Shape Shifters

More woolly adventures! Not much news today, so just a quicky. Here are the latest crochet granny squares I've made. I will eventually sew them all together and - hey presto - produce a blanket.

Sew in... Upcycling Homeware

Bit of an 'aspirational' one from the Post Mistress today! Ahem... what I actually mean is I haven't actually made anything for a few days but as ever, I have lots of ideas brewing. First off, I have a dearly loved blue marble effect cushion I bought back in the 1980s and noticed on Sunday that sadly, the corners are now frayed and the piping is looking worn. These days, I hate throwing quality textiles away so as the cushion pad inside is still in near perfect condition, I have decided to get my beautiful new sewing machine out and re-cover it. I can even re-use the zip on the existing cover as it's still in perfect working order. It goes to show, if you invest in quality items, with a bit of ingenuity, they can last a lifetime.

Old cushion from the '80s with scuffed edges and frayed piping

Another idea I had was to recreate something similar to the vintage style round velvet cushion my grandmother used to have. As I remember, it had a panel that went around the edge which was about 2 inches wide and the front panel gathered in under a central fabric covered button. I'd really like to incorporate some fabric from my old thick cotton Paul's Boutique bag into the new cushion as I love the day-glo paisley flowers, but I will need to buy another complimentary fabric to go with it as there won't quite be enough. Scouring the net, I've managed to find a free pattern on how to sew a flat drum shaped round cushion, so watch this space!


Tatty oversized Paul's Boutique bag in neon with cream background

And finally, a habitual magpie, my husband rescued this footstool when a neighbour was throwing it out and I immediately spotted its potential. IKEA offers a wide selection of fabrics with cheerful modern prints and I will almost certainly breathe new life into this footstool by re-covering it in one of IKEA's colourful materials.


Reclaimed footstool with leatherette cover, ripe for a makeover



The reclaimed footstool with its cover removed

Lilac John Lewis sewing machine, isn't she beautiful!

How to Crochet a Granny Square

Juggling my new job with seeing friends and all the usual stuff, I finally managed to snatch an hour yesterday to attempt some proper crochet. I really wanted to have a go at a gorgeous hexagon three round pattern I found online but couldn't find the exact same pattern as a You Tube tutorial. Instead, I had a stab at a basic crochet granny square. Using the video clip from Crochet Geek (see right), I got through the first round in just a few minutes. It's not quite right yet but I know that after a couple more attempts I will confidently have cracked it. Of course, mastering simple granny squares and crocheted hexagons will mean I can learn how to produce crocheted afghans, blankets and much more. You only have to look at my Meme Rose kaleidoscope blanket post to see just how far you can go with this simple crocheted block.  

Here's my humble first attempt at a crochet granny square