Quick tip - makeshift light box

What's a crafter to do when she needs to trace a pattern, but there's no lightbox nearby?

Improvise one with some scotch tape and a sunny window, that's what.

Knitty weekend

Here's what I managed to put out between Wednesday night and Sunday night:
That's one cotton dishcloth from Mason Dixon Knitting, one pair of hopefully indestructible toddler socks in ugly acrylic from my stash, one half of a pair of socks for me (made with impossibly thin cotton/wool blend, pattern from Knit Socks Whatever the Yarn), about 2/3rds of a toddler sock in chunky neon blue acrylic, and seven balls of chenille yarn that was salvaged from mill ends from a weaver down in Kentucky. The last is probably the best - I bought a bag of about 5 pounds of chenille pieces a few years ago, not realizing that they were hanks made up of four-foot-long pieces of yarn with other yarn knotted to the ends. To get to the point where I can use the yarn I have to trim off the knots, then knot together the four-foot pieces, then roll it into balls, and make sure the knots end up on the inside when I use it. Waaaaay too much work, but it makes such cute crochet bunnies, and it was so cheap I can actually afford to sell them and make a profit. These are the last balls from the bag - thanks to crafting buddy Sybil for helping with the final push to get these done!

In case you were wondering, I was so insanely productive because I was at a gaming convention Thursday-Sunday. Two hours of riding in a car each way, plus hours of roleplaying games at the convention, plus a few hours of downtime at the hotel, and voila! A sock-tastic weekend! I think the best part was the look on the "serious" gamer's face when I won at Munchkin while turning the heel on my adult sock ... boy, was he ticked.

South Sea Squares Quilt pattern page

South Sea Squares Quilt

This twin-size quilt in the colors of the islands will keep you toasty warm ... and no one needs to know that the raw-edge applique technique is so simple and fast you can complete it in a weekend. Grab five of your favorite batiks and get sewing, mon!

Approximate finished size: 66"x82."


This pattern can be made in batiks, flannels, novelty or seasonal prints - just about anything you can think of! Because this project splits up easily into several two-to-four hour segments, this would work well for a class held over multiple sessions.

A person with average sewing skills should be able to finish this project in about eight naptimes (16 hours).

Photos from the pattern:

Marking the square placement

Trimming the edges before binding

Pattern includes illustrated instructions, and it is packaged in a resealable plastic bag (6"x9"), ready to hang and sell.

Wholesale price: $4.00/pattern

Suggested retail price: $7-$9, or whatever the market will bear in your area

Free shipping on your first order! Shipping charges for subsequent orders will be the actual charges for USPS Priority Mail to your destination.

I am willing to make free samples to display in your shop, if you are willing to provide the materials. Samples of this pattern will be wallhanging size. Please contact me for more information on this service.

For more information or to place an order, please contact Gretchen Woods at Lazy Mama Designs: lazymamadesigns (at) yahoo (dot) com.

NEW!! You can also place orders through my shop at etsy.com - just convo me with a request, including the number of patterns you'd like to buy, and I can post a custom listing for you at the wholesale price.

Thank you for your interest, and I hope to hear from you soon!