Resweater

It's Sweater Monday!

2012-01-30T08:12:00.000-08:00

I am refreshed after my annual girl's weekend out, and ready for work! I am working up a couple of tutorials, and even got a new sewing machine. I haven't had a chance to play with it yet, as I dropped off right away to be cleaned & serviced, but will post about it as soon as I get it back! Enough babbling from me, though... here's the sweaters!

Some patterned lambswools (argyle in grays, felted red/blue/green striped [sold], lightly felted blue fair isle)...

the patterned merinos (gray/blue [sold], green/blue/yellow striped ribbed [says 100% wool on tag, but looks/feels like merino], felted tan stripes)...

some patterned blends (red/white/blue 50% lambswool/40% angora/10% nylon, taupe/tan 70% lambswool/20% angora/10% nylon, tan fair isle 78% wool/5% cashmere/22% nylon)...

some patterned wool (lightly felted earthy stripes, vintage cream with pink fair isle)...

some washable (will not felt!) merinos (black, gray/blue/red/white stripes, ribbed tan)...

some froggables (can unravel for yarn), a big soft gray 45% wool/25% alpaca/30% acrylic cardigan ($8), buttery soft yellow 40% wool/20% angora/10% cashmere/30% rayon, and a big cream shetland...

the solid colored blends (80% lambswool/20% nylon: speckled charcoal, felted brown, red. dark red boucle merino blend, tan lambswool blend. Lambswool angora blends: short sleeved chartreuse, cobalt, pale yellow, rosy pink)

the solid colored lambswools, red cardigan with ribbed sleeves (96% lambswool), dark pink (96% lambswool) [sold], golden brown...

the solid colored merinos (black, brown, brown v neck, mouse brown, camel, dark slate blue [sold], tomato red, red, dark red)...

some already felted merinos, teal [sold], black, ribbed gray [sold]...

the solid colored wools, a big brown heathered shetland, a cream cardigan...

and 2 cashmere, a red cardigan & a brown (has 2 biggish holes on one sleeve)...

Happy Sweater Monday!

What is Sweater Monday? It is when I show the sweaters that are being added to my inventory. This is an opportunity for anyone to "call dibs" on sweaters they see here that they want to buy. This also saves me the time of listing them all individually in my shop, so it's a win-win. To "call dibs" or ask any questions, please email me (krisnstevep@netzero.com). Pricing for individual sweaters is generally as follows: wool & wool blend sweaters $6 each, cashmere $8 (patterned, striped, & big mens cashmere $10). All exceptions will be noted. You are welcome to combine orders from Sweater Monday sweaters with sweaters in my shop. Since I seem to get the same questions about Sweater Monday, I will be posting this paragraph on the bottom of each Sweater Monday post.

It's What I've Been Working on Wednesday!

2012-01-25T03:50:00.000-08:00

My husband got me [us] a GPS for Christmas, so I made a little pouch for it, so it won't get scratched when I throw it in my purse. I just used a couple of scraps I had on hand, and it took me under 5 minutes to make! Front & back:

Two more pairs of Jack's jeans ended up with holes in the knees, so more patching had to me done! Jack asked for an owl on one pair & let me have creative rights to the second. I wish I would have made the owl & the background colors contrast more, but oh well!

I think this one's going to look better as the edges fray more.

I made my son's Lego table this week too.

I think it turned out great! I wish I had taken a "before" shot of the coffee table. It had crackled gold colored leather on the top, and this looks so much better! I love the style of the table, and it was the perfect size for my son's room. I had so many great suggestions for glues, but once I got to the hardware store & started reading all the labels, I kind of went pale. Everything was toxic, and the bottle that the clerk was urging me to buy said "WARNING: This product contains chemicals known to the State of California to cause cancer and birth defects or other reproductive harm". When I read it out loud, he said "those hippies in California worry about everything". I laughed, and said "and rightly so! I'm not putting this crap in my son's room!". I ended up reading all the labels, and found one with no warnings that said "non toxic", and that is what I used... Gorilla Wood Glue. It seems to be holding up with no problems, and I am more than willing to reglue, should a piece pop up in the future. It is worth the piece of mind.

May the force be with you! ;)

So, what have you been working on?

It's Tutorial Tuesday! Ice scraper mitten!

2012-01-24T07:25:00.001-08:00

I don't know about you, but we have got a lot of snow & ice lately, so I decided to make a mitten for my scraper, to keep my hand extra warm while i'm scraping my windshield. This is super easy & only takes minutes to make. Ready?

First you will need a felted wool sweater sleeve, cut across evenly.

Place your ice scraper handle in the center of the cut end, and cut around it, leaving a seam allowance and an smidge of space on the sides (I left about 1/2 inch all around).

From here, you can just sew up all the cut ends, or round off the corners (which I did), then sew

Kinda looks like a wool wine bottle, eh? Now just flip it right side out...

and push the long skinny part in with the handle of your ice scraper...

and you're done. Wasn't that easy? Now your hand will be nice & toasty while you scrape :).

It's Sweater Monday!

2012-01-23T08:29:00.000-08:00

Ready for the sweaters?

Some patterned merinos (green/brown striped ribbed, gray/black/white striped ribbed [sold], big blue/gray/white argyle [sold], red/maroon striped ribbed [sold])...

a lavender embroidered cardigan, funky lambswool angora blend [sold], green striped lambswool [sold]...

big red wool with hearts, stars, crosses, moons...

winter themed (mittens, ice skates, snowmen, snowflakes, etc.) blue lambswool with tiny bells & beads, $8...

sleeping greyhound shetland [sold]...

froggables: dark pink cashmere ($10) [sold], dark yellow big soft wool ($8) [sold], and cornflower blue cashmere (front panel not froggable because of button holes, $8)...

wool vintage ski [sold]& magenta patterned wool. Both have a few holes, but the magenta is 2 layers, so it's like getting twice the fabric...

[ALL sold] the solid colored cashmere (navy, red, brown, green, big mens tan [$10])...

the solid colored lambswools (burgundy [sold], maroon [sold], green)...

the solid colored blends, a cranberry 75% merino/25% angora cardigan [sold], and a cream 40%lambswool/40% angora/20% nylon [sold]...

the solid colored merinos (ribbed dark gray cardigan, froggable teal [$8] [sold], dark green wide ribbed, cream cabled [sold], cream, cream v-neck)...

close up of teal froggable merino...

and the solid colored wool (big charcoal cardigan [sold], big dark green cardigan, charcoal [sold], purple [sold], blue w/gray sleeves, black froggable)...

Happy Sweater Monday!

What is Sweater Monday? It is when I show the sweaters that are being added to my inventory. This is an opportunity for anyone to "call dibs" on sweaters they see here that they want to buy. This also saves me the time of listing them all individually in my shop, so it's a win-win. To "call dibs" or ask any questions, please email me (krisnstevep@netzero.com). Pricing for individual sweaters is generally as follows: wool & wool blend sweaters $6 each, cashmere $8 (patterned, striped, & big mens cashmere $10). All exceptions will be noted. You are welcome to combine orders from Sweater Monday sweaters with sweaters in my shop. Since I seem to get the same questions about Sweater Monday, I will be posting this paragraph on the bottom of each Sweater Monday post.

It's What I've Been Working on Wednesday! A tennis dress for Spots!

2012-01-18T03:39:00.000-08:00

Even though Spots was a year old when we got her, she still had a little growing to do, so the dog sweaters I made for her are a bit short now. I wasn't planning on making more, and making do with what I have, but she loves her sweaters! She likes to wear them around the house, and to bed at night. I don't blame her... I like to wear sweaters too ;)!

I made this over the weekend, and like how it came out... it looks like a little tennis dress :). I used my original tutorial here, to make a new pattern. I used a lightly felted men's merino sweater. I decided to leave the original collar on it, and made the legs a little long (this one will be an outdoor dress).

For the skirt part, I cut off the waist band, along with a few inches, and sewed the finished edge to the sweater. The result was a cute little flared skirt. The practical question, which i'm sure some of you are asking, is will she pee on the skirt when she does her business? Nope! When she squats down, her tail holds it out of the way.

Since I couldn't just get one good picture of it (I don't know why I thought getting a picture of a dress on a moving dog, that wanted to sniff around and not model, would be easy!), here's several pictures...

So, what have you been working on?

It's Tutorial Tuesday! Cashmere toddler dress!

2012-01-17T03:45:00.000-08:00

This tutorial for this adorable dress (on this even more adorable little girl!) comes to us from Sew Country Chick! I can't imagine anything more cozy to make a little girl's dress out of, than cashmere! Ready for the tutorial? Click here!

It's What I've Been Working on Wednesday

2012-01-11T07:45:00.000-08:00

Last week, I found this fabulous piece of kitchy kitchen themed fabric at the thrift store. I wasn't sure what I was going to do with it, but I loved it!

This hutch was supposed to be used for sewing storage, but we needed game storage more, so it became the game cabinet. Looks horrible right?

I made 2 simple curtain panels out of the fabric, and put them on a tension rod. It didn't turn out as awesome as I had envisioned, but it's a definite improvement, I think.

I got a paint sample to match this green...

...and I plan to paint the trim that color. It should look better then. What do you think?

So, What have you been working on?

It's Tutorial Tuesday! Play food!

2012-01-10T04:55:00.000-08:00

We keep our fruit in a pretty colander I found at a garage sale, and I think it looks great...

except when it's empty....

Then it just looks like a colander on the table. I think I will make some felt food to fill it, for the times we are out of fruit (ok, we are never really out of fruit, because we keep a lot in the fridge too, but that's beside the point). Maybe you have a fruit bowl to fill, or some little ones that would love some new play food.

I found all these great tutorials over at the While Wearing Heels blog. While she uses craft felt for hers, you can always use recycled sweater felt in it's place. I recommend using Merino wool sweaters, but most sweater felt will be fine.

Are you inspired now? I am... as well as a bit hungry ;)

It's What I've Been Working on Wednesday!

2012-01-04T12:50:00.000-08:00

Remember these slippers by any chance? I made these last year from some thick merino, and some alpaca... heaven to my feet (link to slippers tutorial here)! To combat our slippery hardwood floors, I had added some pieces from the bottoms of my son's outgrown & holey non-skid socks (read more about that here).

Little did I know, those slippers were going to be my favorites, and I would wear them every single day for hours at a time. I didn't think of the inevitable... wearing them out! :(

Once holes appeared I knew I had to put something more than wool on the bottom, if I wanted to wear them every day. I found this sweater, and knew that the suede pockets would be perfect!

I seam ripped the pockets & elbow patches off of it, and hand sewed them to the bottoms of the slippers... much better!

Now they should last a while!

So, what have you been working on?

It's Tutorial Tuesday! Make a cashmere tie or a felted wool bow tie for your little guy!

2012-01-03T04:41:00.001-08:00

These 2 tutorials came from 1 talented lady... Melinda, over at Dahlhartlane blog! To go to the felted wool bow tie tutorial, click here.

To go to the cashmere neck tie tutorial click here.

While you're there you have to check out her paper mache nativity... it's amazing!

Happy New Year & Some resolutions

2012-01-01T07:36:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year! Welcome to 2012! With a new year comes resolutions. This year I have a personal resolution, as well as a professional one, and they kind of go together.

My personal resolution is to streamline my house, and get rid of everything we don't use or love. I found this decluttering calendar online, which I thought was brilliant... a simple task for each day of the year. I have also been utilizing Freecycle lately to get rid of things we no longer need, but are still very useful to others. I will work at this slowly throughout the year.

My professional Resweater resolution is to concentrate more on my blogging, creating tutorials, and making useful things for our household/family/friends, and less on making things for shows to sell. I want to also spend more time listing sweaters in my shop, so I always have a fresh selection. Because of this, I would like to scale down my personal stash of sweaters, and felted scraps, and will be putting together some great mystery boxes in the next week!

On a completely random note, our power was out for several hours this morning, so that meant no heat. We just threw on slippers, and extra sweaters, but Spots was cold too. Though I usually only put her sweaters on her for going outdoors, I realized it would be a good idea until the power came back on. She got excited when she saw it, stuck her head right in when I held it out, and looked so relieved when she had it on. So, use #25653 for recycled wool... keeping dogs warm when the power goes out ;).

Some Resweater randomness

2011-12-31T05:15:00.000-08:00

See this sweater? It is a blend. I bought this to wear, and since it had a really low wool content, I threw it in with a load of laundry, and washed it on "cool". It came out lightly felted, like a merino usually does after a hot wash! Since I could no longer wear it, I was curious to see if it would fully felt, so I through it in with the next hot load. This is the results... the sweater underneath is the same size the gray one started out. My 6 year old couldn't fit into it now.

How much wool content, you ask?

Yep, 30%. Isn't that crazy? This is why I laugh when I see tutorials that say "you must use 100% wool or it will not felt". Granted, this is an unusual result for such a low content, but higher wool content blends (I only sell 70% & higher wool content blends) are pretty predictable felters.

On a completely unrelated note... I found this at the grocery store the other day, and had to try it.

It kinda tastes like an ugly sweater too ;).

Cute & easy flowers

2011-12-28T15:11:00.000-08:00

.

This could fall under both "Tutorial Tuesday" & "What I've Been Working on Wednesday", but since it's already Thursday, this might be best without a category ;).

I found this tutorial on a blog I stumbled across, Drab To Fab. The original tutorial uses fabric and hot glue, but I used lightly felted cashmere and felted wool, and hand stitched it in place as I went. The first one I made was this cashmere brooch for my mom:

I then made this wool one into a hair clip. I liked this one better without anything in the center. These were really easy and fast to make.

Here are the cloth ones from Drab To Fab's blog:

Cute, eh?

Merry Christmas from Resweater!

2011-12-22T05:17:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas!

I hope you all find wonderful things under your trees!

My family & I will be slowing down, and enjoying the holidays for the next few days, so I will not be blogging again until Tuesday... yes, Sweater Monday will be on Tuesday again ;). Feel free to email me about any orders, or questions you have. I will just not be blogging. I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas!

It's Tutorial Tuesday! Make a poinsettia brooch

2011-12-20T05:29:00.000-08:00

Got time for a last minute Christmas craft? This fabulous tutorial from Lisa at Lil Fish Studio's blog, would make a great gift, or just make one for yourself to wear to all those Christmas gatherings! To go to the tutorial, click here, and scroll down a little. Click on the picture of the brooch when you see it on the right side bar. While you're there, read the rest of her blog... Lisa is an amazing fiber artist!

It's What I've Been Working on Wednesday!

2011-12-14T08:35:00.000-08:00

I made this wool Christmas tree this week.

Just a decoration, right?

Well... actually it's a hat!

It looks better in real life, but the lighting was bad. I even made the hat band brown (can't really tell from the picture) for the tree trunk. I need to make some mini ornaments for it. I will be wearing it to my son's class party on Friday. I am SO glad he's not of the age where he is embarrassed by mom yet! ;)

It's Tutorial Tuesday! Make a cute coupon or tea bag wallet

2011-12-13T06:18:00.000-08:00

Dena, over at Everything But The Oink, has come up with another great tutorial... a tea bag or coupon wallet! What a fun gift idea, and with her simple & easy to follow tutorial, you can make these in time for Christmas! For the full tutorial, just click here, to be magically transported to her blog!

It's What I've Been Working on Wednesday!

2011-12-07T04:25:00.000-08:00

Saturday's show (which I will blog about next week) has kind of thrown my week off, so I apologize that there was no tutorial yesterday. I was still able to make a few things this week, mostly before my show.

When we have little ones over, I like to bring out my son's outgrown dolls for them to play with. The other day my son told me that they would have more fun with them, if they had more clothes, so I made these little pjs from an infant romper I bought at the thrift store. It was really easy, since I was using the existing hems on the neck, arms, legs, and the snaps of the romper.

I found a great lambswool/cashmere argyle, and used it to make my son some woolly pants, since he was outgrowing some of his. They are much cuter on, and the colors make my son look like a cute elf :).

I made 2 more stockings, that I fully intended on selling at the craft show, but I wanted to have more of a selection, so I never brought them. They look wonky in the picture, but don't look so bad in real life.

That's about it! What have you been working on?

It's Feature Friday! Fibers and Twigs

2011-12-02T04:45:00.000-08:00

Christmas is approaching fast! What better gifts to give than handmade ones, and made from recycled wool! At Fibers and Twigs Etsy shop, you can find patterns to great slippers, mittens, fingerless mittens, and more! While you're at it, make sure to check out Jan's blog, You Make it Simple, for more fun!

Do you love your sewing machine?

2011-12-01T04:27:00.001-08:00

As Christmas approaches, i've got visions of sewing machines dancing in my head! I would love to get a new sewing machine, but i'm overwhelmed with all the choices, and without being able to test them all, I don't know what would be best for felted wool. I have had others ask me lately too, so please help us out if you love your sewing machines! Let us know what make/models you have, if you love sewing with wool on your machine.

I adore my antique Singer Featherweight, but it is very slow, and only does one straight stitch. I will always love & use it, but I need an everyday machine.

The Babylock BL9 I bought last year just hated me. It would be working great, then it would eat my project out of nowhere. I tried everything, and just couldn't get any consistency out of it, and sold it.

I currently am using a Brother VX1100. Years ago they sold them at Walmart for under $100, so I don't expect much from it. It is a good machine, and it was a great garage sale find, but I would like something better. I have to help feed everything through unless it's a thinner material, so I would like something that handles the thickness of wool better. For now, at least it's predictable, it beats the Babylock!

The garage sale 60's Singer I bought didn't end up working, though they said it did :(. The repair guy said it would cost $200 to fix, and the machine wasn't worth it.

So, what do you use to sew your felted wool, and do you love it?

It's What I've Been Working on Wednesday!

2011-11-30T05:25:00.000-08:00

After making stockings for my son, my husband, and I, I realized someone was missing.... our dog Spots! I made her a stocking too. When I showed it to her, she instantly got the zoomies (if you have ever had a dog or cat, you have probably witnessed the zoomies at one time or another). It almost seemed like she was excited about the stocking, and we laughed so hard :). No point to this story... it was just funny.

Monster knee patch? Pure genius. Not my idea, but I love it! I found it on Pinterest. Have you been on Pinerest?! It is addictive! It is a virtual bulletin board, to "pin" all those fun ideas you run across online. Anyhow, I found this idea here, and just happened to find a pair of my son's jeans with a hole in the knee, so there you go. The thing I did differently than the original tutorial, is that I seam ripped the side of the leg, so I could do the sewing with my machine. I figure the patch will survive more washings this way, and it only takes a few seconds with the seam ripper... much faster than hand sewing.

before & after:

If you have an older child, and this is too cute for them I posted a tutorial a while back on how to repair a hole with the "destroyed" look, here.

What have you been working on?

It's Tutorial Tuesday! Make a recycled wool stocking from scraps!

2011-11-29T06:07:00.000-08:00

I have a confession. My family has been using store bought stockings until this year. Two from garage sales, and my son's stocking is from the dollar store. Isn't that horrible? This year I have decided to finally make ours, and here's a tutorial to boot!

First you will need a stocking to trace, to make a pattern, or just wing it... trust me... I have no artistic ability, and I can do it! You can also use Martha Stewart's stocking template, if you need a pattern. Now trace/draw & cut out 2 patterns.

Take the front pattern, and cut it into the pieces you would like.

Now use your pattern pieces to cut your felted wool pieces, remembering to leave a seam allowance (1/4"or 1/2" doesn't matter... whichever you prefer) at all the edges. Now sew your pieces together, remembering to keep right sides together.

Now take your uncut pattern, and cut out your piece for the back. You could also repeat the process of the pieced side, if you prefer the whole thing to be pieced.

Sew those 2 pieces together, right sides in, and don't sew the opening closed at the top!

Now for the top cuff, you can use a turtleneck, if you have one that's big enough & coordinates, or you can make the top from 2 rectangles sewn on each end. You will want the rectangles to be a little wider than the width of the top of the stocking, by about an inch.

Now to make a hanging loop for the stocking. Just take a strip of wool (mine was approximately 6" long, and 2 1/2" wide), and fold back a 1/2" on each side & sew it down. fold it over with the sewn edges touching. Now you have a loop.

Now, with your stocking still wrong sides out, place your cuff inside the stocking opening, so you can see the right side of the cuff when you look inside. Place the hanging loop upside down (cut edges up) at the back, by the side seam. Now sew these together, stretching lightly, and evenly, as you go. Since the cuff will be slightly bigger than the opening, you may need to stretch the stocking opening ends a little more than the cuff to even them out.

You don't have to, but to get a smoother stocking, you can now turn your stocking right sides out, pull the cuff up, and sew down that seam, so it's not so bulky. I used a zig-zag stitch, but a regular stitch will do the job too.

Now, if you haven't already, flip your stocking right side out & fold the cuff down. "Hey... that doesn't look right!" you are saying about now. Iron it! It is amazing what an iron can do ;). Now I have 3 great stockings for our family! Jack's is a little wonky looking, but that was because he wanted his bigger, and I tried to wing it without making a new pattern (I rushed through the ironing too). Silly me! I am not worried about it though... it will look perfect when it is stuffed with goodies! :)

Wreath ornament kits!

2011-11-28T10:41:00.001-08:00

I am selling wreath ornament kits in my shop this year! Included in each kit is enough felted wool & cashmere squares to make at least 2 ornaments, plus 3 coordinating seams to make the hanging loops. They are only $5 a kit (makes 2 or more ornaments), and $2.50 for shipping (US). Shipping is free on any additional kits.

These ornaments make great gifts, and older children can make them.... the perfect thing to keep little hands busy over Christmas break! My son had just turned 4 when he started stringing these himself (I tie the knots). I recommend having them poke through the square into a pillow, if they are little, so they don't poke their fingers with the needle. Grownups love to make them too!

You can choose from Christmas colors (reds, greens, whites/creams), earthy colors (browns, greens, tans, creams, rusts), bright colors, mixed colors, or you can request special colors (but contact me first with special requests, so I can make sure I can fill them).

Want more information, or to buy some? Go here!

Resweater local (to Chicagoland) craft show this Saturday!

2011-11-27T04:38:00.000-08:00

If you live locally, i'd love to see you at my last craft show of the year! I'll be at Alleluia! Lutheran Church in Naperville (directions & map can be found here) from 9am-3pm on Saturday, December 5rd. They will have a bistro with homemade pastries, soup, paninis and desserts for lunch, so grab a friend and make a day of it! Suggested entry fee donation is $1 or canned goods/non-perishable items for the food pantry.

It's Small Business Saturday, and a sale!!!

2011-11-26T04:50:00.000-08:00

It's Small Business Saturday, and I plan to buy a lot today!! Please feel free to post any great sales you might be having, or just pictures of recycled wool or cashmere items from your shops that would make great gifts, on my Facebook page today! I need ideas, and so do my readers!
As a small business, I will offering a sale of my own! Today only, buy any4 sweaters from my shop, and get one of equal or lesser value free! This counts for every 4, so if you buy 8, you get 2 free, and so on! This offer applies to individually listed sweaters only, and not my mystery lots.

It's Feature Friday! Cashmere Rose

2011-11-25T06:08:00.000-08:00

Last week I featured Wool Crazy, and her adorable critters, but she has a second shop, with her sister... Cashmere Rose! At Cashmere Rose Etsy shop, you can find gorgeous cashmere tops & sweaters, pretty cashmere hats, cute skirts, and more!

It's What I've Been Working on Wednesday!

2011-11-23T05:12:00.000-08:00

I love cardigans & hoodies, so when I saw this cashmere hoodie in my size, I grabbed it out of the pile of sweaters that had just come in. I looked it over & found the zipper separating at the seams a little. This made me giggle, because it was probably the reason that the hoodie ended up at the thrift store... silly non-sewing people!

After 30 seconds at the sewing machine, it was like new again. While I was there, I grabbed one of my owls that I made for the owl skirts, and sewed it to the chest.

I then took a fun multi-colored seam and pinned it to the existing hoodie drawstring, and pulled it through. I think that made it a lot more fun, don't you!

I love my new hoodie :) !

What have you been working on? Add anything fun to your online shops? Feel free to post your finished recycled wool (or cashmere!) projects on my Facebook page!

It's Tutorial Tuesday! Boot cuffs & leg warmers!

2011-11-22T06:41:00.000-08:00

These recycled wool boot cuff leg warmers would make a great gift for all the girls & teens & women on your Christmas lists! Sweater cuffs are very in right now, and you can match them to their coats, or just go for fun colors & patterns!

Remember my leg warmers tutorial? You don't? Go here!

Ok, now go make them, making the top of them a smidge smaller than the shaft of the boots. Do you have your leg warmers?

Ok, now put in on inside out.

Please note that the example pair in this post are a smidge small for my non-small legs... they were the only ones I had handy & had made them to match a size small skirt:

Anyway... now just fold the top down over the shaft of the boot. That's it! Now you have a pair of leg warmer boot cuffs! Not only are they super cute, but they are super cozy!

It's Feature Friday! Woolcrazy

2011-11-18T05:05:00.000-08:00

I featured Woolcrazy's Etsy shop a few years ago, but it's time to revisit. Her uber adorable recycled wool & needle felted critters have gotten even cuter! I think I will be paying her shop a visit next Saturday, for Small Business Saturday! I will be visiting a few shops then :).

It's Tutorial Tuesday! Make a fun pieced owl (or plain) skirt!

2011-11-15T07:10:00.000-08:00

I have made several of these skirts now, and love them! You can leave them plain, or add a cute applique, like an owl, and they are easy to make! Ready for the tutorial?

You will need 2 lightly felted (felted so it doesn't unravel when cut, but not stiff like craft felt) thin wool sweaters for this project. I recommend merino wool. The bigger, the sweater, the more material you have to work with.

Your first step is to make your pattern pieces. You will need these basic shapes, a skirt panel and a waist piece:

Everyone is shaped differently, so you will need to determine what you will need, but here is the measurements of the 3 sizes I have made, child, adult s/m, and adult L/XL, to use as a basic guideline:

child (3-6 years old?) - waist piece - 9 1/2" x 5", panel - 3" across at the top, 7" across at the bottom.

S/M adult - waist piece- 10 1/2" x 5 1/2", panel - 3 1/2" across at the top, 7 1/2" across at the bottom.

L/XL adult - waist piece- 13" x 5 1/2", panel - 4" across at the top, 8 1/2" across at the bottom.

You will need to cut 4 panel pieces of one color, and 4 panel pieces from the other, slightly rounding the bottom of each piece (this will keep it from looking choppy). Next, you will need to cut 2 waist pieces.

Take your panel pieces, and start sewing them together, alternating colors, right side to right side. Do not stretch as you sew.

Open that up, and it will look like this:

Now keep adding panels until you are connecting the last 2. It should look like this now:

Now set that aside and grab your 2 waistband pieces. Face them together, right sides inside, and sew the 2 smaller ends. They should now look like this:

Now fold it over once, so the wrong sides are now inside, and the right sides are out, like this:

Now take that waistband, and turn it upside down, and place it inside your skirt waist opening, so all you see is cut edges, like this:

You should notice that your waist is smaller than the opening. Now start sewing them together, stretching both as you go, but stretching the waist band more. If you are afraid of messing this part up, I recommend pinning it before sewing.

Now it should look like this:

Flip the waistband up, and it should look like this:

You're almost done! Now all you have to do is your seam. While your skirt is still inside out, fold up 1/2" of the edge and sew without stretching.

I have used both straight stitch and zig-zag, and they both are fine. It's a matter of personal taste.

You can even cut your pieces using the existing hems, but I don't like how choppy it looks:

Now you should have a super cute 2 tone skirt! From this point you can be done, or you can add an applique:

You can even make a pair of legwarmers to go with them from the left over sleeves:

The appliques are just felted sweater scraps cut into shapes & sewn on. I recommend not using the lightly felted scraps left over from your skirt though. You will want them to be fully felted, so they don't move around as much when you are sewing them on.

These have been so fun for me to make! Wanna see some of the ones i've made?

My model here is 2 1/2, and she is swimming in my "child" size (the waistband is folded over), but is still so super cute on her!

Here's one I made for camping:

Sock monkey, anyone?

Well, that's it... go make your skirt! :)

It's Feature Friday! Morning Glory Workshop

2011-11-11T04:33:00.000-08:00

When I first saw Barby's felted mice, with recycled wool clothing, I was blown away. Not only are they tiny masterpieces, but the cuteness is overwhelming! She sells her mice in her Ebay store, but she also sells classes on how to make them, and kits, in her Etsy shop, Morning Glory Workshop. So, whether you want to buy them or make them, she's got you covered!

no tutorial today

2011-11-08T05:12:00.001-08:00

I know that some of you have been waiting on my skirt tutorial, and I apologize, but it won't be posted until next week. It has been overcast and raining, and I just can't get decent pictures. What's a tutorial without pictures, right?

It's What I'm working on Wednesday!

2011-11-02T09:48:00.001-07:00

Because of Halloween, I didn't get much sewing in this week, but I plan to make lots of owl skirts this week! I've got some fun scraps ready to make owl parts...

and a couple of owls cut out...

but i'm figuring out how I want them. I wasn't crazy about how the button eyes (above) turned out, so I made some wool ones instead.

I tried something a little different with this sock monkey skirt.

I used the hem of the sweaters, instead of making my own hem. I think I like my own hem better. This ended up looking squarish at the bottom. I also didn't have quite enough of the brown heathered, as I did the red, so I made the brown panels a little narrower. I think that turned out ok. I am hoping to have a tutorial worked up for these skirts on Tuesday, so stay tuned!

It's Tutorial Tuesday! make a striped Christmas stocking!

2011-11-01T07:33:00.000-07:00

As you all know, it is never too early to start Christmas projects! I found this tutorial on The Long Thread blog. What I like about this one, is that you don't need a striped sweater... this was pieced together from 2 solid sweaters! To be whisked away to The Long Thread's full tutorial, click here!

It's Feature Friday! Archeologia

2011-10-28T06:38:00.000-07:00

Now that the cold weather is here, it is time to wear sweaters! If your closet needs a new piece, you should definitely check out Amy's Etsy shop, Archeologia. Her sweaters, cowls, & coats are stunning!

It's What I've Been Working on Wednesday

2011-10-26T07:05:00.000-07:00

I was really on a roll this week! I had a person at my last craft show say that she would love to see a sock monkey pillow, so I had to make one, since it was stuck in my head. I made a few dryer balls too, though some of these still need the last seam stitched up. I cleaned up my sewing table, and ran across one of my camper appliques, so I had to make another camper pillow (that's turquoise cashmere!).

I used the "sock monkey wool" on the back of the pillow, and I like the way that came out... the contrast.

I thought a sock monkey skirt would be cute too!

To work out my skirt sizing, I needed a tester/model for my "child" size skirt, so I made one for my friend's daughter (pics of her wearing it soon!). My friend was trying to work out how to make a poncho that day, so I abandoned my housecleaning (yay, an excuse!), and got to work on poncho-ing. I came up with this outfit for her.

Here's a close up of the owl, and the neck. I put the flowers on the neck to tie the 2 pieces together better, but also to cover up a moth hole on the neck. I made a matching hair clip too, since I was on a roll.

So... what have you been working on? Please feel free to post pictures of your latest recycled wool projects on my Facebook page!

It's Tutorial Tuesday! Make a fall wreath!

2011-10-25T04:39:00.000-07:00

This tutorial comes from the Dandelion Ladies's blog. You may remember her from the awesome sweater bag tutorial. This wreath is a great way to utilize your scraps, and looks fabulous! Ready for the tutorial? Click here to be magically transported there!

It's What I've Been Working on Wednesday!

2011-10-19T03:44:00.000-07:00

When I make something for the first time, I love it right away & am so proud of myself. Then the doubt starts to creep in. What if i'm the only one that likes it? Does it look weird? What was I thinking?! Well, that was the thought process with this skirt.

I instantly loved it, then the doubt crept in. I decided to wear it anyway, and went to a neighborhood garage sale that I stumbled upon. I got several unsolicited compliments from total strangers, and one wanted to know how she could order them from me! Now i'm ok with my skirt ;). In fact, i'll be making more for my upcoming craft show in December (more details on that later!). It reminds me of poodle skirt, but made with merino wool, and with a modern owly twist :).

What else would you like to see next on my skirts? Ooh... how about some sheep!

So, what have you been working on? As always, feel free to post your recycled wool projects on my Facebook page, and if you have a shop, make sure to leave your website link there too, so we can all ooh & ahh over your woolly goods!

I hope everyone is enjoying this fall as much as I have!

It's Tutorial Tuesday! extend jacket sleeves with cuffs & fingerless gloves!

2011-10-18T04:00:00.000-07:00

It was 40 degrees this morning, so I started pulling out the winter outerwear. In with it was a wind jacket I bought at a yard sale this summer. When I tried it on & extended my arms, it looked like this:

That won't do! I really love the jacket, and didn't want to have to throw it in the donate pile just yet, so I decided to extent the arms. This is great for kid's jackets, to make them last another season, while making them a little more fun. I love that you never have to search for mittens at the last minute... they are built in!

Here comes the tutorial! This was a hard one to describe the steps, but hopefully the pictures will help clear up any confusion.

What you'll need is a jacket, and 2 long felted sweater cuffs that go well with the jacket.

First, turn your jacket inside out. Now place a cuff in a sleeve, so your cuff seam is against the sleeve. Line up the cuff seam with the jacket seam, so the seam of the cuff will be on the underside when you are wearing the jacket.

Now tuck in a little bit (about an inch) of the jacket sleeve inward.

Now start to sew the cuff to the jacket's inside lining. You will have to feel along as you go, so you aren't sewing through to the outside layer of the jacket as well. That way, there will be no seam on the outside of the jacket.

When you are done, it should look like this:

Repeat the process to the other sleeve, and flip everything right side out. Now figure out where your thumb should be, and cut a small slit there. Now you have built in fingerless gloves!

fold them back once, and you have extended cuffs. It kind of looks like you are wearing a sweater under it.

It's Feature Friday! Mimi Kirchner

2011-10-14T04:02:00.000-07:00

I featured Mimi Kirchner, and her fabulous recycled wool dolls, a couple of years ago, but it's time to revisit her! Not much has changed with her dolls... they are just as awe inspiring as ever!

What has changed, is that she now sells patterns! Now you can make her adorable owls...

her fabulously fun fish...

Her cute friend kitties...

and my favorite, her tiny world pincushions!

To learn more about Mimi, make sure to check out her blog, and her Etsy shop!

It's What I've Been Working on Wednesday!

2011-10-12T09:00:00.000-07:00

If you have a boy, you may recognize this guy, Ben 10. My son wants to be him for Halloween, so I finally got to make his costume! I just bought a green fleece jacket off of Ebay (the shade of green is a little off, but it'll do), and sewed on the stripes & the "10" patch. Luckily, I not only had some white wool on hand, but had it sitting out from the last project. A black t-shirt and a pair of jeans, and Jack will look just like Ben 10!

What have you been working on?

It's Feature Friday - Val's Art Studio

2011-10-07T04:25:00.000-07:00

I had the absolute pleasure of stumbling across Val's Art Studio blog and shop the other week. She is amazing in her talent, and is so diverse in her work with recycled wool! From scrappy monsters, to needle felted pillows, to amazing clothes, Val is a true fiber artist! I can't wait to see what she comes up with next!

It's What I've Been Working on Wednesday!

2011-10-05T04:28:00.000-07:00

While I was at the Fiber in The Park, I was approached by a fellow vender, Natasha from Esther's Place, and asked to do a custom pillow. She liked my sheep pillows, but they looked nothing like her sheep, Esther, and asked me to make one for her that looked more like Esther.

Here's Esther:

What do you think? Does it look like an Esther pillow?

If you love wool, and are local, or planning a visit to Illinois, I highly recommend stopping by Esther's Place. Here's some information from their website:

"Education
At Esther’s Place, our encouraging environment helps you take the first step towards fiber arts, and continue to enhance and enrich your skills and life. Classes and retreats in spinning, weaving, knitting and felting have a small group ambiance in our beautiful Victorian setting. Please click here to learn more and here

Products
Our exclusive Green Pastures Collection features wool from local Illinois flocks. Uniquely distinctive products include American-crafted spinning wheels, looms and needles, as well as wonderful yarns, rovings and gifts. Please click here to learn more

Community
Here is a place with the reminiscent serenity of a simpler time. It’s where you’ll meet others who share your passion and enthusiasm. It is a community in which to feel at home. Welcome to Esther’s Place, A Fiber Arts Studio…for such a time as this."

It's Tutorial Tuesday! felt "paper" dolls and playsets

2011-10-04T06:41:00.000-07:00

Today's "tutorial" is less of a how-to, and more of a concept. Felt dolls & playsets are great! They are fun to play with, take up little room, utilize scraps, can be made for a child, and can be made by a child. You can cut out a basic shape ...

and with a few embellishments have a little elfish girl ready to have a snowball fight! Had I cut out the boy shape, I could have used the same dress in another color as a super hero cape!

A simple gray rectangle with a few brown circles becomes a tray of cookies. Add some squares & rectangles to a basic house shape for windows & doors. A big black O becomes a race track, and simple shapes for anything can be found online, that you can trace by holding a piece of printer paper against your computer monitor. Basic patterns can be found everywhere. The doll pattern I used above was from some Martha Stewart doll templates here.
Cover a board with felt for a play board, and the felt pieces will "stick" to it. Have fun with it! If they are old enough, give your kids some scissors and your scraps, and let them use their imaginations! Make a play set for your kids for Christmas. Customize it for them... if they like dinosaurs, make felt dinosaurs. If they like butterflies, make felt butterflies. It will be cheap, from the heart, and your kids will love it!

It's Feature Friday! Sew Happy 74

2011-09-30T06:46:00.000-07:00

Now that it's getting colder out, it's time for coats, and warm accessories! I absolutely love these gorgeous & funky recycled wool coats & cool headbands from Etsy shop Sew Happy 74!

The Plainfield library craft show

2011-09-29T09:00:00.000-07:00

There's my booth, above, and below is the closest thing to a panoramic view of the show as you're going to get ;).

Sales were few, and we had a down pour for an extended period of time, but my booth neighbor was fun to talk to, and the sun eventually came out. I had a fun time shopping, and think I might have spent more than I made (oops!).
Wanna see what I got? My booth neighbor, Lara (hope I spelled that right!), makes adorable hats, both knit & fleece. My son liked the fleece, and I liked the knit ones, so I compromised & bought both!

There was a woman who made cute charms, and I couldn't resist this adorable cookie charm.

Another booth had crystal & bead jewelry, and I love shiny things, so I got this beautiful fall colored necklace.

This magnetic picture frame was perfect for my son to put in his room with pictures of him & his friends.

I would have posted links, but these were all just local folks who do a few shows in the fall, and didn't have online shops.

It looks like I might be doing another show or 2 this year! There is a Naperville church craft show that I will probably be attending on December 3rd, as well as possibly another. Stay tuned for more info on those!

It's What I've Been Working on Wednesday!

2011-09-28T06:31:00.000-07:00

I made this infinity scarf out of some cashmere scraps the other day. I like how all the colors went together. I'm not good at putting multiple colors together, so i'm always surprised when it happens. As you can probably tell, I am still working on my lighting/photography situation. Sigh.

My scraps were getting out of control, so I made a few draft stoppers for my craft show last Saturday.

Hopefully, i'll have a fun pillow to show you next week. I am starting on a custom order!

So, what have you been working on? As always, feel free to show off your finished recycled wool projects on my Facebook page!

It's Tutorial Tuesday! Easy fall leaves garland

2011-09-27T04:28:00.000-07:00

This super easy, and super fun, tutorial comes to us from A Beautiful Mess Blog. If I would have had the time, I would have loved to make this fall leaves garland to hang from my canopy at the craft shows... I think I will make one for next year's shows! To be magically transported to the full tutorial, just click here !

My booth at Fiber in the Park

2011-09-22T03:56:00.000-07:00

Here is my booth at Fiber in the Park. This is my first time using my canopy at a show, since i've always been indoors or under a shelter, and I love it! I used the canopy a few times while camping (came in really handy when it rained during one trip), setting it up is a breeze, and I love that I can hang things from it, pin my banner to it, and lean things against the legs. It's a EZ Up, that I am lucky to have... my mom found it at a rummage sale for $10 (thanks, Mom!)!

I didn't sell much at the show, but still had a good time! The weather was perfect. I got some work done in between customers. The music was fantastic...

There were lots of great venders...

and classes...

and my son even made a new friend...

If you are local, i'll be at the Friends of the Plainfield Library craft show this Saturday, September 34th, 2011, from 9-3. Come visit me! There will be 80 venders, so this should be a fun craft show to visit!

It's What I've Been Working on Wednesday!

2011-09-21T06:04:00.000-07:00

This week, this post should be called "What haven't I been working on". I have the last of my 2 shows on Saturday, so i've been busy making things for it. Since I already had a lot of appliqued throw pillows that I have spent a lot of time on, I wanted to have some more affordable options, so I made some patterned pillows without appliques. I thought neck cowls, and scarves would be nice, so I made some of those too. While I wasn't busy at the Fiber in The Park, I made dryer ball cores, and I finished them up over the last couple of days. So, what have you been working on? As always, feel free to post pictures of your finished recycled wool projects on my Facebook page!

It's Tutorial Tuesday! Make a recycled wool leaf scarf!

2011-09-20T04:00:00.000-07:00

Now that fall is here, I can't think of a better tutorial to post than this one! This great tutorial comes from Kathleen's great blog, Refashionology. To be magically transported to Kathleen's tutorial, click here!

What I've Been Working on Wednesday

2011-09-14T06:05:00.000-07:00

With my shows approaching, i've been doing a lot of sorting, pricing, and packing, so I haven't been sewing much, but I managed to sneak in a fitted tablecloth :). I was lucky enough to get this cute tablecloth, originally rectangular, for 10 cents at a yard sale. Now we have a cute fall tablecloth, and enough left over for some napkins (when I have the time to make them). Please excuse the beam of sunlight :).

It's Tutorial Tuesday! Upcycled Scarflette

2011-09-13T06:06:00.000-07:00

Today's tutorial comes from Cheri over at I Am Momma – Hear Me Roar (Thanks, cheri!). Her blog looks like so much fun, and I can't wait to read through it! To be transported to the scarflette tutorial, click here!

Local (Chicago suburbs) craft & fiber shows!

2011-09-09T08:13:00.000-07:00

Craft show season is here! This year I gave myself a light load with only 2 shows. Next year my son will be in school full time, so i'll have more time to craft.

The first show is a fiber show, Fiber In The Park, so i'll be selling sweaters, as well as my finished products. The info? :

"Saturday September 17, 2011
9 AM - 4 PM

Shabbona Park
4165 East 16th Road
Earlville, IL 60518
Admission is free

Join us for a day in the country at the 5th annual "Fiber In The Park" festival to be held at Shabbona Park in Earlville, IL, featuring wool, mohair, alpaca and other natural fibers for spinners and crafters. There will be yarn, weaving, spinning, knitting, crocheting, and felting supplies for sale and demonstrations.
Food and live music."

The next one is a craft show, benefiting the Plainfield library. I was planning to just do the Fiber In The Park this year, but my second cousin Barbara is running the craft show, and let me know about it. Thanks, Barbara!

"Friends of the Plainfield Public Library Art/Craft Fair

Date:

Sep 24 2011

Times:

Saturday 9 AM to 3 PM

Address:

Plainfield Public Library

15025 S. Illinois St.

Plainfield, IL, 60544

United States

Phone: 815.439.8184"

I hope to see some of you there! :)

It's What I've Been Working on Wednesday... on Thursday - ugly top to cute sundress!

2011-09-01T11:30:00.000-07:00

Yes, i'm behind schedule yet again ;). I finished this up last night, and wanted to wait for better lighting for the picture of the dress. I've been hanging on to this top that I got at a garage sale for a while now. It looked so cute, and I love the fabric and the pockets and the colors, but trust me when I say it was awful looking on!

Now I was originally intending on making it into a skirt, so I wanted a coordinating stretchy sweater to use for the waistband. This merino blend was perfect!

As a skirt it was too long, and I wasn't liking it as much as I thought I would. I tried pulling it up, and it looked cute as a dress, so I made some shoulder straps, and voila! Cute sundress!

It's Tutorial Tuesday! Easier recycled wool/cashmere baby hat ever

2011-08-30T17:01:00.000-07:00

I posted this 2 years ago on my blog, but I wasn't doing Tutorial Tuesday then, so I thought it was worth revisiting. This baby hat can be made in seconds, with no sewing! For my full tutorial, go here!

(much cuter on a real baby!)

It's Tutorial Tuesday - Recycled wool Waldorf dolls

2011-08-23T05:03:00.001-07:00

I was so happy to run across this fun tutorial! These are easy and adorable! Thanks for sharing with us, Sara! For the full tutorial, go here.

It's What I've Been Working on Wednesday

2011-08-10T05:19:00.000-07:00

Well, I said I wasn't going to post about the camper this week and get back to wool. How about campers on wool? Does that count :)? I wasn't thrilled with how the first camper pillow turned out, so I made another. This one I liked, so I made a few more to sell at my fall shows. I love how the lavender cashmere one looks!

This is the one I made for our camper.

I didn't center it, so there was too much room at the top. I embroidered "Happy" above the camper to fill the space, but it looks sloppy. I think i'll seam rip out the embroidery & use applique letters instead.

I had an email from a reader last week, asking me how to avoid waviness, especially with serging. I don't have a serger, so I am not familiar with it, but when I use a tight zig-zag stitch, I get plenty of waves! One of the things I do is steam iron it. I thought i'd post an example, so everyone can see the difference.

Here's the before ironing...

...and after ironing...

Big difference, in my opinion! Anyone else have any anti-wave tips?

This is not wool, but my son outgrew a favorite t-shirt last year. I would have passed it on to a friend, but it had some stains on the bottom of it. Since my son loved it so much, I incorporated it into a new shirt.

I cut out the rectangle that the graphic was on, cut a slightly smaller rectangle out of the front of a bigger shirt (picked it up for 40 cents at the thrift store!), and sewed it on the inside. It looks cooler now that I washed it, with the edges curling, but here it is...

My son's really happy with it :).

Resweater customers, please read!

2011-08-09T05:21:00.000-07:00

As you know, my shop is on Artfire. Arfire has made some changes, mostly minor, like the general look of my shop, but there is a big change that will greatly affect my shop, and how I do things. As you may know I have a shipping max of $6 for orders going to Illinois, Wisconsin, Indiana, and Michigan, and $10 for all other states. Since there is no way to set up my shop to stop adding shipping after $10, you have had 2 choices up until now: 1. "check out" through Artfire without paying, email me, and I would send a revised invoice, or 2. pay the full amount, and I would refund the shipping difference (ie: shipping totals $25 in my shop, you pay that, then I send you a refund for $15 for the difference in shipping). Artfire just changed the ability to check out through them without paying. Now you have to pay for your order at the time of ordering, or the sweaters will remain in my shop. I am in contact with Artfire, hoping for a better solution, but it looks like from now on, you will need to pay for the order, with full shipping amount, and wait for me to refund the shipping difference (I will do so asap). The only other option is to email me with what you want in your order, and I manually remove the sweaters from my shop and send a correct invoice. The problems with that, is that it is obviously much more time consuming for the both of us, and you run the risk of someone purchasing the sweaters you want before I am able to read your email & mark the sweaters sold. Any suggestions? Is everyone comfortable with paying the full order amount & being refunded the difference right away, & I am worrying too much about this, or is this a valid problem for some of you?

It's What I've Been Working on Wednesday!

2011-08-03T16:38:00.000-07:00

I finished the covers for the cushions for the camper, except for the 2 small ones, but I think you get the idea by now ;) . I love all the bright colors, but I think I need to make a less clashing tablecloth.

I promise i'll stop boring you with my camper decorating now, & get back to my felted wool projects!

It's Tutorial Tuesday! Recycled wool sleep sacks

2011-08-02T06:13:00.000-07:00

This adorable & practical tutorial is brought to us by Christina on her fun blog Tree Huggin' Momma (a great blog that i'm glad I now follow!). Thanks, Christina!!!

Sleep sacks are fantastic! My son wore them from birth, and even still uses the big kid one I made him out of a wool blanket.

I love Christina's sleepsacks! They are so cute, and can be used as an outfit by itself... brilliant! Wool sleep sacks are breathable, can double as a diaper cover, are naturally fire retardant, are insulated (will help regulate baby's temperature), and are naturally hypoallergenic. Why wouldn't you want one on your baby?

Ready to make one of these yourself? Head on over to Christina's full tutorial here!

It's What I've Been Working on Wednesday!

2011-07-27T09:26:00.000-07:00

I have been working on the camper every spare minute. Jack has nature camp for a couple of hours in the morning this week, so I have been able to get a lot of sewing in. I have completed the curtains, and have made covers for the bunk beds. I had enough of the curtain fabric to make a pillowcase for Jack's pillow. These pictures do not do the colors justice! They look so much better in real life. The orange isn't as dark in real life, and the colors of the curtain fabric are brighter, and not as washed out looking.

The curtains are not uneven... I put a panel from the other window up by accident. All the panels are on the correct windows now, but i'm too lazy to retake pictures ;).

Here's a closer look at the fabric:

Now to get all the other cushions made!

It's What I've Been Working On Wednesday!

2011-07-20T04:45:00.000-07:00

While I was on my hiatus, I bought a little Scamp travel trailer (virtual tour here). I have a feeling that the next few What I've Been Working on Wednesday posts will be all about the things I will be making for it, like a recycled wool throw pillow...

It turned out a little wonky, but it'll be fine for the camper.

I was lucky to find this great fabric at a local garage sale.

It was perfect for making a fitted tablecloth for the camper table!

I bought a lot of it, so I made a fitted tablecloth for our kitchen table too.

The material for the camper curtains is on it's way, and I can't wait to make them!

Resweater is on hiatus!

2011-06-29T04:26:00.000-07:00

I love blogging, and doing all things Resweater, but I feel like I need a break from schedules (even self imposed ones) for a short time. I will be taking a little break for about 2 weeks, where I will not be posting at all, not even Sweater Sunday. For a week, I may even put my shop on vacation mode for a short time. Please feel free to email me (krisnstevep *at* netzero *dot* com) if you have any questions or anything. I'm still available. I just need a couple of schedule free weeks.

It's Tutorial Tuesday! Recycled wool tanagram magnets

2011-06-28T05:30:00.000-07:00

Here's a great project for kids! Kids can make these themselves, or they can be made for kids. Tanagrams are educational & fun! To start you will need some felted wool scraps. You can use all the same color, or use different colors. You will also need some magnets. I used magnets from junk mail.

You'll want to peel as much of the paper labels off as possible, so the magnet is less weighed down, and so the glue will stick better. You don't have to get all of it off... just what you can.

Now you'll need everything in the picture below (tanagram pattern, scissors to cut the magnets & the wool, Elmer's glue, and a Q tip), then you are ready to get started!

Click on the picture below to enlarge the tanagram pattern, and you can print it, or you can go here to find a really large one, if you prefer.

Cut your tanagram pieces out, and use them as patterns to cut out the shapes from your magnets.

Now take your Q tip and thickly spread some Elmer's glue over the entire shape, and press it into the scrap.

You will need to make 2 of the parallelogams, but one of everything else is fine. With wooden tanagram sets, you are able to turn the parallelograms over to use the other side. Since these are magnets, you won't have that option, so you want 2 of them to represent both sides. Did that make sense?

Once the glue is dry, you can cut out your shapes.

Now you can head on over to the fridge or steel baking sheet to play! I made 2 sets, one in different colors, and one with just one color. I prefer the one color, but the choice is yours! Sorry for the terrible pictures, but the lighting in our kitchen is awful.

Here are some tanagram problems, and solutions that you can click on to go to & print. I suggest giving the solutions page to smaller children, and the problems page to older children.

To learn more about tanagrams, why they are so great, to get more patterns, etc, go here!

Not sure if the kiddos will be interested, think you're kiddos will ruin them, or just want to make this super easy? Just cut them out of cardboard instead. If they destroy them, you can always throw them in the recycling & make another set!

It's What I've Been Working on Wednesday!

2011-06-22T04:00:00.000-07:00

Since my fitted table cloth from last week went over so well in our house, I made another one! I bought this cute cowboy print (Alexander Henry "Buckaroos", in case you wanted to know) at a garage sale a few years back, intending to make something fun for Jack's room, but he never went through a cowboy phase, and I never could think of something cute to make with it. It is perfect as a kitchy kitchen accessory though! It has been a fun conversation piece at meal times, with my son reading, and laughing at, the names of the cowboys.

I had some of the fabric left over, so I made napkins to go with! This is my first time making napkins, so i'm rather proud of the fact they are the same shape I intended them to be ;). For some reason, it really delighted my son to have napkins that matched that tablecloth, so I was happy to oblige.

So sorry there was no wool in my post this week. I'll work on something wool this week... I promise!

ps. I see some recycled wool projects incorporating crocheting in my future! My son has been asking for knitting lessons for a while now, and I haven't been able to find any, but some classes became available at my local Joann Fabrics. I was going to sign us up for knitting, but the woman suggested crocheting, because it is easier to learn. I signed us up & bought the supplies! I have never knit or crocheted... is it really easier to crochet?

So, what have you been working on?

It's Tutorial Tuesday! t shirt boxer briefs or wool soaker boxers

2011-06-21T06:00:00.000-07:00

Today's tutorial is originally for making boxer briefs for boys out of t-shirts, but you can also use the pattern to make boxer-style wool soakers! Today's tutorial comes to us from Nancy's Couture blog (thanks, Nancy!), an awesome blog for anyone that sews! For the tutorial & pattern for the t-shirt boxer briefs, head on over here. Thanks, Nancy!!

Now if you are using this pattern to make wool soakers, I recommend going a size up from what they would wear in the underwear in all the measurements except the leg width. I also made the waistbands from sweater ribbing, instead of elastic. What's nice about these is you can make 2 of crotch & rear end pieces to make a doubled up soaker area. I did 2 layers, and after I sewed each crotch seam, I faced them in, so there was no uncomfortable crotch seam on the inside of the soaker (did that make sense?). I did make a mistake though, and forgot to use the hem of the sweater for the bottoms of the legs on the first pair, but since it is felted, it doesn't look bad. I think they came out really cute, and look a lot less "diaper cover" than regular soakers for your bigger kiddos that just need a night time solution.

Off Topic Thursday - gardening, running, decluttering & more

2011-06-16T04:00:00.000-07:00

I'm not going to post Off Topic Thursday here anymore. I'm going to try to keep this blog strictly recycled wool/sewing related. I have another blog, On A Side Note, that I use to blog about other things i'm doing/interested in, so that will help me keep things separate. On that blog I talk about my garden (i'm always looking for advice on that!), running (again, i'm always looking for advice!), garage sale finds, and my current "hobby", decluttering, you name it! I'll have an accountability post each Wednesday for the decluttering, and one on Thursday for my running. I'll even post when there's a pig in my strawberry patch!

It's What I've Been Working on Wednesday!

2011-06-15T04:00:00.000-07:00

Well, since I created the guest tutorial for a play food cereal box this week, and I was working on next week's tutorial (can't show you yet!), I didn't have much more time for other sewing, but I made a couple of practical things this week. One night this week, I was really in the mood to sew something in one sitting, so I made my son another water bottle cozy.

And though it isn't made of wool, i'm still going to show you my fitted table cloth because i'm proud of it ;) . We have been worried about ruining our new kitchen table, and since all the place mats were too big for our table, so I needed table cloths. I looked in the thrift stores, and found nothing, and the ones I found new were just too expensive. I hit my fabric bin, and found this great vintage print fabric that I found at a garage sale a couple of years ago, that I love.

The biggest piece of it overhung the table by just a couple of inches, so it hung weird. I decided to turn it into a fitted table cloth & love how it turned out! I just made a hem, then zig zag (I've been using my zig zag a lot lately, haven't I?) stitched a piece of elastic to the edge.

(inside & outside of hem)

I stretched the elastic as I sewed, so when I was done it hugged the table top perfectly! The upside to the fitted tablecloth is that my wiggly 5 year boy is not making the table cloth move around at dinner time :) .

So what have you been working on? Please feel free to post your finished recycled wool projects on my Facebook page!

It's Tutorial Tuesday! play food cereal box

2011-06-14T09:07:00.000-07:00

Today is the third, and last, installment of my tutorials being guest blogged over at Secret Mommy. If you want to learn how to make this box of cereal, head on over here for the full tutorial. I hope you had fun with these, like I did!

It's Feature Friday! - Small Town Frocks

2011-06-10T04:00:00.000-07:00

I stumbled upon Lara's blog, Small Town Frocks, and I love it!! The article that landed me on her blog, was this great tutorial on "fibre testing for wool"... a very detailed explanation on how you can test those mystery sweaters for fiber content. Love it!

Lara has a project, where she makes one gown every month, and they are fabulous! You can read more about that here.

I am in love with, and in awe of, the wool wigs that she makes. They are magnificent works of art! These can be found in her online shop, Jayne.

She also makes adorable teddy bears out of recycled wool, which she calls re-loved wool (love that!), which can also be found in her online shop.

Isn't she fun?!

Off Topic Thursday - Guest article by Ryan Halston on crafting

2011-06-09T04:00:00.000-07:00

A couple of weeks ago, I was contacted by Ryan Halston. He is an aspiring writer trying to put together a portfolio, and asked if he could guest write an article on recycled or reused materials, and the art of crafting. Here is Ryan's article:

"The scope of products: Reusing material for arts and crafts
As many people continue to take on an eco-friendly and green lifestyle these days, there are a growing number of ways in which we can all have a better impact on the environment. While much of the environmental focus is focused on outdoor air quality, fuel consumption and pollution control, there are a growing number of ways that we can have an impact without making large changes to our lives. One great way to have a profound impact is to use recyclable materials in arts and crafts.
The possibilities of reusing and recycling materials to use in arts and crafts are essentially endless. There are so many things around houses that have great potential to be a part of arts and crafts. Think about the possibilities of the kitchen alone. Maybe there are a group of old jars that may not be useful for food anymore. These can be used to make decorative storage or as candle holders. Old bottles and cans can be used for useful items such as decorative pencil holders or other desk accessories.
The bedroom and clothing also host a number of different reusable craft options. Wool can be used for numerous different items from grocery bags to pillows, and even other usable clothing items. A shirt can be cut down to be used as a pocket square or handkerchief in a way that is not only useful, but often creative and colorful. One of the more common ways to reuse clothing in a crafting sense is to use different shirts for a quilt pattern. This is not only a great way to reuse material, but the end result could be a craft that evokes some great memories as well.
The important aspect of reusing material is to always be smart about what is being reused. For instance, possible reusable materials like older types of paint, felt and other items have had rare cases of voc and asbestos exposure, among other toxins. While instances of this are rare, it is important to be aware of the items being reused. Even though some products may not be able to be reused, there are numerous materials that can be turned around as arts and crafts projects around the house.
In the end, when we reuse materials, it allows us to hold on to items of the past that may have some importance. Even though some things lose their usability over time, they can usually be reused in a different fashion that can bring decorativeness, value and importance. So next time you’re thinking about throwing something out, give it a quick look over and think of something that can be made in the future. Taking small steps to reuse and recycle material can have a great long term impact on the environment. "

It's What I've Been Working on Wednesday!

2011-06-08T13:46:00.000-07:00

I haven't had much sewing time this week (& probably won't next week either!), but I managed to squeeze in a couple of hats. Why hats? I don't know... I just felt like making hats! I promised myself last year, after taking on too many custom orders, that I would just sew what I wanted to this year. It's a lot more fun that way. Anyhow, here's my hats... one classy, one funky...

I think they look so much better with pins on them, than plain, so i've been picking up pins at garage sales this summer to offer to my hat buyers a choice to go with their hats, along with the pins i've made. I made this simple "book" to keep them in for now. It's nothing to brag about, but it's great temporary solution.

It's Tutorial Tuesday! - Play food

2011-06-07T04:53:00.000-07:00

Are you holding your little grocery bags from last week, ready to fill them? Today's tutorial is for Auntie Resweater's Down Home canned tomatoes! Ok, it's just a can of tomatoes, but it's cute, and your child will want to play with it :). Click here to be magically transported the Secret Mommy blog, for my full tutorial!

It's What I've Been Working on Wednesday... on Thursday

2011-06-02T05:13:00.000-07:00

Oops, i'm a day late with this. Holiday weekends always throw me off ;). Well, last week I showed you my new hutch for sewing/wool storage, and wanted to make some storage baskets for it. I made these...

I am really not happy with them, because they are very loosey-goosey. The only reason they don't look like it in the picture, is because I have wire framed cloth baskets inside of them, like this:

I think i'll just do basket liners, like the ones I made in this tutorial.

Now to find some baskets at garage sales this weekend! Wish me luck! :)

It's Tutorial Tuesday! Make a "paper" grocery bag for play food!

2011-05-31T05:22:00.000-07:00

I am doing something totally different on Tutorial Tuesday for the next 3 weeks. I will be guest blogging for Kimberly, over at the Secret Mommy blog. If you haven't been following her blog, you should! Her kids are adorable, and she has a gift for writing. Kimberly formerly posted "Make A Toy Monday" every week, and is changing it to "Make A Toy Tuesday", so we're combining it with my "Tutorial Tuesday" for the next 3 weeks to kick it off! Confused yet? ;)

Today, she posted my tutorial for a "paper" grocery bag, and the next 2 weeks she will be posting my tutorials for play food to fill it! This tutorial can also be used to make simple tote bags to carry toys, or even to use as a lunch bag (as Kimberly suggested) for "brown bagging" it. I like the lunch bag idea, especially since wool is insulated, and will help keep your cold food cold, or your hot food hot! Anyhow, click here to go to the full tutorial! See you next week, when I have a tutorial for play food to fill the bag!

It's What I've been Working on Wednesday!

2011-05-25T07:56:00.000-07:00

This pillow is it for the week. It's been a super busy week, so no time for sewing, but I made this pillow this morning. My son had told me a while back that I needed to make a hedgehog, so here it is. Jack said "awww! He's so cute!", so I think I did ok :).

Since I won't be getting my room addition any time soon, I needed convenient storage for my sewing. I got lucky & found this over the weekend at a garage sale:

Now I just need some nice looking baskets, and i'll have a decent looking sewing storage area!

So, what have you been working on? As always, feel free to post pics of your finished recycled wool projects on my facebook page.

It's Tutorial Tuesday! Make a felted rose!

2011-05-24T04:08:00.000-07:00

Today's tutorial is how to make a felted rose, generously shared with us by Lisa of Lydia's Treasures blog.
For the full tutorial go here!

I decided to make the pink one above, before posting this, and I love this tutorial! I used a pink felted cashmere I had, so it is a little fuzzy. For a more defined look, like Lisa's yellow one on her blog, you can use a felted wool or craft felt. I had never made one before, yet I was able to make this in under 5 minutes! They can be sewn to other projects or made into pins or hairclips. Great tutorial, Lisa! Thanks for sharing!

It's Feature Friday - Rags & Rambles

2011-05-20T08:09:00.000-07:00

I have another great blog to share with you! Stephanie's blog, Rags & Rambles, is a must read for any recycled wool enthusiast, recyclist, or mom! What will you find on her blog? Great tutorials...

fun pictures of her adorable children...

and of course recycled wool & cashmere projects...

I love reading her blog, and i'm sure you will too!

It's What I've Been Working on Wednesday!

2011-05-18T04:24:00.000-07:00

We just celebrated a birthday for my sister in law that I love, and I made her this pillow. She loves Noah's Ark, so Noah's Ark it was! Here it is flat, so you can see it better.

Don't ever expect me to duplicate this one, lol! It took a lot of work, but luckily my husband helped me on this one by making some of the patterns for me (the ark, the giraffe), and brainstorming with me on the rest.

I was pretty happy with how it turned out! The birds & elephants got wonky on me, because they moved while I was sewing them on, but that was the worst of it. I didn't have a big enough blue piece to go across the bottom, so I thought it would be ok if it had a seam. I was wrong. It looked terrible. The whale is covering the seam :).

I have also been making dryer balls over the last few weeks. I like to work on them while I watch tv in bed at night (yes, I watch tv & sew in bed) They were in various stages, so I completed them. If you are interested in purchasing any, I sell them here.

I finished a diaper cover that I had cut the pieces for months ago, but just never got around to sewing.

I made one patterned pillow. I just love this pattern!

I think that's it for this week! What have you been working on? As always, feel free to post your finished recycled wool projects on my Facebook page!

It's Tutorial Tuesday! Dandelionlady's felted sweater bag!

2011-05-17T04:45:00.000-07:00

Want to make this fabulous & easy felted sweater bag? Head on over to Dandelionlady's blog for the full tutorial here! You'll need to provide your own adorable child ;)

It's What I've Been Working on Wednesday - a pillow

2011-05-11T05:11:00.000-07:00

My husband was out of town this week, so I didn't get much sewing done. I did make this pillow (I swear my pillows aren't as wonkily shaped as they seem from my pictures!) before he left. My husband quickly claimed the pillow for our family room, and since he usually is unimpressed with my projects, I decided to let him keep it ;). I like it too. Red wing blackbirds are my favorite birds :).

It's Tutorial Tuesday - Super easy hair clips & pins!

2011-05-10T08:44:00.000-07:00

I make lots of these, because they are quick, easy, & look great on hats, etc. This is a great project for beginning sewers & children!

This is a great way to use up your felted scraps too! Ready for the tutorial? You will need felted wool (the more felted, the better), buttons, needle & thread, and some pinking shears. If you are making a pin or hair clip, you will need those as well.

Take your pinking shears & cut 2 circles, one slightly bigger than the other, in contrasting colors.

Place the smaller circle on top of the bigger one, then the button on top of that.

sew them together, just like you sew a button on a shirt.

Now just sew it onto what ever you want (directly on a hat, on a hair clip, on a pin, etc.). I made a hair clip this time. You can buy packages of these clips at craft stores, with the holes in them for sewing.

Wasn't that easy? :)

It's What I've Been Working on Wednesday!

2011-05-04T05:08:00.001-07:00

I've had a busy week again! I am slowly, but surely getting through my wool stash! I confess that I added one sweater to my stash (the striped one I made the soakers with), but I used up a lot of what I already had. I made 2 pillows, the birdie one above, and the sheep one below...

Some shorties & soakers for my son, since most, if not all, of last year's soakers are too small on him. I made them all with fold over rises, since he grows taller faster than he grows wider...

These look terrible in pictures, but are super cute on him...

I made another bug faced draft stopper...

I got lucky at a huge indoor garage sale (like a flea market), and founds lots of shakers...

Last, and definitely least, I made these shorties gone wrong! This, my friends, is what happens when i'm deep in thought while i'm sewing. I will stay far, far away from the sewing machine the next time I have a lot on my mind!

It's Tutorial Tuesday! Make a recycled wool puppet!

2011-05-03T11:26:00.000-07:00

Want to make this super cute puppet from recycled wool (felted sweaters)? Head on over to Martha Stewart's tutorial here!

Attention local (Chicagoland) crafters!

2011-05-02T11:07:00.000-07:00

My husband's friend is running a craft show for his church, and they are looking for crafters! I would be there, but my husband has a fishing trip that weekend. Here is the information he gave me for the craft show:

Saturday June 18th 8-4

Booths $20

$25 w/power

St. Alexander's Parish, Palos Heights IL

Crafters wanted, heavily advertised.

more info call Brian 708-267-3864

Does anyone have this sewing machine?

2011-04-30T05:24:00.001-07:00

Does anyone have this sewing machine (Singer 5805c)? My mom bought this for me at a garage sale for $2! It is supposed to be working, and has all it's accessories, but I don't know if it's worth my time/money to get it working (figuring out how to thread it correctly, buy a manual, etc.), since I already have multiple machines. I don't have the manual, and the cheapest I can find is $15 online. I'd love to hear feedback on this machine if anyone has the same one!

It's Feature Friday - A blog you will love... The Sweater Project

2011-04-29T04:00:00.000-07:00

If you like my blog, then you will love Janda's blog, The Sweater Project! What is her blog about?

"My goal is to create a project every day for 365 days, the inspiration being from Noah Scalin who wrote the book, 365:Make Something Every Day and Change Your Life. My downfall has been to think/overthink the projects I want to make, but never getting to them because of my perfectionistic tendencies. I am now past the 50-Day mark, and this has brought a new vigor to me in many ways. Now I am hooked on the process and look forward to each day to create something fresh and new. Happiness abounds!" -from The Sweater Project

I've been happily following her blog, and don't know why it hasn't occurred to me to post this sooner! What kind of projects will you find on her blog? A little bit of this...

a little bit of that...

but all of it is woolly fun!

It's What I've Been Working on Wednesday - Everything!

2011-04-27T04:52:00.000-07:00

I should call today What Haven't I Been Working on Wednesday! Since I cleaned up my sewing area, I am forcing myself to use up scraps, and finish unfinished projects, until the pile is gone. I put a good dent in this week!
First I made some draft blockers, you know, you put them at the bottom of doors to prevent drafts. We definitely need some in this old house, and they make great practical gifts. The best part is that they used up a ton of scraps! They are stuffed with scraps. Since wool is insulated, it makes the perfect filler for these. This first one I tries to make triangular, but that was too much work.

I think the round ones look better.

I made one with a bug face (i'll probably make more of these)...

and this one is supposed to look like a log (please tell me it does!).

I made a couple more wool eggs before Easter too.

I found one lone salt shaker at the thrift store and you know what I do to shakers!

Next I hit the unfinished projects that were cut out and waiting to be sewn. These diaper covers were in pieces, so I made appliques & sewed them up.

The pieces for this pillow were cut, but I had no plans for a design, so there it sat. I saw this scrap with a pocket sitting there, shrugged, and sewed it on. A bit odd, but I like it. Turn it one way, and you can use the little pocket. Turn it the other way, and the whole piece is a bigger pocket. What do you think? You can be honest... I can take it ;)

I found a couple of tissue holders that were cut out, but never sewn, so I finished those up.

Lastly, I had a dog food bags (clean) sitting there for the longest time ready to become tote bags. I made this one to get it out of my system, but I have lots of tote bags, and this was a lot of work, so I decided to just use the rest for garbage bags.

There you have it! A super productive week! Hopefully I will have more weeks like this, until my stash becomes manageable. What have you been working on? As always, feel free to show off your finished recycled wool projects on my Facebook page!

It's Tutorial Tuesday! Make a felted crown!

2011-04-26T04:34:00.000-07:00

Today's tutorial comes from Ginny of the Small Things blog. I would have made one of these fabulous crowns, but my son said he didn't want one :(. You guys will have to show me yours! Though she made hers from new felt, this will work just as well with recycled wool (aka felted sweaters). If you are ready to make one, just click here to be transported to the tutorial!

Confession time... my sewing area was a MESS!

2011-04-23T10:48:00.000-07:00

I cannot believe I am about to show you how bad I let my sewing area get. I'm super embarrassed, but it is what it is. I was supposed to have a studio addition built on my small house this spring, to accommodate all things Resweater, but those plans are put on hold. In this economy, I feel like I should hold off for now, in case we need to live off that money. My husband has been laid off once before, so we'd like to err on the side of caution. I will make do with what I have, and I am grateful for what I already have.

I do well with putting things in their place, but when things don't have a place (like my "temporary" sewing setup), chaos ensues. This was our dinner table, and became my "temporary" sewing area. Note the project bags stacked on the chairs... sigh. So embarrassed, but here it is...

That table (it was somebody else's "craft table" that they were throwing out 10 years ago) was a bit large for the area anyway, and I always wanted a nice little round table to eat at for this space, so I bought this set (table & 2 chairs... the other 2 chairs were ours) off of Craigslist today. Much better, eh? ;)

This embarrassing mess #2 was my "temporary" (notice how that word keeps ending up in quotes ;) ) overflow area... 2 card tables, and a bunch of small bins. That got insanely out of hand.

The formerly "temporary" sewing table, formerly dinner table, is now my sewing table. It is not temporary, so this is how it will stay. Ahhhh... much better working conditions!

I will not be creating any tutorials of my own (don't worry... I will still be having Tutorial Tuesdays, but just with other people's tutorials) for a while. I will getting through all the projects & materials I have already started, and complete them all. This should make for some good 'What I've Been Working on Wednesday' posts!

Happy Earth Day! How about a sale?

2011-04-22T11:32:00.000-07:00

Happy Earth Day! I don't want to bore you with a list of cliche things you can do to be green (you guys are already a good green bunch!), so how about a...

For 2 days only, today & tomorrow (April 23, 2011, ending at midnight cst), take $1 off of any 2 individually listed sweaters, $2 off of 3 individually listed sweaters, or take $1 off of each individually listed sweater if you buy 4 or more. Take $5 off of any mystery lot listed in my shop. These prices will not be reflected in my shop, so please check out through Artfire, message me with your email address, and I will send you a revised invoice that will reflect the sale prices. Click here to be magically transported to my shop!

It's What I've Been Working on Wednesday! Easter eggs & shaker pincushions

2011-04-20T13:44:00.000-07:00

This week I made Easter Eggs. I plan to make more, but I just made these 2 the other day. I made them with an envelope style closure on the back, so I can slip treats in. Here they are (below) without treats in them. The one above has a treat in it. I'm slowly replacing the plastic!

They are a little wonky, because I was trying out a new (to me) sewing machine I bought at a garage sale this past weekend, a Brother VX1100.

I like the machine... super easy to use, and it doesn't eat my projects for no reason, like my testy Baby Lock does. My only complaint is that it doesn't handle as much wool thickness as the Baby Lock can.

I also hit the mend pile, and finally sewed up the holes on one of Spot's beds. She was so excited to see it that I felt guilty not getting to it earlier!

I found a nice assortment of shakers at all the garage sales I went to, so I made some more pincushions out of them.

So, what have you been working on? As always, feel free to post any of your finished recycled wool projects on my Facebook page!

It's Tutorial Tuesday! Make an earthy owl!

2011-04-19T05:29:00.000-07:00

Marcie of Mossy, emailed me with yet another great tutorial to share with you all... an earthy owl! Just click on the chalkboard to be transported to her full tutorial! Thanks, Marcie!

Spice rack or sewing notion organizer?

2011-04-18T04:00:00.000-07:00

One of my better finds this weekend at the garage sales, was a spice rack with glass jars that has a revolving base. I have been looking for one for a while to organize my sewing notions & misc. craft supplies... you know... beads, buttons, snaps, elastic, safety pins, needles, pins. Now, instead of in a variety of containers all over my sewing area, they are neatly organized on my sewing table. Love it! If/when I ever get my sewing room/office, I will look for a wall mounted spice rack too.