It's Been A Little While Sorry! Here's a Scarf Tute

Hello there!
Firstly I have to apologise as it's been a good few months since my last post- awful blogging etiquette I know, I'm very sorry. I will mend my ways, promise!

I have still been making things including the following scarf! It was made by recycling a pair of palazzo trousers. I took pics along the way, albeit rubbish ones with my phone but you can get the idea from them.

First you need a pair of trousers with baggy legs (although you could skip this step if you have fabric you like, or use a long skirt/dress- whatever you like). I loved these trousers but with a hole by the zip and the bottoms getting a little worn it was time to re-purpose them. The trousers (or the fabric) will need a good iron.

From each leg cut two equal rectangles of fabric so you have four pieces of fabric all the same size, in my example the sections measured roughly 26cm x 76cm (11 x 30 inches).

With right sides together,  sew two of the section together along the shorter ends. Repeat the same step with the other two sections (my fabric looks very similar on both sides in the photographs but the birds on the outside are more crisp in colour). 
I used a 1cm seam allowance throughout the project (except for the final seam).

Open both sections out so you have two double length pieces, each with a seam in the centre. Pin these two lengths together, again right sides together, with the seams meeting in the centre. Sew the two long sides together.

At this stage you will have a long tube with the seams on the outside. Tuck one half inside the other with the right sides together so that the unsewn edges meet (with the sewn seams meeting on either side). Pin these together and sew around the edge leaving a section open.

The section left unsewn- approximately 10cm.

Turn the scarf the right way out through the unsewn hole, so all the seams are on the inside.
Tuck the raw edges in and the pin the hole closed.

As close to the edge as possible sew the opening closed.

The finished seam...

And that's the scarf done!

All ready to wear- just wrap it around twice and you're all set.

Here's a picture of the finished scarf (after a day's wear) to show it's length open- approx 66cm (26in) or about the length as a semi stretched cat, who was keen to help with my measuring ;-)

I'm very pleased with how it turned out as I really love the fabric and still get to enjoy wearing it, even though the trousers were past their best.
I'm definitely going to make more using raw fabric (rather than altering items of clothing) for Christmas presents for friends.
Thanks for taking the time to read this post! 
Until next time (which I promise won't be as long as last time), craft in earnest! Craftin' Ernest x

An Easy To Make Button Necklace

On a recent trip to the picturesque city of Wells (the details of which can be read here). I picked up a tin of buttons from a charity shop. On a side note - it was a Quality Street tin which in my experience is by far the nation's favourite container to home buttons once the chocs have gone, as such if I see the familiar glimpse of white and pink in a charity shop or car boot sale my heart does begin to flutter.

Among the treasure inside the tin were these 5 buttons...

They're leather with small sections of thin wire for decoration. They are shank back buttons where the actual shank is a puffy circle of fabric protruding from a hole in the back. There's probably a technical name for them but I don't know it.

Anyway, I thought they'd make an interesting statement necklace so decided to give it a go and it was dead simple.

You will need:

Large buttons- shank ones are good for this but not essential, holed buttons will work
Strong glue (e.g. E6000)
Chain with fastening (e.g. a lobster clasp)
2 jump rings
Pliers (to attach jump rings)

I arranged them until I was happy with the look of them, basically a downward v shape.
I removed the the fabric shanks with scissors.

I then glued them by overlapping so that the bottom button (the point of the v) is lowest, the adjacent two are glued on top on the lowest one. I also put a spot of glue between the edge of these two sticking them together for a bit of extra strength. Then I glued the uppermost two onto the middle two.

I wrapped them with low adhesive tape while the glue dried completely (I left them 24 hours in this instance). Once I was happy they were securely stuck together I removed the tape.

It's then just a case of attaching the chain.

To keep it simple, I just attached a jump ring to each end of chain and glued one to the back of one of the uppermost buttons and the other side to the opposite button.

Again leave to fully dry and then you're all done!

What do you think? Not bad for for a simple make with unusual buttons in my opinion. I'll update with a photo of it being worn when I don't look like I've been dragged through a hedge backwards ;-)

Until next time, craft in earnest! Craftin' Ernest x

Crochet Ringed Necklace Tutorial

I can't believe it's September already, time is just flying by! However, as it's my favourite month I don't mind too much. Whilst the weather has actually taken a change for the better with the Sun shining brightly, the colours of the leaves have started to change and Autumn is certainly on it's way. Before I get cracking on the big woolly scarves and hats I thought I would make something a little more delicate....

I've seen necklaces similar to this a few places and really like them. So when I stumbled across an assorted pack of rubber o-rings for 99p in the hardware section of my local Wilkinson's the other day, I immediately knew they'd be just the thing I needed to make my necklace. As they vary in diameter and thickness I thought they'd provide the perfect, varied base rings and they are flexible but hold their shape, also they weigh next to nothing so the necklace would be nice and light.

I'm afraid I didn't take the picture until after I'd opened and removed the o-rings I was going to use- sorry dopey me!

What you need:
O-rings (or similar for you base- you might find something you prefer/better)
Embroidery cotton or fine yarn
Small crochet hook
Sewing needle
Scissors
Chain, jump-rings and fastening e.g. lobster clasp
Pliers
A couple of beads are optional but do make a nice addition in which case a small amount of coordinating wire is also needed, together with round-nose pliers and wire-cutters.

I decided to use 7 of the rings (I always think odd numbers work best for this sort of thing) so I chose the same number of different embroidery cottons to use. I picked 7 colours I liked the look of together and that I thought would go with a range of my clothes. My favourite colour to wear is navy so that was my starting colour and I went from there. Alternatively you could use just one colour or different shades of the same colour might give a nice finish too?

Once I had decided on the colours I arranged the o-rings to a rough layout I liked and started to crochet.

Throughout I used double crochet (dc) with a 2.5mm hook and treated the o-rings as a chain ring and crocheted into the "chain space". Obviously the number of stitches required varied depending on the size of the o-ring but I kept pushing the stitches tightly together to make sure you couldn't see any of the black rubber. 

Once I had completely finished the round and was happy there was no gaps I joined the last dc to the first dc with a slip stitch.

At the end of the round I left a long tail of cotton on each ring to use to sew the rings together. 

I did this by sewing a few crochet stitches from two rings together with the tail from one then pulling the thread through a few of the hoops around the ring and cutting off the excess.

I repeated this step with each ring being sure to keep the arrangement of the rings on the design I decided up. The tail of the final ring isn't needed so I sewed this into the hoops of the ring as previously and again cut the excess.

Once all the rings are sew securely together you just need to add the chain. This can be done by attaching a jump ring to the upper, outer edge of the two end rings, going though the top of a single crochet stitch and the end of the chain (see * below as with the beaded step). Then attach the clasp to the other ends of the chain also using jump rings.

If you decide to add beads, thread one onto wire and create a loop either side of the bead with the round-nose pliers. 

Attach one of the loops to the crochet stitch on the ring as with the jump ring and the other loop to the chain. Finish as before.

*If using a jump ring insert as above and attach the chain directly

All done! I'd love to know if you make one yourself. 

Thanks so much for taking the time to read my blog, I really appreciate it!
Until next time craft in earnest, Craftin' Ernest x

Jet Setting Part 2 - Ireland

After the delights of Poland we headed for our annual February trip to see the family in Ireland (see last year's February post here- http://craftinernest.blogspot.co.uk/2013/02/ernest-in-ireland.html).
As always it was great to see everyone especially as we only made one trip over last year. We flew straight from Krakow to Dublin, then drove west to Limerick in a hire car- here's a handy hint for those not familiar with saloon cars- the don't have rear windscreen wipers so don't go ask the guys in the hire office how to turn them on, you will look silly ;-)

Shopping was once again on the agenda, we concentrated on culture last year after all. We even had to buy another suitcase, definitely a sign of a successful trip! I finally made it into a shop that had caught my eye previously but didn't have the time then to go in, The Art and Hobby Shop: https://www.facebook.com/artnhobbylimerickcity
I'm very glad I got to go in! I bought lots of bits and bobs- a large circle cutter, a set of fabric pens, more washi tape (yes I certainly have fallen in love with the stuff), some ribbon, ink pads and a pack of resin flowers.
I had earlier picked up a a necklace and earring set at the knock-down, bargain price of 1 euro and thought it would be good to use with one of the resin flowers.

Using pliers I removed the horse-shoe charm and replaced it with a small metal disc with a hoop I already had (it was from a long necklace with lots of them dangling off it). All I had to do then was glue one of the flowers to disc. I don't think it looks too bad at all for about 1.30 euro?

My aunt Maxine gave me a chunky green cardigan she knitted, perfect to keep me snug in the evenings! She's very good.

All in all it was a truly fantastic week and I could do with another week off to recover!
Until next time, craft in earnest! Craftin' Ernest x

Heart-shaped Earring Tutorial

Today's post is a tutorial to make a pair of HEART-SHAPED EARRINGS using wire and embossing powder. They're actually surprisingly easy to make and I think look really effective. 

You will need:
2 x approx 45cm (18") of thin wire. 24 gauge works well but a bit thicker or thinner would work fine (I used a brassy coloured wire but you can use whatever colour you like).

Embossing powder (I went for classic red but again it's totally up to you. The brand I used for these was "Heat It Up" but I've used "Cosmic Shimmer" in the past and I'm pretty sure it would work with any brand)
Pair of earring findings (homemade or shop bought) 

Regular kitchen oven
Baking tray (or oven-proof dish)

Aluminium foil

Pliers and wire cutters

Hammer and hard surface

Paper and pen

Sharp needle/pin

Draw a heart onto the piece of paper roughly 2.5cm x 2.5cm (1" x 1").

Bend the end of one of the lengths of wire into a heart shape using the heart you drew as a guide. Using pliers fold the tip of the end around the wire to secure it.

Twist and weave the remaining length of wire around the heart-shaped frame using the pliers when needed.

Keep wrapping until you're happy the heart has been "filled in" evenly. Repeat with the second length of wire.

Then using the hammer and a hard surface, gently hammer both hearts flat.

Left-side heart = after hammering    Right-side heart = before hammering

Lay both hearts on a piece of foil on a baking tray (or oven-proof dish), not too close together.

Now cover the hearts with a thick, even layer of embossing powder. Originally I used a small teaspoon and applied the powder a little at a time using the tip of the spoon, this worked well but took a little while. I find it quicker to use the piece of paper rolled into a funnel. Pinch the end, closing the hole and pour in the powder. Gently release the pressure on the hole allowing powder to flow onto the heart. Repeat for the second heart.

Place the tray in an oven set to about 150°C (300°F) for a minute or two. The powder melts pretty quickly so keep an eye on it. Once all the powder has melted and become shiny, remove the tray from the oven and leave it to cool.

Once it's cool enough to touch gently peel away the foil. If needed, any excess around the edges can simply be cut away with a pair of scissors

 Before trimming the edges

After trimming

Using a sharp needle/pin, and being careful of your precious pinkies, pierce a hole in each heart- in the left side of one and the right side of the other.

Attach an earring hooks to each heart and you're all set!

I hope you like them and give them a go!

'Til next time craft in earnest, Craftin' Ernest x