A New Side of Lin & Lo...

Christmas time, of course, generates a lot of quality time with family and friends. What I didn't anticipate was my motivation to dive into projects while on vacation. I credit my great grandmother, "Meme", who I am certain passed down to me all my creative tendencies. Without her stock piling of materials that she could just never let go of, I wouldn't have access to an incredible supply of vintage buttons that have been sitting in the back of closets since I was a little girl.

I remember sitting on the floor with my sister, pulling all of the buttons out of the box and looking for the prettiest, sparkliest ones... And that familiar sound of plastic and metal bouncing off each other as I dug into the 24" box like sand. You are probably wondering why I am so fond of this box of buttons, and there may be few people who can truly understand, but seeing all of the different colors and patterns and possibilities... It just stirs something in me.

With that said, I woke up the day after Christmas, grabbed every possible craft supply in the house, and just started cutting and sewing little flowers and circles. I didn't have a clear concept at first of what I was making, but I quickly found myself sitting in the middle of a growing collection of intricately designed "things." A few days later, I bought hair clips and safety pins and decided that they should all be multipurpose accessories. What I love about them is they can go on anything that deserves a little design love. Pillows, scarves, boots, sweaters, and of course, hair.

This batch of the... "accessories" (I don't know what else to generalize them as)... Anyway, it includes exclusively vintage buttons. I saw some similar buttons at the craft store recently that retailed as much as $7-$13 each, so I'm assuming ones that are over thirty years old are pretty valuable... And on top of the intrinsic value of including family heirlooms, I wouldn't know what to charge for them. In the future, with storebought buttons, the accessories will be about $10 each, but these ones are special and may just be the original ones that I'll keep forever and ever. : )

Last night, I put the last pin backing on the last flower, and I have a total of twenty completely unique, handmade accessories.

The ones below are all crocheted with embroidery floss, which brings out a very delicate feel to them. The brown leaf on the bottom left one was actually cut out by my Meme- she had a whole bag of organic shapes cut out of felt, and after turning the house inside out, I still only found one! It is one of my favorites, especially because of the wood grain button.

These ones are all made entirely out of felt, which I was scared would end up looking very elementary... But with some extra hand stitching, I think they look just as intricate as the others.

I found some amazing blue flannel, and I wanted to make it into a scarf... But I loved the idea of turning it into a pin that I could add to any outfit... Because I need flannel readily available, haha.

The following three all include this amazing GOLD fabric. I have no idea how it exists. Even better, it's probably as old as I am, so it has a lot of character through cracking, exposing a white fabric underneath. It's super soft too, unlike glued on gold glitter, so your hair will just slide across it. Also, notice the amazing buttons on the bottom two. Ohhh if only I had an endless supply!

These two include a lot of crocheting- simple circles worked as a great base for the pins. Also, I found gold embroidery floss. It sparkles. My goodness.

These three are some of my favorites- I love browns and beiges, and blue looks so natural with them. The fabric is much softer than felt but as a lot of the same qualities with some light fraying to add character. I LOVE the button on the top one- it has a crocheted cover! My Meme was amazing. Oh, and so is the cerulean blue corduroy fabric.

These two include some more of the random fabric I found, rather than felt... The top one is more of a denim, and the sailor anchor pin gives it this adorable nautical look. The other pin has a button covered in red fabric, so the whole pin is very, very soft.

These two include a burgandy ribbon material I found, which paired nicely with both black felt and the softer white fabric. Another crocheted button cover... There were only two in the whole box! I need to figure out how to make them. Or how to have enough patience to make them.

So you can get an idea of the size... This is my favorite, favorite one.

And another great one, made entirely out of felt with a pretty pearly button.

Since they have both a hair clip and a broche pin, they can really go anywhere. I opted for my suede boot, just for randomness.

So that's what I've been up to, and I'm so excited to have them done! I leave for my niece's birthday dinner in an hour, then head up to Buffalo for my last night in NY, and then I'm off for more adventures that just don't allow for a week of accessory-making.

Can't wait to get back to my office (I prefer "craft lounge") in San Diego to spend my days basking in fabric, sewing machines, and 10-12 cups of coffee!

Much love!

Scarf Season!

Every year, I typically open up winter with a crochet hook and one roll of yarn for every friend I have. By Christmas, everyone has a cozy, colorful scarf, and I'm ready to set aside any thought of crocheting for an entire year. It tends to work out perfectly.

This year though, I've been so inspired my colorful vintage fabrics and different shapes of scarves. Cowls, "necklaces," braids... So beyond my one dimensional world of crocheting. I decided to start exploring some other options, and this "necklace" scarf has been one of my favorites. I wasn't sure if all of my friends would be on board for this one, but I've even had some orders for their family members as well!

This particular scarf is for my friend Justine's mom.

I started with a rectangular piece of fabric, approximately 48" x 18". The width and length entirely depends on the kind of fabric. It will be folded in have lengthwise, and thinner fabrics will collapse more, so just use your best judgement. What I always do before sewing anything is simply gather the fabric in the shape of a scarf I'm making, hold the ends together at my neck (as if I'm clasping a necklace), and see how it hangs down around my body. If I want it shorter, I'll cut it. If I want it to have more volume, I'll make sure to cut it wider so it won't be as thin after I fold it in half.

At this point, I've already taken my rectangle and folded it in half, with the backside exposed. I then simply sewed the seam up the entire length.

When it's still inside out, take the time to trim the edges after sewing to make sure they are perfectly straight. You can do it before, but likely you will have to do it again. Some fabric tends to stretch out on one side and not the other while in the sewing machine.

Turn it inside out, and you've got your initial shape! FYI, if you'd like a traditional wraparound type scarf, you could just hem the open seams at both sides and be done... Just start with a much longer piece of fabric and make sure to test out how looks before cutting. Nothing's worse than a stumpy scarf. : )

Now you're going to fold both ends in, because they will be sewn together, and the entire thing will be more of a big, fabricy necklace.

Before you sew, take just one side and twist it once, and line the ends back up again. This is because when it is on, it just helps the bulk of the scarf land in the right way around your neck. Trust me on this one! For cowls, I just sew the ends together and never twist the scarf, but for the necklace shape, you want it to sit flatter against your chest and not look like one of those cloth baby holders.

This part is tricky, so I hope the pictures aren't too confusing. Take the ends of the scarf and hold them up next to each other, so that all the unfinished edges are one one side. There will be four rows of fabric. The two inside rows are what you are going to sew together, with the backside of the fabric exposed as you sew. Put a pin in where the seams align so that it looks "organized" when finished.

This is how you want your fabric to be laid out when you take it to the sewing machine. Try to get the two inside layers pulled out a bit so that they don't get confused with the two outside layers.

It's going to feel strange because there is so much fabric going on at this point. Just try to keep it all in the right place. Start where you put the pin on the seam, and simple hem the two edges together. You'll realize it's the exact same thing you did to sew together the initial rectangle, but since the shape is now a circle, the machine will basically start pulling the fabric around until you get back to where you started. Remember though, the hole is going to start getting smaller and smaller, and eventually you'll have no more room to keep sewing and it won't be completely sealed. If you're patient and very careful, you can get it within a few inches, and then simply pull it off the machine and cut the thread, leaving a few inches longer than usual.

Now laid flat, you see that you've sewn the edges together and have just a small hold left to sew by hand. I don't always tie a knot at the end of machine stitches, but in this case I do because it will loosen very easily, so on each side of the hole, make sure the seam is nice and tight with the extra thread you left on the ends.

Thread a needle and tie a knot, and insert the needle between the seams first so that the knot isn't exposed. Try to start a little bit further to the right and overlap where the machine has shown for more reinforcement. Then, as shown here, sew the remaining gap by going right to left, keeping the thread on the right as you go. Keep the fabric folded in a little bit just like it looks on the either side of the hole. Unlike a machine that sews the pieces together side by side, this stitch will be almost invisible if you keep it tight and as close to the inside of the fold as possible

Finish the last stitch in the "crack" of the fabric, trying to make it unseen. If it's stretchy fabric or the kind that has "pores," you can even tie it around one of the threads of the fabric. This is a pretty important knot... Because it's the last one! Throw on your beautiful scarf, you are finished!
Experimenting with different kinds of fabric is really fun. This pattern was really interesting because it seamed to have a border of flowers at the bottom as if it were made for curtains. I liked the idea that it would make the scarf have a focal point, so I went ahead with it. There are so many different fabrics that look great in this style, and you can create focal points with pins, embroiderd flowers, buttons, etc. I've got my eye on adding a Dainty flower to one!

The best part about this scarf is that you never have to do the whole "how do I wear this scarf?" ordeal. You simply throw it around your neck, and it still adds just as much color, volume, and shape to your outfit. If the fabric allows, you can even double it up the way you would wrap a hairtie around twice, for a more chunky, layered look.

I hope you enjoyed this little tutorial... And I hope Justine's mom enjoys her scarf! : )

Much love and happy holidays!
Lin