Free Pattern Friday: Church Gifts

It's Friday again, which means another free pattern post from me.  Today I'm focusing on patterns that would make wonderful gifts for your favorite pastor or church staff member.  I was inspired to make these patterns when the pastor from my church in high school announced he was retiring this summer.  All of these would make nice gifts for a retiring pastor, or to thank your church if you are moving away and no longer will be attending.  The first three patterns are my own creations made using stitchboard.com, the rest are links from other various free pattern websites. Enjoy!

Christian Fish Pillow

1. I want to start out with a simple pillow pattern.  This fish symbol would be a cute gift for your church staff or to donate to your church's youth center or community center as decoration.  It's a relatively simple pattern that I think anyone with a basic knowledge of crochet could figure out.  This graph is available for download on the stitchboard.com free pattern shop.

Email Me for Pattern

2. My second pattern is a throw blanket featuring the emblem of the Lutheran Church (the Luther Rose).  This is most definitely a pattern for the advanced crocheter and will probably take a few weeks-months to complete, depending on your skill level.  Also, if I'm being perfectly honest, I'm not 100% satisfied with the way this pattern turned out.  I need to make some more corrections, but it should at least be workable as is. If you would like this pattern, please email me (email address at top of blog) and I will send you a .jpg of the graph.

Email Me

3. The last graph that I personally made is the emblem of the United Methodist Church.  My husband and I are still finding a church that fits us best since we moved, but we really like our local UMC congregation.  I'm hoping to complete this to give to the lead pastor before we move again in a few years.  This pattern is also available by email so just send me a message and I'll get you the .jpg as soon as possible.

Now for some bonus patterns from other designers on other sites.  Happy crafting! :)

Crochet Lord's Prayer
Cross Bookmark
Lion and Lamb Pillows

Book Review: A Lonely Magic by Sarah Wynde

I received a copy of this book for free as part of a promotional giveaway.
4/5 Stars
Once again, Sarah Wynde excels at creating a mystical alternate realty where magic and fantasy reign. This book opens with intense drama and mystery and has enough plot twists and intrigue to keep all but the most jaded of readers happy. When you first meet the protagonist of the book, Fen, she is being threatened with her imminent murder.  At the last minute a mysterious stranger appears and stops her from being killed.  Things only get weirder for Fen after her attempted murder and subsequent rescue when she meets her rescuers family. She is forced to abandon the life she knew for a sort of private "witness protection program". Fen is soon completely ensconced in a new, exotic world, but not everything is as it seems.  Once she learns that her family had hidden some secrets of it's own from her, she must face the biggest choice of her life.  

A Lonely Magic

I really enjoyed this book; the writing was superb and the drama was fast paced.  The little bit of lust/romance thrown in was entertaining, but not too overwhelming to the central plot.  As with all of Wynde's work, it was very easy to become completely immersed in the writing.  My only complaint is that the "last of the species/tribe/line" theme that pops up towards the end is a little too cliche in fantasy writing.

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Weekly Wedding: Jazz Age Paper

Buhl Mansion Parlour

I just started watching the HBO show Boardwalk Empire this past weekend and it has inspired me to plan an elegant, budget, Jazz Age inspired wedding for this week's theme.  I actually originally had planned this wedding theme around the idea of using all paper decorations and bouquets as a way to save money, and then realized that this could work very well with a sort of 1920's inspired theme if the paper was gilded with gold paint.  I want to keep this wedding on the simpler side to really let the unique details shine through.  I imagine this as a bit of a smaller wedding that can take place in a non-traditional setting such as a library or private home.  I also think it would be really cool to have this as a morning wedding with a brunch in place of a traditional reception.

Jazz Age Inspiration

First off, I want the bride's dress to be simple but elegant.  A dress that hits just below the knees would be fitting for the Jazz Age inspiration, but a simple lacy fitted or sheath gown with a modest train would be nice too.  I particularly like this Amy Kuschel gown, with a tea length tulle skirt and illusion neckline.  A few similar dresses from David's Bridal are this Melissa Sweet fitted tulle dress and this sequined sheath with cap sleeves.  The bride will forego a veil and wear a pretty headband instead, and accessorize with some vintage looking teardrop jewelry from Icing. Some stylish white pumps would complete the bridal ensemble.



Since this is a smaller wedding, I imagine the bride would only have one or two bridesmaids, wearing gold sequined dresses and also carrying paper bouquets.  The bridesmaids would wear nude or tan shoes with a slight heel, as well as simple, understated jewelry.

Newspaper Flowers

The bride and bridal party's bouquets would be made out of origami newspaper flowers, spray-painted or edged with gold paint, and a few solid color paper flowers.  There are many different styles of flowers that can be made out of paper, as demonstrated in this Etsy shop.  The bride can save a lot of money using local newspapers and inviting some crafty and creative friends and family members to help out making the bouquets.  Having a flower making party also offers the bride a chance to spend some quality time bonding and having fun with her family and friends before the wedding.  As a bonus, these paper bouquets can be made well in advance of the wedding because they don't need to be kept fresh like cut flowers do.  Additional flowers can be made to use as decorations and centerpieces for the ceremony and reception.  I have seen some really cute paper decorations that range from large pinwheels that can be used as a backdrop for the head table at the reception, to balls of paper flowers hanging from the ceiling to frame a photo opportunity, to wreaths and boutonnieres made out of paper roses.

Naked Cake

Even though this wedding would be a brunch wedding, I still want the bride and groom to have their wedding cake after the eggs florentine and quiches.  To prevent the guests from going into a sugar coma so early in the day, a "naked" cake with just a bit of icing between the layers and decorated with fresh fruit would be the perfect cake to end the meal.

I hope this post has inspired you to add some gilded, Jazz Age flair to your wedding ideas!

Here are some great tutorials for making paper flower bouquets!
http://www.ourlakelife.com/2012/03/14/diy-handmade-paper-flower-bouquet/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2zBbcCd7-2Y
http://www.ehow.com/info_8138257_tutorials-origami-flowers.html

Book Review: The Widow of Larkspur Inn

Rating: 3/5

The Widow of Larkspur Inn by Lawana Blackwell is a pretty good historical romance.  It wasn't super remarkable or innovative, but I really enjoyed the detailed characters and setting.  It was very easy to immerse myself in the village of Gresham, and the characters were so well developed that by the end of the book they felt like old friends.

The story begins with the death of the protagonist's husband.  Distraught over suddenly becoming a widow, Julia Hollis is even more shocked to learn that his business dealings were not what she thought they were.  Faced with being in charge of her own life and wellbeing for the first time ever, Julia must make some tough decisions and quickly learn about running an inn when she is forced to relocate from London to the tiny village of Gresham.  Although it is quite the change for herself and her children, they all quickly adapt and make new friends in their new home.  This story does a good job of illustrating the value of humility, hard work, and good friendships without being overly preachy or banal.  I actually enjoyed this story so much that I went to the library to borrow the other books in the "Gresham Chronicles" series immediately after reading this one.

If  you enjoy historical romances, stories about Victorian England, and stories with a lot of detail, this would be a good read for you.

The Widow of Larkspur Inn

PS: I've started linking my book reviews to the Goodreads page for the book instead of the Amazon page just because Goodreads offers links to most major ebook retailers instead of only one.  I think most people read Kindle books, but if you prefer to buy from Barnes and Noble or iBooks, or some other retailer, you can find all the links at the Goodreads page for that book.

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Entry-Form

Tutorial Part II: Editing Your Crochet Graph Pattern

Hello again, I hope you enjoyed part I of my Free Pattern Wizard Tutorial.  Sometimes your pattern will turn out perfect right when it comes out of the program, but most of the time you will have to clean up a few lines here and there. My preferred program for editing my graphs is MS Paint because of how simple it is to use.

1. Open the file of your new graph. The Free Pattern Wizard outputs the graphs in .gif form so right click on the file and choose "open with" then choose MS Paint.  Once in paint, zoom out and in a few times to assess where any corrections need to be made to your graph.  On the example below, there are spaces with yellow that break up the smooth lines of the pattern (indicated with red arrow). These need to match the white background so the star looks smooth and uniform. There were also a few extra white spaces going into the body of the star and I already corrected those.

2. To correct these errors (and any similar you may find on your own patterns), simply use the "dropper" tool to match your colors and then choose the "paint bucket" tool to fill in the space with the appropriate color.  This is a very simple process, but it can be time consuming if you have a large graph. Also, be careful not to accidentally click on the grid lines while you are filling in squares. Doing so will change the color of the lines and you will need to hit the undo button if this happens.  After you make all desired corrections, you should end up with a complete finished graph that is ready to use.  

3. If everything has been corrected, go ahead and save your pattern. If you would like it in another format or to have another file name, go to "File", then "Save As".  I like my graphs to be in .jpg format so I choose the JPEG option and rename my file before clicking the "Save" button.  And with that, you have a unique crochet graph pattern that you can use to create many awesome, personal gifts.  

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Tutorial: Using the Free Pattern Wizard to Create a Crochet Graph

Hello everyone! If you've been following my blog, you know that my latest addiction is making graphghan patterns using the Free Pattern Wizard on www.stitchboard.com.  So far, this is the best, most user-friendly tool I have found to make crochet graphs.  It is really simple to use, and pretty intuitive to figure out, but here is a tutorial for those of you who are interested.  This tool is much easier and quicker than using a spreadsheet to transfer your design to a graph format. 

1.  First of all, choose your image. I recommend using a simple image such as a logo or silhouette to start with, but the Free Pattern Wizard can be used for almost any image you can think of. For this tutorial, I chose to use a simple star shape that I made in MS Paint.  

2. Open the Free Pattern Wizard on stitchboard.com. Anyone can use this online tool, even if you don't have a registered account on stitchboard.  I highly suggest creating an account, though, because you have access to a lot more options if you are a registered member. Plus, they NEVER send you junk email, ever.  As a member of the site you also have access to many crafting forums and the admins are really helpful.  The pattern wizard should look like this: 

3. In the first box, where it says "Image to Convert into a Pattern", click the "choose your file" button and upload whatever picture you want to turn into a graph.  Choose your crafting category in box 2. I mainly crochet, so that's the option I picked.  Next you choose your stitch type in box 3. I usually just choose standard, but if you like to work in filet or tunisian, choose one of those.  In box 4 you pick your stitch shape. Since I chose "Standard" in the previous box, standard shape is the only option available to me here.  

4. Now it's time to choose your color palette. I make patterns without thinking of a specific brand of yarn, so I stay with the standard. stitchboard palette.  Sections B and C here will depend on your specific image.  I chose a very simple image to convert so I went with the simplest options here.  The automatic color match is good for images that don't have many colors or shading, but choosing your own colors can be good if your image is slightly pixelated or has a lot of shading.  I chose to limit the number of colors to 2; white and yellow, just to ensure that it transferred without getting messed up.  If you have an image with 3 or more colors, I would recommend choosing to limit your colors and then choosing your desired colors to match the number of colors you want.  

5. Box 6 asks you to choose the size of your graph.  Non-registered users can have a maximum of 100 stitches across, which would make a very small size throw. This is another reason I recommend registering because stitchboard members can request up to 300 stitches across as a default, and the admins may also give you additional stitches if you request it for a specific project. I think 200-300 stitches make a good size blanket, and 30-60 stitches across can be used to make pillows or smaller blocks that can be joined together to make a larger project.  I chose 100 stitches for my tutorial image just because it seemed like a good even number to use.  

6. Next you will choose your output format in box 7.  I always choose to display on screen because I like to download and clean up my patterns. Box 8 allows you to adjust your image before it is converted into a graph.  There is a bit of a learning curve to using this part and I admit I don't know exactly how to use all of the options here. I like to adjust to smoothness to a 5 or higher to smooth out the lines of my graph so I have less to clean up on the finished product.  I also like to check the Stray Pixel Cleanup box with the "light" option just in case my original image isn't as neat as I thought.  For a more detailed explanation of all these options, check out the Stitchboard help page here. 

7. Finally, in box 9, click the "Let's See My Pattern" button to get your graph on a new page.  It will look something like this:

8. You will have several options on this page. I always choose "Download Pattern" so I can save and edit out any kinks or weird spots in my graphs.  If you aren't satisfied with your graph, don't worry, you can always trying changing the settings or simply erasing and starting over. You may have a lot of trial and error until you figure out how you like your graphs to look and what settings you prefer, but experimenting is part of the fun! 

That concludes this tutorial on how to make a crochet graph pattern using the Free Pattern Wizard on Stitchboard.com.  Check Part II for tips on cleaning up and editing your graph using MS Paint. 

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