Supercrafts

   Pinterest is an awesome little tool, unless it sucks you into it's never ending abyss of cool stuff to look at and pin and then never do. Luckily, we have a Pinterest idea for you that is super easy and cheap. It's fun for all ages and kids only need minimal help.

   First, you need some felt, embroidery hoops, and paint if you'd like the hoop to match your felt.

   If you decide to paint, take the center out and paint the outside hoop. You only need to do one of the thin sides and the outside. While that is drying, cut out any pieces you need. You can do as many or as few as you'd like.

   After you cut out what you need, your hoop will probably be dry. Place your base color of felt on the hoop. It is a little difficult to tighten the hoop down because the felt is thick. Make sure you keep the felt tight while you tighten the hoop so you have a good flat surface to work on.

   Next, trim off the extra felt around the edge. If you rather, you can glue it down. Whichever you prefer. You can hang it on the wall so you won't see the back side either way.

   Hot glue your pieces to the front. Since it's felt, you can lay it all out how you want it and it will stay put until you move it to add the glue. Make sure if you are doing this will small children, you help them with the glue.

   You now have an awesome homemade craft to hang on your wall!

   These are so much fun to make and don't take long at all. The supplies are fairly cheap which is even better! Small kids can help by painting the hoops or helping you plan out what they would like to make. There are so many possibilities. You can do groups, different sizes, anything you'd like. I think next we will do the Ninja Turtles!

Giveaway!!

   It's time for a giveaway!

   I had such a good response about my Table Top day mats, I have decided to make one for one lucky winner!

   Here are the details:
   - This giveaway is only open to residents of the United States.
   - If you are chosen, you will get to pick what two colors you would like your mat to be.
   - I will try my hardest to get the mat to you before Table Top day, April 5th.
   - You can earn entries starting Monday, March 17th until Monday, March 21st.
   - You can do as many or as few of the entries as you'd like
   - I will announce the winner on Saturday, March 22nd at the end of this blog post.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Two of My Favorite Things

   I don't know about you, but if I can combine my two favorite hobbies together, I think it's a win-win! Well, I figured out a way to do that recently. April 5th is Table Top Day. What is Table Top Day you ask? It's a day to get together with your friends and family and play all of your favorite games. Our family LOVES games!  We decided we were going to have a party and I got to thinking of things we could do for this day. Then it hit me, I should tapestry crochet something for a decoration. 

   I pulled out my IPad and got to designing. First you have to come up with some sort of idea you want to create.I wanted to create something using the Table Top logo so I did a quick search and found one. I decided I didn't really want to do the stuff on top of the table. As cool as it looks, it would be hard to do and adds a few extra colors. The least amount of colors I think the better. Just because it's easier to untangle your yarn as you go along.

 

   I have downloaded a free pixel creator app on my IPad. I started with that. It's easier than erasing over and over on paper. The grid on the app wasn't quite big enough, so I had to do a couple of them so that it would all fit. Once I got it how I wanted it, I transferred it onto the graph paper.I found the middle of the paper and the middle of the picture. I started transferring it from there.

 

   Once it was all transferred, I gave it a quick look over. I decided I wanted to add something to the bottom to make it a little more of a square. I added Day at the bottom with a die on one side and a meeple on the other. I ended up using two pages of graph paper. I had to cut and tape it so it would be the right shape.

   To get started, you are going to count how many spaces are across your design and add one. This is how many you need to chain. Each space is one single crochet. In this case, it was 75 spaces. Once you get your chain done, you are going to lay your color(s) in your design across the top of the chain. In this pattern, I wanted the background red with yellow letters. So I chained 76 red and laid the yellow across the top. In tapestry crochet, the colors run through the inside of your work. This makes a thick sturdy piece.

   To change colors, you start like you would any regular single crochet.

   Put you hook through the stitch and yarn over.

   Pull it through so you have two loops on your hook.

   Next you are going to take the color you are using and pull it up over the second color. After you do this, take the color you had been working with and lay it down on top of your piece.

   
   You then yarn over with the second color

   and pull it through both loops. (I apologize for the poor quality of the picture.) You now have your new color ready to go. Continue until you need to switch colors again.

   As you go, your yarn is going to get twisted up. You will need to untwist every row or so depending on how long your piece of work is.

   If you are anything like me, you will get half way done and realize your design didn't work as well as you had planned. I'm a little OCD with my crafts. (Unless you ask my friends or hubby, then I'm very OCD with my crafts.) I pulled the whole top part out and went back to the drawing board. I wasn't careful and didn't have any uniformity with the letters. Some were wider than others, the circles in the letters didn't line up and there wasn't enough space between my T's. I did a little tweaking to the pattern and started going again. As I was going, I noticed a couple more things I wanted to change. Luckily they were all above where I was working and so I was able to keep going.

   I put little pencil marks on the sides as I went so I could remember which row I was on and which direction I was going. I have used other patterns before and didn't keep track. At times it was hard to remember where I was and would have to take time to figure it out. This system worked really well for me, and I didn't get lost. It also helped that I had put different pictures on it. It was easy to see which way I was reading the graph.

   12 or so hours later, I had this! I think it's amazing how you can create something on paper and make it happen. It is about the size of a place mat. Maybe a bit bigger.

   When I was done, I tweeted the picture to Wil Wheaton. He is after all, THE Table Top guy. And who doesn't like to show off their creations?? After that, I headed off to bed. When I woke up, he had actually retweeted and commented on my picture! I had 86 emails. I get an email for every thing from twitter. I was amazed. So many people had commented, retweeted and favorited it. I couldn't believe it!

    My plan is to try and get 5 more done before Table Top day so that I can use them as game mats for our party. I hope I can get them done in time! Now I need to decide what I want to design and make next!

Hive Review

   As some of you may know, hubby and I enjoy making things out of Perler beads. We've made a Settlers of Catan game and had so much fun we decided to do another one. This time we did Hive. I've heard this game mentioned quite a bit from other gamers. It's a fun little two player strategy game where you are trying to protect the queen bee. Before we get into how to play, lets make it!

   First you need your supplies. The game pieces are done in a hexagon shape so you will need some of these plates (the stars have a hexagon in the middle). The more you have, the less you have to walk back and forth to the iron. You will also need some beads. you can use whatever colors you would like. The game has black and white pieces with different colored bugs on them. So that's what we went with. We decided to use glow in the dark beads for the bugs. You won't be able to play it in the dark since you can't really tell which color the background color is, but it looks pretty awesome.

   Start by laying out the shape of your game pieces

   Next you add the design of your bug. You don't have much room to get too elaborate, so think small.

   Fill in the rest of the shape

   I'm not sure what happened to my pictures of the ironing process. If you buy a kit, it comes with directions. Basically you take the paper that comes with the kit, or you can buy them separate, lay it over the top and take your iron and evenly iron it so that the beads melt slightly and stick together. Once the first side is done, you can take it off of the plate and flip it over and do the other side. If you only have one paper, wait for it to cool before you take it off of the paper. Be careful, they get hot!

   Once you have ironed both sides, wait for it to cool a bit and peel it off of the paper. You now have a game piece.

   You will need: 3 grasshoppers, 3 ants, 2 beetles, 2 spiders and a bee in each color.

   Now, how to play. You take turns laying out your pieces. You must play your bee by the 4th turn. You can add pieces on any of your turns. Except for the first turn, they can only be touching your pieces when they first go into play. After they have been played, you can move them around the hive according to what each bug's move is.

   When moving your bugs around the hive, they have to be able to slide into any space. If they can't slide in, they can't get in there unless it's a bug that can jump or go over the top.

   You are trying to keep your queen bee from getting surrounded without breaking the hive. That means that the whole hive has to be connected at some point. As soon as a bee is completely surrounded, the other player wins. Be careful, if it's surrounded with your pieces, you will still loose. In this picture, white wins!

   Now, what each bug does. There are 3 grasshoppers. These pieces can jump in a straight line over any number of pieces.

   There are 3 ants, these can move around the outside of the hive any number of spaces.

   There are 2 beetles. These ones can move one space at a time, but can go over the top of bugs which makes the bug under it stuck. If it's on a bug, that piece is now considered to be whatever color the beetle piece is. This is helpful when trying to add your pieces on the other person's side.

   There are 2 spiders. These move 3 spaces around the outside. No more, no less.

   There is 1 Queen Bee. This piece can move one space around the outside of the hive.

   This is a fun little game to play. It takes a lot of planning and strategy. Game play doesn't take very long, maybe half an hour or so. This is a great game if you like putting a little more thought into a game but don't want to pull out a huge game. This game is also a great one to take around with you. It's easy enough to carry around that you could even play it while waiting at a restaurant. This one might be a little harder for younger kids. We haven't tried teaching ours how to play yet, so I'm not sure how my oldest would do. If your kid is good at strategies and thinking things through, I don't see why they wouldn't be able to learn it. It's not a hard concept to understand, it just takes quite a bit of thought.

Make It Sew

I’ve been on a mission for a new kind of hobby for a while.  When I discovered the strange, new book, Star Trek Cross Stitch by John Lohman, I knew my search was over.  This book combines two of my great loves, crafts and Star Trek; it was inevitable that I’d explore the new hobby of cross stitching.  (I know, I know, my inner geek is showing.) The book won’t really teach you how to cross stitch but has a plethora of awesome patterns with simple directions.

 

 

Why did I choose to do cross-stitch (besides the awesome Star Trek tie-in)? Cross stitch can be done in small bits whenever I find that precious, spare moment to relax.  The supplies needed can be taken out and put away easily so NO CLEAN UP!!  This is a major bonus.  Also the supplies are inexpensive.  Easy and cheap—it is only logical to start cross-stitching!

If you want to get started, your first step is to pick a design.  Pick a small, simple pattern with 5 or less colors.  Star Trek Cross Stitch organizes patterns by rank.  The Ensign patterns are for beginners.  I chose one that says, “Enterprise Sweet Enterprise.” Eventually, I will work up to the Lieutenant and Captain patterns which increase in difficulty (and Yes, I WILL be adding pips to my collar each time I move up in difficulty—my parents will be so proud!)

Second, gather supplies.  You will need the following:

·        A tapestry needle—they have a blunt end and come in different sizes. I used size 24. A package of several costs $1.00 to $2.00.

·        Embroidery thread—I used DMC brand. Each color is labeled with a number that you will find in your pattern.  These only cost 0.39 each!

·        Aida fabric—you can buy this in various sizes and colors. The threads are consistently spaced so your stitches will be too.  It is labeled with a number that represents stitches per inch.   If you buy fabric with a 12, it has 12 stitches per inch.  11 would have 11 stitches per inch and have larger stitches than 12.  14 would have smaller stitches and more stitches per inch.

 

·        An embroidery hoop or frame—these keep your fabric tight and are easy to hold.  I used a frame so I wouldn’t have to keep moving the hoop to different parts of fabric.  Hoops, depending on size, are only a few dollars apiece.
 

 

 ·      Masking Tape—if you line the edges of your fabric with masking tape, they will not come unraveled.

Third, MAKE IT SEW!  Get started!!!

The first thing you are going to do is cut your fabric if needed.  Make sure you leave plenty of room (at least two inches) around the edges.  Place masking tape around each edge.

 

Then find the center of your fabric by folding your fabric in half.

 

 Then in half again. 

Unfold and place a light dot with a pencil in the center where the two creases intersect. 

Place your fabric into your hoop or frame following the directions on the packaging.

Now, find the center of your pattern.  Your pattern is divided into small squares.  Count how tall your pattern is vertically in squares.  My pattern is 70 squares tall.  Divide that by two and I get 35.  Repeat horizontally.  My pattern is 140 squares wide.  Divide that by two and I get 70.  So, my center point is where row 35 and column 70 meet.  Once you find the center, make a small light mark on the pattern with a pencil. That's where you will make your first stitch.

Find the color thread that is at the center of the pattern.  The thread is bundled together in strands of 6.  Pull out about 1 and ½ feet of thread and cut all 6 strands together.   Don’t cut it too long or you may get knots in your thread while stitching.  You will only need two of the 6 threads.  Gently pull out one string at a time, separating it from the group.  Set the extra 4 aside for later.  Put your two strings together. 

 

Thread the needle, pulling the thread about 2 to 3 inches through the eye and folding it over.  Tie a knot in the bottom—that is the end away from the needle.  This will keep the thread from pulling all the way through the fabric. You are ready to make your first stitch!

Start in the center square, you have marked on the Aida fabric. Place the needle in the lower left hole coming from the back side.  Pull it through the front side. 

Make sure your thread has not knotted and that all the thread pulls through and stops at the end knot. Now staying on the same square, put the needle through the upper right hand hole of the square.  You should see a diagonal stitch. 

 

Now, from the back again, put the needle through the lower right hand square. 

 

From the front, put the needle through the upper left hand square and pull through to the back. 

 

X MARKS THE SPOT!  That's how you make your first stitch! As Spock says, “Fascinating.” (Star Trek fans—your right this would probably only garner an “interesting” from Spock but I digress.)

You will notice that you finished your x by going from lower right to upper left. Finish every x this direction so that your stitches look consistent.  The top stitch of your X should always be lower right to upper left throughout your whole piece since that is how you started. Be careful to put your needle through the holes in the fabric and not the fabric itself!

Now, I tried to always work from right to left.  The letter w was at the center so that is where I started.

Next, I stitched the  S.   Then, I counted squares on my pattern and figured out where to start the T and did the T, E, and then E.  This way I knew that my piece was centered correctly on my fabric.  After that, I counted squares again to figure out where to start the e in the top Enterprise.  I started with the last e, working from right to left until I finished the whole word.  I found it easier to do one letter at a time, instead of whole rows.  If I messed up a letter, I could see right away and undo the thread.  I counted wrong a few times but that was an easy fix.  I just pulled out my thread until I undid the mistake and started back up again.

When you use up all the thread on your needle, leave enough to tie two small knots at the end.  Trim the end of your threads off after you tie the knots.  (Some people don’t tie knots at all—I do because it is just easier for a beginner.)  Re-thread your needle and keep going where you stopped. 

Also, if you finish something like a letter or a figure, you don’t have to cut and tie your thread.  You can keep going by just starting to stitch the next part.  A good rule of thumb is never to stretch your thread more than 3 inches.  If your letters or figures are more than 3 inches apart, cut and tie your thread before you start the new part.

Here is my finished project.  It took me about a week and half to finish (part of which was a 3 day vacation.)  I watched X-files and Big Bang Theory while I stitched away….(and Yes, I did experience complete and absolute NERDVANA.)

 Your turn…Boldly go my crafting friends.