#craftsofsiri

[siriscrafts]

Took my scarf experiment off the loom today! It's a special scarf because I dyed the wool myself using natural dyes. I still need to tie off the ends, but in the meanwhile enjoy some close-ups from both sides:

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Patched up some holes in my shoes with embroidery floss! I enjoy visible mending and I refuse to get new shoes because these should last longer. They're not old! The insides of the heels are starting to wear as well, I'll have to reinforce those next...

[siriscrafts]

How it started vs how it turned out! I designed a brioche cardigan two years ago, finally finished it today! Unless I decide to dye it or add buttons... but for now, it's ready! It has a fishbone pattern down the back, and it's super warm and stretchy, perfect for the season!

[siriscrafts]

Finally got around to blocking this shawl! This is my first time blocking anything, and I didn't have a proper foam base to pin on, so I improvised with my sofa and some towels. The pattern is Golden Orchids and it has these lovely beaded flower motifs at the border! I used white pearlescent beads on white mohair-acrylic yarn, so they unfortunately aren't too visible.

Here's a close-up, before and blocked. Looks so much cleaner! If you have any tips on blocking, leave a comment!

[siriscrafts]

How I mended a hole in knit fabric!

I patched yet another big hole in my reckless partner's sportswear and decided to document how I did it! I used an embroidery frame to help keep the fabric in place, but it can be done just as well without one. Other supplies are just a needle and some yarn. Here I'm using three strand embroidery floss.

I start by securing the fraying edge. Just stitching around the egde, all around the hole! If the edge is not straight, the parts sticking out will fold a bit when you tighten the stitch, but that's fine.

Here is the first step finished. Next, I stitch the two edges together!

There are a few different ways to do it, but the idea is to use the stitches around the edge to pull the two sides together with a ladder stitch. (This means that there's no tension on the fraying edge, just around it on the intact fabric!) I put the needle through two stitches on one side, then two on the other side and so on, always taking either the next two stitches or one previous and one new. Pull tight!

And voilà, the tear is fixed!

And here's another example with matching colours and finer thread.

[siriscrafts]

Making good progress on my lace t-shirt knitting project! I dyed the yarns with avocado skins and pits + baking soda, turned out a lovely dusty pink!

[siriscrafts]

I tried a new craft, made a small coiled basket with iris leaves!

[siriscrafts]

Mended my blouse with a tiny woven patch! And I designed my next sewing project, a two-piece padded armor set based on the second-hand materials I got. I’m so excited to do fantasy sewing again!