Scrappy Chenille Scarf

One of the participants from my scarf-making challenge made a chenille scarf that I really liked.  Her name is Linda and she wrote a great tutorial for her scarf that you can find HERE.  

Linda's scarf is made up of 7 layers of fabric.  The center layer of fabric is never cut and serves as a background color (black, in Linda's case)  for both sides of the scarf.  After I got 6 pieces of fabric cut, I thought my scarf was already looking very thick.  It's hard to tie and twist a really thick scarf, so I figured out a slightly different method to cut the scarf using only 6 layers of fabric.  

This is a diagram of a cross section of my scarf.
The center layers are grey flannel.
The white vertical lines show the stitching which goes through all 6 layers of fabric.
The black vertical lines show where I cut through 2 and sometimes 3 layers of fabric.
This is how I got away with using an even number of fabric layers.

The center layers were grey flannel.  The outer most layers were a blue/violet tie-dye pattern.
The top photo shows the royal purple I used under the tie-dye on one side.
The bottom photo shows the bright blue I used on the other side.
The sides are different, but the difference is very subtle.
Next time I try this I'm going to make the 2 sides much more different.

As you might be able to guess, I spent almost as much time taking photos of the scarf as I did making it!  I'm trying really hard to learn the manual settings on my camera.  I took a few photography courses in college, but those were years ago and we used real film.  I remember just knowing which adjustments to make to change the focal length and shutterspeed to use to get the photo I wanted.  Now it's a lot of hit and miss, referring back to my manual a million times, and head-scratching.  My biggest trouble now is with focusing.  Maybe my up-close vision is deteriorating as I approach 40.....?  I can't see well enough through my little camera view finder to know if my image is sharp or not.     

Linda said she made her scarf in 2.5 hours.  It took me more like 4 hours.  But I was dealing with very odd-shaped pieces of fabric and had some trouble finding the bias.  The grey flannel is from a set of sheets I bought at the thrift store.  That was a rather large piece of material to deal with.  The other fabrics were in small enough pieces that I had to piece it together to make them long enough.  

Overall I am very pleased with this scarf.  I love the softness and warmth provided by both the chenille effect and the flannel.  I spent no money making the scarf either.  I love to be able to finish a project without having to run to the store to buy supplies.  I chose not to make the tassels on the ends, opting for a simpler look.  But I love the way Linda's tassels look like twisty little caterpillars.....I may slice in some tassels down the road!

I'm curious to hear your comments on this post.  What do you think of this technique?  Would you ever try it?  Any tips on switching your camera over to manual settings would be greatly appreciated as well!

Happy crafting and big hugs from Montana,

Before you click away, I'd like to invite you to join in my current sewing/craft challenge.  

Scarves with cut-outs

I am hosting a scarf challenge through out Nov. 2012.  If you're interested in joining the challenge you can read the guidelines and sign up HERE.  Anyone is welcome and you have until the end of November to make a scarf.

Here are some super fly cut-out scarves that I am so wanting to tackle:

Better grab a tissue to catch the drool!

Just a reminder to please not "pin" from this post, but rather from the original source--thanks!

I found this cool scarf at
eninaj's etsy shop.
It's a no-sew scarf made from a knit.
[source]

I'm not allowing crochet in the Ring Your Neck  Challenge,
but this crocheted scarf by VitalTemptation has really
inspired me.  I'd like to try cutting out a lacy pattern from some felted wool
or maybe some leather???  Not sure yet, but I'm working on it!
[source at etsy]

This is a handmade merino wool scarf by red2white etsy shop.
I think you could cut out some high-quality felt and get
a similar effect.  Imagine it in a blue with thin rectangle cut-outs....
[source at etsy]

This is an Ultrasuede laser-cut scarf by a Hong Kong
design company called Little Factory Studio.
[source]

This wet-felted nuno scarf with the silk stitching is
g-o-r-g-e-o-u-s!!!!!
Maybe I could try some FMQ on some felt and
with a little trimming get the same effect???
[source]

Jill from Lune guest posted this tutorial on A Beautiful Mess.
It's a jersey scarf, but not the loopy/stringy ones you
see everywhere.  I like it!
[source and tutorial]

Are you inspired???  I know I am!  Which one is your favorite?

Happy crafting and big hugs from Montana,

Scarves with Pockets

There is something cool about scarves with pockets, don't you think?

I decided to make a little round-up of my favorite pocketed scarves from around the web.

I hope you are inspired to make something for the Ring Your Neck Scarf Challenge.

Just a reminder: please don't "pin" from this post, but follow the links and pin from the original source.

I love this fleece scarf  with a zippered pocket.
I found it at Sewing with Nancy.
[source]

Here is a great tutorial for a cozy fleece scarf
by Delia Creates.
[source and tutorial]

I found this cut kids scarf at
Family Fun magazine's website.
[source and tutorial]

Look at this cutie-patootie in her fleece scarf with pockets!
Adorable!
I found this at The Muddy Princess.
[source and tutorial]

These pull through scarves feature a  "hidden treasure pocket"
see pic below:

I found these at Living with Punks.
[source and tutorial]

I found this down-filled puffer scarf
at shopbop.com by designer Tess Giberson.
It was $335, but it's all sold out.
[source]

This less-than-enthused model is wearing  a lovely
quilted scarf with pockets by designer Maison Martin Margiela.
[source]

The best of both worlds with pockets and buttons.
It's like a vest and a wrap, and I love it with the belt.
Disney from Ruffles and Stuff guest posted the tutorial
on I am Momma Hear me Roar.

Thanks for reading today!  I hope you'll consider joining my scarf sewing challenge.

You can find out more details HERE.

Happy crafting and big hugs from Montana,

Photos from the road. . .

We drove to Texas over the holidays and I held the camera on my lap during much of the drive.  Here are some of the pics I took from the passenger seat:

On our way back home, we came across a fantastic sunset:

On the last leg of our journey home we ran into some icy roads.  These photos are from Wyoming:

Hope you enjoyed seeing some things from my perspective!

Please check out our January sewing challenge, The Naughty Notion Challenge.

Happy crafting and big hugs from Montana,

Where the deer and the antelope play. . .

Another great photo shot by Mr. Ricochet made on December 5th, 2011.  This one was taken with his phone.  The mountains are near Glacier National Park.  Beyond the mountains is Canada.  Currently, I am 1500 miles south in central Texas, spending time with family.  I'll see you all again in the New Year.

Warm hugs and best holiday wishes,

A Tudor Rose to Remember

Quite a while ago I typed up a little post about some Tudor Rose purses I had made.  The original pattern came from a now defunct website called SavvySeams.com.  I did not draft this pattern, but I love it so very much.  It should not be lost to the world.  What remains of SavvySeams.com can be seen through a web archive service.  If you look HERE you'll see what remains of the original pattern and may notice that many of the photos are gone.  There is a printable text-only document still avaible HERE.  The PDF file for the pattern pieces is HERE.

I've re-vamped the tutorial in hopes in an effort to preserve the pattern.  You can find my tutorial for making the flower portion of the bag HERE.  The original pattern calls for a flower on each side of the bag.  That's a lot of work and the resulting bag is rather small and flat and heavy.  I suggest you use only one flower and combine it with your favorite tote bag pattern.  I've made several Tudor Rose purses and would be happy to help you in attaching the flower to a purse.  Just drop me an email (ricochethandbags(at)hotmail(dot)com) or leave a comment.  I think the flower looks stunning when sewn to the outside of a bag, but it would also make a show-stopping addition to a decorative pillow.

If you'd like to learn more about Tudor Roses, I've written a brief history about the iconic flower and created a little gallery of historical and modern references for you.  Please check it out HERE.

I'm working on making a few Tutor Rose purses and thought that I might share the flower-making process with you.

Here's a little gallery of the latest Tutor Rose I made:

Do you see how nice it would look on a pillow?

Here are some close-ups.  

Happy crafting and big hugs from Montana,

Tudor Rose History and Gallery of Images

Do you recall learning about the Wars of the Roses in history class?  In the mid to late 1400s there were many battles over the throne of England.  Ultimately, the throne was won by Henry Tudor who defeated King Richard III.  Henry Tudor's mother was of the House of Lancaster whose badge was the red rose.  Richard III came from the House of York whose badge was a white rose.  Hence the name, the Wars of the Roses.  Henry Tudor married Elizabeth of York and conjoined the red and white roses creating the Tudor Rose.

The Tudor Rose is to England what the shamrock is to Ireland.  You can find the rose printed on coins, coats of arms, in stained glass windows, carved into tables, and painted on porcelain plates.  You will find it in many more places as well.  

Here are some images I've gathered from the web:

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The insignia of the Yeoman of the Guard: Thistle, Rose, and Shamrock [source]

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SavvySeams.com created a Tudor Rose purse pattern.  Sadly, SavvySeams.com is no longer in operation and the pattern is available only through a web archive service.  Many of the photos in the tutorial are now missing, making the pattern difficult to imterpret.  I've remixed the pattern for the flower portion of the bag HERE.  

Apparently, I was not the only one smitten with SavvySeams' pattern.  

Here are some lovely Tudor Rose purses made by others that I found on the web:

[source]

[source]

[source]

[source]

XXX

[source]

Here are some of the Tudor Rose purses I've made:

xxx

I hope you found some of this information useful.  I enjoyed doing a bit of research and learning some new facts.  I checked my facts with several articles I found in Wikipedia.  All the images, but my own purses, were found through a google image search.

I'd love to hear your thoughts about this post.  I know some of my followers are from England, so I'm eager for some firsthand knowledge about the Tudor Rose and how it came to be.

As always, happy crafting and big hugs from Montana,