Pretzel Pin Cushion via "While She Naps"

I thought this was appropriate as a Philly craft, although Abby from whileshenaps.typepad.com lives in Wellesley, Mass.

Check it out here!



It reminded me a Vaudvillain NYB mummer from 2010.  I wish I could find a postable picture, but you can just look at their website's photo album: http://vaudevillainsnyb.wordpress.com/home/photos/

Crafts during a hurricane

This is what I did during Hurricane Sandy.  I needed something to take my mind off the water collecting in the basement!

First, a green cotton doily.

Then, a simple garter stitch washcloth with a cotton variegated yarn.

Then, I even tried my hand at tatting!  

Another decoupage pumpkin, this time with polka dots!

I went on a quest for orange tissue paper in Center City the other day and it turns out that few places have it.  I also looked for patterned tissue paper, and even less places have anything that fits that bill (including Paper Source).  But I found something to my liking at Papyrus of all places.

You may recognize it from my earlier post about pumpkin decorating parties.  

I used this tissue paper in a modified way to make this:

The color didn't change...the lighting did.  The first picture was shot under flourescent bulbs, the second in sunlight.  What a difference a little natural lighting makes!

To "modify" the design of the tissue paper, I cut out small pieces between the multi-colored confetti and glued it onto a papier-mache pumpkin, again using Aleene's Tacky Glue.  I had to overlap the pieces quite a bit, making the polka dots a little haphazard and some cut in half.  

For the stem, I painted it with Folk Art Acrylic paint (another favorite product of mine) and when it was dry, covered it with more Tacky Glue for a glossy finish.

When I get around to it, I'd like to spray the whole thing with a varnish to protect it from UV rays and drastic fading.

Very simple... and I have to give credit where it is due.  I was originally inspired to do this project by The Smith Family blog, with its leopard print pumpkins.  I'd love to show a picture, but her website doesn't allow linking to pictures.  

Ideas for Pumpkin Craft Parties

When I was little, my nickname was Pumpkin.  Maybe that's why I have such a love for the round, orange squash.  I've realized lately that decorating pumpkins, eating pumpkin foods, and making pumpkin crafts are great ways to celebrate the fall without subscribing to any beliefs or holidays, which seems to be more and more problematic in our politically correct society.

In this case, I have no problem with this "no holiday" rule, since pumpkins are awesome and need no lofty reason to be celebrated.  Bonuses: you can do pumpkin crafts any time between Labor Day and Thanksgiving and no one has to wear a costume.

Here is an "easy" craft to make at a pumpkin-themed party, if you don't want to go the traditional route of painting or carving real pumpkins.  I mean, how passe!

Hit the "Read More" link for this project's materials, tips, etc.

Sriracha Halloween Costume

My husband loves sriracha sauce.  And since I love my husband, I decided to make him a Halloween costume that is easy to wear and fun for me to knit.

Behold, the iconic bottle cap, in hat form:

I knit it using Sugar'N Cream cotton yarn that I've had hanging around for ages.  Bonus: since the hat is cotton, and not wool or heavy synthetic, it has a good change of being breathable and comfortable on Halloween, thus ensuring that it actually gets worn, not just put on for pictures and then taken off to avoid sweat and overheating.

I didn't take too many notes while knitting, but if I remember correctly. the ribbed bottom is 150 stitches on a 3.25mm circular knitting needles (US size 3).  I just purled 3, knit 1 then repeat.  I did about 6 inches worth of rows and folded the bottom hem under about 2 inches, just to reinforce the shape.

The cone nozzle is about 100 stitches cast onto the same size needles, although I used double pointed needles so that I could decrease the size so much at the top.  I pretty much decreased a stitch at six points in the round, then knit regularly for three rows; decreased a stitch in 6 places, knit regularly; etc.  At the top to make it a little longer, I knitted 4 to 5 rows between decrease rows.

The cone is stuffed with polyester batting, and there is a little piece of scrap fabric inside holding it in place, just sewn with a messy whip stitch.

This is how the hat looks when it's just hanging.  I thought this demonstrated the shape and construction a little better.

For the rest of the costume, we took the easy way out and ordered a shirt from Etsy, specifically from I Heart Analogue.  

Also, if the hat survives a couple of years, I can reuse it as the top of a green crayon costume.  

October Philly Etsy Roundup

If, for all intents and purposes, autumn is made of three months (September, October, and November), then October is the best of the three.  In September, I am still mourning the loss of summer, clinging desperately to the hopes of one more trip to the beach, especially when the weather can be so tantalizingly warm.   But by October, I finally embrace fall and effortlessly enjoy the wonders of the season.  Also, it helps that my birthday and Halloween both fall in this month!

My favorite jewelry color combo: pink and gold.  I've never seen a pink opal!

Pink Opal Earrings: $35

If you have a Halloween party, why not thank your guests for coming with these thank you cards?  Reasonably priced, too!

Set of 10 Note Cards: $15

Another great part of the month of October: trees in our area begin to change color!  These coasters seem to embody all the lush hues starting to appear along the Schuylkill.

Rich Tapestry Stone Coasters, Set of 4: $32

Football season is well underway, and for the newest Eagles fan in your life, you can have a football hat custom made with green and white ties.

Football Hat for Babies: $18

And not to go crazy on the baby items this month, but I adore this hourglass quilt.  If only I could have/afford a queen-sized one for my guest bedroom!

Orange Hourglass Baby Quilt: $78

South Philly Fall Fest - October 21, 2012

I love East Passyunk.  I love handmade and vintage items.  And I love October 21, because it's my birthday!  So the South Philly Fall Fest, presented by Sweet Jane and Lucky 13 Pub, is possibly the most perfect combination of things possible.

For more info, check out the Facebook page, or Sweet Jane Vintage's website.  

PS: While you're there, check out the awesome handmade-ness of the following stores: 

• Nice Things
• Nicole Rae Styer Boutique (and studio/workshop!)
• Fabric Horse

And also get some homefries at Chhaya...some craft beers at the Bottle Shop... some gelato at Capogiro.... some vintage housewares at Era Atomica... Good lord, I've already spent about $300 in my head, and it's only Thursday!

September Philly Etsy Round-up

Now that the first half of the last season for Breaking Bad is over, I am thankful for this awesome print by Philly artist Scott Derby.  

"Knock Knock" 18x24 Poster: $50.00 

Fall is coming, and so is knitting and crocheting season.  Perfect for both, here is a pattern for a leaf to crochet!

Maple Leaf Pattern: $1.49

On the theme of fall leaves, here are some handmade buttons!

Set of 4 Maple Leaf Ceramic Buttons: $14.00

And getting ready for Halloween, what baby doesn't need a fleece dinosaur hat???

Fleece Dinosaur Hat: $20.00

Upcoming Event: Go West Craft Fest

I saw a postcard for this event in the South Street Whole Foods.  

So here are the details, in case you can't read my phone's snapshot:

Saturday, September 29, from 11-5.  

At the Woodlands (http://www.woodlandsphila.org/)

I'm very excited, since the Perseverance Jazz Band will be performing at noon!  Crafts and New Orleans jazz, just south of Penn's campus.  Sweet!

Crafting for a new cat!

I recently adopted a 4 year old orange cat from Rescue Express, thanks to a flyer put up at the South Street Whole Foods on South Street.  Even though they are officially located in Media, at least one of their foster homes is in South Philly, near my house!

So our household welcomed Seamus last week.

And do you see that nifty collar on him?  I personalized it!

First, I bought the collar from Accent on Animals, although I wish they had a green one in stock.  But I was impatient, so I thought a red collar for a ginger cat would do as well.

Just your basic breakaway collar with a bell, which Seamus does not appreciate.

Then, with some cotton embroidery thread and a quilting sharp, since I was too lazy to go looking through my craft room for a bigger eye needle, I backstitched away!

I also put my cell phone number, in case our new pal goes running, but of course there is no need to show my cell phone number to the internet!  

someone else please do this: the Phemale Phanatic costume

So I've been obsessed with Philly costume ideas, even though I am being something totally different this year.  Nonetheless, I don't want my creativity to go to waste; maybe someone else can use my idea to create something awesome.  Behold, my collage for a Sexy Phillies Mascot, aka....

• Green lipstick or facepaint
• Blue eyeshadow
• A Phillies jersey or tee
• White shoes or sneakers
• Green long sleeve tee 
• Green tutu
• Red tights

Now I pulled all these items off the internet with easy searches, but a lot of similar items are probably lurking in your closet and make-up drawer.  The long sleeve tee comes from Target, the red tights from ModCloth, and the shoes from Payless.  I also thought that a green feather boa wrapped around the hips, or sewn to a miniskirt, could serve in place of the tutu.

Bonus items for the costume:

A Green Wig

Green Arm Length gloves (instead of the long sleeve T)

Or a blue poof for your hair

crafty places in our city: make

Places to Make Stuff

NextFab Studio - Located on Market Street in University City, this organization is encouraging people to try new fabrication technologies, learn new skills, and understand what exactly is available for modern makers.  They will have a new facility in the undefinable neighborhood of "Southwest Center City," "Graduate Hospital," or "Gray's Ferry" depending on who you ask.  Although they boast a lot of tech-heavy arts in their curriculum, like Making your own 3D Printers and various digital graphic courses, they also have more traditional "craft" offerings, like wordwork, machine sewing and embroidery, and working with metals.

Spool - As mentioned before on this blog, Spool is now fully dedicated to sewing classes.

Also, Spool is right next door to Loop, which is a bonus for knitter/sewer hybrids who need supplies and/or classes.

Philadelphia Woodworks - Located in Roxborough, just a little ways from Manayunk, you can use a 5000+ wood shop to make projects on your own, as well as learn just how and what to do with their various tools and machines.

Craft Foundry - In the hipster-heaven known  as Fishtown, one can find a little shop dedicated to such niche crafts as bookbinding, paper crafts, precious metal clay sculpting, and jewelry making.

The Expressive Hand - Probably the most unique craft studio in Philadelphia, this shop blends pottery painting and American Sign Language.  You can drop in for classes, plan parties, or hang out during happy hours.  Besides pottery painting, this shop offers mosaic making, an intro to ASL, and glass fusing.

knitting my way into autumn

Now that it's unofficially autumn, with Labor Day behind us, I feel much more excited about the prospect of the cooler months.  Months filled with hot cider, pumpkins, and of course, lots of yarn.

I've announced a personal moratorium on buying new yarn until my stash starts to dwindle.  That means finishing up projects I already started as well as using small balls of yarn, not even half a skein big.

Here are two small yarn projects so far: a knitted bangle bracelet and a crocheted collar.

Both had their ups and downs.  For the collar, I was working without a pattern, which is what crochet is great for.  However, it also means ripping out a stitch here, a few more there, and then constantly trying it on to make sure the size and shape work.  

The upside?  I now have an awesome accessory following one of fall's coolest trends, IMHO.  Collars are everywhere this year!

Felted Square Collar from Anthropologie

Kate Spade Necklace from Nordstrom

Modeste Bib Collar from Anthropologie

The bangle bracelet was a little simpler, but also more boring.  Each row was 12 stitches of knitting, followed by a row of 12 purls.  Back and forth.  Over and over.  Luckily I got it done in one night, or I would have dropped the project, like so many others.  

Oh, and just to be clear, there is a wooden bangle under the knitting.  It had a crack in it since the day after I bought it, so I never wore it, but kept it anyway.  I also have another matching bangle, so I'm going to cover it with a variegated yarn this time.

Oh, and in case you are wondering, there is no special reason I'm using a double point knitting needle for this project.  They are the only needles I have in that size (I think a 5?) and since the piece is narrow, I can use these without the knitting falling off the other end.

A guide to thrift store Halloween costume making

In my life, I think I've had one, maybe two, store bought Halloween costumes.  One was a smiling scream mask, before the movie was even in production.  Oh to be in 6th grade again.... Other than that, they've been repurposed clothing pieces, fully homemade outfits, and of course, thrift store scores.  I thought it might be helpful to the internet to have yet another guide to making a really creative, totally unique costume using thrift store clothes and items.

Rule 1: Start Early
You are only going to be frustrated and extremely limited with your choices if you start a week before Halloween or any costume party.  Thrift shopping takes time.  The stores themselves are often spread out around an area.  In my neighborhood of Philly, there are about 5 in walking distance (and I include lower-cost consignment shops in my list):

• Greene Street Consignment on east South Street
• Retrospect Goodwill on east South Street 
• The random vintage shops on Fabric Row that cannot be found through Google searches
• Philly AIDS on South 5th Street
• Circle Thrift on Broad Street
• Sophisticated Seconds on west South Street

and it is a 3 mile walk between them, not mentioning the walk getting to the first from my house and the walk home from the last .  Since it's the city, I always recommend walking rather than driving; in all of these areas, you could take just as long to find parking as walking.  So instead of bum-rushing every store in town over one arduous day in late October, I find it's much easier to do a little bit every so often when I'm in the immediate areas of these stores.  And that could take about two months to cover all the ones I like, in far away places like Manayunk, the Northeast, and even the Mainline.  

Rule 2: Be Flexible

I am very susceptible to falling in love with an idea before it can possibly materialize.  This has led to a lot of creativity over the years, but also a lot of heartache.  When I wanted to be Mintberry Crunch, I was unpleasantly surprised that green pants were extremely difficult to find in thrift stores (or even in cheap regular stores).  And while I was looking for those green pants, I must have looked over hundreds of other cool pieces that could have made excellent costumes, if only I weren't in love with Mintberry Crunch that year.  So from that, I have learned: start with a few favorite ideas, but also keep your eyes open for other appealing items.  

Then, you won't waste your time looking for the "perfect" pair of pleather pants in your size for a Joan Jett costume (preferably in black), while sitting in front of you is an amazing white satin suit that would be an amazing Freddie Mercury on you.  

Rule 3: Be realistic about your limits as a crafter
Again, this is one that I fail repeatedly.  In the heat of the moment, I assume that I can alter anything, dye anything, make any accessory necessary, and that can end up a monumental waste of money (because even thrift items can add up), time, and energy...not to mention the heartache mentioned above.  If you or someone you know is an amazing seamstress, than by all means, buy that dress that's 3 sizes too large or too small, and make the best of it, since it is, after all, only a costume intended for a few hours of wear.  But if you have only sewn a single apron, and that was back in high school home-ec, search for easier project.  It will be better in the long run than trying to turn a fluffy 80's prom dress that looks like a sack on you into a tailored Elizabethan gown.  And definitely don't attempt a totally new craft without practicing on scrap materials first!

But at the same time, don't be afraid to think outside the box.  Between fusible webbing, fabric glue, and all the basically-ready-to-wear items in craft stores these days, it's not too difficult to find a way to turn anything into nearly anything, as long as the basic foundation is there.  And if you keep your costs down, it's not the end of the world if you can't make a $5 dress and $3 of supplies into the costume of your dreams.  In fact, it might just be the practice you need to make the next one even better!

I hope this helps in your quest for a cheap and creative costume!  Since I've already started my hunt for my 2012 halloween costume, I will document my triumphs and tribulations for the next few months.

Kindle Cover

I have had this project sitting and waiting around since Christmas, when my husband gave me a Kindle.  Two days after, I went to Spool to buy the fabric; a week after that, I bought a pattern from Etsy; eight months later, that's how far I got.

Once the quilt was finished, I felt free to start something new in the quilting arena of crafting.  Behold, my quilted Kindle cover!

With coordinating wood grain pattern inside:

The binding is the same as my quilt, since I had a few yards left over.  I was too lazy to break out the sewing machine to do this (actually, too lazy to find the power cord and pedal, which had been separated from the machine for a few months), so it's all hand-quilted and hand-bound.  I'm so excited to have this to protect my beloved e-reader finally!

Philly neighborhood sampler

I recently finished this cross stitch sampler of some of the parts of town, although I have yet to get it framed.

I wanted to try to get some of my favorite named places in,  but I also had to consider ones that fit my design. That's how Olney made the cut. 

Also, I had to learn a few things. For instance, Old City is not spelled "olde".  And that there is such a place called Strawberry Mansion.

I'd really like to make another two samplers like this, in slightly different colorways, showcasing other sections of town.  Then I could display them a triptych. How cool would that be?