A Crochet Apple

I ended up writing my own pattern for the cute apples I made to accompany my Pirum Parum pears (pattern by Tournicote). I am very happy with my apples' size and shape - I wanted them to look like a real apple with a tapered bottom and a dimple at the top, and just the perfect size to match the pears too. Using 8 ply (DK weight) yarn and a 4mm hook this apple is approximately 13cm tall from the bottom to the tip of the leaf. Roughly the same size as a real life large apple!

This sweet apple pattern is now available in my Etsy shop - it only costs $3.50 Australian ($2.50 US at the time of writing) so it won't break the bank, and is a good starter amigurumi project.

*** Please note: this pattern was available as a free tutorial in this post for a limited time, and is now available to purchase in my shop. I have made improvements and revisions to the pattern since publishing the free version, and the purchased pattern also comes with a licence to sell the finished apples ***

 

Bandit the Raccoon | Homespun Letters & Numbers

I am slowly working my way through Little Muggles' entire crochet animal pattern collection - Amy has so many cute ones still on my to-do list. This dashing little guy has been rather aptly named 'Bandit'. What a perfect name for a raccoon!



Bandit is roughly the same size as Chester the Fox (also by Little Muggles), which I blogged about previously. They make a very cute pair of forest friends.

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I am in Homespun magazine again! The April issue is now in the shops, featuring a set of monochrome letters & numbers made by me.

There is a full set of letters and numbers, which are padded and have little neodymium magnets sewn inside (which are stronger than normal magnets), so they can be used on a fridge or other metal surface. There is a little 'Getting to Know' section as well which is my favourite bit in these magazine features. I was at the supermarket this morning and saw the magazine - had to really resist the urge to find my picture in it and wave it around to everyone shouting 'Look! It's me! I made this!'. Yup, lame is my middle name.

Until next time,

Easter Mini & Egg-hunt

I have been procrastinating over this Easter mini-quilt / wall-hanging for so long that at one point it looked like it wasn't going to happen. I changed my mind about the layout / configuration / colours / fabric choices so many times. Finally stopped over-thinking it, and just winged it. It's not perfect, and not quite the ultimate Easter decoration, but it's going to make a sweet addition to the mini-quilt wall in my sewing room.

I appliqued the motifs onto the mini using fusible-web, then hand-quilted around the perimeter in matching thread.

I made some crochet eggs as well, and used these cookie cutters for the motifs. I have turned the motif patterns into a PDF which you can download here.

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The kids were very excited about Easter this year! Alice was sporting some suitably Easter-y bunny socks today. 

Our hunter-gatherers were set loose in the garden to find the hidden chocolate eggs and bunnies, and then enjoyed the spoils of their hunt.

I wish you all a very happy Easter with your nearest and dearest! Lots of love from my family to yours.

On My Bookshelf: My Crochet Doll

"My Crochet Doll" by Isabelle Kessedjian has to be one of the cutest doll making books out there. It includes the patterns for a crochet doll and an entire wardrobe for her, as well as lots of accessories.

There are outfits and accessories for the beach, for the country, for school, for sleeping, for cold and wet weather, and for baking yummy cakes. Even underwear! And a suitcase for her to pack all her clothes into when she goes on all these trips.

My friend Maria asked me to make one of these dolls for her impending arrival - she is expecting a baby girl any day now! We selected a red, blue, and yellow outfit, to suit a nautical themed nursery.

Alice saw the doll whilst I was still working on it, and declared it 'her baby'. So I now have to make her one as well, with lots of outfits so she can play dress-up.

This is a really lovely book and I am so glad to have it in my crochet library, but just a little warning for anyone contemplating on ordering it. Most of the book is taken up with all those sweet pictures and the actual pattern pages themselves have very limited explanations and no pictures to help out with the tricky bits. It is also written in UK crochet terms which didn't bother me but can confuse some people if you aren't used to them. Because of the limited explanations I wouldn't recommend this to beginners as it requires some amigurumi experience to figure out the patterns and put them together correctly. Seasoned ami-makers should be OK though!

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I am going through one of those patches where I have lots of little projects on the go, all at once. Bit of a juggle-town.  I am still working on my alphabet quilt-along, and an on-point mini using cottage florals by Sevenberry and Lecien. I have also started two new projects featuring pastel hues - the first is a cake for a friend, it's a mini-quilt using block 1 of the Snapshots quilt-along hosted by the Fat Quarter Shop.

My second 'pastel' project is an Easter themed one featuring these dreamy pastel Cotton Couture solids by Michael Miller. I am still working on the design for this one - being a little indecisive but it's definitely going to have a mix of patchwork, applique, pastel ric-rac, and hand-quilting. Visit again in a few days if you wish to see the final result!

The Fat Red Bird Bib | Alphabet Quilt-along

As you may have noticed, I don't sew clothes. I don't own an overlocker, and I consider sewing clothes something only 'proper' sewists can do, way beyond my slowly-advancing-but-still-rookie sewing skills. But I completely jumped at the chance to pattern-test a bib designed by my friend Renee (owner of the clothing label By Renee Hall), who has just set up her own design business, Fat Red Bird Designs.

I really needed something like this for Alice, who at 2.5 is messier than she has ever been. Unfortunately for me she considers herself too old to wear bibs ("I not a baby mummy!"). But this is not your standard bib, it's a smock and a top at the same time - ideal for older kids when out and about. And if you make it reversible you can double the wear time.

I used Country Girls by Tasha Noel for the front fabric and the patch, and navy micro dots on white for the backing.

Thank you for the pattern Renee, and I hope you enjoyed my wonderfully basic questions such as "Are we supposed to tape the pattern pieces together?". For those who want to have a go at making one, you can purchase the pattern here.

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A couple of weeks ago I came across Nadra Ridgeway's beautiful blog Ellis & Higgs. If you haven't discovered her work yet you must go and have a look, you will not be disappointed. I love the cheerful bright colours she uses, and her photography and the precision of her patchwork are simply immaculate. Nadra is currently running an Alphabet Quilt-along, which kicked off at the end of January. I am slightly late to the party but I had to join in!

{image courtesy of Ellis & Higgs}

Here are my first three blocks. I am intending to broadly follow Nadra's choice of colours for each block as the finished quilt she has designed has a beautiful balance of colours (you can get more info and see the complete quilt design here). I have seen many alphabet quilts before, but what makes this one quite special is the 3D quality to the letters, achieved by that lighter patch of fabric in the middle. Simple and clever!

Follow my quilt-along progress here and on Instagram, or better yet, join in!