Bad Patterns

Regardless of how one encounters them, bad instructions make for a bad experience.

Exhibit #1: IKEA "assembly instructions" for putting together any piece of furniture.

Ouch! My head hurts.

Who of us hasn't cursed the Swedes while in the throes of trying to make a chest of drawers actually look (and work) like a chest of drawers? The complete lack of words coupled with the pretentiously well-intentioned illustrations are really just harbingers of doom. They speak to the fact that, if you misinterpret a picture (god forbid you're not a visual person) you may end up with a chest of drawers that falls to pieces the first time you try to use it.

IKEA's a big company. You'd think they could afford to make instructions with words - in various languages.

In recent months, I've had a run of bad luck with knitting patterns. The same basic issue applies as with the IKEA example - if I misinterpret the pattern, my finished object is going to be seriously wrong. And, when you spend time and money to knit something by hand, you want it to be right.

So, what does one do when faced with a bad pattern?

In my case, the minute I realize that the pattern is written badly, I shift my entire approach to the pattern itself. A well-written pattern means that I can sail along without paying much attention. I simply read the next row and do what it tells me. But, if I encounter a line of confusing instruction, I immediately put down my work and read through a big chunk of the pattern to see if the writer repeated the offending communication. Generally, they have. Then, depending on how badly the instruction is written, I either rewrite it or make a mental note of the writer/designer's particular tic (often its the same thing over and over) and just adjust my knitting when I encounter it again.

I have, more than once, contacted a designer and asked for help. My success rate with this approach has been 50/50. Sometimes the designer will say, "Oh yeah... that's a common problem. I need to rewrite the pattern." But, just as often, the response is equally as confusing or (even worse) seriously defensive because I questioned their pattern.

Cassandra and I strive to make our patterns as clear and understandable as possible - whether it's knitting, embroidery, sewing, or anything else. This is at the top of my mind right now because I'm in the process of editing two patterns that are going into a book. We wrote them as we created them but now they have to be "cleaned up" to match the publishers style guide and to ensure that we're consistent with how we reference certain instructions. For example, I might write this:

Row 10 and all even rows through 20: K

Cassandra might write the same instruction like this:

Rows 10, 12, 14, 16, 18, and 20: K

Both are understandable, but we have to be consistent in how we say it. So... I picked my way, of course. LOL

Regardless, we want to make sure that anyone can understand what we're trying to get across. Interestingly, trying to make a pattern easy-to-understand can also come across as "dumbing down" a pattern. If you've been knitting for twenty years, you've probably seen every iteration of how to write an instruction. However, I feel like we have to write for the person who may not be as adept at interpreting pattern writing. Hopefully, we can strike a balance so that everyone understands the pattern and no one feels like we're pandering.

So, if you ever download one of our free patterns or end up owning one of our patterns - regardless of what craft we're writing about - PLEASE don't hesitate to contact us if you can't understand an instruction or if you have a suggestion for how to make an instruction easier to understand. I swear, on the graves of my foremothers, we will never get defensive, we will listen to your concerns, and we will accept all constructive criticism with grace. In the end, the most important thing is that we become the best pattern writers we can be.

- Alex (a writer and editor 'till the end)

This has nothing to do with today's post but I thought you all might enjoy it since, you know, it's Thursday and we knit.

Come Along for the Ride

As I pondered what to write today, I considered all the just-finished and half-done projects I could tell you about. I have a variety of knitting and sewing projects in the works, knitting projects cast-off, and a whole host of other crafty pursuits scattered about my home. Shockingly, the weather was glorious this past weekend and so I spent hours and hours outdoors digging in the dirt (which means it's getting time for some posts about gardening.) But, the more I thought about it, the more I realized that what I really wanted to talk about was the creative process that allows me to accomplish all these things.

I spend a lot of my life "creating." I'm a graphic designer by trade and a crafty maniac by passion. As I result, people often ask me, "how did you think of that?" And, while there is no road map to a clever idea, every individual has some sort of creative process. Identifying and developing those sparks of creativity is the skill that we should all nurture.

I have piles of sketchbooks with ideas old and new.

The difference between a well-executed creative idea and a mediocre one, is learning how to push your initial idea to the next level. Let me give you an example of MY creative process and how I took a seed of an idea and made it into something I'm really proud of:

As you all may be aware, Thing 1 has a Sesame Street-themed bedroom. I have been thinking about drapes for his room lately but no needle has actually touched fabric - yet. To get to a finished product, I started by scouring the internet for Sesame Street fabric options. Of course. Buying pre-printed fabric is the second easiest solution for having themed curtains in that room (first easiest solution would be buying already-made Sesame Street curtains, obviously.) There were some pretty cute fabric choices but nothing that really "wow'd" me. So, I started deconstructing the idea a bit by thinking in terms of a single color or a single, clean pattern that would coordinated with the room but wasn't really obviously Sesame Street. I decided that, if I pursued this line of thinking, the curtains would have looked fine, but not have the impact I was hoping for. Then, sticking with the idea of simplicity, I thought about focusing on just one Sesame Street character. Maybe then it would be more dramatic? So, I sketched ideas for Elmo, Big Bird and Kermit curtains but it wasn't until I starting playing around with ideas for "Count Curtains" that I got pretty excited and could actually visualize what they would look like in the room. It's important to recognize inspiration when it happens and give it a long leash. I knew that, when I was able to fully "see" the Count curtains with such ease, this was the right path to follow.

This album cover is big-time inspiration.

The walls of that room are a lively celery green and the window is really large so the draperies need to be bold. I visualized purple velvet curtains with wool-felt numbers hand-sewn all over them. Dramatic, lovely, and unusual. That purple will be a welcome addition to an already colorful room.

Getting an idea from a seed to a full-grown plan is, to use an old quote, two parts perspiration and one part inspiration. Some ideas (like this one) have only a few steps to inspiration...some have many, many more. Sometimes pushing an idea takes time, that is why projects in my house are in various stages of "done". It is more important to me to know that I've done something well, rather than just quickly. Now, I will admit that I've been at this for many, many years so the process comes to me faster than someone who hasn't. It's true that creativity is a muscle, you need to work it out to be in good shape. If only I could be so motivated to exercise my body! :)

–Cassandra

So many ideas, so little time.

Lately I've been doing a lot of talking about embroidery in this space. Unfortunately, the only projects I have had to share are Sesame Street related and that doesn't really appeal to everyone. I actually wouldn't consider myself an expert in this art, and, as a matter of fact, would like to explore it a little more deeply.

Dreamy crewel design from a kit sold at Purl Soho.

The embroidery I have tackled has been quite rewarding for a few reasons. First, it's sort of instant gratification. I would put the speed in between knitting (slow for me) and sewing (a much quicker process). Now, keep in mind that I haven't gotten really complicated with embroidery so I'm sure there are some slow techniques out there! Second is that I really enjoy the process. Pulling a needle full of brightly colored thread through fabric really appeals to my senses. Mistakes are corrected rather easily and I can be a designer of my own pattern in a flash. (I am referencing my upcoming woodland creatures wall-hangings project) Lastly, and sad to say, importantly, it is "sitting work". For the same reason I love knitting... I love this. I can get comfy on my couch with tea and a movie and create while I relax.

Example of 18th century Finnish embroidery. I adore the all-over pattern.

My personal history with this sort of project work has only included DMC 6-strand embroidery floss. Really standard stuff. Simple chain or outline stitches coupled with french knots and satin stitch. I'm not lighting the world on fire here. But I will say, it's amazing how many projects you can do with just a thimbleful of knowledge.

But, I have gotten intrigued by some materials I have seen lately... linen threads, crewel yarns, wool threads, etc. It is fun to work with such bright candy-colors that you can't usually work with when knitting or sewing... unless you have a very small girl child to craft for in your house. Which I don't.

Pillowcase design by Sublime Stitching. Seriously awesome.

A while ago we reviewed a simple and basic embroidery book called The Embroidery Companion by Alicia Paulson. That has been a great book for referencing basic stitches. But there are also a lot of great resources on the web. I have found that the Purl Soho blog (The Purl Bee) has some really great ideas and tutorials for all sorts of types of techniques. And this site is really bare-bones as far a web design goes, but goodness it has a tutorial for any stitch you could possibly want to try.

If you're looking for some inspiration, just search "embroidery" on flickr or google images. There are a lot of people doing a lot of really creative stuff out there. I'm actually intrigued with the idea of combining quilting and embroidery lately. Just another project to add to the list! Hopefully I will have some of my own original designs to share with you soon.

–Cassandra

Now I lay me down to sleep...

Hello everyone!

Today I'm happy to share another Sesame Street room project with you. Meet our new embroidered pillowcases!

When you can't find what you want at the store, you make it yourself!

Making custom pillowcases is soooo easy, and soooo worth it. In this particular project the embroidery was 90% of the work. If you choose not to use embroidery, this is a 1 cup of tea and an hour of sewing project, seriously. I made some other pillowcases recently for my bedroom and was able to get 2 done in an evening after the kids went to bed.

There are lots and lots of methods for constructing a pillowcase. The differences lie in how the band at the opening is attached to the big part of the pillowcase. I never seem to use the same method twice. There are a lot of really great tutorial blogs out there if you do a search, but the 1 Million Pillowcase Challenge site has some of the best (easiest) directions. Plus, options for being charitable, if you're so inclined.

And this book is awesome for all things bedding:



What I can add to the already good tutorials is how to figure out where the embroidery should be placed to look just right. What I did first was to cut the band fabric to the correct size. Then, I folded it in half longways, measured 3/8 inches from the cut edge (that will be sewn to the main pillow section) and marked it with disappearing ink. I then folded that in half again as it would appear when finished. Mark the 3/8 inch seam allowance on the cut edge on the side. Now you can mark the fabric on the folded edge on the side and bottom with the disappearing ink pen. Using a straight-edge, draw out the square that is your "live area". Embroider anything your heart desires! I chose to use scanned-in and sized images from Sesame Street coloring books again for my templates along with the boys names that I printed off the computer.

My embroidery templates.

Pillowcases in progress.

Give it a try...make a pillowcase. It will become your fast-favorite!

–Cassandra

Sentimental Journey

As I've mentioned before, I have been plugging away for a while at some hand-made Sesame Street decor for my older son's room. He has throw-pillows, a duvet cover, and a pillowcase for his "big boy pillow" (the embroidered band is finished and the case will probably be seamed up quickly tonight). There are other Sesame Street projects in the queue but, since there is only one of me and a family of 5... well, one room doesn't get done all at once.

All of my friends are well aware of my projects... I knit or embroider when I am out and social, blog about what I have going on, and, admittedly, I chatter a good deal about the topic as well. Most of my friends are not crafters but what I work on often jogs their memories about handmade gifts they received over the years from their mothers or some special person in their life. I love hearing those stories and seeing folks get sentimental. It's also interesting to remember what sort of crafts were in vogue 10, 20, or 30 years ago. I mean really, I defy you to find any woman from the age of 40-50 who didn't have a poncho knit from them in the 70's!

A couple days ago my friend, Melissa, told me she had something for me. And did she ever!

How beautiful are Big Bird's feathers here?

This Ernie and Bert embroidery is dated 1977 on the front.

Her mother made these for her in 1977 & 1978. We know what years exactly because she actually took the time to write a few sweet notes on the cardboard backings. I was shocked at such a gift. These hold sentimental value for Melissa... but she gifted them to me because she knew I would appreciate them. And I do. I will be tending to their cleaning and care and putting them in new frames. These embroideries (I would label as crewelwork) are amazing. Her mother did a perfect job and they have definitely held up just fine over the years. I wish I had a time machine because apparently these were made from kits, and good Sesame Street project kits cannot be found anywhere these days!

I'm so glad to share this project from the past with you today. Hopefully 30 years from now, someone will be waxing poetic about a handmade item I made for them. Wouldn't that be the best?

–Cassandra

Slackers!

You may have noticed that we have been sorta absent from this space this week. Our apologies. Alex has a great excuse. She is on a wonderful ski trip to Winter Park, CO...so jealous! She's having a great time and has sent us some pictures:

Alex's view on the drive to her hotel.

Alex has sore legs after a few days of skiing, so this is her on her way to go shopping.

Me, well I don't have such a glamorous excuse. I have had one thing after another pile up on me this week and have had to let a lot of things slide. But, like I had predicted last week, I did do a fair amount of sewing this past weekend.

I started Sesame Street embroidered pillow cases for the boys. The only thing that really kept me from cranking away on these was a trip to the store for some Elmo, Oscar and Cookie Monster colored floss. But here is a peek at the project soon after I started:

The start of the Sesame Street pillowcases.

I also have the pieces cut out for some flannel doggie pajamas for my Finn. He is in definite need of some elastic-waisted pajama pants (hello potty training) so I really have to get a few pairs of these sewn up as soon as possible. Of course, I bought enough flannel for little Bogart to have some too. He's very concerned about "equity" these days!

I love sewing from a pattern.

So, I gotta go, I'm off to work on my sewing projects! Talk to you soon!

–Cassandra

Is it Bert & Ernie, or Ernie & Bert?

A few years ago I was over the moon, getting ready to have my first baby in *ahem* 15 years. Needless to say, I was excited to dive into decorating the nursery. The crafty bug hadn't bit me too hard yet so I decorated the room with matchy-matchy store bought décor, which ain't cheap.

However, the craftier I became, the more my store-bought nursery set looked really lame. I knew I was going to have to ditch this stuff and hand-craft a room. But, where to start? A theme.... Sesame Street! I love and trust children's programming on PBS so my kids are BIG fans. I did a quick search online to see what was available. I was looking for any Sesame Street-branded raw items - fabric and such - that I would need to create the perfect room for my boys. That's when I got a bit deflated.

You would think that a show as popular and beloved as Sesame Street would have lots of licensed materials for me to use. Not so much. Now I'm not saying that there wasn't any fabric out there, because there was. There just wasn't much of it and the styles were wrong. My creative vision was Martha Stewart meets Sesame Street and all I could find was sort of pastel with muddled design. The graphic designer in me wanted clean, simple, and bold colors. That's when I knew, I had to take matters into my own hands.

I decided to use colorful fabrics as a base to convey the feeling of Sesame Street. Then I would add the beloved characters to the fabric using embroidery, felt, and whatever else worked. Now, this room is still in process...but well on it's way. The first project that I'm going to introduce to you are the Ernie & Bert throw pillows.

Ernie & Bert Throw Pillows

Using one of my absolute favorite patterns, the Flange Pillows from the French General Home Sewn book by Kaari Meng, I got started. Little pillows like these are a great way to add a pop of a bright color in the room so I chose a yellow fabric, orange grosgrain ribbon trim and an awesome polka dot pattern for the back. For the character design, I went out to pbskids.org and found some coloring sheets* to use as embroidery patterns, for free! How awesome is that? Using transfer paper, I traced my characters onto the yellow fabric (one Ernie and one Bert.) Then I cut the fabric to the correct size for the pillow front - ensuring that the design was centered - and got my hand-stitch on. I used red embroidery floss with a simple chain stitch for the images.

The directions for the pillow pattern were simple and well illustrated. I had them sewn up in a snap. This is why I love that book! If you don't own it... do yourself a favor and buy it. Home Sewn includes so many basic (but stylish) patterns that you will find yourself referring to it over and over again. I love these little pillows, they're the perfect size for my little guy's head and I think they're the perfect canvas for Ernie & Bert.

If you're interested in doing some simple embroidery like this, I highly recommend the book Embroidery Companion: Classic Designs for Modern Living by Alicia Paulson, which Alex and I reviewed last week. It's a great instructional manual and will give you all the basic technique you need to get started.

I will share more of the Sesame Street room here and there, and eventually I will give you a grand tour. Talk to you soon!

–Cassandra

*The beauty of coloring sheets as embroidery patterns is that they're already, by nature, simple, graphic line drawings. No editing necessary.