Tag: Ravelry

When custom orders are a delight…

 

Janet - Freeform Crochet Vest

Some months ago a lovely return Etsy customer asked me if I could make her a vest in a specific size & nominated colours….

I’m always hesitant about taking on custom orders mainly because I’m never sure how a project will work out – Freeform has a habit of going off in all sorts of directions & not always in the direction I’m aiming towards ~ that hat I’m working on can quite easily lose its way & work better as a bag or vice versa ~ &, although I truly love this part of the Freeform process it can be a rather daunting when I really do have to stay on target…..

It took a while to make & there were a few moments of self-doubt from time to time, but it’s done & dusted now & this delight plum toned vest is off to its new home in the USA where the gorgeous lady is anxiously waiting for its arrival….

I’m super pleased with the results.

Freeform Home Decor…

OK, I know I’ve made cushion covers before so they’re not really something new but I had forgotten just how much I enjoy playing within the limits of the circle/square (no going out of the lines, like when you were a kid & colouring in) – keep in mind the design… colour, texture, form – where to fill in & where to leave spaces. After my usual willy-nilly-freeforming & doing as I please, staying within the lines is actually more challenging than I remember.

Creating your own freeform cushion covers is a lot of fun, not only because you have a ready made template, but you can really let your imagination fly & bring together some of those much loved crafts that you also like to do as a change of pace… the felting, dyeing, beading & sewing… these cushion covers do take a lot of time but, I think you’ll agree, they look fabulous & will certainly brighten the world with colour & textural happiness…

Metamorphosis: Scrumptious Plum tones bring this gorgeous Freeform Crochet Cushion Cover alive …

A lavish array of Vilene, machine & wet felted patches, felt beads, crochet motifs & glass bead embellishments have been sewn directly onto a pre-made cushion cover leaving lots of spaces for the original cover fabric to show through.

Metamorphosis is avalaible for sale in my Etsy Shop

Tropical Seas: Freeform Fabric created in vibrant blues & greens with a scattering of glass beading, sparkles… just like a tropical sea…

Tropical Seas is avalaible for sale in my Etsy Shop

Cheeky Freestyle Crochet Vest/Top….

The idea for this cheeky freestyle crochet vest/top has been mulling around in my head for months &  I’m overjoyed to have finally finished it but now that it’s in front of me, I’m not entirely sure if it’s a vest, a top or perhaps a half jumper (sweater).

In any case, I was so happy with the result that I made another one just to prove to myself that it wasn’t a fluke.

Here’s what I did for No 1….

Gathered together a collection of complementary yarns (10 in all) & chose a large crochet hook [12mm] then, on my dressmakers dummy, I measured from the centre front to under the arm across the hip, approx 32 cm [12 1/2″] & made a chain.

From here on I worked in rows of dc [US sc] & tr [US dc] (not necessarily in that order), alternating yarns at random & increasing on one side only until it measured approx 79 cm [31″] across the top (shoulders)

~ I made 2 of these sort of triangles ~

From there it’s just a matter of sewing or crocheting the 2 pieces together across the top leaving a space for the neck opening & doing the same along the straight seam from the bottom up & leaving a space for the arm hole… done… well almost…. I just couldn’t leave well enough alone & decided to add some interesting tassels on each end of the sleeves.

The Cheeky Vest/top No 1 is available for sale in my Etsy shop

For No 2… I worked in the same way but I used only one yarn, the beautiful Noro Silk Garden yarn & No 9 (M/N) hook, this one turned out a bit longer in length but that’s OK because I’m keeping it for myself…

So there you go… something new to try out for yourself… experiment with yarns, hook size & stitches… easy enough to do & lots of pleasure & creativity in the process.. have fun…

Floral Beauties… self-indulgent pleasure…

Right now, flowers, whether knitted or crochet, seem to be the flavour of the moment & over the past few weeks I’ve been playing around with these happy little gems adding them to a selection of new scarves after finding the lovely ‘Silk Supreme’ from Bendigo Woollen Mills – the yarn is a delight & simply gorgeous  to work with…

more over, creating the array of crochet flowers was pure pleasure… although  patterns were used as starting points,  I was rather self-indulgent & pretty much made each flower up & improvised as I went along…. placing the flowers in just the right place took lots & lots of sewing though, but…

Hey! what fun….

 

Ideas & Inspirations No6 – Crayon Garden

Perhaps you can remember back to when you were young & the excitement you felt on receiving a lovely box of  new crayons & crisp sheets of butcher’s paper… the joy, when stroking the rich waxy colours over the page & creating those vibrant treasures that your family plastered all over the fridge because they were so proud of their little artist?

Well, that’s exactly how I felt when I came across these shamelessly, super brilliant yarns… I just had to have them, even though at the time, I had no idea how I would use them…

And, I have to say, they did linger in my stash for quite a while (though never forgotten) before I decided to have a play & create this vibrant handbag – I think it tuned out to be a real happiness piece… I hope you like it..

Crayon Garden is available for sale in my Etsy Shop