Braided Rag Rug

Tutorial in pictures.

 

 

   

 The elderly lady across the street, in the large old house with two big maple trees in the front yard, was affectionately called Grandma Hazel. To a little girl her house was a treasure trove. Her china cabinet held everything from antique dolls to beautiful old tea cups, saucers and dishes. She had a small antique cabinet by the front door where she kept crayons and coloring books that she let us have fun with when we came to visit her. The creaky wooden floors were covered with large old braided rugs on which it was evident that her tired, aging dog had napped many times. Wes, the man of the house, had his favorite chair and his pipe stand with pipes and fragrant tobacco in the large living room. I remember seeing him sit there calmly and contentedly smoking his pipe. The stairs to the bedrooms on the second floor always had piles of stuff going up the left side so that there was only enough room for one person at a time to walk up. I always wondered what was up there. Grandma Hazel's kitchen still had the old sink which, if I remember right, was wooden, and perhaps lined with metal. Probably the original sink when the house was built. Her kitchen counters were always-I want to say cluttered- but I don't quite remember what was on the counters. There was just a lot of stuff.  Every inch of her house was a wonder to my young eyes.
 When I look at my braided rug I think of her and the special memories she gave me.

Handmade Christmas 2011

 Many of the gifts we gave each other for Christmas were hand made. I found more joy in making gifts than going to the store and purchasing something. Some gifts would be too difficult to make, like the Bear Grylls Survival Kit I gave to Anthony. I don't think he would have found as much pleasure in a gift I made as he did in that survival kit. This year I knitted two scarves: the one pictured below for Elizabeth, and a narrow, straight scarf with a large tassel at each end. I gave the latter scarf to a friend without photographing it.

Knitted Infinity Scarf

Knitting needle and crochet hook case

Rolled up

I have a red back pack I use when I walk to the store.
I copied it and made this one for my mother.

I tried to make the inside as nice as the out side.
I love the blue fabric an how it looks with the white lining.

                      

 Two quilted potholders.
This one for my 99 year old neighbor Rose.

This one for my mother. I actually took the picture
before I finished it. There are red stitches
around the perimeter of each white piece on the finished product.

One of the pillow cases for my boys

There were a couple other gifts but I gave them away without photographing. I am already trying to decide what to make for birthday and Christmas presents this year. If I start now I can get a lot more made. I am glad to keep my hands busy, and I love creating things. I have always thought that God made us to find joy in creating something because we were created in His image. I think He found joy in creating because when he created the earth and the things in it He said "It is good...." 

Vintage Laundry Bag

A pretty, decorative laundry bag hangs on the towel rack in my bathroom.  I keep my hand washables out of sight until I wash them and put them away. I found a picture of this laundry bag in Amy Barickman's Vintage Notions, An Inspirational Guide to Needlework, Cooking, Sewing, Fashion and Fun. It is a wonderful book. The laundry bag has no instructions just the picture and a small paragraph about it. It was a little difficult to figure out the best way to make it. I've made three of them so far. They are all made slightly different. I think I know which design is the best. Now if I make another one, it will be a lot easier.