Experiments in Vintage Crochet - Part 5

Strictly speaking, not exactly vintage corchet, but crochet none the less!

I've started branching out from cardi's now...5 of them are enough for the time being, heh. and with Christmas a few months away, I'm trying to crack on with some present making. First up, and because the recipient of this is only a wee one and unable to read the blog, I've made a crochet unicorn pillow friend!

If you want to give it a try yourself, the free pattern can be found right here

I'd say this is a very good beginners project. It was a lot simpler than I thought, and only used double and triple crochet stitches with very easy to follow instructions for the increasing and decreasing. All pieces were made in the round which was an interesting and very fast way of making this up.

I've shown a few people these pictures and already being asked to make more for other people. think I'll be a bit busy for the next weeks!

The body was made in the round in stripes until you have a square, sew up one side, stuff or insert a pillow, and then sew up the other side, simples!

The head is then started with a straight line in the snout, which you then start working around in as circle again, increasing and decreasing as you work your way up.

Then it's ears in a petal shape, sewn onto the head with a cone for unicorn stuffed up first.

And a mane of dark green hair and tail to complete.

And all made up of leftover wool frm previous projects. A proper Stash Buster!

I'm so pleased with how this turned out. I've never actually made a toy out of crochet before, and it was so much fun! I think I might have to make one of these up for our sofa too :)

Much Love from Brighton,

L.J.

xxx

Learning Hairpin Crochet at Super+Super HQ

For the last month, I've been spending my Tuesday evenings at cosy Super + Super HQ learning how to hair pin crochet. Miss Amy Phipps has been patiently teaching our class the lacier form of crochet.

I did a bit of research before I went to the first class, and really couldn't figure out how the hell it worked....a bit anxious I had signed up for something a little too tricky. But I was totally wrong! Once Amy had shown us it was all done on a little frame (She'd made us some out of an old coat hanger, so simple yet perfect! Saved me £9 from Amazon!), with a normal crochet hook, the only difference being that you wrap the wool around the frame as you work along the piece!

So here is our class working away making lots of 'strips' of crochet, the first step in making anything!

Many many cups of tea and slices of cake were had, yum yum! And learning a new skill at the same time? Great night out on a school night me thinks :)

The browns and greys above were mine, and below is what Amy was working on while showing us. I fell in love with the metalic gold wool!

I got a bit carried away and kept making more and more of them before learning how to join them all up. I had a vague idea of maybe making another cardi out of them. Hasn't quite worked out to plan, but it was a learning exercise! heh. 

Next step? Learning how to join them all together! We started off being shown how to join two up with no other yarn involved. Here is one I prepared earlier:

You sort of weave one side in and out with the other. Now I understood why Amy kept telling us to work on contrasting colours first; at least then you can tell apart the sides when it starts getting fiddly!

And here is our teacher's example:

Fellow student Sarah's work:

And here was my first attempt at trying to finish off all the edges.

I used the piece I joined up above, and then pinched some of the gold metalic lurex to crochet up the remaining two edges with simple single stitch crochet, bunching up the strands as I worked along.

I'm actually amazed at how quick and simple hair-pin crochet is once you've been shown it. There are actually only 2 types of stitches involved with making up the lacy bits, and then it's all about joining them up in different ways to make any sort of garment.

I think this would, in a second attempt, turn into a really cute collar! A little more practice at getting the amount of stitches right so it lays flat :)

I'm bursting with ideas now! I feel this has opened up so many possibilities, combining this with normal crochet, embroidery and beading, sewing......I think this is going to be the year of crochet for me!

I would thoroughly recommend organising a tea party with the girls at Super + Super, I had one with my Mum for her Birthday a few weeks back and had a brilliant time refreshing my memory on granny squares, with lots of bubbly and cake!

I've already finished off my first project, and planning the next already. The only down side is, I was halfway through crocheting another cardi in a different style, and that has now started collecting dust while I'm distracted by all this new stuff. That can wait for now though :)

Much Love from Brighton,

L.J.

xx

Re-covering the footstool

The footstool has been asking to be recovered ever since we were given it, but I am lazy when it comes to these things.

But I've been catching up on some much missed blog reading and feel rather inspred by everyone's projects. I'm really up for revamping a few bits and bobs around the flat now, and seeing what you're all doing for a bit of inspiration!

Here it is, looking very sad and stained:

It turned into a bit of an excavation through the lives of this poor footstool. Layer after layer of quick done jobs, which had done their time but for some reason were never removed...odd!

First we had the beaten up blue, then a layer of mish mash foam, super glued to...

...horrible sticky pink brocade. Off that came too. And then under that...

...the original orange-green fabric...no idea what you would call this but was like a thick wool weave. If only it wasn't so beaten. I decided to cut it off, stick it through the wash and see if I could re-use it somehow in a different project.

Question for you: What the hell did they used to use as padding back then? Because when I took the fabric off, a huge pile of pink dust came out, like the padding had dissolved or something. And the weirdest thing was, when I went out to the patio the next day and swept it all into the bin, the slabs underneath were the cleanest they had ever been. What the hell was that stuff?!

Anyway, once I had cleaned it all off and unscrewed the legs, I put to work using several layers of wodding sewn together and some vintage fabric I picked up from a boot sale last autumn. I will get through my stash this year!

I got a bit OCD with matching up all the lines and making sure it was PERFECTLY straight, several times, but had to give it up a little after about the 10th time. But I like it very much :)

TA DA! The finished piece:

 

Now, any tips on what I could do to polish up those legs? I think they're veneered, so haven't the foggiest what to do. Paint them? Scrub them down and start again?

 

Thank you, any hints and tips much appreciated!

 

Much Love from Brighton,

 

 

L.J.

xxx

30's inspired Gold Belt & Accessories idea

I've been invited up to a work awards Do' next week, so took today off to find a dress to wear. Several hours and numerous dresses later, and I have found it! I am keeping the dress under wraps until the night as it's so beautiful I want to show it off in all it's glory! And at the moment it needs a little tlc, and some strategically placed accessories.

It is a 30's silk gown, with the most amazing high neck and open back, and a bright royal blue colour. I have never worn royal blue before, so it's quite a big deal to me! This is meant to be an investment piece, and will become my go-to gown for posh events, so of course I need accessories :)

Having blow the budget on the gown (thanks to my aunt, who bought it for me as an early birthday present!), mum, my aunt, and I headed over to Primark to raid the kitsch jewellery section. SO much gold bling! I don't wear gold, ever, so again, new territory for me, but the dress is so subtly lavish, I wanted to jazz it up, and also cover up some stitching marks from where a previous 'bling' would have been.

I bought:

3 Necklaces - gold chains with snake pendants

Snake Bracelet

Snake ring

Chunky gold necklace

Plain gold & velvet shoulder strap bag

The gold looks amazing next to the blue, you're going to have to trust me on this one! So I took all the bits apart, and came up with the following ideas:

Statement Belt:

Comprising of the chunky gold necklace, looped through the sash that came with the dress, the chains from all 3 of the snake necklaces, looped through the chunky one, and one of the snake pendants in the centre.

This is still work in progress, need to tweak it a little, but getting there :)

The Bracelet:

I'm going to use another one of the snake pendants in a hair band, so need to pick up some royal blue  ribbon tomorrow and get stitching...maybe with some feathers??

Matching snake ring:

Bag:

It looked a bit plain but with the gold trim, I thought why not place the last of the 3 pendants in the hoop to tie everything together? Perfect!

Now just got to think of how to do my hair...I'm thinking finger waves perhaps? 

Still need to glue and stitch everything together, but wanted to try it all out first before committing. Any improvement ideas greatly welcomed!

Much Love from Brighton,

L.J.

xxx

Stockings and Fur....and Moths

The Beagles, the Mister and I took a stroll through the North Laines today, first stop: Upper Gardner Street Market.

Upper Gardner Street Market, 1970s

One of my favourite places to pick up a real bargain in Brighton. It's been running for over 100 years now, and a real treat for those early birds out there! However, I am not much of an early riser on Saturdays after a week of getting up at 6am, so we arrived about 2pm. Although the market is advertised as being from 7am-1pm, the traders usually only start packing up when the crowds thin out.

There's one stall I always head for: a lovely gent towards the beginning, who sells pieces of fur, including whole coats, scarves, collars and scraps. Most need a bit of tlc to get them back to their former glory, but for £5 a piece, how can you say no? I've bought 2 pieces previously, and they are always clean, moth free (I hate moths, they ate my angora Japanese 40's fusia wiggle dress...Bastards!), and smell lovely and fresh! I have had bad experiences with fur previously, and so now only buy with extreme caution. One piece I picked up from Lewes, at a costly £48, a gorgeous grey/black/white, fox fur cape/collar. It was couture, and a one off, including the paws as the closing clasp at the front. I instantly fell in love, and thought it was a decent price, and only an Inch of resewing to do.

I brought it home, and thought nothing of the fact the fur had moulted onto my coat...big mistake. About 2 months later, when it had started getting pretty cold, I fetched out my favourite knitted dress EVER. It was perfect, fitted like a glove. On it pops....wait, what's this? 50p sized holes? and...and....LARVAE?!?! The little buggers were having a feast on it. Ruined. Dry cleaners wouldn't touch it. I researched online, and found nothing that could repair the dress with the extent of the damage.

Anyway, enough on that. The war is still continuing, but I am happy to report no more damage found, other than 3 scarves, and a hat also munched on 3 months ago. I think I may finally be winning! Moral of the story: I traced the moths back to the fox fur after much scrutiny. I could actually pull clumps of hair out of the stole, revealing hundreds, if not thousands of eggs on the skin. Luckily old ones. In the bin he had to go : ( I actually couldnt bring myself to part with him, so I had to get the Mister to do the deed and take him out the house. Always check furs before buying! If it moults, leave it well alone. If it feels gritty, check if you can see anything close to skin. Also not a good sign.

Back to the point: this chap's furs are very well loved and a bit worn around the edges, but very well looked after too. I picked up the new member of the family today:

Also found some Dior Stockings for £3:

And this for £1:

Anyone know what these are called? I seem to be having a blonde moment, Shirt Collar? Shirt Ruff? Please enlighten me.

Last buy was actually for The Dress I've been trying to finish off, and here it is:

Finally finished the hem, still need to press it, and also done the embroidery on the bolero. Going to work on the lining tonight, so hopefully have it all finished up by tomorrow. I think the hat, collar and belt finish it off quite nicely, no? What do you think about shoes? I can't make my mind up.

Hope everyone's having a good weekend!

Much Love from Brighton

L.J.

xxx

Make do...and Sew!

I'm guessing I'm not the only one out there, everyone's having to cut corners and make do, that's why I'm going to, for the first year ever, stick to my new years resolution! That being: This year, I am only allowed to buy the absolute essentials, but make everything else.

I have a HUGE pile of vintage patterns that have been given to me, as well as a mass of old curtains and bedding, so I have no excuse really. First off, I've decided to create something so I can finally wear one of my sisters old shirts. Its burgundy, and made of lace, so it's not something I have the confidence to wear without anything over the top (I just don't have the guts to walk out the house and let everyone see my bra!) so first task is to make a dress from this pattern:

I decided to use a very pale cream herringbone wool blend, really nice weight which will hopefully mean the skirt will hang really nicely over a big petticoat!

Progress after a week:

I'm not finished yet obviously! Still got the bolero jacket to finish, and I've been working on some decorative design on the hem which I'm also going to continue onto the bolero collar....quite fiddly but I'm praying it stands out and makes quite an impact when finished. Otherwise the dress could look quite bland!

Here's a little of the hem detail (still need to press the hem....got a bit impatient!)

I've also been experimenting with a sort of pin-striping embroidery idea....had a quick go, but need to buy some chalk for the real deal. Might make a pencil skirt from the left over fabric and do some on that....

Lots of ideas!

Does anyone else ever have the problem of starting a project, being overcome with ideas for future things, and then maybe losing track of what you'd started inititally? I'm trying to really concentrate and get this one done before starting anything else...another new years resolution! The amount of pieces I've left for 6 months waiting to be finished....bad me!

Anyhow, more on this to come this week I hope! The craft fair at Brighton Centre on Sunday has really got me twitching to make more, especially my two new patterns!

Much Love from Brighton

L.J.

xxx



Knitted Haven - ICHF - Brighton Craft Fair 2011 - part One

Met up with the parents today for our annual trip to the Brighton Craft Fair. We've been doing this since I was about 12 and I used to love getting all those hobbie packs for beaded jewellery and cross stitch...yes I was a geeky kid! Different every time, and sometimes not much to my taste, but I do always love to see peoples new ideas and techniques, and picking up titbits of information and some very useful tips from all the lovely store holders!

My favourite part of the trip has always been the exhibiton room with all sorts of textile art.

The absolute show stopper has got to be this beaut, named "Above and Below the Waves", thought of by Alison and Ann Murray, in order to raise money for the RNLI, made possible by knitted donations from around 2000 knitters and Art Council funding. All ages and abilities of knitters contributed, with contributions coming in from all over the world. To see more of this, visit their website HERE.

It took nearly 2 years to complete, but doesn't it look amazing?

There was even a tunnel through the middle, and the lighting really made it feel like you were under water! so many details, too many to list, and I could easily have been there all day taking pictures of all the cute little creatures!

I spoke to the lovely gent at the stall selling knitted fish keyrings, and he told me that one little girl came up and asked her mum to convert their roof space so she could take it come and live in it! I so want one of these now! If I ever win the lottery, I am so making one of these and having it permanently in the house.

I think one of my favourites was the giant great white shark, with two sets of knitted teeth! I wanted to take him home with me! I really hope this helps raise a lot of funds for this very worthy cause. Its currently touring and can next be experienced at:



SECC Glasgow, 3-6 March 2011

NEC, Birmingham, 24-27 March 2011

Aintree Racecourse, Liverpool, 20-22 May 2011

Paris, La Grande Villette, Feb 2012

All part of ICHF Events.

There's lots more I want to write about but need to go through the pictures first, so more to come tomorrow! Including 2 great vintage patterns I managed to find, as well as a leaflet of vintage fashion from the 1800's to 1930, all for a snippet! Also, some more pieces from the exhibition room, where I stumbled across an area all about the history of vintage underwear, named "Undoing of the Corset".

Much love from Brighton for now, 

L.J.

xxx