Monogrammed Napkin Tutorial

These pretty monogrammed napkins are a great last minute gift. They take less than 1 hour to make, with the exclusion of washing and drying the napkins.

How To

Materials:

• Napkins, I used
• Iris Napkins from Ikea ($1.99 per 4)
• A Monogram
• Iron-on transfer paper
• A computer and printer
• Iron

Process:

1. Wash and dry your napkins as per their washing instructions to remove any chemicals present on the napkins.
2. Create or find your monogram.  I used Photoshop to modify a font that suited my purposes.
3. Using regular paper test print your picture, using all of the settings you plan to use in the final printing.  Make sure this test printing is the correct size and color, and is printed in a mirror image if your picture needs to be read.
4. If necessary modify your picture and test print again, until the picture is perfect.
5. Print your final image on iron-on transfer paper (remember you will need one monogram for each napkin).
6. Following the directions on your transfer paper, iron the monograms onto the corner of your napkins.

Embroider my Liver

I have been dying to post about this embroidery project for the longest time.  This project was a Christmas present, that was finished before Christmas, but was not given until this past weekend.  One of my good friends who is currently living in Maine came this past weekend to attend my Son's birthday party (details to follow), and he finally received all of his gifts.

He was the previous recipent of the embroidered heart, and upon his enthusiastic receipt of the heart I enquired what his favorite organ was.  He responded the liver.  The above pictured liver and surrounding organs was the result.  

Here are some detailed shots;

The Pancreas is the light peach organ pictured above.  I used french knots to create the oddly bumpy texture seen in a real pancreas.

The spleen was made with bullion knots, to imitate the the lumpy texture of a real spleen.

You may see more anatomy embroidery in he future, as it was  indicated that a series would be appreciated.

Monogrammed Napkin Tutorial

These pretty monogrammed napkins were a last minute Christmas gift for Mr. Incredible's grandparents.  I needed a quick present, but I wanted it to be nice too.  These napkins took less than 1 hour to make, with the exclusion of washing and drying the napkins.

How To

Materials:

Napkins, I used Iris Napkins from Ikea ($1.99 per 4)

A picture you want to put on the napkins

Iron-on transfer paper

A computer and printer

Iron

Process:

1.  Wash and dry your napkins as per their washing instructions to remove any chemicals present on the napkins.

2.  Create or find your picture.  I used photoshop to modify a font that suited my purposes.

3.  Using regular paper test print your picture, using all of the settings you plan to use in the final printing.  Make sure this test printing is the correct size and color, and is printed in a mirror image if your picture needs to be read.

4.  If necessary modify your picture and test print again, until the picture is perfect.

5.  Print your final image on iron-on transfer paper.

6.  Cut out your picture.  I use an exacto knife, and cut out all of the unprinted areas, leaving a small border on all sides.

6.  Then transfer your image based on the packages instructions.  Make sure your iron setting is not too high for your fabric.

Enjoy!

The Spoils of Christmas

I realize that this post is a bit late, Christmas now being about 3 weeks past.  My excuse is that I had some misgivings about posting about those gifts I was given in the first place.  Given the current economy I didn't not want to flout the fact that my family has not been terribly affected.  

I was especially fortunate in the present department this year, especially since my expectations were low.  I asked for little this Christmas, and got more than I cound hope for.  It was wonderful.  I decided to share my good fortune at the risk of upsetting others.

These beautiful handmade sock blockers, one sized for my husband, one for myself were from the Gadaboutknitter.  Her husband cut and sanded these himself out of some beautiful ceader.  I can't wait to use them, but until then they can protect my statsh.

These wonderful crafty books were from my parents, my sister in law, and myself.  You will no doubt be seeing projects from them in the comming year.A good friend of my husband and I sent me this book from his new home town, Austin, Texas.  This book stemed out of the Rhizome Collective, a sustainable living group local to Austin.  Many of the ideas in the book go way beyond what I had even considered possible in the city.  I fully intend to implement many of the in the comming year.I finially got my very own i-pod.  I have never had an mp3 player before (For that matter, I don't remember ever having a portable CD player, althoughI did have a tape player in college to recored lectures).  My husband hd been letting me use his old i-pod shuffle - the small kind without a view screen.  It served me well, except that I like to listen to books, and it was difficult to find the right place in the story if it got out of order.  My husband responded with this cool new i-pod nano in pink (my favorite color), inscribed with a personalized message.

This final present was from my sister.  He has been dubbed Sunny, and he is my new best friend.  My floors have never been so clean.  He even cleans under the couch.  If you live where there is dirt, you need one of these.

I hope you all had a Merry Christmas too!

FO - Grandma's Knit Slippers

My Grandmother lost her husband this last year.  I know that I can't give her anything to make up for that loss, but I wanted to give her something that would comfort her in her greiving.  I hope she feels that these slippers are like a little hug from me every time she puts them on.

They were made from the Plain of Flowerly Slippery Pattern, which is available as a download from Ravelry as well.  I made them in Lion Brand, Jiffy Solid, an Acrylic yarn, that I knew my grandmother wouldn't have any problem careing for, and was already familiar with (unlike the newer superwash wools, which she is sure to treat like regular wool).  

Even though the flowers will make them slightly harder to care for, I thought they were important to add.  They are my version of my Grandmother's favorite flower, a yellow rose.

~Merry Christmas

Gift Idea #6 - Embroidered Brooch

Another one bites the dust.  Yet one more Christmas present in my queue has been completed. My latest project was this little embroidered brooch, approximately 2" in diameter.  It depicts the Ebola virus, and will hopefully soon adorn the lapel of a young doctor.  I thought it would be a laugh for her colleagues, and a great conversation starter with everyone else.

Gift Idea 5: Heated Eye Mask

Christmas keeps comming closer, as inevivible as the passage as, well, time.  With it comes more Christmas presents.  I made this eye mask out of recycled materials for my grandmother who has eye problems.  If you have all of the materials on hand, and hour can see several made.

Materials for One Eye Mask:

1.  Burda Style Pattern Marcel #7997.  This is a free download, and the entire pattern should fit on a standard piece of paper.

2.  Two pieces of soft fabric approx. 9" by 5".  I got enough fabric for 3 masks from the front of a cotton dress shirt (the rest of the shirt had already been repourposed as napkins.
3.  Flat batting in the same amounts as the fabric above (optional).  I used cotton batting let over from a quilt, but fleece, or rescused batting would work well too.

4.  50" to 60" of ribbon, .75" to 1" wide, cut in half.  Deside on the total amount of ribbon you want to use based on head size. I used the ribbon from a kids store's elaborate gift wrapping.  One package yielded more than enough ribbon.

5.  Rice.  I used about 0.125 pounds of inexpensive long grain rice.  You can probably find enough in your pantry.

Instructions:

If you know how to sew, this will probably be a no brainer, but Burda Style has no instructions on this pattern (as of this writting), so....

1.  After printing and cutting out the Marel pattern, pin the pattern piece to your fabric (with the grain of the fabric), mark the side openings noted on the pattern on your fabric, and cut the fabric in pattern.  Do this so that you get two pieces of fabric in pattern shape, then do the same with the batting.

2.  Make the following fabric/batting sandwich; (Beginning on the bottom) batting, fabric (right side up), fabric (right side down), batting.  Then stitch around the edges of the mask with a 5/8" seam allowance, leaving the spaces that were marked "ribbon" on the pattern open.

3.  Turn your "sandwich" inside out.  The fabric should now be on the outside, the batting on the inside.

4.  Insert one of the ribbons about 1" into the ribbon slot, fold the fabric around the ribbon slot inward to that it looks as if it had been sewn with the rest of the eye mask.  Sitich the ribbon in place very close to the edge of the mask. DO NOT SEW THE OTHER RIBBON IN PLACE AT THIS TIME.

5.  The ribbon slot on the other end of the mask is still open.  Use this opening to pout in your rice.  Make a funnell with a spare bit of paper, stick the small end in the ribbon slot, and pour the rice in the large end.  Pour in enough rice so that half of the eye mask is full.

6.  With the rice at the opposite end of the mask, attach the 2nd ribbon as shown for the first in step 4.

~Happy Holidays

Edit:  If you would like to heat the eye mask, place it in the microwave for 30 seconds to 1 minute.  Test it's temperature on the sensitive part of your arm before placeing it on your eyes.  It should be warm, NOT hot.

I-Pod Nano Case

My latest project is finished.  It is an i-pod nano case for my cousin.  The tutorial was from Made by Petchy.  All of the measurements she gives are in cm, so if you, like me, live where yo can't find a metric cutting mat to save your life, let me know.  I have already figured out all of the English measure equivilents and can share them with you.

Closed.

Open, with an "i-pod" inside.  I don't have an i-pod, so I made a paper one to the correct dimensions to make sure the case would work.

Open and Empty.