Storm Trooper Pillow

As I discussed previously, this is one of the Christmas gifts I made for my a family member. You can see this post for more information. I have two more pillows to make, but it's going to be a couple of weeks before it's ready to share. The response I've gotten to these pillows is overwhelming and I sincerely thank each and every one of you. I've loved making all of these so much, and I really hope you all enjoy it as well.

It was originally made for my cousin, Ethan. He loves Star Wars and while there are half-a-million star wars characters, he loves to draw Storm Troopers specifically. I chose a dark blue background with hopes it would look like the night sky. This pattern is available for free at my Ravelry and Craftsy stores. If you came here through those sites, welcome! Hopefully I can give a bit more insight here. Now I'm not going to lie, and please don't shun me, but I've never actually seen Star Wars. This was the hardest pillow for me to design, mostly because I didn't really know what it was. :D For a reference, this is a storm trooper...

Not the hardest character to draw....but not the most fun either. I found that a two dimensional drawing was actually more helpful to me. This is the one I referenced during design:

There are so many ways to customize this pattern! You can change the name of course (I included an alphabet in the pattern as well as a number chart) the yarn, the backing, etc. I love the look of the textured yarn!

To learn about my inspiration, please visit this post.

This was the pattern designed for the storm trooper You begin at the bottom right of the grid and finish at the top. Now if you look too closely you'll realize my math was a bit off. The entire picture and name is off center by about eight stitches. I fixed this in the digital version of the pattern but as a result, you'll start by chaining 68, kind of a weird number, but it looks fine nonetheless.

I didn't add quite as many embellishments with this one as they weren't really necessary. The lines around the mouth (do they have mouths?) are REALLY important. It looks silly before you add those. It's simple to add with a tapestry needle, yarn and back stitching, but so important to the overall look.
I also used a silver metallic ribbon to add stars. If you download the pattern you'll realize the stars aren't on it. They weren't on my original pattern, and I didn't plan them very specifically. Basically I just threw the yarn in for one stitch here and there to dot the background. I also used white yarn and added backstitching in areas where the black and dark blue seemed to blend into one color. It really helped sharpen the lines.

The backing on this pillow is a fleece I found at Hobby Lobby. I was hoping for some officially licensed Star Wars material, but couldn't find any. I also forgot to take a photo of the back. This picture is actually one I took in the store with my phone. I needed a second opinion from mom. :) The fleece on the right is what I ultimately used because it's soft and and doesn't fray, however I also considered the cotton fabric on the left. To get the perfect size, I pinned the finished front to the fabric and cut around it. It doesn't fray, but just in case, I used pinking shears to prevent any possible fraying. If using a fabric that does, simply use your favorite method of finishing to finish the edge. Using a yarn needle and embroidery thread or tatting yarn, complete a blanket stitch around the perimeter. You'll want to insert the needle about a quarter inch from the edge (or just under your hem, if you created one) and make each stitch about a quarter inch apart.

Using the blanket stitched edge, join the front and back together, wrong sides together using a single crochet stitch. Leave a small section open along the edge and remember to stuff it before you finish closing. My favorite part about this, is probably the fact that you don't have to weave in a million ends, just stuff them in the pillow. :)
 
I'd also like to share some important "Do's" and "Don'ts" I learned using the afghan stitch:
DO: Customize this pattern, or create your own, I promise you can do it!
DO: Watch the Gege Crochet tutorials on YouTube, especially the one on color changes.
DO: Take lots of pictures of the process, I really wish I had taken more, specifically for this pillow.
DO: Stay organized when arranging the skeins, the order you use them is best.
DON'T: Try to travel with this. This is really not the project you work on in the car or at the doctor's office. Sometimes you'll have so many skeins attached at once you'll have more of a headache untying the knots than it's worth.
DON'T: Over embellish. Step away from the work OFTEN and eliminate the inclusion of truly unnecessary details that would clutter and take away from the design rather than add to it. 
DON'T: Be afraid to ask your family member for their opinion. (Unless they've also never seen Star Wars, in which case you turn to your sister's boyfriend)
DON'T: Design the pattern in one sitting. Step away from it often to get an overall perspective and clear your head after a while. This is more important than you realize. Believe it or not, this pattern, which I already admitted was the most difficult, was the ONE pattern I didn't step away from...and I realized half way through that the entire pattern was off-center.  :/

I really hope you enjoy this pattern and it inspires you to make your own! :)

~That Farm Girl Teacher

Horse Pillow

As I discussed previously, this is one of the Christmas gifts I made for my a family member. You can see this post for more information.

She is in sixth grade and loves her horse, Drawdy. This customized pillow has both her name and her horses name and image on the front. Additional details include a small key ring added to the halter, fringe for the mane and forelock, textured yarn details in the ears and heart, and a faux leather backing. This pattern is available for free at my Ravelry and Craftsy stores. If you came here through those sites, welcome! Hopefully I can give a bit more insight here.

My model

There are so many ways to customize this pattern! You can change the name (I included an alphabet and number chart in the pattern),  the name, alter the colors, pick a unique backing, etc. Please email me at thatfarmgirlteacher@gmail.com if you need assistance, or if you'd like to order a finished pillow from me.

To learn about my inspiration, please visit this post.

This was the pattern designed for the horse pillow. You begin at the bottom right of the grid and finish at the top. To me the neck is kind of skinny looking, but after the fringe is added it looks much better! :) Also, I wouldn't advise skipping the halter. I actually added it in order to create a distinction between the horses head and neck, without the halter, something is just...off.

I didn't add quite as many embellishments with this one as they weren't really necessary. The heart is made from a really pretty textured yarn I've had forever, and the inside of the ears is made from a yarn I spun myself from Alpaca fiber to add texture and shadowing. Originally this was going to be pink, but in hindsight I decided it made the horse look like a very bizarre mouse...

The backing on this pillow is a faux leather I've had lying in my stash forever. Because it's faux, it's soft and supple and can easily be punctured with a yarn needle.  To get the perfect size, I pinned the finished front to the fabric and cut around it. It doesn't fray, but just in case, I used pinking shears to prevent any possible fraying. If using a fabric that does, simply use your favorite method of finishing to finish the edge. Using a yarn needle and embroidery thread or tatting yarn, complete a blanket stitch around the perimeter. You'll want to insert the needle about a quarter inch from the edge (or just under your hem, if you created one) and make each stitch about a quarter inch apart.

Using the blanket stitched edge, join the front and back together, wrong sides together using a single crochet stitch. Leave a small section open along the edge and remember to stuff it before you finish closing. My favorite part about this, is probably the fact that you don't have to weave in a million ends, just stuff them in the pillow. :)
 
I'd also like to share some important "Do's" and "Don'ts" I learned using the afghan stitch:
DO: Customize this pattern, or create your own, I promise you can do it!
DO: Watch the Gege Crochet tutorials on YouTube, especially the one on color changes.
DO: Take lots of pictures of the process, I really wish I had taken more. 
DO: Stay organized when arranging the skeins, the order you use them is best.
DON'T: Try to travel with this. This is really not the project you work on in the car or at the doctor's office. Sometimes you'll have so many skeins attached at once you'll have more of a headache untying the knots than it's worth.
DON'T: Over embellish. Step away from the work OFTEN and eliminate the inclusion of truly unnecessary details that would clutter and take away from the design rather than add to it. 
DON'T: Be afraid to ask your family member for their opinion. My sister the horse-lover was especially helpful on this one. She was really helpful for advice on getting the correct proportions when designing the pattern, and determining which of the embellishments were unnecessary.
DON'T: Design the pattern in one sitting. Step away from it often to get an overall perspective and clear your head after a while. This is more important than you realize. Had I not stepped away from this pattern...I'd have made a bizarre looking mouse. :)

I really hope you enjoy this pattern and it inspires you to make your own! :)

~That Farm Girl Teacher

Bucket Truck Pillow

As I discussed previously, this is one of the Christmas gifts I made for my a family member. You can see this post for more information. This would also make a wonderful new baby gift, retirement gift, new hire gift, etc.

He is 7 or 8 and loves everything about his dad's job as a lineman. This customized pillow has his name on the front, his dad's bucket truck, and the back is made from one of his dad's work shirts! I actually think he had a hard time deciding which of the sides he liked better! This pattern is available for free at my Ravelry and Craftsy stores. If you came here through those sites, welcome! Hopefully I can give a bit more insight here.

They were the inspiration behind last year's present, too! :)

There are so many ways to customize this pattern! You can change the name (I included an alphabet in the pattern), or if you're making this for an adult as a retirement gift, take the name off entirely and change it to the hire year, or a nickname. (Number chart is also included) Make the logo specific to another company, or take it off entirely, alter the colors, pick a unique backing, etc. Please email me at thatfarmgirlteacher@gmail.com if you need assistance, or if you'd like to order a finished pillow from me.

I'll start with my inspiration. As I mentioned before, Gege Crochet made a really awesome Mario afghan that served as my initial muse. It began when I had an interest in why exactly one would want to learn to do the Afghan Stitch or Tunisian Crochet. Everything I'd seen so far seemed dull as it was always worked in one color and seemed easy to do the same thing with knitting or crochet. I stumbled on her YouTube videos accidentally and fell in love with the technique and the unique pattern she was creating. If this is your first time doing the Afghan stitch, or if you've never attempted doing all these crazy color changes I SERIOUSLY recommend her YouTube tutorials. It was how I learned and I found I needed little to no outside assistance as I was learning. Even if you're pretty well-versed, at least watch her video on making color changes. Doing it 'wrong' can create holes in your project, and tie your yarn into a knot the size of your head.

I dove right in, actually starting with a laptop case I started for my sister. (And still haven't finished, I know, I know, don't judge.) She wasn't really using a pattern for say, but was using pixelated pictures. The Mario game lends itself well to that as it is very 'blocky' but I was trying to create a horse, and didn't even know where to begin. Other patterns weren't specific to my task, and didn't look like my sister's horse. Finally, I pulled out some grid paper, taped four sheets together, and started making my own pattern.

The 'pattern' for Lawton's pillow.

I found that the best way to do this was to basically draw the design I wanted in pencil as if there wasn't grid paper, and then go back and match the blocks to the penciled in drawings. For example, I drew the circle of the wheel, then matched squares to my original line, keeping it symmetrical. This is really useful for curved lines because before doing this, everything with a curve basically looked...stupid. I also ran a quick crayon over it, sometimes in the actual color I wanted, more often in whatever was handy to get a better idea of the overall affect. When stitching, you'll begin in the bottom right hand corner and work up.

Gege didn't add much to the fabric after she'd stitched it, mostly because it wasn't really necessary for her design, but as soon as I finished this one I knew I had to add to it. I grabbed my yarn needle and yarn and used back stitching to add doors in the bed of the truck, a truck number, a step under the drivers door, outlining around his name, lines for the fender, the 'w' in the logo, lines along the top of the bed to add shadowing, etc. I also used cross stitches to make the head lights and tail lights (I forgot them originally) and half cross stitches to make the slope of the boom a little more gentle and not so 'stair-steppy.' I also slip sitched over the diagonals in the logo to make them pop more. I wish I'd taken photos pre and post embellishments so I can show you how remarkable the change was, but I really think this was a design where the embellishments made a huge difference in the overall look.

I had a little fun with the yarns used as well. The hubcaps aren't actually yarn, but quarter-inch silver metallic ribbon. The yarn used in the name is a beautiful hand-spun, variegated yarn I bought at a LYS in Asheville, NC that I'd been saving for the 'perfect' project. The stripes weren't originally planned. I planned on using the yellow at the bottom for the entire pillow, I knew I'd run out and bought more, but alas, when I arrived home I found it was just a shade off, the result of coming from a different dye lot. I was NOT starting over, so the stripes were a solution to this speed bump. I actually wound up liking the stripes better than I would have liked a solid yellow background.

Originally I was going to use a denim backing, but I thought a more personal touch would be to use the actual shirt used by the company. My dad also works there, but I really wanted the shirt to be specific to Lawton so through a lot of help from his mom, a friend, and my sister, they were able to get the shirt to me just in time! If you'd also like to use a shirt, I wouldn't suggest going smaller than a men's size medium. You could certainly use a smaller shirt, but know you'll probably need to do some patching in order to make it large enough. To get the perfect size, I pinned the finished front to the shirt and cut around it. You could probably use pinking shears to prevent fraying but I wanted to be double-sure this would last for many years, so I completed a double-fold machine hem, first. You could also serge the edge, or complete any hem you prefer. Using a yarn needle and embroidery thread or tatting yarn, complete a blanket stitch around the perimeter. You'll want to insert the needle about a quarter inch from the edge (or just under your hem, if you created one) and make each stitch about a quarter inch apart.

Using the blanket stitched edge, join the front and back together, wrong sides together using a single crochet stitch. If you are using a  button-up shirt like mine, you can stuff through the button, otherwise leave a small section open along the edge and remember to stuff it before you finish closing. My favorite part about this, is probably the fact that you don't have to weave in a million ends, just stuff them in the pillow. :)

To make up for stealing his shirt I also made dad a coozie. :) There's not a pattern for this, I pulled a coozie out of our kitchen drawer and stitched the sleeve around it.

 
I'd also like to share some important "Do's" and "Don'ts" I learned using the afghan stitch:
DO: Customize this pattern, or create your own, I promise you can do it!
DO: Watch the Gege Crochet tutorials on YouTube, especially the one on color changes.
DO: Take lots of pictures of the process, I really wish I had taken more. 
DO: Stay organized when arranging the skeins, the order you use them is best.
DON'T: Try to travel with this. This is really not the project you work on in the car or at the doctor's office. Sometimes you'll have so many skeins attached at once you'll have more of a headache untying the knots than it's worth.
DON'T: Over embellish. Step away from the work OFTEN and eliminate the inclusion of truly unnecessary details that would clutter and take away from the design rather than add to it. (For example, I chose not to include a line for the driver's door as it would clutter the area around the logo.
DON'T: Be afraid to ask your family member for their opinion. My dad was especially helpful on this one. He works for the company and was really helpful for advice on getting the correct proportions when designing the pattern, and determining which of the embellishments were unnecessary. (I tried this wacky single crochet thing on the boom and he let me know it looked like a hot mess. Trust me--he was right!)
DON'T: Design the pattern in one sitting. Step away from it often to get an overall perspective and clear your head after a while. This is more important than you realize. Had I not stepped away from this pattern and done some dishes, I would have made a truck with very tiny wheels. It's amazing the things you'll miss if you spend too long staring at the same thing without taking a break.

I really hope you enjoy this pattern and it inspires you to make your own! :)

~That Farm Girl Teacher

Stash Bash Challenge!

For the first time in what feels like a very long time, I have a summer almost completely free! As a result I challenged myself to finish as many half-finished projects as possible! (Believe me, I have enough for the next six summers, lol) Anyway, I feel as though I've plateaued a bit, mostly because I add projects to my list faster than I can finish things, I'm hoping that by sharing some of my creations I can inspire myself to continue to the next project! Yay!

So let's begin with one of the projects I started a very long time ago. Back in 2009 our family adopted two wonderful Corgis from Jacksonville, FL. They have been a wonderful part of our family these last several years. When we first got the dogs my sister had this blanket, a.k.a. "Blankie," a blanket my mom crocheted over 20 years ago. My dog, Mandy, LOVED the blanket and laid on it all the time so I decided I would crochet her an afghan of her own.... I dug through my grandma's crochet pattern books and found a vintage book with a pattern I loved. (I'll fill in the book's information later, it's packed away in a box right now as we're redoing part of our floor)

Yes, she's yawning :) I didn't notice until I uploaded it....

Anyway I bought two beautiful shades of pink and began working. I finally finished about a week ago and I'm actually really proud! It definitely took some time but Mandy loves it! (Even if I'm less enchanted by the colors than I originally was--I'm terrible at picking out matching yarn colors.) The only modification I really made was that I used both shades of yarn in the fringe instead of just the main color. Partially, because I was running out of the main color, and partially to tie in the colors in the rest of the afghan. 

So cute :) She's come so far, she used to hate getting her picture taken!

So my next project was actually given to me as a Christmas present a while ago. My parents picked out what they thought was your average embroidery/cross stitch kit, however later realized it was a punch needle kit. Now I've never heard of punch needle but thought it sounded interesting, however I had to buy the punch needle separately. I went to the local Walmart, but unfortunately they'd just gotten rid of a major part of their craft section. For years I stayed on the look out for a punch needle for every fabric or craft store I walked into, however I just couldn't find it, so the kit sat, unopened. Finally, my family and I were staying in Sevierville, Tennessee when we came across a small cross stitch store in nearby Pigeon Forge. (Yes, a whole store dedicated to cross stitch, I didn't know it was possible either!) Anyway, I finally found a punch needle and fell in love!

When using the punch needle you actually work from the back of the fabric and the right side is the one facing away from you. The result is that the right side of the fabric has many loops made from the fabric. Of course, one of the downsides is that when you move the hoop you most likely will have to clamp some of the loops between the hoops.

I really like the effect, however I do feel that the smaller details don't show up quite as well because they're dominated by the other loops nearby. It's also weird to frame, because the glass smushes the loops down. I wound up removing the glass altogether.

Finally, I finished a cross stitch I picked up at the same store. The cross stitch was purchased on the Biltmore Estate in Asheville, North Carolina. My mom and I have passes to the estate and love visiting so I thought this was a wonderful way to combine my crafting passion with my passion for historic America! The kit is from the Posy Collection. This collection is one of my favorites as it 'preserves America's history in stitches.' You seriously have to go visit their site here, it's awesome!
The one I purchased is a sampler with the house itself at the bottom. I have to admit, ever since I fell in love with The Little House Series in third grade, I have had a small but fervent obsession with samplers. 

 

It's actually kind of amazing that there is so much detail in house. (Both the actual house and the cross stitch version!) My favorite of course is the grand staircase! Under the house 1895 is the year the house was finished, my initial are on the left, and the year I finished is on the right. 

My Mommy and I in December :)

 I was amazed by the accuracy considering the size comparison, this collection is really remarkable! 

And finally, I want to include a quilt I actually made for my mom for Mother's Day. My sister and I put this together from all of our old clothing from when we were younger. There's a shirt from rodeos, every school we attended, 4-H, FFA, Halloween costumes, fairs, and so much more! It really is very cool and we were proud :)

Have a wonderful day and please drop me a line! :)

~That Farm Girl Teacher