What's New

Hi,

I've been off line for a bit as I had just returned to work after having major back surgery and needed to recover.  The last year has been a long haul.  On April 25th, 2015 I was thrown from my horse, Dakota.  I ended up with a burst fracture of my L2 vertebrae.  I initially had to wear a big brace for 3 months unless I was lying in bed.  After the three months I was in constant pain and so in January I had my spine fused and now am the owner of some nice screws, bolts and rods. 

I am on the road to recovery now and can get back to working on this blog.  Trying to make it successful.

While I've been off I've done some creating and would like to share my newest endeavor....making a braided rug!  It's not finished yet but I thought I would share it thus far and instructions on how to get started on your own braided rug.

The first step is for you to gather some old sheets or garments.  I used old sheets.  My colours aren't great but you will get the idea regardless.

Once you have a couple of sheets (I used 2 queen sized and one twin).  You will tear them or cut them into strips.  The width will depend on how thick you want your carpet or place mat to be.  Mine were torn into 1 inch strips. Here is a picture of my Bestest Friend Kari tearing away.  It took a long time to get enough strips so I put her to work! I can delegate! LOL

When we had enough strips we put them in a basket to keep them out of the way. I have quite the pile as I want to make a throw rug. 

Next you start to braid.  Tie three strips together and make sure you keep braiding in the order and keep the braid straight so that it doesn't twist.

Keep braiding and add new strips into the braid so that it is one continuous long braid.  Here is a picture of mine!

I rolled my braid into a ball.

Once you have it all braided then you can start sewing it together by rolling it around a center point. Just keep going around and round sewing the braid to the braid and the rug/placemat will get larger and larger as you go.

It will take me a bit to get this finished as I have a serious amount of braided material to attach.  Once it is completed I will post a picture for you.

I wasn't picky about my colours.  So think about the colours you want to use. Next time I will. But if you are like me and want to see if it's something you want to do before you make any investment then old sheets and clothing are the way to go!

Talk to you soon!

Holly

How to dye wool fabric for wool applique or rug hooking

The evening before you will be dying your fabric you should take your felted wool fabric and section it into smaller pieces. If you use new wool (I usually buy my new wool in natural or white and I prefer the Door Mill wool fabric by the meter or by the yard in the US. I cut the fabric into fat quarters and depending on what I'm going to use it for I may cut it into smaller squares.

The second step can be skipped if you like, depending on how you want your dyed fabric to look. If you would like your fabric to be dyed to a uniform colour the you will need to do this. In a bowl large enough to hold enough water to cover your fabric place warm water and a drop of liquid dish soap. I usually use Palmolive but any will work. Once you have done this place your fabric in the bowl and let it soak overnight.

If you choose to skip this step that is fine but your dyed fabric will not be uniform and will come out mottled. If you are like me you will like this. I find it gives some texture to the fabric when dying a solid colour.

When you are ready to dye the fabric after soaking, drain the bowl and wring out the fabric. Flatten out the fabric and put aside.

Prepare your tools. You will need the following:

• Large Pot
• Latex or rubber gloves
• Acid dye (Pro chem or Jacquard are the ones that I know)
• Mixing bowl
• Measuring cups
• Measuring spoons
• Wooded spoon
• White vinegar
• Timer

Take a large pot and fill it 3/4's full of water. Bring the water to a boil.

Mix a teaspoon of powdered acid dye into 2 cups of water. Mix until it is all dissolved.

Once the water in the pot has boiled add your dye mixture into it and bring it to a boil once again.

Once it is boiling add ¼ cup of white vinegar to the dye mixture . The vinegar acts as a setting agent. You could also use citric acid but vinegar is much easier to find at the local store.

Once it is boiling again add the wool fabric into the mixture one piece at a time. Please note that each piece of fabric will come out different intensity of the colour dependent on how long it's been in the dye bath.

Let the mixture with the fabric simmer for 30 minutes.

Stir the pot once or twice while it is simmering. Making sure that every part of the fabric is absorbing the dye.

After the fabric has simmered for 30 minutes dump the whole pot load into the sink and rinse the fabric with cold water. Wring out the fabric and you can either place it on towels or hang to dry. You could also stick it in the dryer.

You will notice the different colours I made from this pot of dye.

That's it, that's all. It's so easy!!!

March 2016

Hi All!

I would just like to introduce myself.  I'm Holly and I am constantly creating.  I live and breathe making stuff.  What I like to make the most is old beat up looking, primitive creations but I create other items too.

I went to a home decor store the other day (one that has mostly country decor) and as I walked around I was saying to myself that the prices were insane. Everything I liked I would say to my son, James, "I'm not paying that, I can make it!" Once I got home and while I looked at all  my craft supplies and items I've made I thought..."I could save people money if I tell them how to make the things I do". So I've decided to share my knowledge and abilities

After talking to my daughters, who are way more tech savvy than I myself , I got down to business and got to work creating a blog.

I am very exicited to move forward with this blog and what it can do! My kids are just totally shocked I managed to do it myself LOL. I will shortly post my first how to as well as add detailed instructions and what you would need to create.  I will also add some pictures of my finished projects.

So please enjoy and of course save your self some money by doing it yourself. The joy of creating your own item will make it even better!

Help me make this site successful by following me! Come back often for new ideas and feel free to sign my guestbook or send me questions.  I'll try to get back to you really quickly but I do work full time and have three kids still living at home so I may take at least 24hrs to respond.

God Bless!