I decided not to make a crocheted rag rug partly because I like the braided look better, and partly because I just didn’t want to go buy a giant crochet hook. So. I’m about halfway done, I think, with the braiding. I just flew by the seat of my pants, but then I got The Prairie Girl’s Guide to Life as a gift, and there were instructions in there for the sewing (this was one of the most useful things in the book, I think, though…I would never have considered myself a “prairie girl” before I read this book, but I knew how to do most of the things in it, I guess because of my semi-rural midwestern upbringing). Let me let you in on a little secret: it will seem like a good idea to have realllllllllly long strips so that you won’t have to deal with sewing the ends of shorter pieces together. It’s not. Having strips that are too long will make your braids tangle and you will take forever and get all frustrated. Finally you will rip your carefully-preserved strips into littler strips anyway. And then you will be glad, because braiding is much much easier and faster with shorter strips. Another secret is to find something to tie your braid end to, like the leg of your coffee table maybe. Don’t just try to let it flop around, that’s frustrating too. And trying to pin it down with your knee makes your leg hurt. Oh and also? Working with ripped rags might make you sneeze from all the lint that’s flying around, especially during the ripping process but also sometimes during the braiding.
I’m a little nervous about the sewing part, but I think it will go fine really; I’m going to use a strong button thread. The colors might look a little funky together here, but I’m hoping to do a brown border (if I end up with enough brown), and it’s for a log cabin in which these colors are prominent. So I think it will do nicely, and the three colors braided together actually look really pretty and flecked when the braids are coiled together.
The best part about these kinds of rugs is how soft and cushy they feel when you stand on them in bare feet. That’s why I’m going to work on one for myself next. Just need to get back to work on this one, now that I’ve posted it.
I’m getting tired, had a busy day running errands, but just wanted to quick post a picture of this super cute strawberry dress that was in the huge box of clothes our friends passed down to M. The people who send us these clothes have pretty much outfitted M for her entire life……. I try not to buy many new kids’ clothes, since life is so much more fun when you don’t need to worry about staining or ripping. So these huge boxes we get seasonally are such a blessing. And when they’re this cute, then it’s twice as great!
This is an old-fashioned little dress with a square neckline and full skirt, cute strawberry and daisy print on yellow fabric, strawberry-shaped pockets and even strawberry buttons. It is definitely up there in the top few most adorable things M’s ever worn. We went to the beach to wade and play in the sand while she had it on, and I really wished I’d had my camera so I could capture her wading out joyously into the waves.
Picnik!
If you haven’t heard about this already, it’s a web-based application that has cool photo-editing tools. It’s very user-friendly and easy, and I got really good results with the few things I played around with:
A 60s-inspired filter that also rounds the edges of your photos. If the hoodie were only a little less trendy looking you might mistake this for a photo from my childhood, early 80s.
Fun effects that mimic specialty cameras like Holgas and Lomos and Cinescopes and I don’t know what else. I can’t remember what filter this is, but it sure changed this photo.
And then your basic sharpen/brightness/exposure/curves kind of stuff, which I think will help make my craft photos (especially ones captured off the Flip video camera, as in the photo above) a little more eye-candy-ish for the blog.
Of course this means that I will spend inordinate amounts of time playing with photos in Picnik. I thought, before, that it was a subscription-only service but the free tools are pretty great. So! Fun.
The title mentions a partial solution because, well, a new awesome digital SLR would be the real full solution.
My grandma had someone make these doll dresses out of pillowcases made by my great-grandma or possibly my great-great-grandma. They’re cute in a sort of country-decor way (the dolls were made by whoever made the dresses; they’re plain muslin and they have little bonnets that go on their heads too but those need to be soaked), but I do think it’s an interesting idea for using vintage pillow cases that you aren’t going to actually put on your bed. I love looking at the embroidery my ancestors made – my aunt recently had a party and on her table was a white tablecloth stitched with a floral border, probably by the same person who stitched these. M likes these and plays with them. One technically belongs to my sister – my cousins must all have a doll? I can’t remember but my grandmother is a big one for grandchild egalitarianism. I’d like to see the others. Here’s a closeup of the stitching – it must have been a stamped design:
