I’ve spent a lot of time looking at ways to repurpose pillow cases.  Lots of good ideas out there, and making dresses for little girls has always been one of the more popular ones.

This is my contribution, using a pillowcase my ex-husband left behind (it’s been in my dresser, taunting me with its resemblance to a skirt, for almost two years now):

As you can tell, the top is crocheted, & the bottom is a pillowcase.  I don’t have a pattern for this, but I’ll tell you about the way I did it.

I used a normal-sized jersey (t-shirt material) pillowcase, Peaches ‘n’ Cream yarn, an H hook, & white embroidery floss (as I don’t know where the hell my white thread is).

First, I held the pillowcase up against Linda.  Full-length would have made an ankle-length skirt.  Great for winter, not for summer (in Texas, anyway).  Half-length would have been about an inch above the knees.  Not too bad, but I’d have had to make a bigger bodice and Linda needs long dresses because she’s too young & too bouncy to sit in a ladylike fashion.

I crocheted a double-chain just long enough to go around her (it’s a wee bit snug now, but I know from experience with the yarn that it’ll loosen up in time).  Joined into a circle, added two more rounds of single crochet.  Put it around her and counted stitches so I knew how wide to make the front of the bodice.  I did one row of that number of sts, then reduced on the first & last stitch of the next row…did that for a total of 8 rows (which is: one even, one reduce).  Added on either 4 or 6 more at the top, even.  Single crocheted down the side, half-double crocheted around the back, single crocheted up the other side, and did a picot/slip stitch across the top.  Then I went in to the first tie–61 chains, then slip stitched back down the back side of the chain.  Finished it off, put another one on the other side, & then weaved in all the ends.  I thought about doing a decorative bottom border as well but decided against it because I didn’t want to have more ends to weave in.  I hate weaving in ends.

That was the easy part.  Of course, the pillowcase is a LOT wider around than my daughter.  And I don’t have any straight pins.  It would have been a lot easier with straight pins.  Basically, I basted the side seams on the pillowcase to the ends of the bodice (by which I mean the part that goes up) and made little gathers on either side of this as I sewed.  This was easy the first side, but when I backed up to do the other side it rapidly became a pain in the butt because I had to work right-handed in order to keep the right side facing me and tell what the heck I was doing.

I was NOT going to do this again on the back.  So I smoothed it out and gathered all the extra fabric up in the center.  Marked it with needles (I have plenty of those).  Grabbed another needle already threaded, and gathered the fabric in the center back.  I’m not sure how clear it is in that picture (I really need to clean my monitor), but I love the way that turned out.  It was also much easier to sew.

Honestly, I really like the way it turned out.  The gathering of the material started out pretty haphazardly, but I figured out a way to make it look intentional!

I really do like the way it turned out.  I am no sort of seamstress (which is why the connecting seam is a little raggedy), but this was a pretty quick project no less and Linda is thrilled with it.  Which is what really matters.  She’s already asked me for permission to wear it tomorrow!

This is a bustier, largely based off the Tube Apron top in Double Stitch.  I used some Berella 4 yarn I bought on clearance at Michaels last year (that’s why you keep seeing this particular yarn cropping up in projects), some Super Saver for the trim, and a J hook.

I’m larger than the largest size in the book, so I figured it’d work out more or less if I went up a hook size.  This isn’t unheard of as a sizing measure.  And honestly, I don’t count that as my problem.

The problem?

I’m not shaped like that.

I’m sure this bustier would work just fine on a 200-lb woman whose weight is evenly distributed.  But I’m a 200-lb woman whose measurements (and I’m going to cheat & use bra size here so you get a good idea of where the weight is) are 40F-38-51.  What this means is I’ve got giant ta-ta’s, a proportionately small waist, and giant hips.  In other words, I’m not straight up and down, and so while this thing is real pretty laid out on my bed, on me it bunches funny and doesn’t stay up.

I’m going to frog it.

Couple of thoughts to fix it: drop back down to the size hook I’m supposed to be using for the pattern.  Maybe that will shrink it enough to give a goodly amount of stretch and force it to pretend it’s got some shape.

The other thought is to use mock-short-rows to cinch in the middle some, in addition to shrinking the overall width of the piece.  If I do the bust part in half-doubles like it is now, then the waist in single crochet and then the hips in double crochet, that may also give it enough definition to make a difference.

Or I could just make it into a skirt for one of my kids and make something out of the book and actually follow the pattern this time.

Which just might be too easy.

It’s a very quick project, and even though it’s shown on a three-year-old, it fit even my big-headed middle daughter (and my big-headed oldest daughter).

It’s also easily modifiable to an adult hat–just add in another increase round, and probably two or three more even rounds.

Here’s a photo of the back:

Sorry for the suckitudinous nature of this photo.  I was having problems with my camera for some odd reason.

The pattern for the increase part of the hat shows as a sort of star.  It took me a while to figure out the best way to increase in a circle with chain spaces.  I don’t know why it took me so long; it’s not exactly a unique thing to do.  But I am glad to have figured it out on my own.

This is a pretty chunky hat because of the yarn used.  It’s Berella 4, which I got a butt ton of last year when it was on clearance for 99¢ a skein at Michaels.  I think I spent about $20 on Berella 4 yarn.

I asked Ro yesterday if she wanted a hat, and let her pick out the yarn.  I need to hurry up and make something for the other two!  But first I have those dolls to make for charity.

Pattern tomorrow

One of the mamas at MotheringDotCommune turned me on to the next opportunity: Amazima Dolls are being collected to send to an orphanage in Uganda.  They have a goal of a minimum of 350 dolls–sewn, crocheted, even knitted to be sent to this orphanage.  The woman who started & runs Amazima Ministries is only 20!  There is a lovely pattern at Mamachee that would be great for crocheted dolls.  The dolls need only be 12″ tall and brown-skinned; they want boy & girl dolls both.

The way the economy is now, it’s hard to conceive of giving to charity.  That’s why it’s good to be a crafter!  The raffle is only $5 to enter, and the dolls can easily be made from stash yarn, so their only cost is shipping (and they’re being collected by a woman here in the States).  So we’ve got a couple of great opportunities to do something good for others, even if our own circumstances are straitened.  And trust me on this, it feels really good to be able to help out when you’re down yourself.

Find the pattern here.

No scarves were harmed in the making of this blanket.

This is Linda.  And her blanket that I made for her when I was pregnant with her.  (This is why it’s blue and pink.  Figured I’d hit the right one.)

I finally wrote a pattern for it today.  I don’t make many baby blankets.  Partly because it takes so long & you never feel like you’re getting anywhere.  This blanket helps with that a little bit.  It also helps with another of my banes: hot projects in the summer.  When you’re working on this, you’re not holding anything larger than a scarf (thus the name) until it’s time to sew it all together, and that only takes a little bit of time.

This is so incredibly easy I almost feel guilty for calling it a pattern.  I would feel guilty, but for the fact that it’s been so damned long since I posted a pattern.  I do think it’s a good one if you’ve never made a somewhat large project before.  My dislike of scarves is in no small part because I find them crippling–people tend to be afraid to move beyond them.  I am constantly telling newbies asking for a good Step Two project that they can pretty much sew together a butt ton of scarves and make a blanket.

This serves as proof it’s not as ugly a suggestion as you might think.

“Esther,” I said, “I’m going to crochet you a pair of panties.”

So I went to my big bucket o’ yarn and pulled out (what else?) a skein of Simply Soft and set to work.  Esther willingly stuck her butt in my face for a while before falling asleep, but when I finished the panties I put them on her anyway.

And found out they were too big.  By this time, it was 30 minutes til midnight, otherwise known as seven hours until I had to wake up.  So I put them down with the intent of  picking them up and frogging the front so I could fix them.

And so I did.

They’re not pretty.  They weren’t really mean to be.  Just a quick & dirty project for the 3-year-old.

They fit now.  In fact, she is still wearing them.  Earlier, she put them on and immediately started singing the theme song from COPS.

The pineapple skirt is at 40% complete. Round 20 out of 50. One round takes a really long time. And it’s starting to get hot here, so holding a pile o’ Simply Soft in my lap is growing progressively less appealing.

Fiesta ended last week.  Thursday, Bobbie’s school had a float parade.  All the kids were invited to make floats and, if they had done so, to march in the parade.  Naturally, I learned of this on Monday.  I guess I should count myself lucky it wasn’t Wednesday!

We pulled out a shoebox and my mother helped Bobbie cover it with scrapbooking paper.  While they were working on that, I set to work on the dress.  Using a 3.75 mm hook and some pink sport weight yarn that was laying around, I came up with a strapless gown.  The train starts at the top of the dress and is about half again as long as the dress itself.  Onto this went several flower appliques, each made with a larger hook and/or yarn.  (For instance, I started out with fingering weight yarn and a 3.75 mm hook, then switched to a 4mm hook, then to sport weight yarn with the same hook & so on).  Three days’ of fitful work later, Bobbie had her own Fiesta princess.

Here’s the finished project (plus a bonus shot of part of my laptop and my comforter, ha-ha).

This is actually not a Barbie, but some random other doll I’ve bought fairly recently.  Honestly, I can’t tell them apart.  I shouldn’t use Barbie for any fashion doll, I know, but it was made by Mattel.  I think it’s actually a Belle doll.

I added the center tie as an afterthought, because I was afraid the train would otherwise be so heavy it would fall down.

You see that she’s sitting on a Barbie couch and practicing her Fiesta wave.  What you don’t see is the fact that I taped the crap out of her to hold her in place.  Her arm that’s behind the couch it taped to it, her legs underneath the gown is taped to it, the train itself is taped down, and the ribbon sash is taped in two different places.

This was made 100% with stash yarn, for which I am very proud.  You know that stash game I was a part of?  Nothing ever became of it.  I’m 99% certain that I won, at least in terms of yardage, but no winner was ever actually declared.  I think I may have teed off some people because I finished off an afghan UFO that had been haunting my closet for years.  Rules of the game allowed us to claim the entire weight of the project.  Since it was worked in double-stranded worsted weight yarn, it weighed over three pounds.  Even with having to subtract 64 points for the yarn I had to buy to finish it, it was worth several hundred points.  I didn’t–and don’t care about an actual prize, but I did want bragging rights.  Well, I won’t bother them again.  (And for the record, I do think that afghan had something to do with the lack of a declared victor because they had no problem declaring a winner in the previous stash game.)

But I digress.  It truly doesn’t matter & I shouldn’t let it bother me.

One more picture.  This is of Bobbie holding her float after school (I did take pictures of the parade, but none of them were particularly good):

First, my current WIP:

Den-M-Knit Pineapple Skirt or Poncho.  This is a lovely pattern over at Elann.com.  I’m actually mainly working in the .PDF of the chart.  Why?  Well, the skirt has a max waist measurement of 30″.  Which I might have had at around age 12 or 13.  So I am not using the right yarn (I’m using white Caron Simply Soft) or the right hook–I’m using a 6mm instead of 4mm.  Sounds like a huge leap, but it’s not.  I’ve got to get it over my 47″ hips anyway.  I plan on running some i-cord (well, the crocheted version) or ribbon through the waistline.

Seraphina Shawl.  This is in my Ravelry queue, but I really should take it out, because it’s far down my list o’ things to do.  The problems with this pattern are rather legendary.  (That’s why the link takes you not to the original pattern, but to the corrected version on Crochetville.)

Little Fire Crochet Pants.   Somewhere I have some Wool-Ease.  These will go in the box o’ baby gifts to be given that I really should have, rather than my current method of scrambling to make something & hoping the baby hasn’t outgrown it by the time I get it sent.

Bev’s Newborn Baby Jacket.  This isn’t a “someday” pattern; this is a pattern I use so often I know it mostly by heart.  Still, I have it bookmarked in case I forget things, which I inevitably do.  I absolutely love Bev Qualheim.  Her blog is in my daily reading list.

Crochet Chainmail Hood.  One of the mamas on MotheringDotCommune came up with this pattern.  When I saw her thread about it, I didn’t open it for three days because I thought for sure it was a knit pattern.  Imagine my delight when I discovered it wasn’t!

Celestine Crochet. On the one hand, it looks like fun.  On the other, it looks like it would take a while & my kids would squabble over it if I made only one.

Crochet Crown.  I’ve been planning to make this sucker for years.  Seriously, since we lived in Hawaii.  I started it once & frogged it; damned if I remember why!

Bella Bambina’s Sweater Dress.  This is very pretty, but quite frankly I could probably make it without the pattern.  (Just as she could undoubtedly make my Basic Baby Dress without the pattern!)

Kimono Sweater.   Being that there’s not an actual pattern, this should be right up my alley!  And it is, but I foresee making it in cotton yarn, & I simply haven’t enough, nor at the moment the money to buy enough.

Belize Wrap.  I haven’t quite decided whether I actually like it or not.  It intrigues me, but honestly it’s not my style at all.  Maybe I’ll eventually find the perfect recipient & make it as a gift.

Crochet Cami.  One of those things I just haven’t had the time for yet.  The lady who wrote this pattern was 12 at the time!  I could barely crochet in a straight line at that age!

Child’s Snuggie.  I’ll admit it.  I don’t own a TV.  I’ve never seen the Snuggie commercials.  In all likelihood, I will never make this.  It’s just scary, and fascinating.

Cut-Away Cardi.  Incredibly cute–and it can probably be made with Simply Soft.  But in south Texas, there’s already no reason to wear it.

Doral Wristlets.  In all honesty, I still have not figured out the purpose of these sort of things.  And they’d move around like crazy, wouldn’t they?  But they are cute, and look like they’d be a quick project, so they stay in the list.

I LOVE stars.  Now, this is what I should make for the brand new Charlotte Elizabeth H~ J~.  I wonder how much time it would take…

Sugar ‘n Cream Halter.  This is another one I’ve had since Hawaii.  It’s been a goal of mine for a while to make a halter top that actually covers my boobies.   Of course mine are, oh, ten  or so times the size of hers (at least), but she has a template on that page of how she made the cups, and if I can just figure out what goes where, I’m all set.

Mop Top Mascots.  I just came across these tonight.  They will probably get made soon.  They’re cute, and look to be quick to whip up.  In fact, they and the next link are the reasons for this post tonight.

Around the World Baby Cardigan & Hat.  I have a TON of Simply Soft.  I need to make this!  If I make the larger size, Miss Charlotte should be able to wear it when it gets cold again.

(I love it when my friends have kids!)