hairpin rosette -- and a case of 'just pinch me'

My dear blogirl-friend from Dandelion Quilts and I were just 'talking' about what you do when someone 'famous' comments on your blog. (She had just had a 'famous' blogger comment on hers and she was giddy!)
.
So we decided of course, for starters ------> you just pinch yourself with excitement!
.

This is my very own case of 'just pinch me'. I was recently contacted by FaveCrafts to do a guest feature/tutorial on their craft website.
.
(pinch)
.
So I wracked my brain as to what to do?.........
.

.
I got out my hairpin lace frame and decided to make a very simple rosette.
.

And with help from my lovely assistant --a.k.a. younger daughter who so patiently held the frame and stood still while I took pics --
.

I constructed a hairpin rosette.
.
The complete feature/tutorial is here.
.
.
.....and yes, I am still pinching myself.

granny squared

I have a great-aunt who is so lady-like in her dressing (she would never been seen in pants -- dresses only!) and unfortunetly has become wheel-chair bound. Being self-conscious about some changes in her legs, she feels the need to cover them. But she still wants to present herself as very classic in her attire.....what to do?

A lap-sized, dainty, crochet afghan sounds like just the answer!

And I have the perfect pattern from this book from Annie's Attic:

"I "hook - Hospitality Garden Pattern - Caron Simply Soft & Bernat yarn

So the granny squares begin. There are buttery-yellow flowered blocks.

And plain whisper-white blocks, crocheted into a pattern that just says ---> a great-aunt lap quilt!

~~~

And just look at what I 'inherited' this weekend. While I was working on the above granny squares, my mother-in-law looked over and said,

.

.

"Oh, I have some granny-squares that my mother was working on a long time ago."

"And I think there is an afghan somewhere around here that she was putting together, too."

"........would you like it?"

Whaaaaaaaaat?? I had to remember my manners and not race her to the basement stairs.

After rummaging through an old chest of drawers in their basement, she found it!
.
Don't you just love the vivid colors of these blocks?

I just wanted to drape it around my shoulders and wear it everywhere.

.

(Yes, that *gasp* you just heard -- is from my husband & children...)

So instead, I will drape it on the chair.

shaded embroidery, fabric scraps & vintage eyelet lace

If you love embroidery -- and I do! -- you must pick up this book:

Clare Hanham explains shaded embroidery so well with her wonderful pics and directions.

So after paging through this, a huge dose of creative inspiration surges through my body (this is when my family tries to quietly escape out the front door....)

And I start scrounging through my fabric scraps, embroidery thread and found pieces of vintage eyelet lace...

.And begin.

In her book she starts you out with very basic 3 shades of pink embroidery floss and simple long/short stitches to make this flower.

The piece becomes so vivid with just the subtle changes of colored thread.

I was pleasantly surprised --okay, shocked really -- with these results.

.

Quite easy. Quite do-able. And when becoming so frustrated with having to count out stitches in a cross-stitch pattern, well -- this may be the answer!

And now I must figure out how to finish off this tiny piece.

crocheted peony brooch tutorial

I have had requests for the pattern for the crochet peony brooch I made here.

I used a size G hook and Caron Simply Soft yarn. Of course, you could use any size hook or yarn/thread for this flower.

Begin with a slip knot.

Chain 6.

Join in a ring with a slip stitch.

Round 1: Chain 1 (counts as first sc.) Work 14sc into ring for a total of 15 sc.
Join with slip stitch.





Round 1: Chain 3 (counts as first dc), 2 dc into base of 3 chain, 3 dc into each sc.






End with a slip stich in top of 3 chain.






Round 2: Chain 3 (counts as first dc), 2 dc into base of chain 3, 3 dc into each dc, ending with a slip stitch into top of chain 3.

(edit: 12/07/09 -- Thank you to a very insightful email -- I see that the original tutorial had a mistake on round 2. The mistake has been corrected and I hope no one else was confused with my directions for this step. And a *huuuuuuuge* thank you to Marion for pointing this out to me!!)

Round 3: Ch 3 (counts as first dc), 2 dc into base of 3rd chain, 3 dc into each dc, end with slip stitch in top of 3ch.






Round 4: Work same as round 3.

Fasten off and weave in end.




To make fabric leaves:
Trace circle onto fabric choice for leaves. I used a jar lid.





Find center of circle by ironing a crease down the middle.





(Does this all seem familiar? Yup. It's just like the petals from the fabric flower tutorial I did here.)
Using a rotary cutter, cut down the center for 2 pieces.

Fold piece in half, right sides together. Sew a seam down straight edge.

Turn right side out.

Hand sew a running stitch on open edge.

Gather tightly. Secure with knot.

Hand sew to backside of crocheted flower.

I have a collection of vintage earrings. Loooooove to collect these, by the way!

By gently pulling apart the back from the front, I can easily use the perforated earring top to sew to the center of my flower.

You could also use a button, beads for the center -- or even leave it plain.

Trace a circle onto felt and sew to cover the backside of flower.

Attach a pinback.

A gorgeous, crocheted flower brooch.

I would love to see yours if you make one!

peony table

The peonies in our garden have opened their glorious, heavy bonnets of pink petals. These must be some of my most favorite flowers.
.
And can you believe it? Recently rifling through a pile of musty linens at the thrift store, I couldn't believe when I unearthed the three items above! -- the variegated pink crochet dresser scarf, and two delicate hankies.
.
And with the warm breeze of summer coming through our windows, I was furthered carried away -- and inspired! -- with the beauty of hand-made flowers when I paged through this book:


Page after page of gorgeous ribbon flowers! I never knew of Celia Thaxter before, but am enthralled with her!

All this time the lovely day was slowly changing its early delicate colors and freshness for the whiter light of noon.--Celia Thaxter

~

Oh my. Such a romantic, heady feeling of inspiration?

.

Phew.

.

My kids (okay. and maybe my husband too.) think I'm pretty weird getting all googly-eyed over such things, but I loooooooove stuff like this.

And yes, I'll continue to get carried away when I see stuff like this.

Maybe just not as loud.
.
.

This also from our garden.

The kids were giddy when we found this tiny bunny scurrying through the flowers. And of course, our cat must inspect all new visitors. Or, so she thinks.

But then after marveling over the cuteness factor, we gently placed the bunny down & watched him/her scurry back to his home underneath the leafy cover of safety.