Needlepoint part Three

Okay now that we all have mastered the Basket Weave Stitch, we can move on to creating a pattern for our baskets.  There are a few things I like to consider when I make anything and making a basket will be no different.  There are two main design concepts that are important to consider when designing anything and they are FORM & FUNCTION.
One of the first things I like to consider is, how will this item, and in our case this basket, be used?  Function - My sister will be using it on top of her refrigerator to hold bread and chips.  So it can be larger in size and since bread and chips are light then it doesn't necessarily need to be super duper sturdy.
Evaluating how an item will be used and thinking of it's use day in and day out will allow you to choose the right materials.  Choosing light weight materials for a heavy duty purpose will lead to an item that just doesn't last.  Choosing heavy duty materials when it's function is lighter weight will result in a loss of form - to bulky.  In the end you have wasted materials. Wasted materials means more money spent, and one of the main reasons we all DIY is to save a little cash? Right?
So now that we have evaluated the basket's function, let's talk form.  Form can be described as the visible shape or configuration of something.  If we look back at the function then form is basically decided for us.  It will be used on top of a refrigerator - rectangular, and will hold light, but bulky items (chips and bread).  So we will have a rectangular basket that can be made from lighter weight materials, like Plastic Canvas, needlepointed with knitting yarn.
Now you know how and why I chose the materials and shape I did for the basket so you can decide what  suits your needs best.
As far as a pattern, I chose to alternate panels of basket weave, forwards and backwards. I did this because as I mentioned in part 2, I think it is just as beautiful either way.  The colors I chose because they match my sister's kitchen.  When I lay out a pattern mostly I rely on math.  I measure and divide evenly, and honestly do it again and again until I am pleased with the outcome.  I have no shortcuts to offer you in this matter.  I believe I come up with pleasing patterns and designs but it comes from hard work and sometimes starting over, and over.  It doesn't pour out of me. It is because of this that I understand why needlepoint kits in particular are a bit pricey.  Not only are the materials sometimes expensive, but who ever designed them worked hard to make them the way they are.
Once your pattern is laid out how you want it, then you can begin needlepointing your panels.  In my case I have 5 panels to work with. One for each side and a bottom.  Once your panels are complete, you can simply whip stitch them together.  Then your basket is done.
Now, if I am an honest blogger, I have to admit my basket isn't complete yet.  So I have included today photos of mine in progress, to demonstrate the joining of my panels.  When it is done I will update with more photos, but with our Week in Needlepoint coming to a close, I wanted to wrap things up as best as I could.  I know it was a lot of information, but thanks for sticking with me and good luck with your basket.

View from the corner

view looking up through the bottom

view of the corner, from the inside

view of the corner, from the outside

Needlepoint part two

Okay, I know that after yesterday's compelling post on needlepoint,  all of my wonderful readers are just dying to know how to continue with needlepoint.  Well today I will share with you the basket weave stitch.  I have read that it is the "Holy Grail" of needlepoint stitches because of it's simplicity, canvas coverage, and ability to reenforce the canvas as well as not warp the canvas.  For the purpose of our basket project it is one of three stitches that will be used to complete the basket.  The other two stitches names are the whip stitch and the tent stitch.  The basket weave stitch will cover 90% of our project so let's get to work.

Materials needed

As I mentioned yesterday the materials you will need are worsted weight yarn, plastic canvas, a tapestry needle and a pair of scissors.

But before you start cutting canvas an marking patterns let's practice the basket weave stitch.  Remember in part one, I mentioned that needlepoint is a craft that takes a lot of time.  It is also a craft that if you foul up, you can't really just cover it up.  You HAVE TO TAKE OUT ALL OF THE MISSED STITCHES.  If you are like me then there is a good possibility you don't see your mistake until you have filled in 4 rows and going back is just as daunting as starting over.  Don't let me scare you - this is fun - I PROMISE!  Let's just start as we mean to go along.

The Basket Weave Stitch

• Cut a length of yarn no longer than your arm.  

Now I know it is tempting to cut a longer piece of yarn; but there are reasons to using a shorter length of yarn.  As you pull through the canvas again and again your yarn will "whittle" down if you will.  If you cut 6' of yarn to work with not only will it get tangled but your stitches will look smaller by the time you are at the end of your piece of yarn in comparison to the beginning.  So - a short length of yarn.

• Thread your tapestry needle 

If you don't have a tapestry needle and you are considering using a regular sewing needle I beg of you to get a tapestry needle. You lower the risk of piercing through threads and the canvas with a tapestry needle, not to mention you won't poke your fingers with a tapestry needle.  Also no doubling your yarn, your work will look crowded.

up from the back down from the front

• Your first stitch will come UP from the back of your canvas and down through the hole that is immediately below, and diagonal. 

working the 2nd & 3rd stitch

completed second row

• Your second and third stitches will be to the right and one row down, moving towards the left.

• Your 3rd row will be the same but with 3 stitches and moving left to right

Row 3 worked in green for contrast

Row 4

• Row 4 down and left to right 

You will just continue working the canvas this way until the area is filled. Eventually your space will look like this:

Large section filled with basket weave stitch.

That is the basket weave stitch.  Simple yet elegant.  There are a few sites that may be able to explain the process better than me.  Check out the American Needlepoint Guild site.  There is lots of info there. My favorite find on that site is a needlepoint stitch used in Bargello needlepoint.  It is called the round bargello stitch.  I think it looks like a flower.  I can't wait to incorporate it in a sampler.

Enjoy practicing the basket weave stitch.  It won't take long to master it, and when you do filling in the panels on your own basket will be easy as pie.  

Needlepoint Part One

A new craft I am really enjoying is one I never thought I could enjoy.  

Needlepoint!

I always thought it was to boring, to old, and that it just looked overly simple.  Surface embroidery somehow seemed more artistic and sophisticated.  Oh little did I know.  This week I'd like to post a "HOW TO" needlepoint a basket, but it is a lot of information.  I've decided to break things up and post  as we work through the week.

First off a little background and key word definitions because if you are like me then you maybe thought all needle work was the same.  But in truth they are all very different and require a vast knowledge and tons of practice with different stitches.  I am new to the craft and will share with you what I have learned and give links to the sites that have been so helpful to me.

Let's start with a few definitions:

• Surface Embroidery (according to wikipedia) - is any form of embroidery in which the pattern is worked using decorative stitches and laid threads on top of the foundation fabric or canvas rather than through the fabric.

Doesn't that sound fun? No? Well pictures always help.  When I think of surface embroidery I think of all those cute appliques on baby clothes, tapestries, and stumpwork.  Elizabeth Braun of  Sew in Love gives a beautiful pictorial on her blog of a bee. 

Sew in Love - Stumpwork Bee

This is a Felt applique owl - embroidered onto canvas,
that I designed and created for a show I had earlier this year.

Let's just say I am a huge fan of surface embroidery.  Next up:

• Needlepoint - my dictionary defines it as embroidery worked over canvas, typically in a diagonal stitch covering the entire surface of the fabric.

When I think of needlepoint I think of a purse of my Grandmother's, or that ancient pillow on my mother's sofa.  I always wondered why she kept it around, but now that I've done some needlepoint I get it.  It takes a really long time to work a tiny space and the materials are pricey.  We will talk kits another day.  Here is a small example of my first needlepoint attempt.  It is a 2" square of plastic canvas that I worked the basket weave stitch.  It gets it's name from what happens on the back of the canvas while the stitch is worked (right).  I think it is a pretty as the front (left ).  My square is fuzzy because I carry it in my purse.  I do this to remind myself that I have a project to attend to.  Life can get in the way of crafting sometimes and this little trick helps me stay on track.

see the diagonal stitches!

Just like a basket

Okay now that we have established that needlepoint is different, let's get into why it is fantastic!  Needlepoint is a great craft for those who have a long attention span for a project.  It takes a long time to work the canvas and also requires some diligence.  When worked properly with good materials it will last forever!!!!  This is why people take the time to do it.  Rugs are often needlepointed and fetch a major price tag.  It is an economical craft if you look at it from the time point of view, meaning :

cost of materials divided by  # days spent working & how long it lasts.

If you can't see it that way and only evaluate the upfront cost needlepoint may be $$$. But since we are crafty here at MBU, I've found ways around that.  Another reason I love it is because of how many things you can needle point :

• pillows
• purses
• jewelry
• rugs
• baskets
• and on and on and on............

Needlepoint can be worked with many different materials on different types of canvas.  Choosing the best of each will ensure your work will endure.  For beginners I suggest plastic canvas.  Here's why:

• Plastic canvas is cheap and you can find it in most craft supply isles
• It comes in different sizes and can accommodate different types of threads
• It is sturdy - if your stitches are too tight you won't warp the canvas (warped canvas = ruined work)

A bit about canvas sizes - 

• smaller number = bigger holes   #7 or 7 holes per inch
• bigger number = smaller holes  #14 or 14 holes per inch
• big holes - worsted weight yarn
• small holes - embroidery thread

My last photo for today is materials for starting a needlepoint project on plastic canvas.  What you see is the yarn I chose for my sister's basket, inspired by her very 50's kitchen color scheme of mint chocolate chip and my addition of what I call a "gerber daisy pink", #7 plastic canvas,  a #14 tapestry needle, and scissors.  Remember how I mentioned that MBU has found ways around the hight cost of needlepoint materials?  This project only cost about $12 for everything you see.  Not bad, not bad at all.

materials needed

Locker Hooking - a DIY anything project

The Craft studio has been busy.  I am the kind of person who can put a project down and come back to it later.  In the mean time I usually start another project.  I realize that creatively sometimes I just have to stop and find the inspiration to come back to a project refreshed and revived.  Otherwise my work is sloppy and no good.  


I am currently working on two Locker Hooking projects.  Each of them will take a considerable amount of time and energy so I am letting them.  Like a good cup of coffee, you have to wait for it to cool a little, you can't just chug it down.  It is this rationalization that has allowed me to take my time with my crafting projects guilt free.


Back to Locker Hooking.  No - locker hooking isn't some "skeezy" practice in seedy locker rooms, it is a sad and unfortunate name to a craft I really enjoy.  It comes from  hooking  loops of material up through rug canvas and then locking them in place with string. 
Locker hooking is such a versatile, and durable craft that it has become a main inspiration in the MBU - DIY Craft Studio.  Not only are the materials cheap, but you can recycle an old bed sheet into your new placemat, or pillow, or bracelet, or rug.  I just love that.  You are folding laundry one day and decide that you just hate a certain shirt &  you are short a bath mat, then viola! New bath mat.  


My most recent completion was a hot pad for the kitchen.  My MIL gave me a "jelly roll" of the cutest fabrics.  I knew that I wanted to make something useful with the fabric, but it had to be small.  I decided I would use a #6 canvas (because I had some), and cranked this little baby out in my spare seconds over a few days time.  I have 3 kids and can only craft in very small bursts, so spare seconds it is.  If you had peace and quiet then you could make on in just a few hours.

The project that is currently waiting for further inspiration is a wall hanging I call "jewels in the snow".  Here is a close up picture of it in progress:

See the rug canvas up at the top, between the white?  I also used #6 canvas for this project and different bulky yarns. 

This leads me to the project that has highjacked my time from the wall hanging.  The project being 4 super ugly chairs sitting around my table.  They are hand-me-downs that I gladly accepted because my oldest got stuck in the broken down "rushing" in our even older chairs.  Which I plan to fix later - but that is another blog post :)  Anyway, the chairs are oak and could be nice but are in various states of "ugh", because the finish is peeling.  So I am currently sanding them one by one and will refinish them, but this time they will be completed with beautiful locker hooked seat pads.  Check back for a tutorial of the chair project.

You'll need 5 things to Locker Hook a beautiful project:

1. Rug Canvas
2. Locker Hook
3. Locking Medium (string)
4. Yarn, Roving, or Cotton material torn into strips
5. Tapestry Needle

There are many web sites where you can order these materials, one of my favorites is colorcrazy.com.  There you can find materials, patterns, clearer explanations  of locker hooking, videos, books, you name it - it's there.  The author of the books and site Theresa Pulido also gives a great history of the craft  as well.  Locker hooking is a fun, durable craft, that can add a lot of beauty to just about anything you want to make. Check it out!

Hello World

Hello World!
Welcome to MBU, the DIY Craft Studio blog!  Here you will find reviews for many crafting tools, materials, and the merchants that sell them.  Of course you will also find tutorials as well as updates on when the Craft Studio will be in session!

Made By U - DIY Craft Studio is new way to enjoy crafting.  

We all love to craft.  

No bones about that, but sometimes there are a few draw backs to pursuing our deepest love.  Three of the biggest complaints I hear from crafters are these:

• Distractions - dog, cat, kids, spouse, dishes - you get the idea.

• Space - we all have a spot where crafting is taking over, but that spot is still needed for other things like, oh I don't know, eating.

• $$$$$ - ANYONE can craft - Martha taught us that - you just have to have the right tools and they don't come cheap.  

Have you ever gotten stuck in a project and realize you just have to have the doo-hicky to finish it?  The doo-hicky is that tool that stares at you every trip to the craft store.  You pass it over every time because your secret number flashes in your mind when you look at it.  Your secret number being the total money spent on loving your craft.  A number you would confess to no one but know by heart.  Well MBU can save you the guilt.  

MBU eliminates the distractions (because you come to us and hopefully don't bring your cat with you), gives you space so you can spread out while you work and store it with us if you like, and saves you cash by having all the doo-hickys on hand for you to use (then you don't have to buy one)!  

I am excited today because I have a doo-hicky (sorry couldn't resist typing it one more time) ordered and in the mail that I have wanted, wanted, wanted since I knew of it's existence.  This tool of course is the Sizzix BIGkick. 

Now most of you are familiar with Sizzix and all of it's wonderful glory, but this little mama is getting there & I simply can't wait for it to get here.  This little machine will be put to work quickly as we have 3 up-and-coming Studio Sessions this summer and the BIGkick is really going to make things happen. Check back for WW&W (when, where & what) we will be crafting!

Anyone have a "Did you Know?" or tip to share about any Sizzix tool?  As always we love suggestions for Studio Session themes or ideas.