The other day while at the Library, I came across Amy Butler’s book Little Stitches for Little Ones and got inspired to make this changing pad using only materials that I already had lying around.

Amy Butler creates some of the most beautiful fabric patterns that I’ve ever seen, but when I found this project I immediately got really inspired to do some upcycling.

I really like the look of vintage bed sheets and have amassed a good quantity over the last several years.  Most of the ones that I’ve purchased from thrift stores are full or queen sized flat sheets as well as some pillow cases, since fitted sheets don’t tend to hold up very well over the years.

Amy Butler’s Changing Pad Pattern calls for a piece of mid-weight printed cotton for the exterior and coordinating solid-color terry cloth for the portion where the baby will be placed down for changing.

For the mid-weight printed cotton I used a very retro butterfly bed sheet in browns, orange, and gray set on a cream background.  This was a sheet that I cut up years ago to make curtains with (note to self; curtains are probably not the best application for vintage bed sheets).

For the terry cloth I used an old brown towel.  I chose it because it was nice and soft but we don’t ever use it for showering, as we have about 6 really nice fast-drying towels that where recent gifts.  Also, I figured that the dark color would mask some of the inevitable stains.

The pattern also called for two pieces of batting for the inside, which I just happened to have from another project, but if I wouldn’t have had enough of that I would have used pieces of an old felt-like blanket that I’d already cut up to use as batting for another project.

My finished piece is just a little bit different from the original pattern.  For instance I ended up making the changing pad two inches longer to coincide with the width of the towel because I couldn’t see just wasting those two inches for no good reason.  The second thing I changed was the tie.  In the pattern you are supposed to make the tie with the printed fabric and this gets velicroed to itself around the mat when it’s rolled up.  Since I didn’t have any sew-on Velcro to use but did have a spool of brown grosgrain ribbon I decided to use two lengths of that and make it tie closure instead.

Now we’ve got a changing pad to use on the go that’s completely washable and almost 100% upcycled!

This is a great project for people who have a sewing machine but who aren’t that ambitious or who feel overwhelmed by the thought of following a sewing pattern.  I for one usually have a hard time following sewing directions, but even this wasn’t too much of a challenge. (bonus points for my first “quilting” project!)

What have you made for your little one out of recycled/ reclaimed materials that you have found indispensable as a parent?  I would love to hear about it!  I’m looking for some more things to make and would love some inspiration!  I think that one of the next things I’ll try making are some fitted crib sheets (there’s a pattern for those too in the book mentioned above).  Something tells me that you can’t have too many of those!  I’m thinking that my vintage bed sheets would be a great application for baby bed sheets.

Yesterday I had the urge to make something for the new baby again, and thought that a mobile would be a fun project.

It all started with a box full of beautiful origami paper cranes that my husband made for me in 2004.  I forget exactly how many he made, but I believe that it was over 100!  At the time we were living in two different cities; I in Cleveland, Ohio and him in Atlanta, Georgia.  He sent the cranes loose in a care package.  I always meant to do something crafty with them and yesterday I finally got my chance.

I’ve never made a mobile before, but I knew that I wanted it to be very light and delicate, so the cranes where a perfect fit.

To give the paper cranes some weight, I added a few beads to each strand.  The thread that I used was just a little heavier than regular sewing thread and it is doubled.  The beads and cranes are secured from slipping off the string by the bottom most bead/decoration.  I did not bother securing the decorations at the top since gravity will keep everything in place.  To keep all the strands organized and prevent tangling while I worked, I clipped each one to my sewing basket as seen below.

Once I had several strands to work with I started cutting down some green floral wire.  This wire is a fairly thin gauge and can be easily cut with scissors.  I had no idea how long to make each piece so I just played around with different lengths of wire.  I ended up using longer lengths at the top and the shortest ones at the bottom.  I bent each end of the wire upward to create a loop as seen in the photo below.

Creating balance in the mobile is very important and can’t be done unless you have the piece hanging as you work. So to help me construct this piece I used our floor lamp which has bendable armatures.  It was the perfect height for me to work.  Balance can easily be reached by adjusting the wires and threads.  Remember that you will need to continuously adjust this balance as your piece gets longer.

It’s also important that the strands do not easily tangle when the mobile gently rotates, so testing it to make sure that it does so is also very important.  Because this whole mobile is so light weight it can easily rotate with the most gentle indoor air currents.

After the mobile was as long as I wanted and I was satisfied with the way it was balanced, I secured each knot where the thread meets the wire with some clear-drying super strong non toxic glue.  This allowed me to clip the thread ends completely without the worry that my knots would come undone.

And here is how we can expect our little one to view their mobile as it hangs (high) above his/her crib.

Thank you for stopping by!  If you have a story about mobile making that you’d like to share I’d love to hear it!  Just leave me a comment below or write on the zween facebook wall.  Happy Crafting!

It’s a new year and it’s starting out to be a good one!  Above is a recent project that I tackled (more on this later) that ties together what has been going on in my life these past few months.

Lately, I’ve been in a bit of a creative slump.  It’s winter, it’s cold, it’s dreary.  That never helps.  But it’s more than that.  I’m working more hours in my “day job” and I tire much more quickly than I used to.  Oh yeah, and I’m pregnant with my first child!

As of today I am 16 weeks along and every day is an adventure as to how my life is changing and will be completely different from now on.  I’m going to prenatal visits with a midwife, I listen to podcasts about pregnancy and babies (to learn about things such as birthing options, baby carriers, breast-feeding/pumping, etc.), I watch documentaries about the current situation most American women find themselves in when giving birth (Pregnant in America and The Business of Being Born are two of my favorites so far and are currently able to be streamed via Netflix), I follow along month by month with my used copy of What to Expect When You’re Expecting, and I keep in touch with my good friend, Sarah, who is my pregnancy mentor, since she just gave birth to her first child three months ago (congratulations Sarah!).  What a great source of support and knowledge!  My husband and I are taking things one day at a time and trying not to stress out too much about the whole thing.  So far, it seems to be working.

Now that the first trimester is over and I’m regaining some of my previously lost energy, I feel more motivated to make things again (besides just this baby).  Motivation has been a real hinderance lately.  Though I want to start creating again, I find myself feeling a bit blocked as to what I want to do.  Do I continue making things almost exclusively with recycled materials?  Do I continue seeking out shops to potentially sell the things I make, as well as keeping up with the shops I’m already in?  Do I switch gears completely and just start making things for this baby?  I think the answer is probably to do a combination of all of these things.

Sometimes it’s the hardest to just get started, especially after what feels like a long break.  Taking things slow is probably a good way to start, which is how I came to make this crocheted baby dragon.  But let me back up first, because before I could make anything, I had to get organized.

On January 1st we took down all of our Christmas decorations, clearing the slate for the new year.  After that was done I was ready to do something that had really been getting me down; cleaning out my studio to make room for the baby.  I realize we have plenty of time before the baby will be here but it felt good to find new homes for all my tools and supplies.

The long, low dresser filled with my most essential tools (scissors, glue, hammer, pliers, crochet hooks, knitting needles, fasteners, etc) found a perfect new home as a buffet in our dinning room, conveniently located next to our dinning room table,  which is an excellent place to work.  The vintage suit cases underneath store finished products and also double as displays during craft shows.

On the underutilized side of our living room, my work table found a new home right next to a small closet which previously housed little more than our vacuum (not too necessary with all hardwood floors).  After moving the vacuum to the closet of the baby’s room, I had plenty of space for bigger essentials such as my sewing machines, irons, ironing board, sewing threads, and my most frequently used yarns.

My favorite feature of this storage space are the shelves that hang from the top to the door. We found these for only a dollar at a yard sale last summer! Now I can store and see all my little do dads such as buttons and beads. Love it!

Other, less used supplies, are now stored neatly in the attic and are still easily accessible.

I mention this because having an organized workspace is very important to many people’s creative process, including my own.  Though I feel lucky that I had a whole room to use exclusively for my work for an entire year, it did pose a problem of its own; it was impossible for me to keep it organized!  Now, with everything out in our living space, I am forced to clean up after my projects daily, since I am now unable to just shut the door and forget about it.

Now that I was organized I had to think of some things to make.  I started by processing a bunch of plastic bags that people have been giving me into new plarn.  Though it’s nice to have all those bags made into plarn and ready to be crocheted, I haven’t thought of what I want to make with them next yet.  So the plarn is on hold for now.

Then I started to look at my yarn stash and see what I wanted to make with that.  I couldn’t think of anything so I turned to Ravelry for some inspiration.  That’s where I found this free Baby Snow Dragon Pattern.  Originally, I had set out looking for something cute to make for my new baby.  Since this little guy has safety eyes it’s not exactly baby material since I guess it could be a choking hazard.  But it was the perfect application for my last bit of my green silk bamboo yarn, and since I haven’t done much amigurumi yet, it was a good exercise in the process.

More importantly, it got me making again, happy to be using up yarn in my stash, and excited about having a baby to make cute things for.  And I guess that’s all that really matters right?

PS- Doesn’t this baby dragon look like it needs a hug?

PPS- Here are my baby bump pictures that where take every two weeks starting at 12 weeks and ending with a picture that was taken today.

12 weeks

14 weeks

16 weeks

This post has just been added to Made By You Mondays over on Skip to my Lou!

This Christmas season I decided to tackle a traditional ornament project; the Froebel Star (also know as an Advent Star, Danish Star, Polish Star, German Star, Swedish Star, etc).

I got the idea a couple of weeks ago on a routine trip to my local printer here in Lakewood, Ohio.  There the owner bundles up small packs of scrap paper that he trims from larger sheets.  Many of these are the perfect size for jotting down notes, but some are a bit more unusual.  I noticed that he was selling some bundles of long, thin strips of paper and the first thing that came to my mind where the Christmas stars that my Mom and her siblings used to make.  Growing up, I remember having  several of these stars that we hung on our tree.

At one point, several years ago, my mom taught me how to make one but I could no longer remember.  I decided to buy a bundle of long paper strips from the printer and give it a try anyway.

Starting with a simple google search, I eventually found this tutorial.  At first I found the tutorial too confusing to follow so I turned to YouTube, but I could only find one video which was poorly lite and not even in English.  It did give me a good enough understanding of the process however and when I went back to the original tutorial I found it much easier to understand.

When my mom used to make these she would dip them in wax and sprinkle them with glitter.  I decided to go sans wax and glitter on mine.  I like the simplicity of the parchment-like paper.

I love the dimensionality of these stars and I also love that I was able to make them out of materials that would otherwise be wasted.  The other day I went back to the printer to give him one of the stars made from his paper scraps.  He was really excited because he often gets customers in his shop who ask him, “what would you ever do with these skinny paper scraps?  Who would want these??”  So now he has something to show them when they ask these questions.

These stars make wonderful individual ornaments, but could also be strung together to form a beautiful garland.

What are some of your favorite Christmas traditions?  I’d love to hear about them in the comments below or on the zween facebook page.

Merry Christmas and happy crafting!

That’s right, the wait is finally over!  Today is the first day of the Coffee + Crafts Trunk Show at the Root Cafe here in Lakewood, Ohio!  Today we will get to enjoy the loveliness that Chris Sorensen of Crafty Goodness, Amy Annico of The Cleaner Wiener Dog Soap Company, and Kat Remnick of Haus of Kaboom have to offer!!!

As the organizer of this first time event, I am super excited!!!  Please come out and support these lovely, creative ladies today and while you’re there stay for a raw food dinner.  The Root is renowned for their newish Raw Food Thursdays but even if raw is not your thing they have lots of other deliciousness which includes but is not limited to espresso drinks, hot cocoa, vegan and vegetarian fair!

This is just the begging folks.  Friday, Saturday, and Sunday the Trunk Show will continue with three different artists each day.  Check out this post for more details and pictures of items to expect.

I’m a pod cast junky.  There, I admit it.  I love to listen to them while I’m making stuff.  But lately I’ve been bummed out because my headphones are so uncomfortable to wear.  Unfortunately, I can’t wear ear buds at all, and trust me I’ve tried.  So I have to wear clunky head phones instead.

The problem I usually have with headphones are the cheep foam covers that fit around the ear pieces.  These are always the first thing to go on headphones.  In the case of this particular pair, the foam covers went years ago so I bought replacement covers at some big box store that ended up being way too big and ill-fitting.  But I used them for a long time, until finally this morning I had had enough and I made custom crochet covers for them.

This is not the first time I’ve fixed headphones in this way.  The first time I did it was in 2008.  We were barely into our Peace Corps service and still living with our host family.  Somehow the foam covers of the headphones that I brought from the US had completely disintegrated by month two of life in Morocco.  Sure I could have requested that a new pair be shipped to me in my next care package, or even bought some in Morocco, but instead I chose the DIY route and crocheted myself a new pair of covers.  To my delight they worked great!

About one year after later while we were in Rabat for our mid service medical exams, I noticed that one of my volunteer friends, Dan, was having the same problem with his headphones.  Of course I just happened to have some yarn and a crochet hook on me at the time (who travels without these things?), so while he wasn’t looking I quickly made him a home-made pair too.  To my surprise, he was still using them one year later when we finished our service in November, 2010!

So this is my third time making headphone covers.  They are really easy to make.  Mine are just made by crocheting single crochet in the round in the general shape of the headphones until they are the appropriate size (most headphones are not perfect circles, so you’ll want to use your specific pair as a guide and get your crochet cover to match up as closely as possible).  Then I crochet one or two rounds more without increasing and the final round is a double crochet/single chain pattern that you weave a piece of yarn into so as to synch the cover over the headphone.  Easy!

This is not a glamorous project, but it is practical.  There are a lot of instances where something minor brakes or wears out on something that we use often.  Though we are capable of figuring out a way of repairing or replacing the worn/broken component, we tend to take the easy way out and just throw it away and buy a new whats-it.

Do you have a story about a time you used your crochet skills (or sewing, or knitting, or crafting, or woodworking skills, etc) to bring something broken back to life?  I’d love to hear them!  Leave a comment below or on the zween facebook page.

Happy crafting!

Here’s a fun little project that I’ve been tackling the last few days.  The inspiration for this hat came this past Saturday from my table neighbor at the November Cleveland Craft Coalition Bazaar.  She had a beautiful scarf crocheted in a variegated fall color way using a crochet stitch that I had never seen before called the crocodile stitch.  Since I love learning new techniques,  I decided that I had to teach myself how to make this stitch.

The process of learning the technique was fairly easy with the internet.  All I had to do was google “crochet crocodile stitch” and I got tons of results.  I started with learning the basics from this video on YouTube.  After I learned the basics of the stitch I was ready to put it to use.

Though I think a scarf is a great application for this highly textured stitch, I wanted to try a hat, which is how I found this free crocodile stitch hat pattern.  What’s interesting about this pattern is that it’s worked from the bottom up, which is opposite from the way I am used to crocheting.  Along with becoming very familiar with the crocodile stitch by making this hat, I also needed to learn how to make a half double crochet foundation row, for which I used this YouTube video.  Unlike a regular chain stitch foundation row, the half double one allows for much more stretch.

As soon as I saw the pattern online I knew right away that I wanted to make my hat look like an artichoke.  I mean this stitch just screams ARTICHOKE to me!  Luckily, I had nearly an entire skein of Caron Simply Soft yarn in Dark Sage from the shamrock garland I made last March.

It was very easy to adapt the before-mentioned pattern to look more artichoke-like.  All I needed to do was create a stem on top to complete the look.  Easy!

Have you made something recently that utilizes a new technique?  I’d love to hear about it, or better yet see it!  You can post a photo of a finished project using a new technique that you learned on the zween facebook page, or just tell me the story of a project in the comments below.

Thursday December 15

Chris Sorensen
Crafty and creative in her own right, Chris is also the owner of the awesome Lakewood brick-and-mortar shop called Crafty Goodness.  Chris works in a variety of media and will be showcasing both her own work as well as work from her shop.  You can check out her website, craftygoodnesscle.com to see more!

Photo curtsy of Chris Sorensen

Kat Remick
Kat makes fun and festive headbands, hair clips, fascinators, ornaments and more!  Learn more about Kat on her website; kittenkaboom.wordpress.com

Photo via HausOfKaboom on Etsy

Amy Annico

The Cleaner Wiener Dog Soap Company specializes in sulfate-free dog soaps derived from organic ingredients which are simple and clean. Liquid and bar soaps are available for your dog’s bathing enjoyment. Amy will also be selling glass-block and upcycled bottlecap jewelry in dog and holiday prints.  To see more of Amy’s products, check out her website or Etsy shop.

Photo curtsy of Amy Annico

Friday December 16

Arooj Ashraf
Handwoven scarves, hand-stitched purses, pressed flower greeting cards and hair accessories.  Learn more about Arooj on her website; arooja.com

Photo curtsy of Arooj Ashraf

Katherine Johnson
Quilted mug rugs and coasters using some repurposed fabrics or embellishments, and greeting cards using some recycled papers/cards/embellishments.  Find out more about Katherine on her website; theartfulhausfrau.blogspot.com

photo curtsy of Katherine Johnson

Saturday, December 17

Meagan Shuttleworth
Lovely trendy, retro aprons for those who want to add a little style to their everyday chores in the kitchen or entertaining guests! Handmade flowers are added to each apron as a reminder to stop and smell the roses!  See more from Meagan on her website; The Witty Tales of Trendy Meg and see more aprons in her Etsy shop

Photo via Trendy Meg on Etsy

Ingrid Nolan
Fused plastic bags/accessories, coffee take-out cozies, crochet/knit hats, scarves, and fingerless gloves.

Photo curtsy of Ingrid Nolan

Emily Lindberg
Upcycled items such as crocheted owls made from plastic grocery bags and recycled fabric collages, as well as some coffee related stuff and maybe a few things to keep you warm as well!

Sunday, December 18

Brittany Charek

Fun, funky and useful novelty guitar picks made from recycled scrap plastic (recycled gift cards, ID cards, advertising, etc).  Grab a pack of assorted picks or just “pick” out your own.  Check out all of Brittany’s great stuff over on her Etsy shop.

Photo via holdenallen on Etsy

Joanna Wilson
Beautiful hand-embroidered greeting cards.  See more in Joanna’s Etsy shop.

photo curtsey of Joanna Wilson

Denise Kareliski
Fleece scarves, headbands and matching purses.

photo curtsey of Denise Kareliski

Join the Cleveland Craft Coalition for our November 12th Art and Craft Bazaar from 1p.m.-5p.m. at bela dubby!! We will have 17 artists with all sorts of great, handmade things that would make great gifts- for someone else, or for yourself!

If you haven’t already, check out the event page for this bazaar so you can RSVP and invite your friends!

Check out the artists that will be featured:

Arooj- henna tattoos, pressed flower greeting cards
Bethany- (http://www.etsy.com/shop/beethingsstudio)- jewelry
Bridgette- beaded, hemp and wire jewelry
Catherine- (http://www.kittenkaboom.wordpress.com/)- headbands, fascinators, hair accessories
Chris- (http://www.etsy.com/shop/craftygurll)- pottery, ornaments, sushi sets
Colleen & Liz- knitware, wallets, feathered accessories and whatnot
Emily- (http://www.zween.wordpress.com/)- a wide variety of upcycled items; from plarn handbags to funny greeting cards, to magnets and jewelry.
Ingrid- snarky cross stitch, amigurumi
Kristen- totes, record bowls
Margaret- (http://www.etsy.com/shop/MagsImagination)- polymer clay decorative items
Nicki- (http://www.etsy.com/shop/ZombieSocks)- zombie sock monkeys
Rachael- (http://www.crankypants.etsy.com/)- handcrafted hair accessories
Rhiannon- (http://www.etsy.com/shop/Snikitty)- voodoo dolls, hair accessories, cat toys, ornaments
Samantha- (http://thesnowstore.net/)- crocheted amigurumi
Sarah- (http://www.tbysarah.com/)- herbal teas, herbal products, tea accessories, aromatherapy products
Tina- quirky housewares, kitschy prints

But wait, there’s more!

Check out the Events page at the top of my site for all the other great events coming up between now and Christmas!

Here’s some fun, last-minute bear ears I made last night.  They only took about a half hour to make!  So, if you know how to crochet and need a really quick costume for next year, this is something to keep in mind.

How to make cute head band-style Halloween ears;

First crochet around the head band in single crochet.  I left just a little bit of room on each end where it tucks behind my ears.  Once you have single crochet along the whole band fasten off.

Now decide were you want your ears to be.

Ears (this pattern is for making rounded, bear-like ears, but could easily be adjusted to make triangular cat-like ears, or long bunny-like ears)

First ear

Row one- With the RIGHT SIDE facing and a new strand of yarn, single crochet into 6 sts (please note that I used a fairly thick yarn, so if you are using finer yarn you may want to adjust the number of stitches.) Ch 1, Turn. (6 sts)

Row two- 1sc in each st, ch 1, Turn . (6 sts)

Row three- sc 2 together, 1 sc in next 2 sc, sc 2 together, ch 1, Turn.  (4 sts)

Row four- 1 sc in each st, fasten off yarn

Second ear

Row one- With the RIGHT SIDE facing, repeat row one through four of first ear.  (this means that you will be starting from the right side of each ear and working left)

Finishing

With the RIGHT SIDE facing and starting on the right side of the right most ear; sc around ear, 1 slip stitch in each sc between ears, sc around second ear, fasten off.  Weave in all ends.

Inner ear (optional)

At this point you have ears!  If you used a fairly bulky yarn and crocheted it fairly tightly, they should have nice structure and stay up all by themselves.  Now you can add a little bit of pink to the centers to make them look more authentic.  For this part you could just cut little pieces of pink felt that are the appropriate size and shape, or, you can crochet them like I did.  To crochet the inner ears I used a finer yarn and a smaller hook and I followed the same pattern as for the outer ears but did a single crochet around the entire shape to end it.  After that I just used some black thread to sew the inner ears to the outer ones.  Easy!

I was working on some plarn owls last night and suddenly had the idea to make these.  I wasn’t sure if my co-workers would dress up for Halloween so I wanted to have something just in case.  Turns out nobody did, so they ended up staying in my purse all day.  Oh well!  I think these would look really cute with a matching crochet tale and mittens complete with little claws!