Craftside

How to Make Lace Ruffle Boot Toppers - Inspired by the Book, Crocheting Clothes Kids Love

I will use any excuse to make fun new accessories, and virtually any holiday will work for me. The next one is St. Patrick's Day and that means GREEN! And as you know, recycled sweaters are one of my favorite materials to craft with. Today, I thought I'd combine one of my faves with a brand new "yarn" called Boutique Sassy Lace from Red Heart to make these cute ruffle boot toppers inspired by the ones in Crocheting Clothes Kids Love: 28 Fun-to-Wear Projects.

The pattern in Crocheting Clothes Kids Love: 28 Fun-to-Wear Projects is for leg warmers, but I know I would be wearing these with tall boots so I only needed boot toppers.

To make my ruffled lace boot toppers, I started by cutting about 5 inches off the sleeves of a recycled felted rib stitch sweater.

To crochet the ruffle onto the cut edge of the sweater I used a small hook and the loops in the Boutique Sassy Lace yarn. It is a simple single crochet. Poke the hook through the cut sweater about 2 rows down, hook the Sassy Lace yarn and draw through the sweater.

Hook another loop of the Sassy Lace yarn and draw through the two on the hook.

I did a stitch about every 4th stitch in the sweater edge. The closer you make your stitches the fuller your ruffle will be.

To make the draw string, I simply did a chain stitch and then sewed it through the ribs of the sweater about an inch from the edge. All that was left to do was make 4 small pompoms and knot them onto the ends of the chain stitch draw string.

Christmas switch over-I think I will swap out the white pompoms for red at Christmas time :)

More about the adorable crochet pattern CPi book:

Crocheting Clothes Kids Love: 28 Fun-to-Wear Projects

by Shelby Allaho & Ellen Gormley

Whether you have kids or are a kid at heart, you’ll love making the fun and kid-stylish projects featured in Crocheting Clothes Kids Love. This easy-to-use book features twenty-eight designs for garments and accessories for school-age kids.. Projects include:sweaters, vests, a capelet, dress, skirt, tank top, and slippers in styles kids are certain to love.

 

Crocheting Clothes Kids Love also includes patterns for accessories, such as: hats, scarves, mittens, wristers, hair bands, jewelry, leg warmers, a backpack, belt, and messenger bag. Creative, fun photography by Nancy Langdon, who also co-authored and photographed Sewing Clothes Kids Love and photographed Knitting Clothes Kids Love shows kids wearing and using the projects to give you added inspiration.

 

All projects are designed using a variety of yarn types in fibers that are easy to care for. Yarns used represent selections from both LYS and big box brands, with generic descriptions, gauge and hook sizes to allow you to easily substitute comparable yarn. 

 

New to crochet? No worries. General crochet instructions are provided to make it easy for new crocheters to follow along.

 

Shelby Allaho has won numerous design awards, and her work has been published in Interweave Crochet and Inside Crochet, as well as in books from Sixth and Spring Books, and Sterling Publishing. She specializes in designing unique accessories for women and children, in traditional and freeform crochet.

 

Ellen Gormley stitched more than 80 afghans before beginning her design career in 2004. Now, Ellen has sold more than 200 designs, and been published numerous times in many crochet magazines including Interweave Crochet, Crochet Today, Crochet!, Crochet World and Inside Crochet. Her designs have been shown on the PBS show Knit and Crochet Now! Her two books are Go Crochet! Afghan Design Workbook and Learn Bruges Lace.

 

Shelby Allaho's blog: www.stitch-story.com ; also as StitchStory on Twitter and Stitchstory on www.Ravelry.com.

Ellen Gormley's blog: www.GoCrochet.com ; also as GoCrochet on Twitter and www.Ravelry.com

    

 

St. Patrick's Day Thread Spool Wreath Decoration and Lots of Book Giveaways

I don't know about you, but the day after Valentine's Day the color theme in the house goes from red to green so fast it would make your head spin. And speaking of spinning, I though I'd make a new decoration for St. Patrick's Day that featured my stash of green thread. I love decorating with my craft supplies!

This thread spool St. Patrick's Day wreath was super easy to make.

I used a pretty heavy gauge wire so it would hold the round shape with all the weight on it.

I alternately threaded spools of green thread and wood green beads onto the wire.

When I had the size I liked I cut the wire and taped the ends of the wire so they overlapped.

I tied a big bow with 4 colors of tulle ribbon.

I wanted to add one final touch in the center of the bow, and what better accent is there than a pompom?

So I made up a few pompoms with a variety of colored yarn in different sizes, and popped them onto the center of the bow.

I suggest hitting your stash of crafting supplies, see what you have in green and then make something with it, I bet you will love what you make!

Looking to "Get Lucky" why not get yourself in the running for some new books before they have even been released:

Goodreads Book Giveaway

Just Us Girls

by Cindy Ann Ganaden

Giveaway ends February 28, 2014.

See the giveaway details at Goodreads.

 

Enter to win

Goodreads Book Giveaway

Drawing Cute Animals in Colored Pencil

by Ai Akikusa

Giveaway ends February 28, 2014.

See the giveaway details at Goodreads.

 

Enter to win

Goodreads Book Giveaway

DIY Dog Grooming, From Puppy Cuts to Best in Show

by Jorge Bendersky

Giveaway ends February 28, 2014.

See the giveaway details at Goodreads.

 

Enter to win

Goodreads Book Giveaway

Plant by Numbers

by Steve Asbell

Giveaway ends March 01, 2014.

See the giveaway details at Goodreads.

 

Enter to win

Goodreads Book Giveaway

The Complete Photo Guide to Slipcovers, Pillows, and Bedding

by Karen Erickson

Giveaway ends February 28, 2014.

See the giveaway details at Goodreads.

 

Enter to win

Goodreads Book Giveaway

Superfoods for Life Coconut

by Megan Roosevelt

Giveaway ends February 28, 2014.

See the giveaway details at Goodreads.

 

Enter to win

 

How to make a recycled wool felted sweater shamrock for St. Patrick's Day

Are you feeling the green comin' on? The St. Patrick's Day green is what I'm talkin' about. I am in full Irish-a-go-go-crafting. So are Jane and Roy Amineko - they just had to jump in the Pot o' gold, well no gold in there yet but my little Amineko buddies are "golden" in my book. Jane made a recycled wool felted Sweater shamrock for Roy to sport.

(By the way I am also recycling my Halloween decoration here. That witch's cauldron works great doubling as a Pot o' gold!)

Here's how to make a recycled wool felted sweater shamrock pin:

Cut 3 hearts out of your felted sweater. I used my Sizzix die cutter but you could free form it.

Then I cut a little scrap to make the stem.

Then all that was left to do was stitch them all together with the points of the heart together in the center and add a little button to the center front and a pin on the back.

If you are wondering how I made the big shamrock wall decorations, pop on over to recycled t-shirt shamrock tutorial featured on Sweater Surgery. And speaking of Sweater Surgery, need more recycled sweater projects? Then grab yourself a copy of:

Sweater Surgery:

How to Make New Things with Old Sweaters

by

Stefanie Girard

Contemporary crafters are thriving on personalizing, modifying, and altering fashion, and as a way to take a greener approach to their creative lifestyle. This book shows you how to upcycle all your slightly worn, slightly damaged, or out-of-style sweaters into fabulous new items for your wardrobe and your home. Readers learn how to choose, cut, restitch, felt, and embellish old sweater fabric, transforming it into beautiful handbags, mittens, scarves, hats, hoodies, skirts, jewelry, soft toys, pillows, and more! You'll find complete instructions for 27 projects, plus a huge gallery of exciting ideas for further inspiration.

Stefanie Girard (Los Angeles, CA) has a degree in industrial design from Pratt Institute and worked as a set decorator and prop master for 10 years in the entertainment industry. She has produced, written scripts, and edited Web content for television shows and has been covering these creative topics for HGTV, DIY Network, and Lifetime TV. Check out more recycled sweater projects at  www.sweatersurgery.blogspot.com.

 

St. Patrick's Day necklace made with a technique from 101 Tips & Techniques for Making Wire Jewelry

The big green day is fast approaching so I thought it was time to whip up a piece of jewelry for St. Patrick's Day...like I need a reason to make jewelry but sometimes it's nice to have a specific theme to work from.

And I had this way-cool ribbon that had a cute little leprechaun skull on it with what looks to me to be crossed knitting needles with little clovers on the ends. I know that's probably not what they are but regardless I love the ribbon and I wanted to make a pendant with it.

 

I had this tile style place mat which when you cut it apart the pieces make great surfaces for decoupage. You could really use anything.

My Crafting TIP here is to spread the Mod Podge onto the back of the ribbon BEFORE you cut it so that when you do cut the ribbon it doesn't fray.

After this first coat was dry I then cut the ribbon down to size to fit on the tile and attached it with some more Mod Podge.

The other little fun spiral embellished flat bead you see in the necklace was one of the wire techniques from the book/kit:

Wire Jewelry Kit 101 Tips & Techniques
by Stefanie Girard

(Yup me!)

 

Click on the image to enlarge and read how to embellish a flat square bead with a wire coil that also is the head pin.

I also used a few other dangles and beads including these cool acrylic green oval links from Blue Moon Beads Enchanted Planet line.

Well, that my new green bling. Want 100 more cool tips and techniques? Grab yourself a copy of:

Wire Jewelry Kit 101 Tips & Techniques
by Stefanie Girard

Today’s hottest fashion accessory is beaded jewelry. And nothing could be better suited to your taste and personality than jewelry pieces you’ve personally created! The heart of this kit is a 48-page book that reveals 101 insightful tips and techniques—information that will help beginning and intermediate wire beading crafters take their skills to the next level.

You’ll also discover step-by-step instructions for a unique 3-piece jewelry set. And all the materials you need to practice the techniques, make the demonstrated jewelry set, or begin stringing your own original designs are included.

Hardcover 12.25" x 9.625" case includes 48-page paperback book, bead tray and bead organizer, more than 500 glass beads, resin focal beads, round-nose pliers with wire cutters, wire-working jig with pegs, mandrel, 3 gauges of beading wire, clasps, earwires, and other findings.

And want to see another inside peek into Wire Jewelry Kit 101 Tips & Techniques that shares a great way to make a ring? Pop on over to this post.