Melissa Dunworth – Page 182 – Sew Bittersweet Designs

Tutorial & Free Pattern – Chinese Take-Out Easter Basket

This year I decided to do something special and a little different for my nieces (8 and 9) and my nephews (5 months and 8). I made my nephews matching Easter Chinese Take-Out Baskets and my nieces got matching Easter Purses. The older kids are getting bean bag bunnies (and it is my brother’s problem if they are turned into ammunition against each other) and my youngest nephew will be getting a plush bunny – when I have time to make it!

Here are the older kids Easter “Baskets”:

Purses for the girls

Take-Out for the Boys

The pattern for the take-out box can be found here.

Not much is needed for this pattern.

Two pieces of coordinating felt 22×22 inches
Pattern pieces – cut out and taped together according to the directions on the pattern
Some peltex scraps for the top
Some fusible web, for one I used Pellon and the other I used Heat n Bond Lite
Coordinating Thread
Sewing Machine
Scissors

Step 1: Cut out and assemble pattern pieces

Step 2: Cut out fabric pieces

Heat and bond for the large piece, and peltex for the smaller pieces

Step 3: Fuse the large pieces together – follow the directions that come with your fusible – I had an easier time working with the Pellon, but probably because I am more used to that brand.

Step 4: Mark a square for the bottom of you box – I used a sharpie do this on the INSIDE fabric

Step 5: Follow your sharpie line and sew around the square 3 times

Step 6: Sew the sides together – use a 1/4 seam

You now have a lidless box!

Step 7: Sew together your top pieces – I sewed around the edge of all 4 using a 1/4 seam

Step 8: Sew lid pieces on – using 1/4 seam


I wanted my inside fabric to be on the outside for the lid – so while the main body was inside out – I had the right side fabric to the wrong side fabric and sewed

Once you have sewn your lid pieces on, turn your box right side out and voila! A felt Easter Chinese Take-Out Box! All you need is to stuff it full of bunnies and chocolate (my brother can put the chocolate in) and you are done! Once the pattern pieces were cut out – it took me less time to assemble this (including take pictures) than it did to write this post.

Enjoy!

Tips & Tricks – Knitting Supplies

Uncategorized / By Melissa Dunworth

I don't need to tell you that I knit a lot. I have been knitting now for almost 8 years, which in the eyes of some may seem like no time at all, but for me it is almost a third of my life. In those 8 years I have come to appreciate different knitting tools and I thought I would share a few of my favorites with you.

Keep in mind that these are not only my favorites but they are also necessary for most projects.

See what each of these is used for after the jump!

Give Me More

Work It Wednesday

2 Comments / Easter, Easter Basket, Easter Flower, felt, felt basket, felt flower, work in progress, work it wednesday / By Melissa Dunworth

This is crunch week for me as I need to get all my Easter stuff finished for my nieces and nephews by Saturday to mail down to CA where they live. I am making good progress. I have finished everything for the girls and as of last night everything for my oldest nephew. I just have my 5 month old nephew to work on now.

Here is my progress thus far…

Bean Bag Bunnies from 2 Little Hooligans – Check

Anne’s Basket and the purses for her cousins

Side View

Girls are a go!

Anyone up for Chinese on Easter?

Go ahead, open it, you know you want to…

Bean Bag Bunnies!

I whipped together The Chinese Take Out Easter “basket” for my oldest nephew last night. I am hoping that he and his sisters like the bean bag bunnies and actually use them for a bean bag toss and not just as ammunition to throw at each other.

I am also planning to make a minky Bunny stuffy for Anne and for my youngest nephew, I am hoping to start on that tonight. If I only finish my nephew’s on time I will be very happy. Anne won’t really know if I am late with her’s at 17 months she isn’t going to know if she gets it on Easter or not.

What are you working on this week?

VIDEO Tutorial Tuesday – Continental Purl Stitch

1 Comment / tutorial, tutorial tuesday / By Melissa Dunworth

As you know, I have been working on a video knitting tutorial series. This week we are covering the purl stitch in the continental method.

In case you haven’t seen the other videos yet, here is a link to the cast on video and a link to the knitting video.

The purl stitch has SO many uses in knitting and is really an essential tool in your toolkit (as my former marketing manager would say).

Image Courtesy of: You-Can-Knit-Too.com

Watch Me!

Reasons why you NEED to know the purl stitch:

In order to do a gauge swatch (come back in a couple weeks for that post) – you have to be able to do the stockinette stitch – which means you have to know how to purl! Knit 1 row, purl 1 row (repeat)
Any pattern that calls for ribbing calls for the purl stitch – knit 1 purl 1 or knit 2 purl 2 (any variation really)
To make cool textured patterns using the seed stitch – you have to be able to purl
Most cabling patterns call for you to purl
It adds another level of interest and intrigue to your knitted piece

How about I break it down with some screen shots?

Wrap your yarn over your pink, under your ring and middle fingers and over your pointer

Yarn in front of the needle

Needle goes through the back to the front

Grab the yarn with the right needle

Pull the yarn back through the loop

Slide the stitch off the left needle – you have now purled a stitch!

I hope this video and post have helped you learn how to do the purl stitch in the continental style of knitting. Purling really is essential to knitting. You do not need it for your basic scarf, but once you move past the scarf stage of your knitting, you will definitely want to master this technique.

The next video tutorial will be on how to cast off. Feel free to leave me a comment if there are other knitting video tutorials that you would like to see on our blog and I will do my best to get them posted!

Anne’s Garden – Free Pattern – Felt Flowers

5 Comments / applique, Easter, Easter Flower, felt, felt flower / By Melissa Dunworth

We are doing a candy free Easter in our house. For a couple of reasons: 1. a 17 month old does not need tons of sugar, and 2. Anne isn’t allowed to have chocolate yet per doctors orders due to allergy concerns (I’m allergic) so that pretty much rules out all the best Easter candy anyways other than peeps.

As an alternative I am making her some fun Easter presents for her to play with, one of which is her very own garden of flowers.

I let Anne play with her flowers the other day to see how she liked them and they were a big hit!

What you need:

Pattern pieces – get them here
Felt scraps in two coordinating colors
Scraps of fusible web
Pressing Cloth
Stabilizer (I went super cheap and used a scrap of paper from an old pattern)
Colored thread to match fabric scraps – I only matched the piece I appliqued on
Thread
Needle
FiberFil

Step one: Cut out your pieces – two each of the flower and the center piece

Step two: Iron your fusible to the center pieces then fuse your pieces together – make sure you use a lower heat setting because the felt will melt! – Hint – this is where you need your pressing cloth!!!

There isn’t much difference between this picture and the last – that is a good thing 🙂

Step three: Using your pretty colored thread and a zigzag or satin stitch – machine applique the center piece. I used a piece of paper on the back as a stabilizer and ripped it off after wards – these probably will not get washed so I’m not concerned with the left behind paper.