Mug Rug

Brrrr, for those of you back in the Midwest and East.  This winter has hit you hard. As for us in California, we are enjoying warm weather, but desperately need some rain (and snow). It has been a crazy winter season, for sure.
While I was down visiting my daughter, she had cleaned out her fabric/goodie stash and gave me a couple of old wool sweaters. So I used these to make today's project.


And in the spirit of 'keeping warm' ...

Felted Mug Rug
You will need:
an old sweater that is 100% wool, elastic cord and a button.


First you will need to wash the sweater in hot water 2-3 times. Use a little bit of detergent. A large sweater will miraculously change into a little baby sweater. But you never could use it to wear, it is too thick and stiff. Your kid would look like a paper doll with his arms sticking straight out.


At this point, the wool has felted and can be cut without the edges fraying.
I cut a piece approx. 9" X 3" .  I sewed a loop of elastic at one end, and a button at the other end on one side. My sweater had an argyle design, so I went over the colors with my sewing machine to give it some interest. But this is optional. Also I used a button that was all plastic, no metal. This way I can heat up my drink in the microwave with the Cup Cozy still on it.


And there you have it. You can get several from one sweater. Make a few, add some mugs, coffee or tea, and you have a great gift.


I also cut off the sleeve ends after one time in the washer. Now these snugglies can be used for 'take out' cups. Cut a long one for those Grande sizes, and a smaller one for the tall size.

So even if you are not staying warm this winter, your drinks will be!


tip of the day:
One of the 'hot' items these days are Reusable Lint Balls. These are made from 100% wool yarn, (non-washable). You make a ball of yarn about the size of a tennis ball. Put in a sock, knot the sock tightly and wash it 2-3 times in HOT water until the ball comes out the size of a golf ball. Or I bet you could boil it too. Then you throw 5 or 6 of these felted yarn balls in the dryer instead of a dryer sheet. I haven't tried this one yet, but let me know if you have and how it works.


That's all for now,
:D

fabulous felt

Did you have a great New Year's Eve? Did you stay in and cozy up to the fire and watch the 'ball drop' then drop off to bed? Or did you party hardy wearing your best duds til the wee hours? Either way, welcome 2012. Whew, where did the time go??? It's going to take me a while to get used to putting that year on my checks. I hope one of your new year's resolutions was to craft more and recycle! If so, you came to the right place.

Today's project is:

Sweaters: felting and other stuff

You will need an old sweater (that you don't mind cutting up)
   ~if you want to felt it, it must be wool.
scissors, sewing machine, chain or leather strap (optional) and pin (optional)

One project we are going to make is a felted purse. I used a sweater I bought from the resale shop for 25 cents. What a deal. Why? Because it was scratchy wool. Not so nice to wear, but great for felting.

What is felting? When the fibers of the wool shrink, they gather together actually becoming a piece of fabric that is dense and intertwined. That is why you can cut it and it won't fray.  Some of you may have used felt squares from the craft store, so you can remember how easy they were to work with.

I washed it in HOT water a couple of times, and it shrunk up well. I then cut off the sleeves and cut a long rectangle. This will become the bag and flap.

Sew up the sides (inside out), add a strap if you wish. If not, it will be nice clutch.
Turn right side out and add a pin to the flap, if you wish. It adds weight to the flap. I used a fused glass piece my daughter Betsy made.

Another project you can make which is super easy is: a sweater vase cover.
If you have a ribbed, knit sweater (does NOT have to be wool), cut off a sleeve, slip it over a vase, measure the height and cut off. You do not have to hem it, the top will be the sleeve ribbing, and the bottom can be tucked in under next to the vase.
(Add a beautiful ribbon around it, and it makes a great winter decoration. Add some big sprigs of pyracanthas, holly, or pine)

Or...you can make a Christmas stocking from an old sweater. Again, it does NOT have to be wool for this one...
The ribbed bottom will be the top of the stocking. Cut out the general shape of a sock, and cut out, turn inside out and sew.

Turn right side out, and add a ribbon to hang it. Great way to get rid of those old Christmas sweaters. May be unstylish to wear, but cute to hang by the chimney with care.

You can use the felted sweaters as pot holders, trivets, place mats, coasters, etc. Just cut out squares or rectangles. They are so dense, they can withstand the heat from hot pots, etc.

It becomes additive, you'll be combing the thrift shops for those old wool sweaters before you know it! Now is the time to be looking, because everything is on sale.

tip of the day:  I drink tea, and my mug gets stained. Bleach is an easy way to clean, with no scrubbing. Just fill stained cup or bowl 3/4 with water, and 1/4 bleach. Let sit for several minutes. The stains disappear quickly. Wash and let air dry, and they are ready to use.  I pour the solution into one mug after the other to clean several at a time. Works on those spaghetti stains, and anything that is musty or moldy.

That's all for this week...
:D

Mini Boxes

Well, Christmas was awesome for me this year!!!

And I'm glad for every moment and everyone. I hope your holiday was a special one, too.

I snuck in an extra post before this one, in case some of you clean up your holiday decorations right afterward. So I hope some of you have saved some Christmas cards, as I suggested then, because this project will be using them.

We will be making:  Mini Card Boxes 

You will need: 2 cards, tape or glue and scissors

First step is to take the front off the card. You can use the back of the card for the bottom of the box if you wish, or if it has too much writing on it, use another card front. The bottom of the box must be a little smaller than the cover, so cut 1/4" off one side and the top.

Working on the blank side of the card, you will take a straighedge (ruler, envelope, another card, whatever) and put it on the top left corner across to the bottom right corner and make a line in the middle. Do the same to the other corners to form an X. This will show you the exact middle of the card.

Then you will take the top edge, bring it to the X, and fold. Do the same with all four sides. See photo below.  Use a popsicle stick, or the handle of your scissors to flatten down the folds well.

Then make 4 cuts as shown (only on the fold lines).

Remember...if you mess up, don't worry, start again with another card, practice on a card 'back' first if you want to until you get the hang of it.

Then you will fold in the two sides, and fold up the end over these and glue or tape. Do the same with the other side. That's it!

I have used these little boxes for so many things. They are just so fun to make. Of course, the bigger paper you use, the bigger the box. You can even make gift boxes from card stock, old calendars, etc., any stiff paper will work. Remember to save any greeting cards you receive also for little gift boxes the rest of the year.

How about this year you make several of these, and put in your goals and predictions for next year, stow them away in your Christmas decorations, and bring them out in 2012, and have fun seeing how many came true.  Or put nice thoughts into them (like a fortune cookie), hang them on the tree (just add thread to the lid corner before you glue it shut) and when friends and family come over, they can pick one. Or use them for a 'treasure hunt' to find bigger gifts hidden around the house (put the recipients name on the bottom of the box). Lots of possibilities.

Tip of the day:

Are your winter sweaters looking a bit 'pilly', you know those little balls of yarn that stick out and make your knitted garments look shabby? Well, here's a couple of ideas to get rid of them, take an old razor and shave your sweater (old razor is better, not so sharp) or I saw this one on TV: use the 'sticky' part of velcro and pick up those pilly balls with it.  Or if your sweater is totally hopeless, and made of wool, you can felt it. Put it into your washing machine on HOT setting. Wash a few times, and it will shrink up tight. You can use this for lots of things, as it won't fray when you cut it. Perhaps another post on felted wool, or old sweaters next time! :) stay tuned!!

and a HEALTHY, HAPPY NEW YEAR to all !

That's all for this week...

:D