Here are a couple of projects and works-in-progress currently pending at my household:

Cashmere Sweater Blanket

This is for my grandmother for her 90th birthday. Her birthday is on March 31th. Do you think I can finish and ship it by then?

Stenciled Baby Top

I’ve been wanting to follow Joy’s stenciling instructions for a year now. Here’s the perfect project: a tiny little shirt for my friend Vanessa who is due in April.

My daughter became inspired by the whole process, although she deemed the color choices lacking, she did manage to pull together a cool design.

Another Vest

There was a time when I actually finished an entire adult sweater, usually for the boy friend de jour. Then I started making children’s sweaters, again with collars and full length sleeves. Now I can’t even be bothered to start on sleeves and Elizabeth did not want a collar, which leaves me with another vest.

Elizabeth picked the colors and decided she liked stripes. I thought stripes alone were boring and went through some knitting books to try some new patterns. Now she has a stripy sampler just in time for spring.

So, what are you working on?

I bought a set of these stencils for a beach bag project and have gotten quite a bit of use out of them. Two years ago, we rented a beach house with two other families. In anticipation of the toys that would soon be all over the rental, I wrote each child’s name on a tote bag using the stencils and fabric markers hoping that it would make it easier to organize their stuff.

The organizational aspect of that project was a total failure, but the kids were excited about seeing their name “in print.”

Recently, I used the stencils for a treasure box a la Amy Karol for a special girl’s birthday present.

The letters are cut out of scrapbook paper, glued onto the box, and covered with several layers of varnish.

And here, finally a work-in-progress. When I visited my parents in Hamburg last summer, I saw all these army surplus canvas bags with lettering at different craft markets.

With my handy-dandy stencil set I traced a certain little girl’s name on fusible web, ironed it on some scrap fabric and fused the letters onto the bag. Now they just need some blanket stitching and other decorations and Elizabeth’s handful of Pokemons will have a fashionable and comfortable mode of transportation to Grandmother’s house.

I borrowed this idea from an old Martha magazine – stamping napkins, tablecloths, or towels for the holidays. These large napkins could make lovely certerpieces or could line the table length or buffet that you serve from. A great, quick hostess gift or decoration for any holiday!

This is one of those perfect projects: Cheap, Quick, Simple, and Not Messy! Literally, a 5 minute project. As you can see some are stamped all the way around, in the corners only, or clustered around the corners. All these looks using only one stamp!

Needed:
Package of Cloth napkins
Stazon permanent ink pad
Holiday picture stamps or messages

My friend also cut stamped a leaf and cut it out in order to stamp the leaves clustered in a corner without overlapping the leaves. The paper leaf blocks the ink to keep each leaf looking crisp.

Note that I am only using Brown and Plum Stazon ink and one stamp so you can obviously be alot more creative with this idea! I am hoping to find holly leaf or star stamps to decorate for Christmas.

I think they are just as addicted as I am. I can’t wait to do it again with them. Thanks guys for a great time. You have been such a help with the craft fair stuff! muuuah!

I love this picture! Two of my favorite people in the world. For Christmas this year i gave my best friend Kim a T-shirt that read: Lucy *heart*’s me and a onesie that said KiKi (what Lucy will call her one day) *heart*’s me. Along with the shirts i gave her a coupon for a photo shoot of her and Lucy. We got some great shots. This was one of my favorites. you can see the shirts really well and Lucy looks like she is flying.. AHH love that kid!

The way i work my stencils is i print out what i want my stencil to say, trace it on the Freezer Paper, then cut it out with an exacto knife. Or sometimes i just draw up some silly design on the matte side of the paper & cut it out. Here’s what they looked like after i ironed on the design b4 paint. (if you are trying this, be sure to iron on another piece of Freezer Paper on the inside of the shirt, shinny sides facing each other, so your paint doesn’t bleed thru.) Then i just use any fabric paint, usually mix the glitter fabric paint in pretty much every time! I’ve said it before- love the bling Just peel off the stencil as soon as your done and voila!

This is one of my favorites, a onesie for a friend’s baby. Her name is Vienne. Love this font, thought it was kinda french just like her name..

The other thing i’ve enjoyed is the dye resist. Some of these onesies i dyed and then stenciled with paint. Some of them i stenciled b4 the dye, applying dye resist, as i would paint. When you put it in the dye bath that area doesn’t dye to the intensity as the rest of the garment. (i’m sure you could get the same effect by applying bleach on a colored garment) The bottom 3 are done this way. It looks super cool. Hope this inspires you to start stenciling.

By day it is a changing table with her goodies on it.

and by night (or nap) it is my craft table.

I absolutely love the tile top for all projects, especially cutting fabric. You can just get your scissors right in the groove to get a straight cut. The table is so easy to clean too. Get yourself one! My dad got this one at a yard sale. I painted it turquoise my new favorite color and looks great in Lucy’s room. What I love about this set up is it forces me to clean up when I’m done.
I use the little drawers for her things, but kept one for me, to put my sewing things in.

Some of my fabrics i have no idea what i’m going to make with them. I used the one on top to line my diaper bag. Don’t you love the $1 bin at Walmart??

And of course my trusty freezer paper and fabric paint. Tulip glitter one of my personal favorites. Gotta have some bling!

And last but certainly not least my sweet knitting. This is my bag i take everywhere with me. Pictured here next to the couch where i like to knit, while i’m talking with Brian or he reads to me. I have some knitting rules i follow. I always knit while i’m with people. I’m usually working on such easy projects, that if i’m alone i just can’t bear to sit and knit by myself. I also try to finish each project before starting a new one. This is my current project, another bag for the craft fair. The first bag is peaking out. I’ll post that soon. It turned out super cool. Also, if you have never tried Denise interchangeable knitting needles you MUST! i’m hooked. I’ll never knit with anything else EVER. Just ask, Erin, Deaven or Jen. They know what i mean!

Also for more ideas on setting up your craft space take a look at what whip up had to say

Then I found a package that had the apple symbol on it and traced everything on my freezer paper. An exacto knife on a cutting mat works best for cutting your stencil. Then I ironed it on using a dry iron, no steam, and ironed another piece on the the back of the stencil so the paint doesn’t bleed thru.

My favorite part is painting. You can use any kind of fabric paint or even acrylic paint works too. I mix in some fabric paint when I’m using acrylic. I’m obsessed with sparkles lately so i have the glitter fabric paint that i add to pretty much every color. You have to peal the stencil off very carefully as soon as you are done so it dries evenly.

It turned out soo cute. I love it!