Sunday, September 4, 2011

Summer Wardrobe: Reverse Applique Kerchief


Ever since I saw the book Alabama Stitch Book, I was intrigued by the idea of reverse applique, along with many other stitching techniques presented there. This form of reverse applique is a little easier than the traditional version, where you have to turn the edges under (as I was told by a quilting friend).


In this project, you paint on the top fabric with fabric paint (I used a stencil included in the book) and then use a running stitch to secure it to the bottom fabric. After that, you snip out the inside pieces with embroidery scissors, leaving 1/4" of fabric between the stitches and cutting line.



I'm very pleased with how it came out. The running stitch is hand-stitched, so it can be a bit time-consuming, but it's a great TV project because you don't really have to think about what you're doing, besides trying to keep the stitches somewhat even. And really, the obvious handmade quality is part of the charm, so there's no need to rip out less-than-perfect stitches.





It's great for keeping my hair out of my face during the summer months, but I plan to wear this well into the fall!

Saturday, September 3, 2011

Summer Wardrobe: Summer Socks



Just a plain vanilla sock, using Sockotta sock yarn, which makes the fair isle design. The yarn also has cotton in it, which makes it much more comfortable to knit with in the summer heat than wool, although the cotton can be hard on your hands. I bought the yarn five years ago to make my first pair of socks, and everything went great except I didn't measure the length of my foot or stop to try it on, so it turned out too small (I'm a size 9 and the pattern was written for a 7 or 8). I got much better at sock knitting after that, but by then summer was over and it seemed like I should save this project for the warmer months. I didn't expect so much time to go by, though--other projects just jostled their way in front of the socks. I was going to make ankle socks originally, but when I picked it up again recently I decided I'd rather have full-length socks.


Pattern: Classic Socks for the Family by The Yankee Knitter (an awesome pattern, I highly recommend it)
Yarn: Plymouth Yarn Sockotta, 1 ball
Needles: US Size 1