DIY Crazyness

Canadian version of SOPA/PIPA

2012-01-28T15:26:00.004-05:00

Just say no. Click on the image to write a message to your MP's and the Prime Minister.

Happy New Year!

2012-01-08T22:52:00.008-05:00

First of all, I would like to say Happy New Year!

The past few months have been absolutely crazy with all the gifts Ive had to make for family and friends. Only one gift did not get done on time this year, but they forgave me. The downshot is I also forgot to take photos of some of the gifts I made. I do however have photos to share with everyone further in the post below.

I am also trying a new diet. Not really a resolution, but trying something new. I had a LOT of boring sandwiches as a kid (no offence mom), and my hubby doesnt know what is wrong with the good ol sandwich. However I like variety. So Ive decided to try to make Bento. Ambitious? definately! Time consuming? Absolutely. However, it will be well worth it, and a heck of alot healthier than some of the stuff that they sell in the area of my work (ie mostly burger joints). Cant really go wrong with alot of rice and veg with a little bit of protein for lunch. I try to do something a wee bit different every day.

I'm also planning on finishing a pair of socks. I started them last year, but had to put them on hold to make all the holiday gifts that I just didnt have time to finish them. Ive also kicked back into gear with work, looking for work, and doing some of the comissions I had to put on hold....so the year really hasn't started yet and its already busy!

I'm not going to let that slow me down none.

I've also started a Tumblr page for those who want to keep up on what I don't post here, or things that inspire me.

To kick things off in the picture department, I finished the selvedge quilt I started.

I know its not the best photo, but it was the best with the angles I had to work with.

Next up, we have the quilt I made for one of my nephews. I tried to make it all out of flannelette so it would be nice, warm and fuzzy

I next made a wall quilt for a friend of mine who is battling cancer. She loves angels, so I made her one. Its not very big, but it took a fair bit of detail to do the wings and a lot of stitching to do the hair.

I never did get a chance to post this one. I did this one for me. Its about summer, and inspired by campfires, and the Van Halen song Hot summer nights. The stitched sparks glow in the dark. I got the thread from Jenny in one of the care packages she sent us.

We now have a baby bomber hat for my other nephew. I just hope it fits him. I also made a dark green one to match for my brother.

This next gift was for a friend of mine who LOVES pink. She spotted this particular yarn in the shop. It wasn't the easiest to knit with...and I use the term yarn loosely cause it was more like knitting with fishnet pantyhose, but the scarf turned out great and she loved it. For those who knit, it was knit on US7 bamboo needles my friend gave me.

Next up, for every Harry Potter fan, my friend who loves pink has a sister whom I am also friends with. So I made her a Hufflepuff scarf...complete with house badge. This is also the gift that was a bit late.

Next is the scarf I made for my friend Ali, who is also a fellow craftsperson. This scarf was made with mohair yarn.

And finally, the socks Im working on. I did one foot, Im getting really close to finishing foot number 2

I apologise for not posting sooner, but it would have ruined the suprizes for people who recieved gifts. I did make more...some of them are similar to ones Ive already made, like cat or Jayne hats....or I forgot to take photos.

Hopefully 2012 will prove to be another crafty year, and hopefully I will get around to making more tutorials.

Franken-Socks

2011-10-20T13:05:00.002-04:00

Just in time for Hallowe'en. Too many pairs of missmatched socks? Found some dollar store socks that dont quite fit right? This is a solution so you can have more funky socks in your sock drawer.

This is also a good way to recycle old socks into new ones.

Enjoy the tutorial!

Happy Hallowe'en!!

What's in a name?

2011-10-06T23:12:00.002-04:00

I read a post from another blogger at http://dawnhaydesigns.blogspot.com/

Her query was simply, why did you name your blog what you named it.

I have several, but the primary ones (this one and my quilt blog) are the ones Im going to share.

DIY Crazyness came up cause every time I do a craft with friends or for friends...especially one that takes alot of skill, nitpicky patience, or is so oldschool that no one really does it anymore, they look at me and say "Thats Crazy!".

For Quilt-a-long, I started my journey in quilting with a group of friends that were doing a 9-patch exchange. and because it was a Quiltalong, I called it that.

I apoligize to my regular blog readers that I haven't updated lately, but with the holiday crunch, along with social and larp obligations, its really hard to keep on top of everything.

However, once the season is over....pictures of what was gifted will be had...just please be patient. All good things come to those who wait.

Its crunch time...

2011-08-24T17:31:00.002-04:00

Yes, I have started Xmas crafting. So, if I don't post up anything for a while, it doesn't mean I've forgotten...It means I have to keep all the crafts secret so folks don't find out what they are getting for xmas.

The major problem I am having problems with is figuring out what to make for certain individuals. There are other things that just will not get done in time, cause I am doing some comissions, that will help me get monies to finish said projects, but i might run out of time to make them.

So, I have a message for all my friends and family.....if you get your xmas gift next July, I hope you understand. When crafting for 20+ people, it kinda makes it hard to do.

Its hot, hot, hot!

2011-07-21T11:37:00.004-04:00

I haven't been doing much crafts wize since my last post. Especially since today we here in Toronto are supposed to be shattering our temprature record for the hottest day.

There's also a freak weather warning on the weather network for the area. It means we might get hit with severe winds, thunderstorms, hail, and the like.

So. Be careful out there....today is gonna be wacky and hot!

I plan on doing a bit of housework. If it gets to be too much, Im going to take a shower without the hot water tap on at all.

After the housework, I might have a sit and work on a new video for you folks. Since it's so hot, I might as well take advantage of it and do the henna tattoo tutorial.

Minecraft - Creeper Plushie

2011-07-14T16:24:00.000-04:00

One more for today...I'm on a geek roll.

Jayne...The Hero of Canton

2011-07-14T12:01:00.003-04:00

So...I made one of these....now everyone I know wants one! I was introduced to Firefly by a friend of mine. I'm bummed that I first of all didn't really know about it till after the series was cancelled, and that it took me so long to discover it in the first place.

I did jot down the pattern for this as close as I could get it to the show, and made some small modifications on some of the other patterns I've seen on the internet. I'm hoping I will find time to post the pattern at some point.

Xmas starts early in my house

2011-07-12T12:05:00.005-04:00

Hello fellow readers. I just wanted to type a little bit on how the holidays work in my house. I start early. REALLY early. Moreso than I would usually like to. Its rather difficult to get all my projects done in time. Especially when those projects are for 20+ people. We're refering to a wide gammit of gifts ranging to jewellery, to stuffies, to knitted or quilted. I've already started in on 3 gifts. One gift, someone asked me for in advance for their tree this year. I've started in on a gift for one of my two nephews, and I have the other gift planned for my other nephew. I've also started in on the knitting projects for friends for late fall birthdays and holiday gifts.

The hardest part of all this is, I have 2 people on my list that are in December that are on the birthday AND holiday gift list. My hubby being one of them. The other hard part is he doesn't give me any hints as to what he would want me to make him...which makes it THAT much more difficult. At least my other friend is easy to make for. I have plans....muhahahaha *cough*

In terms of my immediate family, I have 5 adults, 2 nephews, and 2 other extended family members. I also have my in-laws (I try to figure out what to do for all 3, at least Jenny is easy...she's a crafter like me).

Then there is all my close friends that I game or dance with. I try to get everyone....but it's not always possible.

So....starting early is part of my keys to success when it comes to holiday gift giving. I try to plan out everyone's potential gift ahead of time when making my list. My hubby helps with getting the supplies I need, and the occasional gift wrapping, or anything that I can't make that needs to be picked up (IE Nintendo games, computer games, quilting supplies, books, etc) and with the shipping for our family members that live overseas or that live a bit far that we don't get to see on a regular basis.

The other difficult part is keeping what I'm making a secret till the gifts are givin. I take pictures of almost everything I make so I can chronicle it here. But why does it have to be so hard to keep suprizes secret?

So far I have at least 12 knitted gifts to attempt to get done, 6 sewing projects, and about 5 more people I still have yet to decide what to make for them. Wish me luck!

Tetris Quilt

2011-06-28T10:11:00.003-04:00

(x-posted to quilt a long)

ITS DONE!!! Granted there are still chalk lines, but its done!!!!

It only took me two years. I had to do alot of hand sewing in the blocks....and piecing together the black strips was....painful.

Im just glad it looks so good! This is my first queen sized quilt. My bed is a queen size, and it covers the top of the bed nicely.

This is a gift for my dad. He knew I was making it. It just took longer than I expected

Machine and hand sewn.

Wool Spinning - techniques and terminology

2011-06-11T12:52:00.003-04:00

I made a suppliment to my previous wool spinning 101 video. And as usual, it features my cat.

Enjoy

Gearing up for another game - leather cincher

2011-06-05T19:46:00.002-04:00

This is the finished product of my latest leather work. This is for my newest larp character. I designed the rose, carved the leather, dyed, and finished it...finally. Its a mahogany color moreso than a red. It took a while but very much worth the effort. If this character gets killed, I will be able to use it for future steampunk options.

Another gift for someone

2011-05-29T22:05:00.002-04:00

I finally gave my last gift from xmas. This wall quilt was really hard to keep a secret cause I had fun doing the stitching, and its so playful. This was givin to a fellow cat lover, who also owns a mostly black cat. I got some inspiration from sifting through the blog The Free Motion Quilting Project for the variety of stitches. Also remembering the natural direction of the coat of a cat also helps.

And this next pic is the closeup of the stitching. I tried to get some of the background stitches to come thorugh in the photo as well because im quite happy how it turned out.

I used some polyester thread for the backgrounding, and multicolored rayon for the fur on the cat. I used clear nylon on the swirls on the side of the border because I didn't want to cover over the pattern on the fabric.

This will also be cross posted to my quilt-a-long blog.

Gifts for a friend...

2011-05-11T13:23:00.000-04:00

With the way life goes, unfortunately there are still friends whom I still haven't gotten a chance to see since before xmas...and with that there are gifts that still need to be givin out.

Thankfully I got a chance to do that yesterday.

I made some legwarmers for my friend Ali. She can also use them as armwarmers.

Now, I realize I haven't posted much over the past few months. Mainly due to that I am trying to finish unfinished projects, get things geared up for larping and camping, and looking for work.

I have also been making costuming pieces for our larp group so they have more merchants or monsters to kill us with. For aiding with the sewing, I get something akin to canadian tire money to get more points, so it ballances out.

Scrappy, stary and Pink!

2011-04-29T10:36:00.005-04:00

I apologize for not posting this project earlier. I had to keep it a secret till I gave this to my friend. I also wanted to try to get more votes on Craftster.org for my pop tab project. I have a friend whom I game with through Larping who just loves pink!

So, I used some flannel in between the layers as some batting for a bit of texture, and went to work on my sewing machine.

I decided to use the wonky star design for this quilt cause its not difficult. I also did a bit of crazy patching in the middle

I used up almost all the pink i had in my stash. I wanted it to be a bit of a scrappy kind of quilt.

The border of the quilt is little tiny cherries.

And of course, while plodding through the project, my cat decided to 'help'.

I plan on doing more videos soon, including hexagons and henna tattoos.

So in the meantime...happy sewing!

Rennaissance or larp outfit on the cheap

2011-04-15T16:33:00.002-04:00

Many people think you have to have alot of money for period style garb, or for costuming. I am a firm believer that going to thrift stores is one of the most time saving and money saving techniques there is when it comes to either making clothes, costuming, or even just finding accents to something you are working on. Take the outfit I'm wearing below....

Shirt: made from bedsheet - total cost 4$
skirt: made from secondhand skirt and table cloth - 8$
overdress: made from second hand dress and sheets - 14$
snood - hand crocheted, about 3$ of cotton yarn
Pants from sheets: 4$

Showing that with a bit of sewing you can make an outfit for less than 35$ - priceless

So.....as the start to earth week....Upcycling is good!

Vote for my creation on Craftster.org

2011-04-10T10:30:00.000-04:00

For those of you whom like my poptab creeper, please vote for me on the Craftster Challenge at Craftster.org

Just click on the link below, it should take you to the voting page. You do need to sign up to vote, but they dont spam you, and you get tonnes of crafting (including quilters) ideas, tips, and techniques.

http://www.craftster.org/forum/index.php?topic=374924.0

Thanks to anyone who votes!

Poptab and pipecleaner Minecraft - for Craftster Challenge

2011-04-01T18:23:00.003-04:00

So, there was a challenge on Craftster about using basic tools to create something. They gave the basic material challenge of using either poptabs, pipecleaner, storebought pompoms, or popsicle sticks. I decided to unleash my inner geek, and make a contribution. I enjoy geeking around on Minecraft, and this is what I came up with.

Voting on http://www.craftster.org/ will probably be taking place once everything is posted (probably the 8th or 9th of April). Feel free to vote on which one you like most. It doesn't have to be my creations....but it would be appreciated. Just vote on whichever you like best.

This green fellow is a Creeper. He sneeks up on you and if you don't see it, he hisses, then explodes.

The blue block is representative of the Lapis Lazuli block that is available in the game.

Enjoy!

Upcomming tutorials

2011-03-28T14:54:00.002-04:00

So, the next tutorials will be

Henna tattoos - I will do this one first

Wool stripe dying, for those who dont have a microwave

Quilting with hexagons

Earth Hour 2011

2011-03-24T09:04:00.006-04:00

(xposted from happy n cool news and the forums)

Earth hour is fast approaching and is this Saturday (March 26)

I like to do a bit of spinning woo, dancing or other various crafty activities when the lights go out. I also usually take time to turn off all electronics. A friend of mine plays a game called Power grid, while in the dark. (a bit ironic but funny)

So...if you want to participate. All lights go off at 8:30pm whatever your local time is.

Turn off the lights and have some fun!

DIY Crazyness Forums

2011-03-23T10:44:00.001-04:00

I have just set up some forums for discussion on crafts, quilting, DIY stuff, or even general geekyness.

There's even a special area for quilting knowledge set up for folks who often visit The Bronze Wombat.

the link for the forums, (which will eventually be put on the side bar on the blog) is http://diy-crazyness.forumotion.ca/

Cats at play - Stretch! - Done!

2011-03-11T12:13:00.001-05:00

I've finished my first kit! Most of this was done via Appliqué. I had a bit of problems with my machine with tension, so the backside looks really....really messy, but the top looks fantastic! Im happy with it. For the designs in thread, I just went with my gut. I didn't really plan it out. I also had a hard time finding any thread I might have had to match the background color, but I did manage to find some.

So, this is the full quilt. I also added some buttons that came with the kit, but I also added a few of my own charms that would match up. One of them is even a bell from a Lindt bunny.

Here's a closeup of the fishbowl....

And a closeup of the kitty and collar.

Next up....I aim to finish the Tetris and Crazy Quilts.

Comments

2011-03-10T22:54:00.002-05:00

Ive decided to open up the ability for others to comment on my blog who don't have a google account. If you have ideas, suggestions, comments, or just to say hi, feel free to post a comment to my blog posts.

I just wanted to mention tho that all comments (except from very specific people) will be moderated. This is to keep trolls, flamers, haters and spammers at bay. If it gets out of hand, I will turn the filters back on.

And now....a random pic of my cat, taken by my hubby. Enjoy!

How to make a Crazy Quilt

2011-03-06T16:09:00.003-05:00

This is for those who on the internet wanted to know how to make an easy quilt. This one is certainly for you. This is great for beginners, and you can do any theme you want.

A special thanks to Rosemarie at Applique n'Patchwork Quilt blog for all the fabric and scraps. I have definately been putting them to good use! Also, a special thanks to Jennifer at The Bronze Wombat for getting me introduced to quilting, and the quilting community!

Also, I have been adding tags and lables to my posts to make it easier for those who want to look for something specific to find what you are looking for.

What I've been up to...

2011-03-05T10:00:00.003-05:00

I've been doing various projects as usual. Some Ive had a chance to photograph, and others I still have yet to take photos. I am going to start posting more of the quilted stuff over to my quilting blog, but the other crafty stuff will still get posted here. I will still however post quilting projects here as well.

So first off, we have some food dye stripe yarns. These are going to be for a pair of Very Tall Socks, which is a pattern by knitty.com (which is free by the way)

And my first attempt at a sock monkey for a kid I know. The kid is rather young so no buttons, but a cheeky embroidered mouth and blue eyes.

And finally, an interesting project that uses up scraps of fabric, specifically selvedges of fabric from quilting. Most people throw these away, but I think some of them are rather colorful, especially some of the pictures Ive seen of selvedges from fabrics comming out of Japan. I would love to get my hands on some of those, but north american selvedges will do. This block is 12 inches.

And here is a closeup of some of the print on the selvedges. I get them from all sorts of fabrics from all over the place.

Thats all for now....gotta take more pics....

9 patch quilting for beginners

2011-02-05T13:58:00.003-05:00

Enjoy!

Project dump....from christmas

2011-02-03T20:31:00.005-05:00

Well, I have been a bit quiet on what I was working on over the past few months....mostly so people didn't know what I was working on. I didn't want family or friends knowing what they were getting before they got it.

So, here we go....

First off, we have a washcloth/bathroom set for our dance troupe leader Juuki.

Next up, I made some fingerless gloves for my brother. Had to use acrylics cause of wool allergies, but he loved them just the same.

Next, we have 2 slouch hats, one for my sister (teal), and one for Juuki's daughter (purple)

We next have a scarf I made for a friend of mine in fuzzy pink

Onto our resident cow lovers....a hat made for Juuki's man, who goes by Pariah Ink

And lastly, a guitar strap for my other brother Frankie, who is in a band called Bulldog Crossing.

The pic on the bottom left is the detailing in the stitching I did for the strap.

Just a bit of a plug for Bulldog Crossing here....here's their cover of Brian Wilson

There's a few other gifts I haven't givin out yet, but the photos will be popped up once they are givin.

Minecraft: Knitted texture map

2011-01-15T21:24:00.003-05:00

I was just going through the forums...and came accross this little gem.

http://www.minecraftforum.net/viewtopic.php?f=1021&t=123729

The above link goes to the texture pack link on the Minecraft forums. Ive been playing the game for a bit now and deem this texture pack to be made of awesome!

Australia: Queensland Flood Appeal Auctions

2011-01-14T12:29:00.003-05:00

Crafters and bloggers from all around the world have offered their services to set up an auction to help provide some releif funds to the massive flooding that most of the state of Queensland in Australia is dealing with right now.

The ladies that are making this happen are at the link below:

http://tonicoward.blogspot.com/2011/01/queensland-flood-relief-appeal-auctions.html

Just to tell you how bad this is to put it in perspective....the flooded areas are 10% bigger than the whole province of British Columbia. The damages at the moment are exceeding 10 Billion dollars and are projecting to get worse. Also keep in mind, Brisbane is the 3rd largest city in Australia, and its all under water right now.

Some places are still expected to get 100+ mm of rain today too.

I unfortunately won't have any time to make anything for the auction or to get on the master list. Keep in mind, this is an opportunity to start on birthday or xmas shopping to get something hand made, and all the funds go towards helping people in Australia rebuild.

This is partially a news update for those who might not keep up with international news as well as for those who didn't know about the auction.

This is a photo of the flood height meter that was borrowed from the Australian Storms and Natural Disasters group on Flickr. It is measured in meters.

I cross posted this to my quilting blog as well.

Wool dying tutorial

2010-12-28T14:49:00.002-05:00

This is a re-do from the last one I made. I tried to tinker with the settings in the last vid. It played fine on the computer, but translated lousy to youtube....so this one turned out much better

Happy Holidays

2010-12-24T09:54:00.003-05:00

I just wanted to wish all my fellow blog watchers a Merry Christmas. For those of you who follow the workings of Terry Pratchett, Happy Hogswatch!

I have come down with an awful cold , so I won't be able to post much up. I also have to make sure people get their gifts before I post anything. So, keep an eye open for posts in the new year.

Chore Wars, attack of the craft room

2010-12-17T14:53:00.003-05:00

I decided to start up a Chore Wars campaign, but not your average chores. These involve some classic DnD aspects like fighting zombies or skeletons that any party member can partake, and some that involve more craftyness like finishing quilts, or doing other geeky or craft related adventures.

I will set up from time to time adventures that are quilting or crafting related that may look like repeats, but these are for those huge daunting tasks like working on quilts that will take till the end of time to finish.

I invited several people to join the party, if you are a friend, and would like to join, send me a message and I will send you an invite.

Quilting Blog

2010-11-27T10:31:00.003-05:00

I've decided that I do enough quilting to get away with making a strictly quilting blog

Quilt-a-long is the name...mostly because it was something cute, and I've done a few in regards to projects

Intro into leather carving, part 1 and 2

2010-11-18T14:17:00.003-05:00

For all those who have been interested in how leather is carved.

Part 1

Part 2

Please note, any derogatory, lewd or crude comments, any comments regarding PETA, harrassment, spam, or trolling on my youtube channel or on my blog is heavily monitored and will be deleted

The busy season

2010-11-05T18:39:00.004-04:00

With looking for work, working on x-mas gifts, dancing, and looking for work, you may not see as many craft posts from me between now and January. All is not lost. I will be posting pics once everyone recieves their presents after x-mas, and I plan on re-doing the food dye wool dye tutorial (I have it recorded, I just haven't edited it yet).

I also have been posting to my Happy n Cool news blog, and for that I am always looking for submissions.

I will also post up a photo of our Hallowe'en costumes soon. I just want to fill the memory card on my camera before offloading so I can save on battery power.

So, in the meantime, please be patient with me, and more tutorials will come.

Happy n Cool news Hallowe'en specials

2010-10-29T20:39:00.002-04:00

Go check out my other blog for cool hallowe'en finds on the internet. Also, feel free to submit costumes, or cool hallowe'en links!

http://kiera-oona-happynews.blogspot.com/

Warning of blog technical difficulties

2010-10-26T21:32:00.002-04:00

Just a heads up that if a photo isn't working, its cause I started running out of room on the Flickr account thats attached to my Ravelry account....so, I need to re-arrange a few photos to an alternate account.

Please bear with me while I make the move. If later down the road you come accross an image that isn't working, please let me know.

Give me about a month to make the transitions

Tassle Belt DIY for Dance

2010-10-06T15:45:00.003-04:00

I filmed this a while back, but never got around to editing it and posting it till now. I apologize for the junk in the back of the video, or my hair....I think my hair had a mind of its own that day.

I also had a bit of extra help on this video from my cat, and was inspired by my troupe, and other dancers to make this video.

Thanks to everyone who has requested videos, or commented on any of my tutorials.

Enjoy!

New Website for Shavora ITS Dance Troupe

2010-10-04T15:10:00.003-04:00

I just wanted to mention we have a new website.

http://shavora.ca/

Please refer to the new link for more pictures, stories, and upcomming performances.

Three tiered skirt tutorial

2010-09-20T18:37:00.001-04:00

This is a short video on how to make a 3 tiered skirt. The video assumes you already know how to sew. Any questions, complications, or if you get stuck, comment to the blog or on the video page and I will try to help you.

A bit of a quilt, and a bit of a knit

2010-09-11T11:03:00.005-04:00

I've been working on several projects on the go over the past little while. There's birthdays, kids with babies, along with Hallowe'en and Christmas comming up, I have to keep plugging away on stuff.

This first set of goodies are for a baby. A hat and some booties

This second project was a gift, and a bit of an experimintation. I made the pattern based on the lozenge stitch. The instructions are a bit confusing cause yarn overs weren't listed as YO in the book. The pair of wristy frill cuffs were made for my troupemate Souzan for her birthday!

This quilt is about 42 x 34 inches, and also for a baby.

Next up on my project list...more birthday and christmas gifts.

The chair's meow

2010-09-10T17:45:00.005-04:00

Well, I thought it was time I got a new chair....the one I have is dingy, and the fabric is kinda worn in places. The arm rests aren't comfortable cause of the lacking of padding....but sadly, I cannot afford a new one at the moment.

So I decided to have my way with the chair.

This is the before shot.

...
...

...and this....this is my first attempt at re-upholstry!

I had a few fluffs on the seat, but overall, it looks renewed. The only telltale sign that it was an older chair to begin with is the brown frame. The fabric was in my leftovers. The hardest part was taking the old seat off to re-cover it, and putting the arm rests back on.

New Blog

2010-09-03T20:37:00.004-04:00

Ive decided to start up something fun. Its a blog based around things that are happy or cool.

I dont have much up there right now, but I will be putting up more stuff soon, and hopefully updating once a week. More if warrented.

http://kiera-oona-happynews.blogspot.com/ - this is the link

If anyone wants to help me out with this project, feel free to send me a message :-)

Fall wall quilt, and pants

2010-08-24T17:15:00.005-04:00

First off, we have some pants. I got these cargos at Old Navy dirt cheap cause someone had accidently bleached the bottoms in certian spots. The ladies at the store made double sure I knew they were damaged. I just told them I was going to mod them even more. The original color was grey. So, I used some bleach in a spray bottle, and went to town. Aftwarwards, I got all the bleach out and dyed them red with Tintex dyes I got at the dollar store.

Afterwards, I got myself a stencil, and a rub-a-dub marker (aka permenant black marker that doesnt come out in the wash) and stenciled a few things.

This is the photo of the back

And this is a pic of the front

Secondly, I wanted a nice and colorful wall hanging for fall. Not a Hallowe'en one (believe me I have ideas for skeletons), but more of one for the harvest and Thanksgiving, which isn't all that far off if you think about it (especially since the kids go back to school in less than 2 weeks).

This one was fun to do. Thankfully it wasn't that hard to layer since I do draw in my spare time, and designed the whole thing myself with no help. The only thing I still have troubles doing is bias tape casings on the outside. It just seems very fidgity to me for some reason.

Updating my library

2010-08-19T10:51:00.004-04:00

I don't read just craft and quilt books. I also read fantasy and sci fi books.

For those who are curious, this is my current list of books I have in my library.

http://www.librarything.com/profile/kiera-oona

I recently sold a bunch of hard cover books I dont read anymore by Terry Goodkind, David Eddings, and Robert Jordan. I also like some of Anne Mccafferey's work (Dragon riders of pern series), and I have read Robert Heinlein's work as well. I also find some of Anne Rice's works interesting.

Theres also a few 'how to sew' books that I have that I havent listed (cause I also cant find them).

Quilt Quickie

2010-08-15T00:12:00.005-04:00

cA coworker of mine is always giving me free stuff, ie juice, pens, etc. To repay her kindness, I made this to dress up her home.

This little block is a 5x5 piece that is a mini wall hanging. I still need work on my edging, but I liked doing it cause it was quick, fun, and cute.

Thank you Rosemarie!

2010-08-13T18:00:00.003-04:00

I just wanted to say a special thanks to Rosemarie for the books, the magazines, and all the yummy fabric! I have ideas on what to do with the whales border, and the lovely lion blocks you gave me!

Sooooooo many ideas!

A bit of quilting, a bit of relaxing, and kilts

2010-08-08T14:18:00.005-04:00

If anyone has been wondering where I've been, we had a performance about 3 weeks ago, then Larping 2 weeks ago, and last week, I was camping up towards Pembroke.

A friend of ours kept an eye on Leeloo while we were away and watered my plants. The sunflowers have started blooming again, and my catnip has bloomed this year.

This photo was taken from the rental van. Unfortunately this was the only photo I wound up taking. I was just enjoying soaking up some rays and RnR.

This is the Crazy Quilt I've been working on slowly. Its just a matter of getting all manner of scraps to work with.

I also did a bit of my hexagon sewing while I was on vacation, but I think it will take me another year or two to finish the top. How does one finish the edges on a hexie? Anyone got suggestions?

Made my other half a kilt and sporan as well. The kilt is made from a poly/bamboo rayon blend. it washes well, it dries fast, and drapes well. The sporan is made with upholstry hide, rabbit fur, and a castle concho as a button.

And lastly....a tiedye tee shirt

GAH SPAM!!!!! And not the edible kind

2010-07-16T08:49:00.003-04:00

Ive been dealing with some spam issues regarding posts on my blog. It keeps cropping up on my spinning wheel on the cheap findings post.

Its some company in india trying to sell me pvc, and when I link back to the company, you cant send them an email cause it gives you a 404 error.

To ATUL PVC.....STOP POSTING ON MY BLOG. GOOGLE HAS BEEN NOTIFIED!

there....now that all that is out of my system...I will have to moderate my comments for a while. For those who want to post a comment, Im sorry if you can't. You can always email me tho. I do love feedback from those who are craftier than me. I just despise popups and spam. The internet at one time didnt have spam or popup ads....I miss those days

Slowly but surely...

2010-07-13T20:38:00.002-04:00

yup....still sewing the tetris quilt....getting a bit further along but its been so dang hot to sew it lately (especially when it hits 40 degrees in the sun on the balcony.

However, I have been saving up pieces and bits from other sewing projects that are all in cotton, as well as scraps from my hexagon quilt, which Im also still working on (finally got the width settled)

What am I doing with the leftovers I hear you ask through the monitor? A crazy quilt of course. Its comming along in patches. I will take a pic of it soon and post it at some point....but i have been crazy busy with the past few performances, camping, etc.

Happy Belated Canada Day

2010-07-05T07:32:00.004-04:00

I know you get alot of patriotic greetings depending on if you are Canadian or American. As a friend of mine says...'To celebrate Canada's Birthday, we just blow up a piece of it...in the form of fireworks'

So I decided to bring you a photo....not just any photo....I took this with my own camera, surrounded by friends, lying down on a friends yoga mat, staring up at the sky to watch big booms. The kind you can feel on your chest as they bang through the air. I kinda feel bad for the birds and animals that have to put up with the noise, but it only really happens once a year.

I like how this pic turned out. you can see the red, the green, and the wee bit of purple. The lines through the pic arent a watermark. its actually the power lines in the way, but it still doesnt deminish from the pic.

A quickie

2010-07-02T22:35:00.004-04:00

Just wanted to share my yellow harems. If you do your bargain hunting, you can find what you are looking for. I got the fabric really inexpensively at Fabricland. They tend to have great end of season sales. Theres also fabric stores that sell plain fabrics at decent prices as well.

The other options are as I always say....check your local thrift stores on a regular basis.

Gear for the Tribal Dancer - Volume 1

2010-06-25T21:42:00.003-04:00

This is just a short clip I made before the show, showing all the layers a dancer might wear...or at least what I was wearing that night.

Recently finished projects

2010-06-25T19:55:00.008-04:00

Sorry I've been out of touch for a while and not updated in a bit. As I mentioned in a previous blog entry, Ive been super busy over the past month or so. So, here's an update on some of the things Ive been working on....

First up, this is an oil painting I completed back in April, when I was down with my mystery lack of voice illness. This is the first time I had painted with oils since high school. This painting is 8x10 inches and is for sale if anyone is looking to get interesting art. The proceeds will go towards my further dance gear and possible workshop attendance.

Secondly, gearing up for the performance we had on June 23rd at St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church out in Brampton. The skirt, pannel skirt, bra, choli, and dance socklettes I all made by hand (as you may have seen in previous blog postings). To put other gear into perspective...it can take up to 3 hours to get ready for a performance. It took me an hour for me to do my hair, cause its at the annoying length that you just dont know what to do with it, and it wouldnt stay put. It also took me about an hour to do my makeup, then about 30 mins just to tack all my clothes and jewellery on. Good thing I took that day off work.

This also doesnt take into account the hours of prep time for any henna application. The several nights before of mixing, applying, taping it up and keeping it moist while the dye sets. (btw, Kesali is my dance stage name)

These are the dance socks I made for the performance. 100% wool, and when I get a chance, I will post up the pattern.

Next up, a promise made to a friend of mine who has a die hard facination with chicken....she wanted a rooster hat....so I made her one. Again, based off the kitty hat, just with a rooster bit.

I also made these from some of the hand dyed/hand spun yarn that I did earlier.

These projects also don't include any larp gear that Ive previously worked on in May, which I will get around to posting soon enough

Apologies for the delays in posting....expect more delays

2010-06-17T19:18:00.003-04:00

Im sorry to anyone in the crafting world who have been trying to get a hold of me (especially the Bronze Wombat). I've been redonculously busy. Its also going to get even more busy.

Here is my stuff to do between now and the first week of August:

-Larp patchups
-coin bra
-new lightweight choli out of cotton (so i dont die in summer heat on stage)
-dying fabric for turban
-dying kahkis
-fixing skirts
-making a purple kitty hat for purple's birthday
-gluing an inner layer of leather into shoes for dance
-finishing dance socks
-making winter hats and booties for a newborn (due also in august)
-waterproofing a tent
-making target arrows more visible via bright effing orange spraypaint (dont want to loose any more)
......and im still getting dad's quilt done, on top of my regular dayjob.

So.....does anyone think I need to stop to sleep yet? Nope, not me!

Nice n' Long Arm Warmers

2010-05-25T18:47:00.010-04:00

These are a type of fingerless gloves. This was made for one size, but should be fairly easy enough to edit the size and length for your arms....cause my arms are kinda meaty. These work for cold offices, wearing in the spring or winter with your favorite t-shirt, or just as a fashion accessory over top of your favorite shirts. Also, these fingerless gloves can be made to make as long as you see in the pic, or as short as you want.

This pattern is also listed on Ravelry.com for those who want to link back to me.

Materials:

4 dpn us size 5 or 3.75 mm needles - circulars can also be used
tapistry needles for tucking ends in
"Naturally Loyal" wool, wool or acrylic in similar weight (DK or 8ply)
elastic if needed for the tops of the arms

Pattern:

Cast on 38 sts, set up stitch marker, join in round

Rib stitch for 10 rows/rounds
Stop at stitch marker to make thumbhole

to make thumbhole, knit row, turn instead of continuing on the round and purl the next row, therefore breaking the round.

Break round

To break the round, do not continue next round, instead, turn your work, and follow the next set of instructions. Knit and purl as needed to form stockinette stitch. If you only knit the rows, you will get a garter stitch effect.

Knit/purl 5 rows
row 15: k5, m1, k28, m1, k to end of row
row 16-22 knit/purl rows
row 23: k5, m1, k30, m1, knit to end
row 24-28: knit/purl rows

row 29: join up at thumb and knit the round. Continue knitting the next set of instructions as usual.

row 30-59: knit
row 60: m1, k10, m1, k10, m1, k13
row 61-69: knit
row 70: m1, k14, m1, k14, m1, k14, m1, k to end
row 71-79: knit
row 80: m1, k14, m1, k14, m1, k14, rep to end
row 81-86: knit
row 87: m1, k12, rep to end
row 87-106: knit
row 107: m1, k12, rep to end
row 108-123: knit
row 124: m1, k14, rep to end
row 125-148: knit
row 149-159: rib 1x1 stitch
row 160: bind off

Tuck in ends and wear with style. Feel free to add stripes or your favorite designs to the arms.

Errata:

Octber 15, 2010

As a special request, I have made a video to help those who had issues forming the thumb. I also made slight changes above in the instructions to hopefully make it a bit easier to understand.

Feel free to leave any comments on the pattern or any issues on the comments page below. Also, feel free to message me on Ravelry under the username kiera-oona

Towel Day

2010-05-25T11:58:00.003-04:00

Today is Towel Day, as well as Geek/Nerd day, and the anniversary of the release of Star Wars IV

So, I have my towel today, and I also found someone who made a pattern for towel day, which you could turn into a towel if you are a knitter. They also have a crocheted one if you are not

http://www.irishlace.net/knitting/42-washcloth.html

Towel Day is in honor of Douglas Adams, who wrote The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. Its also to show love for the book, and demonstrate the usefulness of the towel in intergalactic travel.

"A towel, it says, is about the most massively useful thing an interstellar hitchhiker can have. Partly it has great practical value. You can wrap it around you for warmth as you bound across the cold moons of Jaglan Beta; you can lie on it on the brilliant marble-sanded beaches of Santraginus V, inhaling the heady sea vapors; you can sleep under it beneath the stars which shine so redly on the desert world of Kakrafoon; use it to sail a miniraft down the slow heavy River Moth; wet it for use in hand-to-hand-combat; wrap it round your head to ward off noxious fumes or avoid the gaze of the Ravenous Bugblatter Beast of Traal (such a mind-bogglingly stupid animal, it assumes that if you can't see it, it can't see you); you can wave your towel in emergencies as a distress signal, and of course dry yourself off with it if it still seems to be clean enough.

More importantly, a towel has immense psychological value. For some reason, if a strag (strag: non-hitch hiker) discovers that a hitch hiker has his towel with him, he will automatically assume that he is also in possession of a toothbrush, face flannel, soap, tin of biscuits, flask, compass, map, ball of string, gnat spray, wet weather gear, space suit etc., etc. Furthermore, the strag will then happily lend the hitch hiker any of these or a dozen other items that the hitch hiker might accidentally have "lost". What the strag will think is that any man who can hitch the length and breadth of the galaxy, rough it, slum it, struggle against terrible odds, win through, and still knows where his towel is is clearly a man to be reckoned with."

Le Sigh

2010-05-18T00:37:00.001-04:00

So, Ive lost my voice....again. 2nd time in less than a month, and I have to wait till June till they make a referal to get a scan of my head and throat, or to get a camera shot done internally.

in short...this sucks!

Dollar store death idea courtesy of The Anticraft!

2010-05-15T10:46:00.005-04:00

I love those delightfully devious folks at The Anticraft. They posted a while ago an idea of redoing some angels you might find in a trift store or dollar store.

I found these angels in the local Value Village. I used high gloss outdoor podge to make my angels all shiney, then added some Future Floorwax to it to make it not tacky (cause podge does that sometimess) The pic on the left is the before shot, and the one on the right is the after shot.

The cool thing is the ones on the left and right are candle holders. I know its not halloween, but Im going to get some nice black candles to go with those two.

Just as a tip to get the angels to stand out more, for those of you who are painters, or paint models, use a bit of a dark gray drybrush to get the black to stand out. Especially if you decide to coat them in a matte finish. This way you can see all the folds in the fabrics they are wearing.

I will make another post soon on all the larp gear I've either had to fix, make, or do from scratch.

Arm warmers, and the local wildlife

2010-05-11T22:13:00.004-04:00

These are the pair of armwarmers I've been working on for quite some time. I had the 2nd item-itus. You know how you knit a pair of socks, and just cant ever seem to get around to knitting the second one? Same problem with these. However, I also had alot of xmas presents to finish after I finished the first one. I will put up a pattern at some point. I have some larping gear to make over the next few weeks tho.

I got the lovely colored wool from Jenny at the Bronze Wombat, which I think she said she got from Nundle Wools, (which i will be corrected on if Im wrong...Please correct me if thats the case), and the black wool is Loyal brand wool from New Zeland that I picked up at Romani Wool on Queen St. West in Toronto.

And now for the local wildlife segment....

For some time now, the local squirrells seem to have become accustomed to humans down in the park. One pair in particular keep accosting us for food. ESPECIALLY Fatso....or the squirrell we have called Fatso. His buddy Half Tail also has been bugging us.

Half-tail has a portion of his tail fuzz missing, kinda making his tail on the underside looking like it was shaved off. Half-tail is also about half the size girth wize of Fatso.

Fatso...well he/she is just....fat. We also watched Fatso get into a fight with Half-tail over the food we were offering. Fatso has a tendancy to come right at your feet, and will jump off park benches to get at the food you are holding. This pigglet has no patience at all.

2nd annual Taylor Park Cleanup Day

2010-04-25T22:23:00.008-04:00

Here's the preliminary scenario from yesterday (April 24th). I went out for a birthday/meetup for our larp group and my troupe leader of our dance troupe down at one of the fire pits down in Taylor Creek Park down here in Toronto. Throughout the day, there wasn't a single person who showed up that didn't wind up walking on broken glass at some point throughout the day. The benches had broken glass beside them, and all around the fire pit, and even in the field where we were attempting to have a bit of a foam sword face off. I was trying to do indigo tattoos for people, and there was several points in the day where I was practically kneeling on glass (due to angles of artistic brilliance and trying to get the dye to take).

So, this year, my friend Purple joined me for a park makeover. It was a hell of a job we had.

To start off, as soon as we got to the park, someone took the life preservers that the city puts up around the park in case someone falls into the river, were found in the river, along with an orange traffic cone. Apparently some punk kids like throwing them in the river for no reason. We managed to get one of the two rafts out of the river (cause the water is bloody cold and we didnt want to go IN the river) and fished out the pylon.

We went along the river bank and picked up what bags that were wrapped around the roots of trees, and we even found Duplo blocks, Wonderbread bags, and a sock.

Next we walked along the main pathway to the fire pit where we had our meet up yesterday, picking up all sorts of crap along the way, including broken glass, more plastic bags, and tissues people just dumped. Someone also shaved their dog, but thankfully dog hair is biodegradable, and didn't really have time to pick that up, so we made a bit of an executive deicion to leave it.

Afterwards, we finally got up to the fire pit.

Purple started sweeping the fire pit to centralize the glass into the main fire pit so that people didnt have to walk on it. (thankfully if someone sets a fire, the glass will eventually melt)

This is the many bags of junk, being mostly glass, that we cleaned up.

In the above pics are the various bags of junk we collected. Purple did a fantastic job of sweeping up the picnic/firepit area, while I went into the back woods around the fire pit to grab what I could.

I found the remenants of various frames of chairs, firepit roasting apparatus that was probably bought at the dollar store, a saw blade, and probably about a full case of beer worth of glass, on top of a lot of styrofoam plates, and plastic forks and knives that were just thrown in the woods close by. Throughout the day Purple and I semi screamed and grumbled our frustrations as we cleaned up and got as much crap as we could.

This is the variety of junk I cleared out of the wooded area.

In total, I think between the two of us, we picked up the frames of 4 lawn chairs, about 2 cases of 24 beers of glass, (including smirnof and bacardi bottles) condom wrappers (thankfully no used condoms), bread bags, shopping bags, water bottles, beer cans, a bike break, lego, socks, several kool-aid juice packs, several bags of dog waste, and various other materials that I couldnt even identify.

This is Purple in the pic, just so you know its not me.

All being done, I think for the 4 hours we cleaned up, we did better than any city worker would actually attempt. Im just thankful I didn't do the cleaning alone this time. I would like to put out a special thanks to Purple for pitching in.

If anyone who is in the area who would like to help out....feel free to contact me at the beginning of April next year, because I will be setting up another cleanup.

As for the folks who thanked us for cleaning...why not pitch in and make it better for everyone? If everyone pitched in, the parks would be just that much better....not just for us, but for all the duckies, foxes, bunnies, and deer that inhabit the park as well. And please, for the love of whatever or whomever....please pick up after your dogs and keep them on a leash..and put the crap in the bins....the park isn't a leash free zone, and I don't like soggy doggies dribbling all over me, or stepping in doggie droppings when I go for my walks.

Now that I'm done my rant...all in all it was a good day. Sorry about the quality of the pics, as they were taken from my cellphone. Also, since I did say I had prizes, and Purple was the only one who showed, She got both! I made an earth day wall quilt (as seen below), as well as a hand dyed with indigo dye bag made of 100% cotton.

This is the quilt that Purple got to take home with her. I didn't take a pic of the bag I dyed tho.

A special thank you, and some projects

2010-04-20T11:53:00.005-04:00

I just wanted to say a special thank you to all those who follow my blog, give advice on various projects, and show your support for my various projects, and those who feed my crafting addiction. (you know who you are)

I realize I haven't posted any projects recently, but I have been under the weather with allergies gone wild. It has gone from my usuall laryingitis to a full blown cold (or so it seams) and Ive been out of it for about a week and a half.

However, now that I have givin a few projects to a few people, I don't have to worry about showing one of my more recent projects...but I am warning you...there is the color PINK involved

Also, while Ive been wondering if my lung is going to be expelled, Ive been toying around with dying various things around the house with henna and indigo dyes. (Yes Jennie, I found a supplier for the blue stuff)

I started off with what it looks like on skin. Since the batch I picked up is meant for the skin. My other half said it looked like I went nuts with a ball point pen (isn't indigo what they use to make pen ink to start with?)

Then I moved on to some yarn tests. I picked up some Patons Marino while at Value Village (cause its cheaper) to test with.

Henna on the left. For the indigo on the right, I only used a half a shot full shot glass of dye. (mind you it looks like I killed a smurf in my bathtub. It will come out of the tub eventually...I hope)

What is Indigo you ask? Its a plant that is used for blue dye. Its a nice leafy green plant that kinda looks like spinach. But, when crushed, brewed, or boiled, it can dye fabric, wood, yarn, and skin blue. There are multiple varieties. Some you can just crush into wool and go, others you have to brew it to get the dye out and onto your project (kinda like onion skins, or berries)

The type I used were freeze dried crystals, so when added to water, it activates the dye, but it is an extract from the plant. (isn't science nifty?) As long as it is kept in my airtight containers, it wont degrade easily and keep its staining powers for a long time.

For info on the indigo plant and dyes, go to Wikipedia for more info

To check out where I got the dye, go to www.hennapage.com, which also has techniques how to mix your henna pastes to use if for skin, hair, wood, rawhide, and fabric. (going to try a batik one of these days)

Spring is finally here!

2010-03-20T11:47:00.003-04:00

Today is the Vernal Equinox....the first day of spring in the Northern Hemisphere.

So....I have some gardening questions for those of you who are more plant savy than I

1) how do you get a Kalanchoe to bloom agian?

2) The general rule of thumb is not to plant any flowers till may 24 weekend, but are there any hardy half sun or shade plants that will survive if it frosts or snows again that I can plant early? (more specifically things like panseys)

3) If they need to be potted early, with the weenie bit of light I do get (im on the northwest corner of the building) when is the best time to get them started? I have a greenhouse, but I would prefer to keep those plants as indoor as much as possible (mostly spiderplants, an aloe, and a kalanchoe)

Quilting update

2010-03-13T15:58:00.001-05:00

Ive gotten a fair few squares quilted...but I know that its going to take me a loooong time to finish.

Some people have asked me....what Im going to do with the background. I figured, since Im going with squares for pattern, im going to stitch circles in multi colors in the background. I might overlap a few but Im undecided as of yet

The hardest part is im stitching by hand...so its going to take me a while

The end of Olympics....the wrap-up

2010-02-28T18:31:00.003-05:00

So, first thing is first, Canada won the Gold in mens hockey. Therefore, bumping up our gold count to 14 for this games....the most golds won by a host nation to date. The previous holder was the USA.

We saw the first gold medal won by Alexandre Bilideau, which was a wonderful performance

We watched while Australia got the gold in the womens ariels by Lydia Lassila.

We watched Shaun White just smoke down the hill for the gold in mens halfpipe for the USA

I felt kinda bad that David Morris, who dyed his hair Wottle Green for the olympics JUST missed qualifying for mens ariels.

Overall, I enjoyed watching the live feed thorugh the internet, and even got my other half watching the hockey game with me (since he is Australian)

I have no problem for cheering on other athletes from other countries. I will of course cheer for Canada first, but the Aussies will always hear cheers from me.

Now if Australia had a hockey team, I would be two sided as to whom to cheer for.

Now to wait 2 years till the summer olympics.

The good ol' hockey game

2010-02-28T12:45:00.004-05:00

So, today is the day for every Canadian to be on the edge of their seats for the US vs Canada Gold medal finals in olympics.

If we win this, it will put our medal count at 14 gold.

on other projects, Ive been on the Hogwarts at Ravelry group as the Defence against the dark arts 'teacher'. Ive made a mug cozie for my coffee mug, and a few french press cozies.

I think my next one will be a tea cozie...but im debating what pattern to put on it.

Tetris quilt top done

2010-02-18T22:28:00.004-05:00

This is going to be a really quick post since I've been sick all week ...nothing major mind you, but I gotta work a longer shift tomorrow....sooo....

I thought I would first off like to congradulate the Australians on their first Gold Medal in Womens Halfpipe Snowboarding!

Secondly, the tetris top is done...now I just have to see if I have enough batting...and I have to figure out what Im going to back it with. Leeloo is helping out with the shot to show how big the quilt is.

Thats all for now...

Holy Hockey Batman

2010-02-14T13:13:00.002-05:00

I knew our olympic womens team was good, but a 18-0 shutout???!!?

I think the IOC would have paired a team that never played hockey in the olympics against a team that hasnt won the olympic gold medal 2 times in a row....but then again...it is just luck (or the lack thereof) of the draw

Simple and Stylin' 80s inspired leg warmers

2010-02-09T20:43:00.004-05:00

So, I went trippin' back to the 80's. Back when big hair and loud rock music was at it's peak. When bands like Areosmith, Alice Cooper, Van Halen, Michael Jackson, and AC/DC were the top bands.

The pattern is good for newbie knitters, or even just something fun for the experienced. You could probably use intarsa or fair isle to put whatever patterns you wanted on it. I just used a verigated acrylic for this. If you use one color, its a really quick knit.

Well, without further delay, here's the materials list and pattern:

Materials:
Worsted weight /Aran weight acrylic wool - I used Red Heart Super Saver
US 5 Circular or Double Pointed needles.
A pair of scissors
a yarn needle for weaving in the ends.
A stitch marker -not nessessary but nice to have
a stitch counter - agian not nessessary but really handy

Pattern:

Cast on 66 stitches
Rib stitch for 20 rows
Knit for 60 rows
In rib formation, Knit one, purl 2 together (or if you are lazy like me, Purl one, Knit 2 together)
Rib stitch for the next 20 rows.
Bind off
Tuck in your ends and you are done!

Enjoy and use to stay warm in the cold weather.

New wall quilt and a skirt that took me a year!

2010-01-31T16:56:00.006-05:00

First off we have a nice quilt to try to chase away the winter blahs. Its the first time I tried 'drawing' with yarn. Its not very precise, but it was alot of fun to do. I just have to work on the tension underneath when using my darning plate, but at least the top side turned out ok. I used a light multicolored rayon for the top stitching. Also, I didnt use a single bit of fusablefor this one. I pinned and sewed it all on without any sticky stuff.

Now my skirt on the other hand....This started off as a brainchild of mine. I was working on a 9-patch swap with some friends of mine. I incorporated some of the 2 inch squares into the top of the skirt, and went crazy from there. I also added a crazy star to the dress in commemoration of the work I did for the Brushfire Quilt Project that many of us quilters (pro and beginners alike) on the internet worked on for those whom lost their homes in the Bushfires in Victoria, Australia. I may do another skirt like this again at some point, but not any time soon. It took WAY tooo long to make....and 10 yard skirts are easy to make, just time consuming...but when you are patching this much fabric together, you start going cross-eyed after a few hours of doing nothing but sewing all day.

Please ignore the Bruce Lee shirt.

sooooooo soooore

2010-01-20T21:17:00.002-05:00

I went to one of Valizan's drill classes on Sunday.....It is now WEDNESDAY and I STILL cant hold my arms up for any length of time.

why does working out have to be this hard?

PVC pipe Spinning Wheel

2010-01-12T20:27:00.004-05:00

After looking at the horridly expensive Louet and Ashcraft spinning wheels (as much as I want one) I found instructions on how to make one from pipe!

Yes folks, you too can make a spinning wheel from plumbing parts

The link is here to avoid spammers on this post

Im making this post mostly for my own references

Also, edit.....found instructions on how to make an electric spindle with Scotch tensioning

http://www.glacialwanderer.com/hobbyrobotics/?p=79

Further edit:

http://rosemaryknits.blogspot.com/2008/08/my-new-wheel.html

how to make a spinning wheel from a bike tire, Jelly yarn, and a mayo lid

Wine Bottle Incense Holders

2009-12-31T12:19:00.002-05:00

Happy New Years....a video for you to launch into your crafting for 2010

So, for christmas I made some stuff...

2009-12-23T21:23:00.006-05:00

So, to kick this yultide tidalwave of making stuff....Lets start off with polymer clay pens

This one I made for the nice lady at work that does quality controll. She got sick of people stealing her pens...this is a little more identifiable.

For my sister I made Harry Potter quilted Potholders.

I made some tube socks for my mom to keep her toes warm over the winter.

Next up is the "deathflag bag" for a larp buddy of mine that needed a coin pouch.

For a friend of mine, I made a Panda Quilt!

And for my friend Sara, She got a Slytherin scarf.

Last but not least, I havent uploaded all the other pics yet, but for my CLH (common law hubby) I made a nice winter hat to match his mittens. I also made a wool/acrylic hat for my younger brother...but I found out the hard way he's allergic to wool, which I had no idea.

I have other stuff on the go still which might not get to their recipiants till the new year, but I bet their new owners are going to be happy with it.

...Twas the post before Christmas

2009-12-23T18:02:00.003-05:00

...And all through the blog, Kiera-oona needs sleep, and prefering to be snoring like sawing logs.

My other half has had to pull multiple double shifts last week cause of sick co workers, which has seriously messed up my sleeping patterns. I was up at 5:30 this morning....I'm almost NEVER up that early.

So the good news is my computer is up and running, but the bad news is we had to spend 400$ each, on both my computer and my CLH (common law hubby) to get them both running.

Nobody ever said sick technology was cheap to fix.

Other than that, Im puttering away on getting some stuff done while trying to be a bit social with friends that are close by. Also wanted to make sure we got all our foodstuffs before mass panic sets in with the last minute shoppers tomorrow. Im as content as can be to work on delayed xmas gifts while people panic outside, and not go outside cause its supposed to rain, then snow....ick!

I think i will settle in with some egg nog tonight, and cornish hens tomorrow for dinner, since there is no way we can eat the massive turkey by ourselves that my CLH gets every year from work for xmas....Im waiting to host a dinner party with that big birdie.

On another note, it is Leeloo's 4th birthday on the 26th. My kitty is a boxing day baby!

Happy Holidays everyone! May your seams line up, and don't forget to lube your sewing machines.

Gimpy the compy dual core....

2009-12-19T10:18:00.002-05:00

...Is now working...and hopefully for a good long while now. My tech master gave me hell for not remembering which drive had windows on it but I placated him with food and fruitcake and all is well.

sooo....about that computer repair.....

2009-12-17T23:27:00.003-05:00

well, ya remember how we all thought it was going to be a cheap fix? yanotsomuch. My cheap fix of a power supply has turned into an expensive motherboard/processor/ram fix. Apparently the brand of motherboard I was using has a bad tendancy to short out the power for unexplained reasons. I just couldnt wrap my head around as to how or why and kept thinking it was the power supply...

now my compy which I should start calling Gimpy....wont boot up windows for some strange reason....so....i am once again borrowing a computer for regular internet access....

I swear at this rate Im never going to get my dads quilt finished

I am not a happy camper....Technology seems to hate me this week.

My computer was givin a bandaid...

2009-12-08T22:46:00.003-05:00

My computer desperately needed a new power supply, which thankfully was all it needed. ...I also got a simple case instead of my old one being held together with wire, old motherboard parts, and glue.

Now if I could just get my stoneage MP3 player to cooperate

Pics from Brampton Winterfest '09

2009-11-26T14:40:00.006-05:00

Sorry I only have two pics up at the moment. Its cause my computer is sick, and all the photos are on my hard drive.

However these are the two pics I managed to upload to my flickr account before my computer died.

Now keep in mind that 90% of my outfit was handmade by yours truely. I will be adding more purple to my dance outfits as things go along.

This next shot was done outside after the show. It was a bit chilly posing for this one, but it was worth it. It shows more details of the headdress.

It was a hard show for me cause the dancing was 100% improv, and I also M/C'd the show by doing a bit of history on the dance, costuming, and how moves are executed. I was so nervous after the dancing that I dropped my zills and had a hell of a time opening the bottle of water. However...no one tripped on their skirts, no one fell off stage, and no one lost a hipscarf (even tho a flower went flying stage left when we did a spin...but I dont think anyone noticed...or at least not much)

For those who want tutorials for dance gear....those will be comming in the new year.

...I got a hole in my 'puter, dear liza

2009-11-25T07:04:00.005-05:00

Well, I shut off my computer on Saturday, and it failed to start on Sunday.....

We aren't sure whats wrong with it yet, but my other half and I are hoping its just the power supply that needs replacing.

I cant work on my dad's quilt till we get it fixed, which could be another week. If its a motherboard issue it could take even longer.

Anyhow, I have access to the alternate household computer, so I can keep updates going...I just cant upload any pictures till I get mine fixed.

Dancin' in the Streets update....

2009-11-17T20:05:00.003-05:00

Well, this isn't going to be in the streets, but there will be dancing.

This is mostly for anyone in the Toronto/Brampton Area. The dance troupe which I am a member of will be performing at the Brampton Rose Theatre , this Saturday November 21st, from 11:00 - 11:30 & 2:00 - 2:15

This is part of the Brampton Arts Fair for Winterfest. There will be all sorts of arts and crafts, and live entertainment

the whole thing kicks off at 9am and finishes at 4pm

...and now for HEXAGONS....and loooots of them

2009-11-10T20:34:00.006-05:00

Now, as I had mentioned and as many of you have been asking....I have been working on a Hexagon quilt (aka English Paper Piecing, Hexies, sometimes Charm Quilts) Ive been using 3x5 inch recipe cards to cut out my templates, which give me two at a time, but for those out there who want to try it on their own, you can use the backs of cereal boxes, old christmas cards, or anything made of thick paper that isnt as thick as cardboard to use to make your templates. If you are starting your first hexagon quilt....please....unless its a small one, dont make your finished edges of your quilt smaller than half an inch...you might drive yourself insane! Mine are about an Inch and a half for each side. (I put my metropass in the picture as a reference size guide)

You can use all sorts of fabric, but cotton is recommended for a keepsake quilt....but you can use anything that doesnt stretch that are of similar thicknesses.

I know there are many methods to get your fabric to stay attached to the paper, but the way they suggest on Threadbanger is a good way so that you dont have to pull out excess threads when you are done.

I know when I started this quilt, it would take me a loooong time to finish. Its one of those projects that I could progressively work on with scraps from other projects that I had on the go. I have had people offer me their scraps to work with cause I will take just about any scraps for this project I can get my hands on...and yes...I even have pink thrown into the mix of colors (pink glow in the dark butterflies even)

So...the plan with this quilt, is to make the outer border a riproaring mish mash of every color imaginable, and to make the inside a ballet of color matched fleurettes of hexies...like you see with the two middle ones there on my picture (the orange and purple ones)

So far I have fabrics from Australia and locally here in Toronto.

Wish me luck!

Recent Knits and spins

2009-11-10T20:18:00.007-05:00

Well, you were begging for photos...and here they are....my stripey socks. I still have to tuck all the ends in, but the actuall 'knitting' is done.

Now these mitts were the ones I was supposed to hand to my sister, along with her HP potholders, (which I will post shortly) the swirls on the glovelets were done with a metalic thread/viscose/misc yarn.

For myself I made a really simple baby alpaca hat a la purple (cameras never do it justice)

And last but not least, the wool I picked up for spinning on the TTC knitalong is finished. Still not sure what to make with my handspuns..but Im sure I will think of something. I call it my pumpkin yarn cause it changes from browns and oranges throughout the whole thing and reminds me a bit of Hallowe'en

Finally!

2009-11-08T00:47:00.003-05:00

I finally finished my first pair of 'heeled' socks.

Maybe its the fiddly gradated stripes I made on them....maybe its just that i have so many other xmas projects that I had to put them on hold....or the sheer intimidation of knitting heels scared me.

Picutres will be had soon enough

now I just need to learn how to do cables in the new year

More Hallowe'en

2009-10-31T11:56:00.005-04:00

The wind is certainly doing its part in making the day more spooky. The sound its making as it blows through the trees is certainly ominous.

So here's the costumes for the day...

Happy Hallowe'en Everyone!!!!!!!

And some public saftey tips from the P.E.T.Z. (People for the Ethical Treatment of Zombies :
-Make sure that you stay zombie apocolypse saftey plan, and a Zombie Preparedness Kit
-Be sure to stay a minimum safe distance of 20 feet away from zombies
-if a zombie approaches, be sure to sever the spine or cause major trauma to the brain to ensure zombie re-death

Hallowe'en

2009-10-30T23:29:00.004-04:00

Hallowe'en is here! My pumpkins are out on the balcony warding off evil spirits....the pumpkin seeds are done popping in the oven...I won money at the company halloween costume contest, and Im freaking out the other half that the 'hallowe'en edition' furby is on the tv.

All is spooktacular with the world

Kinda feel bad I never got around to knitting a pumpkin.

I now leave you with Hallowe'en Treats! This is from the Bronze Wombat as a 'pay it forward' gift...but she knows I love anything revolving around Hallowe'en..

And... a youtube video to the Bellydance Bizarre featuring Khizmets re-HEARSE-al

Enjoy

Shopping in Cambridge, and bellydance

2009-10-26T21:50:00.004-04:00

I went to to Cambridge on Sunday with Jennie to hunt down some fabric at Lens Mills

I alwo went to see my family, whom I havent seen for almost a year (having no car will do that)

The cat is out of the bag on what I am working on for family gifts, since we were all in agreement that we should have a small exchange of gifts now since there's no guarentee that I will be able to see them (cause transportation is really tricky when you have no car and neither does anyone else)

I still have to take photos of a few of my projects. But I do have at least one to show you.

I made this pair of tubesocks for mom

The other projects I have completed, or have yet to complete but they know about it (or accidently forgot)

Fingerless gloves for my sister
A tetris quilt for my dad
and another knitted gift for my brother(cause it hasnt been delivered to him yet)

In terms of my fabric finds, I found an awesome celestial print or two that I can make into an interesting quilt. Not sure how Im going to piece it together, but Im sure I will think of something. Jennie bought a bit more of the print that has all the provincial flowers on it. Im sure she will have fun quilting that once her arm gets better.

After shopping, we went to a feature from Downhips studios(based in Kitchener) for their Bellydance Bizarre...which was all Halloween based dance routines....even one routine where the Khizmet killed all her students. Alot of the dances were really unique, and Jennie and Kevin had a blast watching the show.

More will be updated as I pull more photos off my camera.

My first Quilt show

2009-10-23T23:08:00.003-04:00

Today I went with Debra, Rosemary, and Jennie to the Twisted Sisters Quilt show out in Ajax. It was interesting viewing quilts from todays fabrics versus the quilts at the textile museum. The quilts at the museum started all looking the same by the end of the show almost, mostly due to the style in which they were quilted, and the patterns.

These quilts had mixed media including real bird feathers on it which I found interesting. There were also a fair few cat quilts out there. I always seem drawn to the quilts with the most color...but maybe it has to do with the enjoyment of contrasts and subtleness of some of the colors as they blend together. The quilt based on the phoenix was quite impressive up close and real life, rather than viewing it through photos

Now....because I was the younger of the group that went...I of course got teased a bit....but thats ok...cause I usually get teased for being the oldest. Ya win some ya loose some

Needless to say, there was alot of inspiration in that show, and I had loads of fun.

Project videos and tutorials to come

2009-10-23T09:08:00.003-04:00

These are the following tutorials that people have requested, or ones that are in the works of being edited, but just havent finished yet (mostly due to christmas gift creating and general lack of sleep and time)

3 tiered skirt
Henna
Leather Carving
Wool Rove dying - redo
Sisha Belt Construction - for bellydance....sisha is the stitch to hold mirriors on
Poptab Chainmaile - need to get some rings to do this one
friendship bracelets
Incense wine bottles
DIY Drop Spindles

Traveling with Aussies

2009-10-11T21:05:00.003-04:00

We've had a rather eventful fisrt half week.

We've been several places to go shopping. The Naked Sheep, The Purple Purl, and the Quilters Block on St. Clair.

Today we went to view the vintage quilt collection at the textile museum, which I found quite educational, but a bit dizzying looking at the different patterns and colors from the victorian era

Ive also been teaching Jennie to do some spinning, while she shows me how to go about quilting techniques, and aplique

October !!!!!

2009-10-01T21:28:00.003-04:00

October has to be my favorite, and least favorite month

Ocotber means stuffing myself silly at Thanksgiving, then scaring the crap out of little kids, and making blood drip down the walls for Hallowe'en

Hallowe'en for me starts TODAY, and ends somewhere around mid November....probably around Rememberance day.

What can I say, I looooove cheezy Hallowe'en stuff

Over the weekend....

2009-09-22T21:14:00.003-04:00

start geek
start klutz

Friday night I was geeking out with my friends in the woods....nothing terribly exciting happened...

Saturday was my birthday....somehow it seems the older you get, the more your friends and family forget what day its on for some weird reason....more friends forget than family, but it starts feeling a bit under rated.

Then Saturday night, while doing nothing exciting except walking in the woods at night WITH my flashlight on....I copped a tree branch in my eyeball! Thankfully my other half is first aid for the group I geek with....so his response (because Im a klutz) is 'ok, what did you do to yourself now?'. the fail part is in the massive brand new med kit we have for the club....it has no eyewash.

So I have to play a one eyed character for the rest of the night

At least I got to play a demon to get someone to sign away a part of their souls.

/klutz
/geek

life update

2009-09-08T19:37:00.002-04:00

Im sorry I havent posted in a while. Theres still crafting going on, but as it gets closer to christmas, I cant post finished projects till I get a chance to give it to those people on my list.

sooo...I apologize that I cant show you the stuff I've been working on lately. But I promise the wait will be well worth it :-)

For those friends of mine... (IE family and personal friends who have been reading this journal on a regular basis...)

What would you all like for Hogswatch?

snerk...snoooork... hackcough ...blarg

2009-08-24T18:44:00.003-04:00

Ive had this nasty cold since Saturday, and Its been building up since Thursday.

I hate having to take time off work cause of illnesses, and my coworkers are all to blame this time for this plague. It all started with my friends brother, then she got it, then my boss got it, then our sales folks got it...then her assistant got it...now I have it...and my other half is getting over it.

Why do I always have to get sick when it gets soooo nice out....I just dont understand it. *shakes her fist* DAMN YOU MURPHEY AND YOUR MESSED UP LAWS!

big blue flowers

2009-08-22T20:05:00.004-04:00

In my unending exploits to have a wonderful balcony garden, the wildflower mix came up trump this week with a really nice surprize. These flowers are MASSIVE! they are almost as big as some of my sunflower flowers.

but....does anyone know what they are?

I also have a mystery plant growing in with my parsley. At first I thought they were cherry tomato plants, but the fruit on the plant is turning sort of a deep purple...not a red like one would expect with cherry tomatoes....and they are about the size of a pea if extracted from a pod.

any thoughts?

Sunflowers!

2009-08-18T21:39:00.001-04:00

For those who wanted to see a photo of my blooming baby....here she is...and just about as tall as me!

Summer Sunflowers

2009-08-06T11:23:00.003-04:00

This is a public service announcement:

MY SUNFLOWERS ARE BLOOMING!

Photos will be taken and posted soon

This was a public service announcement

T-shirt Reconstruction...into Rag Rugs

2009-08-01T10:53:00.002-04:00

Enjoy

DIY Attack!

2009-07-06T23:06:00.009-04:00

This is just a post to compliment all the things Ive shared on Threadbanger. Ive been up to all sorts of stuff, hence the reason I havent posted in a while....that and my trip to the zoo....which I picked myself up some elephant poo paper to draw on for later....

But for now.....

Gardening

Pinwheel blanket with acrylic/mohair combo yarn

Homespun from Corridale pre-dyed roves

Knitted acrylic flogger

And zombie prosthetic to prevent said zombie from having braaaaaaains......

Enjoy!

How to make polymer clay eggs

2009-06-28T21:30:00.001-04:00

I realize this is a bit late for easter, but here it is anyways

Enjoy