Pretty Pansies

Simple Scarf Tutorial

When I saw this pretty fabric at the store, I was trying to figure out what I could use it for. It has a linen-like texture, and is fairly light weight. It would be pretty for a summer skirt, but I didn't feel like lining it and I was worried that it would wrinkle a lot.

Then I thought I could make a pretty scarf.

It is very simple, and perfect if you want to add a little extra to an outfit. 

SUPPLIES

Light weight fabric (twice the desired width of the scarf plus 1 inch for seam allowance, I bought a half yard and had a little extra, since my scarf is about 8 inches wide)

Matching thread

 Cut the fabric to the right width (=twice final width plus 1 inch).

 Fold the fabric lengthwise, right sides together, and pin.

Stitch the fabric lengthwise with a straight stitch.

I also zigzagged outside the line I just stitched.

Turn the scarf inside out, and iron flat as pictured, with the seam in the center of the back.

I was going to cut off the selvage, so I stitched along the bottom, and was planning on fraying the fabric up to that line. Then I decided that the selvage looked already good the way it was, and never cut it off. 

So that is up to you.

The finished product...

I really like FAST and EASY projects, and this one definitely qualifies. 

It's also fun to have a quick and easy way to add some pretty prints to a plain outfit.

I hope you enjoyed this tutorial.


If you like something a little different,
consider buying this pattern I created:

It's very pretty, and patterns for 2 different kind of flowers are included.
You can use fleece or knit fabric, and there is no need to finish edges!

You can buy the pattern HERE 

Guess what this is...

Sometimes I find things like this around the house:

Can you guess what this is?

 Hint:

This is underneath the cup.

Well, of course, 

it is ...

an easter bunny trap!!

And the pieces of paper are easter eggs.

So far no easter bunny has been trapped...

Our 'new' guest room: turquoise and red

With our new little one on the way, we have moved around a lot of furniture in the house.

One thing we needed to 'redo' was our guest/workout/craft room.

It's a pretty small room, and you wouldn't believe what we all managed to fit in there. (Daybed, large corner desk, treadmill, bookshelf and 2 filing cabinets...)

I decided to decorate this room with one of my favorite new color combinations: turquoise and red. I thought it wouldn't be too hard to find some pretty bedding in these colors. I was wrong. 

Fortunately, I happened to find some plain turquoise comforters and sheets. So I decided to get them, and get some fabric in red/turquoise and make some pillows to make it more interesting.

I love the flowered duck fabric I found at Hobby Lobby. I made the covers for the 2 big pillows with that fabric.

 Then, I thought it would be too boring if the smaller pillows would be covered with the same fabric. I used some plain fabric in the same colors to make the following 2 pillows:

 They were a lot of fun to make, and just add a little extra to that room!

 The bed in the picture is a daybed, with another bed underneath, so that room could actually be used by 2 guests. For now, this is the only part of the room I am sharing, because the rest is taken over by all kind of half-finished projects! But I am really happy with these bright, cheerful colors in that room!

And speaking about turquoise and red: I recently got these cute bowls and plates for eating outdoors this summer. I love everything about them: the colors (surprise), the scalloped edges, the pattern, the material (melamine), and the price!

They are from Better Homes and Gardens and I got them at Walmart...

(They have them in 2 more colors, but I just got these.)

I linked up to Todays Creative Blog.

Crochet Baby Sandals with Flower

I have been looking at some patterns for crochet baby sandals. I thought they would be too difficult to make, but after drooling over these for weeks, I decided to give it a try anyway.

I bought the pattern from this etsy shop.

It took me more time to make these than the crochet shoes I made, but it was definitely not as hard as I thought it would be. I realized that my gauge was off, so I had to adjust the pattern to make the sole a little smaller as I was going, and this will still be on the big side, but all together I really liked making these!

 

The bottom of the sole is ribbed.

Another small adjustment I made to the pattern is that I made the straps that go over the toes a little wider, because I prefer that look. (I used a single crochet instead of a slip stitch for the last part of the pattern.)

It would definitely be handier to make these when our little one would be here, so that I could make sure the straps fit right, but I just couldn't resist...

I linked up to Tea Rose Home.

Knit Ric Rac Baby Blanket

I found one of my favorite Michael Miller prints in a soft knit fabric! 

I happen to have a diaper bag/purse with the same pattern and I thought it would be so cute to have a matching blanket using this fabric. I got the fabric, and also a bright pink knit that matches the color of the flowers.

I saw a blanket in the store that used 2 layers of knit, with very large ric rac in between the two layers.

I really liked the idea, and looked for a tutorial to make a blanket like that.

I found a good tutorial using small ric rac HERE and used that to make this blanket.

It was pretty simple, and I love the result!

I linked up to Todays Creative Blog, Sugarbee Crafts and Tea Rose Home.

Crochet Baby Hat and Shoes

I just love to crochet things for our little girl who is due in two months!

I have made her a lot of hats already, but so far this one is my favorite.

Basically I just keep trying to see what I like for the hats, so I have no hat pattern to refer to this time, since I basically just made it up as I went.

Then, I decided to try something else, and that is how these little shoes came to be.I did use a pattern for the shoes, just changed the color of the sole and added a flower.

The pattern for the shoes can be found here.

I really like her patterns, and what is even better: she also puts up videos of her making the same thing, so when you get 'stuck' with the pattern, you have a video out there to help!