Peacock-Inspired Ring Pillow

A good high school friend of mine is getting married, and I wanted to create a special gift for her. The theme is peacock-inspired. No actual birds were harmed in the making of this ring pillow :-)

The pattern I used was by Lesley Teare: 101 Weekend Cross Stitch Gifts (ISBN 0 7153 1945-0), but I changed the colors in the pattern to reflect the bride's theme.

After finishing the cross stitch pattern, I added a long length of purple ribbon by cross stitching over the ribbon and trimmed it with a button to neaten it up (It didn't look so polished with the cross stitch in the middle of the ribbon. It looked like it was missing something).

 I finished it into a pillow by cutting around the design (with enough left for the back) and whip stitched it on three sides. I stuffed the it with polyfill stuffing that I bought at a craft store.

The colors of threads I used were purple, bright blue, and lime green. I like that I was able to incorporate the blue thread into the pillow, so it can be her "something blue" if she so chooses.

This was a relatively easy project to make. If I could make one change though, it would have been to have used my sewing machine to sew up the edges instead of hand stitching it. This is because the aida cloth I used was rather stiff, and it was hard to sew the corners where the fabric overlapped. I also think it would have been neater and quicker to use the sewing machine.

How to get candle wax out of a glass candle holder

So, I was burning a candle from my wedding (we used scented candles as wedding favors) and I wanted to get the remaining candle wax out of the glass holder. I tried tapping it out gently, but no luck (sometimes that has been enough to get the remaining candle residue out), so I had to take things a step further. 

I simply popped the candle holder into the freezer for a few hours, took it out, gently tapped it on the bottom, and the remaining candle wax came out! There was still a tiny circle of wax remaining in the bottom of the candle holder:

I took a butter knife and scraped it out in seconds:

Now all that's left to do is wash it out in some hot soapy water, and it should look like new (hopefully)!!!:-)...

Happy (Belated) 2014!!!

I just realized it has been a LONG time since I last posted anything on this blog! Time for a change... I'll be attempting to make chicken noodle soup later today.

Here's the recipe I'll be using: About 3/4 of an organic rotisserie chicken 2 cartons low-sodium chicken broth Carrots (as many as you'd like) One small onion Egg noodles Salt and pepper to taste

 Recipe:
1. Cut up the rotisserie chicken ahead of time into small, bite-sized pieces.
2. Prepare the egg noodles according to package directions. Drain and set aside.
3. Peel and slice the carrots into bite-sized pieces.
4. Peel and dice the onion.
5. Add the rotisserie chicken, cooked egg noodles, onion, carrots, and broth in a large pot, and bring to a boil. Simmer for 20-25 minutes.
6. Add salt and pepper to taste. I'll let you know how it all turns out!!!:-)...

Cross stitch wedding ring pouches

A lesson in creating wedding ring pouches

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A very good friend of mine is getting married, and I asked her how I could help. Turns out, she is having her attendants hold the rings, instead of a ring bearer, and she wanted them to be kept in ring pouches instead of on a pillow. I'd never seen anything like that done before, so I had to wing it.

I took an aida bookmark with lace edging, and folded it into thirds, creating 3 panels. I cross stitched a design onto the front of one of the 1/3 "panels." I then sewed up the side edges of each pouch.

I used blue thread to do some of the cross-stitch, so that it would be her "something blue."

This is a super easy project. A lot of the work is already done for you if you use pre-made aida bookmarks- the fabric is already cut into a size that works well for creating a ring pouch, and the one I chose already had decorative lace attached. This project also lends itself well to personalization: use blue thread for her "something blue,", use ribbon reclaimed from one of her baby outfits as her "something old", or use embroidery thread in their wedding colors, etc. You can also personalize it with the couple's initials and wedding date, as you can see I have done with one of the pouches in the picture. The sky's the limit when it comes to the actual motifs you decide to use.

Happy stitching!!!

Knitting/Crocheting Projects in Progress

• Snood for my sister
• Triangle shawl
• Crocheted daisy table runner

©2012 Arti Kochhar. All rights reserved. This blog is best viewed in Internet Explorer and Mozilla Firefox. All images by Arti Kochhar, unless otherwise credited.
All materials on this site are available for scholarly and educational use only, via Creative Commons License Last update: August 22, 2012.

Cushion Covers Continued

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I've been taking a few sewing classes at my local Joann's store. I recently purchased a sewing machine too. For this cushion cover, I used two types of denim: one printed with polka dots, and the other plain. This was my first time using a commercial sewing pattern.

Knitting/Crocheting Projects in Progress

• Snood for my sister
• Triangle shawl
• Crocheted daisy table runner

©2012 Arti Kochhar. All rights reserved. This blog is best viewed in Internet Explorer and Mozilla Firefox. All images by Arti Kochhar, unless otherwise credited.
All materials on this site are available for scholarly and educational use only, via Creative Commons License Last update: July 12, 2012.

Embroidered Cushion Cover

My first cross-stitched pillowcase

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Here is a homemade pillowcase with a lotus flower cross stitch pattern that I embroidered onto it. Because I can't hem anything to save my life, I covered up the ugly hemming with some matching pink braid.:

Knitting/Crocheting Projects in Progress

• Snood for my sister
• Triangle shawl
• Crocheted daisy table runner

©2012 Arti Kochhar. All rights reserved. This blog is best viewed in Internet Explorer and Mozilla Firefox. All images by Arti Kochhar, unless otherwise credited.
All materials on this site are available for scholarly and educational use only, via Creative Commons License Last update: June 26, 2012.

Loom Knit Pumpkin Baby Hat

Loom Knit Pumpkin Hat

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For a long time now, I've seen a lot of these pumpkin hats, and I've always wanted to make one. Well, today, while baking my sister's birthday cake, I finally made my very first one!!! I loom knit the hat itself using two strands of worsted weight orange yarn held together. The stem and leaves were crocheted.

Hat Recipe-Preemie/Small Newborn Size.

You will need:

• A 24 peg round loom, and the awl it comes with.
• Yarn needle
• Small amount of worsted weight orange and green yarns
• Crochet hook (size isn't too critical- you just want something that will work with a worsted weight yarn)

Loom knit 20 rows using two strands of orange yarn held together, and then cast off using the gathering method (run the yarn needle under each stitch, and then pull each stitch off the peg). Tie tightly and weave in ends.

For the stem, crochet about5 chain stitches. Single crochet till end, and then single crochet around the other side of the same chain. Weave in ends. Attach to top of hat.

For the leaves: Ch 6. Work each stitch as follows: SC in first stitch, then HDC, DC, HDC, SC. Repeat the stitch pattern working on the opposite side of the same chain. Repeat for additional leaves as desired. Attach to top of hat near base of stem.

Knitting/Crocheting Projects in Progress

• Snood for my sister
• Triangle shawl
• Granny Square Pillow

©2012 Arti Kochhar. All rights reserved. This blog is best viewed in Internet Explorer and Mozilla Firefox. All images by Arti Kochhar, unless otherwise credited.
All materials on this site are available for scholarly and educational use only, via Creative Commons License Last update: June 15, 2012.