What I’m loving right now

July 11, 2017July 11, 2017 ~ ghostfaceknitter ~ 2 Comments

Okay, this is me being a big fat copy cat. 😽 I follow a few other blogs that do this feature and I thought I would get in on the fun!

I usually try to shove the things I love down everyone’s throats on Instagram but here is a consolidated version with some extras I probably haven’t shared!

A Court of Thorns and Roses Series

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I seriously cannot get enough of this series. IT IS SO GOOD. Honestly, one of the best series I’ve read in a while. I’m a huge fantasy fan so this meets the mark with Fae Realms, supernatural powers, and conquering your own demons. The entire series is amazing each book better than the last. At the end of book 2 I got up, walked over to the dude and said ‘THAT BOOK WAS SO GOOD. OH MY GOD, OH MYYYYY GOD” I then proceeded to tell him the plot, but I couldn’t there is just so many backstories, and the book unfolds with them all. It’s just great. This is going down in my hall of fame (my place for books that get read over and over).

GAH I JUST LOVE IT.

Ello Camping Mug

This is the second year that Target has carried this mug from Ello. Last year I treated myself to a pink version and use it all the time. I went back a few weeks after the initial purchase to get another, since I now have reached the stage in my life where I buy multiples of things I love, and they were gone. I was sad, but eagerly awaited this summer season to see if they would return. THEY DID!

Keeps things cold or hot for hours. Plus the handle is made from cork. The top never leaks and I love the camping enamel finish. Got the teal the second time around.

MillaMia Yarn

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Lois introduced my to MillaMia last year (she made those amazing Christmas ornaments for everyone) and then got me a bunch of it to make cowls for shopghostfaceknitter.com. I had a bunch left over from then and am now making the So Faded sweater with the surplus I had. But I LOVE this yarn. I’ve found it on loveknitting.com for $3 a skein and bought a whole bunch more in green, purple, and grey to make another So Faded sweater in the near future. They have a bunch of free patterns available here. Try not to giggle like an idiot at the baby stuff.

Vintage Pattern FREE-FOR-ALL

I’ve been getting tagged a lot lately (thank you for those who have) in the huge public online release of both vintage knit and sew patterns. SO AMAZING. Especially considering that people ask for a lot of money for vintage patterns.

South Hampton’s Knitting Reference Library

Free Vintage Knitting

Vintage Patterns Wikia

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CHIA + FLAX SEEDS!

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The dude brought home this chia + flax seed mix a while ago and I have since re-purchased multiple bags of this. I just love it. It feels like a treat! It’s been a huge staple for me since giving up processed sugar for good plus with the Omega-3s! It’s a great treat.

What are some things that you have been loving?

Snake Dress

June 23, 2017June 23, 2017 ~ ghostfaceknitter ~ Leave a comment

Another selfish sew! Look at that face! That’s someone who was super excited about some more new clothes.

I found this snake fabric on Etsy a month ago and loved it. Only in hindsight I’m sure it’s kids fabric but still I love the colors and and how the design was. I love the weight of the jersey fabric too – generally jersey is pretty see-thru but this was so thick and not see-thru. Since it was sturdy material I didn’t even use my serger as there was no tension issue.

This was less than an hour project as I almost got thru 1 hour of the Roosevelt’s Doc from PBS. I love that documentary – I’ve seen it probably 4 times all together. I think I love it because it so radically changed my perspective on so much about that family. I especially love watching it now since our political climate has changed so severely.

I used this Pattern from McCall’s:

Specs on Time/Cost

Total Time: < 1 hour
Total Cost: $1.99 Pattern + $24 for 2 yards of jersey fabric on Etsy

Supplies List

2 yards jersey fabric from Raspberry Creek Fabric on Etsy
McCalls M6886 Dress Pattern
Gütermann Polyester Thread

Random Comments about pattern:

Have you ever bought the wrong sized pattern? I did here lol whoops! But i just shorted the smallest size by 2inches and aimed for 10-12. I didn’t want this one to be skin tight since I wanted to wear it to work, so I think it worked out perfectly.
Pattern was super easy.
I’ll be making the V-neck and the long sleeves for sure.
I only used 1 3/4 yards of fabric.

1947 Vogue V9126 Dress Pattern

June 22, 2017June 22, 2017 ~ ghostfaceknitter ~ 2 Comments

I did a little selfish sewing last week. Finally caught a tiny respite from the great baby making of 2017 😉 JK I love that all of you are having babies because baby stuff is my favorite kind of crafts to make. However, I had another 1940s ball to attend so instead of buying my dress this year I decided to make one that was more traditional (less ‘retro’ stereotypical). This is the Original 1947 Design of Vogue V9126 Dress Pattern. Available at Vogue Patterns or Joanns. I picked up this pattern for $5 on one of the ‘sale days’ at Joanns.

I know that Joann’s is sort of the anti-craft movement for a lot of people. I happen to find it really convenient, affordable and they do have a pretty nice selection of fabric, yarn, supplies. Plus and this is why it’s so hard to say no to Joann’s they always have a coupon(s) to use.

But I digress. I found the pattern and the Fabric (50% off that) at Joanns and decided to make this for the ball.

Specs on Time/Cost

Total Time: 7 hours including finishing
Toal cost: $45

Supplies List:

Gütermann Polyester Thread – CA 02776
Bright Red Tropical Hawaiian Chiffon Fabric (4 yards)
Fusible Interfacing
V9126 Pattern from Vogue Reproductions Collection

Random Comments about pattern:

The collar took quite some mulling over. It was not easy to create shape for that just from ‘folding it over.’ I ended up hand sewing the lapels to each other in the front to give it the shape I wanted.
The waist was too small for only a short bodice zipper – I had to let out the waist by 3 inches to get the waist over my shoulders (I’m not that big there). If I make this again I will put in a zipper that extends down thru the waist so that I can just zip it up and keep the shape once on.
Bust was taken in considerably. I used the 36in bust – (I’m a 34in) and it was like a burlap sack – I ended up taking in the pleats so significantly it was starting to distort the shape on the bodice. If I make this again I will use smaller bodice all together and then gather skirt in back if necessary.

Anyways enough of my bemoaning about having a small bust and big shoulders 😉

35301122126_0254b40115_z — the bodice and skirt connected by front feature

All and all it was a super fun, cute dress. I’ll be making more in the future!

Western Floor Pouf

July 30, 2016July 30, 2016 ~ ghostfaceknitter ~ 2 Comments

A month or two ago, I got this western themed duck fabric for $6 a yard! SCORE. I bought 3 yards of it because I knew I wanted to make an Amy Butler Floor Pouf with it. I finally got around to doing this last Saturday Afternoon – it took maybe 2 1/2 hours total (including a trip to the local craft store to buy 10lbs of polyfil). I forgot how easy this pattern is – remember back to 2+ years ago when I made my first AB floor pouf. Go ahead, click on the link and imagine the wavy lines and harp music as you travel back in time…..

Okay welcome back to 2016. So I remembered one of my greatest complaints about this pattern was that you a) have to hand sew it shut and b) can’t really do anything once you get it dirty. Sadly the floor pouf from 2014 was thrown away in the great migration west in 2015. Well, to solve that issue – I decided to sew a zipper on the bottom of the pouf to prevent that from happening again. Now if I need to wash it, I can just remove the polyfil and wash the pouf easy peasy!

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27963550413_4abdde591f_b — is that a cactus or are you just happy to see me?

28507588815_f45d447b64 — zipper with polyfil coming out

28295122120_b176c23840_c — he’s sticking his tongue out at me.

28295125320_5497fe3d00_c — pretty boy and floor pouf

Astrodelic Quilt

July 15, 2016 ~ ghostfaceknitter ~ Leave a comment

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I finished this quilt a few weeks ago, but finally delivered it to my new niece so I can finally go in depth with it here. 🙂

I found the Astrodelic Quilt on a great website of Fat Quarter Shop. They have a ton of free patterns and really cute fabrics. I chose this quilt because it looks really stunning and actually is very simple. The angle cuts are made with the same method of making binding so this is a true beginner quilt. Due to the large pieces it was also easy to line up and piece together. I kept this incredibly simple with just a cross ‘x’ quilt. I looked at other people’s quilting choices online and decided I wanted my fabric and clean lines to show more than the quilting so I literally did the bare minimum. If I did it again, I would probably hand quilt or machine quilt the seams. Overall, it took 2 hours to iron/cut, 3 hours to piece/sew, and 3 hours to bind. So a wonderful weekend quilt. Here are my pics!

Feel free to ask question in the comments – I would also love to do a small class or tutorial of this online/in person if people are interested!

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27386529483_3f7519ce9a_c — prepping to join batting with front/back

27715042810_bc7483f645_c — prewashed, post binding – it looks so good in my living room 😉

27380648093_8acef8b6b2_c — this finished result!

Baby Quilt Fabric

April 22, 2016 ~ ghostfaceknitter ~ Leave a comment

Since I’m officially losing my mind at the Farm House, I decided to take some time to talk about another hobby I have in the mix. Baby Quilt or as it shall be used in my home CAT QUILT! I signed up for a class at the end of May with Lois and I am just counting down the days.

I have never taken a class at Fancy Tiger – but they do have a … well, fancy, set up. Here is the class info.

I have been hoarding quilting fabric for years, so I figured starting off simple would give me the motivation and interest to dive into real fabric piecing and traditional quilting.

Here is the fabric I got for my little baby blanket! EEEE PUGS! Fabricworm is a super cute site with TONS of quilting fabric. This fabric is high quality and I can’t wait to get started.

In the past I have also joined a ‘fabric of the month’ club with Pink Castle Fabrics. I really love their ‘Kawaii’ or Japanese fabric. They have a lot of different ‘fabric of the month clubs’ and they are really well priced.

Here is some past fabric I have received from Pink Castle:

Anyways! I can’t wait to get my craft room all set up and start sewing more than just curtains 😉

This is my current state of mind at the house:

GHOSTFACEKNITTER

October 20, 2014October 20, 2014 ~ ghostfaceknitter ~ 1 Comment

With fall here and the holidays right around the corner, let me make your custom items/gifts! Pretty much anything you see knit/sewn/crochet I can make for you! My pricing is very affordable and I work hard to get you exactly what you dreamed!

I have done custom embroidery orders, scarf/cowl, baby bibs, kleenex coozies, crochet people/objects, dresses, skirts, blouses! Don’t forget about the pets either – I can make any costume idea or fun accessory for them too!

one of khalessi's dragons — one of khalessi’s dragons

embroidered tea-towel for my Grandma's birthday. — embroidered tea-towel for my Grandma’s birthday.

Cupcake Blouse

June 12, 2014 ~ ghostfaceknitter ~ 3 Comments

I made an adorable little Blouse over the weekend and just had to share!

I found the Pattern here on BURDASTYLE. I’m a huge fan of this site because the patterns are very current, reasonably priced, and you can just print them and assemble at home. Plus they are in you account forever so if you misplace one small piece you can always re-print.

Anyways this Pattern is Short Sleeve V Neck Blouse 05/2014 #131B

I really like it – after wearing it on Monday I just need to move the snap button closure a wee bit and then finish the snap buttons down the front. Also I chose not to add the cuffs because I’m lazy.

XXX
GFK

Centered Self May 2014

May 5, 2014 ~ ghostfaceknitter ~ 4 Comments

Happy Monday. I hope everyone had a great weekend. Mine was very nice aside from my normal GMAT angst. I’m sadly just not doing well in the practice exams anymore. I excel and make huge progress in the practice questions every night when I study for 2-3 hours, but not on the exams I take Saturday. I think, and I know it may sound like I’m ‘opting-out’, but that I may just stop taking the full length practice exams now that there is 1 month till my test. They do not help me confidence wise nor do they help me focus on my ‘weaknesses’ I seem to do poorly/strongly in a new subject each week – making it so nothing is consistent. I’m gonna try for this approach since my 8 weeks of weekly CAT exams have not seemed to help me. I realize that I am rushing, because once I ‘get it over with’ I can actually enjoy my weekend. Honestly, it’s going to come down to that day of the test. All I can do is keep practicing out of my OG book 2-3 hours a day and pray to God and to all the underdog stories of all time that I will pull a decent score out of my ass on May 31. But, worst case scenario I take a formal course with Manhattan in the late summer.

le sigh. Aside from that I had a really nice reflective weekend. I have to marvel at how much I have grown in the past 9+ months mentally and physically. I am able to do things and experience emotions I would have never thought I would work through and make work for me. Mentally, I concurred my anxiety and overcame the insecurities that plagued me for most of my adult life. I am able to accept my faults and to gain strength from my successes. I’ve kicked the negativity to the curb along with all the people that facilitate negative thoughts and actions for me. Living a life without being brought down by others is marvelous. I have never been so free in losing myself in what I love. I finally have found what true security and self-love means.

Plus, I am so lucky to have a strong support group, that only wants to support me and see me succeed. Likewise, I have found immense happiness in inspiring others and trying to infuse a positive support system from myself to anyone I talk to. That doesn’t mean I still don’t have emo or bad days, but I sure as hell snap out of them more quickly and find myself engaging in more meaningful ways of coping with ‘the blues.’ I do have a hard time with expectations, but honestly my core group of friends and family always exceed any expectations that I would have. I’m truly blessed to have people that genuinely care for me and want to see me succeed and be happy. On the physical side of things, I have never been more strong and motivated. I can run like the wind! Well an 8-10 mile an hour breeze, but still that’s GREAT! I also have achieved my handstand goals and now can do unassisted handstands for 30seconds – 1 minute. I’m working on movement poses, but with a curious unnamed kitten – being upside down and trying to switch pose positions is quite difficult. I have to say I really enjoy knowing that I am strong from the inside – humble confidence radiates out of me these days.

I also made this ADORABLE geisha girl from Benartex Panel Prints. I got mine here and it actually took about 2-3 days to receive her! I had a blast putting her together at my friend’s house (duel sewing machines!) and then hand stitching at home (which I still need A LOT of work on).

Last weekend I decided to plant some kitchen herbs and I was so excited to see that 3/4 have already germinated! I’ll have Basil (pictured), Oregano (still waiting on it to germinate), Cilantro, and Rosemary in a few weeks! I also bought an organic Mint plant from Wal-Mart on Saturday and made virgin-zero calorie-full fun juleps/mockjitos with some lemon-lime soda water and stevia. 🙂

I also will admit my favorite treat are those super cheap ice cream cups from Wal-Mart. They have a birthday cake one that is so so tasty. I have friends that help me eat it. *note I was done eating it – I am not that gross to share food with the cats.

I attempted to ‘sun-proof’ and thus heat-proof my living room this weekend also. I used some of those emergency thermal blankets, as I read a HOW TO HERE. Boris was the foreman for this job and inspected my work. I don’t know if this is gonna last/work. The crinkly noise is kind of annoying. TBD. If this <$5 experiment does not work I may splurge and get these real thermal black out drapes. Or I’ll buy those car window black-out foam things and suspend them… God things are getting weird at my house.

This might explain what’s up.

xxx
GFK

Craft Attack MuthaF*****

April 23, 2014 ~ ghostfaceknitter ~ 2 Comments

Happy Wednesday! I’m quite excited today, because later tonight is my monthly craft night with my favorite ladies in StitchCraft! I found these lovely ladies on MeetUp.com which is a great social planner for people new to a city or just looking for new social events to attend. For a solo-crafter like myself I have so enjoyed meeting so many crafters, whether they are knitters, crocheters, wool spinners/dyers, seamstresses, quilters, paper artisans… the list literally could go on, because there are so many wonderful people doing AMAZING things out there now. I wanted to share briefly the things I have come across lately/am in LOVE with in the world of crafting.

1. American-Made / Organic Fabrics

Let me just go ahead and inform you that cotton is one of the most heavily pesticide filled crops that we come into contact with on a daily basis. Seriously, now think about your sheets, your clothes, your lady products, your toilet paper, paper towels….. AHHHHH. I am SO ELATED to see Joann’s jump on board with an Organic Fabric line and boy is it pretty. The patterns are just so unique and visually marvelous. They are $10.99-14.99/yard though, so definitely wait for a 50% off coupon to purchase. I have only seen these in a few Joann’s stores though, I can’t seem to locate them on the website.

I’m seriously getting that panicky feeling only other crafters know right now looking at those bolts. The ‘oh man, maybe I need to leave work right now and go buy them all because what if it sells out and what if I can’t add it to the already ENORMOUS pile of WIP fabrics I have at home… ANGST.” Joann’s is also offering an “American-made” fabric line that is stunning as well. With 27 different designs and patterns it is great to see such a large chain offer something that is important to the spirit of ‘locally-made’ and responsible crafting.

I know not everyone supports shopping at a large chain like Joann’s so please check out your local fabric and sewing stores, often the smaller local shops have the best quality and respond to consumer desires faster than a giant store. My local sewing spot is The Needle Shop on Addison and Lincoln in Chicago. They offer so many different styles of rotating apparel and upholstery fabrics. Every time I go in there I think I touch and look at each bolt for 5 minutes.

2. Yarn/Crochet/Fiber Arts

I mean, I can’t even begin to share all the wonders I see daily regarding fiber arts. I’m continually inspired and awed at how crafters are able to dye/spin/manipulate and then create a gorgeous fiber item. A few of my favorite people/shops/stuff/events are:

knitxmidwest 2 – they are having a second one this year! you betchyer ass i already reserved 5 spots!

heyjenrenee – equal parts rad mom and epical knitter (plus rowan ambassador, GAPTASTIC Cowl Designer, knitxmidwest founder, the list goes on)

YarnBox – a monthly yarn delivery service that lets you sample and knit with 1/2 skeins of indie and small batch yarn producers. I seriously have LOVED being a YarnBox member. There is a wait list now, but it is worth it. Last month I got gorgeous yarn from Switzerland for christ’s sake!

Susan Crawford – the retro knit goddess.

Plus, because fiber arts are booming – so many people are creating top-notch patterns and even giving them away. Check out Ravelry before you ever buy a pattern chances are it is on there. But, if you into supporting indie pattern designers, there is no bad karma in donating or purchasing patterns from their websites/etsy.com stores/ravelry. Pay it forward my crafters!

What kind of things are inspiring you with the season change? Do you find that you change your craft entirely or just augment what you work on? Further, if anyone would like to share their thoughts and opinion about organic fabrics and/or large chain consumption I would love to hear you thoughts.

xxx
GFK