Fabric and Crochet Heart Tutorial: Part 3

Snow over the Drakensberg Mountains in South Africa. Taken on one of our flights down to the Wild Coast.

Happy Tuesday !

For once I will be able to post a little earlier :) It seems to me on some days, that time has been compressed (it's either an Einstein thing or my middle aged brain needs a service!), because as organised as I am (or at least, try to be!), I find I am always behind on something....

However, today I sorted out quite a lot, including the organising of my daughter's 13th birthday party for this weekend, face-lifted my Etsy shop, joined Twitter, and caught up all my outstanding messages and emails... what can I say, today The Force was with me ;)



Speaking of the force... I watched one of the Star Wars movies last night, while trying to keep my knee rested (another saga for another time!), and an amazing quote struck me... Yoda tells Anakin Skywalker that he senses a lot a fear in him, which Anakin downplays and asks, why it would matter. Master Yoda (man... I seriously dig this dude!..) says that it matter all too much:

"Fear leads to anger, anger to hatred, and hatred leads to the dark side and suffering..." Well folks, I just LOVE this...it's true !!!! I guess if we can control the fears that fill every day, maybe the cycle breaks...


I have been thinking about all the creative stuff I love doing, and after much back and forthing (?word), decided that I needed to amalgamate all the bits into one Etsy shop. Each Etsy shop has a different email address linked to it, which quite frankly will kill me.... so I intend to start selling all kinds of stuff as I manage to make it...crochet, knitting, tutorials, woodwork items, jewellry, sewing, embroidery, patchwork, photography etc, etc....anything that strikes my fancy really, on ONE shop :) I would really appreciate some feedback on this idea... :)

Fabric and Crochet Heart Tutorial: Part 3

This is the third and last part of this tutorial, just a quick show on how to crochet a scalloped edge onto the fabric heart. This will look nice if it is for a little girl etc, but I actually prefer it quite plain...whatever rocks your boat... :)

Step 1. Ok, I have subsequently changed my mind and decided to use a size 3.5mm crochet hook, instead of 3.75mm. Just looks a bit neater all round...



Step 2. Start with a slip knot. If you are not sure how to do this, you can look back at the crochet tutorials.



Step 3. At the point of the heart, insert your hook into the first backstitch you made in the last post. You are going to work into these backstitches as if they are loops on a previous row of crochet.
You will follow this pattern: Each backstitch : sc, 3dc, sc


Again, the tutorials for sc and dc stitch creation are listed on the side of my blog as stand alone pages...looky see !


Step 4. SC as follows: insert hook, yarn around hook, pull through, yarn around hook, pull through both loops on hook...voila, one sc completed! See the next few pics as illustration.

Step 5. SC completed!

Step 6. Now for the double crochet (dc)... yarn around hook, insert hook through same backstitch loop, yarn around hook, pull yarn through (3 loops on hook), yarn around hook, pull through 2 loops, yarn around hook, pull through last two stitches on hook. Done! Again, some pics below for illustration.

Step 7. DC finished! Well done :)

Step 8. One backstitch completed. I have done sc, 3dc,sc into this loop. Each backstitch loop will have the same set of crocheting.
Continue working all around the heart, into each backstitch loop, until you get back to the point of the heart.

You can now either work your loose tails of yarn into the heart, and hide them, or tie them all in a knot and let them hang down as a tassle.

Some links: this I found really sad (please note it is not for sensitive viewers!!!!!!!), this, I am not sure about... a bit sad and also a bit disturbing, but I guess at least it's about a fairly neutral issue... and this quite heavenly (although somehow I reckon my addictions won't be satiated...) :)

Right! Off to knit...

Tomorrow,

Mystery toy!

Have a great evening...

Lots of love,

Heidi :)

Fabric and Crochet Heart Tutorial: Part 2

Hi all!

Hope you had a good day so far... :)

Above is a pic taken in the province of Mpumalanga, in the eastern part of South Africa, near a small town called Sabie. This area is famous for its Sappi planations, and is also one of the most popular places in SA for mountain bikers!

Fabric and Crochet Heart Tutorial: Part 2

Ok, so yesterday you made the basic heart. If you would like to embellish it a little further, you can, but it's also fine as is I think...

Today you will do backstitching around the edge of the heart, and tomorrow, crochet a scalloped border around it...

Step 1. Requirements:
A ball of yarn in your choice of colour
A tapestry needle
A pair of scissors
A completed heart


Step 2. Cut off approximately 1m of yarn from the ball. Thread through the tapestry needle but do not make a knot in the tail. Starting at the point of the heart, insert needle as shown. Pull the thread through, leaving a tail of about 10cm.

Step 3. Re-insert the needle where you started, but exit the needle further along the heart edge, about the same distance as you did in the previous step.

Step 4. Pull through the thread, but not too tightly...you don't want to pucker the fabric.

Step 5. Repeat this sequence until you have stitched all around the heart.

Step 6. This is what it should look like, wip!

Step 7. When you get to the point of the heart, let the thread exit, snip off leaving about 10cm, and then tie a knot, using the starting tail of yarn. Voila! You are done... :)
Tomorrow I will post the crochet part of the Tutorial.

Here are a few ideas of what you could use this little heart for:

1. A pincushion... scissors in the pocket, pins where the rose pattern is, also you could put your tape measure, unpicker etc into the pocket and add a small pop stud, or botton to close the pocket. If you are really clever, you could put a zip in, before you sew up all the pieces...

2. Sew a magnet on the back of the heart, stick it to your fridge, leave notes to your kids, family, husband inside...

3. Create a lavender sachet, use in your drawers, cupboards etc... or give to a friend :)

4. Wrap a gift, place heart on top, and tuck your card inside. You can easily change the size of the pattern using a photocopier...

5. Attach to a key, hang on a door knob, put on a clothes hanger...

6. Make lots of these hearts, and string together using ribbon...make an advent calendar, a Christmas garland for your tree or just for decor, make a bunting with someone's name for a birthday...

7. Make the heart in Christmassy fabrics, attach a ribbon to it, and hang as a Christmas Tree decoration. You can even tuck some cinnamon sticks into the pocket for scent...

8. Use as a place marker for a special event...tuck each person's name into the pocket of their heart, which can be a gift to take home. Nice for bridal showers, baby showers, Christenings...

9. Make it from cute fabric, embellish with appropriate items and create a tooth mouse heart. The tooth goes into the pocket, and the gift (whatever it is)...replaces the tooth.

10. Enlarge the pattern using a photocopier, make a cushion...

If anyone has any other ideas...please leave a comment...much appreciated :)

Blocking your squares and rectangles.

A quick note on blocking...

When you kave knitted something and you have used Stocking Stitch (all knit stitches one side, purl on the other side), your item will have a tendency to curl up at the edges. This is because the knit stitch is a slightly different size to the purl stitch...

So...what to do? Well, you block!

I like to wet my entire item in cold water with some fabric softener added in. I wet it thoroughly, press gently between two cotton towels (it still has to be damp), and then pin it on all edges to a fat cotton towel. I have used my ironing board with a towel placed over it.

When you pin, you may need to stretch the edges a bit so that you get the size that you need, ie 5x5 cm, 10x5 cm.

Allow to dry naturally out of the sun. You'll pull out the pins and find that the blocks are flat and the right size! Its a simple process, and doesn't take as long as what it looks like... :)

Chat to you tomorrow!

Lots of Love,

Heidi :)

Fabric and Crochet Heart Tutorial: Part 1

Hi everyone!

Hope you all had a great weekend :)

Mr P. came back from Belgium, to lots of love and fanfare: we had a spur-of-the-moment best friends invited dinner party (which was wonderful!) to celebrate, and on Saturday afternoon, Mr P. took the girls to see the new Alice in Wonderland movie. I stayed home to work on this tutorial (am I loyal?...or what...call me Rover ;) ), but didn't get very far, as my dear friends Heinrich and Mandy called to ask if they could come early (of course!!!!), and we poured some excellent red wine, and chatted....

Soooo.... dear blog friends, my deepest apologies for the delayed posting....

Well, I haven't forgotten or abandonned the Mystery Blocks...hope you are all knitting and slaving away at making them, but I will post the follow-up next week, and wanted to do something a little different in between!

A lot of people left comments indicating they wanted tutorials on quick, easy to make items, that can be useful, gifted, etc. I am compiling a list (watch and see...), but while this process was being brainstormed, the idea for this tutorial below, leapt up, hand in the air, yelling..."Pick me!, Me! Me! Meeeeee...!". So here it is! I will leave some ideas for completely different uses, tomorrow at the end of the second part of the Tutorial. :)

Fabric and Crochet Heart Tutorial: Part 1

Requirements:

Smallish bits of fabric
Merino Fleece stuffing (or stuffing of your choice, eg polyester etc)
A sewing machine that can do plain 'ol straight stitch
or a hand that can do plain 'ol straight stitch ;)
Sewing cotton in a colour to match your fabric
Scissors
General use sewing needle
Tapestry needle
DK (double knit thickness/weight) yarn (I have used Rowan's Handknit cotton)
Crochet Hook 3.75mm
An iron




Step 1. I have the pattern available as a PDF file, which I will send to anyone that email's me requesting it... Although this is my original pattern, and is copyright protected, I give permission for you to make up this item for personal use, charity use, selling etc....AS LONG AS YOU
DON'' T MASS PRODUCE IT!!!! I really do not want to see some business churning them out like nobody's business. I feel that people should be able to make something to sell and earn a bit of income, but still respecting the original creator's vision for the item...so enjoy to your heart's content friends!!! :)

Step 2. Choose a fabric. I have made this heart from a thrift store pillow case, something you can usually find if you search a bit. Really, 'tho, any pretty fabric is fine... You can play with scale and proportion of pattern...just rememeber that the pattern fits on an A4 paper size, so if the scale of the pattern of the fabric is huge, you might lose the overall effect...

Step 3. Cut the pattern out. You will see that there is a turquoise dot at the point of the heart pieces...this is just to show you how to overlay the smaller piece onto the bigger piece later, ie the points must match up! Where I have indicated "Cut Two, one reverse", you cut the piece out from a single layer of fabric, turn the paper pattern piece over (NOT the fabric), and cut out the second fabric piece . You always place the pattern pieces onto the right side of the fabric. It doesn't always show clearly on this green and pink fabric I have used, because it is quite thin, but that's how you do it :)

Step 4. Right! The pattern pieces have been cut out and all laid out, right side up.

Step 5. We'll work on the pointy small bit first. Take the piece on the left side (Step 4. pic), and flip it over onto the other piece, essentially placing the right sides of the bits facing.

Step 6. Sew together as indicated, using straight stitch.

Step 7. Open up, and press the seam flat.

Step 8. Fold so the two wrong sides of the fabric are facing, ie the seam is enclosed and hidden.
Press again.

Step 9. Place the newly made bit onto the big heart piece. Make sure that the right side of the big heart is facing you.

Step 10. Make sure the heart points match up.

Step 11. Pin carefully.

Step 12. Sew pieces together as indicated. Press flat.

Step 13. Take the other big heart piece, and place it onto your sewn heart, making sure that both right sides are facing each other.

Step 14. Note: Leave the small indicated area unsewn. You will use this opening to turn your heart inside out.

Step 15. Pin carefully all around, sandwiching all the layers together.

Step 16. Sew along the outside edge, leaving the small area from before, unsewn.

Step 17. Using sharp-nosed scissors, snip/clip the seam edge, as shown...do not cut the actual seam...This makes things easier when turning work inside out and pressing.

Step 18. Turn your heart inside out, and making sure all the seams are nicely pushed out, press flat.

Step 19. Remember the small open area? It hasn't been sewn up, it just looks like from the pic above because I folded the seam allowances inwards, as shown.

Step 20. Stuff the heart using whatever stuffing you prefer. I have used a gorgeous soft 100% merino fleece, which is so soft and gorgeous and natural... it also stuffs evenly and doesn't leave lumpy bits.... You can get contact my friend Linda, if you would like to purchase some...

Step 21. You'll now close the opening, using a matress stitch... I apologise for the lack of sharpness of the pics, didn't look properly while taking them (really bad me!!). I hope you can follow along ok....Thread a general sewing needle with cotton thread. Make a knot in the end, and starting at one edge of the opening, insert the needle as shown, pull thread through, go to next step.

Step 22. Insert a little way along the open edge, as seen above, and pull thread through...

Step 23. Do the other side of the open edge...

Step 24. I have included this pic, just to summarize the procedure. I hope it makes sense...
Continue until you have reached the other end of the opening.

Step 25. Gently pull your thread through...and hey Presto! the seam closes up!!! Finish off with a double back stitch to anchor your stitching...

Step 26. You have finished the first part of this project...cool! :)

Tomorrow we embellish....

If you would like the pattern emailed to you, please send a request to heidibearscreativeblog@gmail.com


In celebration of all things heart, this was a joy to see... don't you just love a heart?

Other interesting links: Liked this, really??? ...no... not really (for me at least!)

Word of the day

Cardiomania

a condition describing a mania for hearts

Have a lovely evening,

Lots of Love,

Heidi :)