since 2001. His work has been featured in Bead&Button and Art Jewelry magazines. He is an authority on ancient chain designs, has created more than sixty unique chain designs based on mathematical formulas. His chain-making workshops have been presented throughout Washington State. He now lives in Manhattan, Kansas.

www.davidchain.com

Press On with Trylon and Perisphere Cross Stitch using a cool font from the book A Rainbow of Stitches

My Dad probably won't read my blog before he opens his Christmas presents so I think I am safe to post this today. He was born in 1939 and loves the 39 Worlds Fair. We have a cool old black and white photo of his mom pregnant with him standing in front of the trylon and perisphere.
One of his favorite sayings is "press on" so I thought I would cross stitch it for him. I wanted to do a bit of a more "design" font so I used this pretty one from the way-cool book:
A Rainbow of Stitches: Embroidery and Cross-Stitch Basics Plus More Than 1,000 Motifs and 80 Project Ideas

From the publisher, Watson-Guptill:
A Rainbow of Stitches is a how-to-stitch guide, a project idea book, and an encyclopedia of motifs, all in one go-to reference. Begin by choosing a motif from this extensive collection, which ranges from elegant alphabets to 1970s-inspired flowers and leaves, from sweet fairies to vintage-chic ladies in classic Dior dresses. The "Get Stitching" section gives you the basics you need to get started, along with an illustrated how-to of the simple stitches that are used to create all of the motifs.

Each of the following sections, which are arranged by color–fresh greens, pretty pinks, timeless blues, rich reds, and elegant white and taupe–presents ideas for embroidering motifs in single colors, showing how much can be achieved with just one color of embroidery floss on a plain background. Includes more than eighty beautifully photographed, inspiring ideas for stitched embellishment, from wearables and personal accessories to a variety of decorative items for every room in your home.

AGNÉS DELAGE-CALVET, ANNE SOHIER-FOURNEL, MURIEL BRUNET, and FRANÇOISE RITZ are lifelong needlearts enthusiasts and experienced teachers of embroidery and other fiber crafts.

FRÉDÉRIC LUCANO is a professional photographer specializing in fashion and home décor.

There are possitively tons of great cross stitch and embroidery designs in this book and I will be making many more of them! One of the girls in my Church of Craft group bought the book after I brought mine to the meeting because she loved it too. She was the one that started me cross stitching with the Subversive Cross stitch book!

Polymer Clay Candy Corn Beads Hot out of the Oven made using a "recipe" from the book The Polymer Clay Cookbook

Could this book be any cuter? Do you like to make tiny things out of polymer clay? Then you will love this book.

The Polymer Clay Cookbook: Tiny Food Jewelry to Whip Up and Wear
By
Jessica and Susan Partain

This being October and Halloween fast approaching this candy corn tutorial looked like the perfect project to try first! So off to the Plaidbunny test kitchen and away I went!
I followed the absolutely wonderful photos and directions. As you can see there are lots of pictures!
My plan was to use these on a bracelet so I poked a hole vertically through each candy corn before baking. (The book includes great directions for making post earrings.)

So after baking them I gathered up a bunch of my Blue Moon Beads Noir black beads and findings and some from my recycled stash, I happen to have some funky polka dot beads that I thought would tie in nicely with the graphic nature of the candy corn beads.

I played around a bit and here is my final chunky candy corn bracelet with little skull links.

I can't wait to try making some of the other projects from the book, there are ones perfect for all the holidays or just for a good giggle.

A bit about the book from the publisher:

The Polymer Clay Cookbook celebrates favorite foods with 20 tiny, deliciously realistic food charms to make from polymer clay and fashion into unique jewelry. Styled as a cookbook for the beginning miniaturist "chef," the introductory chapters discuss the "basic ingredients" and techniques used for polymer clay and jewelry-making. The remainder of the book offers 20 "recipes" grouped by category: fruits, breakfast, lunch and dinner, sweets and snacks, and holiday foods. Each recipe has a list of "ingredients," step-by-step directions with photographs, and suggested variations. Each piece is presented as a particular finished jewelry item, such as a necklace, but readers are encouraged to adapt the piece into any type of jewelry they choose. Each chapter also includes one of the authors' own cherished recipes for real food, including Sunday Morning Cinnamon Rolls, Grandma's Pasta Sauce, Decadent Raspberry Chocolate Cupcakes, and Mom's Holiday Sugar Cookies. Throughout, the authors--who are sisters--share their enthusiasm for family, sisterhood, and the tradition and feelings surrounding our favorite foods.


Jessica and Susan Partain are sisters and are both crafters. In spring 2006 they founded Inedible Jewelry, which they sell at local markets and craft shows and in a variety of boutiques across the US, Canada and the UK.

Wanna see how to make it your way burger check out this video:

A Floral-tasticly good project from the new book- Kanzashi in Bloom

I love making flowers to decorate things and I am always on the lookout for a new way and here one is:
Kanzashi in Bloom: 20 Simple Fold-and-Sew Projects to Wear and Give
By
Diane Gilleland

Kanzashi tsumami is the Japanese art of folding delicate squares of silk into three-dimensional flower petals. In the United States, the online craft culture has sprouted a renewed interest in making Kanzashi with American crafters devising simplified ways to create these gorgeous fabric flowers and incorporating more user-friendly materials like cotton and synthetic fabrics along with the traditional silks.

Kanzashi in Bloom takes the American interpretation of Kanzashi a step further, presenting modern, more easily executed flower designs as elements in a variety of fun, fashionable, hip craft projects. Kanzashi in Bloom offers advice on materials, three petal-folding styles, and techniques for assembling a Kanzashi flower. You’ll also find instructions for 20 projects to wear and give as gifts, including:

• Tiny blossom earrings
• Flowers-in-your-hair clips
• The happiest belt buckle ever
• Elegant floral gift topper

Well since I have to test-drive every craft technique I can possible get my hands on and this one is no exception. I followed the impeccable directions and let's just say I tend to have to try a couple of times when I am doing origami, such is not the case here, first shot out I got it! The photos matched the words and explained everything so clearly.

As you can see in the first photo with the book cover I made a pink gingham flower using two of the folding techniques, the pointed and the round. I think my choice was a bit floppy but I am still tickled with the result. I glued it onto a hair clip and I am wearing it while I type!

So if you are like me and like, flowers, origami, fabric, and making cute little things to embellish and decorate just about anything I bet you will like this book too!

Thanks fellow Church of Crafter for writing such a good book.

Friendship Booties from the book Faith, Hope, Love, Knitting

I recently got the book:
Faith, Hope, Love, Knitting: Celebrating the Gift of Knitting with 20 Beautiful Patterns
by Lorna Miser

Warm, inspiring stories, in the tradition of Debbie Macomber & Kate Jacobs. Beautiful knitting designs that celebrate special moments and relationships. Show how knitting can be the path to a higher power to guide our daily lives.

and it is just lovely!

I have a new baby in the family so I thought I would try baby booties for the first time and there is a super cute pair included in this book.
I tend to judge how easy a pattern is by how long it is.
This one is essentially 5 different rows of knitting-I can handle that for my first time bootie knitting.
I whipped them out in 2 hours while watching (listening actually) TV.
The pattern called for lovely fluffy yarn but I like to use a smooth yarn for the first time.
My all time fave is Red Heart Camo for this.
Here you have it:
I will definitely be making more of these!
There is also a way-cute bunny in the book that is definitely calling to be made!