The little birds...

If you watch little birds you will see they are busy and happy! Using whatever they can find they create the most gorgeous little nest.
I would be the little bird with some glittery thread in her nest!
We can be like this. Happily working away with the things that are available to us to create a beautiful and happy home.
All the while with a little song in our heart.

Banner by Free Pretty Things for You.

Monday 29 September 2014

Simple crochet edgings and things you can make over with them.

Recently I posted about elevating simple things with braids and trims as an easy way to make gifts.  It's fast and very pretty to add a little row of trim around the edge of a tea towel or along the edge of a pillowcase... lots of easy projects.

Braids, ribbons and trims are gorgeous but mostly are going to cost more than my preferred edging which is to crochet an edge myself around whatever I am working on. 

This is very easy. If you can crochet at all you can do this. You need to know how to chain, single crochet and double crochet. If you don't know these three stitches ask someone to show you or go to You Tube and look on learn to crochet tutorials. Find a teacher you like and understand. You can learn these in an afternoon of evening and then practice them a little bit. Otherwise if you know these three stitches you are set!

This is so useful. It makes lovely gifts and things for your home. Plus it is fun to do!

Some possibilities are edging on hand towels and face washers...  



This makes lovely gifts and is quick and easy.


Edging on tea towels/kitchen towels... this is really pretty.



A soft cotton edging on hankies or muslin face cloths (below) or muslin baby wraps... 



Around the edge of pillowcases. I made these pillowcases from old sheets and the hydrangea ones I made my daughter as hydrangeas are her favourite flowers...


Other possibilities are an edging along the top sheet of your bed or of guest sheets. An edge worked around a throw rug or shawl...  An inexpensive project is a piece of polar fleece as a rug and work a lovely edge around this. Or make a table cloth as a gift and napkins and work pretty edges around them. This looks just beautiful.

Just now I have been working around tea towels as a gift...


and frilly edges around pillowcases...



Now I am not much of a teacher as I cannot read patterns! (you have been warned) But I will try to teach you simple edges and these are the two I use the most. Alternatively try You Tube and find edges you like and learn a few easy ones. It will be such a handy thing to learn. 

In most of these projects I have used cotton thread and in either 4 or 8 ply. For more delicate projects you can get fine cotton in balls, I get DMC cottons from Spotlight. There are no rules! A thicker yarn will give a chunkier result a finer yarn a delicate result. Crochet needles come in all sizes... you will need a very fine needle and then a medium one as well. I have used... a size one hook for the first round to get through tough cottons etc and a size four for most of my edges crochet and on towels this will go through the first round quite easily as well.

Some fabrics are easier to work with than others. Mostly towels are easy as the fabric is soft to get your needle through on the first row that goes through the material.
So a small crochet needle will go through this fabric. But on cottons often a small needle just wont go through! Then you need a super fine needle for this first foundation row. So try a needle out on your fabric and see whats needed.

Whatever you are working on this first row forms the foundation. You might want to work all around something like a face washer or just do one edge like a hand towel, thats up to you.

This is for my frilly edgings as seen above. Your first row looks like this...


With a very fine crochet hook I have gone through the fabric every 8 millimetres or so and then worked one chain then gone in again to the fabric. I usually make the stitch about 1 cm deep. You need to stretch the stitch out so the fabric will sit flat... not bunch up which it will do if you don't allow that stitch to have enough yarn to sit flat. I go carefully the first stitches to get that right and check the fabric is going to sit flat under that stitch. Then you are off! 

An alternative to this is to work a row of blanket stitch with a darning needle around your project to form that first row. It looks almost the same. Another alternative is to use something sharp to go along and make the holes for your foundation row... ie a skewer or large needle then see if you can get your crochet hook through them and work your first row. 

The second row looks like this...


This row I have worked a row of double crochet into the foundation row. I work one dc into each stitch below it. 

The next row looks like this...


This is where the frill starts to form. This row I do three chain and then a double crochet into the stitch below, then three chain and skip one stitch below and into the next stitch below... 3 chain, skip a stitch below and into the next and repeat right along... this makes a row of little bridges....

Then the last row...


Ok this row you are working to make petals into the arches of the last row. Into each arch you do one single crochet, 5 double crochets then one single crochet. This makes a petal. Then repeat right along. 

This gives you the frilly edge pictured on my frilly things above.

For a simple flat edge like on my face washers or muslin or the blue pillowcases... 
Just do the foundation row. The the next row do single crochets into four stitches in a row below... then do five double crochets into ONE stitch below. So you are going along 1,2,3,4 singles which makes a row of four then all those dc into one stitch makes an arch of stitches, then 1,2,3,4 single crochet and repeat. This gives you an up and down pattern that is pretty. And thats it, it is all done in two rows. If you will look at the wash cloths you will see it and hopefully understand what I mean!

Working around a wash cloth is a good way to try it. Often things like towels etc might have a border worked into them and other things light have a hem or seam. These are often handy as a guide to a straight line to work along.  I sort of assess each thing as I go. The tea towels I am working on now have about a 1 cm hem... so I work my first row just along that hem on the side of it that is only one layer of material. You do not want to try and work through multiple layers of fabrics. Have a look and work out what is going to be easy on what you are working on.

I find small projects like these really handy, I can take them anywhere with me. They are really economical. And in a lovely linen store I saw a set of six napkins with pretty edgings that were tied up in a bundle with ribbon. The set was $80. What a perfect gift! Sewing up some napkins from some vintage cotton sheets or some gingham would be so quick and easy then crochet around them. You have gone from a bit of inexpensive fabric and a couple of balls of cotton to a beautiful gift! This is an upcoming project for me. I love table cloths and napkins! Nothing makes a table look prettier! 

Today is the last day of the month, I don't know how the month went so fast! I use this day to see how I did on all the things I hoped to do and plan a little bit for what I want to achieve in October. October is Christmas cake making month amongst other things!

As the year is flying by it's also time to get busy on Christmas presents and save save save by spreading things out. This has helped me so much over the last few years. And it has made Christmas so much better, with out the stress of too much to do and too many expenses. 

I had a wonderful September, I hope you did too! xxx













30 comments:

  1. Thanks Annabel, I have saved the instructions. Your work is just so pretty and inspiring.

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    1. Thank you Nanna Chel, I hope these are at least a bit of help. Not very good compared to a proper pattern but hopefully ok for non pattern readers! Hope you get on ok! xxx

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  2. It's beautiful work and the results are so pretty. I'm sure anyone receiving one of these gifts will treasure them.

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    1. THank you Jean! I went and had a look at your blog, its lovely. I love allotments and the whole concept. Beautiful vegies. Thank you for your comment.

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  3. You are so right Annabel, adding a pretty edging just finishes things off nicely. I love the little roses you add, I am going to have to practice my embroidery too!

    I have started putting pretty edges around my already crocheted dishcloths. They were very plain and now they look so much better. I have put my knitted dishcloths in groups of three and wrapped pretty ribbon around them. These dishcloths have been sitting in my drawer for ages as I would knit or crochet them when I was travelling. As I am now low on cotton, I crochet granny squares instead. You will be pleased to hear that I have made one of your crocheted flowers (with wool) and they are so simple to do and look so pretty.

    I cant believe it is the end of September already, I was looking so forward to it arriving and in the blink of an eye it is gone...

    Keep up the good work Annabel, you are doing a great job with your tutorials. I can understand them just fine :)

    xx

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    1. Dear Tania,
      I should have mentioned that if I knit or crochet a rug I always do a lap around at the end to give it a scalloped or frilly edging. Like your dish cloths this just finishes them off so nicely.
      I am thrilled you could follow my description and also follow and do the flowers!
      Thank you for the encouragement! Love Annabel.xx

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  4. My "Nana" taught me to crochet and knit when I was a young girl. For some reason I took more to crocheting, working mostly SC and DC stitches. Your edgings are so pretty ~ thank you for sharing the instructions. I have thought about sewing a pillowcase and putting edging on it. Did you use a certain pattern with instructions to sew your pillowcase? (The hydrangea print is beautiful!) ~Lynnea

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    1. Thank you Lynnea! I just used a pillowcase I have and laid it out to get the dimensions right plus allowed a generous turn under plus 1 cm seams. This worked fine. I also used odd bits of floral fabrics even different front and backs as long as they coordinated and they turned out really pretty! I keep my eyes out for more pretty florals as I love these especially rose prints! then choose a cotton to crochet with that picks out one of the pretty colours in the print. Its really lovely to do and very inexpensive if you can get the material cheaply or recycle some. (I have used old sheets and doona covers). Suddenly I am finding gingham very appealing... so maybe that is next! Thanks for your comment I hope this helps you with the pattern.xxx

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    2. Thank you, Annabel, it does help. At second-hand shops I have sometimes seen some really lovely prints on clothing or bedding that, if the price is right, could be purchased and used to make other things like the pillowcases. Some of the fabrics even have a vintage look and feel. I love fabric! :-)

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  5. beautiful!. Thank you for sharing at the Thursday Favorite Things Blog Hop. Watch for your feature on Monday xo

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    1. Thank you so much! So excited! Love and thanks, Annabel.xxx

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  6. Thank you so much for inspiring me today.. I am going to get something and see if I can do it.. I can crochet.. sort of.. smile .. I so love your photos... So beautiful..
    God bless....

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    1. Faye it is so effective. Pillowcases are my current "thing" they make such pretty gifts. Once you get going it is so quick and easy. Good luck!

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  7. I do crochet edges on handmade napkins. I think it gives such a lovely look.

    Your edges are lovely.

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    1. Thank you so much! I just did some red gingham napkins for my friends kitchen for her birthday. She loved them! It was inexpensive but really pretty and useful. Now I will get on to some more. Many thanks.xx

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  8. You creations are simply beautiful. You have taken a time honored craft and made it so new by embellishing these lovely linens. I crochet, too so maybe I will have a go at this. Happy Spring :)

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  9. Thank you for sharing on the Art of Home-Making Mondays! Your article has been *featured and highlighted* this week! We would love for you to link up once again this week :) Happy Monday to you!

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    1. Dear Jes,
      I only discovered your blog a few days ago. I cant believe I took so long to find you as we share a love of a lot of the same things and follow the same blogs!
      I am so excited and love the laundry post I am just reading and all the printables! I will link to you every chance I get as the ladies who join me on my pantry challenge will just find you a wonderful resource.
      I feel really honoured that you featured me, thank you so much! Love Annabel.xx

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    2. Yes, we do share a love of a lot of the same things! I remember beginning to follow your blog on the "Do the Next Thing" post :) Have a lovely week!

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  10. Hello Annabel, I came to visit you through JES, my you have gracefully used your hands in making these beautiful linens. I have wanted to learn this, and now you have inspired me all the more.
    What a lovely place you have here.

    Blessings to you.
    Joy! Debbie

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    1. Dear Debbie,
      Thank you so much. I discovered your blog and Jes' the same day! It is just heavenly. I have so much to read.
      This edging is very easy. Getting a needle that will easily go through for that first round is the big thing. Then serviettes, pillowcases, sheets, hemlines, kitchen towels, bath towels... They are all just waiting for edges! This makes ordinary things into great gifts. Good luck please let me know how you go, love Annabel xx

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  11. Good morning, Annabel! It's a joy to have found your pretty blog through dear JES and her Homemaking linky party :) I have thoroughly enjoyed reading through previous posts and am a happy new follower of yours.

    Have a wonderful week! Hugs! Stephanie - The Enchanting Rose

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    1. Dear Stephanie, I only just discovered The Enchanting Rose. It has been my best week ever for finding several new blogs that I truly adore. I feel honoured to have you as a follower. Thank you so much, love Annabel xx

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  12. What beautiful work you have done... and I love the loveliness of simple items. Thank you for sharing this post... I found you through JES site- Art of Homemaking.... and I am following you on google + and email. It is nice to "meet" you. :)

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    1. Thank you so much! It is lovely to meet you too! I have just found a new blog to explore! Your blog looks beautiful. Thank you and welcome. Xx

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  13. Hello there, Annabel! I too have found you via JES' Homemaking linky party! I just love crochet edgings! They add such loveliness to such utilitarian things. I look forward to following your lovely blog.

    ~Miss Michelle ^_^
    Delightful Handwork

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    1. I Thank you! Your blog names are gorgeous and I have bookmarked them! I am so excited... Through Jes I feel I have found kindred spirits and fabulous blogs! Thank you and welcome xxx

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  15. This is the kinda thing that I like in my home, Cottage look take care of yourself and thanks for the beauty that you have shared.......

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I really appreciate your comments thank you! The aim of my blog is the be a place of encouragement and happiness. Very rarely is anyone rude. Actually only twice so far! If you post a rude or aggressive comment I will read it but not publish it, thanks for understanding.xxx

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