New Crochet Patterns and Golden Rum Cake!

I thought it would be great to share a new recipe today and also show you my newest crochet pattern available through my Etsy Shop, plus give you a sneak preview for a second pattern that will be released in a few short days.  If you're a regular follower of my blogs, you know I'm a bit eclectic and jump from one type of project to another, from rug hooking to punch needle to crochet to quilting and so on.  Are you like that, or do you tend to stick to one or two types of handcrafting that you particularly enjoy?

I'm excited about my newest crochet pattern, "Tutti Frutti", which is a super-cute crocheted purse for a favorite little girl in your life.  It's easy to complete, because I include lots of simple instruction and over 50 step-by-step color photographs, all wrapped up nice and pretty in an easy instant download:

I crochet when I'm watching television in the evenings with my hubby or when I'm on the road and can't take big projects with me.  I'll bet you've been on car trips or camping or stuck in a hotel room wishing you could be doing something--anything with your hands, and my crochet patterns are just the trick!  You can get your own "Tutti Frutti" instructions in my Etsy shop called Lollypoppers, and I hope you enjoy it!

Of course, in all that free time I have (not!), I am just finishing up a crochet pattern for another child's purse called "Tropical Fruit".  Here's a pic of the flap for the front of the purse, which will be embellished with colorful beads, hearts and other things little girls love.

This pattern will also be available in my Lollypoppers shop on Etsy in just a couple more days, so be sure and check back!

Drumroll, Please . . .

It's time for a new recipe that I cannot resist!  I'm fond of cakes, and in particular very moist cakes, and this Golden Rum Cake fits the bill.  I found this recipe courtesy of Souchef Secrets and I hope you enjoy it!

Golden Rum Cake (Yum!)

Ingredients

1 cup chopped walnuts
1 (3.4 ounce) package instant vanilla pudding mix
4 eggs
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup dark rum

Glaze
1/2 cup butter
1/4 cup water
1 cup white sugar
1/2 cup dark rum

Directions
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Grease and flour a 10 inch Bundt pan. Sprinkle chopped nuts evenly over the bottom of the pan.

In a large bowl, combine cake mix and pudding mix. Mix in the eggs, 1/2 cup water, oil and 1/2 cup rum. Blend well. Pour batter over chopped nuts in the pan.

Bake in the preheated oven for 60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean. Let sit for 10 minutes in the pan, then turn out onto serving plate.
 
Make Glaze: In a saucepan, combine butter, 1/4 cup water and 1 cup sugar. Bring to a boil over medium heat and continue to boil for 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and stir in 1/2 cup rum.

Brush glaze over top and sides. Allow cake to absorb glaze and repeat until all glaze is used.

That's It For Today!

I'm headed back to my worktable to finish up my newest crochet pattern and also bang away at a hooked rug I've been working on that I hope you'll like.  I hope you are enjoying life wherever you area, and in the meantime, Happy Stitchin'!  xoxo--Melanie

New Design "Krazy Kats" and Part 2 Tutorial on How to Make It!

Many of you heard about my latest design, "Krazy Kats," a great little 15" candle mat.  The pattern and kit are ready!  This 15" candle mat is fun to make and works up quickly because there aren't a lot of little pieces you need to stitch around (the smallest pieces are bonded on with fusible webbing). The pattern is $9.99 or the kit/pattern combo is $27.99, you can get them both here with a special 10% off this week.  Just enter the code "10 PERCENT" when you check out through the shopping cart.

Depending on your pocketbook, you can make the candle mat in 100% wool or in Woolfelt (a wool/rayon blend), and either way it turns out great.  If you're no good at choosing colors or simply don't have the time, remember I'm offering a Krazy Kats Kit containing the pattern and all the National Nonwovens Woolfelt you need to make your own Krazy Kats.  I've simplified this candle mat pattern with a new and improved template for the scalloped background, and I created the other templates in a computer graphics program so they are accurate and easy to cut out.  Also, as you see in Part 2 of my tutorial below, the smallest pieces are bonded on with fusible webbing and the stitches are simplified so you don't get mired down with tiny details.

So are you ready for the final Part 2 of my tutorial on how to make "Krazy Kats"?  In Part 1, I showed you how I use freezer paper to stabilize the wool, make the scalloped background piece and temporarily attach the template pieces with washable fabric glue.  Now I'm going to show you how to embellish it and complete your candle mat.  Here we go!

Tutorial Part 2 - Finishing Your Candle Mat!

Click Here for Part 1

Stop Those Mice!

Some of the pattern pieces, like the mice the cat eyes, can't get lost easily and are too small to stitch around.  I solve that with the use of fusible webbing, such as Heat-n-Bond that you can find in your local fabric store.  Simply trace the smallest template pieces on the paper side of fusible webbing and then gently iron them into place.  That keeps the those small pieces from fraying and moving and also alleviates the need to stitch those tiny parts down!  I follow that with a little trick I've developed using scotch tape.  I've found that the edges of some of the smaller pieces tend to fray as I repeatedly handle the candle mat while applying my embellishing stitches that I'll discuss later.  I solve that by applying a couple pieces of scotch tape over the top of the mice, small flowers, the bird and other small pieces that tend to fray.  I leave the scotch tape in place until I'm done stitching everything else and then remove it and embellish those pieces:

Let's Get Stitchin'!

I never make any secret of the fact that my favorite part of working with wool is the hand-stitching and embellishing.  I love to sit in front of a warm fire in the evenings and do some stitching while the hubby dials through the television schedule, and even I've been known to take my stitching along for when the fishing is bad!  Some gals tell me the embellishing part is a little fearful for them because they are not sure how to do the stitches or it feels tedious.  My pattern gives very good detail on how to do the three simple stitches used in this project, (1) the blanket stitch, (2) the french knot, and (3) the simple cross stitch.  Not only are there diagrams so you can see how the stitches should look, but I've included good detail on how to complete them.  You're going to whip through this in no time!

The stitch used the most in Krazy Kats is the blanket stitch.  It's also sometimes called the buttonhole stitch (depending upon your, uh, age, and what part of the country you come from).  The blanket stitch is very easy to master and you can get a good rhythm in a short time, and I love the way it nicely finishes the edges of the template pieces.  I used two strands of brown embroidery floss and the blanket stitch around the edge of each cat and around their noses, tongues, hair bows, etc.  I also used it around the birds and all around the outside edge of the mat, which we'll go into later.  You can see how I worked my way around some of these pieces:

Details, Details . . .

In my opinion, it's the little details that make your candle mat a stunning success and the envy of your friends and in-laws.  Once the basic pieces are stitched into place, anchor the eyes, the centers of the flowers and the mouse noses with a simple "x" in the center.  They were already fused into place using the fusible webbing in one of the previous steps, so a tiny cross stitch in the center is all that is needed to secure them and make them decorative.   

At first I was going to use a detailed stem stitch to make the lines underneath the cats' noses, and then realized a single, simple stitch was all that was needed to divide the cheeks, so to speak.  Just bring your needle loaded with black embroidery floss up directly under the nose and then back down again at chin level.  Take out the slack and secure your stitch on the back side with a knot and you are done!

And what about them kitty whiskers?  Simple french knots done with three strands of black embroidery floss.  Easy-peasy and fun to do!

Does Your Candle Mat Look Lumpy and Bumpy?

Mine did too!  You'll notice your wool pieces look lumpy and my stitches appear uneven and distorted.  Don't get discouraged, because it's easy to make your candle mat look smooth and your stitches appear perfect!  The solution is to cover your candle mat with a thin protective cloth, like an old dish towel or pillow case, and then use a hot steam iron to press out all the lumps and bumps.  Instantly, your mat will smooth out and your stitches will look professional!

The Finishing Touches

(or How to Make Your Sister-in-Law Jealous)!

One of my little joys in life is to make my in-laws jealous and wish they had a cute Krazy Kats candle mat in their houses too!  The finishing touches on your candle mat are easy and fast to complete.  My pattern instructs you to make two scalloped background pieces, one for the front of the mat and one for the back.  If you refer to Part 1 of my Krazy Kats Tutorial, you'll see how we used freezer paper you can find in your grocery store to easily transfer the scalloped background template onto your wool or Woolfelt.

Place the front and back scalloped pieces with wrong sides together and pin them together with straight pins. Since you handled the front a lot during the stitching and embellishing process, it might not exactly match the scalloped backing piece, but don't worry.  Simply adjust the edges as you pin them together, and make a slight snip here and there with your scissors where necessary.

We'll finish the scalloped edge with the blanket stitch, which will make your candle mat look finished and wonderful.  I used four strands of light brown embroidery floss, but you can use whatever color you like.  It might even be nice to pick up the light blue of the bird around the outside edge of your mat.  The choice is yours!

Play it Again, Sam!

That's right, repeat giving your candle mat another good pressing with a hot steam iron and a protective cloth and you are ready to put it with the other things you love on your kitchen table or china hutch!

Get 10% Off Krazy Kats!

Remember that during this introductory week, you can order the pattern or kit here with 10% OFF!  Just enter the code "10 PERCENT" when you check out through the shopping cart! If you are already a wool-lover and have your own stash of lovely hand-dyed wools, then ordering just the Krazy Kats Pattern ($9.99) is right for you.  If you don't have a large stash of wool or want to keep things simple, I'm also offering my Krazy Kats Kit for $27.95 which contains the pattern and all the National Nonwovens Woolfelt you need to complete your own candle mat. (National Nonwovens Woolfelt is a blend of rayon and pure wool that does a very nice, inexpensive job on your candle mat).

Don't Forget to Join the American Pie Birthday Club!

I've yacked before about the Birthday Club and the great benefits you'll get when you join, and the response has been overwhelming!  I've added a new 10% off coupon when you join, and here's the new details:

• It's free to join (always and forever).
• You get an INSTANT COUPON FOR 10% OFF everything on my website.
• When your birthday time comes around, you'll receive a SPECIAL COUPON GOOD FOR 25% OFF all during your birthday month.
• You are automatically entered in current and future contest to WIN FREE PATTERNS AND OTHER PRIZES!
• You are always FIRST TO KNOW when new patterns are available so you can take advantage of special sales and discounts.

Just click here, enter your name and email address (yes, it's confidential) and in a few seconds you'll be a member.  I hope you'll join!

That's it for today.  I hope you enjoy these tutorials and they make creating your own "Krazy Kats" candle mat a fun project.  Please don't hesitate to leave me a comment or email me if you have any questions.  In the meantime, Happy Stitchin'!  xoxo--Melanie

An Easy Way to Know How Much Wool You Need for your Hooked Rug!

Guessing and then hoping for the best.  When it comes to rug hooking, we've all done it--guessing how much wool we need to finish hooking an area and then hoping we're right and we don't have to start over or choose from substitutions.  Here's a time-tested method for calculating how much wool you'll need!

The whole key to figuring wool is to "square off" the portion you want to hook, like a square or rectangle.  Let's say you're hooking a horse in the center of your design.  Simply measure the height of the horse and then the width, and then multiply those two numbers together.  We then multiply that number by the strip size number shown below.

Let's say you are using a #8 cut of wool (wool strips cut to approximately 1/4" wide) and your horse is roughly 6" tall by 10" wide, or a total of 60".  You would simply multiply 60 by the strip size number below to know how many total inches of wool you need to finish your horse.  In this case, I would multiply 60 by 6 to arrive at 360 inches of wool to finish my horse:

Cut of Wool :                              Strip Size Number:
#3 or #4 (up to 1/8" Wide)                        4
#5 or #6 (up to 6/32" Wide)                      5
#7 or #8 (up to 1/4" Wide)                        6
#9 or #10 (up to 1/2" Wide)                      8

You then take the total (in this case we've arrived at 360) and use it to see how much yardage we'll need to complete the horse. Using the handy cheat sheet below, I know I'll need roughly a quarter yard of washed, pre-cut wool:

If you need up to 52 inches, you'll need 1/32 yard (a 3.25" x 16" piece or a 6.5" x 8" piece)
If you need up to 104 inches, you'll need 1/16 yard (a 6.5" x 16" piece or an 8" x 13" piece of wool)
If you need up to 208 inches, you'll need 1/8 yard (a 13" x 16" piece of wool)
If you need up to 416 inches, you'll need 1/4 yard (a 16" x 26" piece of wool)
If you need up to 832 inches, you'll need 1/2 yard (a 26" x 32" piece of wool)
If you need up to 1,248 inches, you'll need 3/4 yard
If you need up to 1,664 inches, you'll need 1 yard (a 32" x 52" piece of wool)

I know that 1/4 yard of wool is probably a little more than I will need to finish my horse, but my RULE OF THUMB is to always calculate in a little more wool than I need, especially if I am hooking a background.

I hope this gets you well on your way to easily figuring how much wool you need to hook your next rug.  I'm back to my work table this morning to finish up the last bit of stitching on my new "Krazy Kats" candle mat design I promised to release this week. Check out Part 1 of my tutorial on making "Krazy Kats", with the final Part 2 tutorial coming in a couple of days.  In the meantime, Happy Stitchin'!   xoxo--Melanie
 

Tutorial for New "Krazy Kats" Candle Mat - Part 1 of 2

My newest design is well underway, called "Krazy Kats", for a 15-inch candle mat I'm making in both 100% wool and also with National Nonwovens Woolfelt (a wool/rayon blend that looks and acts a lot like 100% wool). You'll find that National Nonwovens Woolfelt is inexpensive, comes in many wonderful colors and is ready to use as-is (it won’t fray).  You can usually find both regular 100% wool (hand or factory dyed) and National Nonwovens Woolfelt at your local fabric or quilt shop and in many places on the internet.  However, If you don't enjoy shopping for wool or would rather have everything in one place, I'll also be offering a kit next week on this blog and through my website at www.americanpiedesigns.com,

I promised a tutorial for "Krazy Kats" while I'm developing the full pattern, and I wanted to get you started with how easy and fun this candle mat is to make.  Unfortunately, you might not get away with making just one when your in-laws see how cute your alley cats turn out!  So let's begin . . .

Photo of Unfinished Candle Mat

Here's How it Looks on the Drawing Board!

Step 1 - The Scalloped Background

In the pattern I'm releasing next week, you'll find a template for the scalloped background pieces you'll make for the front and back of your candle mat.  The first step in creating your mat is to trace the scalloped template onto the non-shiny side of common freezer paper you can find in your grocery store.  We use freezer paper because (1) it's cheap and readily available, (2) we can iron it to our wool or Woolfelt and it won't leave a sticky residue, and (3) it stabilizes the wool while you cut out your templates.

Place the freezer paper against your wool or Woolfelt with the shiny side facing the wool and iron it to your wool with a fairly hot iron:

With a pair of sharp scissors, cut out your background piece along the traced lines and then peel away the freezer paper to reveal your perfect background piece.  Repeat for the back of the candle mat and then set these pieces aside for now.  Remember not to worry, because the freezer paper peels away without leaving any residue on your wool!

Step 2 - Let's Make Some Cats!

The full paper pattern will also supply you with all the templates you need to make the cats and their little friends, the mice and birds. Remember, if you don't enjoy shopping for wool or would rather have everything in one place, I'll also be offering a kit next week with all the National Nonwovens Woolfelt you'll need to create your own candle mat.

As with the scalloped background, you'll just need to trace those templates onto the non-shiny side of freezer paper and then cut them out with sharp scissors.  The following photo shows you what your freezer paper looks like when it is ironed to the wool.  Again, the freezer paper will easily peel away and won't leave a residue!

 Step 3 - Arranging the Pieces on the Background

Once you are done cutting out all the pieces, just peel the freezer paper away and position them on the background.  In my pattern, I will provide a full-color photograph of the finished candle mat, as well as a master diagram so you can see how to easily position your template pieces. Some are small (like the eyes and noses), so if you are like me this will be the most time-consuming part of completing your candle mat, but it's still fun!

When you are satisfied with the layout, we'll use washable fabric glue to temporarily tack the pieces into place.  If you make a mistake, remove the template piece and dab it with a warm washcloth to remove the glue.

Looks Hard, But It's Simple!

You can see by now that by breaking this candle mat down into simple steps, it makes it very easy to complete your own candle mat that will look adorable on your table or china hutch.  And remember not to panic if you're no good at picking colors or if you don't want to shop for your own wool or Woolfelt, because the kit will be available next week too!

Step 4 - What's Coming Up Next . . .

Here's how our candle mat looks so far. In Part 2 of my Tutorial, I show you how to embellish and finish your candle mat with simple stitches, and we'll add the eyes, face details and some other surprises along the way.  And I do mean the stitches will be simple!  If you've never done embroidery stitches before like the blanket stitch or the french knot, my pattern will have very complete details on how to do these stitches, along with diagrams so you can get them just right.

I hope you've enjoyed Part 1 of my tutorial for "Krazy Kats".  Stay tuned for the final Part 2 coming in a couple of days and for the pattern and kit release next week.  Please leave me a post if you have any questions or if there is something you would like to see added to this tutorial.  In the meantime, have a great week, and Happy Stitchin'!  xoxo--Melanie