Batman Returns

Yes, Batman has returned. For our Grandsons' birthday card I just had to use him ( and his many guises) in some form. This is what I did. After giving it some thought I decided to try something different this year. We didn't know what to buy him for a gift and thought that it may be nice for him to have a money gift, which he could either save or spend as he wished, his choice. I didn't want to just hand over an envelope with money in it, I wanted something different. So, after some thought and some rummaging around in my little craft room, I came up with a flat box, about 9" square and 2" deep. Thinking of all the Batman films and shows which I'd seen in the past, ( I'm referring to Adam West as Batman now, nothing earlier than that!) I thought that doing some kind of mystery or puzzle would be different. Thinking cap on, I knew I had some green A4 paper and matching envelopes ( somewhere safe) so whilst retrieving said paper my mind was thinking of a riddle. Yes you've guessed it, green paper and envelope....the Riddler! Now all I had to do is make up a riddle.!?! I was thinking about this whilst I was covering my box with brown paper.....

...Once the box was suitably covered (and adorned) it would hold three "letters".... back to that later. I covered the box with brown paper. Now, this box needed to have travelled through the " Gotham City postal service" so I cut out two pictures, one of the Riddler and one of Joker and used them as stamps. I drew a "franking" date stamp, and added a few more "ads" to add to the look......

...I even added a "boot" foot print on the base of the box to give it a grunge look. I loved doing this, it was so much fun. I used a dye base black ink on my trainer sole. Mick wondered what on earth I was doing! I think it worked really well. Once the box was finished it was set aside whilst I composed my riddle. It didn't take too long. I just wanted something which may give him a clue to his present...

...I printed it on the laptop after finding a font suitable, and then I sealed it in the envelope which had a number 1 on it. Number 2 envelope contained his money, but I carefully wrapped it in silver foil and placed in a white envelope marked number 2. Number 3 envelope contained his card. But it wasn't a card as such it was a " who is Batman" mystery. Here are the pages.....

....I used pictures from a book (again) as I had with my sons' card. The background papers I made as a collage of batman images and took the transparency level down to give it a faded look. I used a jagged edged ruler to tear the edges... ...

...the script was done on the computer.....

....there are so many to choose from, but this one was just right....

...the backgrounds were just matted onto the card, but some of the embellishments were put on 3d foam....

....by this time I was wondering who had been my favourite Batman.....

.... (as the picture says) ..that's not him!....

...by the time I added this picture I thought of how old I was when I watched him on tv!!......

....and now to reveal who is Batman (and my favourite).....

...it couldn't be any other could it!....

....our Batman!....

.....success!!!!

Batman and the Princess

For every card I make, it has to be relevant to the recipient. I can't just make a batch of cards up and then chose one to send. This doesn't work for me. The only time I do any different is when it's time to make cards for Christmas. The way I do these is to have a theme and/or colour scheme. Last years' cards were a contemporary theme. But never mind Christmas, I don't even think about that until October at the earliest! Anyway,here are two of the birthday cards which I've made for this month. One of our grand daughters was three and the theme for her card this year was princesses and pink. This is a C5 card...... ...the background paper I printed off from my Craft Artist cd rom. I changed the colour to this gorgeous pink, ( it's actually brighter than in the picture) then I used my Sizzix crown die and cut one in baby pink and one in 300gsm white card. I glued the two die cut crowns together and once dry I went through my box of "sparkle"s and decorated it with flat back pearls and clear gems, some gems on a strip of silver thread (which I've had for ages and still have more left) and also used some Art Institute fine glitters, in various shades of gold, pink and white, to add more sparkle. That was then mounted onto the card with 3d foam. The picture was a recent one and that too was mounted on white card stock and edged with baby pink glitter..... .....the wording I did on the computer, cut out and mounted and finished as I did the the picture. I finished off with some clear glitter glue around the edges and added some to the background on the fairy coaches and horses. I did an insert to match but omitted to photograph it! .....The second card was for our sons' birthday. Every year I do a different theme for him. This year I chose Batman. He's a great artist (and still draws and paints when he gets time) and he and our grandson share the love of Batman computer games! This card is also C5, in black 300gsm. The background image and the main image were from a book. I cut out the pieces I wanted (It's a damaged book) and mounted them onto the black card. The image of Batman was mounted on black 3d foam (I made it from black funky foam and double sided tape, much cheaper doing it this way)..... ..The wording I again did on my computer. I used a shadow effect on the words as I wanted it to look grungy and Gothic. I then clear embossed it and then crackled it (in the fridge)..... .... for the insert ( again, didn't photograph it. Too busy thinking of my holidays!) I scanned in the picture of Batman and printed it out landscape to fit the card. Using my decorative scissors I cut all around the edge of the insert. It turned out great because the edge resembled the shape of bats! To finish off I scanned in one image of the bat logo and filled a sheet with them. I cut them out...... ....and folded the wings slightly and these were then placed loose inside the card. When the card was opened the bats were "released", it worked perfectly. Both cards turned out exactly as I wanted them too, and both our grand daughter and son were thrilled with them. I finished these cards before we went on holiday as both birthdays were whilst we were away. I've now got three more cards to make before the middle of July. I think I know which themes I shall be doing. We've just had two wonderful weeks away in Cornwall. We've both returned home refreshed and revitalised. I have loads of ideas and jottings in my notebook, and I just have to sit down and get them in some sort of order. We went to so many places and took so many photographs, it was wonderful! I have a couple of ufo's to finish but then I can begin on my new projects. Tomorrow I will be spending some time in the garden, everything is growing lovely now. There's also housework to do (isn't there always!) but I shall go through that like a blur so I can crack on with more exciting things!!

The Memoirs of a Knitted Geisha!

Well, she's finished. Apart from the decoration for her hair. So here she is.... ......the clarity of the picture isn't great, (that's down to me not the camera) the light wasn't great, and I'm trying to catch up with things before we head off on holiday at the weekend! So, I was going to knit her as per the pattern. As you can see ( if you have the pattern yourself) I did make some changes. I didn't like the embroidered flowers on the original pattern, so I went for a rosebud effect... .... the obi I kept plain...... ....although I may add a couple of rosebuds at the back. On the original pattern the footwear had two horizontal straps..... .....I wasn't keen on that idea, so I attempted to recreate the original style. It was on her head that I made quite a few changes...... ..... that turned out quite different to the original. I think it's because when I wound the strands, I wound it tighter than I should have, so maybe I should have used more yarn. I gave her a nose, purely and simply because I think it needed to be there. Here red lips are a small v and not a straight line as in the pattern and her eyes are smaller than the original too. I need to sit and sort through my bead collection to find suitable pieces for her hair, (maybe this evening) to finish to look. My overall verdict of this pattern is that there are too many pieces. I have already made some notes in my design book and I shall make another doll from scratch with my own pattern with less pieces and more shape. I'm happy with how it turned out, but not 100% and next time I shan't use double knitting yarn I shall use 4 ply. I have quite a few images of Geisha, these are from a collection of stamps, matchbox labels and postcards which belonged to my late father. So I shall study these, make a few notes and try some shapes. It's also got me thinking of another project witch I could use these images on, my brain never stops!! I did manage to get all the family birthday cards completed, I shall post these later. This afternoon I have baking to do. One Victoria sponge, one chocolate sponge and one apple cake. These are for Mick to take to work this evening as it's his birthday. So that's my afternoon sorted. Now, when's that rain going to stop!!

Body Parts....Phase 2

This knitted project is taking me longer than I thought it would. But then again, I have been doing other things as well. Anyhow here's the next instalment. My intention was to knit and make up exactly as the knitting pattern, but I have had to make some adjustments, owing to the fact that the sizing of some pieces were incorrect. Here's a picture of the main body pieces once I'd sewn them together...

....still looks like a Frankenstein creation to me, but I'm sticking with the pattern. All the pieces were knitted and sewn up as instructed. This is the back view.....

......looks even more like a monster!!! Then it was on to the kimono......

....it was here where I made the first adjustment. After measuring and pinning all the pieces together, if I'd sewn the kimono up according to the pattern, it would in no way have fitted the doll. The tops of the sleeves were too narrow. The choices were, to undo and re knit the pieces bigger or to extend the edging detail! Well I opted for the second choice. The pattern says to work 2 rows of double crochet along lower edges of sleeves, back, front and side slits. Well, to make the sleeves wider I double crocheted around the inside seams of the kimono sleeves and sides.....

....once I'd sewn it all together I "dressed" my little Geisha....

......that was much better. It actually looked and fit better....

..I still think that the pattern is wrong and don't like the neck and shoulders, but it was made as the pattern was written. She still doesn't have hair or features as you can see. They will be done last. Here are the pieces for the shoes......

...still to be sewn together and fitted on to the feet. I am hoping to get it completed within the next couple of days. One thing's for sure, after having this pattern since the early 70's and only just knitting it, I can see now why I've never seem many of these knitted up! I'm already making my own draft of this pattern, with less pieces, more shape and a few other adaptations. That's for a later date, along with some other things I have in my notebook......

One of our grand daughters had a 4th Birthday recently. She loves anything to do with cupcakes, eating them, drawing them and helping her mum make them. So the theme for her birthday card was just that....

....I used these lovely Kanban clear stamps. Great stamps, very clear images. I also used Promarkers and Art Institute fine glitters. It seems to be the norm that the craft experts tell us to use bright white card when using Promarkers.....

...well I didn't. I used a lovely smooth off white card. I purchased it when the Papermill Shops were on the high street. It was a box of the "Managers Special" card, a box for £2.99. It's one of the best buys I have ever bought. It even goes through the printer and the results are great. The colours of the Promarkers looked lovely on this card.....

...they blended lovely, and the shades looked so pretty.....

....and once the glitter was added.......

.....and the "cherry" toppings were added to the background....

...they looked good enough to eat.....

.... as our grandson said!! I have other cards to make over the next few days. We have quite a few birthdays in the family in May, June and July. Some of the card will be stamped and coloured, and some will be digital imagery. That is something which seems to spark a debate too, just lately, digital crafting! I shall be posting on that shortly. Some other things I've lined up for myself over the next few days include some sewing. I have a small pile of things waiting by my sewing machine, some dyeing of fabric and now my little dropper bottles have arrived I shall be making alcohol inks. But I still have to gather some other small receptacles together before I begin with that. Now the sun is shining at last and we still have planting and other jobs to do in the garden. There's nothing better than being busy and creative!

Body parts!

I'm working on another knitted project. It's actually a vintage pattern from the late 60s. The problem with many of these old patterns is that there were mistakes in them. I remember in the early 70s buying a pattern for a jacket, and the pattern was completely different to the one in the picture. So I adapted the pattern and it turned out really nice. In fact I was wearing that navy jacket for years!! Anyway, this one is for a knitted geisha doll....

...the picture does it no justice does it! I've had this pattern for years and have always meant to knit it up to see if it turned out better that the picture. Well, here's my findings so far. Firstly, there are too many pieces to knit. I know these patterns were made as quick makes for fairs and fete stalls etc, but I can see this putting people off if they haven't been knitting very long.....

.....the picture looks really odd I doesn't it! As you can see, the head looks way too big, but I'm hoping that once the hair and features are in place it will be more in keeping with the body. The dress is also made up of too many pieces....

.....the purple panel is only pinned to the main piece at them moment, and the pattern gives instructions to crochet edges on sleeves, side and hem. Well, I shan't be doing that because I have something else in mind. But once this one is complete I shall remake this doll to my own pattern. There will be less pieces to begin with! ...... I've been sorting my collection of knitting patterns recently and I have far too many. I haven't even used some of them. Here are a selection. If you would like any or all of them please email me, I'll be happy to put them in the post to you, at no cost. I'm not selling them they are free to anyone who wants them.

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....... Please contact me if you are interested. I have some birthday cards to make this week, so I'll be back to stamping and colouring. I'm also want to start on a project using some drinks cans , Sizzix dies and some home made alcohol inks. I have all my ingredients ready to make the inks, I'm just waiting on the arrival of the plastic dropper bottles. But I shan't be idle whilst I'm waiting for the postman to arrive, I may even be able to get out into the garden, once the showers have subsided!!

No sew tee shirt bag

Well, my tee shirt bag is now finished and I shall be using it quite a lot this summer. I made it using the methods which my mother taught me. So here goes. Once your old tee shirts have been gathered together, cut them as you want to. There are many methods, and the one I use is the continuous vertical cuts. First of all the needle size is up to you. For my bag I used needles which my dad made for my mum, and these measure 3/4" in diameter ( no metric then!)

...decide how big you want your bag to be. I just did mine by eye, no tape measure required. I worked on 25 stitches and continued to knit one piece, checking by folding every so often, if it was going to be long enough once it was folded. My piece measured 28" and then I cast off.

....The next step was to determine where the straps were going. For this I counted in five stitches from one edge, then using 6mm needles I picked up and knit 5 stitches. Working on these five stitches continue to knit until you have made the strap as long as you want it. The ones on my bag are 24" long. I used two colours on my straps because I wanted the random effect and didn't have any more of those coloured tee shirts left!

Once you have the desired length of strap, on the same side you have been knitting, at the other end, count in five stitches, pick them up and knit them with the 5 which you have on your needle. Be careful not to twist your knitting because you don't want a twisted strap. Cast them off and that's one side done. Line up the bag and knit the straps for the other side in the same way. Now to tackle the sides. Once again I used 6mm needles. Turning the bag inside out I lined up the sides and folded in half. I pinned and then to knit the two sides together I placed my needle through stitches on both edges of the fold, knitting two stitches and then casting one off ( as you would normally do) all the way along, until you come to the last stitch. Knit this off, leave a longer thread and weave this into the knitting. Matching the opposite side pick up and knit the same way. You could crochet the two edges together it would be just as easy. After much thought I decided that I wasn't going to make any flowers for this bag, and so I just decorated it with vintage buttons, ( of which I have thousands!). This is my finished bag...

.....I've already used it. The best thing about it is that it was made by me my way. My dad used to say that in any sort of craft there are no rules just guidelines. That is so true. So, if you are about to embark on a project just do it, and do it your way!

Knitting and stitching

These last few glorious days have (hopefully) been a taste of things to come but it seems that now ( for Easter) we're back to the cooler and overcast ones. Never mind, we can't do anything about it, so I have put my outside projects on hold for a few days. Over the last week I've been knitting these....

....and these......

...I've also been doing some jumbo knitting....

...this bag took no more than 90 minutes to knit, and it's a no sew bag. I just have to put the embellishments on. I shall post a picture of it, together with the instructions on how I made it shortly. I've two birthday cards to make today. these have to be posted tomorrow, but I know what theme I'm using for them so that should be a breeze. My sewing machine is up and ready for action,and the fabrics are all cut. If the weather is going to be dull and chilly for a few days, I shouldn't have any outside distractions. Although I am eager to get out into the garden. I'm not normally as organised as this, I do hope it lasts!!