Crocheting is Back…

Some wonderful crocheted flowers.

Some wonderful crocheted flowers.

Crocheting is a retro craft that has been becoming more and more popular of late.  Lots of renegade crafters have been making interesting things with yarn and wool for quite some time.  There is a cross-over with crochet into other areas of crafts as well.  Samplers have been known to have lots of bits of this and that added to them.  Crocheted flowers are a good example.  As well, scrapbookers now have mass-produced crocheted flowers available to them as a scrapbook embellishment.

I’ve been looking at the crocheted flowers made for the scrapbook industry and they are so beautiful.  They are also quite expensive.  I decided I wanted to try making some myself.  I have limited knowledge and experience in crocheting.  Only a few stitches taught to me as a child.  Surprisingly it comes back!  Anyway, not having embroidery thread on hand I thought that crocheted flowers would still look nice made from yarn.  See photo shown to see the ones I’ve been working on.

Another view of the crocheted flowers.

Another view of the crocheted flowers.

Embellishing the crocheted flowers became the fun part!  The flowers were quick to make.  I varied some colour-wise by tying in another colour.  I didn’t use a pattern, but there are many available online if you require one – just do a search.  To hide some of my imperfections, I decided to sew a button to the centre of the crocheted flowers.  I love the effect and plan on using them on some greeting cards!


By Maeve | Posted in Uncategorized | Comments (0)

Retro Craft Projects

These are some retro projects that are becoming new again.  Most of them have a new twist on the old.  Whether it be making a pin cushion and modernizing it with a cupcake shape, or using yo-yo’s to make a headband, there are so many ideas to work from.

Yo-Yo’s – You can now get these little gadgets to make making a yo-yo easier and quicker.  Make a lot of them and use them to embellish a scrapbook page or greeting card.  Use them to decorate the hem of a little girl’s dress.  You can also make pretty flowers using several yo-yo’s and there you have a brooch for a coat.  See my yo-yo’s in a photo here.  I am thinking of using it along the bottom of a dust ruffle for my daughter.

Aprons – Make modern style aprons out of vintage fabrics found in old pillow cases, tea towels,
tablecloths, table runners and also old sheets.  Or, use modern materials in avintage style of apron.
Headbands – Headbands that our parents wore in the 60′s are coming back into fashion.  Decorate them with millinery flowers, or yo-yo’s.
Pin Cushions – You can find handmade pin cushions all over in various shapes and sizes.  Try a new twist on them.  Make one to stick into a small glass canning jar.  Make one in the shape of a cupcake, like mentioned above.

Patch – Make a retro-style patch out of one of the themes I mentioned in a previous post.  Like a cassette tape or a ghetto blaster.  Embroider or screen print the design on and stitch around the edges.  Add iron-on fabric to the back to attach it permanently to a jacket or attach a pin for easy removing.  Besides printing your design onto plain fabric, try doing it on printed fabric for a really different effect.  The striped bicycle patch shown here is by Harpoon .
Tote Bags – Just like making aprons out of vintage fabrics, you can also make cute tote bags out of vintage fabrics as well.  (Find vintage fabrics in old pillow cases, tea towels, tablecloths, table runners and also old sheets.)  See photo of one I made here.
Pom-Pom’s – Made out of yarn, these little balls of fluff used to appear everywhere, from on blankets to on the top of a winter touque.  Try using them in someplace unexpected.  Put a row of them on the bottom of an apron or dress or skirt.  Or, add them to the edge of a pillow case.  Make one into a hair barrette, like you can see here.
Head Bands & Hair Bows – Hair bows and head bands are back in fashion.  Just take a look at all the ones available on Etsy .  Also, Red Velvet Art sells some cute knitted ones.  One photo is shown here.

More on this topic as I think of it.  I welcome your suggestions in the comments.  Thanks!

By Maeve | Posted in Projects | Comments (0)

Retro Craft Techniques

I had so much fun inspiring myself, LOL, in the last post on Retro Craft Materials that I thought I’d continue the theme and post about different retro techniques that are exciting to me these days. These are techniques that you can incorporate into your modern crafting projects to add a flare of retro to them.  I hope these ideas will inspire you as well. Here we go.

Embroidery - Embroidery is really coming into vogue these days.  Especially with the incorporation of other materials in the artwork.  Some examples of what I mean can be found at Rebecca Sower’s site and also Teresa McFayden .   Shown here is some embroidered trees I made and turned into a little ornament.
Recently, I found a redwork embroidered table runner (?  I think it was meant as that) and plan on using it to decorate the wall above my daughter’s bed.  It is monogrammed with someone’s initials, but that doesn’t matter.  It has 2 little Dutch children depicted in it.  I will have to take a photo and show you sometime.

Knitting – Knitting has really never gone out of style,now has it?  It’s difficult to call it a retro craft, but really there are old ways of doing things that can be revamped or even new takes on the craft.  Have you seen felting?  I won’t begin to describe the process, but basically you make your own felt out of handknit items.  From the felt you then make other objects like purses, brooches, or something else.
Here is shown at felted purse made by Etsy seller, Idoge .
Again, as I think of more of these techniques, I’ll post about them again.  Let me know if you have any ideas in the comments.  Thanks!
By Maeve | Posted in Techniques | Comments (0)

Retro Craft Materials

Right now, I am being inspired by anything to do with retro style crafting.  Crafts that our parents did in the 60′s are really coming back into style.  As well, materials that they crafted with are coming back into vogue with a new twist. Here is a rundown of what I’ve been checking out lately in the way of retro materials to use in my crafting and scrapbook rooms.  If you have more to add, let me know in the comments.

Woodgrain – crafting with woodgrain is something that I have been growing to like.  At first when I saw things made out of woodgrain I couldn’t help but think of that awful and ugly wooden paneling in my parent’s basement.  Now, I can’t get enough of the stuff!  It has slowly grown on me.  Woodgrain is printed onto fabric, shelf liner, laminate strips, and more.  The journal shown here was covered with a faux painted piece of scrapbook paper.  Also the wristlet shows fabric that is printed in woodgrain.  It is from DSChicBoutique .
Yarn – People are using yarn, on paper I’ve been noticing.  They are threading or lacing it into the paper and tying it off.  As well, people have been using yarn as a fashion accessory.  Tying a piece or two into a strand of hair and letting it fall.
Embroidery Thread – Use embroidery thread on paper or fabric – and not just on special embroidery fabric that is spaced for cross stitching, use regular fabric and embroider on it.  It will lend a different and unexpected look to your project.
Vintage Fabrics – Fabrics are one of my most favourite things to craft with.  For quite awhile now, I have been collecting some vintage fabrics and reusing them in other projects.  For example, I have a bunch of hankies that I’ve turned into a quilt for my daughter.  As well, I am planning on making a dust ruffle for her bed using some more of the hankies.  All in a row.  Vintage tea towels, table runners, and pillow cases can also be put to good use.  You could make a cute little child’s jacket out of a pretty vintage tablecloth.  Or make a tote bag out of old tea towels.
Millinery Supplies – Vintage millinery flowers, those used in the creation of hats, are very popular right now.
Wool Sweaters – Along the same lines as using vintage fabrics, you can also repurpose old woolen sweaters.Cut them apart and make bags out of them.  Or, make a woolen skirt for a little girl.  Use the sweater fabric to make felted flowers or brooches.
Old Books – You can leaves from old books, cookbooks, postcards and such in other crafting adventures.  You can copy and print images onto fabric and use the fabric to create something.  Or, you can use these pages in other crafts like making envelopes, greeting cards, or scrapbook pages.
Beads – Remember those big and ugly beads that were used in macrame or jewelry making?  You can make them new again by using them in repurposed jewelry – pairing them with something beautiful or
understated.  Or, make flowers out of them, or attach them to a sewing project.
Seam Binding – Seam binding comes in several colours but you can dye it to go along with a project you are working on.  Try using a pale or pastel colour to make it more modern.
Crepe Paper – Use these to make pretty banners to drape across a mantle.  Or make little flowers for embellishing a scrapbook page.  You can also make lighter coloured crepe paper look more beautiful by spraying it with a light mist like that by Tattered Angels.
Use your Cricut Expression Machine to make a blend of old and new.  Kind of retro meets modern.  Buy Cricut Cartridges to make and match almost any design.
As I think of them, I’ll do more posts on this topic.  Feel free to share your ideas in the comments.  Thanks!
By Maeve | Posted in Materials | Comments (0)

Hello and Welcome!

Hi dear blog reader!

My name is Maeve and thank you for stopping by.  This blog is a place for me to store and share ideas for making retro crafts.  Crafts that my Mom and Grandma used to do are back in vogue, many with a new twist.  I love the crafts from the 60′s and 70′s especially.  Another craft site featuring retro syle crafts is All My Creative Crafts.  Jackie there is inspiring and her retro crafts are a real throwback to the 60′s and 70′s.

Please drop me a comment if you have something to share – I would love to hear what you’ve been up to and see your ideas for revamping a retro craft!

Maeve
By Maeve | Posted in Uncategorized | Comments (0)