More Iron-on Vinyl Questions

Over the holiday weekend I had a question from a visitor to my blog. She was reading my post about working with iron-on vinyl and wrote:

“I am wondering if there is a way you can make bigger projects, like an adult full apron, by bumping 2 pieces of the iron on vinyl up against each other on the fabric in order to have a wider section covered. Will this work? Should it be slightly overlapped? Or is it, sadly, only for smaller width projects?”

Unfortunately the iron-on vinyl made by Therm-o-web only comes in 17 inch widths. That’s very limiting, so my reader posed a great question. It was one I didn’t have the answer to, so this morning I headed to the studio for a bit of experimentation. Since I didn’t plan to do anything with these samples other than test the idea of applying multiple pieces of vinyl, I cut two small scraps of fabric left over from another project.

I also cut out two scraps of Therm-o-web for each test, two to match up side-by-side, and two to overlap. I really expected the side-by-side to be challenging – lining up to pieces of material with a sticky side and positioning them perfectly always it. However I expected this method to work better than the overlap.

Well I was in for a surprise. As expected the side-by-side sample doesn’t look very good. The edges seem to want to pull away from each other and it just doesn’t provide the waterproof seal that using this technique is all about. Put this bib on the baby and the berry juice would soak right through that crack.

On the other hand, the overlap worked much better than expected. You may be able to just barely see one line of the overlap running through the heel of the skate, but the two pieces of vinyl fused not only to the fabric, but to each other providing a really strong bond. If you look closely in good light you can see the join, and you can feel the slightest bump when you run your finger over it, but I really do think this is a workable solution for using this product for larger projects. Just overlap by ⅛ to a ¼ of an inch.

One other thing this test demonstrates is how easy it is to get unwanted hair, lint, and thread under the vinyl. Take good care to be sure that your fabric is completely free of anything you don’t want between it and the vinyl because once the sticky side touches the fabric it is very difficult to lift it and remove these items. After it has been bonded, it’s impossible.

What will I do with these samples? I think I'll cut out the skates, snowshoes, etc. and turn them into cute little holiday gift tags. Waste not and all that...

On the Road Again!

It's that time of year and we will soon be heading off to the beach for a week of sun, fishing, and dog play. While busily planning what to pack, dithering about a new swim suit and whether the cover-up covers enough, and the other minutia of vacation prep, I have also planned a good road trip project. Several years ago I became enamored with the idea of non-traditional yarn. First I tried making yarn with grocery store plastic bags. A couple of years later I made a cute bag with fabric scraps and included the instructions for making fabric yarn. This year I'm attacking the fabric scrap box to make rag rug style chair pads.

It couldn't be simpler. First follow the link above to make your yarn. What a great feeling that is for a Yankee-at-heart girl like me to use up all those scraps.
Now select a really large crochet hook. I used my US N/9.00 mm aluminum hook from Boye. Because the quilter's cotton fabric I used tends to be a bit sticky, the slippery aluminum works quite well. A Bamboo hook might offer a bit too much resistance for smooth crocheting.

If you don't remember your crochet in the round technique, take a refresher here. You may have to play with the increases a bit to make sure the pad lies flat. In this first sample I made ten stitches in my first round, doubled each stitch on the 2nd round, doubled every other stitch on the 3rd, ever third stitch on the 4th, etc. And if you find yourself running out of yarn before the chair pad is large enough, don't worry. Just add more strips of fabric as you go along.
A perfect "on the road" project. All you need is a bag of scraps, a crochet hook and a pair of scissors. Enjoy

Holy Hexagon Bat Girl!

Over the Christmas Holiday Craftsy started promoting a class by Amy Gibson titled " The Craftsy Block of the Month ". Now honestly this type of project has never appealed all that much to me. I'm not one for following other people's patterns as I like to make up my own. But, I saw that she was going to teach a couple of techniques I had yet to try and the class is free, so I signed up. We made several fun blocks in the first three months, but one of the techniques I was itching to try was English Paper Piecing.
April is the month and the designs Amy chose where all about hexagons. Now usually I knock out the blocks for the month within a days or two of the class module being published, but despite the apparent complexity of the blocks for January, February and Mark shown here, they are really quick and easy to put together using the machine and a rotary cutter. This month was an exception.
If you are familiar with the technique you know that one of the reasons quilters love English Paper Piecing is that all of the work is done by hand which means it's a great take along project for long car rides and peaceful vacations on the beach. If you are familiar with the technique you also know that one of the reasons quilters hate English Paper Piecing is that... all of the work is done by hand.

The two patterns that Amy designed (Hexi Stripe and Sunny with a Chance of Hex - my versions shown at left) were fairly straight forward with good sized hexagons. The sun is a 2 inch hexagon (measured as 2 inches at each side rather than the overall width and height dimensions of the shape) and the hexagons for the stripe are 1 1/2 inches. OK those little sunbeams are made up of 3/4 inch hexagons, but even those weren't bad.
I did discover one time saver. Through a little trail and error I found that if you cut a piece of freezer to size you can run it through your inkjet printer to make multiple of the paper hexagons much more easily than tracing them onto computer paper. After that it's a fairly mindless task of affixing the paper to a scrap of fabric, basting the fabric around the shape to hide all the raw edges, joining the hexagon's together, removing the basting stitches and paper pieces, and then hand stitching the designs onto your background fabric. That took a fair number of hours in front of the TV. But that wasn't so bad either. The real problem started when Amy challenged us all to use the technique to design our own blocks.


Now I have been working with a palette of holiday colored (though not necessarily holiday themed) prints so it seemed natural to design a Christmas Tree and some Snowflakes. The problem came in when I realized that I needed to make the shapes really small in order to get a clear enough representation. I ended up making them about 1/2 inch to a side and sister I made a lot of them - nineteen for each snowflake, and of course you have to have two so that the one won't look lonesome. For the Christmas tree I made 48 of those little beasties. Whine, whine, ouch, ouch. Why haven't I ever learned to be comfortable with a thimble when hand sewing.
For all the complaining though, I have to admit that I like the way they turned out. And this quilt is sure going to be colorful. Can't wait to see what comes next.

Guernsey Scarf Update

Remember this scarf? More than a year later I finally wrote up the pattern, so even though I said in my last post that it was the last blast for winter, here is just one more winter weight scarf pattern. Find it on Craftsy.com. If you are looking for an excuse to learn some fancy post stitches, this is a great project for that. Think of it as a sampler where you will learn to crochet three different post stitch patterns - parallel posts, tall cables, and steps.

Now I'm off to work on the pattern for something lightweight and lacy for spring. Stay tuned.

One Last Blast for Winter!

With the temperature predicted to clime to 80 today here in Atlanta, I must be mad to be writing up a pattern for a wool scarf. I guess sometimes I just like to be contrary. The truth is, I finished this scarf at Christmas time, but it was such a simple pattern, it hardly seemed worth writing up. Today though, as I was packing up some of my winter accessories it occurred to me that some of my readers up north are still hearing the wind howl around the corner of the house and watching snow fly by the window. So for all of you, I've written up the pattern and posted it for free on Craftsy.com, and here. If not this spring, perhaps in the fall you will decide to pull out the hook and have a go. Enjoy!

Chunky Ribbed Scarf Pattern

Project Specifications

Description:

Looking for an easy crocheted scarf for beginners? This one couldn’t be simpler.  The whole scarf is made with back loop single crochet and works up in a few hours. Chunky yarn and a large hook size are part of the magic. Best of all, this scarf is extra long so you can wrap it around and around to keep you warm and look fashionable.

Skill Level:

Beginners will learn single crochet stitch and to crochet in back loops.

Finished Dimensions:

Scarf is approximately 5 inches wide and 96 inches long.

Gauge

13 stitches and 15 rows – 4 x 4 swatch

Materials

Yarn

3 skeins KnitPicks[1] Wool of the Andes Bulky (100 grams, 137 yards, bulky weight). This is a 100% Peruvian Highland Wool yarn that can be hand washed and dried flat. The color I used was Vinca.

If unavailable, any bulky weight soft wool yarn will do. On the yarn label look for yarn that calls for size 10-11 knitting needles[2] However, substitution will make checking your gauge even more critical. To achieve the desired dimensions, you may need to go up or down a hook size, and add or decrease the number of stitches and rows to achieve the finished dimensions of the pattern.

Tools:

Crochet hook US size K/10.5 (6.50 mm)

Abbreviations and symbols used in this pattern[3]

bl – back loop

ch – chain

chs – chains

fl – front loop

lps - loops

sc – single crochet

st(s) – stitch(es)

tch – turning chain

yo – yarn over

*__ * repeat directions following * as many times as indicated

Special Stitches

The single crochet stitch is quite straightforward. With a foundation chain started, turn back and insert the hook into the 2^nd stitch from the hook. Yarn over from back to front (that is, take the ball yarn and bring it from back to front over the hook) and pull that loop through the chain. You now have two loops on the hook. Yarn over again and draw that loop through the other two loops on your hook. This completes the stitch. When you come to the end of a row, you will turn your work, chain one for height and insert your hook into the first single crochet stitch in the row below, continuing in this manner across the row. 

The back loop single crochet is worked in exactly the same manner with the exception that the stitch is worked in the only the back loop of the stitch below leaving the front loop untouched. As you work back and forth in successive rows, this use of the back loop only will create the ribbed texture of this scarf.

Crochet Directions

Chain 301, turn.

Row 1: sc in 2^nd loop from chain, sc across, turn.

Row 2: *chain 1, sc in bl of first sc. sc in bl across, turn.*

Row 3 - 19: repeat * to *

Fasten off and weave in ends.

Finishing

Generally I would recommend blocking your finished crochet project. However, due to the texture and weight of this scarf, I didn’t find any blocking necessary. If you do find the corners curling a bit and want to block the scarf, try this method. Heat a steam iron to the highest temperature. When it is warm enough to make abundant steam, lay the scarf out flat on your ironing board. Pass the iron a couple of inches above the scarf being careful not to actually touch the fabric. The steam should help to set the shape of the scarf and eliminate curling. Allow the scarf to cool before handling. Also, I generally store hand crocheted scarves loosely doubled and then hung over the rod of a sturdy coat hanger (wood, aluminum, plastic) rather than stuffing it into a drawer or hanging it on a hook. This keeps the weight of the scarf from stretching it too much and helps the scarf to retain its shape

---

[1] KnitPicks is an online store which can be found at www.knitpicks.com

[2] This will correspond to a US size K or M crochet hook, but recommended crochet hook sizes are rarely noted on yarn labels.

[3] This pattern is written in American terminology. For British users, treat single crochet as a double crochet.