Refashion Runway 4, Week 5: Riverside

Our final challenge for this season of Refashion Runway was Riverside Blue, predicted to be one the hottest colors for fall 2016 by the Pantone Color Institute. Have a look at what I cooked up below, then head over to The Renegade Seamstress to see the other competitors' project and vote for your favorite!

Photo credit: Pantone

I actually had quite a hard time finding something in this blue hue. Everything seemed to be too royal blue or too navy or too teal, but eventually I found this 100% cotton wrap dress with just the slightest hint of purple. Just what I was looking for!

Refashion Runway 4, Week 2: Metallic

The next hurdle along the Refashion Runway was metallic! Check out my entry below, then go to The Renegade Seamstress to see the other refashionistas' creations and cast your vote for your favorite!

As I browsed Pinterest for ideas, I became increasingly envious of all the pleated skirts I was seeing, so my mind was made up. I scoured the thrift shops for anything pleated I could paint metallic or anything metallic I could pleat, and eventually I found the perfect ultra-high-sheen, gold satin (well, polyester) curtains at Thrift City. There were some holes and snags, but I could certainly work around those. To accompany my gold skirt, I also pulled out a silver metallic lace skirt that's been hanging forgotten in my craft room closet following a clothes swap a couple years ago.

Mixed Media Weekend

On Thursday, I whipped up another awesome cross-stitch. This tiny fox - only about an inch and a half tall - is about the cutest little F-bomb I've ever seen. Don't you think? The pattern is available from HolyStitch101 on Etsy.

On Saturday, my yarn crew and I basked in the glory of DFW Fiber Fest 2016. I picked up some sock yarn, like I do.

Hedgehog Fibres Sock in Coral


Panorama Fiber Arts Socky Bombs in Grayscale


Alisha Goes Around Bevy of Swans Fingering in teal/black

I also brought home an array of hand-made stitch markers from the other Fiber Fest attendees who participated in the stitch marker swap. The shrinky dink kind seemed to be a popular choice among the vendors, for obvious reasons. There were also lots of critters, a few flowers, and all manner of beaded markers. Aren't they lovely?

For the first time ever, I saw one of my knitting patterns in the wild!
As this couple walked past us, I pointed to the guy's hat/scarf and said, "Hey, that's the HeelHead Scarf!"
"You know the pattern?" she asked.
"Know it? I designed it!"
There was much squeeing (from me), and they were kind enough to take a photo with me. It was super exciting!

DIY Stitch Markers

With the 11th annual DFW Fiber Fest less than a week away, it was time to prepare for this year's stitch marker swap! I participated in the swap at the inaugural Stitches Texas market back in September and am only too eager to do so again next weekend. The collection of stitch markers I brought home last summer is such a fantastic souvenir of the event, aside from the obvious yarn-binging of course. I love being able to dive into my notions tin and come up with at least one marker that matches my current project perfectly.

Six months ago, I showed you how to make your own stitch markers using fishing line and crimp beads. This time, I'm changing it up a bit with metal jewelry findings.

Supplies:
Decorative beads
10mm jump rings
4mm jump rings
Head pins
Wire cutters
Round-nose pliers
Flat-nose pliers

I found these purple glass beads on the clearance rack for just $0.99 per package (28 beads per package). The larger jump rings will be able to accommodate needles up to a US size 11 (8mm). The head pins I had on-hand were 2 inches long, but I snipped them down to about 3/4 inch, so if you can find shorter ones, go right ahead.

First, I placed a bead on a head pin and made sure the head of the pin was larger than the hole in the bead. If not, you can use a smaller bead on the bottom as a stopper of sorts. Then, I snipped off the excess length of head pin with my wire cutters, leaving about 1/2 inch above the top of the bead. I used my round-nose pliers to make a loop at the top. And finally, I used my flat-nose pliers to open up one of the smaller jump rings and connect the head pin loop to a larger jump ring.

And that's all there is to it! Rinse and repeat until you have a few markers for your own use or 75-100 for a swap, depending on the event and how many participants are expected. Since I was making so many, I set up a little assembly line. I would snip a bunch of head pins down the size, then add beads and make loops until my hand hurt, then add jump rings until my hand hurt in a different way, and so on and so forth until I had them all completed.

While in the jewelry making section of Michaels, I also found them bracelet blanks, two to a pack. I think they'll be the perfect solution to carrying these stitch markers around the vendor area, with my handmade markers on one bracelet and another ready to receive all the glorious stitch markers from the other swappers. I can't wait to see what everyone comes up with!

Craftmas Part Three: A Star Is Born

What's a Christmas tree without a star, right? I'd seen a nifty Himmeli-inspired tree topper on Pinterest and thought I could DIY something along those lines from materials I already had on hand. I dug out these 2-inch long wooden beads, originally salvaged from a thrifted placement years ago, along with some fishing line and a pair of scissors, and I got to work!

DIY Stitch Markers & Yarnapalooza

With the inaugural Stitches Texas expo happening this weekend, I was so excited for my first stitch marker swap! Basically, you make a bunch of stitch markers, take them with you to the expo, pick up a swap button to identify yourself to other swappers, and swap while you shop! But first, you've gotta make your markers!

Gather your materials:
Decorative beads (I chose the silver ones on the left and the pearls)
Crimp beads (tiny ones on the right)
Flat nose pliers
Wire cutters
Beading wire or fishing line
Optional Ingredient for Shameless Self-Promotion:
Your website printed roughly 100 times (5 per line, 20 lines) onto a standard sheet of 8.5x11 paper (so it can be easily torn off later)

Carefully cut out your promotional tags, and use a push pin to punch a hole in one end. Next, cut a length of fishing line about 4 inches long and feed it through your promotional tag, then a crimp bead, one or more decorative beads, then another crimp bead.

Then thread the other end of the fishing line through the beads in the same order. Finally, use the flat nose pliers to squish both crimp beads, and snip the ends with your wire cutters as close as possible to the bottom crimp bead.

All done!

After a few hours of market-wandering, I came out of that convention center with about 50 different stitch markers from other attendees and vendors! Awesome, right?

In related news, YARN! Prior to Stitches Texas, there was the DFW Yarn Crawl - a tour of 15 local[-ish] yarn shops - in late August. And before that, I just had to check out the local yarn store Loops while visiting family in Tulsa in late August. Clearly, I've been in a green/blue/purple/grey mood lately, for the most part.

Left (top to bottom): Brazen Stitchery Duet Sock "I Am Groot," Sun Valley Fiber MCN Fingering "Cheeky," Theodora's Pearls Palladio "Easter Dress," Magpie Swanky Sock "Ultra," Black Bunny Fibers Superwash Merino Classic "It Had To Be You," Lazy Cat Yarn Endurance "Police Box"
Center: Done Roving Yarns Frolicking Feet DK Gradients "Pot o' Gold"
Right (top to bottom): FiberLady.com Vivacot "Black," Melodye Farms Alpaca/Bamboo "Charcoal with aqua and tan flecks," Lazy Cat Yarn Endurance "Don't Blink," Wonderland Yarn Cheshire Cat "Tea Tray," Loops Alpaca/Silk "Excalibur," Wandering Cat Yarn Ally Cat Sock "Come Sail Away," Twisted Owl Fiber Studios Super Sock 4-Ply "Blue-green"