Vintage Vixen Press

I enjoy teaching brand new beginners how to crochet.  It is so much fun to introduce someone to the craft!  I designed the  Ombre Kitchen Kit  as a series of skill building patterns to teach basic stitches like the chain stitch, single crochet, slip stitch, half double crochet, and double crochet, and fundamental techniques like working in rows, joining two pieces of crochet, changing colors, working in rounds, and working in a spiral. You Will Need: Pattern for  Ombre Kitchen Kit   Crochet Hook H-8/5.0mm Basic Yarn Craft Kit:  Small Scissors, Soft Tape Measure or Ruler, Yarn Needle, Removable Stitch Markers.  (You probably have perfectly good substitutes lying around, like kids safety scissors, 12" ruler, a large eyed needle, and safety pins.) 4 skeins Worsted (4) Weight Yarn.   [Since this is a kitchen project, be sure to use 100% cotton yarn.]  200g/280yds Yarn A (Solid) and 200g/280yds Yarn B (Multicolored) Project #1:  Double Thick Potholder   Pr

This is the third installment in a series on Organizing Your Fabric Stash.  While some of these tips apply to other crafts, I'm focusing here on fabric.  Check back later for tips on organizing your Notions! Before reading, be sure to check out  Step 1: Let It Go  and  Step 2:  Gathering Projects Together Step 3:  Organizing Fabric by Size I have a predelection for precuts.  I just love fat quarters, jelly rolls, layer cakes, and charm packs!  When I’m done with a project, I cut remaining fabric (pieces less that ½ yd) into skinny quarters (9” x 42”), fat quarters (18” x 21”), 10” squares (layer cake size), 5” squares (charm pack size), or 2 ½” strips (jelly roll size).  I keep these, along with purchased pre-cuts, in shallow plastic drawers, often folded so that I can see as many pieces as possible! Fat Quarters (& Skinny Quarters):  Fold and organize like hanging file folders, with just the top edge showing on the top.  A drawer can usually hold several columns of fat q

Meet the Moss Stitch (aka Linen Stitch).  As part of the Mesh Category, this stitch is Offset Single Crochet Mesh. The Moss Stitch, and its close relation Single Crochet Mesh, are great stitch when you want flexible fabric that is still dense.  Gauge is slightly wider and shorter than Single Crochet. You Will Need: Materials:   I used Hikoo Simpliworsted by Skacel.  Worsted Weight (4).  Superwash wool blend. Tools:   Since I used Worsted Weight Yarn, I grabbed my trusty H-8/5.0mm Skills:   Chain (CH), Skip (SK), Single Crochet (SC).  Working in chain-1 space (ch-1 sp). The Moss Stitch Worked over an even number of stitches with a two row repeat Foundation Row:  Chain an even number of stitches. Row 1:  CH 1, SK 1. SC to end. (Or, make one row of foundation single crochet) Row 2:  CH 2, SK 2.  SC 1.  (CH 1, SK 1, SC 1) to end. Row 3:  CH 1, SK 1.  In first ch-1 sp, SC 1.  (CH 1, SK 1, in ch-1 sp, SC 1) to end.  SC 1 in last stitch. Continue to repeat Rows 2 &

Here's the second in a series about organizing fabric stashes!  Before reading, be sure to check out Step 1: Let It Go  and Step 2:  Gathering Projects Together Step 2:  Gathering Projects Together. Do you have quilt tops, blocks, and pieces all cut out and ready to go?  Gather them together! Give each already planned project its own gallon bag.  Insert the pieces (in whatever form they currently take) and the pattern (if you have it printed out).  Label the bag with the project name, and put all the partially finished projects in the same place. [I call this my “Icebox” because all the projects inside of it are hibernating!  Currently, my “Icebox” contains, among other projects, all the blocks for a quilt-as-you-go Halloween quilt, Half-Square Triangles in need of ironing, and blocks for a tee-shirt quilt in need of sashing.] Next time you are looking for a weekend project, go to your “Icebox” and grab whichever project inspires you at the moment.  For people who stress abou

Meet the Front and Back Stitch!  It's also called Alternating Single Crochet, but the technique can be applied to other basic stitches. Working in the front loop only and back loop only creates different textures than standard crochet, where you work in both loops.  Compare this stitch to Single Crochet and Single Crochet Ribbing You Will Need: Materials:   I used Hikoo Simpliworsted by Skacel.  Worsted Weight (4).  Superwash wool blend. Tools:   Since I used Worsted Weight Yarn, I grabbed my trusty H-8/5.0mm Skills:   Chain (CH), Skip (SK), Single Crochet (SC), Front Loop Only (flo), Back Loop Only (blo) The Front and Back Stitch Worked over an even number of stitches with a one row repeat. Foundation Row:  Chain an even number of stitches. Row 1:   CH 1, SK 1. SC to end. (Or, make one row of foundation single crochet) Row 2:  CH 1, SK 1.  SC 1 blo.  (SC 1 flo, SC 1 blo) to end. Continue to Repeat Row 2! The effect is most dramatic with single crochet.  To us

Welcome to the 2018 Crochet-a-long! Last fall, I wanted to design a crochet sampler afghan as a skill building project for new crocheters.  Since tackling an entire afghan can seem intimidating, I wrote the pattern one stitch at a time!  This pattern includes a new and interesting crochet stitch for every month.  If you make two blocks every month, by December you will have 24 8" x 8" blocks ready to turn into a cozy afghan! I added some "Prequel Blocks" for brand-new crocheters to learn the basic Single Crochet, Half Double Crochet, and Double Crochet stitches.  The January Block reviews basic stitches and the February Block teaches the Treble Crochet.  The rest of the blocks teach textured combination stitches:  Front and Back Stitch, Lemon Peel, Moss Stitch, Paired Single Crochet, Single Crochet Mesh, Suzette, Spider Stitch, Puffs, Bobbles, and Bullion Stitch. The patterns for individuals blocks will be published one at a time on Ravelry (The "Prequ

Step 1:  Let It Go. Are you overwhelmed by the idea of sorting through your fabric?  Do you feel guilty for ditching a project or letting it hibernate?  Do you have a bunch of fabric you purchased just because it was on sale, not because you loved it or had a use for it?  Do you have a hard time letting things go? If you answered “Yes” to any of these questions, blast the Frozen soundtrack and practice some radical self-love.  Life is too short for fabric to be an emotional burden. Get ready to let things go. Many of us hate getting rid of anything that we paid good money for or that could still be useful.  We feel guilty and wasteful. But let’s remember that we aren’t going to throw anything into the fire!  Fabric you decide not to keep should be given away or donated to a worthy cause. And it won’t be wasted.  It will get used. Maybe not by you, but by someone. The only things you should actually throw away are scraps smaller than 2 ½” x 2 ½”, or fabric that has been soiled, rip

This is the lovely, crunchy Lemon Peel! Also called the Crinkle Stitch (so cute!) and the Up and Down Stitch, this is a great go-to textured stitch to add visual interest to any project!  Gauge is similar to Half Double Crochet. You Will Need: Materials:  I used Hikoo Simpliworsted by Skacel.  Worsted Weight (4).  Superwash wool blend. Tools:  Since I used Worsted Weight Yarn, I grabbed my trusty H-8/5.0mm Skills:  Chain (CH), Skip (SK), Single Crochet (SC), Double Crochet (DC). The Lemon Peel Stitch Worked over an even number of stitches with a one row repeat. Foundation Row:  Chain an even number of stitches. Row 1:  CH 1, SK 1. SC to end. (Or, make one row of foundation single crochet) Row 2:  CH 2, SK 1.  DC 1.  (SC 1, DC 1) to end of row. (Be sure to CH 2 for the turning chain, or your edges will be tighter that the rest of the fabric.) Row 3:  Repeat Row 2!  This time, you will SC on top of the DC of the previous row, and DC on top of the SC!  You can see

Welcome to the new home of Vintage Vixen Press!  Please bear with me as I transition from WordPress to Blogger.  I'll be bringing over all the best posts and pages from WordPress, and leaving behind all the clutter.  The new website and blog will be more streamlined and focused on sharing skills and knowledge.  There will be no more affiliate links, but I will be using Google AdSense to help keep the website up and running.  If you would like to support this endeavor, you can share posts, follow me on Pinterest, and visit my Ravelry Shop . Vintage Vixen Press Mission Statement:   To share creative passion, fundamental skills, and learning experiences. To share creations, techniques, and artistry. Best, Madeline Creatrix, Vintage Vixen Press

This is a very simple quilt that I created for a very special niece.  These juvenile prints prints in bright colors made the quilt very fun to piece!  The pattern is a basic square-in-square, great for precuts.  I used 60 charm squares and 40 jelly roll strips, but a variety of fat quarters would do the trick! "The Danica" Block Size:  8" x 8" Layout:  6 columns of 10 blocks each, with 4" borders. Quilt Dimensions:  56" x  88" (extra-long twin) Materials:   Blocks:  2/3 yd each of 10 fabrics  (or 40 jelly roll strips & 60 charm squares) Border: 7/8 yd, cut into 4 1/2" strips Binding:  1/2 yd, cut into 2" strips, joined diagonally. Batting:  Twin (at least 60" x 90") Backing:  2 1/2 yds Minky (60" width of fabric) Directions: Cut each of the 10 fabrics as follows: Step One:  4 strips 2 1/2" x 42" (Width of Fabric), subcut into (12) 4 1/2" and (12) 8 1/2" rectangles. Step Two:  2

I'm on a family road trip this weekend. Naturally, I brought a crafty project along to keep busy in the car. I'm working on Hester Hedgehog, a special creation for my godson. Crochet on the Go Kit Smallest current project & its yarn 1 crochet hook Tiny Scissors with a sheath Yarn Needle All this fits in a little clutch that I can throw in my purse or leave in the car. It is MUCH smaller than my usual work bag. And, since this is a fairly labor intensive project, I'm not worried about running out of things to do.