Third Annual Flats and Handwashing Challenge

DirtyDiaperLaundry.com

"I am taking part in the Third Annual Flats and Handwashing Challenge hosted by Dirty Diaper Laundry. For 7 days I will be using only flat cloth diapers and handwashing them in an effort to prove that cloth diapering can be affordable and accessible to all. You can learn more about the rules and why this challenge was started by visiting the announcement post. This year there are over 400 participants from all over the world!"

This will be my second year participating in the Flats and Hand washing Challenge. I decided to participate once again for the simple reason that I had so much fun last year. Yes I find hand washing diapers covered in poop and pee to be fun! LOL.
Last year my reasons were much more personal. I was poor growing up. I lived 3 years from the age of 6 to the age of 9 without running water. Our well had dried up and my parents could not afford to get it filled. It was hard. But through that experience I became more conscious about water conservation.  For the whole story you can read my post from last year here.
This year will be more challenging than last. First of all my son is 2.5 years old and soaks through everything. I have slowly moved further and further away from cloth diapers and have been much more reliant on disposables. I really need to get back on track with cloth diapering and hope this challenge forces me to do so. My budget and the environment will thank me for that.

Lastly I believe that the more knowledge and experience that I have with diapering on a budget the more I can help people that may be in the same position I was in as a child.
Like last year I will be holding a give away to celebrate the end of the Flats and Hand washing Challenge. This year I will be giving away a new pair of handmade wool longies. I made them from an upcycled thrifted sweater that I felted. They are size large- x large. I am not much of a seamstress so there are some flaws but are totally functional. The waist is elasticized. If you'd like a chance to win these longies please leave a comment. The winner will be announced Monday May 27, 2013.

Needle Holder

Finally I have something to hold all of my crochet needles. It's been a long time coming. 6 or 7 years ago my mom had started sewing one for me. The furthest she got on that project was cutting out the fabric. Then about 2 years ago I put this pattern in my queue on Ravelry. Well finally it is done!
I used all stash yarn and a vintage "diamond" button that was from my grandmother's button box. As a child from the depression my grandma never wasted anything. She hoarded buttons and all sorts of things. She would cut them off any old or even donated thing she had. I inherited her lovely box of buttons and cherish it so much.

                                         The pattern is called Kluster and is from Berrococ.

                                                        And here it is all rolled up.

I really should have felted this a little more. I only sent it through the wash once. I am nervous that some of the smaller hooks might fall out so for now I am keeping the little hooks in my crochet bag. I do love how this project came it. I am even happier to be making a dent in my stash and to be crossing off projects from my ever expanding queue.

I am linking up with Naturalsuburbia's Creative Friday and Crunchycatholicmomma's Stash Bash this week.

Our Autumn Nature Table

I absolutely love our autumn nature table.  Every time I walk past it I just want to smile.  It is an area of peace and order in my sometimes chaotic home.  I have it set up on a short bookcase in our upstairs hallway across from BB's playroom.

Since Eid is this month, I wanted to incorporate some Eid decorations. On the left I put a centerpiece with a picture of a mosque that says "Happy Eid" in Arabic. 
On the right I have a wooden tree stacker and a glass squirrel.

What is autumn with out some apples and pumpkins.  I needle felted these last year.  I just love how they came out. 

BB and I wet felted these acorns last year. I am missing a lot and hope to make some more this year.  That fluffy stuff there is a milkweed seed pod that we found on one of our nature walks.

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Felt Pumpkin Tutorial

This is a tutorial for a needle felted pumpkin perfect for your autumn nature table.

You will need:
barbed felting needle
orange or white wool roving for pumpkin
green or brown wool roving for stem
orange thread
sewing needle
felting pad

1) Take some orange roving and roll it up like a jelly roll.

2) Take your needle and felt slightly just to hold it together. Pull the sides up slightly and felt them to the top to form more of a ball shape.

3) Start Felting.  Poke the wool with your needle until it is relatively firm and round.

4) Optional: I like to add a second layer of roving just to make the finished product look smoother.  Roll ball of wool in a thin layer of roving.

5) Repeat steps 1-3.

6) Thread a sewing needle with orange thread. Insert it into the center of the pumpkin from top to bottom.

7) Bring thread around and insert needle into the same place on the bottom.  Pull slightly.  Repeat all around.

See how it makes a ridged look.

8) Tie and cut remaining thread.

9)Take a small amount of green roving for the stem.  Roll it like a jelly roll and felt the top and sides while leaving the bottom of the stem unfelted.

10) Place stem on the center of the pumpkin.  Attach the stem by felting the bottom of the stem (the part that was left unfelted) to the pumpkin.  Felt until it seems securely connected.

I forgot to get a picture of the stem till is was almost attached to the pumpkin but, you can kind of see the unfelted part here.

11) Optional: Needle felt slightly along the thread to make the ridges more defined.

Tah-Dah! A beautiful felted pumpkin!

Needle felted pumpkin and gnome. 

I am donating the pumpkin from this tutorial and this little needle felted gnome for my local  Attachment Parenting International chapter's fall fundraiser this weekend.

Felt Birthday Crown

I am linking up to Tricia's Stash Bash and Frontier Dreams Keep Calm Craft On.
I have been preparing for BB's second birthday! I can not believe he is going to be 2!! Craziness!!
I just love the idea of a special birthday crown and have seen quite a few in the blogosphere.  I rummaged through my stash and found the yellowy gold piece of felt that I had made. I realized that it would make the perfect crown.
                                              
I needed extra length so I cut the square in half and sewed the two pieces together to make one long strip of felt. My impatience got the best of me and I ended up cutting the crown design free hand, with no pattern late at night with the dullest scissors ever.  So it is perfectly imperfect which I love.


I ironed and blocked the felt to help flatten it out.

I wanted to add some of the same elements that are going to be in his birthday candle ring.  I needle felted a tree and mini toadstool onto the sides of the crown with a big "2" front and center.  I used all stash roving that I had left over from a wool knotting class I took last year.

 

I added a little hill to the bottom of the toadstool so it wasn't floating in mid air. I added dots of color to the tips of each point and all around the body of the crown. I wanted to keep it simple. I love love love how this came out.  It is so cute! I have already started planning next years crown. 



 

Finished B-day Crown

 

My First Attempt at Wet Felting

I have been kind of obsessed with wool lately.  I just love how it can transform into so many things. Wool can be very magical. I would love to try my hand at spinning one day but for now I decided to try a little felting. I have a couple of projects planned with sheets of felt and the polyester stuff won't do.
I had some BFL (Blue Faced Leicester) roving in my stash. I planned on only using the yellow but after layering small tufts of wool, there were still some thin spots. I filled in the holes with some of the lovely robins egg blue roving. I used a rattan blind to full the felt but I have read that bubble wrap works just as well.

 BFL roving from my stash .

 After 20 minutes of rolling and lots and lots of hot soapy water here is the finished piece of felt!!

Ta-Dah!!

It really is amazing how something so soft and fluffy can tun into something so strong and flat.  For my first attempt I am really pleased with how it came out. I can't wait to make more!
I have a very special project in the works using this felt. It's top secret!