a Halloween tradition

New skully stitch markers (or, if you like, earrings)

I used up all the skull beads I had on hand making the rest of these. I'll have to get more for next year.

Finishing

Do you ever get in a mood to just finish something? Like, somehow, no matter how many hours you've put in at work, or how many loads of laundry you've done at home, you just aren't feeling like you've done ANYTHING?

I get that way from time to time. And then I have to dig out some almost-finished objects, or a really quick project I know I can start and finish in less than a day, and just bust the thing out.

Last week, I managed to finish up not just one project, but two that were already started, and two more that I had in kit form.
(I feel so much better now!)

First, I finished these socks, which have been languishing in my unfinished stash ever since I realized I'd made the foot too long for myself.

Even after I'd had my sis try them on, and they fit her just fine, I still stalled on picking them back up. So glad to be done with them! (Serenity Sock in Amethyst)

Then, I picked up a half-knit play-food item, my Spudknit.

Frankly, it got a little boring in the middle bit, because for 20 rounds, you just knit. I managed to make myself stick with it, and I was finished with the second half in, oh, 20 minutes or so. (I hate when I do that - letting something sit that is so quick to finish.)
(Wool-Ease in Caramel)

After that, I looked around for something that I could get excited about, but also not take too much time, and I pulled out these two Halloween-themed mini-pillows.
Both are kits I bought at Pine Needles.

Stitched up the one with the least stitches first:

then moved on to this one:

I like both of them, but maybe not together. One is so bright, and the other is more subdued.

Impressed with me yet?

Going a bit further back, to the week before, I also managed to finish up the third pair of socks for Twin1, (Classic Socks from 2-at-a-time Socks)

black is impossible to photograph...

and a pair of my own socks that had been back-burnered for almost 2 years.

I love these socks! (Toe-up Jaywalkers, in Patons Kroy Socks Jacquard, Summer Moss)

I'm feeling tons more productive.
Might not last, but, at least I'm getting somewhere.

out of season

I've been in my sewing room a bit lately. First, to sew up PJ's for my boy, and then later, his robe. (Neither of which were photographed before being sent off. Bummer.) At any rate, having to do those projects got me back into the swing of things where sewing was concerned, and I'm so glad.

Last night, while watching a little Netflix and putting blanket binding on the fleece blanket and pillow case for my missionary boy, I found myself with more time left of the show I was watching, and nothing left to do on the project. I could have turned it off, gone to bed, and finished the show on my Kindle Fire, but, there I was, surrounded by unfinished projects, so I stayed.

Floating near the surface of those unfinished projects was a little Halloween pillow cover I'd not quite managed to finish last fall. I'd done all the stitching, and put on the borders, even chosen the backing. Where I got stalled was in how to finish the pillow. I reasoned that it was going to be easier to store a pillow cover than a whole pillow, so I wanted to be able to remove it when the seasons changed. But how best to do that?

My backing piece was slightly longer than it needed to be, so I'd pretty much settled on some sort of overlapped opening in the back, perhaps tied with ribbons. Good idea, and something I'd done before, but I wanted just exactly the right finishing on the outer edge, and the right ribbon to tie it with. Hence the stalling.

While mulling it over last night, my eyes lit on the exact right color of bias binding, and then a bit of ribbon, just a scrap really, that I thought would do.

Twenty minutes later, I had this:

(in retrospect, I think the ribbons should be a bit closer to center)

And I was done!

I know it's totally off-season, and I'll have to put it away until October. But it's finished, it's no longer taking up space in the sewing room, and I have a cute seasonal pillow cover!

The embroidery pattern is something I've made before, for a friend, and then stitched up for myself later. (Can't find it online at the moment, or I'd link to the designer/source - will update if I find it.)

I like to use a travel size pillow insert for decorative pillows like this. Easy to find at just about any fabric store, and very handy.

For the back, my piece happened to be about 3" too long, so I folded it in thirds, creased it, and cut off one third for the top portion. (I could have cut it in half, but I like thirds.) I then serged the upper edge of the bottom portion, just to make it so I didn't have to worry about fraying (it won't be seen), and bound the lower edge of the top portion with double fold extra wide bias tape. I used a sort of peach/coral color that I thought blended nicely with the Halloween colors on the front.

I overlapped the two back pieces, bias-bound edge on top, making the total finished length to match the front piece, and stitched the overlapped portions together at the outer edges.

Then I took the ribbon, a sheer ivory ribbon, about 1 1/2" wide and, at a guess, about a yard long (it was a scrap, likely from a package someone had given me, and I didn't measure it before I cut it up for this project), and cut it into four equal pieces, each piece being cut straight at one end and slanted at the other. I positioned them on the right side of the pillow back, two pieces to be sewn to the underside of the bound edge, the other two sewn just below these, on the lower portion of the backing.

After stitching them in place, I put the backing right sides together with the front, stitched around the whole outer edge using 1/4" seams, clipped my corners, and turned it right side out.

Slip in the pillow, tie the bows, and there you have it. Cute from either side, and ready for fall. Plus, I can use the pillow for other seasonal covers, and I can wash the cover easily - just untie the bows, slip it off, and it's ready.

Now I just need to hunt up a cute patriotic design that fits the pillow dimensions, and get that stitched up in time for the 4th.

Best Socks So Far

I just realized that I had not yet introduced you to my most recently completed socks:

These are my spider socks! (I apologize for how dark this photo is - I'll try to get a better shot later.)
I managed to get them done in only 12 days, and was able to wear them on my way out to Seattle, just in time for Halloween.

These are the absolute best-fitting socks I've made yet. They even fit comfortably inside my dress shoes, so I've worn them to work. More than once.

In fact, I won't be putting these socks away with my Halloween wearables, because they are just too comfortable to wear only one month out of the year.

The bamboo/wool blend makes them less cozy than wool by itself, which is a major plus for me. I'll be making more socks using this blend, though perhaps not the same brand. I never ran across so many breaks, slubs, and imperfections in just one skein of yarn.

Yarn: JoAnn Sensations Bamboo & Ewe in Charcoal Grey

Whatcha Doin'?

In spite of all the time I was away from home last week, and all the time I then had to spend at work this week, I have gotten a few projects done.

I carved pumpkins with the Seattles:

Knitted a Dead Fish Hat for one of the Seattle nephews:

he chose the colors!

Made yet another Pence Jug, this one for a co-worker:

And managed a good bit of progress on the lemonade socks:

I don't actually know these guys, but they were awfully nice and knew just about everything there is to know about that flying machine behind them.

Sometimes, it seems like the more I have to do, the more I can get done, you know?
Does it work that way for you?

The Oreos are watching me

These functional google-eyes are totally edible!
I used double stuffs, and stacked two halves together (which would make them quad-stuffed).

You can get the directions to make your own edible google eyes, stuck into just about any treat, here.

The Twins tell me that they preferred not to eat the gelatin capsule as it's kinda crunchy and doesn't taste like anything. But as it is just a gelatin capsule, you can let your kids munch on these monsters without you having to worry about them eating something they shouldn't.

I found my gelatin capsules at Good Earth, in a huge package of 100 for about $7. The eyeballs are jumbo sprinkles, which you can usually find in the baking stuff at JoAnn or Michaels.

I'm still working on a better, easier way to cut the capsule. I keep thinking that if you softened the capsule slightly in hot water, or maybe used a heated knife or scissors, you might be able to snip it right off instead of cutting up the side and all that. Haven't tried it yet, but I'll let you know if it works.

Cookies for Halloween

These are Jack-O-Lantern face parts - see the eyes?

I saw this over on Eighteen 25, and just had to make some!

Instead of putting the pieces in a jar, I used a large clear gift bag. Then I punched a hole near the edge in each plate (one for each kid), and tied the plates onto the bag with the curling ribbon.

She gives you links to her favorite cookie recipe, and her Royal Icing recipe with tons of tips on how to make pretty cookies. I used my own favorite cookie recipe, and, since I fail at Royal Icing every time when I try to make it at home, I bought the Wilton Cookie Icing and tinted it using gel food coloring. (Except for black - that one I bought already colored.) If you've never tried icing your cookies this way, you really should. It's much easier than it looks!

Halloween Trio

I made these a couple weeks ago, in preparation for a craft night. I sorta copied the idea from some my friend had, for Frankie and the Mummy, but I made up the Pumpkin.
Super easy, and pretty cheap, too. As in, less than $1 for all three. Seriously.

They are made from a 4" piece of 2x4 each, with just a few other bits and pieces: mini spools, painted silver, for Frankie (or you could use some short screws); 1" strips of cheesecloth for the Mummy; plastic spider, 18" twine, and a strip from a brown paper grocery sack for the stem on the Pumpkin.

All the paint is watered down (except the facial features), so it's super-quick to apply and dries really fast. The backs and edges are all done with a very thin black wash, and the fronts get the color.

Frankie's hair was done by painting across the top edge, with fairly thinned black paint, which was then allowed to run down the front until I thought it was far enough down (stand him up, let it run, then flip him over and leave him until it dries). I touched it up with some random brushstrokes in black paint. The face was done free-hand, with a toothpick. A paint pen would work well, too. Glue the spools (or put the screws in) on either side, near the bottom.

Dot the Mummy eyes on the face, near the top and a little to one side, using a toothpick or paint pen. Wrap the Mummy with strips of cheesecloth, and dab on some craft glue that's been watered down, just in a few places, using a paint brush.

For the Pumpkin, cut a 1" strip off the top of a brown paper sack, roll it up, glue the end down, and glue it to the top with tacky glue. When it's dry, wrap the twine from front to back, and back to the front, tie it in a knot, and tweak the ends. Dip each of the spiders legs in glue, and set him on the front. Lay it down until it's dry.

(I would do up a full tutorial, but work is demanding the bulk of my attention these days.)

If you are in the area, and you would like to make some, we are doing these as part of our Terrific Tuesday (most wards would call that Super Saturday, but ours is on Tuesday), on the 18th. Or just let me know, and we'll arrange something.

What do Roosters have for Tea?

I don't actually know. And probably don't want to know.
But I'm pretty sure they would use this cute tea-towel to help keep things tidy.

No clue where I got the kit, but the fabric pieces have been fused to the towel for years now, and it was high time I stitched them down and finished it off.

Stitched by machine, using the blind hem stitch on my Bernina, set to a super-short stitch length and a moderate width (around 2, usually) with ordinary black thread.

Legs stitched by hand, 3 strands black DMC (310) in a stem stitch. Eye bead stitched on by hand as well.

While I had the machine all loaded up and set for my favorite applique stitch, I finished off a couple more tea towels from the fused-but-not-stitched pile.

Frankie pattern from Acorn Hollow by Art to Heart

Halloween Trio from a kit purchased at local craft fair

Sure, I know it's only September, but if I'd waited until October, I'd probably have forgotten them again.

(I may have finally broken through my crafting funk!)

Dracula

Loved this.

Friday is sold out, not many tickets left for the Saturday performances.
Better get you some while you can.

skully stitch markers

I thought I'd do a little something for my Fab Fibers group for Halloween, because I love Halloween, and when I found I had lots and lots of these skull "beads", I figured they'd be perfect for making festive stitch markers.

I like how they turned out. Just the right amount of spooky.

I've got to make a few more, but I ran out of the head pins. There were only a few of us last night anyway, but the other gals will get theirs next time.

Wish I could find a split ring a little bigger than these. The one I used will fit up to a size 9 needle. I often work with 10 1/2's or larger. I found some that were about 3/4" diameter, but that's kinda big. I want something in between. They had jump rings in all the sizes, just not split rings.

(skull beads from Oriental Trading)

Life is just a....

...chair of snowy pumpkins?

Time for Spooks (Sporks?)

It's been a weird month for me. For some reason, I've found myself with only odd pockets of free time, nothing quite long enough to even get all the boxes of Halloween decor from the attic. Pretty sure I have about as many boxes of Halloween as I do Christmas. Maybe even more.

Friday night, I finally just had to do it. I mean, the month is just about over, so really, I had no choice.

I got up in there, and handed box after box of Halloween goodies down to Twin1 (my usual attic helper). I've gotten through most of them.

Looks like I can wear a Halloween T every day for the rest of the month with no repeats.

Is that wrong?

I only have 3 pairs of Halloween socks, though, so maybe that evens things out.

(look: orange pants!)

We're doing the front yard in spiders.

Just spiders.

Some of them are just too oogie to look at. I realize I bought these things, but I still had a hard time putting some of them up. Those blue and black furry ones out on the arbor are just...well, I had to take a break after that. So if those ones get ruined in the rain? I won't be heartbroken. I may need someone else to throw them out for me, but I think I'll be fine with letting them go.

(Ghost Boy will have to stay shut away in his locker this year.)

Inside, I'm going for an old-fashioned, b&w, classic sort of look.

(Is that winged zebra looking at me? I think it's looking at me.

It's kinda creepy.)

The super-colorful stuff will have to go back in the attic.

Been thinning out stuff I just don't seem to like anymore, so I'll have a box of Halloween decor going spare. It's cute stuff, but I've just got so much, something has to go.

I have a hard time letting stuff go, especially if I made it, or the kids made it. Keep the stuff the Twins made, absolutely.

That little pumpkin I crocheted back in early College?

Not so attached.

Now, that bat wreath, that's just so cute, still.

Or at least, the bat is. The main wreath fabric is so...80's. Maybe that'll have to get re-made. I think I'd like it again if it was black & white polka dots. If I can just find time to...no, never mind. It'll have to wait for next year.

5 minutes to spooky

Just found this nifty spooky book cover printable thru Ucreate.

Printed it out, assembled it, and slapped it on a book.

Five minutes.

I love a good, quick, crafty experience.

(Fits a standard LDS hymn book, if you want to know.)

I made a spider clock!

I found this great tutorial for a spooky clock over on Eighteen25, and I just had to have one.

I got the components and face at Roberts, and asked a friend to do the spiderweb vinyl parts for me on her Silhouette. Then, one of my friends said they were thinking of doing a crackle finish on the face, and I thought that sounded like a good idea, too.

I did the crackle stuff, and messed it up good. The bottle of crackle medium says the crackle effect happens when it dries. NOT. It sort of happens right away, and you'll spoil it if you go over it again. Which I did. So I had to start over, paint it black again, let that dry, put on another coat of crackle, let that dry, and then, with a huge foam brush and lots of paint on my pallet, I hurried to put on the white. Notice that you get bigger crackles where the paint is thicker, and smaller crackles where it's a thin coat. Better this time, though still not perfect; I decided it was good enough.

Got me some glitter spiders out at Zurchers. I figured the different colors were fine, and I liked using big spiders for the main 4 numbers, and smaller ones in between. I think I paid about $3 for the package, and I still have more spiders. (I had to look through a couple, make sure they had enough small spiders, so watch for that, if you get the same kind. If you wanted all the spiders to be black, you'd have to buy a couple packages.)

Stuck the spiders on with glue dots (had to use 2 under the little ones, as their legs make their bodies pretty far from the surface), and put the clock parts together with the face.

For placement, I just set my base on a ruled grid, and lined up top and bottom, side to side, for the main 4, then eyeballed it for the smaller ones. You could use paper, cut to match your face, and fold it in half twice, then in thirds, and use the crease lines for placement. I considered doing that. But then I figured, it'll be close enough. Plus, if it didn't work out, it's only glue dots, and I can move them.

Anyway, that's how I did it. Sort of like the one on eighteen25, but kind of not.

Itsy Glitsy Spider

Isn't she adorable? I want at least 3 of these, in different colors. With different eyes, maybe.

Pattern was so very easy to do.

Except for sticking the pipe cleaners in the legs. That was hard.

I had to get out my Turn-It-All tool

(love that thing - couldn't do bias tubing, or straps, or little arms and legs without it), and force the smallest tube into the i-cord, which wasn't so easy, either. But it worked.

Here's how, in case you're having the same trouble:

locate your bound-off end of the i-cord

work the tube into the end 

and all the way through (this may take some time - but it can be done) 

insert the pipe cleaner into the tube 

and pull the tube out the other end

 make sure to hold onto the pipe cleaner so it doesn't get pulled out, too

 fold over one end and tuck it into the i-cord 

flip around, figure out how long you need it, and scrunch the i-cord away from the end while you cut and fold it over 

tuck in pipe cleaner, and weave in yarn ends

 and you're done!

Yarns: Moda Dea Gleam in Amethyst and Blue Topaz