Little Batman

Since my son in law introduce batman to my grandson, I had to make him one. I found this free pattern from Pinterest .com. It is fairly easy for those who are used to read patterns. The hardest I found embroider the bat. I had to find a logo of batman and hand free draw it. I had to do it a few times as mine was a bit big. I used yellow, skin colour, grey and dark blue because it is for a child. Dark colours is hard to work with in my opinion. It measures 23 centimeters good size for a child to hold. Actually a child should be supervised because of the eye buttons. I could have embroidered the eyes but I liked the way it was made with similar buttons. Anyway for you out there who would like to give this little batman a go good luck. I made him a cape easy to make.

Russian designer doll

I have been wanted to make one of this Russian designer lady. The problem was her patterns are written in Russian language. After asking and commenting many times if I could get her pattern in English to no success, I decided to buy her pattern anyway. It looked like Greek writing to me, I tried google translation each paragraph and voila there was something written in English. I decided to give it a go. I got a bit of problem along the way but I did what I thought was right. They must have lots of variations that means the same sometimes. I still wish the patterns were in English. I did brown hair instead of purple because I didn't have the colour yarn then and I wanted to start on it, it is like me being impatient to start on it. I enjoyed making it. It is a fairly large doll. I added straps to her shoes because it wouldn't stay on. I also added Velcro on the jacket instead of buttons. I would prefer buttons next time it is neater. The rest is like the pattern. A young girl would be very happy with a doll like this one.

Lala-Oopsie doll

I started this few months ago and I wanted to finish what I started, this is also one of them. I stopped making it after I joined her up. I started different colour of hair and I wasn't sure of it so that is why I stopped. I didn't think it was going to look good so I always have a reason why I stop finishing them. I started on a dress pattern from Amigurumi BB and I changed it a little. I think red looks good for a dress with black trimming. I wanted to making striking colour for hair so I went for strong yellow. I would have finished it differently if I kept going on it few months back even though I looked at so many dolls for inspirations. I kind of made her hair like a blonde doll with a red ribbon but her dress is completely different than that doll. For the boots I also looked at another doll just to try it out. If you guys would like this doll it is from Amigurumi BB which I thank her so much for the patterns.

Elf doll

Trying to finish what I started here is my finished elf doll. When I am not satisfied up to my standard I usually not complete it. This is my weakness but I am trying to finish things so I can start on new project. I made two sets of ears as the patterns say but mine came too small so I made another set with two yarn and I stuck them on, not very happy that the ears came close to the face but I can never unpick my work I sew too good.  I also should have used a smaller crochet for the body. I am a harsh critic for my work. I think I could have done better. I got the pattern from amigurumi bb she has many free patterns. She is very generous to share all her patterns for free. Good luck in making the elf girl I don't know if I ever try the elf boy now.

Their title

This is my last piece that I have done for her beside the boutonniere which she had two kinds. One we had to insert a candle and the other ones almonds so yes we were very busy.  My daughter also wanted the bridal table to be decorated with their name so she ordered Mr and Mrs and their surname. It was raw mdf so I bought undercoat and paint spray. It has to be done slowly so you don't get drips and also covers evenly. So I managed to make them with a lot of patience.

Bird cage

My daughter wanted me to just decorate this cage for her. She bought the birds online. I just had to make a veil for one and bought the hat and add a tiny blue ribbon on it for the other bird. I tried to make the hat but she wasn't satisfied so I found one that almost fit the bird and I used that instead. I put flowers and attach them with wire and finally I added the pearls.We also added a nest inside but it is also not shown in these pictures.

Garters

Here are the garters I made I bought more material then I needed so I made three of them. I just had to join the seams and add ribbon and on one of them I did a buckle of some sort. The middle one has it if you look closer. This was so easy to make and much cheaper too. There are pink but she needed something blue.

Bride's bouquet

Here is the bride's bouquet. Again I made it up to her taste. she wanted feathers, pearls, net and satin ribbon. It is the shape she wanted it to be. I also added a ribbon but I can't take photo of it sorry guys.

Bridesmaid flowers

Lucky for me I happened to have learnt florist course many years ago. I used my skills when my eldest daughter got  married. This time was for my youngest daughter. She also had three bridesmaid so I made three bouquets. As I said before she chose her flower colours. Here they are sorry about the mess on the sides but my phone is not working properly.

Decorated stairs

I decorated the stairs with chiffon material and wired ribbons which you can find in Spotlight. For you foreigners is a shop where they sell materials, curtains, bedding and loads of craft materials. This was very easy to make. On you tube there are many kinds of how to make different kinds of bows. Pick the one you prefer I tied a thin ribbon long enough to go around the wood of the stairs. I then made the swags according to how I wanted the look and put the bow at that point and kept going till I covered the top of the stairs. It looked nice when my daughter came down the stairs as a bride. This was very costly the wired ribbon costed more then I expected but sometimes it happens that you need to spend more to get the look you want eh! The material wasn't cheap either so I think all up costed me more then a $150 or around there. Here is a picture of how it looked. I forgot I also added net to the ribbons meter and a half of ribbon and so much net to make one ribbon.

Ring cushion

My daughter asked my to make her a ring cushion for her wedding and to buy it was $30 or more. I can make it for much less money and it will be original. I bought some satin material, delicate lace if I may say so Two different sizes of white satin ribbons and a lovely heart brooch  to go in the center of the cushion. I enjoyed making this cushion I made it 8 by 8 inches. I joined the lace from the middle because the lace I bought was about 3 inches or so and I wanted the edges to look like the picture. I centered one thin ribbon and one wide ribbon before I pinned well. The ribbons were as wide as my cushion which was 8 inches.ans sewed the cushion all around except for a  gap of 4 inches or so. I inserted some polyester filling and sewed by hand the opening neatly. Done a nice size wide ribbon for the top and added the brooch in the middle too. I also put a thin ribbon for the rings. So from the back you can see a thin ribbon to stick your hand to hold the cushion. I really like how it came. It looks more expensive then the ones I saw at the shops. Material wise and all. I am very pleased with the finish look.

Decorating candles sticks

I decorated these wedding candles sticks with lace and ribbon. I also added a band of lovely thingy I don't even know what it's called. My daughter showed me a picture of how she wanted them more or less. I bought some ribbon and lace of her chioce of colour. I used hot glue to stick everything together according to how I wanted the look. Also what I did burn the ends of the ribbon slightly without leaving black burn. I also bought lovely buttons and I used pliers to cut the loop so it sticks flat more. Here is a picture of my candles sticks it was really fun to make. A closer look before I added the ribbon on.

Corsages

I made these corsages for my daughter's wedding which happened yesterday. I made these out of artificial flowers. My daughter chose the flowers and colours we bought way too many extra flowers. It wasn't very hard to make added feathers and pearls to them and ribbon to finish them up. One lady wanted the corsages on her wrist so I made that on a pearl bracelet. Here is a picture of all of them plus one for my grandson.

Owl macrame

I did this owl awhile back. I sometimes comes across a craft that I would like to try and this was one of them. I did this by researching you tube and diagrams. It is made of special knots. I used beads for the eyes and a small twig from our garden. I don't think I remember how it's done now or what and how I learnt. I have to go back from scratch if I want to make another one. It was made of recycling stiff string. The craft is called macrame so you can easily search for it. Good luck with it. Here is mine it is very small the owl measures 7 cm and with the tail 13 cm.

Heart with flowers

I was asked to make three of these hearts of flowers. I was supplied with the heart wires and flowers. I have made a florist course many years ago. I made the course with fresh and dry flowers. I have an idea how they are made. I did them in couple of nights here is a picture of one of them. She still haven't seen them and I hope she likes them. I won't be charging her for them. I will keep you posted if she did or not.

New moccasins for my little grandson

I found some fleecy material that I bought on special from Spotlight. Since we use moccasins to walk on the carpet I thought I will make some for my grandson with that material. I looked on the internet for some inspirations. I found this pattern from pinterest. I enlarged it to the size I thought it was big enough to fit him. I cut the pattern out and sewed it by hand. I crochet the shoelace and put a sole it so it is not slippery. I bought a piece of rubber foam from Clarks rubber. For my second attempt it is not too bad. Here are the pictures for you to see.

Renovated chair

I like to renovate chairs so when I see an opportunity I will grab it. Fortunate for me I saw a kid's chair very close to home and I wanted to renovate it. I washed well the frame real well and disinfected it with disinfectant product. The red chair cover comes off so I washed that very well too. I, then, took the foam and bought exactly the same size and thickness which costed me about $18.50. Came home and put it all together my old man helped out with the screws. I could have painted the wood but I thought it is still pretty good and shiny. I also could have done a new modern seat cover but this red one is still very good so I decided to wash them well and leave them as they were. Here are the pictures of the before and after. It looks nice as you all agree.

   

Favourite blanket so far

I made this blanket inspired by my sister. Her son got a blanket made like this one that I have made but with three colours only. She told me I bet you can do that if you see the photo of it, so she showed me her photos of the blanket. I had an idea how it was made but I wanted to MAKE SURE how it was made so I researched tartan blankets and sure enough it was how I thought it would be.There are videos of crochet tartan blankets. I looked at most of the tartan patterns and I tried to make it with my favourite colours. Here is my not done but almost done photos but you can see how it is. Give it a try it is such an accomplishment when you see it ready. I am going to give it to my youngest daughter. The first photo is how it looks at first when you are working on it and the second one is how it looks when it is finished.I think you all agree it looks amazing. Finally finished.

Haven't forget this blog

Hi Guys, I haven't forgotten this blog but I am doing two large projects at the same time. I will show one of them mid October. I will let you know one, I am making a blanket which is fascinating when I show you the end result and I will let you know the story how I came about to make that blanket so take care for now guys.

Animal magnets for my grandson

These animal magnets I made for my grandson together with my daughter who is a graphic designer. How I made them is I asked my daughter to save some animal pictures on her computer. I then chose the ones I wanted and she tried to fix some up like the lighter grey darken it a little and so with the white ones she will make an black outline to it. I then cut it out leaving a white outline so they are strong enough. I bought a cheap laminator and pockets about $22 and works fine for this project. I glue gun with magnets but some are not working so I am trying different glue and see which one works best so far it is all good. Warning whatever toys or crafts you make for little kids you should always supervise. I am like a hawk with my grandson and am always thinking of activities I can do for him. I am still crocheting by the way and it is not finished. I will post a photo with details.

Home made Maltese cheese

This is very different then crocheting is it? It's just that I am making this project and it's taking me a long time to finish it. Yesterday I made cheese at home for those who don't know how to make them I will tell you how. I bought two full cream organic milk from the super market. Also Junkets from your supermarket too. Lucky for me they were cheaper then usual. Put the milk in a saucepan on medium heat stirring most of the time till it is slightly warm. Dipping you little finger to feel that it is warm. For some of you who don't know, when you milk goats, sheep and cows it is warm milk we want to get close to that temperature. Get four junkets for the amount of milk that we are going to use and squash them with a spoon till it resembles like powder. As soon as you have the temperature put the flame off and stir in the junkets powder well. Leave it to set for a couple of hours or more. You will know that it is ready because it will become a solid peace. You will need some of the plastic baskets. I don't know if you can find them where ever you are living, I got these from my country. With a large spoon fill the baskets to the brim and put them all in a dish. Whey will start to come out and you can use it for soup or throw it away. After few hours you  can turn them up side down so the pattern comes on both sides. Add desired salt to them if you like and voila you have home made cheese. Here are my pictures of them. I made nine out of two liters. You can google for cheese videos.

Baby blanket

I made this baby blanket for a girl for something different. I loved the pattern. I googled free crochet patterns and you could look on you tube how the pattern is done.The colours are like napoletan ice cream. I work tight and mind you I use a larger hook. I think it looks nicer when the design is larger. I made a border to finish it up and I think it looks nicer with it. Baby wraps are easy to make and it takes a while to finish it but it is very rewarding once it's done. Giving them as gifts is a nice thing. Anyway here is my blanket for a baby girl.

Sock monkey with the banana

I made this sock monkey from Amigurumi to go. Sharon is very generous to share her patterns for free. I made this monkey a banana and it is not that I don't like sharing patterns, I never get to finish them because if I unpick I will loose track of what I did. I also did less white on the hands and legs and added them in green. I sewed the banana to it's hand so it has moving arms. It could be more fun for little kids to play with.

Forgot to fix the ears
oops!

Amigurumi banana

Since I made a monkey my youngest daughter suggested I should make a banana so I searched for a pattern and I found this one. The banana is too big for that monkey so I have to make a smaller one for it. I found the yellow part after the peel a little hard to do so good luck with that, if any one wants to try it. There are lots of fruits out there if you have little girls and have lots of fun making them. I made him wink as I had only one eye in that colour, don't know how because I buy the eyes in pairs.I also added a that brown bit it looks better I reckon.

Sock monkey from Amigurumi to go

Sock monkey from the free pattern from Amigurumi to go. I wanted to make this monkey for so long. I don't know why it took so long for me to make one. Sharon's monkeys are so cute and the patterns are easy to follow. It is not very big, that apple is medium size. It is good for a baby to handle but you need to put embroidery eyes so it is more safe. I am always searching for free patterns with challenges. I haven't got bored yet making amigurumi toys. I am a little busier these days and I can't make as much as I used to do. Anyway till next time stay safe and take care whoever reads this blog.

Hat

I made this hat  and I had to change everything about the pattern. The pattern was too small with one yarn so I did use two yarns. I still had to change the googles pattern it was way too small. I stitched the white line by hand. I had trouble doing it with the hook. The back is not that wonky let's hope it looks good on it is certainly warm hat for winter. I think I will add straps so he can tie it to his chin.

Funky Zebra

 I was suppose to make a tiger but by accident I turned the page to a zebra. I wasn't going to unpick all my hard work so here it is my funky zebra. It is the same pattern as the zebra from the same book. The colors changes them a bit. Now I have to make the tiger.

I have posted the picture of the zebra too so you can see how striking it looks when you use different color yarn.

Black and white Zebra

I made this Zebra from the book Edward's Menagerie. My youngest daughter gave it to me for Christmas. I only did one thing and I decided to make more. It is hard to work with black wool but it does look nicer. This toy is safe for younger kids and the eyes have been embroidered. I enjoyed making it. The mane is different it doesn't explain how so I made up my own. It looks better and also the tail I couldn't understand what he meant.