Me So Crafty V

I’ve got two projects to share with you. Remember the kitchen sink curtains with the crochet edging? I sewed a pair of matching curtains (sans crochet) for the other kitchen windows.

Not bad. Everything looks good from a distance.

I’m going for a 1950′s theme. On the right, starting from the top, is a (broken) tea pot room thermometer I picked up for $2.00. In the middle is a reproduction,  battery-powered clock (there’s no outlet on that wall), and rounding out the bottom, is a vintage Eisenhower/Mamie collectable plate.

The second project stemmed from a visit to the Washington County (NY) Antique Fair. A woman was selling pillows sewn from flour/sugar sacks. They had a hipster quality with NYC hipster  prices. The smallest pillows (5 pound sugar sacks) were going for $25 and the largest (50 pound feed sacks) were over $60. Looking at them, I thought, “I could do this.”

Twenty minutes later I was in a stall selling vintage fabric and flour/feed sacks. The sacks were in decent shape. The smallest (5 pound sugar sacks) were $2 each and the largest (a 50 pound feed sack) was $5. I bought two sugar sacks and the feed sack.

At home, I washed the sacks, sewed the sacks into pillows using cotton thread and filled them with polyfill. The large feed sack I cut into three sections. So for under $20, I got five pillows. Not bad, indeed.

They don't look so lumpy in person. The feed sack I cut into three sections.

 

I would show the other two pillows, but the computer won't let me upload them. But this image displays the best part of the sack.

 

 

Me So Crafty IV, Part Deux

A few weeks back, I related my adventures sanding and painting a kitchen chair in Me So Crafty IV. I had one other chair to give the same treatment.

My second project was the brown chair on the left.

I paid $5.00 for the chair at the Washington County Antique Fair and Flea Market. Unlike the first chair, the brown paint was like shellac. Even with a sander, the paint would not give up the ghost so easily. After a couple of days, I got down to the bare wood, painted two coats of Cherry Red paint and printed the leaf/branch motif.

Final Product

I crocheted a round seat cover for it but the cover reminds me of a brown turd, so I won’t publish it here.

Me So Crafty IV

For the first time since I received it in 1994, I actually utilized my sewing machine. It speeded up the process of sewing a pair of curtains for the window over the kitchen sink. I’m not going to show the step-by-step process because I did things that one is not supposed to do when sewing curtains because I didn’t use a pattern. I’m not going to show the back of the curtains because they ain’t pretty. They’re not horrible but they ain’t pretty. All I care about is the part I see every time I do the dishes. The neighbors can deal with the messy sewing bits.

Not too bad...from a distance.

 

I designed the tea pot motif and created a filet crochet edging.

Me So Crafty III

I don’t want to vacuum or wash anymore windows, so what is a girl to do? Get crafty.

I’m in need of two chairs for my kitchen table. Currently we are using our dining room table chairs which are too tall for the kitchen table but they’ve been doing the trick since November. Yesterday I replaced one of the chairs with my old school replacement.

Step 1. Buy a chair at Savers for $5.99.

My $5.99 chair had flaking white paint which I sanded down to the wood.

Step 2. Sand paint down to the wood keeping a rough texture.

Step 3. Spray two coats of Cherry Red indoor/outdoor paint ($2.50) and use black acrylic paint ($4.50) to stamp a branch/leaf motif ($8.00) on the seat. The result:

Looking very farmhouse.

The stamp adds a nice touch and I like the rough look of the paint..

Nothing Much

Nothing much to report from the homefront. On average I sleep 6 hours a night (interrupted sleep, mind you). In the wee hours when Charlotte is doing her thing, I’ve been catching up on my reading. The books (some I’m rereading) that have been keeping me awake at night:

• Going Rogue, Sarah Palin
• Arguing with Idiots, Glenn Beck
• A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, Betty Smith (reread)
• Jane Eyre, Charlotte Bronte (reread)
• Northanger Abbey, Jane Austin (current book)

During the daylight hours I’ve been crocheting. Here’s the latest:

Lion Brand Free Pattern: Swing Set Pattern #90439AD

This is made for a 1 year old. I think Charlotte will look cute in it!

Waiting

Today is the due date of the baby. Nothing happening yet. I can say something pithy like the waiting is worse than the labor but from hearing the war stories of other women…that statement is total bull. In the meantime I crocheted this lovely little sweater.

Pattern from Crochet Today, Jan/Feb. '10

Cross stitched snowflake

This is my first piece of crocheted clothing (other than hats and scarves) and I’m very pleased with it. In the meantime, I’ll just wait…

Counting Down

I’ve haven’t written about my pregnancy because I’m not one of those chicks to talk endlessly about such matters. It’s been a rather mundane experience. Back in May I had about three weeks of fatigue with a bit of a quesy stomach and that was it. This last month has me missing a good night sleep…just can’t get comfortable. Overall I am an active person (jogging, biking) but I haven’t been able to muster enough energy these last few weeks to manage anything exercise-able. Last week I pulled a groin muscle doing some activities. Not a good thing.

Instead I’ve been keeping busy doing some crochet and stitching a cross stitch sampler for the baby while waiting for Dec. 30, the due date, though it can happen at any time. Hubby keeps hoping that the nesting instinct kicks in but that ain’t happening. I think I’ve been pouring that instinct into crafty stuff. Check out the afghan throw I just finished:

Looks good from a distance.

Heck, it looks good close up, too.

Is it unmotherly to write that I want this all to be over? The main feeling is I just want my body back. I suppose that itsn’t too unusual. This has nothing to do with NOT wanting to be a mother and welcoming a new life into the world. To put a philosophical spin on the experience, pregnancy prepares a woman for the unselfish act of mothering. One gives her body over to another for nine months as the initial step toward a lifetime.

I’m up for it.

More Vintage Crochet Goodness, I

I came across another stash of crochet books at Hobart Village Antique Mall, Townsend, MA. These were  particularly plummy.

J&P Coats, 1943

Inside page:

Calling the PC Police! "Come out of the kitchen! Crochet pot holders for Bazaars, Fairs, Showers and for Gifts to your Friends."

J&P Coats, 1943

Inside page:

The only mention of WWII: "'Paint' the patriotic symbols of eagle and shield with your crochet hook...as a wall mount or a pillow top to commemorate these war days."

Latest Project

It seems this blog is turning into a crochet blog. Sorry about that! It’s just what’s been occupying my time but I have to show off my latest project: a baby blanket with an applique designed and stitched by moi. (Thank you very much!!!) Oh, BTW, I’m pregnant, that’s why I made this. Yup, due at the end of December.

This is a "Pound of Love" project from Lion Brand Yarn.

Brown and red felt attached with "fern" stitches and a sloppy "lazy daisy stitch."

Crochet Book Treasures VI

This is the last of my older crochet books.(Until I find more.) Mom gave me this one. Go Mom!

American Thread Co., circa 1965. This is so Dick Van Dyke.

Inside page:

"Dad, how long do I have to wear this?" "Humor your mother, son."