tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-95969335796696282024-03-15T14:21:06.929+00:00A Playful StitchMaria - A Playful Stitchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17811550069936710912noreply@blogger.comBlogger469125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9596933579669628.post-69084526247988320202024-03-04T16:26:00.004+00:002024-03-04T16:26:57.705+00:00Crochet Blueberries<p>I have been (very slowly!) building up a collection of crochet play fruit for my children.</p><p>My latest offerings are two little blueberries!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH4n1YxvZ4M1Of3Z4yZihg29LI57bzrjez8IhLxBolECjb2kNeH8plv_FkJ5PoCUHuiieTfmfX0K8FoteL48ULnKOR3A6Zzfbl_2GadbufLC0CgkBT2orGPI90teaUv2453QHnGFN23eJPNZuT6e1wdXsOarfEhatbDktvJ-Xci5fIqSh98QP9r9Cu0Dw/s2372/Crochet%20Blueberries.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Crochet Blueberries" border="0" data-original-height="2372" data-original-width="2372" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH4n1YxvZ4M1Of3Z4yZihg29LI57bzrjez8IhLxBolECjb2kNeH8plv_FkJ5PoCUHuiieTfmfX0K8FoteL48ULnKOR3A6Zzfbl_2GadbufLC0CgkBT2orGPI90teaUv2453QHnGFN23eJPNZuT6e1wdXsOarfEhatbDktvJ-Xci5fIqSh98QP9r9Cu0Dw/w640-h640/Crochet%20Blueberries.jpg" title="Crochet Blueberries" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p>I used <a href="https://amiguworld.com/video/free-pattern-how-to-crochet-a-blueberry-amigurumi/" target="_blank">this pattern/tutorial</a> - but I did sc instead of hdc (US terms) in the final round so that the sticky-up bits (technical term!) weren't quite so sticky-up!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNyp1pHsMBiKqojgMxSF3vEZvD-LhtdmELd9lNybOndtuU_dS2Yw8mkgGG-pmzhPPlVEoR9AkC1n_7SpcenlCupDQJ_i6Rrx0k3MmfhirNFb4QnMqU2o7q2eyypErcjx8FKvGOmXJ8l9mRRF6E7dXU63xL-FGWSj7c41JHhQ5zsnQtfQeC-EQgWSdiggA/s2712/Crochet%20fruit%20and%20veg.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="crochet fruit and veg" border="0" data-original-height="2712" data-original-width="2712" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNyp1pHsMBiKqojgMxSF3vEZvD-LhtdmELd9lNybOndtuU_dS2Yw8mkgGG-pmzhPPlVEoR9AkC1n_7SpcenlCupDQJ_i6Rrx0k3MmfhirNFb4QnMqU2o7q2eyypErcjx8FKvGOmXJ8l9mRRF6E7dXU63xL-FGWSj7c41JHhQ5zsnQtfQeC-EQgWSdiggA/w640-h640/Crochet%20fruit%20and%20veg.jpg" title="crochet fruit and veg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p>Above you can see them with the rest of the fruit and veg I have crocheted. I think they look great together!</p><p>You can see details on the other items at the links below:</p><p><a href="http://www.aplayfulstitch.com/2020/12/crochet-carrot.html" target="_blank">Carrot</a></p><p><a href="http://www.aplayfulstitch.com/2021/01/crochet-strawberry.html" target="_blank">Strawberry</a></p><p><a href="http://www.aplayfulstitch.com/2023/12/crochet-radish.html" target="_blank">Radish</a></p><p>Now to decide on the next fruit or veg item to make! It might take me a year!</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Maria - A Playful Stitchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17811550069936710912noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9596933579669628.post-42255078444881708152024-01-30T09:54:00.000+00:002024-01-30T09:54:03.408+00:00Makebox Velvet Needle-Felted Mushroom Decorations<p>My first make of 2024 are these gorgeous velvet mushrooms from a <a href="https://makebox.co/" target="_blank">Makebox</a> kit. (I can't actually see the kit on their website anymore - I've had it about a year.)</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCjQ2IWSXfNmLuyxd4ynHNYxhAB_fTTwTzhS4LqEDBFX5-ybBaec4sZgwwNvTb8DsotsmFBXVejQsE2p8Bz0fhQ_FoUqc5C5129VoNR7tU-FRfLjWWDEV24ZL1Fg6518tLVcF9_v95DkTyKov3sht7aTb9bgk2a9TzZvoEJ0Bs3fm9M3oAYG9QIpDbU7Q/s2630/Velvet%20Mushroom.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Makebox Velvet Needle-Felted Mushroom Decorations" border="0" data-original-height="2630" data-original-width="2630" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCjQ2IWSXfNmLuyxd4ynHNYxhAB_fTTwTzhS4LqEDBFX5-ybBaec4sZgwwNvTb8DsotsmFBXVejQsE2p8Bz0fhQ_FoUqc5C5129VoNR7tU-FRfLjWWDEV24ZL1Fg6518tLVcF9_v95DkTyKov3sht7aTb9bgk2a9TzZvoEJ0Bs3fm9M3oAYG9QIpDbU7Q/w640-h640/Velvet%20Mushroom.jpg" title="Makebox Velvet Needle-Felted Mushroom Decorations" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p>First of all you needle felt the mushroom shape - as you can see below:</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8wSkJlUlbh530OhaGDlGOhrlyeox2xh9bt9rF6bOA0bbrV3UD80fsZWoQgSN__UhAZXcff_Lce-4rA2nGW9jGTR0Wm_5SeGiu7gFiVZvLb-eLwaCM7htYBmtgK6bHCnDJiec6_GQcGMbVK7gYRNZSP1edrbpQYGozOHMuh1dZexDAbcYj5iWzPZzqAD8/s2555/Needle%20felted%20mushroom.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Makebox Velvet Needle-Felted Mushroom Decorations" border="0" data-original-height="2555" data-original-width="2555" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8wSkJlUlbh530OhaGDlGOhrlyeox2xh9bt9rF6bOA0bbrV3UD80fsZWoQgSN__UhAZXcff_Lce-4rA2nGW9jGTR0Wm_5SeGiu7gFiVZvLb-eLwaCM7htYBmtgK6bHCnDJiec6_GQcGMbVK7gYRNZSP1edrbpQYGozOHMuh1dZexDAbcYj5iWzPZzqAD8/w640-h640/Needle%20felted%20mushroom.jpg" title="Makebox Velvet Needle-Felted Mushroom Decorations" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p>Then you cover it with a circle of sumptuous stretch velvety material!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0Gj1M5u2ofI5GcZQywxfWt6zVfINs8oYsLuPKzA79xFkLZQ9WwKjlxIgEFGc7nybgSjH_d-xJeRKlXCEEB0xOPAnEfltrMc0zT9scDOJxbi4i-JEcRvq7JtCesxU1ukqmitwDDQ3kma41zGg2XVO1sxfFdmAfuick0WS1JeA4m1z5o-WJRtmJmUf0dcw/s2520/Velvet%20Mushroom%202.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Makebox Velvet Needle-Felted Mushroom Decorations" border="0" data-original-height="2520" data-original-width="2520" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0Gj1M5u2ofI5GcZQywxfWt6zVfINs8oYsLuPKzA79xFkLZQ9WwKjlxIgEFGc7nybgSjH_d-xJeRKlXCEEB0xOPAnEfltrMc0zT9scDOJxbi4i-JEcRvq7JtCesxU1ukqmitwDDQ3kma41zGg2XVO1sxfFdmAfuick0WS1JeA4m1z5o-WJRtmJmUf0dcw/w640-h640/Velvet%20Mushroom%202.jpg" title="Makebox Velvet Needle-Felted Mushroom Decorations" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p>The kit said to add french knots on the top in white embroidery thread - but I decided to sew beads that I already had to the top, which I'm really pleased with!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBCUQiDeobNcopFEN8AhbEu6CRe_TNbQMa-731VeKKKFvJLSWxl5Th4Vi6HApWqnQy4q24g3MnR5SdnuXxzciND62QpLJB3DcGNjvAkx6ZWS6rLlGir2G5348EFbVgU68zZ_ymtn9picBoencUBCwyze0T24lT6XQojQAai3sqZNZbmmj8KXXcUKN3AuY/s2611/Velvet%20Mushrooms.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Makebox Velvet Needle-Felted Mushroom Decorations" border="0" data-original-height="2611" data-original-width="2611" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBCUQiDeobNcopFEN8AhbEu6CRe_TNbQMa-731VeKKKFvJLSWxl5Th4Vi6HApWqnQy4q24g3MnR5SdnuXxzciND62QpLJB3DcGNjvAkx6ZWS6rLlGir2G5348EFbVgU68zZ_ymtn9picBoencUBCwyze0T24lT6XQojQAai3sqZNZbmmj8KXXcUKN3AuY/w640-h640/Velvet%20Mushrooms.jpg" title="Makebox Velvet Needle-Felted Mushroom Decorations" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p>I have since threaded some cotton through the top to hang these, as they are designed to be decorations for the Christmas tree. For now, however, they are hanging in my craft-room looking delightful!</p><p>I'm so pleased with them - I really love them!</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Maria - A Playful Stitchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17811550069936710912noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9596933579669628.post-82948353184942090102024-01-23T21:32:00.002+00:002024-01-23T21:32:59.110+00:00Creation Consolidation - 2023!<p>I'm finally getting round to doing my usual post, collating my makes from the year before! As is becoming a bit of a theme in recent years, I didn't make that much... but here we go!</p><p>Click the headings or the images to be taken to the relevant blog posts...</p><p><a href="https://www.aplayfulstitch.com/2023/01/nordic-gnome.html" target="_blank">Nordic Gnome - Girl</a></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.aplayfulstitch.com/2023/01/nordic-gnome.html" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2048" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT5nsED9x2YBjTJJwyo6yC8dKT5EM27x_bC4eUVv0VX6_SLUT47AH8S5ARPHhHOskFBszpNqYv_IczPVyShvEGW4UsMaLWzrCaz4hrS7x1fWgy93HfWWhZFoDPIXzROKyNMDkX_cp8Yk7g-cQf7YohU8rFJLGPN6Rd8CPJ3sCXLkw4aNZ5qBOuFw3h_wM/w640-h640/Nordic%20Gnome.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p><a href="https://www.aplayfulstitch.com/2023/01/another-nordic-gnome.html" target="_blank">Nordic Gnome - Boy</a></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.aplayfulstitch.com/2023/01/another-nordic-gnome.html" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2048" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheRNkP3veb_xRrEv-xMDtKIKSrwDKPxh44CK5J5Mph0RZPvzGEcfE4lYy02BrDUvl7Fo-JOMeqasjO1YOF3EApawg2YimGchiaholcrbAqoz9qKZTUtGzzQPKTyauFDV16KUC9DaThfCaC4Eu4PChJcSsTbbF3qPwU_TyHghNhR_ECQxyA8NAj2WCX9g8/w640-h640/Nordic%20Gnome%20Boy.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p><a href="https://www.aplayfulstitch.com/2023/09/cricut-names-for-kids-chairs.html" target="_blank">Cricut Names on Kids' Chairs</a></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.aplayfulstitch.com/2023/09/cricut-names-for-kids-chairs.html" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="2893" data-original-width="2894" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlhxK3RJ2A-nnXfPuYdThbaL2OgtBucl_Nx2ZCk8Rnfk9b5l8arBNH9IB8BSKSXpjCTSv5GTPt9s84n_f4mBOXNjriZfRdwxBrCEYN9nbT7cocvz_OGtrInVmKc1R4jF5_0QF2vGbe1HPsFOpEcfXSmabzbYgIBjMsTvOdhfvfq1mH66MYqdZxLeGgxi8/w640-h640/Cricut%20Labels%20for%20Kids%20Chairs.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p><a href="https://www.aplayfulstitch.com/2023/12/crochet-radish.html" target="_blank">Crochet Radish</a></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.aplayfulstitch.com/2023/12/crochet-radish.html" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="2432" data-original-width="2432" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiLCqXxtvhbI0L8-QIJ_1R0VdfqHv8B8nNK9nACAlsjB09cyOhbw2IFh3wo5YYgKzCEpowNfj1v1UKtmKvNMkWi3SaD4wXLSDbVTqTuZjm7w0ojSgaiVJ55CD48z3vedAb8rlGEjM8Q64oTDLfzLF_tl_18cw9SpZfCOLPAOuFFPcc62ABnKuvmcPVjVc/w640-h640/Crochet%20Radish.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p><a href="https://www.aplayfulstitch.com/2023/12/fabric-reusable-crackers.html" target="_blank">Reusable Fabric Christmas Crackers</a></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.aplayfulstitch.com/2023/12/fabric-reusable-crackers.html" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="2799" data-original-width="2799" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkPe8HmDncaxGt8BbhHbBYarJwuQCBjgxWK6Abpf4Wl8laV7OpO4Qqg-7oWwhdPzpL0f8aZKhFdpfW_Y01kb-h4SOsP5ZlgfzsLpW68FOiDar5wdM8128Nox2k1BgE8WfqFOteGPczxiFfPXXxPfYO4akaUN43fSFLfO7T3yYz96CogMVFzNorhxYTG4Y/w640-h640/Fabric%20Christmas%20Crackers%204.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p><a href="https://www.aplayfulstitch.com/2023/12/felt-candy-cane-christmas-tree.html" target="_blank">Felt Candy Cane Christmas Tree Decoration</a></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.aplayfulstitch.com/2023/12/felt-candy-cane-christmas-tree.html" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="2568" data-original-width="2568" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqVC6l_9wIPqnIsziT2jWz3YLsOKpWUC7f3aplev2h7nqchkRG4vb74EtcAgWrWO9GvDCudlEHbLhjkOLZfjfvgJga5wnxk3O3XffrmttGksATn5U9X_Lg7An6M3nUWW6g27msiC7lxUmIqnYN4cRz06aYfVtTDmj0qO7vFymUL2T5FL9EebvyY40VDOg/w640-h640/Felt%20Candy%20Cane%20Ornament.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p><a href="https://www.aplayfulstitch.com/2023/12/air-dry-clay-christmas-tree-ornaments.html" target="_blank">Air Dry Clay Christmas Tree Decorations</a></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.aplayfulstitch.com/2023/12/air-dry-clay-christmas-tree-ornaments.html" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="2407" data-original-width="2407" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv8RgDUkkO9Z8W-CJ81AypqETB2VopU96JNW20YmpbV2vqrxb4NlydWCKYzK4skZv4xS4GpI7s-dzAA8Onhytna_jio-O_VoYlU7iwl9xxP3xKbWMP-u2sYbMeGtKbLdBazCihlSrWOXzSHwVD9Q6UQAq3j6Ilgp_t4HvEmNb4kLlX2uWCwYlgEXGGcLg/w640-h640/Air%20Dry%20Clay%20Christmas%20Ornaments.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p><a href="https://www.aplayfulstitch.com/2023/12/beaded-snowflake.html" target="_blank">Beaded Snowflake</a></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.aplayfulstitch.com/2023/12/beaded-snowflake.html" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="3000" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTypACkwRTFgIcKjB532pIHdZFtcoygZQDwG5AwzpOuZba-tEXJBjXpFGvUQFVX9VyqLCoZnw_EXblVJvgDjCWZGqBpCgiHfShBr5a5sucV4mAoBdKDhCUMAx6zpyzDp-sXmy7qri-6956Tfjjc8V2JuIWKrQJjoJOOqLShP8d5nyltj9UYKryNkgWCTY/w640-h640/Beaded%20Snowflake%201.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p>More creations than last year - so fingers crossed I can improve on that again this year! Interesting that the vast majority of things I've made have been Christmas related - the festive season must make my creative juices flow!</p><p>If you are interested, here are my consolidation posts from previous years:</p><div style="margin: 0px;"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><a href="http://dinkidots.blogspot.co.uk/2013/12/creation-consolidation-2013.html" target="_blank">2013</a></span></div><div style="margin: 0px;"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><a href="http://dinkidots.blogspot.co.uk/2015/01/creation-consolidation-2014.html" target="_blank">2014</a></span></div><div style="margin: 0px;"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><a href="http://dinkidots.blogspot.co.uk/2016/01/creation-consolidation-2015.html" target="_blank">2015</a></span></div><div style="margin: 0px;"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><a href="http://dinkidots.blogspot.co.uk/2017/01/creation-consolidation-2016.html" target="_blank">2016</a></span></div><div style="margin: 0px;"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><a href="http://dinkidots.blogspot.com/2018/01/creation-consolidation-2017.html" target="_blank">2017</a></span><br /><span face="Trebuchet MS, sans-serif"><a href="http://dinkidots.blogspot.com/2019/01/creation-consolidation-2018.html" target="_blank">2018</a></span></div><div style="margin: 0px;"><a href="http://www.aplayfulstitch.com/2020/01/creation-consolidation-2019.html" target="_blank">2019</a></div><div style="margin: 0px;"><a href="http://www.aplayfulstitch.com/2021/01/creation-consolidation-2020.html" target="_blank">2020</a></div><div style="margin: 0px;"><a href="http://www.aplayfulstitch.com/2022/01/creation-consolidation-2021.html" target="_blank">2021</a></div><div style="margin: 0px;"><a href="https://www.aplayfulstitch.com/2023/01/creation-consolidation-2022.html" target="_blank">2022</a></div><div style="margin: 0px;"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><br /></span></div><div><div style="margin: 0px;"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif">I didn't do a round-up for years before that, but you can see other finished items at the below links:</span></div></div><div><div style="margin: 0px;"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><br /></span></div></div><div><div style="margin: 0px;"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><a href="http://dinkidots.blogspot.co.uk/p/crochet.html" target="_blank">Crochet</a></span></div></div><div><div style="margin: 0px;"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><a href="http://dinkidots.blogspot.co.uk/p/knitting.html" target="_blank">Knitting</a></span></div><div style="margin: 0px;"><a href="http://dinkidots.blogspot.co.uk/p/sewing.html" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms", sans-serif;" target="_blank">Sewing</a></div></div><p><br /></p><p>Here's to a crafty 2024!</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Maria - A Playful Stitchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17811550069936710912noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9596933579669628.post-10493822507170582292023-12-31T10:10:00.001+00:002023-12-31T10:10:36.291+00:00Beaded Snowflake<p>I didn't expect to finish anything else this year, but I'm sneaking in with one last post of 2023!</p><p>My lovely friend Anna gave me a kit for a beaded snowflake for Christmas, from <a href="https://www.katiealdreddesigns.co.uk/" target="_blank">Katie Aldred Designs</a>.</p><p>Usually it takes me forever to get anything made these days - but I made this up in record time!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqcjUVdUuPYKFE0vCKJOONaSq1iw-zQBKcNKwaOUxb7onNNQGoqvdv8zRmjbAj_p7ODTOjDNw2djIsCyiQTXDuJobLU898x3VW3Z39tcLHzll4SR3ygHRIu5VU3P8dOzssJ8aKjkt9nw5nX0LpTxB-QaG2_EwBiVxxQpi4sxsazInj9_exa29PGEeFr2g/s2644/Beaded%20Snowflake%202.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Beaded snowflake" border="0" data-original-height="2644" data-original-width="2644" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqcjUVdUuPYKFE0vCKJOONaSq1iw-zQBKcNKwaOUxb7onNNQGoqvdv8zRmjbAj_p7ODTOjDNw2djIsCyiQTXDuJobLU898x3VW3Z39tcLHzll4SR3ygHRIu5VU3P8dOzssJ8aKjkt9nw5nX0LpTxB-QaG2_EwBiVxxQpi4sxsazInj9_exa29PGEeFr2g/w640-h640/Beaded%20Snowflake%202.jpg" title="Beaded snowflake" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p>The kit comes with the snowflake shape already made out of sturdy metal wire. You then have bags of beads to arrange onto the wires. Once finished, you turn the ends of the wires over with round nose pliers to keep the beads on.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN0cCPh3xyd2fpT95t0O7ZMYIHIC6VxJIu5sRclfOHI4d7nODe9om7ztALXN4Q0E7TmBCSKdA9_bd-rAX94haLPnjcfDOTw0LpIXuNhyphenhyphene48v4qO2JXh0BR1Kd5YkV1LSmeXviXzCmcxks6_31hfRiE0hVVrG5y6EawLs5rp_qEReQjWum9uTWtTUrND3o/s3000/Beaded%20Snowflake%201.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Beaded snowflake" border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="3000" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN0cCPh3xyd2fpT95t0O7ZMYIHIC6VxJIu5sRclfOHI4d7nODe9om7ztALXN4Q0E7TmBCSKdA9_bd-rAX94haLPnjcfDOTw0LpIXuNhyphenhyphene48v4qO2JXh0BR1Kd5YkV1LSmeXviXzCmcxks6_31hfRiE0hVVrG5y6EawLs5rp_qEReQjWum9uTWtTUrND3o/w640-h640/Beaded%20Snowflake%201.jpg" title="Beaded snowflake" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p>It was a very satisfying make and looks so pretty!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw4k6k4ZLiGquUh9uLrKgtDtEP8x-rcYdCfGHn3r6idw4DcF1uZ1K_u7b4pFjBQ34Ia2Y7dirvoq4qKQRi-VWUvjnFNOFTjKFCy0PJURyS5Rb7OdrWg7yIMxBhmcaNFCRP7bWtxKJm9cx_yCAziYp7q5QfmGW8L4PGh8mdGkibKIq-CwM6eaUcrxJN2AI/s2903/Beaded%20Snowflake%203.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Beaded snowflake" border="0" data-original-height="2903" data-original-width="2903" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw4k6k4ZLiGquUh9uLrKgtDtEP8x-rcYdCfGHn3r6idw4DcF1uZ1K_u7b4pFjBQ34Ia2Y7dirvoq4qKQRi-VWUvjnFNOFTjKFCy0PJURyS5Rb7OdrWg7yIMxBhmcaNFCRP7bWtxKJm9cx_yCAziYp7q5QfmGW8L4PGh8mdGkibKIq-CwM6eaUcrxJN2AI/w640-h640/Beaded%20Snowflake%203.jpg" title="Beaded snowflake" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p>It was quite hard to capture on the tree, but the above gives the idea!</p><p>Happy New Year for tomorrow! We will not be staying up for midnight tonight - we have two small children who wake us up at night and get up early in the morning, so we need every wink of sleep we can get!</p><p>I'm hoping that 2024 will be a more creative year, with more makes to post about. Although I've ended this year well with a flurry of creations!</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Maria - A Playful Stitchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17811550069936710912noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9596933579669628.post-82307740054242499292023-12-27T09:01:00.003+00:002023-12-27T09:01:38.544+00:00Air Dry Clay Christmas Tree OrnamentsI made some Christmas biscuits with the kids the other week, and I used a couple of the Christmas cutters to try cutting out shapes from air dry clay. The clay I used was from a <a href="https://sculpd.co.uk/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=paid&utm_campaign=15379533335&utm_content=132758832360&utm_term=sculpd&gadid=616024435803&gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAiAs6-sBhBmEiwA1Nl8syILQyQa_aO7kL3O6PZQVm6qJQCWPgStEWFR8IMnuBKJplm4ZPXT0RoCUIIQAvD_BwE" target="_blank">Sculpd</a> kit.<div><br /></div><div>I made holes in the top of each and let them dry, then painted them with white acrylic paint (that came with the clay).</div><div><br /></div><div>I then decorated them with Posca pens and varnished with the varnish that came with the clay. I did all this over a couple of weeks, as I let things dry and also fitted it in around general hectic life!</div><div><br /></div><div>I made a snowman...</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1pib7RKOBH68e9XCp31zbvxbX-kh9QdskhLYfnMwsxy2AEBqYOvv-6U24c0c_UaTVBZxHltVL3rwHuBs1VcOC3kjjK53M9qb0eoXbXnQCi3FBkGpHoOAU-rWRQEUqhcdzebbKt_Bx2iC1aSvpNCtasV86Bc4Ds-gn2OMqG9Iq_-rvKNCsmxVW1qCMcMo/s2644/Air%20Dry%20Clay%20Snowman%20Christmas%20Ornament.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Air Dry Clay Snowman ornament" border="0" data-original-height="2644" data-original-width="2644" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1pib7RKOBH68e9XCp31zbvxbX-kh9QdskhLYfnMwsxy2AEBqYOvv-6U24c0c_UaTVBZxHltVL3rwHuBs1VcOC3kjjK53M9qb0eoXbXnQCi3FBkGpHoOAU-rWRQEUqhcdzebbKt_Bx2iC1aSvpNCtasV86Bc4Ds-gn2OMqG9Iq_-rvKNCsmxVW1qCMcMo/w640-h640/Air%20Dry%20Clay%20Snowman%20Christmas%20Ornament.jpg" title="Air Dry Clay Snowman ornament" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>And a Christmas tree...</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXW-Dy3t7QLwYDiQj_vUAXTxqp5aD26RRnu98IkkYEXdxktDPANOyVH27u2xk_WAuf0n7OERCKZ-6YVXh1JixJOcK8XtfRGlGdPH9OC5idk47xrXCNZFZAePG1-fzpp33mSJLihlnjnZM-pTPTBqcnzh-nkeRiWPTO3x5Mx9meSnvakgwk8V8eMkJ7M48/s2276/Air%20Dry%20Clay%20Christmas%20Tree%20Christmas%20Ornament.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Air dry clay Christmas tree ornament" border="0" data-original-height="2276" data-original-width="2276" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXW-Dy3t7QLwYDiQj_vUAXTxqp5aD26RRnu98IkkYEXdxktDPANOyVH27u2xk_WAuf0n7OERCKZ-6YVXh1JixJOcK8XtfRGlGdPH9OC5idk47xrXCNZFZAePG1-fzpp33mSJLihlnjnZM-pTPTBqcnzh-nkeRiWPTO3x5Mx9meSnvakgwk8V8eMkJ7M48/w640-h640/Air%20Dry%20Clay%20Christmas%20Tree%20Christmas%20Ornament.jpg" title="Air dry clay Christmas tree ornament" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div>I'm really pleased with them - I think they look really cute!<div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWrHqq4h-PUJ8_ex6k6dXjfBwHm-3C2KRT42H4MAvjRP3x_HWAgKlNuaBusLfcbqwdHL3Gy0jVqrfs-RTyVtO4KrOuPamotIgRLjzJe0vQkf2EDfh7TRsmQX2rQlZhyz0ptgAisy28y7omhMWcceF1sWZ3qCG25rve1bj02rr5foSznRWmVQ5FUyOBBqY/s2407/Air%20Dry%20Clay%20Christmas%20Ornaments.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Air dry clay Christmas Tree ornaments" border="0" data-original-height="2407" data-original-width="2407" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWrHqq4h-PUJ8_ex6k6dXjfBwHm-3C2KRT42H4MAvjRP3x_HWAgKlNuaBusLfcbqwdHL3Gy0jVqrfs-RTyVtO4KrOuPamotIgRLjzJe0vQkf2EDfh7TRsmQX2rQlZhyz0ptgAisy28y7omhMWcceF1sWZ3qCG25rve1bj02rr5foSznRWmVQ5FUyOBBqY/w640-h640/Air%20Dry%20Clay%20Christmas%20Ornaments.jpg" title="Air dry clay Christmas Tree ornaments" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div>The handmade decorations on my Christmas tree are really increasing in number!</div><div><br /></div><div><br /><div><br /></div></div>Maria - A Playful Stitchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17811550069936710912noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9596933579669628.post-2177328494775838032023-12-24T08:55:00.002+00:002023-12-24T08:55:18.366+00:00Felt Candy Cane Christmas Tree Decoration<p>If you have been following for a while, you'll know I started a tradition in 2018 of making a felt Christmas tree decoration every year.</p><p>This year I have made a candy cane!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK7-4k969tGLkV9FnnNwyfdfGLELWawKb0sOdLhPoPwoRVHF0ssaQeWirFeEV9bCrCSQ_uLBx7_wxPb7m-YuwRyFXKRKd235axPxGpuLb7Q-0e9FafSKzCu7vHmtPipXaJpgf3Q41VOO2kAWiwQ47m5eC83ggn1QosUUeuaW0spWfyWfioePTHvm07IdA/s2568/Felt%20Candy%20Cane%20Ornament.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Felt Candy Cane" border="0" data-original-height="2568" data-original-width="2568" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK7-4k969tGLkV9FnnNwyfdfGLELWawKb0sOdLhPoPwoRVHF0ssaQeWirFeEV9bCrCSQ_uLBx7_wxPb7m-YuwRyFXKRKd235axPxGpuLb7Q-0e9FafSKzCu7vHmtPipXaJpgf3Q41VOO2kAWiwQ47m5eC83ggn1QosUUeuaW0spWfyWfioePTHvm07IdA/w640-h640/Felt%20Candy%20Cane%20Ornament.jpg" title="Felt Candy Cane" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p>As always, I embroidered the year on the back.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsbJxJE0VMZcr7HaAntCIMoyYwHIRdMA9KOva03MeE93qjBa4sCfpXH5LNJJbfXjhaVDLZdlfJz-wulWToMcaonMwbxdReGURbTVAvquHbO5xKiUuu3dbmPdZ5wtXgfbXAfwMR_kBjwRnIvMTbrkZ06biByBRsCRTyFQ7E0fBmfCITZGpLtdOYGx-eymQ/s3000/Felt%20Candy%20Cane%20Ornament%20Back.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Felt Candy Cane" border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="3000" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsbJxJE0VMZcr7HaAntCIMoyYwHIRdMA9KOva03MeE93qjBa4sCfpXH5LNJJbfXjhaVDLZdlfJz-wulWToMcaonMwbxdReGURbTVAvquHbO5xKiUuu3dbmPdZ5wtXgfbXAfwMR_kBjwRnIvMTbrkZ06biByBRsCRTyFQ7E0fBmfCITZGpLtdOYGx-eymQ/w640-h640/Felt%20Candy%20Cane%20Ornament%20Back.jpg" title="Felt Candy Cane" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p>This year I used a brilliant free pattern by <a href="https://www.whatacurlylife.com/products/copy-of-advent-calendar-candycane?_pos=17&_fid=c83092403&_ss=c" target="_blank">What a Curly Life</a>. I omitted the holly, as I had a simple candy cane in mind. I also didn't use whip stitch - instead using running stitch to sew the red stripes on, and blanket stitch around the candy cane. This was just to tie in with how I'd made the rest of my decorations.</p><p>Here they all are together!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6mYJxBPpZtrNPtcn8kDK6ox2FMEJR9-ofzfeb-cTytwV6e0asfmBp_pHyBB8DV79nxTbyKd-pOBFtJbsHSatHsFNpB8EO-aeBawsT-kbV5zMZ1-qvzSdjJ4qswLa4KuY-LXwMEnXtCZLz-u_niW2J1TLjrSGH-4owkoW96K8Lt9w_M9z5V9b7Ya_6ODU/s2705/Felt%20Christmas%20Ornaments.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Felt Christmas tree ornaments" border="0" data-original-height="2705" data-original-width="2705" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6mYJxBPpZtrNPtcn8kDK6ox2FMEJR9-ofzfeb-cTytwV6e0asfmBp_pHyBB8DV79nxTbyKd-pOBFtJbsHSatHsFNpB8EO-aeBawsT-kbV5zMZ1-qvzSdjJ4qswLa4KuY-LXwMEnXtCZLz-u_niW2J1TLjrSGH-4owkoW96K8Lt9w_M9z5V9b7Ya_6ODU/w640-h640/Felt%20Christmas%20Ornaments.jpg" title="Felt Christmas tree ornaments" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p>You can see my posts on the other decorations as follows... <a href="http://www.aplayfulstitch.com/2018/12/felt-star-christmas-decoration.html" target="_blank">2018 Star</a>, <a href="http://www.aplayfulstitch.com/2019/12/felt-mouse-christmas-tree-decoration.html" target="_blank">2019 Mouse in Stocking</a>, <a href="https://www.aplayfulstitch.com/2020/12/felt-pastel-christmas-pudding-decoration.html" target="_blank">2020 Pudding</a>, <a href="http://www.aplayfulstitch.com/2021/12/felt-penguin-christmas-tree-decoration.html" target="_blank">2021 Penguin</a>, <a href="http://www.aplayfulstitch.com/2022/12/felt-gingerbread-man-christmas-tree.html" target="_blank">2022 Gingerbread Man</a>.</p><p>They are starting to become the theme of the Christmas tree now there are so many of them!</p><p>Merry Christmas!</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Maria - A Playful Stitchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17811550069936710912noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9596933579669628.post-45446674067587475152023-12-23T10:27:00.000+00:002023-12-23T10:27:06.738+00:00Crochet Radish<p> I suddenly realised today that I didn't share the radish I crocheted in the summer!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0j4XruxSGSb5O4AtfUUAJVy0D1SQusCerqcVkUZMWBcaum0AbRWPyB3aFhqZMRFeYb7Nkaq0qY0dHx7Mh7fsOewx1DzJ38mYNYSc7SbHjl1h-e7hKB0W5iHGR0LHXlgm8GM0LqXPbugLDdNrvvMMia4ADb4UWd5F8y5nP3zUmVbqVJw6WBjDpILHUkws/s2432/Crochet%20Radish.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Crochet Radish" border="0" data-original-height="2432" data-original-width="2432" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0j4XruxSGSb5O4AtfUUAJVy0D1SQusCerqcVkUZMWBcaum0AbRWPyB3aFhqZMRFeYb7Nkaq0qY0dHx7Mh7fsOewx1DzJ38mYNYSc7SbHjl1h-e7hKB0W5iHGR0LHXlgm8GM0LqXPbugLDdNrvvMMia4ADb4UWd5F8y5nP3zUmVbqVJw6WBjDpILHUkws/w640-h640/Crochet%20Radish.jpg" title="Crochet Radish" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p>I used scraps of cotton yarn I had and a pattern from this <a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00XZDIERK/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1634&creative=6738&creativeASIN=B00XZDIERK&linkCode=as2&tag=talesfromahap-21&linkId=1e0607a2f86dbcc2d61d4e6affcf18dc" target="_blank">ebook</a>. It is the third crochet fruit/vegetable I have made from that book. Here they all are together!</p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK6L8K9uj7Hn32eD98B8KvEarFZ_TcWg1iwBKqOS8ypC-_sgZ5FnvVF_VTtPthC77MsZN_lI3WOUuuJO-UfJN49dx5yDNpUOPjr4a77Fd4ozA9CJf0G3zcYPJ9xXqINX4hdmn5miU4S0rS1Gb0BR69GMnUqNJctBB4ZzDqLh390j8bUEojKlTe6QS7PQg/s2756/Crochet%20Vegetables.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Crochet vegetables" border="0" data-original-height="2756" data-original-width="2756" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK6L8K9uj7Hn32eD98B8KvEarFZ_TcWg1iwBKqOS8ypC-_sgZ5FnvVF_VTtPthC77MsZN_lI3WOUuuJO-UfJN49dx5yDNpUOPjr4a77Fd4ozA9CJf0G3zcYPJ9xXqINX4hdmn5miU4S0rS1Gb0BR69GMnUqNJctBB4ZzDqLh390j8bUEojKlTe6QS7PQg/w640-h640/Crochet%20Vegetables.jpg" title="Crochet vegetables" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p>I really need to make more - my daughter keeps requesting a blueberry! I'm not sure there are any in that book - I'll have to check!</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Maria - A Playful Stitchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17811550069936710912noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9596933579669628.post-2617259630745639662023-12-19T14:44:00.000+00:002023-12-19T14:44:04.425+00:00Fabric Reusable CrackersI'm so pleased with this creation! I was inspired by <a href="https://happycrackers.co.uk/" target="_blank">Happy Crackers</a> to make my own versions!<div><br /></div><div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrZEhZICe9anI06IZuwH5nnU48KdzFkaqx5EJ-IokcSltuIvHXnZnw-Ucyz1pdrugsZb-41lqsoKoT2GAGpGqeYyZvTR4P8cGdAdR_kvX-hXmvqKU_f_KpVtpgTqfIr-r4mWopK4JRxnuFrhjbGtC1eEAk2meZxBsXu2ctwH2TTkszaH_q-OOGYPUOMbo/s2779/Fabric%20Christmas%20Crackers%201.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Reusable Fabric Crackers" border="0" data-original-height="2779" data-original-width="2779" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrZEhZICe9anI06IZuwH5nnU48KdzFkaqx5EJ-IokcSltuIvHXnZnw-Ucyz1pdrugsZb-41lqsoKoT2GAGpGqeYyZvTR4P8cGdAdR_kvX-hXmvqKU_f_KpVtpgTqfIr-r4mWopK4JRxnuFrhjbGtC1eEAk2meZxBsXu2ctwH2TTkszaH_q-OOGYPUOMbo/w640-h640/Fabric%20Christmas%20Crackers%201.jpg" title="Reusable Fabric Crackers" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>I bought some cardboard tube containers with lids to fill with cracker goodies and form the middle of the crackers.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgierc0kVrslHMqTySjC4gXzSZuIrN-QTS_2PrfHSwbkVJxwlGPu5gM5WvgCAeDvEaQzIG5uhWalNuj9LIS5KpTWDci5dEH86l5ysqPuFI_qLcQ6xc2oBmq-fogdzsMZ144fjsYn8xGv2yAcRgnSWXocnjf_gWOogU6ZxXvV-mxi3upWu5AFHlJdURcrEk/s2747/Fabric%20Christmas%20Crackers%202.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Reusable Fabric Crackers" border="0" data-original-height="2747" data-original-width="2747" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgierc0kVrslHMqTySjC4gXzSZuIrN-QTS_2PrfHSwbkVJxwlGPu5gM5WvgCAeDvEaQzIG5uhWalNuj9LIS5KpTWDci5dEH86l5ysqPuFI_qLcQ6xc2oBmq-fogdzsMZ144fjsYn8xGv2yAcRgnSWXocnjf_gWOogU6ZxXvV-mxi3upWu5AFHlJdURcrEk/w640-h640/Fabric%20Christmas%20Crackers%202.jpg" title="Reusable Fabric Crackers" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div>I then made lined fabric rectangles with ribbon trims to wrap around the crackers.</div></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH-nkfhadfK2yFkTORQfB_vfTVipvyoMburQTZILz7b-0Lhg5ni7gvYBnqtjmPstS1AiS_F65YsvexShtj3FGDN8AzNpqQ8HUYI9EXbfO67mZ_oa3YDgjKG5GsLtxxvOMRj-Pj8vqqqqTyPpDf_hyphenhyphenTmubekX9f5VPa_w0VoDbw7c_2ubj7H1hOHdJPggs/s2851/Fabric%20Christmas%20Crackers%203.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Reusable Fabric Crackers" border="0" data-original-height="2851" data-original-width="2851" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH-nkfhadfK2yFkTORQfB_vfTVipvyoMburQTZILz7b-0Lhg5ni7gvYBnqtjmPstS1AiS_F65YsvexShtj3FGDN8AzNpqQ8HUYI9EXbfO67mZ_oa3YDgjKG5GsLtxxvOMRj-Pj8vqqqqTyPpDf_hyphenhyphenTmubekX9f5VPa_w0VoDbw7c_2ubj7H1hOHdJPggs/w640-h640/Fabric%20Christmas%20Crackers%203.jpg" title="Reusable Fabric Crackers" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div>And tied them all with big thick bows!</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiagZR88-KUeMD-OxplrhdG-cO2gbZBwCngvJM4YViMT6y49wxohRc-ZxeA8IY5V4NQ7bwr5oq1srhjfXrpwPHu7Vefr9Ff3e1HybWQw_9s4_NKtfvxfO-lPsBAGXFOcVaRFN3B9ScSC58xVLKYg9EdIUpEUv81qB5Jq5lLTPTbEuXh4ucVjZMpiD0wNmQ/s2452/Fabric%20Christmas%20Crackers%205.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Reusable Fabric Crackers" border="0" data-original-height="2452" data-original-width="2452" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiagZR88-KUeMD-OxplrhdG-cO2gbZBwCngvJM4YViMT6y49wxohRc-ZxeA8IY5V4NQ7bwr5oq1srhjfXrpwPHu7Vefr9Ff3e1HybWQw_9s4_NKtfvxfO-lPsBAGXFOcVaRFN3B9ScSC58xVLKYg9EdIUpEUv81qB5Jq5lLTPTbEuXh4ucVjZMpiD0wNmQ/w640-h640/Fabric%20Christmas%20Crackers%205.jpg" title="Reusable Fabric Crackers" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div>The measurements I used were:</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Lining and Main Fabric</b> - 45cm long x 27cm wide.</div><div><br /></div><div>You could go a bit wider, but I was limited by the size of the fabric I had. After sewing on the ribbon trim, I sewed the lining and main fabric together (right sides together) with a half inch seam allowance at the top and bottom, and a 1cm seam allowance down the sides (to get a bit more width out of the fabric). (Yes, switching wildly between imperial and metric measurements!!) I left a gap for turning the right way round, pressed and sewed the gap by hand.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Ribbons</b> - 1cm and 2.5cm satin ribbons.</div><div><br /></div><div>I sewed one length of 1cm ribbon 1 inch down from the top then left a 0.5cm gap then sewed another length of 1cm ribbon. I did this at the top and the bottom on the main fabric, before I sewed it to the lining.</div><div><br /></div><div>I used the 2.5cm ribbon to tie bows at the top and bottom, once the fabric rectangle was wrapped around the inner tube container. (I think my ribbon was 85cm long for the bows - I don't want to untie them to check!)</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp1Q2YAOfStMoewiI6JBexI5mX7KQ0bv6kTSumd4PLGWzFWRnvzHaUqKVY5J9RQvZNdECIssQ71l_buekXgpPOdRrYCbQPO8u0L_U1MudJcA1Y2hUNJ2W1f1oTejXy7Rtz-X3rukm7LVD3GcGf6qkh7LLUCWne-XwsorOG15L26OVdi-y9umfWScof4R0/s2799/Fabric%20Christmas%20Crackers%204.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Reusable Fabric Crackers" border="0" data-original-height="2799" data-original-width="2799" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp1Q2YAOfStMoewiI6JBexI5mX7KQ0bv6kTSumd4PLGWzFWRnvzHaUqKVY5J9RQvZNdECIssQ71l_buekXgpPOdRrYCbQPO8u0L_U1MudJcA1Y2hUNJ2W1f1oTejXy7Rtz-X3rukm7LVD3GcGf6qkh7LLUCWne-XwsorOG15L26OVdi-y9umfWScof4R0/w640-h640/Fabric%20Christmas%20Crackers%204.jpg" title="Reusable Fabric Crackers" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div>Inside I have put cracker jokes I printed out, small gifts, a chocolate and a party popper! You open the cracker by unwrapping rather than pulling, so you can't use a cracker snap. Therefore the party poppers provide the bang element!</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiLMRaFNoXDGlYNSO_jKNARsM-p0p0MEtJXg7mx6I9JFAaH-Rf0ZXRvr1kv0ov1DRTzqq_GZIQVAGOKEUOy38EQrvOAxjush02ShBLoG9vWDtUqL8jOFnQ9fA__4-5VButITuxBF4XeEXLAGohz7KMiSFfzPMzR5wMqCs_qwTeGVvdjRqgMf9yf_XD604/s3000/Fabric%20Christmas%20Crackers%206.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Reusable Fabric Crackers" border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="3000" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiLMRaFNoXDGlYNSO_jKNARsM-p0p0MEtJXg7mx6I9JFAaH-Rf0ZXRvr1kv0ov1DRTzqq_GZIQVAGOKEUOy38EQrvOAxjush02ShBLoG9vWDtUqL8jOFnQ9fA__4-5VButITuxBF4XeEXLAGohz7KMiSFfzPMzR5wMqCs_qwTeGVvdjRqgMf9yf_XD604/w640-h640/Fabric%20Christmas%20Crackers%206.jpg" title="Reusable Fabric Crackers" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div>I hope you like them - I love them! Let me know what you think!</div><div><br /></div><div>Merry Christmas!</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Maria - A Playful Stitchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17811550069936710912noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9596933579669628.post-72357104949726035212023-09-17T21:09:00.000+01:002023-09-17T21:09:13.276+01:00Cricut Names for Kids' Chairs<p>Hi! Well, it's certainly been longer than I planned, as my last post was in January!</p><p>Sorry for the delay in posting again - as I keep saying, life with two small children doesn't leave much time for crafting - especially actually finishing anything!</p><p>But back in March (it's taken me this long to post about it!) I did use my Cricut Joy to make some sparkly names to go on my children's little chairs...</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwsWxDwdEhT2SaVtLQyx9CzPoQwdovK6VbbOkfqdQzu3pLFJYsD-4apQ8tTTcTmde7n36hSfHd6-3VCOsoUhbCKOqAPOyLTeAdcBjuLmLRLdP7sygYtqjuaCW0fuM1KHbYnUBd20eEMXJL12ufSCrZ2eF2ZWYEfHNI_5-rcyRWolMMBDsnri1Io0DS3T0/s2894/Cricut%20Labels%20for%20Kids%20Chairs.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Cricut Names for Kids Chairs" border="0" data-original-height="2893" data-original-width="2894" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwsWxDwdEhT2SaVtLQyx9CzPoQwdovK6VbbOkfqdQzu3pLFJYsD-4apQ8tTTcTmde7n36hSfHd6-3VCOsoUhbCKOqAPOyLTeAdcBjuLmLRLdP7sygYtqjuaCW0fuM1KHbYnUBd20eEMXJL12ufSCrZ2eF2ZWYEfHNI_5-rcyRWolMMBDsnri1Io0DS3T0/w640-h640/Cricut%20Labels%20for%20Kids%20Chairs.jpg" title="Cricut Names for Kids Chairs" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p>The chairs were from Ikea - the <a href="https://www.ikea.com/gb/en/p/sundvik-childrens-chair-white-60196358/" target="_blank">Sundvik</a>. I used Cricut Joy Permanent Smart Shimmr Vinyl in Pink...</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh19HdhGNHhcpxR8ScznSTfPT3WSox3dD6VHffFoExD7Stq3nNepimt28aehmMj2iP8QE1Ke6mwt8moAGpSZMDtpcyB_5ffxGv_kAQWo23VZwqFeHMGQteCxTp6JBWfUaRJNfTXPkEdHVRnD5OcUgSyYNYH6MGly8vKazRgEA52sXPypvleuzq7exMhAK8/s2944/Cricut%20Labels%20for%20Kids%20Chairs%201.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Cricut Names for Kids Chairs" border="0" data-original-height="2944" data-original-width="2943" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh19HdhGNHhcpxR8ScznSTfPT3WSox3dD6VHffFoExD7Stq3nNepimt28aehmMj2iP8QE1Ke6mwt8moAGpSZMDtpcyB_5ffxGv_kAQWo23VZwqFeHMGQteCxTp6JBWfUaRJNfTXPkEdHVRnD5OcUgSyYNYH6MGly8vKazRgEA52sXPypvleuzq7exMhAK8/w640-h640/Cricut%20Labels%20for%20Kids%20Chairs%201.jpg" title="Cricut Names for Kids Chairs" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p>... and light blue...</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7b9AyoTxqShDnhstKbwJdsdVZVmF0E33w59b9JjTZJPrmlWTjMutz2QPfDkQ9dUVqjr6VnRmQNW0HNSsdSsGpb9PpXe87EnqWWi2Ben-iLk-GpBmLEAAqZJagNA67p59Jwb6MPQsX0x8zSjq3Y-cjdPABGM2I9K-CJYgh6KCnDqidd7OVlgPhs9fy9O0/s2660/Cricut%20Labels%20for%20Kids%20Chairs%202.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Cricut Names for Kids Chairs" border="0" data-original-height="2660" data-original-width="2660" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7b9AyoTxqShDnhstKbwJdsdVZVmF0E33w59b9JjTZJPrmlWTjMutz2QPfDkQ9dUVqjr6VnRmQNW0HNSsdSsGpb9PpXe87EnqWWi2Ben-iLk-GpBmLEAAqZJagNA67p59Jwb6MPQsX0x8zSjq3Y-cjdPABGM2I9K-CJYgh6KCnDqidd7OVlgPhs9fy9O0/w640-h640/Cricut%20Labels%20for%20Kids%20Chairs%202.jpg" title="Cricut Names for Kids Chairs" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p>The font I used was Bauhaus 93.</p><p>They were well received by the children - especially Emily who recognises her name and loves a bit of shimmer/sparkle! (They're more shimmery in real life than they show here.)</p><p><br /></p><p>I hope to not leave it so long before my next post!</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Maria - A Playful Stitchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17811550069936710912noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9596933579669628.post-25149657123743972672023-01-30T11:58:00.000+00:002023-01-30T11:58:14.154+00:00Another Nordic Gnome<p> Hi! If you saw the little Nordic Gnome I made in <a href="http://www.aplayfulstitch.com/2023/01/nordic-gnome.html" target="_blank">this post</a>... you might know she was waiting for a little friend. Here he is!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrz0BVkBZMis7O3viHlyLKNhwveS6lNkibYX6mFmhBkbQWb9Zia8lZxI-l8xScZUBE7k-xLgCPUUUKEUawKlQBKCPVsTCOeVkKZxN03jnxatNglI4iqys80Bilq4oi8Ko-JQrzCzYF-IgQjv84hdaiqT7UKmx9hSJ_GsKJrNDonayJcl-VHhr765sh/s2048/Nordic%20Gnome%20Boy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Nordic Gnome Boy" border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2048" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrz0BVkBZMis7O3viHlyLKNhwveS6lNkibYX6mFmhBkbQWb9Zia8lZxI-l8xScZUBE7k-xLgCPUUUKEUawKlQBKCPVsTCOeVkKZxN03jnxatNglI4iqys80Bilq4oi8Ko-JQrzCzYF-IgQjv84hdaiqT7UKmx9hSJ_GsKJrNDonayJcl-VHhr765sh/w640-h640/Nordic%20Gnome%20Boy.jpg" title="Nordic Gnome Boy" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p>He was also part of the same kit. I'm glad I have finally completed both gnomes, as I've had the kit a few years. They are very cute and will be nice to take out each Christmas. If I get round to putting them away... I want to enjoy them for a bit first!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivtZN0NLBTNMxRiqRzvcIrG0DfKoYJyN7dNsX-GPtJgzo0yAn2iIXf4inK0KKzBiaU1Tb4B1Vi4ARv1AxId-ebptL_nn7vWYZ5YCI84bMho51ZjDSTop2Ywth2euh04jlAY2KY_ETLMEuE0tIGpCp_HRlyRFD8oRBHNQcqpBGAYLuGZtcaQe1S8KVu/s2048/Nordic%20Gnome%20Pair.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Nordic Gnome Pair" border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2048" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivtZN0NLBTNMxRiqRzvcIrG0DfKoYJyN7dNsX-GPtJgzo0yAn2iIXf4inK0KKzBiaU1Tb4B1Vi4ARv1AxId-ebptL_nn7vWYZ5YCI84bMho51ZjDSTop2Ywth2euh04jlAY2KY_ETLMEuE0tIGpCp_HRlyRFD8oRBHNQcqpBGAYLuGZtcaQe1S8KVu/w640-h640/Nordic%20Gnome%20Pair.jpg" title="Nordic Gnome Pair" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p>What do you think? A cute little pair?!</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Maria - A Playful Stitchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17811550069936710912noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9596933579669628.post-18219258770910351112023-01-22T21:13:00.000+00:002023-01-22T21:13:02.209+00:00My Current WIPs - January 2023<p>I really want to try to finish some WIPs (works in progress) that have been languishing for quite some time! There seem to be so many projects I start and never finish.</p><p>Here they all are - unless I've forgotten some!</p><p>The first three I posted about in a <a href="http://www.aplayfulstitch.com/2020/01/my-current-wips.html" target="_blank">previou WIP post</a> in January 2020 - three years ago! These are the three that are still outstanding from that post - really should finish them!! You can read my comments about them in that post.</p><p>Monsoon Stole</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTXCc3PwgyXDOL9CwPbb4SHcnTQTdbNiOZ708JChDh3uCn6qvYd7JrwOqR8Ge1HEHt2Exn1zY13LLlbiuJQDZ6W-L-uKD5JkCLHrMk0y30_TVOvXdJxHuMh1fQcYFn_qkn7AskAJcz10UNfQd6Jgvo9vUqY9_KUrngI3BfVvO6Hu1bsKb-8UyrrRRX/s2000/Monsoon%20Stole.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2000" data-original-width="2000" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTXCc3PwgyXDOL9CwPbb4SHcnTQTdbNiOZ708JChDh3uCn6qvYd7JrwOqR8Ge1HEHt2Exn1zY13LLlbiuJQDZ6W-L-uKD5JkCLHrMk0y30_TVOvXdJxHuMh1fQcYFn_qkn7AskAJcz10UNfQd6Jgvo9vUqY9_KUrngI3BfVvO6Hu1bsKb-8UyrrRRX/w640-h640/Monsoon%20Stole.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p>Beach Hut Scissor Keep</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcvIJa_XxrXEhrsOTw-wwJoyt0TZnbq6e-vR2EZmfQuhrbeEgE5YQzJBzaJOkBDhBax3nT8IzrfH735O3j8W4_0hqXdnUca-YWyRwzVA1vynbVh7wkfQ2ls-JYzYrV3qPCis5ExLmFYqZ8IZolUWZ_V4SQyJWodol20QttKe_OvQ60BuRG7ySEs-r1/s1080/Scissor%20Tidy.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcvIJa_XxrXEhrsOTw-wwJoyt0TZnbq6e-vR2EZmfQuhrbeEgE5YQzJBzaJOkBDhBax3nT8IzrfH735O3j8W4_0hqXdnUca-YWyRwzVA1vynbVh7wkfQ2ls-JYzYrV3qPCis5ExLmFYqZ8IZolUWZ_V4SQyJWodol20QttKe_OvQ60BuRG7ySEs-r1/w640-h640/Scissor%20Tidy.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p>Crochet Face Pads</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_LZOLfxU--irbBBLqbFPkUrLmmjgO5zVnN8E-HOd2JKnW7KHqgeB49AMvUzKcDiDAySE6UEAmRUHJCz6v5Juh0Sg1XvDzhGlsmzuX5sG0dSHlmUUZ7ryZJZrtyLsnG2w748FpRP8mt1slgCWNIVgrXRc6kGbR1beLItkB5GGzSdHppI76Eg5NmYTc/s2000/Crochet%20Face%20Pads.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2000" data-original-width="2000" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_LZOLfxU--irbBBLqbFPkUrLmmjgO5zVnN8E-HOd2JKnW7KHqgeB49AMvUzKcDiDAySE6UEAmRUHJCz6v5Juh0Sg1XvDzhGlsmzuX5sG0dSHlmUUZ7ryZJZrtyLsnG2w748FpRP8mt1slgCWNIVgrXRc6kGbR1beLItkB5GGzSdHppI76Eg5NmYTc/w640-h640/Crochet%20Face%20Pads.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p>Now onto ones started since that last WIP blog post...</p><p>Natica Cowl</p><p>You read more <a href="http://www.aplayfulstitch.com/2021/01/natica-cowl-work-in-progress.html" target="_blank">here</a>. I love this yarn and pattern, so need to get going with this again!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv-jT8A28Tw2xWBtmrWRGuSYLhCIaDCyBQWtdJ4Rs2A7Z9-f1j14JjcUqAFWJvW50WeEkmob3qEVOmwRfDmNHkR2XAsHNyRpbBanoCBGQMSjIc_7TczeKQ4PAKBw5oU0Ner0ReTRGMq5Ab2jCznnPzznk5dR3_ORcZ-xzrhgxdsbZV1tOJgsgxRSLU/s1729/Natica%20Cowl%20WIP%204%20(2).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1729" data-original-width="1728" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv-jT8A28Tw2xWBtmrWRGuSYLhCIaDCyBQWtdJ4Rs2A7Z9-f1j14JjcUqAFWJvW50WeEkmob3qEVOmwRfDmNHkR2XAsHNyRpbBanoCBGQMSjIc_7TczeKQ4PAKBw5oU0Ner0ReTRGMq5Ab2jCznnPzznk5dR3_ORcZ-xzrhgxdsbZV1tOJgsgxRSLU/w640-h640/Natica%20Cowl%20WIP%204%20(2).jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p>Lion Crochet Cushion</p><p>I started this not long before Max was born. It is supposed to be a lion cushion for his bedroom. I didn't have too much of a plan, but I would like to get it finished, as I think it could be quite cute!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheqlukmumQ5DcDMGrq3X0HCteomsae6Cd7xkc91KEAQDnStrHM6uGgJZdrGrSY6vl2O-QhqXql93jp4DCONm_PJPzbnhmew4iYImikz0tzTL5qeO6VqXAxMHsq28Iwmzs7j8IE9BYAgekTSCz6sLUoFK-3Ijisoxcbq6mxSuxSSqRfkReK6JLxPoDe/s2048/Lion%20Cushion%20WIP.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2048" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheqlukmumQ5DcDMGrq3X0HCteomsae6Cd7xkc91KEAQDnStrHM6uGgJZdrGrSY6vl2O-QhqXql93jp4DCONm_PJPzbnhmew4iYImikz0tzTL5qeO6VqXAxMHsq28Iwmzs7j8IE9BYAgekTSCz6sLUoFK-3Ijisoxcbq6mxSuxSSqRfkReK6JLxPoDe/w640-h640/Lion%20Cushion%20WIP.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p>Quilt</p><p>This one is quite exciting! I bought a new sewing machine last March and started sewing a quilt! I had a jelly roll of strips of coordinating fabric, and I started sewing them together in groups of three. I did the five you can see below, then stopped. It's hard to get the time with the children, but I really love the patterns and colours and would be so pleased to get this finished!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIAPaX3H1E0ZUofrF1ruOMck-4XTyAdMSRgv5nX7tfMpb_V3uwmYq0X87v-PK2TKE9Vqs6m8iL61nmuGk7NQ000WNOPhf4zeJemYTCHVRY9lHvypnLAlVFkMlR3cBGtBSri4_hp7xUxAYvNEfu98JywRr7eWuJePba3Euhtj6EFf6K3qUtINcdD6v0/s2048/Quilt%20WIP.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2048" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIAPaX3H1E0ZUofrF1ruOMck-4XTyAdMSRgv5nX7tfMpb_V3uwmYq0X87v-PK2TKE9Vqs6m8iL61nmuGk7NQ000WNOPhf4zeJemYTCHVRY9lHvypnLAlVFkMlR3cBGtBSri4_hp7xUxAYvNEfu98JywRr7eWuJePba3Euhtj6EFf6K3qUtINcdD6v0/w640-h640/Quilt%20WIP.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p>Notions Pouch</p><p>I bought the pattern to make this <a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/600228567/pattern-notions-pouch-pdf-sewing-pattern" target="_blank">notions pouch</a> by Indigo Bird Design and cut out my fabric ready to go - I just need to find time to sew it up! Below are my fabric choices...</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPcIuTBOfyq-ttSlTE-nVMCMhkTg6c0nfQm9QulkwXhqG_1pPimZ3pOlmtIzkn57HhvHowQvkF3IupYQlayim0NmXLnIo_hljXk8UfqQS-650KmKDK7U_oCSBOsZBU1DHyKDs_1JfuNX7VkacH1etJZVz1wp8nghFVLmrI6THPTktsqZtdBEzZW2-Y/s2048/Notions%20Pouch%20Fabric.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2048" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPcIuTBOfyq-ttSlTE-nVMCMhkTg6c0nfQm9QulkwXhqG_1pPimZ3pOlmtIzkn57HhvHowQvkF3IupYQlayim0NmXLnIo_hljXk8UfqQS-650KmKDK7U_oCSBOsZBU1DHyKDs_1JfuNX7VkacH1etJZVz1wp8nghFVLmrI6THPTktsqZtdBEzZW2-Y/w640-h640/Notions%20Pouch%20Fabric.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p>Pink Knitted Chartres Cardigan</p><p>Another exciting one - I've started knitting the <a href="https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/chartres-cardigan" target="_blank">Chartres Cardigan</a> by Ami Lowden. This will be my first knitted item of clothing, if I ever finish it! I really want to wear it, so need to get a move on!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_Kqc9LkWndLhhfMhHoPxP_bz95w1Ax3cyWZAEc2Bi8LTjiJ_XBGhs5N74Xhn381qCFw_e6bE4e1HvTriv63xllhduz12URbTpT5GCqs8ev3nOk_iSx14fPMSymERpZcazf2gJU0Bmly3aCGhfMJuyXCUpMBhPHwHA5htNXyn4FHNr8BAwQRTuOj09/s1817/Chartres%20Cardigan%20WIP.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1817" data-original-width="1817" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_Kqc9LkWndLhhfMhHoPxP_bz95w1Ax3cyWZAEc2Bi8LTjiJ_XBGhs5N74Xhn381qCFw_e6bE4e1HvTriv63xllhduz12URbTpT5GCqs8ev3nOk_iSx14fPMSymERpZcazf2gJU0Bmly3aCGhfMJuyXCUpMBhPHwHA5htNXyn4FHNr8BAwQRTuOj09/w640-h640/Chartres%20Cardigan%20WIP.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p>Lots of fun lovely projects! I really hope to get some of these finished this year. I will be sure to post about them when/if I do!</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Maria - A Playful Stitchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17811550069936710912noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9596933579669628.post-7930476210615447492023-01-15T21:42:00.003+00:002023-01-15T21:42:46.939+00:00Nordic Gnome<p> I am already doing better than this time last year, and have actually completed something already!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje0_WT4Bome4HTgpwwu4P2eYQV8ydNltL2_1lcqmA5Kms_k7cWa04swJNYvDGAF_fvBox3luTShG0qIB8a97B7puWADcT9PlyxUPKCWwjBQOR5D6YVZBIuu3M8UX8G9R2IBSTllE0P-uLx5bVSC2UFTQZmBRGd6M6O9SuwTTwsVyuENzkUliSXHeCg/s2048/Nordic%20Gnome.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2048" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje0_WT4Bome4HTgpwwu4P2eYQV8ydNltL2_1lcqmA5Kms_k7cWa04swJNYvDGAF_fvBox3luTShG0qIB8a97B7puWADcT9PlyxUPKCWwjBQOR5D6YVZBIuu3M8UX8G9R2IBSTllE0P-uLx5bVSC2UFTQZmBRGd6M6O9SuwTTwsVyuENzkUliSXHeCg/w640-h640/Nordic%20Gnome.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p>This cute little Nordic Gnome was from a kit my friend Anna gave me for Christmas a few years ago. I'm so pleased to have finally made her!</p><p>The kit comes with a little man-friend whom I have yet to make... I must get on with that and finish the pair. I'll be sure to update you if/when I do!</p><p><br /></p>Maria - A Playful Stitchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17811550069936710912noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9596933579669628.post-56494228251173164412023-01-06T07:33:00.001+00:002023-01-06T07:33:50.382+00:00Creation Consolidation - 2022!<p>Happy New Year - let's hope 2023 is a good one!</p><p>Well, 2022 was the year with the least crafting I've done since starting my blog over a decade ago! I really haven't done very well at managing two children, working part-time and fitting in crafting - I really hope to change that this year!</p><p>But here is what I did make... click the headings or the pictures to be taken to the relevant posts...</p><p><a href="http://www.aplayfulstitch.com/2022/11/cake-toppers-with-cricut-joy.html" target="_blank">Cake Toppers using the Cricut Joy</a></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.aplayfulstitch.com/2022/11/cake-toppers-with-cricut-joy.html" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="2183" data-original-width="1921" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEYpHs-Vv1ebkJ_b8Arh8uFusQhaaH2JliP4BuX2rWhEtKIMsttiVwHMj90BmNu4db3wVMlHi0Hg--eAspFU8ile9F-uzhsHNZoY7cTi7U1KKcrcvt6osRPNLqjg3k4QEVm3h-n9OEPHDJaRBT6Td9kRbdyH0DyfIrF-xs_7-CpMI3hdCMDKR2g8c6/w564-h640/Cricut%20Cake%20Toppers.jpg" width="564" /></a></div><br /><p><a href="http://www.aplayfulstitch.com/2022/12/crochet-penguin.html" target="_blank">Crochet Penguin</a></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.aplayfulstitch.com/2022/12/crochet-penguin.html" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2048" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5yL8zzJyifrdtMvUZRKgwYAHUTBQG04gpocR_FN2xEmzKeyWBmI2o4o25CN91K_iIYBDP27njAf4uw7PGMxSz5YPC8rafb2cDjKjt8isFJFkJFqM0hFgLLaB1GbAsTF00Jaxxq5ywz6TkNmlBpPAn2a3Av1YIMIPVG7MtAlH7W27Lsebq4hoxeYn-/w640-h640/Crochet%20Penguin.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p><a href="http://www.aplayfulstitch.com/2022/12/felt-gingerbread-man-christmas-tree.html" target="_blank">Felt Gingerbread Man Christmas Tree Decoration</a></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.aplayfulstitch.com/2022/12/felt-gingerbread-man-christmas-tree.html" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2048" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPfkbJ1CzXaHFiCr-x7PNVzVTIHvnU00sbPMofe_mLzM2VkakJs8X-mHIRvuAWlgIs1it1vjdu2oli0ebJCjxOJrcunHUdL-seTmj8VGrXsre6f6N_1OPrgpfKX8M7V6sTpY6HrXPHjJtx7QwPKG1-1TDlPiNYDh6UgFtDxtsXK6uYRTAPTP-sZc85/w640-h640/Felt%20Gingerbread%20Man.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p><a href="http://www.aplayfulstitch.com/2022/12/superhero-cape-with-cricut-joy.html" target="_blank">Superhero Cape</a></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.aplayfulstitch.com/2022/12/superhero-cape-with-cricut-joy.html" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="2364" data-original-width="1773" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSJ3xV3bW-rBBlx5Bwdr_PnYHusqy-tGMX4vahfrs9XPSa81s60vnJQW4qk2PtlY2yjmU2DO5jz3uSFf_EXxRV6uf79s3bIz7tTlBgjA-hKS1p9T57TG-gQFOr6HSaKDRQil938ChudHQHO3rIpN6pyDmOJEIl8X_t2ir_ONCbA-PUcqMxh_9_6ib5/w480-h640/Superhero%20Cape%20with%20Cricut%20Joy.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><p>I am really going to try to do more crafting (and blogging about it) this year. As well as enjoying creating, it makes me feel productive and like I've achieved something. I really need to fit it in somehow!</p><p><br /></p><p>If you are interested, here are my consolidation posts from previous years:</p><div style="margin: 0px;"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><br /></span><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><a href="http://dinkidots.blogspot.co.uk/2013/12/creation-consolidation-2013.html" target="_blank">2013</a></span></div><div style="margin: 0px;"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><a href="http://dinkidots.blogspot.co.uk/2015/01/creation-consolidation-2014.html" target="_blank">2014</a></span></div><div style="margin: 0px;"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><a href="http://dinkidots.blogspot.co.uk/2016/01/creation-consolidation-2015.html" target="_blank">2015</a></span></div><div style="margin: 0px;"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><a href="http://dinkidots.blogspot.co.uk/2017/01/creation-consolidation-2016.html" target="_blank">2016</a></span></div><div style="margin: 0px;"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><a href="http://dinkidots.blogspot.com/2018/01/creation-consolidation-2017.html" target="_blank">2017</a></span><br /><span face="Trebuchet MS, sans-serif"><a href="http://dinkidots.blogspot.com/2019/01/creation-consolidation-2018.html" target="_blank">2018</a></span></div><div style="margin: 0px;"><a href="http://www.aplayfulstitch.com/2020/01/creation-consolidation-2019.html" target="_blank">2019</a></div><div style="margin: 0px;"><a href="http://www.aplayfulstitch.com/2021/01/creation-consolidation-2020.html" target="_blank">2020</a></div><div style="margin: 0px;"><a href="http://www.aplayfulstitch.com/2022/01/creation-consolidation-2021.html" target="_blank">2021</a></div><div style="margin: 0px;"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><br /></span></div><div><div style="margin: 0px;"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif">I didn't do a round-up for years before that, but you can see other finished items at the below links:</span></div></div><div><div style="margin: 0px;"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><br /></span></div></div><div><div style="margin: 0px;"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><a href="http://dinkidots.blogspot.co.uk/p/crochet.html" target="_blank">Crochet</a></span></div></div><div><div style="margin: 0px;"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><a href="http://dinkidots.blogspot.co.uk/p/knitting.html" target="_blank">Knitting</a></span></div><div style="margin: 0px;"><a href="http://dinkidots.blogspot.co.uk/p/sewing.html" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms", sans-serif;" target="_blank">Sewing</a></div></div><div><br /></div><div>Wishing you all the best for 2023!</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Maria - A Playful Stitchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17811550069936710912noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9596933579669628.post-84560139684766205132022-12-31T07:32:00.000+00:002022-12-31T07:32:08.549+00:00Superhero Cape with Cricut Joy<p>Hello! My last post of the year, with something that I made Emily for Christmas! She had been using an old muslin as a superhero cape, so I decided to make her a nice one!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2BkCQ_iZ_HDhO48NCi0u4WSiT5PHYmoTix88t8KYehR5gqqdVifrv_Pml7uOwbguQJGdmkmz8TwOVMzmrSaRsihfz2kKvW6VZM9ZMYiRAcJe2wOGN9SXSwcqk_gQ0rTTPPphqIe55qqsKdabU-sZovAC57YxDT6INj4qW2VGHwlbIJDSKRr0NOSxP/s2364/Superhero%20Cape%20with%20Cricut%20Joy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Superhero Cape with Cricut Joy" border="0" data-original-height="2364" data-original-width="1773" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2BkCQ_iZ_HDhO48NCi0u4WSiT5PHYmoTix88t8KYehR5gqqdVifrv_Pml7uOwbguQJGdmkmz8TwOVMzmrSaRsihfz2kKvW6VZM9ZMYiRAcJe2wOGN9SXSwcqk_gQ0rTTPPphqIe55qqsKdabU-sZovAC57YxDT6INj4qW2VGHwlbIJDSKRr0NOSxP/w480-h640/Superhero%20Cape%20with%20Cricut%20Joy.jpg" title="Superhero Cape with Cricut Joy" width="480" /></a></div><p>It was made using things I already had in stash, which was satisfying. I used two pink cotton fat quarters - one for the front and one to line it. Emily is a big fan of pink, which is why I chose that colour! Some pink ribbon is used for the tie.</p><p>Then came the fun part...</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLu3fvU5vJXbEs4EkyB5qqFb6j9ULjWKWhPVrUXRaMuN8hGBHBqi4c8ASvSv4fbOyHwc0td72Ay2tOIknD1EPEbjelxM-ybaKzZTccXcRFK3rVw7zBFzCrnePeB0Szs93WBpcXaJGEKRWU4Q6ATmiYHW99L9Szi2LNHlVwn9UvOlSGGQrHGVWbpubp/s2162/Superhero%20Cape%20with%20Cricut%20Joy%202.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Superhero Cape with Cricut Joy" border="0" data-original-height="2162" data-original-width="1939" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLu3fvU5vJXbEs4EkyB5qqFb6j9ULjWKWhPVrUXRaMuN8hGBHBqi4c8ASvSv4fbOyHwc0td72Ay2tOIknD1EPEbjelxM-ybaKzZTccXcRFK3rVw7zBFzCrnePeB0Szs93WBpcXaJGEKRWU4Q6ATmiYHW99L9Szi2LNHlVwn9UvOlSGGQrHGVWbpubp/w574-h640/Superhero%20Cape%20with%20Cricut%20Joy%202.jpg" title="Superhero Cape with Cricut Joy" width="574" /></a></div><br /><p>I used the Cricut Joy to cut out SUPER EMILY, a lightning bolt, and some stars from smart glitter iron-on vinyl. I hadn't yet tried using iron-on vinyl, but it went very well - I love the result! It is so lovely and glittery in real-life too, but hard to capture the true sparkle on camera.</p><p>Emily seems happy with her cape!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfaF5NpAM1HH71YGhWgG3uu_83twRm-bTeigUtDbBIzO9eOCDIZ_42RNfNJTkRYUVV0zXUHZnOLH1wqr8lrVC0KKhGB9lNPz_OfLIccVNi0GIJ7eAZpeidcvkI5L1A7FIdhqkDXzMWmT4tNRkWHL3qbm5a3Dbjd_5sZKszwVzPM-vUC7lCH7jrhU_O/s2614/Superhero%20Cape%20with%20Cricut%20Joy%203.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Superhero Cape with Cricut Joy" border="0" data-original-height="2614" data-original-width="1604" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfaF5NpAM1HH71YGhWgG3uu_83twRm-bTeigUtDbBIzO9eOCDIZ_42RNfNJTkRYUVV0zXUHZnOLH1wqr8lrVC0KKhGB9lNPz_OfLIccVNi0GIJ7eAZpeidcvkI5L1A7FIdhqkDXzMWmT4tNRkWHL3qbm5a3Dbjd_5sZKszwVzPM-vUC7lCH7jrhU_O/w393-h640/Superhero%20Cape%20with%20Cricut%20Joy%203.jpg" title="Superhero Cape with Cricut Joy" width="393" /></a></div><br /><p>It feels lovely to give her presents that I have made myself!</p><p>Tomorrow is the start of 2023 - I hope that I will be back soon with a lot more crafty makes! 2022 was far too sparse on the creativity!</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Maria - A Playful Stitchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17811550069936710912noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9596933579669628.post-52118352436105820612022-12-25T07:35:00.002+00:002022-12-25T07:35:18.730+00:00Felt Gingerbread Man Christmas Tree Decoration<p>I have managed to complete another item, ready for Christmas! Each year since 2018, I make a felt ornament for the Christmas tree.</p><p>This year, I made a gingerbread man...</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaCu8zp8YiXKvao3PUuBdu6MB__NWC2U0dpDI7UeKz5Ri_9F7D938eoPMCt-ZbW7Uj4N-iN132RSQoopx8vH56QgNSEM0NtlIekqzrc6vrmDIZpYYVgkpRZF0y8_s_gQVQcRRDSfpEt2BaXfpmJzIo7jHfqI0A-QRSV_A-97BuVYspSRM0PybUhxKx/s2048/Felt%20Gingerbread%20Man.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Felt Gingerbread Man" border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2048" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaCu8zp8YiXKvao3PUuBdu6MB__NWC2U0dpDI7UeKz5Ri_9F7D938eoPMCt-ZbW7Uj4N-iN132RSQoopx8vH56QgNSEM0NtlIekqzrc6vrmDIZpYYVgkpRZF0y8_s_gQVQcRRDSfpEt2BaXfpmJzIo7jHfqI0A-QRSV_A-97BuVYspSRM0PybUhxKx/w640-h640/Felt%20Gingerbread%20Man.jpg" title="Felt Gingerbread Man" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p>I found him a bit of a pain to make, but I knew my daughter would love him as she does like a gingerbread man!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPjbfMoWOOnBupybbR15A1lQYxaS-n2GdJzYC3peoebP9OOqwVPyOJ3O2x9rOuhgK78DAC5QP0M3ZTweK7xuIrIqBJT2wYTbptPhguJIVxvKoYg7Nz__2QUtk-oEgO6CNi3TMKU-AVcJDuwrPWpfuF6mjD6DAwLdXzv14qG-mJ3UnsyrJJii0jO5zk/s2048/Felt%20Gingerbread%20Man%202.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Felt Gingerbread Man" border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2048" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPjbfMoWOOnBupybbR15A1lQYxaS-n2GdJzYC3peoebP9OOqwVPyOJ3O2x9rOuhgK78DAC5QP0M3ZTweK7xuIrIqBJT2wYTbptPhguJIVxvKoYg7Nz__2QUtk-oEgO6CNi3TMKU-AVcJDuwrPWpfuF6mjD6DAwLdXzv14qG-mJ3UnsyrJJii0jO5zk/w400-h400/Felt%20Gingerbread%20Man%202.jpg" title="Felt Gingerbread Man" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p>I embroider the year on the back.</p><p>Here is the collection I now have...</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnxYLb2puI6QobNxEuh58u7_nkMBuFetnh_LBuZErq2fKGfWV2QAMfVgKc3LoGFQ_mGOf9DfpBA1tw_Bxj4ITQ4ur2VtCsay6j_5P6L4vsGWv9CzOr327IIhfw6YoxgUuJPhgVtoztxkHqNut12uXGpzN-lTHWb_N4dI7RswZyh6XItR_x9py1j8Be/s2048/Felt%20Christmas%20Tree%20Decorations.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Felt Christmas Tree Decorations" border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2048" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnxYLb2puI6QobNxEuh58u7_nkMBuFetnh_LBuZErq2fKGfWV2QAMfVgKc3LoGFQ_mGOf9DfpBA1tw_Bxj4ITQ4ur2VtCsay6j_5P6L4vsGWv9CzOr327IIhfw6YoxgUuJPhgVtoztxkHqNut12uXGpzN-lTHWb_N4dI7RswZyh6XItR_x9py1j8Be/w640-h640/Felt%20Christmas%20Tree%20Decorations.jpg" title="Felt Christmas Tree Decorations" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p>It is actually Christmas morning as I type this, so Merry Christmas! My son woke up at 2.40am... it took me till nearly 4am to get him back to sleep and I have been awake since then, very annoyingly! I just couldn't for the life of me get back to sleep. It's now about 7.30am and I thought I'd get this post done as I wait for everyone to wake up and the festivities to begin!</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Maria - A Playful Stitchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17811550069936710912noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9596933579669628.post-84348342803584664672022-12-10T07:26:00.000+00:002022-12-10T07:26:42.308+00:00Crochet Penguin<p>I have finally finished a crochet project - I think it must be the first yarn related project I've finished since Max was born!</p><p>I did plan for this to be a birthday present for Emily, back in May. Well, that didn't work out and it wasn't completed by then, but I managed to finish it in time for her December box. It's a bit like a Christmas Eve box, but she gets it at the beginning of December with festive things in for the month!</p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3FGbgrPxuOf6H-_dyZHfLp5SpPwMpCG48-bv8joER4VZmnqVSnoTQp4KGh1fN0Ke_UCAaQjPs23uoRElJEZiLIK51eqY3tXdRf52DeCBc_ONpxlc5EUbkraW_8VnvV3ybmvR6tZ0elou4PAd5GfzzB5sBWvPvZtNdS4TNXL2ml70yLNf8scDO-jwM/s2048/Crochet%20Penguin.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Crochet Penguin" border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2048" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3FGbgrPxuOf6H-_dyZHfLp5SpPwMpCG48-bv8joER4VZmnqVSnoTQp4KGh1fN0Ke_UCAaQjPs23uoRElJEZiLIK51eqY3tXdRf52DeCBc_ONpxlc5EUbkraW_8VnvV3ybmvR6tZ0elou4PAd5GfzzB5sBWvPvZtNdS4TNXL2ml70yLNf8scDO-jwM/w640-h640/Crochet%20Penguin.jpg" title="Crochet Penguin" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p>I used the free pattern for <a href="https://www.madebypenguins.co.uk/products/brian-the-mbp-penguin?_pos=3&_sid=a256c7ae1&_ss=r" target="_blank">Brian the MBP Penguin</a>. The only thing I changed was to do one less round on the feet, as mine were coming up very big. Oh, and the blue "coat" of the penguin came out bigger than the white body - so I added stuffing at the back of the body to fill out the coat so that it fit snuggly when I sewed it on. I'm not sure why that happened - maybe something to do with my tension - but stuffing the gap did the trick and you wouldn't really know!</p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdj9KYRmsut4YyFowSVHdDiV3bWBTZVt--K0F-C98mkbXDbJ3uTiCG7HwfGW-mQF9TBrruQQZyzmrsVgRwa3G-ETFr_kAPaWKxXzhkDLvHNUcWIOx4UfhQvt4Fa4WqmGlV8JLy4S_VpIZc50gDaEi0Vx9PhF_8j6YlrY1upWJizWDz4VeTkhzB6L9z/s2048/Crochet%20Penguin%202%20(2).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Crochet Penguin" border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2048" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdj9KYRmsut4YyFowSVHdDiV3bWBTZVt--K0F-C98mkbXDbJ3uTiCG7HwfGW-mQF9TBrruQQZyzmrsVgRwa3G-ETFr_kAPaWKxXzhkDLvHNUcWIOx4UfhQvt4Fa4WqmGlV8JLy4S_VpIZc50gDaEi0Vx9PhF_8j6YlrY1upWJizWDz4VeTkhzB6L9z/w640-h640/Crochet%20Penguin%202%20(2).jpg" title="Crochet Penguin" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p>I think he's rather cute, and Emily is very happy with him which is lovely!</p><p>I hope to be back soon with more makes!</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Maria - A Playful Stitchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17811550069936710912noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9596933579669628.post-44343193206340445272022-11-30T21:03:00.001+00:002022-12-13T21:34:51.431+00:00Cake Toppers with the Cricut Joy<p>Goodness me - I've not posted since January, and it's now December tomorrow! This is by far the least I've ever blogged since starting my blog back in 2011!</p><p>It seems that having a second child has had a big impact on my crafting - it is so difficult to fit it in around working part-time and looking after the children, and being very tired from the lack of sleep I'm still suffering from!</p><p>But something I did make - back in May and June - were some cake toppers for Emily and Max's birthday cakes. I designed them in Cricut Design Space and cut them out of gold card with the Cricut Joy.</p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5T4kICKaBVtgWW94qhz3LwjMbdRG9Rl6kSWLM3vipjQN01TKRnv5DCFMgi34Zqzh3ReSVqu1PKJ4Dolf27nPcc620F50EZwhKceIH4kgBNXI0MTJN36ZPOXZ_Dyj6oWMCMZGbOfDasoX0OSDcbCyPDHlupM-KLJJ2S0UtRCIdWo4Yy-fqvc75u31o/s2183/Cricut%20Cake%20Toppers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Cricut Cake Toppers" border="0" data-original-height="2183" data-original-width="1921" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5T4kICKaBVtgWW94qhz3LwjMbdRG9Rl6kSWLM3vipjQN01TKRnv5DCFMgi34Zqzh3ReSVqu1PKJ4Dolf27nPcc620F50EZwhKceIH4kgBNXI0MTJN36ZPOXZ_Dyj6oWMCMZGbOfDasoX0OSDcbCyPDHlupM-KLJJ2S0UtRCIdWo4Yy-fqvc75u31o/w564-h640/Cricut%20Cake%20Toppers.jpg" title="Cricut Cake Toppers" width="564" /></a></div><br /><p>The shiny gold of the card shows better in the pictures below, on the cakes!</p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiICOQi-q-u0_CMBipEIajxRsQLIbbdKJqYbtvuEThQxpnT1pJP1OT-98ownxflUiWwYftP0gvAPKG6gQlEmi9t7oA4IP0283LWduyo7zwXV_QyQtCoH13Mr8g6KfcOCt28A9mkCL2p490Og3OrwnY87jSE6nREGAbde6m2_-g4uiPUK9bSWyJ70Lks/s2341/Cricut%20Cake%20Topper%201.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Cricut Cake Topper" border="0" data-original-height="2341" data-original-width="1791" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiICOQi-q-u0_CMBipEIajxRsQLIbbdKJqYbtvuEThQxpnT1pJP1OT-98ownxflUiWwYftP0gvAPKG6gQlEmi9t7oA4IP0283LWduyo7zwXV_QyQtCoH13Mr8g6KfcOCt28A9mkCL2p490Og3OrwnY87jSE6nREGAbde6m2_-g4uiPUK9bSWyJ70Lks/w490-h640/Cricut%20Cake%20Topper%201.jpg" title="Cricut Cake Topper" width="490" /></a></div><br /><p>Cake making and decorating really isn't my forte, so excuse this rough and ready cake! Emily loved it, which is the main thing - she adores rainbows! (I bought all the decorations apart from the "Emily is 3" topper I made.)</p><p>Max's topper was the same but with his name and age. For both toppers I cut them out twice, with one a mirror image of the other...</p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTov0NN_vpBdIxvAh_rAYO-lNiZqP49C1_YeUj8RYApDUDZpuBNO3HhdNLuouKCW02UJIAMd9irzapVReIU3IE_XjuLmCYu7PTA0LX5oRY77bflD71TePacSdAkPkACbKOWaxwlso1olqYn0aDGVJe3YrrEJ60OLe57A22WIDPOeRthwpMYcxTrv3k/s2048/Cricut%20Cake%20Topper%202.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Cricut Cake Topper" border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2048" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTov0NN_vpBdIxvAh_rAYO-lNiZqP49C1_YeUj8RYApDUDZpuBNO3HhdNLuouKCW02UJIAMd9irzapVReIU3IE_XjuLmCYu7PTA0LX5oRY77bflD71TePacSdAkPkACbKOWaxwlso1olqYn0aDGVJe3YrrEJ60OLe57A22WIDPOeRthwpMYcxTrv3k/w640-h640/Cricut%20Cake%20Topper%202.jpg" title="Cricut Cake Topper" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p>I then glued them together, so that both sides of the topper were gold. I stuck the toppers to a wooden stick thingy, tied some ribbon into a bow around the stick, and jabbed them into their respective cakes!</p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1-qAo4OIWmbBLbqFDOPuX6QVlj3vhjHogV1D1D-dqc1c8TYzQrDwAIwWKkgaXird3vDh45chaYPdJARReisieqG6Ofv2dCuLcB-JPdfAfvq_6SzkyaXIgOmN6U5sX3W1y84S9Q6DbxLUJlKg6Sqp2-8bbp4W9RyStUrMnEwP9uM2OVCHfsQ2YovKx/s2362/Cricut%20Cake%20Topper%203.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Cricut Cake Topper" border="0" data-original-height="2362" data-original-width="1775" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1-qAo4OIWmbBLbqFDOPuX6QVlj3vhjHogV1D1D-dqc1c8TYzQrDwAIwWKkgaXird3vDh45chaYPdJARReisieqG6Ofv2dCuLcB-JPdfAfvq_6SzkyaXIgOmN6U5sX3W1y84S9Q6DbxLUJlKg6Sqp2-8bbp4W9RyStUrMnEwP9uM2OVCHfsQ2YovKx/w480-h640/Cricut%20Cake%20Topper%203.jpg" title="Cricut Cake Topper" width="480" /></a></div><br /><p>Another very simple scruffy cake! Candles were added to the cakes after these pictures were taken.</p><p>I do enjoy making things with the Cricut Joy, in the rare moments I get to use it. There is so much potential that I will hopefully get chance to explore more at some point!</p><p><br /></p><p>I have very recently completed a couple of other projects - a crochet one and a sewing one! I will try to take reasonably decent photos, in the dim light we have this time of year, and will share them soon - so watch this space!</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Maria - A Playful Stitchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17811550069936710912noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9596933579669628.post-88707189577075528142022-01-20T22:20:00.000+00:002022-01-20T22:20:02.024+00:00Creation Consolidation - 2021!<p>As per my standard practice, I am rounding up my creative makes of 2021. I started pretty well, but things ground to a halt when my son was born!</p><p>So, first I'll share my biggest and best creation...</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEibu3U7frjWyclDORbLcqBU_bzEdRb_hUP8gp-xQJa2fP3VAEEGVEe5oQat-TTQ-yE1gz0BCjitDuxZ3edY36TLVyiqkcWHTP4a0PkTjZAQog7mUZOY0H_wLTGUXmIqVpJ5IK1nyAJY3KN5FnMVuLnsuhxqz0A_OaRwC8rLPBHwrgRpesMOQ3u2FBxV=s2364" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2364" data-original-width="1773" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEibu3U7frjWyclDORbLcqBU_bzEdRb_hUP8gp-xQJa2fP3VAEEGVEe5oQat-TTQ-yE1gz0BCjitDuxZ3edY36TLVyiqkcWHTP4a0PkTjZAQog7mUZOY0H_wLTGUXmIqVpJ5IK1nyAJY3KN5FnMVuLnsuhxqz0A_OaRwC8rLPBHwrgRpesMOQ3u2FBxV=w480-h640" width="480" /></a></div><p>Our little boy Max was born in June! We now have Emily and Max - two adorable little children! As gorgeous as they are, they certainly take up a lot of time and effort! I need to try to find some time for creating again!</p><p>But here are my crafting makes over 2021. Click the headings or the pictures to be taken to the relevant posts.</p><p><a href="https://www.aplayfulstitch.com/2021/01/crochet-strawberry.html" target="_blank">Crochet Strawberry</a></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.aplayfulstitch.com/2021/01/crochet-strawberry.html" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="2000" data-original-width="2000" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh654y5X9Iq7pdywxPvlwxqt3juByqp-NTMVigsY6plyCNbz-6Buy7RpHfK851HD-5Sw4enyg4MgAAyjh2wXQT_OngjU71NhbUin3UPSAK73RovmsMMA6BLBpixskI_EoVFrj41wcBXGzzVQbKK3mtf_azoGyFwGqVn9HnuOVVtX1133sODkmzLP8Hr=w640-h640" width="640" /></a></div><br /><a href="https://www.aplayfulstitch.com/2021/02/knitted-bracelet.html" target="_blank">Knitted Bracelet</a><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.aplayfulstitch.com/2021/02/knitted-bracelet.html" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="1999" data-original-width="2000" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgjCN8HwVV2QWzGcX9IOlpPuR9fXH4XROffht7r9XlaR9pXv7TyrJMmyXbQawFEnd5pICv1cEGaIQDLsDdoyM7Uzzq12SuyeJxREdJNYbLxOiYcuyxgieioYrf_xZGCQNi-_SkldxpylrvT43x9Oqlkth_41az7v2nMNgoLxKO0Wj5EbQpeQHPq8c-X=w640-h640" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><a href="https://www.aplayfulstitch.com/2021/02/watercolour-valentines-hearts-kids.html" target="_blank">Valentine Watercolour Hearts</a><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.aplayfulstitch.com/2021/02/watercolour-valentines-hearts-kids.html" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="2309" data-original-width="1732" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjp4KAo0jZtz7S2-cEAImpE_MZdzR-jY4YMNz9wnO4ug8zfQVyMgubY5TmBgTTiZiinW0aC8y0w2uNpra6ubWphzldqr0rAOqg-s72ydCTURRn2xpeyHyqt7NMX6HaqSh6TsFYhujAh-lJiwrdauMgsbw5kRKbNiMbXFJXQPvOx3AdEmM4gqSTXSgpZ=w480-h640" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div><a href="https://www.aplayfulstitch.com/2021/02/knitted-rosewater-shawl.html" target="_blank">Knitted Rosewater Shawl</a></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.aplayfulstitch.com/2021/02/knitted-rosewater-shawl.html" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="2000" data-original-width="2000" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEivYV98yEFmpgWCdKrgJoFkaaHGR8XXf6tCA8obNYKndrQuWaQvdQ_wtWhZhr7TkaNkV3tuc1P_86c0ZhFgMln1IbUjheFWJi9ixO-VnVu55z6bncA2n5xoAuyowMdsG2Q4cWZ8KzwFGwbwq9utlUrevXsI1ah7eUpzeQHH9NLtGQ8SJfpp0I4VfVd7=w640-h640" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div><a href="https://www.aplayfulstitch.com/2021/02/making-memory-tags-with-cricut-joy.html" target="_blank">Memory Tags</a></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.aplayfulstitch.com/2021/02/making-memory-tags-with-cricut-joy.html" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="2000" data-original-width="2000" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhfNfqmi1sZ-WH4_21d5gtrZDndsHbTYOJ_EigoUv--v-CYAI2HfM6IaxSFloCIia4bIn4v64b5piuy91_Xcu-OpLFpPqi9JIA7qBTvi6E26CeCrl5zzUKbmlRJ3S6csIUbz_mIeANC0xiTC5i0ySeNA_cKinLWCRLQFKkJTYhJaPyFB1SA0Bi2FNft=w640-h640" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div><a href="https://www.aplayfulstitch.com/2021/03/craft-organising-with-cricut-joy.html" target="_blank">Storage Labels</a></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.aplayfulstitch.com/2021/03/craft-organising-with-cricut-joy.html" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="1993" data-original-width="2006" height="636" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgf1Hp_iXuT3fsptYgHuSRy7K55zPnXwGuBaqUmAqYKFkxaLuZemJ3dFgcpesj6vKcLxYASZTO52h9fKh5YzaM6K4vRyFDDZFzy-VrvuILxP60h1RkU_XZn-HaarXvX1_j7pOpegZVqNSSKoJnbbHRV21KjfCUKZFsVLzDIAEWeIgyt7KJ94vkToE7Q=w640-h636" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div><a href="https://www.aplayfulstitch.com/2021/03/cute-easter-buckets-with-cricut-joy.html" target="_blank">Easter Buckets</a></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.aplayfulstitch.com/2021/03/cute-easter-buckets-with-cricut-joy.html" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="1999" data-original-width="2000" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjImeLNJLGWVs6qqlXf1tRpDbkByUSKYkRi6es8j0fcd4Dp_NTmqUrtWEx45AsCF_0jK9qTzlgXVeHIS1G02boPafuJC-9TWjwPVmPhulRp9__eHxgLPRl6mLVm8lypsLR--x65fyow0CUt1OkIzi8F4oHNu7KeMHg_Ut6CI5uOUVYZnmOjcjUcIwz3=w640-h640" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div><a href="https://www.aplayfulstitch.com/2021/04/crochet-easter-bunnies.html" target="_blank">Crochet Easter Bunnies</a></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.aplayfulstitch.com/2021/04/crochet-easter-bunnies.html" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="2000" data-original-width="2000" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhVG32HdfiHhnmoRNwoYhh7QOkIDEc0jLmeyJdrPtRj6KCN_hGYH_JtJ5nbJ2fWMh66H38s9TDQj9GMKxGGJxFiU3Ha-ewYrV03hF77uCyRaW5gNyrV6r08By5M-kNDvNmclP8uZfrT3OQ-K8EybShWybNVymjtcyu1Ji-qoTBQPxAI75Ran34G-ydw=w640-h640" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div><a href="https://www.aplayfulstitch.com/2021/04/baby-boy-v-stitch-crochet-blanket.html" target="_blank">V-Stitch Crochet Blanket</a></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.aplayfulstitch.com/2021/04/baby-boy-v-stitch-crochet-blanket.html" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="1999" data-original-width="2000" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjgGYFMaMM8gDNeeqLKYVIk2E8DkRYBzAEqBSx3nSSPIPMouKP6lfNuVqNbjpzils9AWG2mTnR3YkvScmuL7FD-Byg1b6ftKNw5E_wdI17t-jPet2cgLEzSHex5KZ-34m6yFd5Aj6CHhLRZd3DyOfnWfjETCuYWJkhvo8NmXcVgZG3i_6x9TNVz1-mQ=w640-h640" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div><a href="https://www.aplayfulstitch.com/2021/06/blue-knitted-baby-hat.html" target="_blank">Knitted Baby Hat</a></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.aplayfulstitch.com/2021/06/blue-knitted-baby-hat.html" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="2000" data-original-width="2000" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjYCVIBBCJYP3MV2zHcDb7lW07-jg3JmBv37on9v4Dr5s7jCDaghpxWt_ExWNwcY4vZOTIfkoWaxx7DAY3mne3bedV6OFKnqRw7QdipYc9yJT96mtuItO5HwSC4tO75aCC6w8J8Seq3vRAf4Z1o5vjibPuD8nu6mhL6uBy6VFy3gq7vWxJco8vArLvO=w640-h640" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div><a href="https://www.aplayfulstitch.com/2021/12/cricut-art-book.html" target="_blank">Art Book</a></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.aplayfulstitch.com/2021/12/cricut-art-book.html" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="2047" data-original-width="2048" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiNacym34feKbpURSHOymI-RNUkEFXhJ0v5lp2vAaMbwz2UY83nSAgL4Jv0-jxJkXP--BLDm_fZeGp-Fuhx4GD-iatmhzJTGQ6GRF368b418IfsZPBWR5PdUrzA4Cj4kGKBFm-aUzg2upwNuMnRLcViJXRJ3UINj4jBR_DTkfDQ2Xg3OFVINnWZzsFp=w640-h640" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div><a href="https://www.aplayfulstitch.com/2021/12/felt-penguin-christmas-tree-decoration.html" target="_blank">Felt Penguin Christmas Tree Decoration</a></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.aplayfulstitch.com/2021/12/felt-penguin-christmas-tree-decoration.html" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2048" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgJL3A4dJLE6r6HIZpptFEiNsJeA3cEnt_GpLM_UDGNktmjEMTqyuqLUSIQOQ9Lys9Q5NpFkT9z8WW8FBlRYNPV90JgpA8xN04o8vOnred3nSD3D8B7hJ2gbQb35k6OO9-QlWSZG4LyJw0qAaj4KJ-vLWn4d2Te8cmG_I7TOOA9TxQCcicVssnIAkAj=w640-h640" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div>I hope to have time for more crafting this year, but who knows!</div><div><br /></div><div><div style="margin: 0px;"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif">If you are interested, here are my consolidation posts from previous years:</span></div><div style="margin: 0px;"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><br /></span><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><a href="http://dinkidots.blogspot.co.uk/2013/12/creation-consolidation-2013.html" target="_blank">2013</a></span></div><div style="margin: 0px;"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><a href="http://dinkidots.blogspot.co.uk/2015/01/creation-consolidation-2014.html" target="_blank">2014</a></span></div><div style="margin: 0px;"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><a href="http://dinkidots.blogspot.co.uk/2016/01/creation-consolidation-2015.html" target="_blank">2015</a></span></div><div style="margin: 0px;"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><a href="http://dinkidots.blogspot.co.uk/2017/01/creation-consolidation-2016.html" target="_blank">2016</a></span></div><div style="margin: 0px;"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><a href="http://dinkidots.blogspot.com/2018/01/creation-consolidation-2017.html" target="_blank">2017</a></span><br /><span face="Trebuchet MS, sans-serif"><a href="http://dinkidots.blogspot.com/2019/01/creation-consolidation-2018.html" target="_blank">2018</a></span></div><div style="margin: 0px;"><a href="http://www.aplayfulstitch.com/2020/01/creation-consolidation-2019.html" target="_blank">2019</a></div><div style="margin: 0px;"><a href="http://www.aplayfulstitch.com/2021/01/creation-consolidation-2020.html" target="_blank">2020</a></div><div style="margin: 0px;"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><br /></span></div><div><div style="margin: 0px;"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif">I didn't do a round-up for years before that, but you can see other finished items at the below links:</span></div></div><div><div style="margin: 0px;"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><br /></span></div></div><div><div style="margin: 0px;"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><a href="http://dinkidots.blogspot.co.uk/p/crochet.html" target="_blank">Crochet</a></span></div></div><div><div style="margin: 0px;"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><a href="http://dinkidots.blogspot.co.uk/p/knitting.html" target="_blank">Knitting</a></span></div><div style="margin: 0px;"><a href="http://dinkidots.blogspot.co.uk/p/sewing.html" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms", sans-serif;" target="_blank">Sewing</a></div></div><div><br /></div><div>Wishing you all the best for 2022.</div></div><div><br /><p><br /></p></div>Maria - A Playful Stitchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17811550069936710912noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9596933579669628.post-73768778002170402222021-12-24T09:01:00.000+00:002021-12-24T09:01:59.630+00:00Felt Penguin Christmas Tree Decoration<p>If you've been following for a while, you will have seen that I started a tradition in 2018 of making a felt Christmas tree decoration each year.</p><p>This year I made a cute little penguin, with Max's name on it, to celebrate that this is the year he was born!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhUpyQ9nrbPSB7-_FdCTk6iFE7zk3kJr0Qp6ZHlB_lvhAT5tHPZ4WNSCTNmxdvSZEwpyGdCx_X8rEM97sVjB1O3OS1rmR0PSIdP_13i_WVvLhmv6p8A1K3JgNZCjtuZnTm8Ol6gjoQmLRHvjpqhdUMBq3kEqKzlA2MrBA-MJn1i-EBf0Scp1zn5JnHY=s2048" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Felt Penguin Christmas Decoration" border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2048" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhUpyQ9nrbPSB7-_FdCTk6iFE7zk3kJr0Qp6ZHlB_lvhAT5tHPZ4WNSCTNmxdvSZEwpyGdCx_X8rEM97sVjB1O3OS1rmR0PSIdP_13i_WVvLhmv6p8A1K3JgNZCjtuZnTm8Ol6gjoQmLRHvjpqhdUMBq3kEqKzlA2MrBA-MJn1i-EBf0Scp1zn5JnHY=w640-h640" title="Felt Penguin Christmas Decoration" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p>Each year I embroider the year on the back...</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjSlgtjNMU3pP5YH4zbrZY3mkXc2gOH-svoETczIxLu89GFtkbXkPHSthDmM7G6g88jt_COgk4FyhZ3ONztpJc61cnZT6vFzDDvjXNvGPDmPZj-aqE42eqJ-FlAv4KCip1_6sb_P5Fisc5JJb_U7nCuwfsYFWox1tufU_u2Awih-0kaApPtjLO0m2YX=s2048" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Felt Penguin Christmas Decoration" border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2048" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjSlgtjNMU3pP5YH4zbrZY3mkXc2gOH-svoETczIxLu89GFtkbXkPHSthDmM7G6g88jt_COgk4FyhZ3ONztpJc61cnZT6vFzDDvjXNvGPDmPZj-aqE42eqJ-FlAv4KCip1_6sb_P5Fisc5JJb_U7nCuwfsYFWox1tufU_u2Awih-0kaApPtjLO0m2YX=w640-h640" title="Felt Penguin Christmas Decoration" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p>I made a special decoration in 2019 too, the year Emily was born - here they are together...</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi5r7StJZpKbfmxQ5jZXioKD_1YLWc_EAWlhGCUi_Cim70pfgCWpj_3XPlWgvTcN1LTlf8BOy9ofMQ9by4h9XwkLYuGv25R5wqxeyRIKcHWOO5Q0oD6ICiMU6XIVVd_lTlDgvDo8Xxd54KhWCF_UkysbwoyQZK2pPSWdJvbbqrfgAfBrhENy1p576Zi=s2047" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Felt Penguin and Stocking Christmas Decoration" border="0" data-original-height="2047" data-original-width="2047" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi5r7StJZpKbfmxQ5jZXioKD_1YLWc_EAWlhGCUi_Cim70pfgCWpj_3XPlWgvTcN1LTlf8BOy9ofMQ9by4h9XwkLYuGv25R5wqxeyRIKcHWOO5Q0oD6ICiMU6XIVVd_lTlDgvDo8Xxd54KhWCF_UkysbwoyQZK2pPSWdJvbbqrfgAfBrhENy1p576Zi=w640-h640" title="Felt Penguin and Stocking Christmas Decoration" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p>And below are all four I've made...</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgzt3Y1J0TubuRBuOyxxbOlpnSp5HdtDMFH1PXu9zTXO35CZRcHADgHXhefJn8Liu1a8HZmeAwigF22KWqugMYFI5T2SeaHDflEzrC0K29MiXJBY8tCa8nUqrHo9yeBRM6EZxkOy1lcbTDERPnIzk4dJp3Ax7hbZZkPT4mDixYp4ah50HNrchoZIGlX=s2048" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Felt Christmas Decorations" border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2047" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgzt3Y1J0TubuRBuOyxxbOlpnSp5HdtDMFH1PXu9zTXO35CZRcHADgHXhefJn8Liu1a8HZmeAwigF22KWqugMYFI5T2SeaHDflEzrC0K29MiXJBY8tCa8nUqrHo9yeBRM6EZxkOy1lcbTDERPnIzk4dJp3Ax7hbZZkPT4mDixYp4ah50HNrchoZIGlX=w640-h640" title="Felt Christmas Decorations" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p>You can see my posts on them as follows... <a href="http://www.aplayfulstitch.com/2018/12/felt-star-christmas-decoration.html" target="_blank">2018 Star</a>, <a href="http://www.aplayfulstitch.com/2019/12/felt-mouse-christmas-tree-decoration.html" target="_blank">2019 Mouse in Stocking</a>, <a href="https://www.aplayfulstitch.com/2020/12/felt-pastel-christmas-pudding-decoration.html" target="_blank">2020 Pudding</a>.</p><p>The collection is growing!</p><p>I hope you have a merry Christmas and a healthy and happy New Year!</p><p>I'm hoping to have more chance to create and craft next year. If we can get Max sleeping at a reasonable hour in the evenings, then I'll have an hour or two then to work on things... trusting I'm not too exhausted!</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Maria - A Playful Stitchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17811550069936710912noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9596933579669628.post-55661847730951680412021-12-23T08:34:00.002+00:002021-12-23T08:34:58.964+00:00Cricut Art Book<p>Emily loves playing with stickers, and Santa is putting some in her stocking this year! I thought a little notebook that she could use to stick the stickers in, and for drawing with her crayons, would be a nice idea.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiF1QoYWv1jRSIxTqF1Bc4rL95TBHy9EQhQ87LU7JfFVROFcu3eL1PvvFYCVI759KT7rQADLeE47e-NcYA1jG8v_7oTn17KE2yiE8NSYIvs8q0N1t2e_2IF1LN6NRQIsZUeGcwYS3UwdOzb9srvM7UsuJ0NVO6RJjUUGNBlQzZJmLmqiuBj9dM-IzEH=s2048" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Cricut Art Book" border="0" data-original-height="2047" data-original-width="2048" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiF1QoYWv1jRSIxTqF1Bc4rL95TBHy9EQhQ87LU7JfFVROFcu3eL1PvvFYCVI759KT7rQADLeE47e-NcYA1jG8v_7oTn17KE2yiE8NSYIvs8q0N1t2e_2IF1LN6NRQIsZUeGcwYS3UwdOzb9srvM7UsuJ0NVO6RJjUUGNBlQzZJmLmqiuBj9dM-IzEH=w640-h640" title="Cricut Art Book" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p>I bought a kraft notebook from Amazon and decorated it with shimmer permanent vinyl cut on my Cricut Joy. Very quick and simple, but hopefully she'll like it. She can't read yet, but she knows a lot of her letters and hopefully will learn to recognise her name!</p><p>A cute little personalised Christmas present for under the tree!</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Maria - A Playful Stitchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17811550069936710912noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9596933579669628.post-2838252904255962502021-12-21T09:27:00.004+00:002021-12-21T09:27:36.718+00:00A New Arrival<p>Well, it's been a while!! As the subject of this post suggests, there has been a new arrival! Not so new anymore...</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhQxKHYmWWel2b-iiQAHd1UmSo-af2qVBnxJFqi_dqqjfKQWwPMItRc3vIwErR-5vptwrxQdB51JcJ1y1ZXAGSaXDHQJ6rEMP06M_C2PJvqYcu4N2ygykZfF-cGFfRj0ZsubgLi5Y2mU4SPeZmw8CKCmtenkL-cOBbAEOeJCBoK_tELS-HJPPB0gcYM=s2364" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2364" data-original-width="1773" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhQxKHYmWWel2b-iiQAHd1UmSo-af2qVBnxJFqi_dqqjfKQWwPMItRc3vIwErR-5vptwrxQdB51JcJ1y1ZXAGSaXDHQJ6rEMP06M_C2PJvqYcu4N2ygykZfF-cGFfRj0ZsubgLi5Y2mU4SPeZmw8CKCmtenkL-cOBbAEOeJCBoK_tELS-HJPPB0gcYM=w480-h640" width="480" /></a></div><p>Max was born back in June! Here he is looking festive in a Christmas jumper and hat my Mum knitted for him!</p><p>And here he is with his big sister, Emily, also in a Grandma creation...</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEglxyjk6QJSUMMjzKMLdVrkkYPsCbsQFhS1djYEPP0tpGuzsOJOmo3qOxwrVOYDsmB41TvOLLmHPLZ5Gv2I2D9n8NUL2foyQLEQoyG_mWV2Qr4Bi1OoDhAIEN7RX9zn68k3Ns26fNH4fsJbjlmDXhjLQVGhN4TcbpKuzJJjRF_N1JEGjxHhOPk_ugQy=s2364" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2364" data-original-width="1773" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEglxyjk6QJSUMMjzKMLdVrkkYPsCbsQFhS1djYEPP0tpGuzsOJOmo3qOxwrVOYDsmB41TvOLLmHPLZ5Gv2I2D9n8NUL2foyQLEQoyG_mWV2Qr4Bi1OoDhAIEN7RX9zn68k3Ns26fNH4fsJbjlmDXhjLQVGhN4TcbpKuzJJjRF_N1JEGjxHhOPk_ugQy=w480-h640" width="480" /></a></div><br /><p>Having these two doesn't leave much time for crafting I'm afraid! I do have a couple of things to show you though, so will aim to get those posts in before the end of the year!</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Maria - A Playful Stitchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17811550069936710912noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9596933579669628.post-67744778038193654872021-06-09T08:43:00.001+01:002021-06-09T08:43:55.901+01:00Blue Knitted Baby Hat<p>Not long to go until the baby is here, all being well! I have knitted him a little blue hat to wear in hospital...</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QdOUTkMhwrg/YMBvv815-5I/AAAAAAAAWMM/H1p3uoW5lMktblyTTXCyp6ACtc20fQt_wCLcBGAsYHQ/s2000/Knitted%2BBaby%2BBoy%2BHat.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Cute knitted baby hat with topknot" border="0" data-original-height="2000" data-original-width="2000" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QdOUTkMhwrg/YMBvv815-5I/AAAAAAAAWMM/H1p3uoW5lMktblyTTXCyp6ACtc20fQt_wCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h640/Knitted%2BBaby%2BBoy%2BHat.jpg" title="Cute knitted baby hat with topknot" width="640" /></a></div><p>The pattern I used was the Tegan Baby Hat that you can find <a href="http://mackandmabel.blogspot.com/2012/05/baby-top-knot-knitting-pattern.html" target="_blank">here</a>. It is the same pattern I used for my <a href="http://www.aplayfulstitch.com/2019/04/knitted-baby-hat.html" target="_blank">daughter's hat</a> two years ago.</p><p>Here they are together...</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/--29eajNmLyQ/YMBv4c06KmI/AAAAAAAAWMQ/d2gPahcxO_otprpF8fEX-7Iy_EyAExEvwCLcBGAsYHQ/s2000/Knitted%2BBaby%2BHats.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Cute knitted baby hat with topknot" border="0" data-original-height="2000" data-original-width="1999" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/--29eajNmLyQ/YMBv4c06KmI/AAAAAAAAWMQ/d2gPahcxO_otprpF8fEX-7Iy_EyAExEvwCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h640/Knitted%2BBaby%2BHats.jpg" title="Cute knitted baby hat with topknot" width="640" /></a></div><div><span face="Trebuchet MS, sans-serif"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span face="Trebuchet MS, sans-serif"><b>THE DETAILS</b></span></div><div><span face="Trebuchet MS, sans-serif"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span face="Trebuchet MS, sans-serif"><b>Yarn</b>: Sirdar Snuggly DK in Sky Blue (216)</span></div><div><span face="Trebuchet MS, sans-serif"><br /></span></div><div><span face="Trebuchet MS, sans-serif"><b>Needles</b>: 3.5mm for the garter edge, 4.5mm for the rest. This is bigger than the needle size called for, but I have a tight tension and was also knitting the preemie size so wanted it to come out a little bigger, but not as big as the 0 - 3 months size.</span></div><div><span face="Trebuchet MS, sans-serif"><br /></span></div><div><span face="Trebuchet MS, sans-serif"><b>Pattern: </b>Preemie size, knit flat instructions from <a href="http://mackandmabel.blogspot.com/2012/05/baby-top-knot-knitting-pattern.html" target="_blank">here</a>.</span></div><div><span face="Trebuchet MS, sans-serif"><br /></span></div><div><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><br /></span><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><br /></span><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif">Check out my completed knitted projects <a href="http://dinkidots.blogspot.co.uk/p/knitting.html" target="_blank">here</a>.</span><br /><br /><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><br /></span><i style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Like what you see? Follow me on <a href="http://www.bloglovin.com/en/blog/3428987" target="_blank">bloglovin</a>!</i></div><div><i style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br /></i></div>Maria - A Playful Stitchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17811550069936710912noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9596933579669628.post-44007010275751643962021-04-26T08:57:00.000+01:002021-04-26T08:57:14.829+01:00What to do if your Cricut Joy Cards are Cutting too High<p>This isn't my usual "look what I made!" blog post... but I'm sharing it as I experienced this problem and I couldn't find anything online about it!</p><p>When I first got my Cricut Joy, I also got some Insert Cards and a Card Mat. However, when attempting to make a card, I found that the whole design wasn't cutting centrally on the mat, it was cutting too high, and therefore the corner slits were cutting off the card! One, this didn't <i>look</i> right; and two, it didn't <i>function</i> correctly - the top slits were unable to hold the insert rectangle of card. You can see two examples below...</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rhBkWOjmh5Y/YIZvo4V5LCI/AAAAAAAAVwo/-O_NyYR2rSUo5J8PKetZ5PGR3ddWz-IWwCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/Cricut%2BJoy%2BFaulty%2BCard%2BMat%2B-%2B1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Cricut Joy Faulty Card Mat" border="0" data-original-height="1589" data-original-width="2048" height="496" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rhBkWOjmh5Y/YIZvo4V5LCI/AAAAAAAAVwo/-O_NyYR2rSUo5J8PKetZ5PGR3ddWz-IWwCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h496/Cricut%2BJoy%2BFaulty%2BCard%2BMat%2B-%2B1.jpg" title="Cricut Joy Faulty Card Mat" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div>You can also see on the Card Mat below, which still has the leftovers from the 'Thanks' card, that it is too high on the mat, and the top of the corner slits are being cut into the mat rather than the card...<div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5BTiBfqP6W4/YIZwJq0qIyI/AAAAAAAAVww/pXfuzpgng9sEW4Cjk_PzVjHSW8Sxu1_VgCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/Cricut%2BJoy%2BFaulty%2BCard%2BMat%2B-%2B2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Cricut Joy Faulty Card Mat" border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1514" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5BTiBfqP6W4/YIZwJq0qIyI/AAAAAAAAVww/pXfuzpgng9sEW4Cjk_PzVjHSW8Sxu1_VgCLcBGAsYHQ/w474-h640/Cricut%2BJoy%2BFaulty%2BCard%2BMat%2B-%2B2.jpg" title="Cricut Joy Faulty Card Mat" width="474" /></a></div><p>After searching high and low on the internet for some kind of solution to my problem - <i>what was I doing wrong?!</i> - I called the Cricut helpdesk. They were so helpful, and after us trying a few different things while on the phone, it turned out...</p><p><b>...the Card Mat was faulty!!</b></p><p>This is something I didn't even consider! The border at the top of the Card Mat was actually too big, so when the card was positioned correctly on the mat, it was actually lower than the Cricut Joy machine expected it to be. The machine cut as it should, but because the card was lower down, it was cutting the design too high, and off the top of the card.</p><p>The Cricut helpdesk arranged for a new mat to be sent to me, and all was well with the world!</p><p>You can see the difference in the top border sizes below... the correct one is on top.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-z5LRGwrTTi8/YIZwtg24cpI/AAAAAAAAVw4/HF-s3Ji0p3MhPNQfOpwzu9ux--GapiBIACLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/Cricut%2BJoy%2BFaulty%2BCard%2BMat%2B-%2B3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Cricut Joy Faulty Card Mat" border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1740" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-z5LRGwrTTi8/YIZwtg24cpI/AAAAAAAAVw4/HF-s3Ji0p3MhPNQfOpwzu9ux--GapiBIACLcBGAsYHQ/w544-h640/Cricut%2BJoy%2BFaulty%2BCard%2BMat%2B-%2B3.jpg" title="Cricut Joy Faulty Card Mat" width="544" /></a></div><p>The new mat made all the difference, and I could now make the cards correctly!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JTcrP6xcVFs/YIZxw3RgGvI/AAAAAAAAVxA/zgIWsEfNwq4YeRGyPbC4MSkvNcKR91hlwCLcBGAsYHQ/s2000/Cricut%2BJoy%2BCard%2B2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Cricut Joy Card" border="0" data-original-height="2000" data-original-width="2000" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JTcrP6xcVFs/YIZxw3RgGvI/AAAAAAAAVxA/zgIWsEfNwq4YeRGyPbC4MSkvNcKR91hlwCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h640/Cricut%2BJoy%2BCard%2B2.jpg" title="Cricut Joy Card" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9c7Jo2B4WLg/YIZx5Nbk-iI/AAAAAAAAVxE/FKxc2svSjWYVxkd6mUkRbtnBeNnZg7YmgCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/Cricut%2BJoy%2BCard%2B1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Cricut Joy Card" border="0" data-original-height="1826" data-original-width="2048" height="570" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9c7Jo2B4WLg/YIZx5Nbk-iI/AAAAAAAAVxE/FKxc2svSjWYVxkd6mUkRbtnBeNnZg7YmgCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h570/Cricut%2BJoy%2BCard%2B1.jpg" title="Cricut Joy Card" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p>I hope this helps anyone who experiences the same problem - as there must be a load of these faulty card mats out there!</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p></div>Maria - A Playful Stitchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17811550069936710912noreply@blogger.com25tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9596933579669628.post-11417330909045584772021-04-11T08:52:00.001+01:002021-04-11T13:49:48.653+01:00Baby Boy V-Stitch Crochet Blanket<p> I have finished the crochet blanket for my little boy bump!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-aijvLTdemM0/YHKTnJ5MoDI/AAAAAAAAVpg/vrfyJgeHa8gvYaXi6-mE3L_y7b4i-aQnQCLcBGAsYHQ/s2000/Baby%2BBoy%2BCrochet%2BV-Stitch%2BBlanket%2B1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="A cute stripy crochet v-stitch baby boy blanket" border="0" data-original-height="1999" data-original-width="2000" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-aijvLTdemM0/YHKTnJ5MoDI/AAAAAAAAVpg/vrfyJgeHa8gvYaXi6-mE3L_y7b4i-aQnQCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h640/Baby%2BBoy%2BCrochet%2BV-Stitch%2BBlanket%2B1.jpg" title="A cute stripy crochet v-stitch baby boy blanket" width="640" /></a></div><p>This picture shows it in my little daughter's pink bedroom, as the nursery is yet to be painted for the new baby, and the cot is on order! The baby's room will probably be bluey/aqua colours with accents of orange.</p><p>The yarn I've used is King Cole Cottonsoft DK in the below colours:</p><div>Azure (3366)<br />Opal (3460)<br />French Navy (741)<br />Orange (3030)<br />White (710) - not shown</div><p>You can buy this yarn from <a href="https://www.lovecrafts.com/en-gb/p/king-cole-cottonsoft-dk?utm_medium=affiliate&a_aid=37e5ff3a" target="_blank">Love Crafts</a>*.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Ey9gyTwvtG0/YHKUk-2mxUI/AAAAAAAAVpo/NfyMI8oC9IEZzucfdOPJ9SGjLhc6UpfiwCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/Baby%2BBoy%2BCrochet%2BV-Stitch%2BBlanket%2B2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="A cute stripy crochet v-stitch baby boy blanket" border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1617" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Ey9gyTwvtG0/YHKUk-2mxUI/AAAAAAAAVpo/NfyMI8oC9IEZzucfdOPJ9SGjLhc6UpfiwCLcBGAsYHQ/w506-h640/Baby%2BBoy%2BCrochet%2BV-Stitch%2BBlanket%2B2.jpg" title="A cute stripy crochet v-stitch baby boy blanket" width="506" /></a></div><p>I used <a href="http://www.aplayfulstitch.com/2017/03/v-stitch-crochet-baby-blanket.html" target="_blank">this blanket</a> as my starting point. I started and ended with colour sections, though, rather than white sections, and I chose a different border.</p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>I started with a chainless sc (US) foundation row of 149 stitches, plus 3 ch. I would recommend doing a chain in this case, though, which would be 149 stitches, plus 3 = 152 ch.</li><li>I did four repeats of four colours (with white inbetween). I have tight tension though, and for me the blanket was a bit thin. So someone else might get away with three repeats. Or else do more chains to make a wider blanket. (Your starting chain must be a number that is divisible by 3, then plus 5. For example, 152 ch is 49 x 3 = 147. 147 + 5 = 152.)</li><li>Each coloured band was 4 rows of v-stitch.</li><li>Each white band was 2 rows of v-stitch.</li><li>When finished, I went around the blanket with single crochet (US) / double crochet (UK) in white. I did 2 stitches over the last stitch in each row of v-stitch down the sides. Across the top and bottom, when I got to a v space, I did a long sc (US) / dc (UK) into it, to slightly mimic the zigzag of the v-stitch.</li><li>I did a row of sc, skip 2 st, ch 2. I then did a row of sc, before continuing the border in linen stitch in white, ending with a single linen stitch row in orange. You could probably just go straight into linen stitch after your initial foundation row of sc/dc, though. (I was a bit undecided on what I was doing at first!)</li></ul><p style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1NL85BHPzGE/YHKjBP1zMjI/AAAAAAAAVpw/0sJB04Pf6CYHwRKyeLVaDYFCxcSezSvBACLcBGAsYHQ/s2031/Baby%2BBoy%2BCrochet%2BV-Stitch%2BBlanket%2B3.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="A cute stripy crochet v-stitch baby boy blanket" border="0" data-original-height="2031" data-original-width="1969" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1NL85BHPzGE/YHKjBP1zMjI/AAAAAAAAVpw/0sJB04Pf6CYHwRKyeLVaDYFCxcSezSvBACLcBGAsYHQ/w620-h640/Baby%2BBoy%2BCrochet%2BV-Stitch%2BBlanket%2B3.jpg" title="A cute stripy crochet v-stitch baby boy blanket" width="620" /></a></p><p>I'm really pleased with how it came out, and how the colours look together!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cJ3gY13MwYw/YHLrc7OJGII/AAAAAAAAVqQ/dLqYNjvgB8sw4OqwoD-9xeoCLt3HaJFzwCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/Baby%2BBoy%2BCrochet%2BV-Stitch%2BBlanket%2B6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="A cute stripy crochet v-stitch baby boy blanket" border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1568" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cJ3gY13MwYw/YHLrc7OJGII/AAAAAAAAVqQ/dLqYNjvgB8sw4OqwoD-9xeoCLt3HaJFzwCLcBGAsYHQ/w490-h640/Baby%2BBoy%2BCrochet%2BV-Stitch%2BBlanket%2B6.jpg" title="A cute stripy crochet v-stitch baby boy blanket" width="490" /></a></div><div style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p style="text-align: left;">The blanket measures approximately 78cm x 103cm. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-IzfPeyAFEeg/YHLvA946HmI/AAAAAAAAVqY/L1oSt-JSOD4bzw-dDrEjqYlRk-zEbi9ngCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/Baby%2BBoy%2BCrochet%2BV-Stitch%2BBlanket%2B7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="A cute stripy crochet v-stitch baby boy blanket" border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1673" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-IzfPeyAFEeg/YHLvA946HmI/AAAAAAAAVqY/L1oSt-JSOD4bzw-dDrEjqYlRk-zEbi9ngCLcBGAsYHQ/w522-h640/Baby%2BBoy%2BCrochet%2BV-Stitch%2BBlanket%2B7.jpg" title="A cute stripy crochet v-stitch baby boy blanket" width="522" /></a></div><div><br /></div>If the blanket looks a bit rumpled in the last two pictures, it's because a certain little toddler decided to play on it during the photoshoot! At least it has her seal of approval - hopefully her brother will feel the same!<div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1BEi9OHYkG8/YHLvtqMtXXI/AAAAAAAAVqg/JI8eHkP4GdIsQJzDkWhVfQ3ZeJYn091RQCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/Baby%2BBoy%2BCrochet%2BV-Stitch%2BBlanket%2B8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="A cute stripy crochet v-stitch baby boy blanket" border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1BEi9OHYkG8/YHLvtqMtXXI/AAAAAAAAVqg/JI8eHkP4GdIsQJzDkWhVfQ3ZeJYn091RQCLcBGAsYHQ/w480-h640/Baby%2BBoy%2BCrochet%2BV-Stitch%2BBlanket%2B8.jpg" title="A cute stripy crochet v-stitch baby boy blanket" width="480" /></a></div><p style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></p><p>What do you think? I hope you like it!</p><p><br /></p><p><b><i>*</i></b><b><i>affiliate link</i></b></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Check out my completed </i></span><i style="font-family: inherit;"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif">crochet items </span><a href="http://dinkidots.blogspot.co.uk/p/crochet.html" target="_blank">here</a>.</i></p><div><i>Like what you see? Follow me on <a href="http://www.bloglovin.com/en/blog/3428987" target="_blank">bloglovin</a>!</i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><p></p></div>Maria - A Playful Stitchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17811550069936710912noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9596933579669628.post-65004804090970307332021-04-04T13:47:00.000+01:002021-04-04T13:47:17.359+01:00Happy Easter!<p> Just popping in quickly to say Happy Easter!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-uWDCdyb1Snk/YGcUieQXyPI/AAAAAAAAVkI/a-dfuHdQekAIZMXFWzgn801J9fIKjkJ2wCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/Easter%2BTree.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Colourful crochet and felt eggs on a pretty white Easter tree" border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-uWDCdyb1Snk/YGcUieQXyPI/AAAAAAAAVkI/a-dfuHdQekAIZMXFWzgn801J9fIKjkJ2wCLcBGAsYHQ/w480-h640/Easter%2BTree.jpg" title="Colourful crochet and felt eggs on a pretty white Easter tree" width="480" /></a></div><p>Emily and I decorated this tree with eggs I'd made in previous years.</p><p>The very old felt eggs can be found on my blog <a href="http://www.aplayfulstitch.com/2011/03/crafting-is-eggcellent.html" target="_blank">here</a> - in a post from nearly exactly 10 years ago!</p><p>Patterns for the crochet eggs can be found <a href="http://www.aplayfulstitch.com/2021/01/multi-coloured-crochet-easter-egg.html" target="_blank">here</a> and <a href="http://www.aplayfulstitch.com/2021/01/daisy-crochet-easter-egg-pattern.html" target="_blank">here</a>.</p><p>Have a lovely time and eat lots of chocolatey goodies!</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Maria - A Playful Stitchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17811550069936710912noreply@blogger.com1