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I made an Elmo hooded towel for our youngest granddaughter, Nora, for her second birthday.  She and Dada asked for a Cookie Monster towel as well, so here she is in each.  Isn’t she adorable!  Dada says they are both a big hit.  The instructions were found on Pinterest.

Bob was on a walker the first month after his knee replacement, so I made a small “plarn” bag for him to carry his phone, tablet, etc.  Now that he’s off the walker, he uses it to hold canned goods he lifts with his leg.

 I wanted to send a little Easter package to granddaughter Nora, so decided to make a felt egg and stuff it with a couple of handmade bunnies.  The small pink one is from leftover fabric from an elephant I made for her first birthday.  The larger one is from the very first quilt I made over 40 years ago, which is now quite tattered and in pieces.  I made a little gift box to put a bit of candy in and an Easter card.

 I decided to make a quilt for our bed this winter, and have been able to make it totally from scraps and fabrics I have.  The top is completely pieced, pin basted and partially quilted.  The pattern is “Buckeye Beauty” and I am pleased so far; hopefully I will eventually complete it and put it on our bed!

I’ve take a couple of card crafting classes at the local Michael’s and have made a few others on my own.  It’s a fun craft that I’m enjoying.

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 I made a few more items for the Bradley UMC cookie walk.  Bob had a couple of ties stored in a box that he didn’t really care for so I made two more wristlets.  I found the free knit cowl pattern at Joann Fabric and Craft Store and purchased the yarn there.  Next time I’ll make it a little bigger because I thought it a little snug.  The black infinity scarf is made from yarn I had left from a shawl I made for our Hawaii cruise last year.


I wanted to make granddaughter Nora an Advent calendar and came across an Advent tree pattern on Pinterest.  My finished product is a combination of two patterns.  The ornaments have openings at the top to put little goodies in and Nora loved turning an ornament each day and finding the “prize.”



While home for Christmas my niece, Mandy asked if I’d make her son a Boston Celtics quilt.  After talking we decided on a no-sew fleece and here is the end.

 











For my birthday, my two-year old granddaughter, Nora, and her Dada made this butterfly picture for me.  It is adorable and she was quite excited to tell me she made it “with my feet!”

 

I found a couple of Bob’s old neckties in our “winter clothing” box and made them into wristlets for the Bradley United Methodist Church group.  There are 2 pockets in each, one for a phone and one for cash, etc.  I also made the denim tote bag from some old jeans I purchased at our craft sale in October.

 

I found this knit cowl free pattern at Joann Fabric and liked the yarn color.  I think I’ll make the next one bigger or use larger needles; it’s a little snug for my taste.  I sent the two scarves to the craft group as well.

 

Since it’s so warm in Florida, I decided to try insulating one of my crocheted bags for cold/frozen foods.  I had the laminated fabric and insulbrite batting, so layered the three and stitched around the top.  It works well, although isn’t stretchy with the lining inserted.

   




 

This summer I joined the craft group from our church, Bradley United Methodist.  We meet once a week and work on crafts for a craft sale during the Riley Festival in early October and the church cookie walk in December.  These are several of the items I made for the sales.  I enjoyed getting to know the members of the group, working together and socializing over lunch!











































 

Before leaving Texas, I received a pattern to make kitchen hand towels.  They are a modification of a dishcloth pattern I’ve used for years, so I made several of these towels this spring, as well as dishcloths and scrubbies to coordinate.  I donated most of them to our church (Bradley United Methodist) for the fall and winter bazaars.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I did a counted cross stitch ring bearer pillow for Eric & Kristin’s wedding, as I’d made one for son Mike & Amanda several years ago for their wedding.  I also made this king size quilt for them, my largest quilt project to date.  I was pretty pleased with it, especially the colors.  I was able to use some fabrics from my “stash” and find some beautiful fabrics at the Picket Fence Quilt and Fabric Shop in Harligen, TX.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Since I was to be on “grandma duty” during the wedding, Eric suggested I have a small box of “goodies” to entice Nora to sit with me.  I crocheted this plarn bag, which she soon realized was our “Nora & Grandma” bag, full of various entertaining items.  I try to change the contents a little each time we’re together.  Thanks again to Pinterest, I found ideas for quiet books and made two.  The first one was totally glued and contained 20 pages of various activities, many with Velcro pieces to attach and remove.  The second one was mostly sewn, contained 11 pages and includes matching, color identification, and so forth.  Both are made of felt and she seems to enjoy them.  I also made this “I Spy” bottle which she enjoys shaking to make noise and is getting old enough to identify the items inside.  She is such fun and I’ve loved having the summer to spend with her.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 I made this little apron for her from a pot holder and a dish towel.  She likes to help me in the kitchen and her skills include pizza, cookies and French toast.  We need to move on to Dada’s favorite cookies, Candy Bar Cookies that my mom used to make!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 We desperately needed new placemats, so I made these totally from my scraps.  I made a set of four and they are so bright and cheery; I’m very pleased with them. 

 






 

There is a group of women at Casa De Valle called Texas Grandmas.  They make quilts and hats to give to those in need, Veterans hospitals and Catholic charities to name a few.  I enjoy attending the work days on Sunday and Wednesday and recently volunteered to sew some quilt tops.  These are the ones I made with donated fabric blocks.  I’ve also knit four hats, but forgot to take pictures except of this last one; all were with this same yarn. At our twice weekly work days most of us tie completed quilts while others layer top, batting and backing, and some sew the layers.  It is a fun, productive and worthwhile group.

I recently made four more no sew blankets for Hancock Hope House but my one picture was blurry so it’s not here.  I’m also working on some projects that I can’t show yet so I’m keeping pretty busy.






I decided to make our three oldest granddaughters Runaround Bags for Christmas.  I bought the fabric last winter at a quilt shop in Tucson and was able to find butterfly and flip flop buttons to embellish each.  I found a butterfly zipper pull for Grace’s as well.  In each we put a gift card and they were big hits with the “teen and tween” girls.

 

When our boys were young, I made each of us a Christmas stocking.  When Mike married, I made Amanda a Christmas stocking, so this year I decided Kristin needed a Christmas stocking.  Here is the finished product and she was quite pleased.  As you can see by the photo of their mantle, hers is the largest!  It was nice to see Eric, Nora and Kristin’s hanging in a row, along with one my sister Mariann made years ago for the Vaughn family Christmas at my parents.

 

Since granddaughter Nora is so young, Grandma worries she will forget us when we travel.  Eric suggested I get a soft picture frame and a picture, so I designed this one from an idea I found on Pinterest.  I used an 11”X14” canvas, covered it with batting, then a fat quarter of fabric.  I attached a picture of Grandpa and Grandma with strong double stick tape and decorative photo corners.  While home for Christmas, we had our picture taken with Nora and Eric was going to put it on the frame so Nora could handle it and remember who we are.

While in Tennssee, I found that Hancock Fabrics had a great price on fleece fabric so I decided to make no-sew blankets for Hancock County Hope House.I used a discount coupon and my "senior discount" and was able to make ten blankets for just under $100. After we arrived in Houston, I bought enough fabric for 10 more blankets and was pleased with how they all turned out. I treid to choose bright "unisex" fabric; because they go together quickly I could make more in a shorter time. I used two yards of fabric for each side of blanket (4 yards total), so they should be long enough for men or women.

 

 

 

To continue the elephant theme, I made this elephant for Nora.  It’s made of soft puff fleece and contains a music box in the rear foot where Bob recorded a birthday wish for her.  Granddaughter Abby wanted a “giant” giraffe, so I took a pattern I’d already purchased, to the local Post Net and had it doubled in size.  It made a 35-inch giraffe, made of giraffe fleece print fabric and turned out well.  She loved it!  Think I’m ready to retire from stuffed animals too!

 I made this infinity scarf with Yarn Bee (Hobby Lobby) lace yarn in Sun Valley.  It is a finger weight yarn and knit on big needles so it went quickly.  The pattern can be found at ekatearcher.blogspot.com/.  I’ve had the fun fur yarn for some time, so decided to make a scarf with it too.  It’s just a simple garter stitch.

 

 

I’ve made several dish cloths and dish scrubbies this summer for my sisters as well as potholders and microwave hot pads for my niece returning to college but failed to photograph them.  I made these two little sundresses for granddaughter, Nora from cotton fabric left from her bedroom curtains.  I also made this shawl for our Hawaii trip to go with my sleeveless dresses.  It was an easy knit pattern, but I took it out several times before I was finished!  I have some other projects in store as gifts, so can’t show them yet.

 

While at Rincon Country West RV Resort, I took several classes, taught by park residents, a fun and inexpensive way to learn new things.  One class was a chenille potholder which I made from leftover fabric.  I also made a hotshot bowl potholder for the microwave which Bob uses every morning for his oatmeal.  It’s lined with cotton batting, so I need to get more so I can make a matching one for me!

Grace asked us to collect patches for her as we traveled and if I could help her make a quilt while we were in TN.  She had several patches already and wanted to make a “Thin Blue Line” quilt.  We went shopping and she chose all the fabric herself, in honor of her dad, a city police officer in TN.  The thin blue line represents law enforcement, separating good from evil, as indicated by the black fabric.  For the backing she chose an army print since her dad is also in the TN Army National Guard.  She had a fun time choosing the fabric, doing much of the sewing, and determining patch placement.  I applied the patches, and she will be able to add more as she collects them. 

 Here are I am with my Christmas gifts, doing some of my favorite things.  My youngest sister, Ruthie, gave Mariann & I these tee shirts; I’m not sure if she was pointing out that we’re so old we can remember, or trying to start an argument about whose good and who’s evil!  Anyway, I loved them all. Here are I am with my Christmas gifts, doing some of my favorite things.  My youngest sister, Ruthie, gave Mariann & I these tee shirts; I’m not sure if she was pointing out that we’re so old we can remember, or trying to start an argument about whose good and who’s evil!  Anyway, I loved them all.
These are my last knits for Hope House, our local homeless shelter.  The yarn was donated to me by my sister and brother-in-law, Mariann & Rick and greatly appreciated.  It’s been very cold in Greenfield this winter, so I know they’ll be put to good use.

These are knit dishcloths and crocheted scrubbies I made and donated to the quilt show boutique.

This RV Park has a very active craft and sewing room, with some type of class nearly every day.  I also attend the Cactus Quilters who over a variety of programs and classes.  The fabric weaving was a quilt club program where we took two pieces of fabric, cut them free style with a rotary cutter, and then wove them together.  I definitely want to try it again.  The “run around bag” was a class taught by a member of the quilt club; it was also fun, easy and inexpensive.  I also took a Disappearing 9 Patch quilt class, but forgot to take a picture of my finished top.

I used provided fabric and donated it to Comfort Quilts in return.  I took another quilt class this week; next week I’m taking a potholder class and a different bag class.  I have learned so much from this group and will really miss it when we leave. 
Steve, the Hope House executive director said they could really use quilts and afghans, so I made these quilts.  The first two are made entirely of scraps and my first attempt at piece backs with various fabrics.  That took me outside my comfort zone a little, but I liked the effect and I’m making a dent in my fabric scraps (and making room for new fabric).  The third one was an internet pattern, Kaleidoscope Kites from Fresh Lemon Quilts, so I bought fabric for it.  I really liked it, but will probably use something other than white next time.
I was very busy this fall working on gifts.  I made a tee shirt quilt for my nephew’s best friend from high school, which I hand quilted.     

                    

The only other quilt I hand pieced and hand quilted was 40 years ago.  It was a full-size quilt which Eric took to college with him and it came home about 3’ X 4’.  When I was home this fall, it was pretty tattered when he asked if I could repair it for Nora.  I decided to make it into a Christmas stocking for her, and I was pleased with how it turned out.

 

 

Although Nora doesn’t sit up on her own yet, I made this shopping cart seat cover for her.  It’s made with fleece and is “no sew” from directions I found on line. 

Granddaughter, Grace, requested a tiger for Christmas, a really big one!  I couldn’t find a pattern anywhere, so had to design my own.  I found this animal print fleece that seemed appropriate.  The tiger didn’t look too bad until I stuffed it once we arrived in Indianapolis, then it was questionable as to what it was!  She loved it anyway.  Granddaughter, Abby asked for a BIG dog for Christmas so I made this puppy for her.  I loved the fabric, a “sulky” fleece that looks like dog fur but really makes mess when working with the raw edges.  Bob recorded a message on a music box which I placed in each. 

Now that the holidays are over, I plan to use some of my fabric stash to make quilts for Hope House, our hometown homeless shelter.  I’m currently knitting an afghan and have a few hats and scarves ready to send.

 

Here’s a picture of granddaughter Nora with her headband made by Grandma.

I made this quilt for Nora this summer.  Once we knew she was a girl, I used pink fabric left from a baby quilt I made for Eric’s best friend, Craig as well as the green and yellow.  I liked the “zoo babies” fabric and used flannel zoo babies for the backing.  I had enough fabric left to make a couple of changing pads as well.

I learned my son, Eric is quite the slave driver…he had me working almost constantly!  He’d asked if I’d make curtains for the baby’s room and I readily said yes.  He designed the pattern and chose the fabric, I just did the sewing.  They were certainly not what I expected and I was a little concerned about placing the heart in the center, but they turned out quite well and he’s had many compliments.

My sister, Ruthie, offered Eric a rocker for the baby’s room, thinking he’d chose the one she used when her children were babies.  He chose an antique family rocker he remembered at my mom’s home, then decided I could redo the seat.  When he took off the original leather seat, it was padded with straw!  We found some thick, compressed batting for padding and again he chose the fabric and design.  It turned out well, then he and Mike worked on it so it hardly squeaks!  Here are the before and after pictures.

Years ago, I made footstools, weaving them with shaker tape.  Eric’s was really the worse for wear, so I thought I’d try to find new tape to go with Nora’s room. 

     
 

What I found was purple and a dark green, but Eric liked them and they turned out well.  In the process I decided the stool frame needed staining, so it really looks new.  Here are the before and after pictures.

Eric mentioned wanting to get a throw for the back of his couch, so I made this no-sew through.  I actually picked the fabric this time, although he’d told me he wanted a dark red.  I’m not sure he’s a big fan of plaid, but it was the most manly fabric I found and it goes well with his living room.  Here he is with it.

A friend asked for a headband like I made for my granddaughters, so here it is along with a couple I made for Nora.  Her blue one is crocheted and the yellow is knitted.

I have committed to making another tee shirt quilt, so I picked up the shirts while in Indiana.  I’m looking forward to starting on it, as I’m a little at a loss for projects right now.

    
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Here are my granddaughters with their grandma-made ear warming headbands.

Here are six sets of hats and scarves I sending to Hancock Hope House this week.  Hopefully they won’t need them for a few weeks yet!

 

Before we left Greenfield in June, my sister Mariann gave me a bunch of plastic bags.  I finally worked them all up into “plarn” and crocheted these 9 bags.  Most Wal-Mart’s now have gray bags, so I tried to use a few colored bags for variety.    

Last spring my daughter-in-law Amanda asked if I could make ear-warming headbands.  Here are the ones I made for her and my granddaughters.  I need to get something for the guys in the family and then I’ll mail them off before cold weather.

 

I made this baby afghan with some leftover baby yarn, which I’ll donate to Project Linus.  It is a very worthwhile organization.

I’ve started knitting hats and scarves again for Hope House, our hometown homeless shelter.  My goal is to have at least ten sets ready to mail this fall before cold weather sets in; here are the first three.  You’ll note the one set is made from the leftover headband yarn.

 

 

This winter, my sister asked if I’d ever made a tee shirt quilt as she’d found several of her son’s athletic shirts from over the years.  She sent them to me in Florida, seventeen shirts in all, about half a nylon or rayon fabric and half cotton tees.  I was a little nervous, but really enjoyed designing and making this quilt.  I used the jerseys for the top and cut parts of the cotton tees to applique on the borders.  A few of the tee designs were too large for the border, so I appliqued them to the back.  I backed it with flannel and I quilted along the seams, since I haven’t learned to free-motion quilt.  I gave it to Ross for graduation and it was a big hit with both he and my sister, Ruthie.

             

I made this giraffe for granddaughter Abby for her birthday.  It is made with fabric leftover from Bob’s quilt and has a music box inside on which Bob sings “Happy Birthday” to her.

                 

My niece, Mandy loved her quilt, which she received just in time to move into her new home. Here’s a picture as I finished it and one with her holding it.  Unfortunately, I think it’s still cold enough in Indiana for her to use it!

Here are the final three knit projects for Hope House, our hometown homeless shelter.  I especially liked the variegated yarn. 

I have started another project but can’t show it until early June as it is for my nephew’s high school graduation.

I recently sent a box of hats and scarves to Hope House, our local homeless shelter at home.  Unfortunately I had them completely packaged before I remembered I wanted pictures!

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My college-age niece, Emma asked if I could crochet an infinity scarf and an ear warmer headband for her.  She was kind enough to send me a pattern link, with the colors she wanted, and although they were quite simple to make, they turned out pretty.  Here she is wearing them; they should keep her warm as she walks across the BSU campus.

I have started my first queen-size quilt.  It is called Hugs & Kisses, which I thought was appropriate for my niece, Mandy because she has four children so I’m sure she is surrounded with lots of hugs and kisses.  The rust squares make the “O” (hugs) and “X” (kisses.)  Here are pictures of the first two blocks as I’m sure it will be a while before I complete the entire quilt!  I’m using a queen-size pattern but I wanted the dimensions a little larger than the pattern, so it’s been a challenge determining fabric amounts.

Now that the holidays are over, I can share several Christmas gifts I made this year.  I made these two quilts for my very special sisters, to keep them cozy during the Indiana winters.  They are the same pattern with very different colors.  They both love to read, so I think these will be put to good use. 

Many years ago, my wonderful husband and our oldest granddaughter, Shelby, developed a Christmas tradition of singing the “I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas” song, and Bob gives her a hippo.  This year I decided to make this hippo for her which was fun and pretty simple.  However, I definitely need to read dimensions, as it turned out to be 33 inches from nose to tail.  The best way to get it from Florida to Indiana was to mail it unstuffed, then fill it with fiberfill once we were there.  I bought a blank music box at Build A Bear, Bob recorded a small portion of the song and I attached a permanent label with the year and date.  It was a big hit and now the younger granddaughters want stuffed animals!

 

My sister, Mariann, asked if I’d make a plarn bag for her 4 year-old granddaughter to carry her “babies” in.  The gray and white one seemed pretty big when I finished it, so then I did the two brown and white ones as I just couldn’t decide on the size.  She said she gave all of them to her granddaughter, Shelby.

One day I went to crafts here at the park.  It wasn’t really what I’m interested in, so I haven’t been back.  The day I went, we made these angels from 2-liter bottles and glass Christmas balls for the head.  They are cute, but I don’t really need things to store and tote around.

 

Here is the completed mystery quilt I posted the top for previously.  I pieced the back, using some of the blocks I removed from the top.  I also printed the label on printer fabric and stitched it to a star block.  I like doing that, but not so sure about piecing the back.  Always more to learn!

       

The second patriotic quilt is backed with flannel, and I think I may do that again in the future, as it is soft and warm.  If I use this pattern again, it needs more print than what I used this time.  Some of the fabrics were from my stash from other quilts I've made.  My next goal is to learn free motion quilting as both these quilts were definite candidates.

 

Here is the patriotic mystery quilt top I completed while Bob was at his Indy chess tournament.  I was pleased with my work and love the pattern.  In a mystery quilt, “clues” are given on a regular basis, this one was weekly in six installments.  Each clue gave directions for particular block construction and the last 2 clues gave directions for top assembly.  The pattern is a 72” square quilt, but for Soldiers Angels, the quilts need to be rectangular so I took out two columns, which didn’t seem to affect the overall pattern.  This layout also gives me ideas for the quilts I eventually hope to make for my grandchildren.  I haven’t layered or quilted yet, so will post the completed quilt when finished.  

I have also crocheted a couple of plarn bags.  The produce bag pattern is thanks to Cindy at www.myrecycledbags.com and is done with gray Wal-Mart bags.  The second bag is my flat bottomed bag pattern and is for friend Tina.

Flat Bottom BagProduce BagQuilt

I just completed these 2 patriotic quilts for Soldiers Angels; both are patterns I’ve done before.  I’m now working on some gifts that I won’t be able to show for a while.  I also purchased patriotic fabric for a mystery quilt, something I haven’t yet tried.  My gift quilts are a new pattern for me, with sashing and triangles that I haven’t done before.

Now that the baby shower and graduation are over, I can show the last 2 quilts I made in Rockport TX. The baby quilt was for good friends, Craig & Emily, who are the proud new parents of their son Kale, The "wild" quilt was given to my niece, Emma for graduation as she will be attending  Ball State University this fall. I am now working on a couple of patriotic quilts for Soldiers Angels.

Here are the last of my hats and scarves for the homeless shelter.  I am now completely out of yarn!

 

I have now completed three quilts.  Here is Bob with his, my first project.

 

The other two are gifts, so will show those after they’ve been given away.  I recently spent a day “quilting” with three other Lagoons RV Park residents.  We attended the Victoria quilt show, where we saw beautiful quilts and enjoyed the various vendors.  Afterwards we visited a fabric shop and a couple of nice quilt shops.  It was nice to spend the day together and learn some new tips.

Here are more of my hats & scarves for our local homeless shelter.  I am almost to the end of my yarn stash!  Hats and Scarves

Thanks to new friend and avid quilter, Ilene, I am learning to quilt—finally!  Here are on-going pictures of my first project, a quilt for Bob to use while watching TV on cool evenings.  It is called Zigzag or Rail Fence, and is supposed to be easy; we’ll see!  I am enjoying working on it, except I have to do it indoors.  Knitting or reading I can do outside! 

I managed to work up all my “plarn” and this is my last bag.  I call it my “Bag of Many Colors” as I was able to use the last of my colored bags.  I am now working on using my yarn scraps to make caps & scarves for a homeless shelter.

December 2011 -- I use my “plarn" bags for grocery shopping but some checkout clerks don’t like that the bags don’t fit well on the bag racks.  So, I designed this bag with a flat bottom and longer handles to fit.  I had some leftover fun fur so I used that in a couple of rows for a little fun.  It was fun designing the bag as I don’t do my own designs very often.

November 2011 --

My goal this summer is to attempt to work up all the “plarn” I have (plastic bags made into yarn).  I finally prepped all the bags from family & friends and have made 2 rugs and 2 bags.  These rugs are the first I’ve made; the round pattern is from Cindy at MyRecycledBags.com and the heart-shaped one is a Leisure Arts pattern.  The tote bag is also Cindy’s pattern and the round bag is from Christinascrochethaven.me.  All are easy and fun to do and the completed projects take up much less space than the huge balls of plarn!   

February 2011 -- Now that the holidays are over, I can share some of my fall projects.  For several years my husband has given our oldest granddaughter, Shelby a hippopotamus for Christmas.  This year I made this one from plarn; unfortunately I didn’t put the pattern source on the pattern so I can’t reference it.  We bought a blank music box at Build-A-Bear and Bob recorded a brief portion of the Hippopotamus for Christmas song before I inserted it into a foot.  The hippo is made from gray plastic bags with Black bag remnants for the eyes.

Holly Hippo

 I made this purse for our youngest granddaughter, Grace from a pair of her uncle’s army fatigue pants.  It’s lined with some leftover quilt fabric and the pink polka dot ribbon was added to make it a little girly.  She loves it!

 Grace Handbag

Granddaughters Abby & Shelby requested sweaters so I made these, using Caron Simply Soft yarn and Bernat’s Hooded Sweater pattern.

Christmas Sweaters

My friend Tina saved yellow bags for me to make this entirely yellow bag with a shoulder strap.  It really turned out pretty; I might have to make one for my favorite Indy Car driver, Sarah Fisher whose major sponsor is Dollar General!

Tina's yellow bag

Oak Haven is having their annual flea market in January, so I’ve made several bags and bracelets which I hope to sell.

 

August 2010:

Since we’ve been spending a lot of time at the pool, I decided we needed a swim bag.  Thanks to Cindy at myrecycledbags.com for this pattern, which I modified to make it a little bigger and put a pocket inside for keys, phone, cash, etc.  It measures 22 ½” X 16” and holds 2 large towels, sunscreen, books or any other items we might need at the pool.  It also dries easily so I don’t have to be concerned about it getting wet. 

 

 

June 2010 -- Here is a picture of granddaughter Shelby, with the “plarn” purse she requested for her birthday.  It is lined with a pair of her grandpa’s jeans.  Thanks to Cindy at www.myrecycledbags.com for the pattern.  The second picture is a bag I made for a friend, adapted from another of Cindy’s patterns. 

 

 I’ve also discovered another organization to support: Soldiers’ Angels where there are several opportunities to support our military.  I encourage you to check it out. 

 

February 24. 2010 Thanks to Cindy at www.myrecycledbags.com for the pattern for these cute Christmas gift bags.  The red one is made of T-yarn (made from a couple of my old t-shirts) and the other 3 are from plarn with a little fun fur worked in (this project would have benefited from Target bags as they have more red in them!).  I plan to use these for my grandchildren’s goodies.  The cell phone charm I worked up as a suggestion from my sister for stocking stuffers.

December 2, 2009

In the process of trying to make a handbag for a fundraising project, I developed this bag (I gave up on the handbag).  It is a combination of patterns: the base is rectangular single crochet from a free handbag pattern I obtained at Hobby Lobby years ago; the body is thanks to Cindy at myrecycledbags.com and the shoulder strap I designed myself.  It measures 13X4X11 ½ inches deep.  The colored rows are Disney Store plarn and add a soft contrast.

March 1, 2009 ---

This sweater is the latest I’ve made for Guideposts Knit for Kids.  This sweater is special because my sister-in-law Cynthia spun the wool fiber into yarn and sent it to me to knit the sweater.  It is a very soft, pretty yarn that worked up nicely and this is truly a project of love.  Thanks, Cynthia!

I made this Fruit of the Spirit bracelet based on Galatians 5: 22-23.  I like the way it turned out and am including the card with each bracelet.

February 1, 2009 -- Here is a backpack I just completed for son, Eric, made from recycled plastic bags.  He is a Target shopper, hence the red color in the flap.  I enjoyed designing my own pattern and was pleased with the result. 

If you are interested in purchasing any of my items, or would like the free patterns, please contact me:  curlytop@mccorkles.org

January, 2009 --Pictured here is my most recent project.  Thanks to the great and ‘crafty’ ladies at Highland Wheel Estates, Sebring, FL, I have learned to make Swarovski Crystal bracelets.  I hope to expand the styles now that I’ve mastered the basic bracelet. 

December 2008

I recently started recycling plastic shopping bags by crocheting them into tote bags.  It’s a great way to be more eco-friendly and use those plastic bags we all get.  A great website for recycling projects is My recycled bags.com.  I also enjoy knitting sweaters for the Guideposts Magazine Knit for Kids Project.  Below are a few of my recent projects.

 

 

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