Tag: crochet,

From A Sketch To Cross Stitch Art

While I enjoy all kinds of arts and crafts I think my bigger joy is in design. When you can take a concept to a finished product it is always rewarding. It’s that long road from a simple idea and the steps that follow that make it intriguiging.

I create art in a lot of ways one of which is linked to needle crafts. I have designed quilts, dolls, and cross stitch patterns. Through the patterns I not only get to make the product itself but also get to share that time and effort with someone who wants to create that same piece of art.

My cross stitch designs begin with a sketch…

A simple rough drawing colored just enough that my cross stitch program will recognize it. Once it is scanned into the program I change or add colors in the pattern itself to enhance it. In order to make it client friendly I have to merge a finished photograph and the pattern to a PDF file that is easily transferable. Now I have a marketable product. Here’s what the pattern looks like now:

https://www.etsy.com/listing/4365265102/pattern-cross-stitch-girl-knitting

A lot of time project are by trial and error but I can also convert a favorite photo into a cross stitch project by simply importing a jpeg file into my cross stitch software. In seconds the conversion is complete and a favorite picture becomes another form of art. Here’s a sample:

The original photo…

to the graphed pattern.

Interested in expanding the art you already create? Begin with a photograph or a painting and the rest is just a process. Now you are taking what you already know and have created and making it digitally accessible.

Have fun with it.

PS all photos and images are under copyright by me.

Crochet Mania

If you are around me long, you will find I always need to have something in my hands, a cup of coffee and/or paintbrush, crochet hook, knitting needle, and more.

While I spend a lot of time designing, I am now beginning to focus more on creating the patterns for some of the designs. You can find these patterns through payhip and ravelry. Here are two with their links.

https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/shells–more-tote

https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/hooded-baby-blanket-7

Come back often for patterns and more. Have a great day.

Camping And Crochet

Yes, you guessed it. I take my crafts on the road. When I am not enjoying the great outdoors, I am crocheting.

Thursday, we hitched up our rig and ventured out to a campground an hour away from our home. This was our first trip of the year. On our first trip out, we usually keep it fairly local before heading out on longer trips.

Our rig.

This is our 22 ft. travel trailer. She is twelve years old but still in pretty good condition. Unfortunately, upon arrival at this campground, we noticed the awning had started tearing away. Up until one year ago, we never needed any repairs. We had purchased it used in 2016, and it was in excellent condition.

Last year, we replaced tires and refrigerators, and I reupholstered the dinette. This year, when the slide floor started breaking away we had to have it rebuilt. Since we were already into the floor anyway, we replaced the ugly carpet with some nice vinyl to go under the dinette. Yes, we could have traded her in, but in all honesty, it was cheaper to fix her. Even when we replace the awning fabric, we still will have not spend much in comparison to what this unit is worth.

It was almost funny that shortly after we realized the awning had to be replaced a hail storm came up. We had been out to eat and just parked at our campsite when it began to rain so hard we couldn’t get out of our truck. The rain quickly turned into hail. It hailed for a good ten minutes before it went back to a steady rain.

Saturday morning, we set out to go to the local farmers market. On the way back to our campsite there it was…the yard sale sign. When I asked the lady if by chance she had any craft supplies, she pointed to a large bag containing yarn. “You can have it for a buck,” she said. I could not get my money out fast enough. She here is one of the projects I made from that bag.

I am now going to go back and start stashing some of my craft supplies into our camper for those rainy days when I can’t get out to hike.

Enjoy the ride everyday. Life is good every day if you Believe!

Cross Stitch Designs

I don’t just do needlework/crafts, I really love to design my own. While I have designed quilts, crochet and knitting projects, my real passion is designing cross stitch patterns. More and more I am getting into the design phase as I have time and creating the actual patterns.

I actually thought about teaching classes but that might tie up too much time as I have lots of interests. Basically, I think the love of design stems from the fact I am very analytical and love to disect things. One of my biggest pet peeves is to start a pattern that I have purchased only to find the pattern was not written correctly and have to sit down and make the corrections to it so it did work. With cross stitch that doesn’t happen too often, but I have a history as a photographer so designing cross stitch designs just came naturally.

I am currently posting some of my designs on payhip.com but will also try to list some in the future on Ralvery as well. If you have not tried counted cross stitch as it is very relaxing and can create beautiful pieces of art.

https://payhip.com/b/2XztV

The above link is for this pattern:

Beach Houses (c) Sue G. Heath 2024

This is not a real large pattern so it makes for a good project for the intermediate stitcher.

Busy fingers make a happy woman. God bless you all.

The Perfect Ripple

I never really liked that this pattern had two sets of holes. The original pattern has a hole at the top of the arch and one seven stitches away in the valley.

I played with it awhile and came up with this alteration. Make 7 sc up to the arch, 3 sc in next st, 7 sc down the opposite side then this..

With the last stitch still on your hook pull up a loop in the next 3 sc and then pull a loop through all 4 loops on the hook. Continue up the next arch with the next 7 sc. Then you have what you see in the top photo.

Hope this helps you to make more ripples.

(c) Folkways Creations 2024

Have a great day in Jesus’s name.

Fall Crochet

I love, love, love fall weather. As much as I love outdoor activities I also make good use of my indoor time with knitting, crocheting and quilting. Here is a lapghan I am currently working on.

A typical lapghan (lap blanket) is 36″ x 48″. The stitches are double crochet, slip stitch, slanted post and daisy stitch. I am not using a pattern because I love to freestyle.

I am using a size H crochet hook and knitted a section using a size 6 needle. I have not written out the pattern yet so I am just giving you a summary.

With the H hook I chain 150 sts. In the second chain I double crochet and across, ch 1 and turn. Slip st on the wrong side all the way across and ch3 at the end. Double crochet in 2nd st skip next st, 3 DC over next three sts then yo and DC back into the st you skipped. This is the slanted post and repeat across.

Basically ever even row you work the pattern of your choice and every odd or wrong side you slip st across. This forms a border around your pattern rows.

See how creative you can be and mix and match rows of stitches. Lapghans are a great gift idea for all ages male and female. These are just right for those cool movie nights.

Kitchen Crafting

While I know most people have dishwashers, I do not. Finding dishcloths that hold up is difficult so I started crocheting my own. Even if you do have a dishwasher these cloths are great for cleaning up spills quick.

Tools for making these is simple: Size G crochet hook, Scissors and 100% cotton yarn.

To start chain 27. Dc in second chain from hook and dc across. Ch 2 and repeat until you have a square (to determine square – take one corner and cross it over to opposite side. If flush it is square).

If you just want to give these as gifts you can make multiples and stack them and tie them up like a package using yarn,ribbon or jute.

Don’t forget to like and share this page. Also check out my store at Etsy – FolkwaysCreations.

Have a blessed day.

When Crafting Becomes Therapy

Believe it or not I was not born with a crochet hook in my mouth or a camera in my hand! I was fortunate that my mother taught me how to crochet and sew at a young age. Like most kids after I learned those skills, I laid them down for other things in life.

After I married, the need for those skills reappeared. I did not realize then that having those skills would get me through some very turbulent times.

Money was often tight but I began to see the value of my skills as a hobby and started to save pennies or whatever I could to pay for my supplies. Whether I was sitting at my sewing machine or crocheting a blanket it didn’t take long to realize it was a positive distraction. While my marriage became an abusive relationship, it was my time crafting that saved me emotionally.

As a single mother, life was always a challenge but I funneled any negative emotions through my hobbies. As my child grew so did my list of hobbies. I added knitting, took a quilting and photography class and more. My list has grown a lot since then.

I was fortunate enough that when I remarried it was to a man that could tolerate my obsession. He not only understands my crafting is a passion but also a coping skill. You see I have this little short fuse and used to get depressed so having developed these skills helped both.

After my Dad passed in 2007 of cancer I started making shawls, hats and other items and donating them to our local Cancer Center. Doing this helped me to recover from my grief. The money I put into this is nothing is nothing compared to what I receive.

If you are depressed or just struggling with everyday life, I strongly encourage you to find a hobby. The money you put into it is a lot less than therapy and a lot more fun!

Don’t forget to like and share!

Have an awesome day!

Entrelac Crochet

I have been crocheting since the age of twelve. Still, at the age of 70 I am still learning new things and new stitches.

This is entrelac:

While it may not be a fancy lace stitch its uses are varied. After making two sections like this it is about to become a bag for portable yarn projects.

This stitch is basically a version of the afghan stitch worked in multiples of seven. It goes like this: 1. chain 7, pull up loop in second chain from hook. Keeping both stitches on hook continue pulling up loops in remaining stitches until you have seven. 2. Next, yarn over and pull through first 2 loops on hook, yarn over and pull through next two loops and repeat across rest of loops. The picture below shows what your work should look like.

You now have one bar (dark purple) and loops (pink). Without chaining put your hook into the second loop and pull up…

Continue as you began pulling up the seven loops. Next row go back to row 2 and continue in pattern until you have 5 bars.

This completes your first diamond.

With the completion of your first diamond ch 7 and repeat the same pattern until you have 7 diamonds. When your seventh diamond is complete, pull thread through last loop and cut. You will repeat the pick up a new color and attach as follows:

Attach yarn at corner of the last diamond worked and ch 6. Pull up loops as in row one except the 7tb loop will be in the first stitch of the diamond already worked:

Seventh stitch

Continue to complete the 5 bars. When 5th bar is complete slip stitch through loops until you are where you need to be to start the next diamond.

I am not doing videos at the time but feel free to check out videos on YouTube and Rumble on entrelac crochet.

Have a wonderful day.