Kitchen Bar Stool Refashion

In our kitchen we have this lovely little bar/breakfast nook that separates the kitchen from the living room. It has a great archway that allows you to see from one room to the other. We have these 2 tall chairs that are the perfect height for eating at the breakfast bar. We actually do eat breakfast there every morning. We found the chairs in the garage of someone who was moving way back when we were first married and living in Florida. That is when I did my first fabric re-covering of these chairs, with the help of my handy mother-in-law.

Unfortunately, since then, Ande has spilled every kind of food and drink you can think of on the cushions of these chairs. They looked so gross and stained that I couldn't bear taking a "before" picture. I wouldn't even let my best friend sit on them when she came over the other night, and she's practically a sister to me!

Anyways, I finally picked up some fabric and clear plastic to cover these babies. I really thought this was going to be an easy project, but it turned out to be pretty tedious. I had to wait for Curt to get home to help me. I couldn't get the staples from the staple gun to go all the way through the bottom of the cushion...I'm so weak! But that wasn't even the hardest part.

Getting the plastic wrapped around the cushion just right turned into quite the arduous task. We tried so hard to wrap it over the rounded corners without leaving too many wrinkles on the top, but it seemed quite impossible.

 Luckily, Curtis was there to do most of the work. He has this awesome ability to just keep working and working until a project is completely finished (which I know for a fact comes from his side of the family!). What great stamina! I was ready to take a break when we finally stapled down the very first corner. It took so long just to get that done, I was exhausted! But somehow, Curtis just kept at it and didn't stop until both cushions were complete!

 Besides picking out the fabric (which I LOVE), I was only helpful when it came to drilling the cushions back to the chair frames. I had to sit on top of them while Curtis drilled from below. He needed my big hunk of body weight to hold the cushions in place. I was worried the screw would come right up into my bum!

 Since you didn't see the before, it'll be hard for you to know what a big difference this new fabric has made!

 I love that we can easily wipe these chairs down after a milk or ketchup spill and they will still look as good as new!

 Most of all, I love the pop of color that the yellow cherry blossom fabric adds to our kitchen! Yellow is my absolute favorite and I'll sneak it into our home decor as often as I can get away with it!

Get Hooked #2 - Crochet Coasters

Ok, here it goes...

Get Hooked, Take 2!

I hope that those of you who tried the crochet bow ties found some success following my tutorial.

I would love to hear from you and see how you did!

Today's tutorial/free pattern will be for...

 Yes, that's right. Crochet coasters. 

In the 3 1/2 years that we've been married, we have never had coasters lying around.

I guess I just figured that our furniture was not expensive or fancy enough to warrant any protection from a cold glass.

Nevertheless, I decided to make a couple for our bedroom night stands and for the end tables in the living room. 

They are mostly there for the sake of decoration, but what a fun way to add spunk and color to an otherwise dull end table! 

 Let's begin.

You will need:

yarn (very little yarn is used, depending on how many coasters you want to make) - I use Sugar n' Cream as well as Lion Brand's Cotton-Ease yarns; you pick the colors, have fun with it!

Size G crochet hook - You can find a pack of crochet hooks with several different sizes at any craft/fabric store. They may even have them at Wal-mart.

Scissors

Crochet sewing needle - This looks just like a sewing needle but is a lot bigger so the yarn can fit through the eye, it is often made of plastic.

Abbreviations to know:

Slip Stitch - slst

Chain - ch

Double Crochet - dc 

Single Crochet - sc

Yarn Over - yo

Step 1. Attach yarn to hook with a slst.

Create a pretzel shape with the end of the yarn.

Thread the hook through the outer right hole and up through the middle.

Pull tight and you have a slip knot.

Step 2. Ch 4 (this includes the loop already on the hook from the slip knot).

 Forget how to chain? Check out Step 2 from last week's tutorial here.

Step 3. Slst into the first chain to create a circle.

 Place the hook through the loop made by the first chain. You should have 2 loops on the hook. Wrap the yarn over (yo) the hook and pull through both loops on the hook.

There is your circle!

Step 3. Ch 3 (this includes the loop already on the hook from the slip stitch).

Step 4. Work 11 dc into center of the circle. Slst in top loop of the first chain 3 to close circle.
 To work a double crochet (dc):
1. yo hook

2. Place hook through the center of the circle.
3. yo again.

4. Pull hook back through the circle. You should now have 3 loops on the hook.
5. yo again.

6. Pull hook through the first 2 loops on the hook.
7. yo again.

8. Pull the hook through the last 2 loops on the hook.

 The above picture shows the first chain 3 and the first dc. Now work 10 more dc into the circle. You should end up with a total of 12 (including the first chain).

 To slip stitch the circle closed, place the hook through the top loop of the first chain of 3. Yo, pull through both loops on the hook.

 This shows Round 1 completed:

Step 5. Ch 3. Work 1 dc in same stitch as the ch. Work 2 dc in each remaining stitch around. Slst to close circle.
 Chain 3 and then work 1 double crochet into the same stitch as the chain. This will create an increase which will make our circle grow larger.Continue to work 2 dc together in each stitch around. You should have 24 when the circle is complete. As before, slip stitch into the top loop of the first chain 3 to finish the round.

This is the 2nd round completed:

Step 6. Ch 3. Work 1 dc in same stitch as ch. Work 1 dc in the 2nd stitch and 2 dc in the 3rd stitch. Repeat this pattern around the circle. Slst to close circle. 
After you chain 3, work 1 dc in the same stitch. This is creating an increase to help the circle grow larger.
In the 2nd stitch: work 1 dc
In the 3rd stitch: work 2 dc
In the 4th stitch: work 1 dc
In the 5th stitch: work 2 dc
This pattern will continue around the circle finishing with 1 dc in the 24th stitch.
As before, slst into the top loop of the first ch 3 to close off the circle.

Step 7. Ch 2. Work 1 sc in the same stitch. Work 1 sc in the next 2 stitches. Work 2 sc together in the next stitch. Repeat this pattern around the circle. Slst to close the round. 

For this last round, chain only 2 and work 1 single crochet into the same stitch.

In the 2nd stitch: work 1 sc

In the 3rd stitch: work 1 sc

In the 4th stitch: work 2 sc together

This pattern will repeat around the circle and finish with 1 sc in the last stitch.

As before, work a slst into the top loop of the first chain 2 to complete the round.

Step 8. Cut and fasten off your yarn. You did it!

Forget how to work a single crochet? Check out step 3 in my first tutorial here.

Forget how to fasten off? Check out step 6 in my first tutorial here, however you don't need to leave a long tail. Weave in your loose ends to hide them away.

Here are 2 of my completed sets of coasters. I plan to make lots more in lots of bright, spring-y colors very soon!

Why do my coasters look a little different, you might ask? Well, I got a little creative with my sizes and colors, and you can too! With a couple of my coasters, I made one with 1 less round so that it would be smaller. I then simply sewed it to the bigger coaster using my crochet need and some contrasting colored yarn. You can also experiment with using different colored yarn for the different rounds. I liked using a contrasting color for the very last single crochet round.

Let me know if you have any questions! Now, go get started!


I'll be linking to these link parties:
We Did It! Wednesdays

 Whatever Goes Wednesdays
Get Your Brag On
Show Off Your Stuff Party

Tomorrow's "Get Hooked" - crochet coasters!

Here is a little sneak peak for tomorrow's GET HOOKED crochet tutorial:

 

These are so easy and fast to make, not to mention a creative way to spice up your end tables! 

Make sure you come back tomorrow to get the pattern!

I'm treasured!

This probably means nothing to most of you, but it made me happy.

Someone has added my pattern for this hat:

(Funfettiphotography.com)

to their Etsy Treasury. All this really means is that they thought my pattern listing was cool enough to put into a "wishlist" of sorts. On Etsy, you can create treasuries for all sorts of reasons whether it be putting together items of a certain color, creating a wishlist, or just a random mish-mash of things you like to look at. It's like an art gallery of handmade goodness. One of my postings may have been in a treasury before, but this is the first person to tell me they did it.

So take a look: 

of eggs and elephants

Sunday Snapshots #1

Just thought I'd try something new.

Every Sunday I am going to post some "snapshots" from our week. 

It will be one post a week that is totally dedicated to our family and the stuff that we've been up to.

So, I guess this is more for my scrapbooking purposes and for our family-readers.

Of course, I already post a lot of pictures of our family (mostly Ande) but this will just put them all together once a week.

And so here you go, snapshots from our week:

a lot of park time...

a house decorating project, and proof that i should stop trying to paint on my own...

I hope everyone enjoys a nice, spiritual, family day.

Happy Sunday!

My husband actually found this weeks blog post.

Go here: http://www.makeandtakes.com/glue-yarn-ball-tutorial

And check out this great tutorial! They show an easy and fun way to decorate for spring. You simply need glue, water, yarn, and balloons to create the perfect Easter and Spring decorations. I think this would even be easy enough for Ande to help me with. I am usually "all talk" when I say I'm going to go and do all the cool tutorials that I find and post on here, but I really really want to actually try this one.

I'm not home right now, so I'll post more pictures of this tutorial later on!


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Location:Friday Finds - decorative yarn balls

Get Hooked: Learn to Crochet: Crochet Bow Tie

Introducing:

{Get Hooked!}

Learn to crochet with easy, fun, and free patterns!

I still haven't summoned the courage to attempt a video tutorial, but I had this really good idea and so we're going to make it work with pictures instead!

Periodically, I am going to post a crochet tutorial/pattern here for you.

I am hoping these sessions will give those of you who are interested, a chance to learn some quick easy crochet projects.

I have been thinking a lot lately about doing more "boy focused" projects.

I don't have any little girls running around, I'm surrounded by boys.

Why am I not making anything for them?

So, that is what inspired today's tutorial:

(( The Crochet Bow Tie ))

Why should girls be the only ones who get to wear bows?

 Let's get started!!!

Standard instructions will be in bold.

More detailed instructions will be underneath.

Tools you need:

~ Size G Crochet Hook

~ Yarn (I like Lion Brand Cotton Ease)

~ Scissors

~ Crochet needle

1. Attach yarn to hook with a slip knot. 

Start by making a pretzel shape. Insert the hook through the right loop and out the middle loop. Pull tight and you have your start!

2. Chain 36. 

To do this, loop the yarn over the hook and pull through the loop that is already attached to the hook. Each time you pull the yarn through the loop on the hook, your tail of chains should be growing longer. Repeat this step 36 times.

3. Single Crochet in the 2nd loop from the hook and in each chain after.

To perform a single crochet: Slide hook through 2nd chain from hook. Wrap yarn over hook and pull back through the chain.

You should now have 2 loops on the hook. Yarn over again and pull through both loops on the hook.

Repeat in each chain down the line.

4. Chain 1. Turn work and complete 1 Single Crochet in each stitch down the line.

After you complete your first row of single crochet's, chain 1 time. Then, flip the long strip to your left and complete 1 single crochet in each stitch down the line.

 5. Repeat step 4 to create a total of 5 or 6 rows (depending on your child's size and how big you want the bow to be).

 6. Finish off and leave a tail that is several inches long.
Finish off by cutting a long tail and then pulling through the last loop on your hook.

 7. Attach your crochet needle to the tail.

 8. Fold each end into the center and sew the ends together.

 9. Wrap the remaining tail around the center of your bow very tightly. Secure it to the back with a knot and tuck in your loose ends.

 10. To attach to the shirt, simply slide a metal snap clip (that's what I did) to the back of the bow and clip it on. You could also crochet a neck strap and add snaps to attach it, or sew some sort of elastic neck strap and attach the bow however you like. I think the snap clip is the easiest option and I'm sure you have a ton laying around!

You did it!

(I hope)

  

I hope my instructions were easy enough to follow. This is a super quick and simple project to do, especially if you are just starting out with crochet. If you have never crocheted before, I suggest going to Youtube.com and looking up some video tutorials before you try any patterns. However, feel free to let me know if you have any questions about this one!