handmade by stefanie

I have a new obsession: making cuddle blankets! It all started earlier this year when my work (Missouri Star) had a sale on 2-yard cuts of cuddle fabric  (sometimes also referred to as minky fabric ) for just $22 each. I bought a few to make my mom a blanket for mother's day and it turned out beautifully. In fact, it was so soft and luxurious that I almost didn't want to gift it to her!  Don't worry, I didn't end up keeping it for myself...instead, I spent a small fortune on MORE cuddle fabric so that I could make a blanket for myself (and one for my husband, and perhaps a few more to give as gifts during the holidays?!).  Not only is the fabric incredibly soft and luxurious, it's also machine washable. And each blanket is so easy - you can bust one out in just a few hours of sewing time using  this free tutorial.   Here's the one I made for myself over the holiday weekend: Tyler's is on deck for my next sewing session! I guarantee that you will become as o...

 Last week, I went up to Hamilton, MO (aka Quilt Town USA) to see some of my coworkers, get a tour of the machine quilting department, and pick up my new sewing machine, a Baby Lock Jazz II!  It was a gorgeous day and I ended up popping into a few of the shops as well. Not only did I snag the very last May the 1/4" Be With You shirt, I also got a sweet deal on some skeins of Manos Clasica at One Big Happy Yarn.  Over the weekend, I took the plunge and started my first project on the new sewing machine, a periwinkle table topper:  It's really a dream to sew on. The threading and bobbin are completely different from what I'm used to, so I was intimidated to dive in at first. After watching a bunch of YouTube videos and consulting the manual, I feel like I'm getting the hang of it, and I can't wait to explore all of the different stitches and features after I master the basics! 

Last month,  I went to my first in-person event since before-times: the PLY Away Marketplace at the Westin in downtown Kansas City. With a three year gap since my last convention experience, I was super rusty - for instance,  the only photo I took while I was there was this banner in the lobby outside of the marketplace: I suppose a selfie with my pal Laura would have been appropriate, although we both masked while we shopped so it really would have just been a photo of our eyeballs (I'm just a huge germophobe, but that's another story entirely).  Anyway, I think this is the last year that the event will be held in Kansas City, so I'm glad I was able to come out of my self-imposed hibernation and take a spin through the marketplace. It was a really great mix of vendors, and although I practiced a considerable amount of self-restraint, a few goodies did end up coming home with me:  (clockwise from top left): 1. Enby hat kit from Shirsty Cat Designs 2. 3D printed yarn...

What do you do with all those thread ends, bits of yarn, and fabric scraps?  For smaller lengths of yarn that I can't knit with, I often use them to decorate gifts (if they're long enough), or to use as ties to keep yarn skeins tidy while I'm dyeing them (if they're shorter).  And I save as much leftover fabric from projects as possible, to be used later on for crumb piecing.  But what about stuff that you simply can't use, like bits of yarn or thread that you snip after weaving in ends or finishing off a project? There was a time that I used to throw these things away....but always with an immense sense of guilt. There is already so much textile waste taking up space in landfills from fast fashion, I don't want to make it any worse. Then I started seeing ads on Instagram for the For Days Take Back Bag . Initially I ordered a few because we had a lot of old clothing, textiles, etc. that were not in good enough condition to keep using or donate. But then I notic...

Seems like I've been sharing a lot of sewing/quilting projects here lately, but I assure you, I am still knitting, and have recently completed a couple of hat projects, a scarf, and even a pair of socks! First up is the March Hat by Meghan Babin, which I made using some Plymouth Yarn Homestead Tweed I was gifted during the holidays and a Knit Picks faux fur pom. This pattern, which is available for free on Ravelry, features a simple yet stylish design that's easy to memorize as you knit. I also knit another hat for the donation bin using two strands of fingering weight yarn to create a tweedy effect. I based this project on the Mash it Up pattern by Babs Ausherman, but went a little off book as I knit, especially when it came time to do the crown decreases. The gold color is Shibuiknits Reed in Pollen and the lighter color is reclaimed from a past project, I'm not 100% sure of the name of the indie dyer or the colorway but I think it might be a sock yarn from KnitCircus. ...

My quilted table runner obsession continues as I sew my way through Creating a Quilted Home . I've had my eye on this hexi braid pattern, but was a little intimidated by it. But when my mom mentioned that she'd like an everyday table runner, I figured I should give it a shot.  Turns out, it's really easy to make! The hardest part (for me) was choosing fabric placement - quilting can be kinda difficult if you are a chronic overthinker. The other tricky part was getting the braid started, but once the first two pieces are sewn together it's smooth sailing. I used a charm pack and some yardage from Edyta Sitar's Blue Escape collection for the piecing, backing and binding. The border fabric is actually from my stash, so I don't remember who makes it but it just happened to match perfectly! I had it quilted at Missouri Star - check out the sweet note that they included when they sent it back to me!  I love making this project for my mom so much that I just might have...

Although I don't really subscribe to the whole "new year, new you" thing or making outlandish resolutions that will likely be abandoned by Valentine's day, I have been thinking a lot about my intentions for this year. Of course health and work/life balance is up there on the list, and home improvements are also a major one for 2023 (I have a never-ending list of projects to work on for our house once the springtime rolls around).  So whatever craft time I can carve out for myself this year, I want to make it count!  And as previously mentioned, I want to continue my yarn destashing efforts in 2023. That will most definitely be a guiding principle for any knitting, weaving or crochet (hey, it could happen!) projects this year. I did break my "no yarn except sock yarn" rule at the end of last year, but only to buy a sweater's worth of lace weight yarn from Shi Bui, who announced they were closing their doors. I've always loved their yarns, so I figured...

 When we made the big move to KC at the start of the pandemic, I could no longer ignore the ridiculous amount of yarn that I had in my stash. Since then, I've been working on using up or giving away the yarns currently in my stash while also trying my best not to buy more. Sometimes it doesn't seem like I've been that successful, but I just came across this photo of my stash from February 2021 where my yarn stash takes up nearly 5 large storage bins (and there is also a large bin of spinning fiber behind them!):  I'm also pretty certain that my handspun yarns are not pictured here, because they are in a few bins that were stored in the closet. But I digress. So, here I am in 2023. I've given away a fair amount of yarn, and have been using the rest for knitting and weaving projects. The only yarn I bought in 2022 was for Sock Pals, which meant that I used it immediately upon arrival. And I have condensed my yarn stash down to 1 large storage bin and three of four she...