Cynthia Shaffer

Finish What You Start

I do like to finish what I start. I used to be better about finishing a project before I would move on to another, but I have to cut myself some slack ... I'm a busy girl these days! 

Ok, so ... I did not finish the yummy wedding wrap this weekend, but sure as heck did finish up a few other knitting projects. 

I knit this sweater for a sweet baby name Elise, she's about 5 months old now, so I guess I am a bit behind, but that's ok ... I made it in a size 24 months ... smart thinking wouldn't you say!

You may remember this scarf I started a few weeks ago ... just finished it up at a recent high school baseball game. I did however add the pearls to the baubles just a few hours ago.

And this scarf just needed to have the ends woven in. It's fun, easy peasy, ruffly, takes just one skein of yarn and very gifty don't you think? I've included the pattern below if you are interested in making one next weekend.

Brown scarf pattern:

Any yarn will work, just make sure that the needle size matches the yarn weight.

Cast on 20 and then knit the first row.

Row 2: Knit 8, turn, knit 8, turn, knit 6, turn, knit 6, turn, knit 4, turn, knit across all 20 stitches.

Repeat row 2 for the other side of the scarf.

Repeat row 2 until your skein of yarn is all used up, then cast off and weave in the ends!

 

Rainy Weekend + New Yarn = Heaven On Earth

It is pouring down rain outside and I am one happy girl. I love the rain. It is my favorite weather ... always has been and always will be. This weather gives me permission to stay home and do what I love to do ... knit and snuggle with my pups.

A pile of new yarn in an amazing yummy color ... Debbie Bliss, Angel in watermelon, 76% Super Kid Mohair, 24% Silk!

Getting all knit up into wrap ...

 A wrap for a sweet friend's May Wedding.

So light and airy that you can see right through it, which really helps to show off the baubles I'm knitting into it. 

And so ... if the rain continues as it has for the past several hours, I should be able to finish this wrap in no time at all! 

Cheers to my heaven on earth ...

with Harper ...

and Berklee (our newest family member) ...

and a pile of new yummy yarn!

Free Motion Doodle Cards

Just doodling with my sewing machine here. If you're enrolled in my on-line Free Motion Revolution class, then you know what I'm talking about here ... Free motion stitching is soooo addicting and freeing!

These are just a a few of the cards I have been making lately. They are so easy, fast and beautiful, if I say so myself.

I love how the light shines through where the sewing machine needle has punched little holes in the watercolor paper.

Oh, and then to add a wash of color ... can you tell that I love color?

All color, to the point where sometimes I don't know when to stop which might be the case in the above card.

And then I can be very simple, although that's not what naturally comes out of me ... sometimes I have to channel my inner Jenny Doh to know when to stop.

Here's what I did:

First I cut panels of watercolor paper and then folded them in half. My cards measure 4 1/4" x 5 1/2" when folded. Next I free motion stitch on the card with either white or tan thread.

 

Grab your favorite watercolor pencils, paint brush and fine point black marker.

and add layers of color to your design, starting with the lighter colors and then adding the darker shades as you go, trying not mix opposite colors on the color wheel ... you could end up with muddy spots.

 Next, outline and add dots, circles and details to your card with the black marker. 

These are the watercolor pen/brushes I used on the below card. 

I only sort of like these watercolors partly because they are very saturated and a bit difficult to control. Or, maybe I just need a bit more practice.

Anyways ... after adding tons of doodles and dots with my black pen, I think I improved it a bit.

Looks like a tile you would see on the walls of Alhambra in Granada, Spain.

 
 

Rocks + Tacks = Photo Holder :: Tutorial

Don't we all just love rocks? And don't we all just love black upholstery tacks? Ok, maybe it's a "No" for you on the tacks, but I have to say, I am digging these photo holder I made! 

Check it out, that's me and my sister, wearing matching swimsuits ... I'm thinking it's 1966 here!

And here's the family getting ready to fly to Minnesota; that would be the photo on the right and the photo on the left is all the girls at Ports-of-Call in Long Beach CA.

Love the "Just look natural" pose going on here. No doubt my father was the photographer here.

And here's me and my sister again ... dressed in matching outfits and sweaters ... mom always said, "It was just easier that way". And although I am a year younger than my sister Kris, apparently I wore the bigger size ... go figure ... some things never change!

So cute don't you think? And easy peasy!

They make for a fun little sculptures too ... if I say so myself. 

Tutorial:

Gather a pile of rocks and clean them up, if needed. Then grab those black upholstery tacks, heavy black wire pliers and some super glue.

Drop a small amount of glue onto the rock, then arrange the tacks in place.

Cut a length of black wire and with pliers, make a swirl design at one end.

At the other end of the wire, make a very small loop and slip over one of the tacks. This little wire design can be just for decoration, or to help hold the photo in place.

 Love these old photos ...

Love rocks ... love black tacks! 

Fun Thrifty Finds

My sons Corry and Cameron love all things old, but I have to tell you it wasn't always that way. When they were little and it was time to buy "Big Boy" beds I went shopping at the local antiques stores. They wanted race car beds. I won. I bought them spindle beds from the early 1900's. 

Today, Corry came home from being out at a wiffle ball tournament and grabbed me to go shopping at our favorite thrift stores. We scooped this bad boy typewriter up for a song. It's an Olympic De Luxe, circa 1958, in working condition. Cameron immediately typed up a random page about himself and our pups, Harper and Berklee.

I know, don't ask, I have no idea either. I was hoping someone out there would give me a clue. While they look like lamps, there isn't a light bulb anywhere ... but they are made from buttons that have been hand sewn together.

Ok ... probably not, but what if they were painted white?

Always a treasured find: A bag full of old wooden spools of thread.

And a random bag of notions, piping, rick-rack and bias tape ... all for a whopping $1.95!

And here is Corry showing off his prized purchase of the day.

My kids were less than thrilled about their beds at the time, but to see them now, I know I have been a huge influence on them and their appreciation for all things old and used.

Happy Thrifty Finds!

Macro Love Part II :: Tutorial

There are only a few things in life that I am sure of. One of those things is that I will receive flowers on Valentine's day from my husband Scott. 

So beautiful, don't you think? He knows I love color, all color and all color combinations.

Here are the flowers I received on Monday! I immediatly grabbed my camera and started shooting with just my usual go-to lens, a Canon EFS 17-85mm. Then I quickly changed to my Canon macro lens EF 100mm.

Can you see why I love my macro lens? The flower in the above photo is so tiny that to look at it without the help of the camera, you can not see all the little stamen and pistil parts and pieces. 

And because this is a fixed lens, I love to get really close to whatever I'm shooting and then compose the shot through the camera. (Note: none of these photos have been cropped.) In this case, an amazing bright purple Gerbera daisy. My favorite color.

 

Here's a little tutorial on shooting with a macro lens.

Compare these two photos. In the above photo my film speed or ISO is 640 and the exposure, or shutter speed is set at 0.8 sec f/32. Needless to say with such a slow shutter speed, my camera is mounted on a tripod and is tethered to my computer so I am not touching the camera when the shot is taken. And, at an f-stop of 32, much of the image is in focus.

So here I have the same compostion, but I have changed a few settings on my camera. The ISO stayed the same at 640, but the exposure changed to 1/30 sec at f/5.6. Shots like these remind me of why I love to shoot with this lens. The foreground  and the background are fuzzy and a bit blown out, focusing on just a small portion of the composition.

In this photo, I still have the film speed at 640, but the exposure at 1.0 sec at f/32. Again, I'm on a tripod and tethered. As you can see most of the image is pretty crisp. Ok, Ready...

Same composition as the above photo, but what a difference aesthetically. Again, my film speed stayed the same, but the exposure was changed to 1/125 seconds and the f-stop was set at 2.8. Notice that I have focused on the little flower bud at the top right part of the image.

And here is the same shot, with the focus shifting to the flower bud in the middle of the image. Again, giving me another unique image. 

ISO 640, exposure 1/100 sec at f/2.8.

ISO 640, exposure 1/200 sec at f/2.8.

ISO 640, exposure 1/100 sec at f/2.8.

I Love this last shot and the blown out petals of the fabulous white gerbera daisy. This shot would make the perfect ground for an art quilt!

Happy Shooting!

 

Chocolate Bowls And Fruit : : Tutorial

On the third Wednesday of every month, my Bible study ladies meet for lunch. We are a mixed group of ladies: some are young with kids in diapers, some are very seasoned and wise, and some of us are right smack in the middle.

On a typical luncheon Wednesday we all pitch in and bring our assigned food item, but being that it is "Valentine's week" as my friend Darcy says, I offered to make and bring lunch for everyone today.

Beautiful chocolate bowls filled with fresh strawberries, blueberries and, of course, a few raspberries.

Not to worry, I also made a yummy chicken salad with red grapes and cashews to load up on fresh mini croissants, and stalks of blanched asparagus, marinated in an vinaigrette dressing, then wrapped with a stripe of pimento.

And as my mother taught me years ago ...

It's all about color, balance and presentation.

Tutorial:

Blow up balloons to be whatever size you want your bowl to be. Water balloons work the best.

Melt your chocolate according to the instructions on the bag. I always go with the microwave instructions.

Spray the balloon with Pam and wipe a little off, then dip the balloon in the chocolate. If your bowl is shallow, you may need to swirl the balloon around a bit.

Then let the chocolate harden on a foil lined cookie sheet. Hint: Before placing them down on the cookie sheet you may need to hold the balloon upside down for a minute or two to avoid all the chocolate from sliding down and forming a puddle.

When the chocolate is completely hardened, pop the balloon with a pin.

And there you have it ... fill and serve.

Oh, one last hint: When you lift the balloon off the cookie sheet, sometimes there is a hole in the bottom, just melt a bit more chocolate and patch up that hole.

As you can imagine, the fillings are endless ...

Brownie a la mode, oh my!

Just a Little Something I Stitched Up

How fun is it to exchange Valentine's, especially with new friends; new friends that I just met on facebook and through my blog? 

Jen sent me a message a few weeks ago and asked if I'd like to be included in her Valentine's exchange. I promptly replied, "Oh sure," then asked for the details. Here's the Valentine's I made for her and as you can see I have been doing lots of free motion stitching these days.

Jen said there were no rules to this exchange, except that the Valentine's needed to be handmade and made with LOVE.

Next, I stitched up a quick quilt block with a photo of me and my sister Kris (riding our favorite rocking horse), then added a bit of free motion stitching in the shape of a heart. I hope to see my sister tomorrow night for dinner and since she is one of my blogs biggest fans, she will read this post and will be asking for this quilt block ... mark my words!

Then right around the time that I sent Jen her Valentine's, I received a package in the mail from my friend Helena. While I'm sure she did not intend for this parcel to be a Valentine's gift, it sure did feel like it. Helena had told me about this yummy organic cotton muslin that she loves to quilt with, so she sent me a few yards to play with, along with a few other thoughtful pieces of lace trim. 

And check out the paper that the box was wrapped in. From the outside it looked like ordinary white shipping paper, but when I cut into the wrap, the inside was this adorable wrapping paper. So clever, don't you think?

Not sure how I will use the muslin or the wrapping paper,

but I have my thinking cap on.

 

Free Motion Revolution Class Count Down!

In just three short days Free Motion Revolution will begin. Have you signed up yet? It's not too late ... visit the Crescendoh Creative Lab and come be a part of this stitching revolution.

 

See you in the Lab!

Crocheted Hearts Abound :: Tutorial

Hearts and even more hearts. It's a wonderful thing, seeing hearts not only around Valentines day, but also at really any time of year, especially when they are made in fun colors and with up-cycled t-shirt strips ... The taupe ones are my favorite.

These are the perfect craft to make while watching a baseball game, waiting at the DMV or while sitting in a Dr. office ... waiting, waiting.

I made about 30 of them just the other day, and I was going to leave them plain and simple and use them to decorate for Valentines ...

But that didn't last very long. I took a few fun photos of them hanging from a twig, and then got to work embellishing them with scraps of fabric, felt and batting hearts.

Then came the jump rings and ball chain, pin backs to make them into adorable brooches, buttons, pearls, seed beads and metal charms. All are stitched using pearl cotton ... my favorite.

Love the trio of french knots with the tiny red X, if I say so myself ...

And the pearls are just that extra added sweet touch.

I love the unexpected two toned hearts ...

But this one is the one heart I will be wearing all year round!

So fun don't you think? Want to make some, it's never too late, they are  super easy peasy!

Tutorial:

What you need:

yarn, or up-cycled t-shirt strips (Learn more below)

Crochet hook in size I

Embellishments

Pin Back and ball chain

Here's what you do: 

Follow the instructions here to learn how to cut your old t-shirts into 'Yarn'.

Crocheting the heart:

Chain 4

(All these next stitches are made in the first chain ... it will be difficult towards the end, but hang in there ...) 

3 tc, 3dc, chain 1, 1 tc, chain 1, 3 dc, 3 tc, chain 2, slip stitch.

Embellish and then glue a felt heart to the back using white glue.

Stitch a pin back to the felt, or add a jump ring and hang from a chain.

Happy Heart Making!

 

Free Motion Stitched Cards With Envelopes

So fun ... so easy and so beautiful ... if I say so myself.

After making the first batch of envelopes with brown bags and linen, I decided to try a more elevated look using the same technique. 

I started by pulling out a group of patterned paper that I liked along with some linen, old ledger paper, rubber stamps and white card stock.

First I made the envelopes and then free motion stitched small collages on the front, before folding and gluing the back together.

Then I made the matching cards, again with small stitched collages and a little stamped sentiment or word. 

I have to admit I'm addicted and could just make these all day ... but ... I had to stop after making these three sets. 

I love how the light shines through the card where the stitch marks are ... so pretty!

This envelope is my favorite by far. The free motion stitching can look so organic and, well, free!

Oh, and as you can see, after I stitched the envelopes and cards, I added a little highlight with a white pen. This really helps to pop the stitched shapes.

More card and envelope making is in my future ...  I have a bunch of invitations to make for my mothers birthday party ...

Betty will be turning 80 on the 4th of July!

Upcycled T-Shirt Handbag : : Tutorial

Check it out ... handbags knitted from strips of recycled t-shirts! 

Do you remember as a kid making potholder from knit loops? That's all there is to it. This red bag is one of the first ones I made. Of course I couldn't use just one color red, I mixed it up a bit with a burgundy tee, and a taupe tee.

Then I got a little fancy and added a flap and just one strap and some fun home dec fabric as lining. 

This handbag is the largest of the three and my favorite ... Love the brooch on the flap!

Tutorial:

Knitting needles: Size 11 circular, 24” or 29”.

T-shirts: 5 or 6 size large in coordinating colors

Cutting t-shirts into ‘Yarn’:

1.      Lay shirt flat with the front facing you and smooth out any wrinkles.

2.      Fold shirt in half lengthwise. (Do not try and line up the hem)

3.      Place shirt on a green mat and align the folded edge with a horizontal line on the mat.

4.      Using a large see-through ruler and a rotary cutter, cut off the hem area.

5.      Cut the remaining body of the shirt in 1/4 “ – 3/8 “ strips. Stop when you reach the underarm of the sleeve. The width of the strips will be determined by the weight of the shirt. If it is a rather heavy knit, cut ¼ “strips. If the shirt is lightweight, cut 3/8” strips.

6.      Repeat steps 1-5 for all your t-shirts.

 

Knitting Instructions:

1. Pull strips to break the loop, creating a little roll out of them.  Tie together 3 or 4 strips of ‘yarn’.

1. Cast on (CO) 62, 80, 90 (Small, Medium, Large) stitches.
2. Knit (K) 1 row.
3. Purl (P) 1 row.
4. Tie on yarn as needed. This way you can see what color is needed next.
5. Repeat 2 and 3 until the purse measure 10”, 12”, 14”.

Flap Instructions:

1. Bind off 39, 48, 55 stitches.
2. Knit 1 row, turn work. Repeat until flap measures about two thirds the length of the body.
3. Cast off stitches.

Finishing:

1. Pick up 4, 4, 5 stitches at the top edge of work, on either sides of the flap.
2. Knit these stitches until the strap measures the desired length.
3. Whip stitch, or crochet the bottom shut.

Lining:

1. Cut lining for purse about 2” larger in length and width than the purse measures. The purse will stretch as it hangs.
2. Cut the flap lining just slightly larger than it measures, allowing for seam allowance to be turned under.
3. Machine, or hand stitch flap lining into place.
4. Drop the purse lining into the pure and Machine or hand stitch in place.

Embellishments:

Hand sew a large button or broach to the flap, or braid a loop and attach to the purse, then add a large button to the front.

 

Free Motion Flower Headband :: Tutorial

Remember my covered then crocheted buttons? Look how cute they are on a hemp wrapped headband with a little free motion flower!

 

Tutorial:

First I need to tell you that after I posted these directions for the crocheted button snood, I received an email from a friend that offered a few adjustments to my directions. She promptly wrote the new improved pattern for the blue button that you see above. Thank you Diana, I really appreciate it!

Crochet button snood pattern: 

Ch  6;  join with slip stitch in first chain to form a ring

Rnd 1: ch 2 (counts as dc), work 13 dc in ring, join with slip st in top 

           of first dc.   (14dc)

Rnd 2:  ch 2 (counts as dc), dc in st at base of ch 2,  *ch 2 , skip next st, 

           2 dc in next st, ch 2;  repeat from * 6 more times; join with sl st 

           at top of beginning of ch-2  (14dc).

Rnd 3:  ch 5 (counts as 1 dc plus ch 3),  *skip 3 then dc in next st, skip 3.  

          repeat from * 6 more times, join with sl st in 3rd chain of beginning

           ch-5.

Gather a few narrow headbands.

Put a little bit of glue on the inside of the headband and wrap the hemp.

Cut a strip of muslin and batting that measures 2 1/2" x 9" and free motion stitch in a scallop pattern and cut out. Then run a basting stitch across the straight edge and cinch up and knot.

Sew back and forth securing the center of the flower.

And now stitch the flower around the headband. 

Next, stitch the button to the center of the flower ...

And you are done! 

Easy Peasy!

   

Receipt Caddy :: Tutorial

Today was tax day at our house and after 2 hours of gathering receipts from miscellaneous baskets and files I realized I needed a permanent and convenient place to keep my receipts. Check it out ... my super handy receipt caddy!

 

The pockets are labeled for easy sorting and although there is not a label that say, "Work", those receipts will go in the really big pockets in the middle ... no need for labels here, that's a given!

Here's what I did:

Grab a hanger (my hanger is actually a baby hanger) and place it on some paper. Trace the top angle of the hanger and then draw the sides and the bottom. My caddy measures 12" from the hanger to the bottom. Next plan and mark where the pockets will go, then make a pattern for these pockets, adding seam allowance. Mark where the caddy will be cut in half and then mark the openings for the hanger to poke through and for the larger pocket. Cut the pattern out, but do not cut the pattern in half yet.

First cut out the back piece using the entire paper pattern, adding 1/4" seam allowance. Next, cut the paper pattern at the horizontal line and cut the top portion and the bottom portion, marking notches where you will stop and start sewing,forming the larger pockets. Be sure to add seam allowance where needed. And last, cut out the pockets.

Turn the top edge of the pockets under twice and topstitch in place. Next, turn the side and bottom seam allowance under. I use this handy litttle seam presser when I'm working on small projects, and don't feel like heating up my iron.

Stitch the pockets to the front sections.

Pin, then stitch the top portion to the bottom portion stopping and starting at the notches.

Press the seam open.

Then on the outside, topstitch the seam allowance down. The opening for the big pockets will be formed at this point.

Pin, then stitch the back to the front, starting and stopping at the notches where the hanger will poke out.

Clip the corners diagonally and turn the caddy right side out.

Then stitch the seam allowance back at the hanger opening. Now insert the hanger and stitch up the center through all layers, forming the two large pockets.

Make small labels and attach with brads.

 And now you're ready for tax day ...

Next year!