There comes a tome when the kids have moved out and the grand children are coming over. So how do you decorate for guests in the spare room and children at the same time?
Many of us have shadow boxes with tiny items of special meaning or valuables. Why not let the grand children help put some of their special treasures into a new shadow box in the guest room to make it feel like their own special room away from home. And is an interesting conversation piece when guests visit.
Most of us remember our grandmother having beautiful flowers in her garden, or in various vases in her home. The smell was an orgasmic assault on the senses.
Gathering some of her seeds, roots, or plants is a great way to bring that feeling of love into our home. Your garden, no matter how small or large will always bring you some joy and happy memories.
You can use the pattern for a 15 inch raggedy doll for the body, just lengthen the legs and arms by about 3 inches for distorted look.
Army pants were made with simple 15 inch raggedy doll elastic band pants.
Here are pattern cutouts for the Alien Head.
Anywhere i wrote fold, place material on fold to cut
If it says pleat, needs 4 small pleats to on top and two on bottom of face piece to distort.
We used fabric markers to draw face and i love earth heart.
After banging my thumb for what seemed like a thousand times. The new cushions and stuffed backing are done. With the left over material we hand sewed a couple of pillows for the sides of the bench and added a vintage shabby baby blanket for a throw. Now your folk art scavenged love seat can have a place of honor in your home.
Found this lovely folk art, hand crafted, love seat at a swap shop. It was in horrible condition with no seat or backing. Found 5 yards of upholstery material at another shop and gathered vintage upholstery tacts, car dent hammer, old stuffing from an old couch and an old pillow.
Not hard to place them all together and tack in place. But be warned... your thumb will suffer a few blows. Well worth it, and don't worry about being perfect, this is folk art, not high end.
Enjoy the search, and have fun.
You can make your shawl as long or as short as you want. I went up 50 rows and adding some fun shaggy yarn around all the edges. It's your shawl, so have fun with it and wear it proudly.
Since each piece attached has it's own story and character I'm emphasizing that by giving the round piece a star effect and puffing out the square ones.
Chain 173 stitches and double crochet in forth chain from end. First 3 chains count as double crochet. And double crochet the first 2 or 3 rows.
I use the most simplistic stitches so i can add the mixed pieces using a single crochet stitch and working in a continuous yarn.
Attach vintage pieces with single crochet stitch and work single crochet stitches around. No need to be perfect as each piece should have it's own identity. Think of each individual family member, all are different and pray or have good thoughts for each one.
Simplicity is perfection. So enjoy the quiet, mechanics, and soulful reflection. Anyone who points to the 'flaws' is someone you probably don't want in your life's journey.
One very small doily piece has crochet stitches so tight i have to use a super tiny hook and embroidery thread to build up stitches for trimming.
Double crochet loosely and chain one stitch between to build up.
Once completed you can use your larger size crochet hook and start trimming.
A lot of antique or vintage doily or unfinished crocheted pieces used thread like yarn and were created with very small gage crochet hooks. I'm not that talented and most shawls are of a thicker yarn for warmth. Use a small to medium grade yarn around the thinner thread like smaller pieces. Double crochet each piece loosely around with the same vintage yarn.
I will be posting this segment in stages as i create the prayer shawl one step at a time. Gather some vintage crocheted pieces, you probably have them stashed away. I even had a crochet pot holder with stain from my great grandmother. I used vintage Dante Berraco yarn (you either love it or hate it) for trimming around pieces. Double crochet loosely around pieces you want to use, creating a lacey look to each piece. You might also have to change the crochet hook gage depending how tight the piece is.
Everyone has some broken jewelry and beads or gemstone pieces that were grandmother's and still sitting in that vintage jewelry box. I took one of her better clasps and used garnets and pearls from a couple of her other broken jewelry she saved. I bought seed pearls for fillers and contrast and used thin fishing line to string them together.
It is not as hard as you think. And when your done you have a vintage one-of-a-kind piece of jewelry.
Between my grandmother, great grandmother and great aunts they made many of crocheted doily, pillow case lace and doll clothes. Unfortunately many pieces would lay in storage boxes for years because they were unfinished and no one wanted to throw them away. So i bought some picture frames, craft foam, and they now become works of art.
Now i can give to family members so each has a part of grandmother with them always.
Supper easy to do just trace and cut the foam around your crochet piece and place in frame. Makes a nice gift.
