…compilation of tutorials
I wrote several entries about crafting with plastic bottles (see links below), this one is more of an inspiration: I’d like to present the PET-project and the wonderful PET jewelry.
Fantastic, aren’t they?
Links:
PET-Project
Flower with sash
Here at unikatissima:
Knitted/Crocheted Bangles
Plastic Bottle Beads
Plastic Bottle Box
Knitting Loom from Plastic Bottle
DIY Shrinky Dinks
Box from woven PET stripes
I’m collecting nearly everything (and that’s how it looks here, too ;-)) and from now on I will collect used tea bags, too, to make beautiful envelopes from.
I’m really curious about it. ;-))
On the photo you see my Rooibosh tea bags. I find that the Rooibosh tea gives the most beautiful colour, a very warm red-brown :)
By the way it must look great, too, if the tea bags are sewn together and/or if they are embellished after assembly, e.g. by embroidering, painting or stamping them.
Links:
Recycling Tea Bags into Art Projects: How to Create Tea Bag Envelopes
“Tea Ceremony” – sewn tea bags
(via Wewer Keohane)
Sas Colby Teabag Art Discourse – stamped tea bags
T-Bag – Tea Bag Designs – painted tea bags
Here at unikatissima: Paper Crazy Quilt – embroidered paper
Loooong ago I found the tutorial on how to make the polymer clay tsunami cane and tried it then immediately.
I find the cane really beautiful, but unfortunately I made more of a disk that I couldn’t reduce anymore.
It lays since years cased in a plastic bag and seems now to be quite hardened and brittle ;-(
But I can’t throw it away yet, I could still get an idea about what to do with it ;-))
Links:
The Tsunami Cane
Here at unikatissima: Reducing Polymer Clay Canes
My entry ‘Constructing a Cone’ was much to wordy ;-), therefore I wrote an online cone calculator.
Note: Unfortunately the online cone calculator seemingly doesn’t work under all circumstances and I don’t have the time to struggle through. That’s why I write the formula by all means behind.
Well, you have disabled javascript, which means that the online cone calculator doesn’t work anyway.
You have 2 options now:
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The black cone is what we want to get. small diameter = smaller desired diameter large diameter = larger desired diameter height = desired height |
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QT = small diameter / 2 RS = large diameter / 2 PQ = QT * height / (RS – QT) PR = PQ + height PT = √((PQ * PQ) + (QT * QT)); angle to cut away = inner circle diameter = 2 * PT; |
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And now proceed:
Draw two centered circles with the inner and outer diameter, draw the calculated angle and cut it away.
The result should be a template for a cone with the specified measurements ;-)
If you don’t have a protractor you can print and cut the degrees disk from the entry ‘Constructing a Cone’.
If you want to know more exactly what you’re doing here, check the entry ‘Constructing a Cone’ after all ;-)
Links:
Here at unikatissima: ‘Constructing a Cone’
Recently I ‘discovered’ crochet cables via the ravelry group ‘Crochet Celtic Cables’.
I knew them for long but up until now I never found them very nice.
This is different now ;-))
They seem to be as versatile as their knitted ‘siblings’ and I will surely get back to them once more.
Links:
Crochet Cables – Fun and Effective
Crocheting Cables Photo How-To
Cabled Embroidered Purse
Crocheting Cables – 6 stitches
Adventuring Sage Cable Vest
Even an instruction for Tunisian crochet cables:
ARNie’s Method for Working Tunisian Crochet Cables
Google Suchergebnis für ‘crochet cable’
Google Bildsuchergebnis für ‘crochet cable’
I just wanted to show once more how beautiful embroidery on paper and cardboard can be ;-)
Here I cut a beautiful blue patterned square from a magazine and glued on white cardboard.
Then I drew very faint curved lines with a pencil, pricked holes along the lines and stitched them with a chain stitch.
Looks fine, doesn’t it?
I find though that the chain stitch looks much better on straight lines or wide curves than on sharp turns (it ‘inclines’ somewhat), that’s something one could pay attention to when drawing the lines.
Links:
Instruction for chain stitch
Here at unikatissima: Embroidered Matisse Cushion
Your work becomes really personal if you can use your own design.
The Palette Editor gives you the opportunity to upload your own picture and enter certain bead producers and not only to get a bead template back, but also to get the appropriate bead product numbers (or the similar).
Because I’m using mostly no name beads I can’t ‘savour’ it to the full, but the picture alone is already a great help.
For the picture at the top I simply used a tile that I had made with Kali.
Links:
PerlerPal Palette Editor
Here at unikatissima: Kali
Recently I wanted to make some knitted napkin rings as a gift and looked for a way to 1. keep their shape and 2. make them washable.
And I really found a solution which is also great for making bangles ;-)): use a core of recycled plastic bottle and a knitted or crocheted all over cover.
That’s what you do:
Cut rings in the desired width from a plastic bottle.
I cut here two rings because the circumference of the bottle was too small for a bangle for me.
Where the rings are to be joined you need an overlap of about 2 cm.
I pricked 3 holes with a pointy needle and threaded the yarn I used later for knitting through them to fix both sides. The big advantage is that you don’t see anything of this later.
Then knit the ‘cover’. I worked with quite thick acrylic yarn and began with a stocking stitch part for the inside whereas outside I used a moss stitch pattern.
Depending on the used yarn the inside diameter can get a good deal narrower, in this case make the plastic rings a little bit larger.
When the cover is finished sew the sides together.
That’s how the finished bangle looks.
Originally I wanted to have the seam at the inside of the bangle but I ‘produced’ always a thick bulged seam. Therefore I knitted the ‘folding line’ between both patterns with purls and sew at the rim (which is much easier, too ;-)).
The bulged seam looks similar to the purled row and now I like it.
The plastic ring core has more advantages (besides the fact that it is cost-saving): the bangle keeps its shape but is flexible so that it doesn’t interfere with writing (usually I don’t wear bangles for just this reason).
What is more I can wash it: That’s how my bangle looks after I machine-washed it at 30°C together with dark(!) cloths.
No problem there ;-)
But this depends strongly from the used yarn.
I used thick acrylic yarn here and find that it looks like a winter bangle, but it can surely be crocheted as well with fine cotton thread or knitted in stocking stitch with variegated sock yarns or simply be wrapped with fun yarns, possibly even be wrapped with a sewn fabric cover…
If you try something like this I would appreciate if you’d link it in the comments!
Have much fun.
plastic bottle bracelet
Yesterday I showed what can be done with filet crochet/cross stitch embroidery charts.
Today I want to present my maze pattern generator.
Some time ago I played a little around with mosaic (slip-stitch) knitting and found that mazes are as if made for that.
You can see this e.g. on the photo where I show a mosaic knitted wrist warmer.
Because I didn’t felt like always making the mazes myself, I looked in internet whether I can’t find anything and – ta-DAA! – I found the Maze Maker for which John Lauro kindly even published the algorithm (Thanks, John!).
There are more maze generators, but I found those of the Maze Maker most beautiful of all.
Therefore I sat down and wrote a program that generates mazes of a given size and where I can even specify the path lengths.
I let output an overview (little picture) and the pattern (template), because I find the overviews are easier to compare.
Of course you can (as ‘mentioned’ yesterday ;-)) work filet crochet but also mosaic knitted wrist warmers like the one on the photo on top, …
…embroidered cards (here I always pricked a little hole in the center of the little black squares which I embroidered with running stitches worked in both directions) …
…and bead work (here beaded square stitch).
By the way this is a good example where the result looks different from the pattern: the beads are simply not square.
Links:
unikatissima’s Maze Pattern Generator
Maze Maker
Labyrinth Algorithmus
Instruction for running stitch
Google search result for ‘maze generator’
Here at unikatissima:
What Can You Do With Filet Crochet/Cross Stitch Embroidery Charts?
Mosaic (Slip-stitch) Knitting
Beaded Square Stitch Heart
crochet medaillon
Love Ya Award
I find Kokopelli really nice, and that not only because she awarded me with the Love Ya Award ;-)
I thank you soo much!
My entry is amongst others so late, because I thought the whole time again about whom to award myself.
And again I arrived at the conclusion that I can’t give it further as expected:
I’m presenting here every day instructions, many are published on blogs.
And I think that everybody who bothers to write an entry with his or her own tutorial deserves the award already!
So I want to thank everybody again who just like this provides instructions, tips and tricks to all others!
Come to think of it…
Carry on!
;-)
Links:
Kokopelli
