Jazzin' up the Onesies

So a friend of mine (over at LB&J) is expecting a little boy in April. She needed to jazz up some plain onesies she received from her mother-in-law and knew that I was crafty with a sewing machine. I had made a purse for her last year. So she commissioned me to help cutefy some outfits for her little man. I happily obliged and my applique adventure began.

I was familiar with the art of applique but I had never tried it myself. I went out to cyberland and looked at some helpful craft blogs to find some helpful hints and patterns. I decided to go the iron-on adhesive route, not being too comfortable with my decorative sewing technique. It proved to be very helpful holding the shapes in place while I sewed around the edges. Those suckers are on there and won't be going anywhere soon.

Some of the designs I drew myself (turtle, cupcake, car) and a couple I traced from an online pattern I found (guitar, apple). I'm really happy with how they turned out. They were really fun to make too. And LB & J being a good friend of mine, I could pick patterns that went with her and her husband's interests and lifestyles.

Here are the results:

I may end up making more of them and putting them up in my Etsy shop.

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Fingerless Mitts

Okay, so I didn't knit any gifts this year, just stuff for myself. Sometimes when I try out new patterns, they aren't meant for others. It's just a way to learn new techniques. My roommate was knitting some mittens for a friend of hers and I wanted to learn how to do it too. She gave me a few instructions and I took it from there.

I didn't want full mittens, I just wanted some fingerless mits to wear while I knitted or typed on my laptop. My first attempt was kind of a mess. I loved it at first, until I started a new one that I modified a bit.

Here's the first attempt:
It's a little sloppy, bulky. and unfitted.

So the new mit I contoured a bit more and left out the ribbing on the top parts. Also, made it a bit shorter.

I'm not sure where my roommate got the pattern she used. And I didn't really write down the pattern I followed. But I made a matching mit for this one and I love them. I wear them when reading, knitting, and typing. It keeps my hands toasty while leaving my fingers free to do whatever.

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Christmas knitting

I'm really getting the hang of this. This is a fleck stitch project that I started yesterday. A little slow going, but coming along okay.

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Eek! A Mouse!

I knitted a little mouse for the cat to play with. Ain't he cute?

I do admit that he looks a bit like a turd with ears and a tail, though.

But the cat loves it, and that is all that matters.

And I didn't pose them like this. The cat came and laid right next to it. What a diva!

Pattern source: Knitting Daily - Merry Mice http://www.knittingdaily.com/media/p/35974.aspx

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Greetings! Handmade cards by MereBenton

A friend of mine has set up shop on Etsy. She's selling handmade greeting cards for Birthdays and Thank Yous. She's got a great eye for color and these cards are just beautiful.

Be sure to visit her shop to see more.
MereBenton Shop

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