Mel Projects

Ode to Newfoundland

2011-07-08T11:01:00.000-07:00

This is a hooked rug that was made with Maya for a show in conjunction with Festival 500 (an international choral festival in St. John's every other year). It depicts a coastal scene that is inspired by the Newfoundland Anthem called "the Ode to Newfoundland". You'll see that there is an abstract figure running through the horizontal middle that follows the melody line of the anthem...with harmony lines coming off of it (in different colours representing the different choirs/voices, culturally representation at the festival, etc.).

Maya and her new red coat

2011-03-28T04:41:00.000-07:00

Maya has almost grown out of the last 2/3 or 3/4 coat I made her so she requested a red coat with a faux fur trim...it's still rather big. It'll probably be something she'll wear more next year.

Making Sushi Prezi

2010-11-03T19:25:00.000-07:00

http://prezi.com/7-lapz8guoy0/making-sushi/

Re-inventing a belt

2010-10-04T17:18:00.000-07:00

I saved the belt buckle and made two of my own double-sided fabric (with uber stiff/thick interfacing stuff) adjustable belts to attach.

Cosmosaic

2010-05-07T17:51:00.000-07:00

Maya and submitted a hooked rug for a gallery exhibit entitled "Hooking Our Heritage" (soon to be posted on http://www.fiveisland.ca/index.php). Scott is our link to the Irish heritage theme...and so we opted to do something that captures our family's collective heritage. The concept was actually inspired by Scott (as he kindly reminded me this week) - and the rug is divided into four quadrants: Innu tent in Labrador, downtown Tokyo, Mennonite farm country in southern Ontario and Irish countryside (all shown respectively below).

Scott and Maya.
Joanne and Maya.
Myself and Mom.
Maya.
Mom/Grandma and Maya.

Obi-inspired hot/cold packs

2010-05-07T17:45:00.000-07:00

An obi is the fabric that wraps around a traditional Japanese kimono.

Granny Apron

2010-05-07T17:43:00.000-07:00

The idea is to fill the pouch with clothes pins for hanging laundry.

All for the doll....

2010-05-07T17:39:00.001-07:00

Maya desperately wanted a specific doll for her birthday.....and so I made some matching clothes....including making clothes to match clothes Maya already owns. Here are some of the clothes:

Keyboard Cover

2010-03-16T17:06:00.000-07:00

We recently bought a second hand keyboard for Maya's piano lessons (just started with our friend Wendolyn) and it didn't have any cover to keep the dust out. So, I made a simple fabric cover and decided to add something - an owl.

The making of my most ambitious knitting project

2010-01-13T08:24:00.000-08:00

I have been looking at this Saddle Shouldered Aran Cardigan for months....wishing I could do something like that. So, to test my knitting abilities, I decided to knit cable socks. And it was quite painless so, I went online and purchased the pattern from Schoolhouse Press. As a relatively novice knitter, I follow patterns. I don't improvise. When the pattern arrived in the mail, I was mortified. I would describe the pattern to be more of a guide. After lots of googling, blog and book reading, and watching steek demos on youtube, I understood enough to get started.

So I did lots of calculations, based on Scott's measurements and cable patterns I wanted to use. I found myself enjoying this planning stage of crafting the cardigan a lot. So on January 1st (2010), I balled my eight skeins of Briggs & Little wool from NS and made a swatch (see below). I even steeked the swatch.

On January 5th, I started the main body.

Today, I decided to stop the body and start the sleeves....I'll keep you posted.

It's another 1.5 weeks later now, and the trunk of the body is complete (see below).Now, for the sleeves. I cast on the recommended 25% of the total number of stitches (minus steek stitches) but I wish I cast on more. I also wish I'd chosen the ribbed route for the underarm. You'll see later.

Basically, using my own uneducated discretion, I ended up with a skinny sleeve in the forearm and a loose sleeve above the elbow. I would have liked it to be more uniform. Anyway, I had to stretch (by blocking) the forearm portion of the sleeves quite a bit to be the size I wanted.

Then, was the chore of deciphering the instructions of doing the yoke. Adding the sleeves was painless. I understand the concept of saddle-shoulder now - mostly thanks to this website: http://www.spindling.com/sweater_knitting_pattern.html. Below is my sweater pre-blocking.

Next is the moment I've been dreaming/dreading - steeking. I read and re-read the instructions by Eunny to visualize. I practiced a bit and went to town. I used an earthy green (that won't show in the final product (it'll only be seen on the inside of the cardigan).

After steeking, I decided to block the sweater. I needed to - to reassure myself that the cardigan will look okay. Bunched up and lumpy - I was feeling a bit disappointed with the quality of my work. Blocking (I think) made it look much better....plus I wanted to do my stretching and flattening BEFORE I cut my sweater right down the front. Below is my sweater drying after having a shower.

So, last night (January 25th), I cut the sweater. Pictured below is *just* before and after the what-I-hope-to-be-successful-cut.

Up until now, I've been using my lovely Japanese interchangeable bamboo knitting needles from Patchwork Frog. The only downside so far is that I cannot attach one cable to another to extend the length of my cables.....and for the size needle I'm using, the set doesn't include long enough cable to do the band that I want to run the vertical length of the front opening, around the neck and back down the other side. I need to borrow my friend's cable needle for that. Next is knitting on a garter stitch band around the base. I shall do that this week (maybe today & tomorrow).

My first aran socks!

2009-12-26T15:20:00.000-08:00

Fortune napkins

2009-12-26T15:16:00.000-08:00

I was imagining folding it so that the fortune is on the inside - for people to see after they've claimed their napkin.

Cards

2009-12-26T15:05:00.000-08:00

For the first time, I'm experimenting with a fabric reusable card (see below):

Laptop case

2009-12-26T14:57:00.000-08:00

This one is very padded - designed for medium sized laptop (like my 15-inch macbook) - and a added case for the power cord. I made it for a friend. I took the measurements and wanted the case to be relatively snug. I underestimated the bulk of the inner fabric and the computer was too tight....so, I never surprised this friend with this case. I was too grumpy to attempt a second case. I'm waiting for the occasion to give it to a friend whose computer DOES fit into this.

Fabric Boxes

2009-12-26T14:32:00.000-08:00

Felted Purse

2009-12-26T14:29:00.000-08:00

A Christmas gift for a friend...lined with cotton fabric and closes by a metal/magnetic snap.

Maya is modeling for me.

Pen Pal Set

2009-12-26T14:25:00.000-08:00

Maya is pen pals with a good friend who moved back to Ontario - for him, I made a kit with space for a notepad, envelopes, stamps and a pen.

Crass/Funny Napkins

2009-12-09T06:43:00.000-08:00

Stripey Mitts

2009-12-09T06:40:00.000-08:00

Felted Slipper/Booties for Candace

2009-12-09T06:38:00.000-08:00

Winter Hat for Tash

2009-12-09T06:29:00.000-08:00

Hat for Ada

2009-10-22T15:24:00.000-07:00

...tried on by Maya...

Sweater for Bertha

2009-08-30T18:35:00.000-07:00

This is made from an impulsively bought yarn called Eco-Ways (by Red Heart) - 30% recycled polyester made from plastics found in soda and water bottles. Now Maya wants a matching sweater. She'll have to wait. I need a break from knitting.

Cardigan for Aidan

2009-08-30T18:32:00.000-07:00

I took a chance and used a basic sweater pattern and incorporated a few basic cables down the front, sleeves and back. I used a forgiving bulky yarn to cover up any small mistakes. This is it.

My first fabric box

2009-08-02T14:26:00.001-07:00

This Chinese-take-out-box-themed box is intended to 'unsnap' (is that a word?) and become a place mat....for a picnic lunch/supper.

So, my hands are always 'froze'

2009-08-02T14:22:00.000-07:00

My hands are always cold when I sit for a while - either at my computer or sewing at the machine. So, after some self-mockery I decided to make arm warmers. It incorporated an owl on each hand.....

Scrap Fabric Project

2009-08-02T14:15:00.000-07:00

I used remnants from previous projects in my scrap fabric bin to make a bunch of triangles. They are double sided connected with biased tape. I'm thinking to use this as a festive decoration for parties at our house. I put snaps on the ends in case I want to connect them to each other for more length.

Felted Basket

2009-07-22T17:39:00.000-07:00

It's the size of a shopping bag. It's sturdy. I used various types of felt-able wool...they didn't all felt the same amount though. I'm keeping this project. Not totally giftable and was more knitting than I'd probably do again.

Felted Handbag

2009-07-22T17:34:00.000-07:00

It's brown felted wool with a retro purple and brown lining....and a magnetic snap to close. Still contemplating a felted flower on the outside.

Felted Bowl

2009-07-22T17:31:00.001-07:00

I didn't measure it but I'd guess it to be approximately 8 or 9 inches in diameter. Before I felted it, it looked like a ridiculous oversized hat.

A "Magic Bag" in the shape of a cat

2009-07-16T18:51:00.000-07:00

You know - the bag that's filled with something that you can heat/freeze for a sore back or injury, etc. I made a bag filled with pearl barley and made a flannel case (purple polka dot on one side and blue on the other) to remove and wash if wanted. Made it for my aunt who loves cats....to drape over her shoulder.

Dying my Wool

2009-07-16T18:35:00.000-07:00

I bought some Atlantic wool and dyed 3 different colours - of which the yellow is my favourite (used tumeric). Below are pictures of (1) the yarn drying after being (2) soaked in cold water after being (3) boiled in water with salt and tumeric.

A Sampling of Rings

2009-06-22T05:07:00.000-07:00

Silver, copper and steel rings....with glass beads.

A Literal Book Bag

2009-06-22T05:04:00.000-07:00

Inspired by http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m4RFH0q0Osk.

Hip Hat

2009-05-22T17:48:00.000-07:00

Obsessed with Knitting Hats

2009-05-22T17:43:00.000-07:00

I think it's because they are quick (therefore satisfying) projects.

Recyling Pants...

2009-05-22T17:41:00.000-07:00

...bought a pair of pants at the thrift store for about $2 - plan to make a bag from the top part and this hat only used part of a leg.

Aidan's Birthday Cake & Party

2009-05-22T17:34:00.000-07:00

In honour of Aidan's favourite toy at the time (a gecko) - I made him a gecko cake.At the party, I made a game (inspired by a child Japanese game) where people had painted faces on fabric (that doubled as the take-home bag of goodies and the game) to place felt face parts on - with a blindfold. This is me demonstrating....

Layered With Controversy

2009-05-22T17:05:00.000-07:00

My first hooked rug. It was part of a large project - to read about it, you can visit here.

stick one hand in my pocket...

2009-05-04T17:36:00.000-07:00

I have a stack of back pockets left over from all my previous denim projects (from friends' retired old jeans)....and I was inspired by a picture I saw in a magazine (a few years ago?) called ReadyMade. I'm sure you don't know what this is supposed to be. It's a potholder/oven mitt.

fishy multi-purpose bag

2009-05-04T17:28:00.000-07:00

I was experimenting to see how easy this concept for a bag was, in case the kids could make some this summer. not a chance. not if you want the inside to look nice and finished.

And - I finally got myself some labels so people can remember I gave them something. It's taken me a long time to be okay with this - so best you not question it quite yet. The Japanese and Mennonite combination of cultural humility is haunting me.

i give a hoot mittens

2009-05-04T17:25:00.000-07:00

I somehow felt compelled to make owl mittens this week. The owls are not identical - but what two owls really are? I knit too tight. I thought I'd make a lining and keep them for myself but at best, they are going to fit one of my 8 or 6 year old kids.

Experimenting with 'my little mochi'

2009-05-04T17:19:00.000-07:00

Super easy and super cute. I found it at http://mylittlemochi.typepad.com/my_little_mochi/2007/07/its-a-snap.html.

Reusable Envelope/Card Idea #1

2009-05-04T17:17:00.000-07:00

Reusable Card Idea #2

2009-05-04T17:12:00.000-07:00

This serves as both the envelope and the card....then inside is a string to hold in a paper that can be removed and the next card-giver would insert a new piece of paper. Maybe? Maybe not. I'm going to think on it.

Neck Warmer

2009-05-04T17:09:00.000-07:00

Fancy scarf - wool but lined with a soft flannel-y fabric to prevent itch.

my ipod armband

2009-05-04T17:05:00.000-07:00

I was convinced that I would run faster and have a better attitude if I listened to upbeat music but I have the big ipod - so I made myself an armband.The armband is longer than it needs to be - think I'm too lazy to fix it yet.

First Cable Knit Project

2009-04-27T05:32:00.000-07:00

My friend showed me in minutes the concept behind cable knitting and gave me a simple pattern to get me started. And happy with the hat.

Slocks

2009-04-25T18:01:00.000-07:00

Slipper Socks.....felted knitted wool. First you knit over-sized sock-ish things.Then you put it through a hot laundry cycle and they become custom-fitted and felted slippers. These ones are my daughter, Maya's.

A Travelling Quilt Project...

2009-04-24T15:25:00.000-07:00

....with friends...for a mutual friend. I started it by creating what you see below and sent it to the next person. It is a dancing woman in the form of a tree straddling dawn/daytime/dusk and spring/summer/fall.

The next person knit a bunch of leaves (lovely yarns, each leaf if different).
The third person to work on it, stitched embroidery thread and beads onto it.
And the last person bound, framed and stitched a lovely poem onto the border....a poem about dancing....very fitting for the person who received this and of the imagery used on this three-panel piece of art.
This is the five of us (four of us worked on it, the fifth received it).
Meant to be hung from a dowel....

Bags from used pants

2009-01-03T07:41:00.000-08:00

Made from kid-size pants (with missing button, stain on the leg, etc......in other words, no more than $2 at the thrift store)....I used the cut-off legs for bags and leg warmers.

A Sampling of Cards

2009-01-01T17:56:00.000-08:00

Cards for many different occasions...
This is the character for "love" - the English word "love" is embossed on the inside.
Embossed (with a stylus) on parchment paper.
A "puffy" fish - i.e. has a small tuft of a cotton ball (or batting would work too) under the fish to give it a 3-D effect.
A vase with flowers...held up by wire stems.
The origami crane cut out with pretty paper behind.
Tea pot with a lid that pulls out a message written on parchment paper.

Recycled Leg Warmers

2009-01-01T17:53:00.000-08:00

Leg warmers made from recycled pants and fabric remnants.

Year of Homemade Gifts for Kids

2008-12-28T15:27:00.000-08:00

This year, Maya got leg warmers (from super soft bamboo yarn), Aidan got a magician's cape and Bertha got a set of bibs from left-over flannel and recycled receiving blankets.

Mentrual Pads

2008-12-28T15:23:00.000-08:00

Flannel menstrual pads with diaper cloth flannel inserts that can be singled/doubled inside. If you click on the photo and look up close, you'll see that there is a flap that opens for inserting rectangular pads. The wings have snaps.

Row House "Holder"

2008-12-28T15:16:00.000-08:00

In keeping with the colourful row housed in St. John's...I made a hangable piece that has houses that can hold things - like letters, keys, gloves, etc. - thinking it would be best used by a door, bathroom, or work space. The roof tops flap open and the windows have been made in insert pictures of people. A Christmas gift for someone this year.

Gift/Lunch Bags

2008-12-28T15:13:00.000-08:00

I put chocolate and jelly beans in here as a gift to some of the kids' teachers. Made from remnants of old cordoroy pants and saved jean pockets from old projects.

Knitting Needle Case

2008-12-28T15:04:00.000-08:00

Closed with an elastic that wraps around.
A pouch for pattern sheets (for those who like to make notes or photo copy their patterns).

Several tiers for various heights/types of needles..and two small pouches at the bottom (one has a see-through plastic window).

Personalized Lunch Bags

2008-12-28T14:59:00.000-08:00

Flower bag for a young child

2008-12-28T14:55:00.000-08:00

Cloth Gift Bags

2008-12-28T14:51:00.000-08:00

To replace wrapping paper....this year for many of bags, I used cheap thrift store pants and cut each leg into two pieces and made a bag from each one (adding some left over fabric from other projects).

Sachel for the Guitar Player

2008-12-28T11:03:00.000-08:00

Whoa!

2008-09-27T17:16:00.000-07:00

Scott did this with the kids while I away...looks way more inspiring than anything I've cooked in a long time.

A Community Living Depiction

2008-09-27T17:14:00.000-07:00

Inspired when we lived in intentional community with two other couples almost 7 years ago.

I love food...

2008-09-24T10:36:00.000-07:00

I adore food - in general. I particularly love food from Thailand, India and Japan....but there are very few foods that I don't like.

Polar Bear Carpet/Cozy

2008-09-24T10:30:00.000-07:00

One size is cozy furry, the other side has a space to tuck the forehead, hands and feet ....each extremity has a symbolic colour (red=fire, white=air, blue=water, brown=earth).

Painted Mailbox

2008-09-24T10:28:00.000-07:00

I replaced our rusty mailbox with a row house (stereotype of downtown St. John's) job with some fabric and 3-D fences on it (coated in a waterproof sealer).

Quiltagami Tsuru (Crane)

2008-09-24T10:26:00.000-07:00

For Christmas one year, I made a bunch of quiltagami (merging quilting with origami concepts) cranes for wall-hangings....a blending of my Mennonite and Japanese heritage....and peace work.

Scarf of Scarves

2008-09-24T10:23:00.000-07:00

Made for a friend who kept scarves from her mom - she thought it would be nice to have a scarf of scarves in memory of her mom.

Audrey

2008-09-24T10:21:00.000-07:00

This was made with another friend as a house warming gift for an Audrey lover. I did the fabric part and my friend did hand-stitching and beadwork.

A Cross-Stitch Portrait

2008-09-24T08:32:00.000-07:00

This was made from my parents' black & white engagement picture.

A Boxy Bag

2008-09-24T08:30:00.000-07:00

It's rectangular ... fun for a change.

Birthday Party Gift Bags

2008-09-24T08:28:00.000-07:00

My daughter's party was relatively small so, I made bags for each kid (with their name on the side) and a recycled pocket from ripped/stained shirts/pants on the other side.

Recycled Clothing...

2008-09-24T08:26:00.000-07:00

Made into a bag. The handles are taken from my dad's old button-down Thai shirt. Then I used a photocopied picture and rubbed the image onto the muslin fabric (durable and good for washing). This was a gift bag for a kid's birthday gift (good friend to my kids..hence the picture of them on the side).

Collaborative Tricycle Quilt

2008-09-24T08:23:00.000-07:00

Four friends each made a square for a friend who just had a baby girl. We used the same tricycle image...and each corner of every square has a button hole so that the blocks could hang individually, in pairs, or any combination possible.

Reversible Bag

2008-09-24T08:18:00.000-07:00

I only have a picture of the one side....the inside is a totally different look. Made it large for my friend who has a lot to carry around.

Denim Coat

2008-09-24T08:16:00.000-07:00

So, there were a lot of retired jeans ... I made a coat for my daughter.

Wall of Words

2008-09-24T08:12:00.000-07:00

Inspired by magnetic words for the fridge...they can be rearranged by the buttons. This was made for a course project.

Office Fish Tank

2008-09-24T08:09:00.000-07:00

My university office (shared) had a one-way glass window that we converted into a fish tank.

Third Wedding Cake

2008-09-24T08:07:00.000-07:00

This one was for my brother's wedding...each layer a different kind of cake.

Second Wedding Cake

2008-09-24T08:06:00.000-07:00

Fruit cake made by the grandmother of the couple (friends), covered and decorated by me.

Denim Curtains

2008-09-24T08:04:00.000-07:00

Made from old jeans that friends wanted to retire.

Watercolour Quilt

2008-09-24T08:01:00.000-07:00

This was inspired by my grandmother who saved hundreds of identically sized squares for making watercolour quilts. This is supposed to be a flower garden.

Night/Day Quilt

2008-09-24T07:58:00.000-07:00

These hang in our front foyer...a picture of downtown St. John's.

Windsock Quilt

2008-09-24T07:54:00.000-07:00

This quilt perks up when you lift and drop the quilt down on the bed (the underside would show a bunch of cheesecloth-like fabric to pet air through to fill the "socks").....fun for kids to squash down after making the bed.

Denim Placemats

2008-09-24T07:50:00.000-07:00

This was inspired by leftover jean back pockets. Each placemat has a pocket to tuck the serviette and cutlery...but I also added a horizontal slot for chopsticks too at the base of the placemats. I made a set of 6 for a friend.

Advent Calendar

2008-09-24T07:47:00.000-07:00

This is meant to look like houses in St. John' with St. David's church building in the middle. The fabric roofs lift up and something can be tucked inside the "house pocket". The houses are numbered from 1-24.

Vagina Quilt

2008-09-24T07:45:00.000-07:00

This was made for my friend as a house warming gift. I tried to incorporate a lot of texture and layering...and different mediums (besides fabric).

Tea Set Cupboard

2008-09-24T07:42:00.000-07:00

I made this with the help of Scott's uncle Blair and his shed tools (i.e. cutting the wood)....for the tea set.

Stars at Sea Quilt

2008-09-24T07:41:00.000-07:00

Made this for a family friend in Japan. I like that the pattern of straight-edge pieces create and curvy illusion.

My first Wedding Cake

2008-09-24T07:39:00.000-07:00

Fondant icing with white chocolate emellishments (the roses are made from the fondant icing).

Pottery

2008-09-24T07:36:00.000-07:00

Carved the kanji for "conflict"....meant to inspire hope in the combination of two characters that individually mean "danger" and "opportunity".