Craft Group July 2026: Your Current Projects

Dear Community,

There’s plenty of space in this thread for your current projects. Have fun!

You can find previous posts from the Craft Group here in the thread for the June and May projects as well as in the overview thread.

Hi everyone, I just finished knitting a baby cardigan using merino wool from Yarns. Next up is a little hat. 

Welcome to our forum, Claudia. The little jacket turned out beautifully. 

A grief dog like that is a great idea! 👍

Thanks—now I’m going to knit a baby hat to go with it....

Oh, how absolutely adorable 🥰

More grief work: 

My neighbor wanted to make something out of her late father’s jeans. 

I sewed a border for the first time—well, it’s so-so. Looks great on the front, but not so great on the back. 

I’m really proud of my sewing machine—it sewed through 8 layers with no problem at all ♡ 

Dear Anja, 

Your neighbor seems to have taken a real liking to you and your sewing skills.

I think you did an amazing job with the dog! You can tell right away what breed it is. And it’s big enough to give a big hug, too. Really great!

Thanks to your sewing skills, her father’s jeans have now become a usable keepsake. It’s great that you and your sewing machine managed to sew together so many layers of denim. That must have been quite a bit of work. And because your eye is drawn to the pattern in the middle, you don’t even notice the slightly uneven edge. At least that way, you can tell it’s handmade.

Best regards, Ina

I’ve finally finished something for once. 

Now that the rain has stopped, the temperatures are pleasant even upstairs, so I’ve done a little sewing. 

Gift bags with embroidered motifs

Thank you so much, Ina ♡ 

Those were two different neighbors. 

And yes, it was a lot of work, but at least the braiding part was fun. I also got to learn what I’ll do better next time. 🤗

Wow, Petra, Christmas in July 🎄

Your embroidery is so cute, as always. 

I’ve been trying all day to figure out this little heart crochet pattern—all I can see are fans. Why do others see little hearts? Hääää

Final push on the sewn bird (it’s been sitting around for a year already); I want to sew lanterns tomorrow—the supplies for them arrived today. 

Anja, look at your hearts from a little farther away. I could tell right away what they were. They look beautiful. 

What is it going to be? I think I’d like pot holders with a border of hearts. 

Nah, you’ll burn yourself—plus, acrylic yarn melts.

Maybe a cozy jacket? Which then won’t get finished either.... 🙂🙃😉

I just bought a pattern from the lovely Elke—a light and airy soul warmer—and that’s my priority now. And what was that again? I liked the color of the jacket shown, but I don’t have that one. Order it? Holy no! TOO EXPENSIVE, especially since I’ll most likely never finish it 🤪

I have an endless supply of yarn, BUT for my size, I need 600 g, and I have at most 500 g of any one color. I’d have more in multicolored, but I want a solid color. You know how it is. 🤕😟🧐

I recognized the hearts right away, too. And since they’re red, you make that connection immediately. You’re looking way too closely at your crochet work. 

I’m also curious to see your lanterns. I had no idea you could sew lanterns???

Dear Petra, your embroidered little gift pouch made me smile. When you look at the embroidered design up close, you can see all the little details, like the loosely curving ribbon with a heart around the moose’s neck and the little bird on its back. I also like that the lines around the motif aren’t perfectly precise—they’re intentionally a bit messy. Straight lines wouldn’t have worked. You also chose the background fabric well. You can tell everything was created with a lot of love and careful thought. Huge kudos for the little pouch!

Best regards, Ina

Dear Ina, thank you so much for your kind words about my bag. Yes, embroidery work like this usually takes me quite a while, since I keep pausing to think about how to proceed. I often start without even knowing what the final result will be. So right now, along with my many UFOs, I’ve got a few PiAs floating around my room as well. 

Anja I was thinking more along the lines of a cotton yarn in the right weight for that pattern and for potholders / dishcloths. I assumed your crochet project was a practice piece, or rather, I can’t really make out the yarn in the picture. 

I’m looking forward to seeing your next project. Yeah, when I browse through the patterns, I often find such great yarn and am completely blown away. But I’ve decided not to buy anything new until fall and to use my current stash to bring my ideas to life for now. 

It’s raining here today and it’s cooled off quite a bit. Let’s see what this Sunday brings. 

Best wishes—keep those needles clicking!

Petra 

Maybe these little bunnies will turn into the next gift bag.............. Another one of those PiA projects that’s been sitting around for a while

What is PiA?

A project in progress

A handmade project that you keep picking up again and again to continue working on it. Or in my case: I keep looking at the sewn square again and again to think about how/what I could work on/add to it. 

Something that is just left sitting in the box then becomes a UFO

Thanks for the explanation. ❤️

UFOs are a familiar thing—I certainly produce plenty of them 🛸🛸🛸🛸🛸🛸🛸

I wanted to sew some pretty lanterns today, but I never got around to it. 

I’d adjusted the overlocker for a rolled hem (for the first time), and afterward I couldn’t get the settings back to how they were before. So I had to spend forever fiddling with the thread tension, rethreading a zillion times (tension too high, thread popped out—ugh), and then I had to take a break because I was so frustrated my heart was racing. 

And I was just trying to have some fun today—ugh. 

Now the serger’s working again, I’m taking another break—I could really use a midday nap. I only slept 5 hours again, and I can tell by my mood and my patience (plus that darn cortisone—it makes me aggressive sometimes, too). 

I’m going to find a nice movie and curl up in bed.

By the way, I found another video with a heart-patterned blanket, and I’m sorry—I only see hearts in the thumbnail, but while she’s crocheting, all I see are fans again. And usually I see hearts in every cloud. Maybe some kind of synapse glitch? 

Dear Anja, tomorrow is a new day, and until then, your lanterns will be waiting patiently for you.

That happened to me the other day, too—my patience was really put to the test. Even with my overlocker. I thought to myself, “Ina, just fold the knife away; you don’t need it for this seam.” But after that, I couldn’t put it back. Grrrh. An overlocker without the knife just doesn’t work. So, where’s the manual? I searched and searched. Nope, couldn’t find it. So off to the computer I went and printed out a new one. That’s when I found the part about the knife.

I tried and tried, but nothing happened. I thought the machine was broken. I immediately looked online to see where I could get it repaired. In my mind, I could already see myself lugging that huge machine through Berlin to the sewing machine center. You can’t exactly ship it around in a box.

So first, I took my frustration out on my husband. Nothing was working anymore. Lights out—no more sewing! 

The next day—of course, I just couldn’t stop thinking about it—I went back to the machine. In daylight, I opened all the covers and saw the dust and lint inside.

So I gave it a thorough cleaning. I used a silicone brush and other tools to get everything nice and clean. Afterward, everything was sparkling clean. Here’s a photo to prove it.

Because of the cleaning, I obviously had to pull out all four threads and rethread them. I can’t do that without a video tutorial. 

Despite my best efforts, the blade still wouldn’t work. There’s a knob, and depending on which way you turn it, the blade is either up or retracted—at least in theory. But not for me.

By then, I’d enlisted my husband’s help. He can fix old radios and just about anything else, so I figured he should be able to handle this, too. He took a look at the inner workings of the machine—figuring out what happens where inside the machine when you do something—a logical approach. Still, the knife continued to refuse to do what the knob told it to.

Next step: we had to oil the mechanism inside the device. I’d never done that before. So first, I checked on Ama..n to see what was available. I found a sewing machine oil specifically for overlockers. The advantage is that it has a long pipette on the end, so you can get into all the nooks and crannies.  

After oiling it—oh, miracle!—the blade could move up and down again! You can surely imagine how happy I was. 

You see, dear Anja, sometimes we need patience and steady nerves until things work again. And we always learn something new when we overcome challenges like this.

Best regards, Ina

Whoa, Ina 🤯🙈! 

I recently read a review where someone bought an Ovi in like-new condition—and it looked that way, too.

Don’t you have to open it up sometimes because threads keep slipping out? 

Mine is constantly losing threads—they slip out of a guide—so I have to pop it open and fiddle around like it’s keyhole surgery (in the dark, headlamp on, tweezers at the ready). 

I’m already really fed up with the Ovi because it’s such a pain. 🤬 I’ve also changed my review of the machine because it’s annoying, and because—contrary to what’s advertised—it’s not EASY to thread at all, and because when changing needles, you can barely get between the body and the foot. I had to lay the machine on its side to find those tiny little holes—a nightmare for someone with poor eyesight like me (varifocals don’t work, reading glasses don’t work, and without them I can only manage for a short while). 

I also thought recently that my sewing machine was squeaking a bit, so I put some oil on the spot where I heard it (the presser foot when raising and lowering it)—only to find out later that mine isn’t supposed to be oiled! 😱 It’ll break if you do. Waaahhhh! Too late—I put oil on it, it’s not squeaking anymore, and it’s still working. Phew! 

I’m glad to read that we all have similar unintended adventures. 🤪

Haven’t made any progress yet on the lantern or the darning bird. 

Checked the ring size for the lantern a little while ago—almost had a heart attack because I thought I had 5 sizes here, but then, of all things, didn’t have that one—but 🍀, I did have it after all (I tried to estimate the diameter by eye, which isn’t one of my strengths....). 🐀🐘

Meanwhile, I kept watching videos and tutorials on the heart pattern. I really want to crochet that, so I got started: - Yarn run amok - 

I like a natural-colored base, with the rest in colorful leftover yarn. I don’t have any natural-colored yarn. Looked for affordable yarn. Found it. One skein isn’t worth it because of the shipping costs. Added 2 more skeins. Checked to see if this yarn was cheaper elsewhere or had lower shipping costs. Found it. But that seller didn’t have natural—instead, they had coral and yellow, which the other seller didn’t have. The other seller, however, had natural and bright pink. Long story short: I’m now paying shipping twice and getting 2 skeins each. 🫠

Oh dear, what awful days. Hopefully everything is okay again.

I never dared to try an overlock machine; honestly, it would be much too complicated for me too. I have a very simple machine, a W6 by Wertarbeit, and it sews well when I need it, but most of the time it just sits in its box in the closet. But at some point I really do need to unpack it again; there are a few things I wanted to make, for example, my clothespin bag is completely worn out, so I need a new one—well, we’ll see when I actually feel like doing that ;-)

Best, Regina

If I still had to take the machine out of a box, I’d never get around to sewing. 

Mine is right in plain sight and is always “reminding” me it’s there. It has this great hard-plastic dust cover that actually blends in well with the room. Sometimes, though, even that’s too much for me—there’s always stuff in front of it (a glass, a bottle, a medicine box). 

I’m often bored and rarely feel “like” doing it, so I force myself (using a kitchen timer) to work on something for 5 minutes, and then the motivation usually kicks in. The little slacker inside me has to be convinced first. 

Strangely enough, I get moving much more easily when I’m doing something for others. Then I feel a certain kind of pressure.  

Dear Anja, my serger doesn’t drop any threads. Where are those threads supposed to come from? The ones that get trimmed off at the top of the fabric along the serger seam? For me, they fall to the right into the collection tray.

But a little lint and a few fabric scraps also disappear into the slits and end up inside the machine. And if I don’t remove them regularly, I run into problems. But by now, I’ve come to terms with the necessary cleaning work. In return, it finishes the fabric edges neatly. Before I had the serger, I always found finishing the edges very tedious. 

Dear Regina, you’re not as hooked on sewing as I am. So a regular sewing machine is perfectly sufficient for you. If you only sew small projects now and then, shorten pants, or hem curtains, that’s all you need. 

I wish all readers a wonderful day. Warm regards from Ina

P.S. So this isn’t just a text post, I’ll show you what I’ve been sewing over the last few days: lavender sachets, cushions, and hearts. All filled with fragrant lavender blossoms.

Ina, your lavender sachets and hearts have turned out absolutely enchanting. I really like your fabrics—they’d suit me well. 

Year after year, I’ve been eyeing the lavender—but when is the right time to cut it for the scented sachets? 

Mine has completely faded by now, but everything smells so strong when I run my hand over it. 

Ina, my serger keeps coming loose. A thread always slips out of the guide. That’s why I often have to rethread it, so I often open the lid and clean it right away. 

That’s what I meant 🧵🧵

Hello

I just crocheted a crocodile stacking tower

That’s so cute! Great work! ☆

Dear Petra, as long as the lavender is fragrant, you can also cut off the flower spikes and lay them out to dry. Lavender is cut on a sunny day around midday. That’s when the blossoms have the highest amount of essential oils. After all, they want to attract the insects—and us. 

So you can still cut your lavender blossoms now! That also has the advantage that the lavender bush is encouraged to produce new blooms, and it becomes bushier.

Well, and then you too can capture summer in the form of lavender. I’ve just been looking into the topic in depth and will soon be publishing two blog posts about sewn containers. There you can read and look through everything again at your leisure. As a little preview, here are my two current favorites from the lavender series:

Best wishes, Ina

That reminds me, I still need to go shake up that lavender oil... 

Very pretty, Ina 💓🪻

Hello Ina, the little lavender hearts are beautiful.

Yes, I’m not much of a sewer; somehow it’s just not my thing. Right now I’m working through a request/wish, and I’ve already finished a large part of it. Now I’m still missing the 4-color egg cozies, but I’m still waiting for some information on those. 

Best, Regina

Dear Regina, I totally get it. Crocheting is much simpler. You just grab a crochet hook and some yarn, and off you go. Sewing requires a lot more equipment (sewing machine, iron, ruler, fabric scissors, etc.). But once you’re hooked, there’s no turning back. Luckily, I can switch between knitting, crocheting, sewing, and crafting. 

Your little hats are cute. I see there are two different color combinations, with five of each. Are they all egg cozies, or what are they meant for? 

Dear Susanne, your crocodile stacking tower looks great, too. Did you crochet around individual rings for it, and can the rings be removed one by one like on a real stacking tower? The crocodile has little “dragon teeth” all the way down its back to its tail—where are they attached?

Best regards, Ina

Wow, the crocodile turned out great. It’s sure to make kids’ eyes light up. 

I really like the little hats, too. I could totally see them in purple and orange as Halloween decorations. 

Ina—I’m in love with your little hearts. I’ve always cut back the lavender after it’s finished blooming. And oh my gosh, what a waste—I always just threw it away. I still have one bush that bloomed a little later. And as you know, there’s plenty of fabric and lace around the house, too. 

I love it when, in the evening, as I take my last stroll through the garden, I run my hand along my lavender or stroke the rosemary. It smells so wonderful then. 

Dear Ina, thank you for your explanation. I’m already looking forward to your blog story. 

Hello

Yes, rings are crocheted—the bottom one is attached to the tail and has a point in the middle where the rings and the head go; the spikes are crocheted separately and sewn on 

Best regards, Susanne 

Hi Ina, yes, these are egg cozies for certain soccer fans—they were requested to look like pointed caps. I crocheted them using the pattern at https://www.crazypatterns.net/de/items/12201/haekelanleitung-eierwaermer-hexenhut from here on the forum, but I modified them slightly because they were a bit too big for me in the original pattern.

Now they look like this:

I just added the soccer balls because they’re soccer fans.

Yes, Petra, they’d definitely look good for Halloween in the right colors too, and with a spider 🕷️ attached to each hat—the idea appeals to me.

I really like Susanne’s crocodile too.👍

Best regards, Regina

Dear Suanne, thanks for the explanation. Now I can picture it.

Dear Regina, I really like the little hats with the soccer balls. I could even imagine wearing them as headpieces with a thin elastic band or hair clips for a fun soccer night. Since it was a commissioned piece, the future owners will surely have their own ideas for them. In any case, you did a beautiful job!

Dear Petra, I’m glad you were able to—or can still—harvest your lavender for the lavender hearts. Yes, lace, buttons, little decorations, and beautiful fabrics are the perfect ingredients for lavender sachets, pillows, or hearts. Blog Post #1 on the lavender sachets and pillows goes live today. I’m still working a bit on Blog Post #2 with the hearts, but I’m already on the last model. 

Best regards, Ina

Dear Petra, as an introduction to the topic ... Part 1 of my lavender series is now online on the CP blog.

Best wishes, Ina

Just for the sake of completeness, I’m including a link in this thread to the lavender hearts mentioned above—part 2 of my lavender series. Now everyone can make their own. They make wonderful little gifts. In my photo, I sewed together some old cotton bed linens. The lavender is still in bloom :-) 

Have a wonderful day, everyone.

Best regards, Ina

Lovely bed linen and a very pretty heart ♡ 

Unfortunately, the lavender oil I made hardly smells of anything. What a shame. I’ll try improving it with a few drops of essential oil. 

My thumb joint hurts, so I have to take a break from crocheting. 

Hello, everyone.

I, too, love the scent of lavender; I always cut it back as much as possible after it blooms and then make little bouquets out of it. I place them on the windowsill in the sun until they start to crumble.

Life is pretty hectic around here right now, which is why things have been pretty quiet on my end.

Still, I do have something to show you...

I made a 60th birthday cake for a dear friend; he’d asked for a “Kalte Schnauze.” So I had to dig deep into my mom’s recipe collection again… we hadn’t made that in ages.

I bought a fondant sheet for the first time and tried my hand at a themed cake.

Well, it could definitely be better—but at least you could tell what it was.
By the way, underneath is a bowl of tiramisu for dessert; that was just a quick snap before we headed out.

I still had a sewn and painted seagull made from fabric scraps lying around here, and it found its place on his gift.
During a walk on the beach together, a seagull actually stole a cookie right out of his hand—he still gets teased about that every now and then...

Other than that, this is one of our current topics…

After one of my sisters moved last year, my other sister has now found a new apartment, too.
Her oldest daughter is also moving right now… and the youngest is pregnant again and has to take it easy.
Today I can’t really bring myself to do anything; tomorrow we’ll help clear out my sister’s basement, and next week, from Tuesday through Friday, we plan to help wallpaper my niece’s apartment.

At least we were already on vacation in Corfu before all this madness started here. And as a “welcome back,” the router was broken—but that’s another story altogether.

What a wonderful gift!!! Everything about it—the cake, the tiramisu, the balloons, and that awesome seagull! (I’d love to make that one myself—is the pattern from here?) The recipient must have been absolutely thrilled. 

Wow, that sounds like a lot of work—how great that you’re helping out!

Technology always fails when you can least use it... 

I ordered a sleeve-pressing board and received a notification today saying “it was left in the mailbox.” I thought to myself, “Huh, that wouldn’t even fit in there.” What I thought I was getting wasn’t what I actually got *laughs* but see for yourselves: 

Cute, right? 

You couldn’t iron a sleeve with it, but for what I want to iron, it’s actually enough. 

Then I wanted to sew on a pom-pom garland, and while there are tutorials for just about everything, there isn’t one for this. I’d assumed you’d sew it on like my last border, but that has to go between two layers of fabric. 🤔 Too late—I’ve already sewn it all together, so I’ll just sew it on top. 

I’m currently making these lanterns: 

@Fun-Design 

I think the giant outlet as a cake is fantastic! It really makes an impression, far too good to eat. But for a 60th birthday, it has to be something special. You also packaged and decorated everything beautifully. 

Well, I wouldn’t be in the mood for renovation work at all right now either. But when you’re a helpful person, you support your loved ones. Fortunately, it’s only a phase, and afterward things will be quiet again for a while. Good thing you had vacation and can now help out feeling well rested. 

@Anja

The little ironing board is cute. I had had my eye on that before, too. I needed a small ironing board for my sewn baby, children’s, and doll items. A regular ironing board is much too wide for that. You can’t pull a sleeve over it. Since I didn’t like any of them (all too wide), I built one for myself together with my brother. It gets used quite often; I don’t have another one at all. The DIYers among you could even make one yourselves (see my blog post.).

The lanterns are very pretty. I like the pom-pom garland on the fabric edge between the two fabrics. It’s lovely and deserves to be seen in all its glory. If you had sewn it between the fabrics, its upper decorative edge would disappear, it might stick out, and it wouldn’t hang down as nicely. Maybe you’ll even stick with this method of sewing it on top. I also think the garland is beautifully delicate and goes very well with the delicate fabrics.

Best wishes, Ina

Thanks, Ina ♡

No, no—the border shown in the picture is meant to be sewn on, but the one with the pom-poms probably needs to be sewn on like a binding so that only the pom-poms show on the other side. That’s because the ribbon is strangely smooth on one side (crosses) and pleated on the other. 

Oh, I see. Well, here we go again. I’m curious to see how it’ll look with just the little pom-poms peeking out. If you were to sew the pom-pom trim to the bottom of the lanterns, you could attach it on the outside—that would create a thick decorative border with the pom-poms hanging from it. But I guess you have other plans. I wish you the best of luck.

I’ve sewn on a pom-pom trim before, too. In that case, I sewed the trim on the inside so that only the pom-poms are visible from the outside. My trim was much narrower than yours, though.   

Best regards, Ina

I think you can use these trims however you like. I could definitely see them sewn between two layers of fabric with just the pom-poms peeking out, or wrapped around a fabric edge like bias tape. If it works, I’d also sew them on completely somewhere and then leave the side I like best visible.

We were at my sister’s on Thursday and started clearing out the basement—now half a yarn shop is stored in our garage, and I’m not allowed to touch it. I think that’s pretty mean... 

We found this old loom there; it used to belong to me, and her kids later used it for school. Now it’s back with me. Let’s see if I can do something with it again.

Best regards, Claudia.

How are your August projects coming along?

Dear Claudia, that old weaving frame—what a treasure you’ve discovered! Even if only for nostalgic reasons, you’ll have to make something on it when the time is right. You used to make things as a child, but your creativity has really grown over the years. Today, you have a completely different perspective on things, and over the years you’ve learned many techniques that could come in handy.

I just upcycled an old children’s bathrobe. I turned it into lots of wash mitts for adults and kids.

Best regards, Ina

My July/August project is finally finished, and on Saturday we’ll take it to the friends who asked for it.

  .

The toilet paper roll hat is a free bonus. ;-)

I’ve just started a sweater—crocheted, with a very simple pattern. I might break up the pattern rows with two rows of half double crochet or single crochet—we’ll see. I haven’t gotten very far yet, and I don’t know if I’ll finish it this summer. But based on how it feels, it’ll probably be more suited for cool summer or fall days.

. 

I’m making a soul warmer, using a simple pattern too.

Yesterday I brought gifts to the team at the eye doctor’s office—phone screen wipes, for a clear view 🤓😬.

They were really happy to receive them. 

And even though the pattern was simple, it took me three prototypes before they were ready to give away. (The sewing machine ate the thread, I forgot the loop, and I didn’t like how it looked sewn shut by machine, so I ended up sewing it closed by hand after all...)

Love,

Anja

One more thing—these little angels are also part of the July/August project. 

Ina, even though the “creation” on the frame wasn’t mine, it looked pretty similar back then. I didn’t do that on my own initiative in school, and I’ve never done it again since. I’ll probably be watching a whole lot of videos soon 🤣.

But for now, the renovations are still underway—yesterday, for example, we wallpapered my niece’s bedroom.

And today another niece was here—she’s having her third child in January. She picked out fabrics for a diaper bag... I’m definitely not getting bored right now.
 

Anja, the wipes are great.

I still have some small scraps of terry cloth, and now I have the perfect idea for them.

Still, I’m getting creative in between, of course—it’s just that some projects are taking a little longer to finish.

After yet another pair of jeans wore out, I felt like doing some upcycling.

I still had plenty of colorful scraps in my stash, so I pieced them together and sewed a new cover for an old sofa pillow.

I also sewed a large, heavy reading pillow, stuffed tightly with cut-up fabric scraps. The scrap box was, after all, quite full.

I like the results, and aside from the thread, I didn’t have to use anything new—I even cut the zipper out of the old cover.

Best regards, Claudia 

@rusalki please be so kind and add your name under your posts; I just can't remember all the names. It's nicer when I can address you personally. 😇

Yes, you were really busy with all your crocheted pieces! The angels could also pass as fairies, very cute. 

Claudia, where did you get so many jeans? I always have to ask the neighbors for donations. Great pillows; I especially love the reading bone pillow. Though I use them more as neck pillows, or under my arm, between my knees. That wouldn't work with the rivets and seams. But I'm just thinking about whether I should dare to make a heart pillow after all from the jeans that belonged to my neighbor's late father (for the widow). That would be faster than making another woven rug. Although that was fun, it takes longer, and in this heat it's no fun. 

Speaking of which: 28 degrees. I'm so tired of it 🥵

And I want rain!!!! Please! 

Greetings 

Anja 

Claudia, your jeans upcycling project is awesome. I really like the pillow, and the reading cushion made from different pairs of jeans turned out great, too. 

Since I’ve (finally) gained a few kilos since I’ve been home, some of my jeans don’t fit me anymore. As the weather turns autumnal, I’ll put them to good use. 

I’m sitting on a packed suitcase full of craft projects. My train to Wiesbaden leaves at 12 noon. I’ll be visiting my aunt for 5 days. She loves crafting just as much as I do. It’s going to be a wonderful time. 

Best wishes, Petra 

Oh, dear Petra, I understand your excitement. When I know I’m going to have a visitor who also enjoys crafting, it makes me look forward to the visit in a completely different way. For a homemaker, having guests always involves preparations of a different kind. But in this case, I always start thinking about what lovely things we could make together. And the other person feels exactly the same way. While the men go off to pursue their interests after coffee, the two of us unpack our bags and ideas. And then we forget everything around us. A hobby that brings people together.

Your aunt will feel the same way too. I wish you both lots of fun crafting together.

@Claudia, your big denim reading pillow really makes a statement! It’s not a soft toy, but something you can really lean against. With a sofa pillow, I’d be afraid the denim seams would press into me when I lean back. But I’m probably spoiled that way; I always need things soft and cosy. It looks great, though!

Best regards, Ina

Hi Anja, you’re so right—I always forget to write my name below, but I’ll try to do better :-).

By the way, I just unraveled the crocheted sweater I’d started—I don’t like it ;-), so I’d rather try a nice knitting pattern.

@ Claudia, the reading bone pillow is great—I really like it.

Hugs, Regina

Anja, I have a big family. They think of me whenever jeans get damaged.

I was really worried about the rivets and seams, too, but with a softly stuffed cushion, they actually hardly bother you at all. This reading cushion is meant to be a book rest / support for a tablet, which is why it turned out extra firm and heavy. Of course you can feel the seams, but in this case that doesn’t matter.

This cushion has been lying on our sofa for quite a while now and gets used just like all the others, despite the button.

I sewed myself a reading heart like that once too, but it was quite a while ago and I don’t remember where the sewing pattern came from anymore - but it’s really just 2 hearts in different sizes, each with openings on both sides for stuffing, and they are sewn together in the middle before stuffing. In my case, I sewed the edge with a narrow zigzag stitch and then “frayed and tousled” the edge - but that makes a really big mess.

Yes, some rain would be nice again. It’s so dry here that quite a few trees are dying. The sight along the motorway toward Münsterland is alarming.

Oh Petra, I’m sure you’ll have a lot of fun. Doing crafts together is great. I hope you have a lovely time.

Best, Claudia

Dear Claudia, I think the heart pillow is brilliant—both because it’s a heart and because it even has a little hollow in the middle; you just want to rest your head in it right away. Great job, and thanks for sharing.

Today I sewed two slightly larger scented hearts filled with lavender blossoms from old bed linens. One of them is meant to be a birthday gift on Saturday for my daughter-in-law’s 91-year-old, very sweet grandmother, who lives in a nursing home.

She doesn’t want any big gifts. So she’ll get some fresh, hand-picked fruits and vegetables from the garden, along with a lavender heart for her closet at the nursing home. 

Which one do you think is prettier? Should I give her the purple one or the pink one? 

Best regards, Ina

The lilac one looks beautifully vintage! ♡♡♡

I have the pattern for the reading heart. I once made a similar reading butterfly for someone: 

I think I’ll try making the heart out of denim too. 🥰👖💙

Hi Anja, thank you so much for your tip.

I prefer the heart shape for the reading pillow—maybe because the bottom heart pillow is bigger and the smaller one on top fits so nicely into it—it looks so inviting, and I’d know right away where I’d want to rest my head. You could also sew it out of “softer” fabrics than denim. Denim is durable, sure, but I prefer my pillows to be a bit cozier. 

Best regards, Ina

I ended up making the butterfly pillow simply because the top sheet belonged to the recipient and because she’s a butterfly fan (she has quite a few tattoos). 

I’d already forgotten about the heart version, but I thought it was so pretty back then, too. 

I’ll make one of those soon. 

Yesssss, I love cuddly pillows too! I have a whole army of them in my bed. They’ll soon take up more space than I do. 😬

Love, A

Dear Ina

Definitely the purple heart! You always have such great fabrics—unfortunately, my bedding can’t hold a candle to them!

Best regards, Christina

Thank you, dear Christina, for your selection. You can still buy this vintage bedding secondhand on eBay or Etsy. It’s called “farmhouse bedding” and dates back to the 1950s. It was made using the needle-printing process. A duvet cover or pillowcase is enough if you plan to turn it into small sewing projects anyway. 

The bedding with the pink heart was an old children’s duvet cover from the GDR. I found it in my swap group. Sometimes you just need very soft colors. 

Best regards, Ina

Wow, you’ve all been so busy again. Such great things made from old jeans, and Ina’s lavender sachets… big kudos to everyone else, too.

I’m currently crocheting little things, like these flower dolls, following a video tutorial. Some of the dolls have already been given away. So here are just these two—they’re staying with me

Best regards, Andrea

Dear Andrea,

It’s great that you kept these two flower dolls for yourself. They really do look especially enchanting—little flower fairies. Personally, I might have crocheted the pendant using a thinner yarn or split the thread for it. Compared to the dolls, which are the main eye-catchers, the pendant seems a bit too dominant to me. But that’s just nitpicking—not a criticism :-)

Best regards, Ina

Now let’s continue with our lantern sewing craze. 

Oh, Ina, I’m going to give your idea a try, but I have no idea how it’ll turn out. 

According to the pattern, the attachment is crocheted long to attach the legs to it, and it disappears inside the doll. Maybe I shouldn’t crochet so many chain stitches. We’ll see. Thanks for now.

Have a nice evening, everyone :-)

Dear Andrea, don’t stress about me. I haven’t crocheted anything like this yet, so I have no idea how it’s constructed on the inside. If everything inside is connected like a marionette, it can’t possibly look any different on top. I didn’t know that. So, forget my suggestion. Both dolls are so beautiful just the way they are!

Dear Anja, it looks so cheerful on your balcony. I can imagine your lanterns lit up on a warm summer evening—very atmospheric and romantic. The pink one is still my favorite. 

I was just in the sewing room a little while ago. I want to sew a cover for my sewing machine. And just plain fabric would be boring. So I decided to include a patchwork section in the middle. I’ve cut out 32 squares and am now busy sewing them together. But that’s it for today. Now it’s time for ICE CREAM!

I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend.

Best wishes from Ina

I quickly added a string of lights to the little lantern and have to say, it looks much better lit up than it does without: 

Something about it still bothers me. Aside from the fact that it’s a prototype (I’d do the seams differently next time, and it got a bit crooked somewhere), it’s the size. It should be a tad bigger for my taste. Turning it inside out was a bit tricky because of the opening, especially since my interfacing was so stiff. And I can’t seem to use up my trimmings with this model either. AND: you have to hit the exact center of the two sides for the ribbons—I didn’t, so it hangs a bit crooked. 

@Ina: I’m really looking forward to seeing your bonnet. The fabric is already great!