Here is a colorway that I have used in a baby blanket for our little friend Sebastian. This is a sample of the same colorway but with a different pattern.

This book has a great set of patterns and teaches the basics of interlocking crochet.

Interlocking crochet is pretty basic once you get the hang of it. You create 2 separate rows of double crochet filet, then each row is worked with a separate color through the mesh of the other color. Now, when I first bought this book, I actually threw it across the room because I could not figure out the stitches. I HIGHLY recommend that you watch these tutorials by the author before you start.

http://www.interlockingcrochet.com/video-tutorials/interlocking-crochet-video-tutorials.html

This pattern has a different patterned opposite side, some have the same pattern with just the main dominant color reversed.

Much more to come!

And, with our new Keurig and 70′s pottery mug:

You can buy the Northern Flicker (Red-shafted) here:

And my favorite – you can buy the female Belted Kingfisher here:

I do also sell the finished collars on Etsy here.

These are so fun to make, the Omega nylon comes in 90 different colors, so you can make a collar for every occasion!

We are having a super hot summer this year in Austin, TX but that has not stopped us from blowing new and beautiful art glass ornaments! We are working hard to increase the intensity and depth of the color combinations of our ornament suncatchers. All of the below ornaments and many more can be purchased on our new site devoted entirely to our art glass ornaments. Enjoy this Christmas in July treat!

Check back throughout the year as we continue to add more beautiful ornaments!!

GlassOrnaments.US

Purchase this crochet purse pattern here!

Inserting the zipper:
Purchase a zipper that is an inch or two longer than your opening.

Unzip the zipper and start pinning to the top of the purse. Note how the zipper teeth are just above the last crochet stitch, not below or even. This will help to make sure your crochet does not get caught in the zipper when in use.

Here is a picture looking at it from another angle:

Continue pinning the zipper to the purse all the way around:

A look at the pinning from a some different angles:

Hand or machine sew the zipper in place. I prefer to hand sew, thus the “organic” stitches:

Note how the extra inches of the zipper just float down into the corner of the purse:

Congratulations! You now have a fully functioning zippered purse!

Next up, I will show you how to line the purse.

Lining the purse:

Lay your purse flat and take the following measurements:
1) Height of the front panel – add 1/2 inch to your measurements
2) Width of the front panel – add 1/2 inch to your measurements
3) Height of the gusset (bottom and side piece) If you have an envelope purse, this measurement is not necessary as there is no bottom per se. – add 1/2 inch to your measurements

Height of front panel of this purse = 5 1/2 inches:

Width of front panel of this purse = 6 1/2 inches:

Height of the gusset = 3 inches

Cutting your lining fabric:

Cut 2 pieces for your front and back that are 6 x 7 inches (this is your 5 1/2 height + 1/2 seam allowance x 6 1/2 width + 1/2 in seam allowance)

Cut 1 piece for the gusset that is 3 1/2 x 19 inches (this is your 3 in height + 1/2 seam allowance x the sum of the height of the two front panels and width of the front panel including their seam allowances = 6+6+7

Sewing your lining:

With right sides facing, place one of the front panels centered on the gusset panel as shown below. Place pins 1/2 inch from each side of the front panel to show you where to start and stop sewing.

Sew between the 2 pins.

Pull the front piece back and place the other front piece as described above and pin and sew in place.

Your lining should now look like this:

Now, match up the top of the side of the gusset with the top of the side of one of the front panels and pin. Note how this forms a box shaped corner.

Sew from 1/2 inch from the top down to the corner. Repeat on all 4 sides. Your lining should now look like this:

Test fit your lining by inserting into your purse to make sure it feels like there is more lining than the inside of the purse.

Now, since this particular purse has a gusset and the sides round out and decrease as they get towards the top where the handles attach, you will want to mimic this in the lining. Right now you have a very square lining and a rounded purse. So place some pins about 1/2 inch from the seam angling in a similar angle as the purse sides.

Sew a diagonal line towards the side of the lining. Cut off the excess fabric from both sides.

See how much more like your purse the lining looks now! Next, press a 1/2 inch seam around the top of the lining.

Now place pins in the middle front of both sides of the lining and the purse.

Now insert the lining into the purse and line up the pins and re-pin the middle fronts of the lining to the middle fronts of the purse.

Now pin the lining all the way around the purse.

Now hand or machine sew all the way around the purse.

Voila! A completely finished purse!!!

Here are some other colors I have worked my pattern in:

Purchase this crochet purse pattern here!

I have finally recreated this purse and created a pattern as well that I have for sale. I am thrilled with this little purse, perfect for those grab and go days. I am not one for large purses, just ones that have room enough for the essentials, wallet, phone and keys. This design has a deceptively large amount of space inside due to the gusseted sides.

Purchase this crochet purse pattern here!

Available here in our Etsy shop:

Gorgeous, no?

This one is also available here in our Etsy shop:

Loving how this black looks with the bright yellow and green of the lemon and limes!

This sampler still makes me happy just to look at:

Here is the pincushion – available here in my Etsy shop:

The patterns I used in both projects are from this amazing book of charted patterns from my favorite publisher Dover Needlework:

Charted Peasant Designs from Saxon Transylvania

Whenever I need a boost, I pull out this book and drool over all of the amazing patterns from days of old when this type of needlework was done to spice up otherwise plain homemade clothing and home decor. Simply breathtaking!

I have been reading up on Botanical Art and Illustration lately in an effort to take my crochet wildflower designs to a new level, how inspiring! I bought these 2 books and highly recommend:

I am intrigued by the beauty and minimalism of ikebana flower arrangements and was inspired to create this arrangement in one of our art glass bud vases. The colors in the glass played off the purple and burgundy trillium so well. The vase sold the day after we took this picture so I am happy we got this shot!

We have been working all summer at WolfArtGlass to deepen the color profiles of our art glass and this vase is a great example of layering multiple colors in the same family, opaque and transparent, to create a very deep rich color.

For sale here at WolfArtGlass:

For sale here at WolfArtGlass:

For sale here at WolfArtGlass:

This guy is available here in our Etsy shop:

This little guy is available in our Etsy shop:

I always refer to this odd little wire bird house as the “Blair-Witch house” – it reminds me of those weird little totems made of sticks hanging in the trees in the movie. He looks quite comfortable here.

This tile is available in our Etsy shop – here:

Snowdrops is a design inspired by a recent request by a local gal who is interested in my artwork as a tattoo. I am so honored that someone would want to adorn their body with my artwork, can’t wait to see what her tattoo artists comes up with!

This tile is available in our Etsy shop – here:

Note this seasons choice of building materials, copious amounts of Live Oak pollen and a long blue bit of my yarn, cast off from some crochet or needlepoint endeavor.

Of course, I had to make a wren to honor the day, here she is just after being hand-formed. I need her to dry up before I start to carve her down and inscribe all the little feather details. Maybe tomorrow?

This is the first wren I made – so cute!