CraftilyKori

Arizona Sunsets – The Perfect Inspiration for a Painted Desert Yarn Bowl Series

July 13, 2021 No Comments

The yarn bowls are continuing to be popular but I wanted to put more of my artistic spin on them. Yes, the horse hair and saggar ones are beautiful but they are also left to complete chance of the kiln and art mediums for their decoration. The glazed ones are a joy when seeing the transformation from dull colors in a jar to bright glossy ceramics once fired, but I’ve gone through almost all the available crystal and elements colors at the local ceramics store. Now that I’m nearing the 75th CraftilyKori bowl, it was time for a new technique and one that made the bisque yarn bowl a true “blank canvas.”

Arizona Inspired

Oh the Arizona sunsets. Sooo pretty. My husband and I have been in the Valley on and off for 10 years and I have spent my whole life in Arizona and let me say – we never get tired of the sunsets here. I found an article in the local newspaper, AZ Central, and they mention “Arizona also experiences some of the best sunsets, Zarzynski says, ‘because we have such an expansive and open sky. With all of the gorgeous mountains in the Valley and nearby opportunities to get into nature, Phoenix really has the perfect sunsets,’ she says.” She is not wrong!

What else do you think of when you think of Phoenix and Arizona? Cactus of course! It just wouldn’t be an Arizona Sunset if you didn’t also have a silhouette of cactus, specifically the Saguaro.

Prescott Inspired

I was born and raised in Prescott, Arizona – a small mountain town in Northern Arizona. It’s home to Whiskey Row, The World’s Oldest Rodeo, and my family’s business, Morgan Sign. One of the things that always surprises people when they visit Northern Arizona is the scenery and weather – mountains…large pine trees…and even snow! Growing up in Prescott meant beautiful fall hikes with changing leaves; snowball fights and sledding competitions, and not always needing to rely on AC in the Summer.

Two of the most notable landscape items of Prescott are Thumb Butte and Granite Mountain. Basically anywhere you drive around town you’ll see these items (even if you don’t see them on the horizon line, you’ll likely see it on a logo somewhere!) For the Prescott yarn bowls, I ditched the Saguaro cactus and opted for the prickly pear type – I have definitely had a few of these cactus barbs stuck in my ankles as a kid!

Painted Deserts Series…Roll-Out!

My husband went up to Parker, AZ to visit friends and play on the lake a few weekends ago. I had the whole house to myself! What to do, what to do? Ah, yes! Play with my yarn bowls. I had been wanted to do the painted desert series since I began making yarn bowls back in Sept 2020 but just never had the time to sit down and figure it out.

To begin, I wanted to make sure my supplies would work out. I had picked up some sample bisque tiles when I first started making the yarn bowls so I would have an opportunity to play around before diving into decorating a yarn bowl. I wanted to make sure that if I drew out my design with pencil first, the graphite wouldn’t show through when I stained the bisque since its a no-fire technique. It worked out! No “drafting” lines were present.

Now, was the fun part. I pulled up a bunch of photos for inspiration and started drawing out the sunsets. Thank goodness erasing on bisque also works! Once the idea was on the bowl, I used Duncan’s Bisq-Stain to create the silhouetted bottom portion. The inside looked a bit drab, so I opted to paint that as well. Next, was the painted dessert. Using pastels and an old paint brush, I layered color after color creating the sunset. The bisque piece can only “hold” so much chalk at a time, so in-between rounds, I had to spray a matte sealer and wait for it to dry. Four to five layers later….and it was done!!

After the first yarn bowl, I experimented with other options for the silhouettes to added a bit more depth and maybe expand to other Arizona areas like Sedona or Monument Valley. I decided to go with blue mountains to show perspective and break up the colors. I can’t decide which is my favorite!

These bowls are so fun to photograph because the colors just pop. They look equally as beautiful in person – next to the couch, holding your WIPs yarn.

They are now available on my Etsy store if you’d like to have one of your own!

Happy Crafting!

~Kori

Tools and Techniques

Food Paste, Foil, and Burning Hair (on purpose) – Making More Ceramic Yarn Bowls

December 2, 2020 No Comments

What a fun adventure the last six weeks have been. What started as a simple crafting activity for my husband and I to do for our anniversary has turned into a fun side gig and newly launched Esty store. We are on a first name basis at the local ceramics store, Bit & Pieces Ceramics, and my husband has been such a trooper and side-kick helping build photo booths, researching best shipping/packaging tips, and of course – helping make more yarn bowls!

With COVID-19 putting the kibosh on Thanksgiving travel plans, my husband I stayed in the Valley for the first time ever. Typically, we go up North to visit my family, but this year it was just the two of us. We decided to make the most of it and signed up for a special class taught by Wendy at Bits & Pieces Ceramics – learning how to make Horse-Hair and Saggar ceramics!

Saggar

This is a fun technique that uses a chemical compound as a base, wire wrap, a layer of food items (food paste, egg shells, etc), then a foil wrap to contain all the items as they burn in the propane kiln. I don’t quite understand all the magic of it, but this article goes into a bit more detail: Aluminum Foil Saggars: An Easy Alternative to Traditional Clay Saggars

When we first walked into Bits & Pieces, I was surprised to see the chemical compound was a bright yellow. Hmm…I think I’ll make a glazed yellow piece next 😉 …

Wendy, the instructor, explained how to layer each item and then we got to get our hands dirty. My husband and I each decorated two yarn pots. One with a lighter food paste and one with a darker one.

Next, it was out to the propane kiln. The smell, at first, was wonderful. Mmm…hazelnut and chocolate…Once it got to the chemical part, not so much. Wendy explained that once the foil was burnt off they were done. As we waited for these pieces, we went back inside to do the horse hair class.

Horse Hair

This technique is so awesome because you can never replicate the same piece twice. Once they take the piece out of the electric kiln, you only have about 40 working seconds before it is too cool for the hair to burn. Talk about pressure! The hair “dances” around the piece as it burns. You can also use feathers and different thicknesses of hair. I tried wool once just for fun, it had a very soft-lofty type line.

Alright, time to go — We “pre-loaded” our hair strands on the shelf next to the kiln and waited for the piece to be pulled out of the kiln.

Oh-my, what fun! We got to get our hands dirty (I kept my outfit clean thanks to my sewn apron) and while waiting for the saggar pieces to fire in the kiln and the horse hair finish to dry, we enjoyed lunch – turkey soup made from leftovers!

Bits & Pieces Ceramics does horse hair every Wednesday afternoon so it’s easy to get on their roster to try it yourself. It’s funny because when the regulars walk in and smell burnt hair they immediately mention, “Oh, you are doing horse hair today?” Yes, yes we are.

Next, we cleaned up both the pieces and sprayed them with a clear finish. The saggar ones all have their own “birthmarks” where the piece had extra debris that burned off. Sooo pretty!

Once home, it was time to photograph these new beauties so I can share them with you! My husband helped me set up the shed so I could keep them all out there and not have to keep moving them out of my “home-office” during client calls.

They are now posted on my Etsy store if you want to own your own. Bits & Pieces Ceramics is located in Mesa, Arizona and they offer classes each weekend. I encourage you to check them out!

Happy Crafting!

~Kori

Tools and Techniques

Making Ceramic Yarn Bowl – Skills Upgraded!

November 26, 2020 No Comments

Alright, I’m all in on these yarn bowls. It has been a bit of a (fun) learning curve and I’ve upgraded some of my tools which has been making things more efficient and the end result is a lot more “professional-handmade” looking.

I bought a “start-up pottery sculpting kit” from Amazon, that has some pretty good pieces for carving and finishing – and it included a yellow sponge.

I noticed that the sponge was “pulling” the clay and had some grooves that was shown after firing, so I looked at better options. I found this little guy – a white finishing sponge – and after soaking it in some water, it felt almost like a soft cloth. It was around $10 and when it arrived in the mail and it looked like a piece of paper. I was glaring at it thinking I had been tricked by internet marketers, but after soaking it in some luke warm water, I felt a little better – it had expanded to a more recognizable sponge shape. When I used it on the edges of the clay I had carved a few moments before, it worked out great – It may be my new favorite thing! — It’s so soft!

When we first tried carving the bowls we used an Exact-O-knife to cut the rim of the bowl, but my new kit included a piece of twisted wire fastened to wooden dowels that worked out really well remove the extra piece of clay in one piece.

After looking at my process, I realized I also needed to take a step back and properly prepare my Greenware before it had been fired. It seemed like the best option is a “scrubby.” This helped the Greenware be ship-shape before even being fired! The blue scrubbies you can buy at Wal-Mart but I also picked-up a maroon one from the ceramic store that was specifically meant to sand at this step. My husband mentioned he had used the same maroon scrubby at a previous job to prepare painted surface and was pleased with the results.

After getting a few fired (bisque) pieces back I couldn’t help but notice I could make them better (#perfectionist), so I asked the Ceramics store owner what options they recommend, and they mentioned bisque sanders. I bought a few … and man do they make a difference! The better I can make the Greenware, the less need for the bisque sander – but it’s nice to know it’s available. They basically sand down any rough edges before the next step – whether it be glaze, chalk, or horse-hair.

After using the bisque sanders for a few bowls, I asked the Ceramics store if they had a bisque sander for the yarn/knitting needle holes of the bowl and she was said – “Yes!…Hold on!” She went into her backroom and brought back cattails.

When I worked at Pier 1, Cattails were a popular item for floral and interior design so I was pretty surprised to hear the term again, but once I saw the items, I was like – Yep, those are definitely Cattails.

The cattails worked perfect and have lessened the carving time on the Greenware making the bisque have no need for touch-up! They are the perfect diameter for the yarn, making the yarn bowls prefect for all types of yarn including – chunky, worsted, fingering, etc. yarn.

After getting the finished product a bit more dialed in, I went back to the beginning– Pouring the slip. I decided to use a mesh filter (thank you Costco) – I had noticed that when I poured the slip, a few hard/dried pieces were making their way into the Greenware and filtering them out would help avoid random dried pieces when I was carving. (My husband is super excited that pouring slip has turned into a two-person adventure)

The last part was how to start the Etsy Store. A good photo is really important and I wanted a proper background to showcase the bowls. Cue husband and Home Depot! We went to Home Depot , it was one of those wander-around-until-you-find-something-that-you-think-will-work scavenger hunts or, “field engineering” as I’ve also heard it called.

We bought a box of flooring and some boards to create a 2″ by 2″ by 2″ by 2″ wall to take picture of the product.

It has been working out really well because I can stage the bowls and take pictures for my newly launched Etsy store!

~ Happy Crafting!

Kori

Yarn

Making Ceramic Yarn Bowls

November 8, 2020 No Comments

My husband and I recently celebrated our 8 year wedding anniversary. I’m a sucker for traditions and according to the internet, 8 years is both Bronze and Pottery. Each year, we switch out our wedding bands for that year’s material, so we went from copper to bronze. During our Staycation (thank you COVID for not letting us travel), we did a crafting activity at a local ceramic store to highlight the Pottery portion of the 8-year…and let’s just say… I got bit by the ceramics bug.

While searching the shelves for what we would decorate, I spotted a yarn bowl. “You have yarn bowls??” – I asked the owner. He replied that was a custom carving from an existing vase mold so I’d have to wait a few days if that’s what I wanted to glaze. Well, I’ve never been known to be a patient person, so my husband and I both picked a mug and had fun during our anniversary painting session.

I couldn’t get the yarn bowl out of my head. And thank you internet because I started researching slip molds and stumbled upon Glaser Ceramics that offered a yarn bowl mold! When we went to pick up our glazed mugs, I asked the owner if that would be something I could do myself. They confirmed that the mold producer was a reputable one (the ceramics industry has gone from 100’s of cast makers to single digits) and that I could always cast my own mold and bring it in for them to fire.

Yes. DIY has been my mantra and they literally said I could do-it-myself. I bought the mold that day and CraftilyKori Yarn bowls was now a thing. I had done pottery in high school (hand-built and the wheel) so how hard could it be?

Okay, I jumped in with both feet and had no idea what I was doing. I got the mold in the mail (paying 30% shipping cause the thing was almost 30lbs) and when I opened the box, I thought there was a section missing. You see, I was imagining two pieces – inside and outside – where you poured the clay inbetween.

I actually looked at my husband and thought, “what the heck did I just buy??” So, then I hit the internet…”How to pour slip molds” I found this article and this video and noticed they didn’t have the interior piece like I had expected. Alright, alright, alright…I think I may have all the parts….

Pour the slip in, wait a while, pour the slip out, wait even longer…and wha-la! Yarn bowl. Well, sort of. Again, this is where my husband and I were both scratching our heads because it was just a big tube of clay and it literally said “cut out” in the J-hook and the hole. My husband is an engineer and he was going into design-efficiency mode – where’s the insert?

Exact-o knife and turn-table to the rescue! After about a half-hour of cutting and smoothing we had what actually resembled a yarn bowl. At this stage, we had what is known as “Greenware” which is pottery that is unfired and very fragile. Out to the garage it went! Making sure no cats could knock it over while it continued to dry.

Each day, we’d pour a mold, cut a mold…pour a mold…cut a mold. We kept experimenting with what would help the J-hook stay structurally sound and not shrink away from the edge as it dried. I was pretty surprised to learn that as the greenware dries it shrinks about 7%. For this yarn bowl from first out of the mold to greenware – it decreased 15mm in diameter!

During this first week of my new yarn bowl adventure, my husband went on a trip and I was left to fend for myself. The slip of 3 gallons was HEAVY! Probably about 50lbs so it took some creativity of moving it to smaller buckets so I could even lift it by myself. Also, I could not figure out the ratchet strap that holds the two pieces of the mold together for the life of me (even the Amazon reviews confirmed this was a pain-point) so I switched to bungee cords instead. I pulled off a few more yarn bowls and by the time the weekend came, it was back to the ceramics store to get them fired. As I was showing the owner my very own greenware, I mistakenly pulled one up by the weak spot (the J-hook) and it broke. So sad! He told me he could fix it and when I got them back, I was so happy because he was able to piece it back together! This will be the one I keep for myself! My very first yarn bowl 🙂

When I got the fired pieces back, I had four bisque pieces that were ready to be glazed. I picked up some glaze and more slip when I picked up the fired pieces. This way, I could paint them at home and bring them back with the next set of greenware. Each night, I’d pour a mold and paint a bisque. My own little ceramics factory!

Well, then things got interesting. I was trying to figure out how I could add my logo to the greenware piece so people would know it was a product I had made from start to finish. The ceramic owner mentioned a stamp…. Yes! I have a 3d printer, I can make a stamp!

This was not as easy as I had hoped. I’m still learning my 3d printer, and let’s just say I had some failed attempts. First, I didn’t include a brim so when I went to check on my print, it was dancing in a weirdly shaped ball around the print-bed. Second, my logo was too complicated and it ate the bottom of the bowl right out. Third, the stamp was too high. By the fourth (or fifth, I lost count) I finally got it to work!

Now, I had some practice and a bit of a rhythm. I categorized the bowls by greenware and cone firing with labels for the ceramics store owners. We took our second round this weekend and added a few finishing touches to the first round. I got a little creative with my Cricut and some paint markers to add my logo on the non-stamped ones.

My vision is to have a different “series” and each series will have at least 4 pieces. There will be horse-hair, crystal-glaze, chalk-painted, and sager over the next few weeks.

Check back for more crafting stories on each of the series!

Update! I’ve added the link to my Etsy Store so you can own one of these yarn bowls! https://www.etsy.com/shop/CraftilyKori

Happy Crafting

~Kori

Fiber Arts, Knitting, Sewing

Knitted Herringbone Pillow for the Living Room

July 31, 2018 No Comments

Over the last two years, my husband and I have been renovating our house and have kept the color scheme to grays and whites for the majority of the rooms. Calm and cool, yes, but I live for a pop of color. I found some electric blue barstools on Amazon and inspiration hit. Project: Knitted Throw Pillows was underway.

I really like the shape of our current pillows and my husband has settled into a nightly routine of arranging them a specific way (read: manly-pillow fort), so I decided to base the pattern around the same pillow forms and just reuse them (upcycle?). As most of my projects begin, I headed to the local JoAnn store to gather up the fixin’s.

My trip to the store was a success:
Blue chunky yarn – Check
Matching blue zippers – Check
Snazzy fabric for the backside – Check
Used a coupon – Check!

Now, for the most important question…what stitch should this pillow be?

I discovered a herringbone stitch technique while working on another project and just fell in love. I’ve been really wanting to use it again and thought of it for this pillow. Also, this type of knit stitch comes highly recommended for cushions and pillows since it creates such a tight fabric. Sounds like a winner.

Admittedly, it took a few times to figure out the gauge and how many stitches to cast on. I first used size US 15 straight needles (14 inches long) and came up short. I switched over to circular needs and had a better result with 58 CO. Even then, I made the fabric a little bigger than needed so the pattern could use even more adjusting.

Now, the fun part! Sewing the pillow.

So fun, in fact, that eight months went by before I got to this step. Eh, life happens, right?

I washed and finished the edges of the many, many yards of fabric using a serger (I have no idea why I bought that much, remember it had been eight months…) and then ironed it all. To fit the existing pillow form, I needed two pieces of fabric – one 15″ tall x 19″ long and one 15″ x 20″ (extra for the zipper). I always forget how to do zippers, so I dusted off my trusty Stitch by Stitch book by Deborah Moebes for a quick refresh. Then, pinned both fabric sides to the knitted fabric. Even though I had extra yarn hanging out, I was happy that the addition of a garter stitch border seemed, in concept, to work out well.

Okay, okay, this part really was the exciting step. I was finally able to use my Juki industrial sewing machine! I had bought this off of a woman who owned a leather saddle business almost eight years ago to make seat belt purses. I still haven’t finished those WIP, but I will get there…(are you catching on to my too-many-projects-at-one-time problem).

What! Scissors…cutting….knitted yarn….??? Yes!

It’s a technique that I had stumbled upon a while back, known as steeking. It is traditionally used as a shortcut for knitting garments in the round and then adding an opening afterwards (think cardigan sweater). I’m still a little nervous when I go to actually wash the pillow cover, but I made sure to use two passes of the Juki and think it will stay for quite a while.

And there you have it. Or, well, I have it actually. A blue knitted throw pillow to match the barstools! I almost gave up a few months ago and bought store pillows, but I am really happy I finally finished it.

What’s next? Three more pillows, of course. I am going to use a different stitch for each pillow just to add some variety but will keep the same yarn and fabric.

I’m thinking the cluster stitch will be my next pillow attempted, stay tuned!

Happy Crafting!

~Kori

Cross Stitch, Fiber Arts

A Quick Project – Cross Stitch Hoop Ring

April 11, 2018 No Comments

It seems that lately, taxes, home renovation, and a new job have gotten the better of my mental energy. I was jonesing for an easy project that would fulfill a sense of accomplishment…but wouldn’t create yet another learning curve to maneuver through.

Time to hit the craft room and look through my aptly named, “Random Project Box.” Yes, it is true. I keep a stash of pre-packaged kits that come complete with everything one could need – materials to work the project and instructions to guide you through each step. It is the perfect go-to for when I want to work on something creative… but don’t feel very creative.

This go-round, I landed on a pretty simple project – A cross-stitched ring kit I had picked up at Joann’s a few weeks ago. It even included a little embroidery hoop to add some extra, authentic pizzazz.

The instruction booklet had a few ideas for artwork, but none of them seemed to call to me. I googled “small cross stitch patterns” and found a really simple skull pattern. Perfect! Nothing says bad-ass like a cross stitch skull, amiright?

The project went pretty quickly after that. I transferred the skull pattern to the Aida cloth and then chose light and dark grey embroidery thread.

Next, was to assemble the ring. I used super glue and then folded each Aida cloth section by section to have it form into the circle. The last step was to glue the wood piece and then the ring backing – And wah-lah! The ring is done.

In all, the project only took one night to complete. It was exactly the type of creative outlet I was looking for.

Now, on to the next project.

Happy Crafting!

~

Kori

Fiber Arts, Weaving

A Scarf for my Dad – Using a Rigid Heddle Loom

March 9, 2018 1 Comment

The Inspiration

For more than 35 years, my parents have owned their own business specializing in designing and fabricating exterior signage for local businesses. Their business, Morgan Sign, is located in the town I grew up in. When I was younger, it was neat to drive around and point out their work to my school friends. As I grew older, I even had a chance to work on some of the projects myself and was excited to see my own creativity displayed around town.

Since my husband and I moved to the big city, I’m not always up to date on what projects they are working on and often rely on posts from my brother’s Facebook to see the latest and greatest.

One day, late last year, I’m relaxing on the couch, mindlessly scrolling through my Facebook feed after a long day of work and I couldn’t believe it. My brother posted a new sign for one of my favorite local yarn stores, Fiber Creek! I’m not sure which project my parents or brother would rank as their favorite, but this one is definitely at the top of my list. My excitement must have been more than obvious because for my birthday, I received a gift card to the very same local yarn store. #BestBirthdayEver

Giftcard in tow, I took my time and thought about what should I treat myself to. More yarn? My stash could use always use more. More roving? You can never have too much roving.

And then, I knew. What better way to treat myself then picking up a brand new hobby! And thus, began my newest creative adventure – learning to use a rigid heddle loom and begin to weave. What better way to bring it full circle, then use my new loom to make something for my dad.

Making the Scarf

My dad’s favorite color is red. We are not talking, sort of likes red. I mean, loves red. He also really likes carbon fiber and the look of woven dark gray colors. I found the perfect yarn at Tempe Yarn and Fiber. The colors contained in the Heritage Wave – Checkers colorway were exactly what I was looking for. Red, with a gradient of light and dark grey. I decided to contrast it with black to tend towards my dad’s style of always wearing black.

Alright, colors picked. Hard part is over…I balled one of each skein to get the project started.

Not quite so fast. Pattern – I needed to decided on the pattern.

I had browsed online for different ideas by hitting the usual places – Pinterest, Ravelry, and just plain Google search. With the large commitment of yarn to warp the loom, I wanted to be sure it would turn out how I expected. Also, since this was only my second time using my rigid heddle table loom, I took to the mantra – “When in doubt, swatch it out.”

I looked through my craft supplies and busted out my Purl and Loop swatch maker. I tried a hounds-tooth pattern first but was pretty disappointed after only a few rows. It was causing the two colors to blend together, and look a bit messy. I really wanted to showcase the red, so then I tried large blocks of colors, but finally decided a 9 x 9 square pattern. Nine rows of warp threads, followed by nine rows of weft threads.

Now, to warp the loom. The articles online said to make the length of the scarf as long as the person is tall. I landed on about 72″ to add a little bit of length just in case. I secured my loom on one side of the cutting table and wheeled it out to the center of the room. Next, secured the peg on my craft room counter. Then… I just walked back and forth a few (okay, many) times. Nine times red, nine times black, nine times red, nine times black, and so on.

It’s hard to get a good idea of the scarf at this point, but once I started rolling it onto the back beam, I got pretty excited. The gradient was showing really well throughout the length and width of the scarf. Once all the yarn was rolled taut, I cut the threads and threaded it through each tooth of the rigid heddle. One piece in the eye, the next piece to the right. Lastly, I tied each of the color sections to the front warping rod. Now, we were in action!

Over the next few months, I would spend about an hour working on the scarf each night. My husband and I have decided to turn off the TV from 7pm – 8pm, and head over to the craft room. He usually reads while I work on my projects. Ever the multi-tasker, I also listened to an audio book (Eleanor & Park) and even snuck in a few episodes of Fuller House.

About a few weeks before Christmas, I was getting pretty close to the end of my warped threads and realized I didn’t have a way to finish the scarf. I knew I wanted to keep it to a men’s style and didn’t want long or frilly loose ends. I googled men’s scarfs and found that they typically had short, twisted fringes.

I found a fringe twister online, but was pretty surprised about the price. Luckily, my husband is pretty handy and likes to tinker, so he made me my own by using peg board accessories and alligator clips. We saved about $60 and it was fun to have him involved.

The best thing about weaving, is not having to go back and weave all the loose ends in afterwards, because you do it while you are weaving! I can’t recall how many different color changes there were, but let’s just say it was a lot more than you would want to hand sew back in and still be in a good mood about it. Once the scarf was blocked and dry, all I had to do was cut the ends close to the scarf.

And there we have it, the finished scarf! I took it up to Prescott and gave it to my dad for Christmas. My mom has sent me a few pictures this winter of him wearing it. Glad he likes it 🙂

Happy crafting!

Kori

Sewing

Sewing an apron – Simplicity 2272 Pattern

January 21, 2017 No Comments

Well, the holidays have come and gone, and the New Year is upon us. Luckily, before time got the better of me, I was able to score an awesome black Friday deal and picked up a brand new Singer sewing machine! What a better way to try out my new precious then to take on a simple project – an apron!

Let’s face it, simple isn’t really my style so even though I meant to take on an easy project I ended up with quite the undertaking. Over the last two months, I was able to flex my seamstress and embroidery muscle, picked up some great tips, and even added to my craft room supplies (thank you, Amazon!).

Once I unpacked the sewing machine, I headed over to the local JoAnn’s and searched through their pattern books. One of my favorite things to do is plop down, drink a vanilla iced latte, and just flip through the pages of the pattern catalogs…someday, I think to myself, I’ll be able to make these…but for now, let’s try an apron. I landed on Simplicity 2272 and the girl with the yellow apron and bright orange flower caught my eye. Pattern D. Let’s do this.

I decided to go with a different fabric then was pictured. I picked up 2 1/2 yards of the flowers and three fat quarters – gold, dark brown, white for the applique accent. Sewing is a game of patience and process, so no matter what – take the time to serge all the raw edges and wash/dry all your fabric first. It is worth it.

Once I had a chance to review the pattern instructions in detail, it was time for another trip to JoAnn’s. There was a lot more going on with this pattern then I initially thought. I snipped a few sample swatches and headed back.

Extra items needed – matching thread, button, bobbins

Okay…items needed – check. Fabric washed – check. Now to the fun part! Eh, not quite. More of the process and patience. Pressing.

Pressing the fabric in important, this step ensures the pattern lays precise. Some even recommend pressing the pattern paper. Admittedly, I skipped this step, but for a more serious project, I would have done it.

Now, for the cutting! For the flowers, I went ahead and cut four layers – the three different colors and the fusible interfacing. Since I wasn’t following the picture exact, I wanted to make sure to have options. The larger pieces were pretty simple, just follow the lines that were previously highlighted.

The pattern called for the flowers and pockets to be worked on first. I got to play around with my new sewing machine for this part. Experimenting with all the stiches, I landed on a very short zig-zag stitch to outline the appliques flowers.

So, I kid you not – this part took at least a month and a half. Again, I thought – oh, simple apron, but the addition of embroidery meant a few extra YouTube videos and some hunting around for my embroidery hoop. Add in the holidays, New Year, and now we are well into January.

On to the next steps, the ties and the apron body.

The next step was to encase. Yah, I had no idea what that was, so a few Google searches later, this apron was encased! I had heard of bias tape before, even dabbled in making my own, but I was all for store-bought on this one. I will say, I got a little too excited with the scissors and messed up the edge, but I think it turned out okay.

People, we may have ourselves an apron finally! The finishing touches were to add the buttonhole and button. I was super excited to see the perks of having a new machine for this step. The special buttonhole foot had you place the button into the foot, and the machine was able to determine the size of the hole on its own, I just had to press one button and wha-la! Buttonhole! I found a video online that recommended to add embroidery thread for added weight, and it seemed to work great. After that, the last step was to trim the edges. You could either zig-zag, serge, or use pinking shears to make sure the fabric doesn’t fray. At this point, I opted for the pinking shears.

Yes! At last, an apron. But what to do with the pattern? I found a few videos online that simply said to press and fold it back into the envelope. That paper must be magical because it worked like a charm and fit snuggly.

This was a great first project to try out the bells and whistles of my new machine. I’m so happy for my black Friday purchase!

Happy crafting!

Kori

Fiber Arts, Tools and Techniques, Weaving, Yarn

Prima Fiber Arts – Loom Weaving Kit

October 10, 2016 No Comments

I’ve been working on the same crochet project for a few months now and was itching for a little variety. While running errands, I talked the hubby into a quick pit stop to Hobby Lobby. I walked up and down the aisles, scoping out what would become my next crafting venture. I was hoping for something that wouldn’t be a huge learning curve and could be completed in a weekend, but still enough to satisfy my itch for something different.

I turned down the aisle and there it was, calling to me. The Prima Fiber Arts Loom Weaving Kit. Whispering “Buy me…. Buy meeeee.” Ever the sucker for a kit containing all you need to get started, I quickly loaded a mobile coupon and headed to the checkout.

I’ve been wanting to get into weaving for a while, and this kit was perfect! It included an adjustable loom, weaving comb, shuttle, shed stick, tapestry needle, yarn, warp thread, and even some accent pieces to really make your project have some pizzazz. With my 40% off coupon, I ended up paying just about $26 which is a steal for what you get. Everything seemed very well made and the pretty design on the loom and tools added a nice touch.

The “starter guide” instruction included in the kit was okay, but I would recommend watching the videos before really getting your hands dirty. The YouTube videos made by Prima were great because they used all the same items included in the kit. You can basically just follow along with the host.

Here are the videos I recommend watching:

Prima Fiber Arts Loom Kit Intro – (3 mins) What’s included in the kit

Prima Fiber Arts Techniques Part 1 – (18 mins) Basic weaving stitch

Prima Fiber Arts Techniques Part 2 (12 mins) More advanced weaving including angles and roving.

Prima Fiber Arts Techniques Part 3 – (14 mins) Finishing steps

Alright, instructions read and videos watched – now it’s time to get weaving!

The first step is to put the loom together. This was four quick screws, no heavy machinery or curse words involved.

I got hung up right from the get go for not understanding how to wind the shuttle. The still pictures in the instructions weren’t really helping, so I recommend another video: Winding a Stick Shuttle. The trick was to do the figure eight on one side, then change to the other side.

Next, you set the weave pattern by adding the shed stick, flip it up, and then start weaving. Changing colors is pretty easy, you just wrap the new color of the yarn around the shuttle and start a new row. I was a little overzealous on how much yarn I was adding in the beginning, which made if difficult to fit under the threads so lesson learned on that one. Once you have a handle on the basics, using roving and thicker yarn adds some dimension to the project and if you are feeling really sassy, you can start experimenting with angles and shapes!

I followed the design from the kit almost exactly but differed on the angle part a little bit. Full disclosure – this wasn’t on purpose, I got distracted by something on TV. But, I just kept going and think it turned out well. After getting the woven canvas mostly laid out the fun continues with accents. Making tassels is pretty easy. Here, I’ve just wrapped yarn around our tablet case and cut one end so they were all uniform lengths. Once on the loom, it’s pretty easy to just cut and shape them how you want it to lay. The kit also came with metal flowers, metal tubes, and silk flowers to add in where you think looks good.

With everything set, it’s time to weave in all the loose ends and take the project off the loom. This was the only time I had to use items from my own craft room – a needle and crochet hook. Similar to other yarn projects, the idea is just to weave in the ends and tidy everything up. Then, you cut two strands of the warp thread off and begin to tie them together. For the bottom, it was easier to just flip the tassels over so they were out of the way. To finish the weave, I found a stick and sewed yarn around to hold everything together.

Here’s a look at the finished project!

First weaving project down, and now the gears are turning with ideas for future projects. From my spinning stash, I have tons of roving that can be used and hand spun yarn would add in lots of texture. Using the shaping technique, it would be cool to experiment with more colors and use the loom as a base to create a woven canvas for a landscape or picture.

I’m pretty excited to learn more about weaving and happy to have found another use for all the yarn I’ve stored away 🙂

~

Kori

Spinning

It’s Here – The Bliss Spinning Wheel

July 12, 2016 No Comments

Back in May, I took a “Learn to Spin” class at the local yarn store, Tempe Yarn and Fiber. I treadled away for a few hours and began to dream about my next wheel. From a few candid interviews with other spinners, I learned – you can never have just one wheel! Up to this point, I had been using a few different drop spindles and tried reviving a traditional wheel from the early 1900s, but that thing has seen better days.

Naturally, I wanted the one I used in the class. An Ashford Joy. Simple, compact, and portable. I thought about all the places I could take my wheel – to the beach (ha! sand everywhere), to the park, to the local coffee shop. I could spin anywhere! Then, I saw how much it was. Yikes, I’m going to have to save up. The thing I’ve learned about spinning wheels, they are basically the same price regardless of where you purchase it. With the bag (of course you need a bag), I’d be in about $850.

Then I stumbled upon the Bliss spinning wheel. Beautiful and modern, unlike any wheel I’d seen before. Plus, it was in my price range! Converted to American Dollars, I’d be all in (including 3 additional bobbins and shipping for….$372! I was jumping for JOY!

The next big decision was single treadle (one foot) or double (both feet in opposite movements). The Ashford Joy I had learned on was a double treadle and I felt pretty comfortable with it. What I kept finding though, was the more seasoned spinners preferred and recommended the single treadle. It made sense when I talked to them about it. With a double, you have to sit in a chair, facing the wheel straight on. With a single, you can shift around, even sit on a couch if you want, and just go about your day spinning away. I sit in a chair for work all day, so the more comfortable I can be when I get home, the better.

Alright, order placed! Thank you Paypal.

And…it’s backordered.

So I waited.

And waited.

I watched a YouTube video with a review on the Bliss Spinning wheel (It’s in German so I couldn’t understand her, but she seemed happy when she talked about it).

I even read the blog about how the Bliss is made.

And found an episode on CraftDaily (UK’s first and only instructional TV programme) that talked about the wheel – Episode 9, about half way through, if you are interested.

Stalked their Facebook for updates.

And waited some more.

7 weeks later…I got an email the item has shipped! Hallelujah!!!

It was a holiday weekend and the package had to go through customs. I must have logged into the tracking page every 10 minutes for six days straight, but finally, my package arrived! A quick hop over to the post office and I picked my new favorite item up. The Post Office employee asked me what had arrived as I danced about when he brought the package from the back and I told him my spinning wheel. He said, “Oh, really! I just learned to crochet a few months ago!” We had a nice, (but quick) conversation and I ran home to put the wheel together.