Kathy's Past Projects: (Home)
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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’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.
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.”
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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. |
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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! |
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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.
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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! |
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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.
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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.
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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. |
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.
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!
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.
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!
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.
Granddaughters Abby & Shelby requested sweaters so I made these,
using Caron Simply Soft yarn and Bernat’s Hooded Sweater pattern.
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!
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.