Re-Purposed Cocoa Can

Take a cocoa can (or similar) and clean the inside. Strip off the label. Measure and cut pretty paper and use double sided sticky tape to attach the paper to the can. Put the lid on the bottom of the can and.... Voila! Use as a holder for pencils, etc. OR use a valentine's themed paper, put treats inside and a bow on the lid and give it to someone special!

Pac Man Cross Stitch on Onesie

To cross-stitch on the knit onesie I used DMC Soluble Canvas. It's an 8 x 8-1/2" square of plastic canvas that you place on your project using a hoop, then cross stitch your design, followed by dissolving the canvas in hot water. Using a hoop on this 18 month onesie was challenging especially since the design is long and I'm pretty new to cross stitch so I don't know any tricks. It was hard to get the canvas straight and after I stitched a couple of the ghosties, I thought I was really crooked so I cut a separate canvas piece for pac man and later discovered he was not in line with the others. It would have been easier on a larger item or with a smaller design but hey- I wanted pac man and the ghosties- "Blinky", "Pinky", "Inky", and "Clyde"!

Crochet-edge Blanket and Burp Cloth Set

Most quilt stores have blankets or burp cloths with pre-punched and sewn holes all ready to crochet. Unfortunately, they are a bit costly. When I got my new machine last summer, it came with a stitch that, once combined with a wing needle, works just the same (if not better) at making the re-inforced holes for crocheting. In the close up picture, you can see that its' a star or a snowflake. If you discover you can do this at home also (check your users manual), one important thing to know is that you need to use a lightweight or embroidery thread such as Mettler. I tried using Gutterman thread once and it left loops everywhere because it's a heavier-weight thread.

Originally when I started crocheting burp cloths, I would use crochet cotton but I found I didn't like the finished look. I switched to specialty yarns with a kink, that are fuzzy, or furry because they bunch up on the edges and don't show any stray threads. Remember that whatever you use still has to go through those tiny holes so check the labels on the yarns for their weight or bring in your hemstitched item and crochet hook and try it out.

If you like the nursery rhyme fabric shown in the photos, I just got it last week at Hobby Lobby.