Free Friday: Gingham String Bag

This week's pattern matches last week's, the Gingham Needle Book.  It's in some pretty teal shades so you can see that you can make your gingham in just about any color to match your fancies! 


In case you don't know, a string bag is a neat little receptacle for snips and strings you collect while you're crafting.  It keeps your lap/couch/desk/lap cat from getting covered in little strings.  It's very handy!  Like the needle book, it's something you don't really know you need until you have one.  My hubby loves the one I keep next to the couch, because he can throw his pistachio shells in there and not have to get up (yes, he's quite lazy).  

By the way, this also works well for a pencil/scissor/rotary cutter holder as well.  I have three sitting on my sewing desk; one for strings, one for pencils, and one for cutting tools.  Technically you could just use an empty can (this is just a pattern for a covered can, after all), but this is so much prettier! 

Gingham String Bag 

Skill Level: 

 Beginner

Materials: 

• 1 sheet 7-count plastic canvas 
• Red Heart Super Saver yarn in colors in key 
• 20 oz metal can (such as from a can of pineapple) 
• Craft glue 
• #16 plastic canvas needle

Instructions: 

1. Cut plastic canvas according to graph. 
2. Without stitching on red sections, stitch plastic canvas according to graph. 
3. With right side of piece facing out, overlap the two short ends, overlapping red sections on the graph.  Add the remaining stitches, which will stitch the two ends together and leave you with a circle. 
4. Thoroughly clean and dry the metal can.  If it was a pop top type can, use a can opener to remove the inside lip.  Slip the plastic canvas circle over the can; carefully squeeze a small amount of glue between the can and plastic canvas around both ends.  Let dry fully.

Click on the graph above to see it larger.  You may share this pattern however you please as long as you don't alter it or claim it as your own.  You may sell items created from this pattern.  However, you may not sell this pattern.

I have several other patterns planned for this sewing set, but next week I'm going to take a break so I can post a cool Halloween pattern!  Stay tuned!

New at Annie's

YOU GUUUUUYSSSSSSS!!!!  Check out what's new at Annie's Craft Store!

Those are my designs!!!  I can't believe I actually got my designs posted at Annie's!  (Click on the images to go check them out.  Don't worry, it's not an affiliate link.)

Two months ago, when I was designing the apple and pear patterns, I would never have dreamed that I'd get my creations in a big store like that.  But look! With just a little perseverance, I actually got somewhere.  Now I know I can do anything I put my mind to, and the only thing holding me back is myself.

By the way, I should have another canvas tip for you later, I just need to take some pictures!  I'm such a bum sometimes. 

Candy Corn Tissue Box Cover

I finished this tissue box cover last week but only got around to making the pattern and posting it on Etsy today.  I can't stop laughing at it!  It's so friggin' cute!

It goes perfectly with the cute candy corn coasters I listed last week!  Make sure to check out both patterns in my Etsy shop.

In other news, my smashed thumb is starting to heal.  I can actually stitch now!  It was really hard not being able to do any stitching for a week.  It did give me a chance to come up with some great new designs though that I'll be able to share with you soon! 

I hope you're all having a wonderful autumn day!

Free Friday: Gingham Needle Book

I have a cool new set of designs that I made for all of you!  I'll be posting a set of gingham sewing tools and accessories for your sewing room.  Today I'm posting the needle book, which is in my opinion something people don't know they need until they actually have one.  I used to keep my needles in the little plastic cases you can buy in the store (or sometimes even in the piece of cardboard they come in), and that's just a fuss to use.  Not to mention kind of ugly.

This needle book, on the other hand, is cute and handy, and because it's got a sturdy plastic canvas backbone, you're not very likely to get poked by needles when you grab it (have you ever gotten stabbed by needles when you're rifling through your sewing box?  Ouch!).

The cool thing about this set is that you can make it match your sewing room by changing the yarn colors you use.

Gingham Needle Book

Skill Level: 

 Beginner

 Materials: 

• 1 sheet 7-count plastic canvas
• Red Heart Super Saver yarn in colors in key
• 1 sheet craft felt
• Craft glue
• #16 plastic canvas needle

Directions:

1. Cut and stitch plastic canvas according to graphs.
2. Whipstitch pieces of needle book together using Medium Purple yarn.
3. Overcast around unworked edges with Medium Purple.
4. Cut two 2 ¾ inch squares of craft felt. Glue pieces to the inside of needle book as pictured. ♥

Click on the graph above to see it larger.  You may share this pattern however you please as long as you don't alter it or claim it as your own.  You may sell items created from this pattern.  However, you may not sell this pattern.

Enjoy!  Next week I'll be posting a cool string bag to match the needle book, so keep an eye out!

Canvas Tip: Scissors

When you pick up plastic canvas for the first time, you might not know exactly how you're supposed to cut the canvas.  Or is that just me?  At first, I thought you were supposed to line up the canvas with the graph on the pattern, lol.  Which is a cool idea, except few patterns are actually printed 1:1!  Usually they're a lot smaller to save room.

I eventually figured out you had to just count the holes on the pattern and match those up with your work piece (later on I figured out it was much easier if you marked your canvas).  The next question you might have is what should you cut the canvas with.  We all have scissors, afterall, but I think certain kinds of scissors are better for the job than others.

I was lucky that I already had a nice pair of Iris scissors, which are long handled and meant for precision.  They're the ones on the left in this picture:

They work perfectly; their long handle keeps my fingers out of the way, and the thin, short cutting part lets me do very fine work.

They're not great for ultra stiff plastic though because the blade tends to slip a lot.  That's why I got that other pair of scissors, the purple handled pair above.  You may have seen them in craft catalogs or on craft supply websites.  They're supposed to have serrated blades to hold onto things, which I figured would help with the slipping issue with stiff canvas.  They look cool and all, but unfortunately the pair I got was badly manufactured and has a large gap between cutting blades:

It may not look like much from the picture, but it means that it doesn't cut for crap.  I have safety scissors that I bought for 50 cents that cut better than this expensive pair, which is sad.  These things don't even cut paper!

So that's my opinion about scissors: start with a pair of Iris scissors, which are fairly easy to find and not too expensive.  If you can find some angled surgical scissors, those might be useful too, but I haven't found any yet to try them out.

On a side note, I've actually heard that some people use x-acto knives to cut their canvas, which sounds a little extreme to me.  But if it works for you, give it a try and let me know how it works!

Happy stitching everyone!

Candy Corn Coasters

I just posted a new item in my Etsy shop!

Candy Corn Coasters

Pretty cute, right?  I plan on making a tissue box cover to match it sometime, as soon as this silly smashed thumb of mine heals :(  You'd be surprised at how much you use your left thumb (or right, if your left-handed).  I tried to do some stitching today on a new design, and I just couldn't!  Sigh.  I guess I'll have to sit out until it heals.

Have any of you got fall projects going on?  I started my fall projects in August!  I'm actually about ready to start working on my Christmas stuff, lol. 

Free Friday: Plastic Canvas Alphabet

Well, it's Friday again, and I have a cool free plastic canvas pattern I'd like to share with everyone!  Unfortunately, I smashed my thumb in the door of my car last night and it hurts so bad that I think I'll be riding the couch today.  I don't think I broke it, but it's so black and blue and so sore that it hurts to move it at all.

So to tide you over until next week, here's a cool free pattern I found on the web!

Some really cool plastic canvas letters from Jen at Creatively Homemade!  Click on the image above to check out her blog post about them.  You can use them for lots of things, like birthday or holiday banners.  And I'm sure they have tons of other uses too!

Stay tuned for next week's pattern.  I'll be posting a gingham needle book!

Now I'm off to ice my poor thumb :(

Canvas Tip: Dry Erase Markers

I'm not an expert on plastic canvas; actually, I've only been working with it for a couple of years, and truthfully, I've only really gotten into it in the past year or so.  Every day I learn something new about this fascinating craft!  I'm sure there are other newbs out there like me who can benefit from the cool things I learn along the way, so I'm going to try to post little tips on Tuesdays (probably not every Tuesday, but I'll try!) and we can learn together.  Let me know if there's any tips you have that you want to share!

My very first tip is probably the most important thing I learned about plastic canvas, and that is, you should always mark the canvas before you cut!  You have no idea how many perfectly good pieces of canvas I've ruined because I was trying to cut it by looking at the pattern, and I missed a hole somewhere along the way.  That's really frustrating, especially when you're working on a big piece.

But I also know that I don't like using permanent marker for several reasons.  One, because it's not actually as permanent as they'd like you to believe, and I always seem to get ink on my yarn as I stitch.  Two, because if you're working with a light color yarn, and you marked with a dark color, you'll be able to see the marks through the yarn (I learned that one the hard way).

So what can you use that marks plastic but can easily be removed?  Why, dry erase markers!  How brilliant is that?  As soon as I thought of it I went out and bought a three pack at the Dollar Tree (for a dollar of course).

My three pack came with blue, black and red.  The blue and black both work great, but the red is too light to see so I don't actually use it.  Still, two markers for a buck!

It's important to get a marker with a small pointy nib, since you'll be marking thin lines.

And I really like these markers because they have built in erasers on the cap.  Once I mark the canvas and cut it, I just put the cap back on and erase the lines!  So easy!

I've looked for brand name dry erase markers that have a pointy nib and a built in eraser, but they're hard to come by, and boy are they expensive.  So if you have a dollar tree near you, I recommend their markers!  But really, anything will do as long as it has a fine point.  You can always use a paper towel to erase the lines.

Well, I hope you enjoyed today's tip.  Do any of you use dry erase markers?  What about permanent markers?  Or do you just eyeball it? 

New Fall Tissue Box Cover

I have a cool new pattern up on Etsy!  Just in time for fall too.  I'm totally going to use this in my own home.

Fall Harvest Tissue Box Cover

See how nice it looks with the decor on my entertainment center? 

My Latest Obsession

So hubby and I went on a little road trip today to Erie PA.  It's about an hour's drive from where we live in Jamestown NY.  We don't really like going there often, because the traffic is usually pretty annoying.  But today we were on a mission (well, ok, I was on a mission).  I have a new obsession lately, and I figured I could find exactly what I wanted somewhere in Erie (it is the third largest city in PA afterall!).

So what's my obsession?  To get every single solid color of Red Heart Super Saver yarn.  Why is that my obsession?  Ugh...  *tries to look not in the least bit crazy*  Because I feel like I need every color in order to be a good plastic canvas designer.  If I don't have every color, how will I know that I'm using the best colors in my designs?!  Yes, that's actually how my logic works in my head.

So anyway, we started at Joann's because I had a pretty good coupon (25% off my entire purchase).  And even though the Erie Joann's was much bigger than our local Joann's, they didn't have any more yarn colors.  It was pretty disappointing.  So then we went to Walmart, because their price of Super Saver yarn is the best I can find ($2.88), and I was hoping maybe they'd have more colors.  Nope.  They had the same colors as my local Walmart.  Ugh!

Well, at this point, my hubby decides he needs some art supplies, so we head over to AC Moore.  I figure I may as well go check out the yarn while he's getting his stuff.  What could it hurt, right?  First, I was surprised to see that they have three full isles of yarn there.  And then I noticed the entire back wall was Super Saver yarn.  And 4 for $10!  And then my eyes lit upon the many many colors that I have been hunting for!  Light sage, pale plum, country blue, Aruba sea, Windsor blue, and lots more!!  After I filled my arms with as many skeins as I could carry, I went looking for my hubby, who at the sight of me, ran off for some baskets.  Lol, I filled two baskets with yarn.  I must have looked like a freak.

Here's my haul:

I almost filled up my yarn sample cards.  Just four colors to go!

I also picked up some spools of thin metallic ribbon.  I can't find good metallic yarn that I like, so I figured maybe I'd try this ribbon to see if it's any better.  I'll let you know if it is!

If anyone's interested, the sale at AC Moore is going on for a couple more days. 

Free Friday: Bat Magnet

I know how hard it is to find free plastic canvas patterns on the internet (ones that are legally free, anyway), and I decided to do something about that.  I thought posting a new free pattern every Friday on my blog was an awesome way to give back to the PC addicts who are looking for new free patterns.  I have problems with commitment though so I can't promise I'll post a pattern every Friday, just that new patterns will definitely show up on Friday!  

Scary Bat Magnet

 

Gravestone Magnets

I have a new listing at Etsy!

Spooky Gravestone Magnets Plastic Canvas Pattern

My First Sale!

Well, I finally made my first pattern sale!  It's not much; just a $4 pattern sold on Etsy.  But it proves to me that I can sell these ideas of mine!

Here's what I sold:

The Witch Is In Plastic Canvas Pattern - $4 on Etsy

Unashamed Plastic Canvas Freak

When I was growing up, crafting was really uncool.  I mean, isn't that what fusty old grannies do while watching soap operas?  I'm sure everyone remembers getting a handmade present from a grandma or auntie that was made with love, but you were just too embarrassed to be seen with it in public (think Ralphie's bunny pj's  from A Christmas Story). 

Nowadays, crafting is pretty darn cool.  You can go to any hipster cafe and find cool chicks (and some guys too) knitting or crocheting, or at the very least, wearing handmade items they bought from Etsy.  Let's not get started on all the amazingly cool DIY home decor ideas you can find on Pinterest.  It's how you let the world know that you're different, you're creative, you don't shop at Walmart!  Except for supplies, of course.

About Me

I'm just a simple person.  Isn't that how every humblebragger starts?  You know when you hear those words that someone is just waiting for you to ask them about themselves, and it's usually pretty irritating.  Just tell me how awesome you are and get it over with already!  Right?  

Ok, so I guess I'll skip the humble part and just get to the bragging.  

 My name is Julie Daelhousen and I'm an artist, designer, gardener, and homemaker extraordinaire.  As I write this, I'm two weeks away from my 32nd birthday (yay cake!) and I feel like I'm just starting to really live my life.  I'm married to an amazing programmer guy, and we live happily in a little city home with our two cats.  We don't have any kids and don't plan on having any. 

I've been doing art since I was 14, but I've been creative my entire life.  I've always loved crafts, cooking, sewing, needle work, drawing, 3D art; you name a form of art/crafts and I bet I've tried it at least once in my life.  I haven't done any kind of preforming arts, unless you count singing, because I'm a pretty ungraceful kind of person (though heaven knows I try). 

For my entire adult life, I've been trying to figure out what I want to do with these talents of mine.  Should I do fine art and sell in a gallery?  Should I be a video game artist?  Freelance artist?  Should I sell my crafts at craft shows?  Or on Etsy?  I've actually tried all of the above and was never really happy with any of it. 

But recently I started to design craft patterns, and finally I'm beginning to see that this is the path for me.  I get so excited when I get a new idea.  It fills me with so much joy to see my designs come to life!  I can't wait to work on it every day.  This is what I'm supposed to be doing, I just know it. 

So this blog is where I want to share what I'm doing in my designing journey, maybe make some friends who have similar interests, vent when things aren't going so great, post some free patterns here and there.  I hope you'll join me in my journey.