The Homesteady

Sewing: DIY Quilted Playmat Made w/ Naturally Dyed Scraps

Last November I went to the first of a regular gathering of local queer-identified folks who are into crafting. We surrounded a campfire, each lugging our own big pots and bags full of scrap fabric and yarn. Organizers brought a few items to use as natural dyes, plus mordants. (I wish I remembered more of the process so I could share it with you here, but I was happy to just be a participant and absorb from the others! This is not an area of comfort for me and I was glad to follow others' leads.) 

I returned home with fabric that I'd dyed with pokeweed (orange), red onion (greenish gray), and butterfly pea flower (pale bluish lavender), plus a little yarn that I'd dyed with the red onion as well. I loved how the colors looked together, and thought to myself I ought to try to make a quilted playmat for the new baby we are expecting!

I'm happy to say it's finished. This is my first-ever quilting project, loosely inspired by this project, although using much smaller pieces and yarn ties through the top layer and batting, as opposed to embroidery thread. 

I cut 3.5" squares from the dyed fabric (and some other white scrap fabric I still had) and sketched out a rough design using my son's crayons. I used a grid of nine by nine squares for an approximate quilt length and width of 31.5". 

It is FAR from perfect, but I love how it turned out, and (aside from all the ironing) it was a joy to create. I used other leftover fabric for the backing, and pieced together a few pieces of batting to make it work, so it also feels cool that I didn't have to purchase anything new for this project. 

Knitting: Frog & Toad

I knitted Frog and Toad (from the beloved children's book series) for Miles for his fourth birthday last November! This was a joy to work on, and I'm so pleased with how the friends turned out – although toward the end I started to get tired of balancing the sharp little double-pointed needles on my growing belly. 

Pattern
Kit

A calming corner for our 4-year-old

Miles, our newly 4-year-old, has been talking lately about a few different spaces in his preschool classroom, like the "big feelings table" and the "one-person space." I thought it would be easy to create a calming area in our home too, where he can find tools and books to help him self-regulate. He's started referring to it as the "one-person space" at home too! He likes identifying the emotions on the feelings chart, and trying different yoga poses (links to those printables below). 

I gathered a few things from around the house – sensory toys, books about big feelings – and put them with a comfy pillow in a corner of our living room. I want to add more pillows and maybe a super-soft blanket, for the time being, Miles has really taken to it! He's added a few of his own toys to the basket, and heads over there whenever he's feeling frustrated, wants to be alone (while still feeling close by) or space out, or just wants to try out different emotions or feelings. 

In the basket:

• Sensory toys. I added this pop-it [affiliate link], a glitter wand from here, a calm-down bottle that we made together with supplies we already had (so many tutorials on Pinterest!), a squishy bath toy, a soft cuddly friend, and a little stuffy with reversible sequins (that I think originally came from Once Upon a Child)
• Books about big feelings, meditation, and mindfulness. I searched through our bookshelves and found a couple titles that it made sense to include. We have a lot of the Slumberkins books, so I put in the one about stress relief and the one about feeling mad. He's familiar with these and knows the stories pretty well. I also added Alphabreaths: The ABCs of Mindful Breathing and The Snow Bear: A Mindfulness Parable for Kids, which was actually illustrated by our old neighbor!
• Cards with coping options. I bought the calming corner printables from My Party Design after seeing them on my Pinterest feed, laminated them, and put them on a ring so he can page through. (This collection also included the feelings printable that's hanging on the wall!) 

Printables

• Feelings chart
• Yoga chart (free) 

It's cuddly over there, and really does feel calm. Miles can go in whenever he wants to play, read, or just get away from us for a little while!

Bobble Sweater for Baby (Free Knitting Pattern)

If you haven't tried it yet, I hope I have the honor of introducing you to the free Flax Sweater pattern by Tin Can Knits. I've worked it up several times, and love its simplicity – and opportunities for modifying, like I did above by omitting the garter panel on the sleeves, and adding bobbles throughout the pattern.

I had pledged that 2021 was going to be a year of selfish knitting (where I knitted only for myself to build my handmade wardrobe) but I'm already – happily! – slipping on that vow. My friends just keep making tiny beautiful humans and I can't help but knit tiny things for them! 

New Knit: Aldous Sweater

Sharing a recent knit today – the Aldous sweater by Isabell Kraemer. I really like how it turned out, especially the shoulder construction and the twisted braid details at the cuffs and hem.

It's worth noting: the first day I wore it (and took these photos) I also got to hold and snuggle some wiggly perfect puppies, whose tiny nails made a few snags in the sweater. (Worth it.)

Aside from the Copenhagen baby blanket, this is the only other project I've done that used such a light weight yarn, and such small needles. It was a little maddening at times, and I was very aware that I was creating fabric. 

Sewing: Tiered Dress

I was browsing sewing patterns on Etsy (like you do) when I saw this lovely tiered dress. It looked a little more elaborate than what I typically sew, but the reviews were good, so I bought it. Immediately I knew I wanted to make it in white cotton, and intentionally chose a fabric with more structure. The dress holds its shape quite well. 

The pattern [affiliate link] is very spare, as some of the reviews mention. I got tripped up at one point and messaged the seller, who got back to me very quickly with helpful advice. The gathering, which I was most nervous about, was actually really easy. Overall I enjoyed it, and am happy with the dress! I was on the fence about making another dress using this pattern, but now I can't get the idea of making one in blue gingham out of my head. 

Free Punch Needle Pattern: Sun Pillow

When we moved to our new house, I knew I wanted to update the decor in Miles's room a little bit. It really hadn't changed since we'd set it up before he was born. He's definitely a woodland-loving kid, and is also really into outer space and constellations. I decided to do an outer space theme in his new room, with soft colors like purple (currently his favorite).

I made two new throw pillows for a reading area in his room. Punch needle is a new craft to me – in fact I'd only done one kit [affiliate link] before making the pattern and punching this pillow. It's so fun and satisfying! Read on for a list of what I used and how I made the pillow – plus the free pattern so you can make one too if you like.

I used:

• Pattern
• Monk cloth [affiliate link]
• Oxford #10 punch needle
• 16" round pillow form
• Scrap fabric
• Worsted weight yarn in light yellow, dark yellow, light pink, and black
• Large embroidery hoop

The pattern is designed to print on four separate pages. Once they've printed, arrange and tape them together to create the smiling sun design.

After the printed pieces have been taped together, use another piece of tape to hang them in a window. With one hand, hold the monk cloth over the printed pattern so that the light from outdoors shines through and the pattern is visible through the fabric. Use a pencil to trace the pattern onto the cloth.

Use your embroidery hoop to keep the fabric in place, and start punchin', switching yarn colors and rearranging your hoop as necessary. If you're new to punch needle, please check out Sallie Dale's Instagram story highlights for tips and techniques. 

When you're finished, measure the size you'll need to fit the pillow insert, and cut out a circle around the punched piece, leaving room for seam allowance, too. Cut the same shape from scrap fabric to serve as the pillow's back.

Pin both pieces right side together, and sew almost all the way around, leaving an opening wide enough to insert the pillow form. Turn the piece right side out, and insert the pillow form. Use your preferred method to stitch the opening closed.

The pillow is definitely a sunny spot in Miles's new bedroom, and he even sleeps with it in his crib some nights. I haven't done any punch needle projects since finishing this in January, but now I want to pick it up again! Do you punch needle?

Chair [affiliate link]
Fabric used to sew other pillow
Rug [affiliate link]
Wall decals in antique violet [affiliate link]
Cloud light [affiliate link]
Bookshelves

Remaking: Chunky Cardigan Into Sleeveless Vest

I'm sharing another remaking project today, in which I rip out an old knitting endeavor and use the yarn to make something new!

I knitted this cardigan in 2019 and just...didn't really wear it ever. It was a prime candidate for repurposing the materials into something more useful. 

I'd had this pattern saved on Pinterest for ages, and it seemed like the perfect way to use up this chunky yarn. I ripped out the cardigan whilst comparing myself to a butcher (having never killed or taken apart an animal for food) – not intimating any kind of savagery, but rather the act of dismembering at the joints something that was once whole, and processing its parts for future use. 

I wasn't 100% comfortable with the pattern at first (and not just because it is written in Swedish). Once translated, it became clear that it was incredibly simple and also required more customization than I'm used to. Does this make sense? The instructions are basically, cast on 47 stitches, then knit 'til it's done. I had to make a lot of my own decisions about how long I wanted it to be, etc., which is of course one of the wonderful things about making your own clothing – but it pushes me a little out of my comfort zone for some reason! 

Anyway, the construction is simple: it's three panels (front, back, neck) that are then sewn together to make the vest. I've already worn it a few times – it's the perfect thing for my cold office and as comfy as a sweatshirt.

Make a Kids' Doctor Bag

Miles got a play medical kit for Christmas, and he loves giving us check-ups (or coming limping in saying, "I'm siiiick" and demanding pretend medical attention). We didn't have a bag or case for the tools, though, so I decided to make one for him!

It's a simple zippered pouch stiffened with iron-on interfacing, and a knitted red cross applique stitched on. Here's how I made it...

I used bulky yarn and size US 10.5 knitting needles.

1. Cast on 4 stitches
2. Knit 6 rows
3. Cast on an additional 4 stitches at the beginning of the next row, knit across, cast on an additional 4 stitches (12 stitches)
4. Knit 5 rows
5. Bind off 4 stitches at the beginning of the next row, knit across
6. Repeat step 5 for the next row
7. Knit 6 rows
8. Bind off remaining 4 stitches

I cut two pieces of fabric and two pieces of iron-on interfacing to fit the biggest piece in Miles's kit (a stethescope) and attached the interfacing to the wrong side of the fabric. 

Then I pinned the cross in place on the right side of one of the fused pieces. 

I stitched it in place with red embroidery thread. I think fabric glue would work too. And by the way, the cross could also be made out of felt, or painted on with a stencil! I just happened to have this chunky red yarn left over from my sister's sweater.

Next, I pinned the 9" zipper face down on the right side of the fabric, and stitched in place.

That little bump in the stitches! I lost my zipper foot, so I tried to make do with maneuvering the pull around while I sewed.

Then I pinned the right side of the zipper onto the right side of the other piece of fabric (so that the right sides were facing each other) and sewed it in place.

Next, I unzipped the zipper a little more than halfway open (this is important because it leaves you a way to turn the bag right-side out!) and pinned and stitched around the remaining three sides.

Then I turned it right side-out, and...

...ta-da! (Or "ta-zaa!" as Miles says.)

Simple, cute, and used supplies I already had on hand. I think that's a win. Next time there's a pretend-emergency, we'll know just where to find the right tools.

How to Sew a Quilted Linen Burp Cloth

I have a surplus of black linen that was once destined to be a jumpsuit and now...I don't know yet! In the meantime, I used part of it to sew a burp cloth for a friend's beautiful new baby. (It was pictured here.)

I pre-washed and dried the fabric, then cut two rectangles that were 9" x 21" and sewed around the edges, leaving an opening of approximately 5". I clipped the corners and turned the burp cloth inside out through the opening (using a knitting needle to get the corners nice and pointy), then ironed it flat and top-stitched around the whole thing. After that I freehanded a repeating running stitch with white embroidery thread. Then I washed and dried it once more, leaving it a bit puckered and lovely.