PRIVATE CROCHET LESSON- FLOWER MOTIF CHAIR MAT VOL. 2

After about a week, I had a second lesson on a flower mat making with one of my students 🙂

She’s studying at a college for her master’s degree in the early morning as well as in the evening, so I was wondering if she could finish making the rest of the flowers in time… but here you go. She’s great!!! She managed making everything! 😀

So today, it was all about joining those motifs… This part is not much fun for me and I guess for a lot others neither.

She looked a little struggled, but… voila. She’s done up to the 2nd row in today’s lesson 🙂 Very well done!!!!!

The rest of joining works and edging will be her homework, but I can’t wait to see her finished work ♡ Hope she’ll send me a photo when she’s done with it! In the very end of our lesson, she gave me a lovely handmade card, decorated with quilling. You can see some of her works on her blog here 🙂 Thank you for your lovely message again!!

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A sneak peak of my recent work… I’m making a bigger mat for my coming baby boy ♡ I’m so excited about my big life-changing event 🙂

Private crochet lesson- Flower motif chair mat vol. 1

One of my students at Michaels contacted me and we had a private crochet lesson today 🙂

Since we shared the basic information via email, she got all the materials we needed for the class. In her email, she said she had purchased “pink, orange and white yarn” but when she showed up today, she was carrying a huge travel bag!!!

In the bag, there were lots and lots of yarn balls!! She said she couldn’t pick up “the one”… so … voila. These are the all she had brought to the class today!! 😀 So funny but sweet ♡♡♡

After hearing her most favorite color choice and examining the yarns, we decided the color combinations for her first flower mat project.

We worked hard, but at the same time, we talked a lot and shared cultural backgrounds… It’s a lot different from her country, India, to my country, Japan, and where we are now, the US. It was so much fun to work with her today!!!

I’m looking forward to seeing lots of beautiful flower motifs in our next lesson! 🙂

Till then, I hope she’ll do well at her graduate school as well!! Hearing the story of her attending classes at 7-9am and 7-9pm was quite inspiring and motivating for me! I now feel I should use my time more effectively to use my brain as well!! ♡

CROCHET CLASS – FLOWER MOTIFS CHAIR MAT 2 –

3 weeks after our 1st crochet class of the chair mat lessons, we got together and had a 2nd class. I was excited to see that everyone had beautifully made the flower motifs by then!!

 

Each looks really different just by how they put colors together 🙂

 

The blue, black and gray version is made after her (Lady A) son’s soccer club team colors. We thought it would look more boy-like, but actually, they came out really cute. They even reminded us of “marimekko”. I hope she’ll make another one with red as well 😀 I’d love to see it ♡

The dark green, light green and white version is made to match her (Lady B) couch colors. To my surprise, she almost finished making 3 color variations in these 3 weeks! I can’t wait to see her finished work 🙂

The light blue, white and purple version is made for herself (Lady C). She loves light blue and I think the colors remind me of “FROZEN”!!! I’m sure girls will love it ♡

 

As always, it was super fun to crochet at a bright space with a cup of tea and some sweets when the sun is there 🙂

In the lesson, our goal was to joint 7 flower petals together. And now, to joint all the petals and hopefully finish up the edge is their homework by the end of March!!

I’m very much looking forward to receiving their finished items’ photos ♡

Thank you for joining the class 😀 Happy crocheting ♡

Mommy crocheting with her baby – flower garland with kid’s names :D

I had one of my friends coming over to my place for a private crochet lesson 🙂

She made a flower garland with her son’s name on it about 2 years ago, and this time, she wanted to make one with her second child’s name on. She said she didn’t crochet for a long time, but after a few trials, her speed got much faster. Yay!!

She always crochet in her unique style. What I like about her style is that she holds the yarn ball so that her baby can’t play around and make a mess with it. I think when I have my own baby, I’ll do the same style with her 🙂

After working for several hours, she’s completed making new pink garland!! Together with her son’s, they look really cute!! I think I’m going to make one for mine when I know his name 🙂

After we said goodbye, she sent me a photo how she decided to decorate them at home ♡♡♡

I can’t say anything but “they look soooooo cute!!!!” ♡

Feeling very happy to share a peaceful handmade time with a good friend ♡

Crochet class – Flower motifs chair mat 1 –

After maybe 6 months of absence, I had some mamas coming over and held a crochet class at home. The theme was “flower chair mat”. I love this pattern and many of those who saw the actual mat, they gave me some compliments 🙂

I usually prepare yarns that we use in a lesson, but this time, I’ve asked them to bring their favorite colors. Just as color references, I picked up photos online and showed these samplings to them. It’s interesting how the atmosphere completely changes just by colors!!

What they brought were completely different than those reference picture above, but I can’t wait to see how they will look like in the end 😀 The next lesson will be in 3 weeks and I hope everyone will finish making the flower motifs in time ♡

What I love in teaching Crochet…

I’ve been teaching crochet at home and at a craft store for quite a while now.

What I love in teaching crochet is that my students can be anyone and I get to know so many different people! My youngest students are 7 years-old, and the oldest is 84 years-old!! I have both male and female students, and they came from varieties places on the earth!! It’s so fun to get to know new people 🙂

She’s started trying a new hobby in her mid-80’s. So energetic!

Many of them, who come to my place are those who never crocheted before but always wanted to give it a try. So, I teach from the very basic, starting from how to hold tools, make basic stitches, read patterns and symbols (sometimes both in English and Japanese)…

 

The very first stitch we’ll have to master is “chain stitch” and kids really have fun making a long chain!!

Girls in 3rd-4th grades can make their own hair accessories with this crafting. We’ve made scrunchy and hair bows. I love it 🙂

 

One new grand-mom has recently finished making her first crochet work for her new-born grand-son!! I was so happy to spend pleasant time with her 🙂

 

The most popular projects so far is this flower mat.

 

Now, 3 of my students are working one the same flower mat project, (and there are so many who want to try later) and I can’t wait to see the finished work! 😀

 

Maybe it’s your turn to try crocheting? If you want to join us, please let me know 🙂

Summer is almost over and the yarn season is coming…!! 😀

1st Birthday!!! Love gifts.

My best friend’s baby boy turned 1 recently, and my friend held a big birthday party for him.

I wanted to give something special, and so I prepared several handmade gifts to him.

1st item is a photo panel. I love this photo!! A while ago, he was so little, even smaller than my dolls. He’s much bigger than them now… so, looking at this photo reminds me how fast he has been growing up!!

2nd item is a name pin. Oops, I don’t have a good picture of the item…

3rd item is a bow tie. I made one for him and another bigger one with pins at the back for his mom.

His outfit was matching well with the bow tie! I was so happy to see that 🙂

Seeing him growing so fast just next to my friend, it’s a joy for me! Thanks always for making me smile 🙂

Then, it’s my friend’s birthday!! Wish you will have a wonderful year ahead and explore a lot of new things and new world with me 🙂 ♡

 

Ready for “Trick or Treat”? Here is the last minute easy Halloween project!

Are you ready for this year’s Halloween??

If you have kids and haven’t gotten the idea yet, you must be thinking what to do for them. Even if you don’t have kids, you might be thinking what to prepare at your house for the kids!!

It’s going to be my first Halloween to stay at home in California. Last year, I was back in Japan at that time of the year.
So, I’m excited to see how kids are dressed when they come to my house 🙂 I should get ready for the day, getting hundreds of candies!!

 

Today, I want to share my “within 1 hour Halloween project”. They are little cute pumpkin earrings.

If you wear them on Halloween, people will look at you and definitely notice that you’re in the mood and ready for the event!!
If you make them for your kids, your pumpkins will look brilliant with the pumpkins!!

You can also use this pumpkin as an applique. It’s only an idea but decorating a simple T-shirt with lots of these pumpkins will be really cute!! Using this pumpkin as a zipper charm is also a good idea 🙂

As usual, I’ve put many step-by-step photos in the pattern, so I hope lots of you will enjoy making them 🙂

Happy crocheting ♡

Something blue. Blue brings happiness!

On the wedding day, people say it’s good to have something blue. So, how do you think about asking ring bearers to have this blue backpack?

It’s my fourth animal backpack series, an elephant!

This is originally made upon a request of my friend. I hope she will like it!!

It’s a perfect size to carry 4 diapers and baby wipes, so I think it’ll be a perfect DIY/handmade baby shower gift 🙂
It can also carry toys or snacks, so it’ll also be a great DIY/handmade birthday gift 🙂

If you feel like making one for your cuties, please visit my shops below 🙂

Happy crocheting ♥♥♥

Eco-friendly bag for summer??

I was on holiday in Hawaii in early June and after that, I’ve been lazy…!! And now, June is almost over… !!!

I made a new pattern a while ago but forgot to introduce it here, so I’m uploading some photos of my new pattern!! It’s a bag pattern, simple but cute, made with jute strings.

You can carry your wallet, books, phone, towels and some other things in this bag. The handles are long enough to carry comfortably on your shoulder.

When I went out to Jo-Ann with this bag, the person from the shop was really interested in my bag and was asking about the pattern! I was so flattered!!

If you feel like making one for yourself, please visit my shops below 🙂

We haven’t had rain in California for quite a while now. I wonder how it is like in the other areas in the US. I’ve heard that we will have a lot of rain in winter though. I prefer sunny days, but if we have too much rain this winter, I guess I need to stay at home and think about more and more new patterns!!

Happy crocheting ♡

Flowers bring smile :)

A while ago, I joined in volunteering at Random Acts of Flowers, and I made beautiful flower bouquets. Those flowers were donated from Whole foods/Costco/ some others places and we arranged them nicely to be delivered to senior’s care homes or hospitals.

Recycling and repurposing flowers… how good it is!! While I was doing flower arrangement, I was amazed how happy we could be with beautiful flowers.

Then, I made a new crochet pattern with flowers. It’s a head band/ flower wreath.

This is how it looks like on my head. You can easily adjust the size 🙂

If you feel like making one for your cuties or for yourself, please visit my shops below 🙂

I hope these flower wreath will brighten up people’s faces and bring lots of happiness 🙂

Hope I will make more of beautiful flower bouquets as well as flower related patterns!

Happy crocheting ♡

Gifts to my friends' babies :)

A lot of my close friends are now getting to be moms. A week ago, three of us decided to meet for lunch and the other two were new moms. Then, I wanted to give them something I made. After considering a while, I looked for a  baby shoes pattern on Etsy and I’ve bought a pattern on TwoGirlsPatterns shop.

I followed the instruction and then, I’ve got two pairs of cute booties!! One is for my friend’s baby girl and the other is for my friend’s baby boy 😀

It was my first experience to make pairs of baby shoes!! I was really happy that the moms liked them when I gave these 🙂

For these two pairs, I followed the instruction for 0-6month’s baby. But 4 month baby’s feet were bigger than I thought and I think I should have tried for 7-12month’s baby pattern for her. Babies grow up really fast!!

This is how it looks on a 2 month baby. Cute! But it’s easily slipped off from the feet, so I think I should probably add straps for him 🙂

Thanks Kris and Lorin for a cute pattern!! They have lots of cute baby shoes’ pattern, so if some of you are interested in those, please check their website and shop 🙂

Happy crocheting ♡

The third animal on my backpack series…

April has come today!! April usually is the start of a new year for schools and companies in Japan. With the cherry blossoms blooming everywhere, I’ve always felt fresh and really special on this day. But now being in California, the cherry blossoms bloomed a month ago and nothing has a fresh start today… so I thought of making a new pattern on my web shop 🙂

Here, I’ve added my third animal on my crochet backpack pattern series!!

Yes, it’s a lion!! I love the bright orange color on it 🙂

The backpack on a newborn baby… how small the baby is!!! Oops… he hasn’t really carried the backpack… :p

Diapers and the baby wipes, or snacks can be carried in the backpack 🙂

I hope this backpack will be like a Hermes’s or Louis Vuitton’s bag for someone small!!

If you feel like making one for your cuties, please visit my shops below 🙂

I hope the new year ahead will be a productive one for me and for all of you who visited here to read my posts 🙂

Happy crocheting ♡

Bear Backpack for your little one

Today, I’ve added my second backpack pattern on my crochet pattern shop 🙂 After a bunny, there comes a bear 😀

There are two types of faces you can make, following my instructions. I personally prefer the bear with darker color and with mouth part on it.

Here is how it looks like on a small gentleman’s back.

I love it…

Really really adorable!! Oh, I wish I had a baby for myself already!! 🙂

You can put baby’s/toddler’s diapers and wipes, or snacks 🙂 They can carry it by themselves, so I believe you will have less things to carry!!

If you feel like making one for your cuties, please visit my shops below 🙂

Happy crocheting ♡

Bunny Backpack for the little ones!!

I’m so happy to finally share this lovely bunny backpack crochet pattern with you!! I’ve originally made this backpack for one of my friends’ kids. The little backpack looked really cute on their back, and a lot of others admired the work. So, I’d been thinking it would be nice to make a pattern so that more people can make one for their loving little one!!

I know babies and toddlers are very cute, and they look really cute even from the back with a puffy butt, which I think makes babies look like babies. Now with this backpack on their back, don’t you think they look super cute?

So, this is the bunny backpack. You can put your babies’ diapers or snacks and they can carry them by themselves, which gives you less things to carry when you go out!! 🙂 It’s not just cute but also really useful!!

It took me quite a lot of time and effort to make the pattern, but the easy-to-follow crochet pattern for the bunny backpack is now available on Craftsy and Etsy!! If you are interested in, please come visit my shop below 🙂

The Easter is just around the corner, so maybe it’s a good time to crochet bunny at this time of the year! Happy crocheting ♡

Lovely flower cushion

I have something that I’ve wanted to upload here, but it took me time to do that since my parents were visiting me here in California from Japan. We went to lots of places together!! I just quickly want to share the most beautiful scenery we’ve seen together at Big Sur. I’d never seen a waterfall falling into the ocean anywhere before!! If you are planning a trip in the west coast, I think this is a kind of place you’d better visit!!

Now, finally, please let me introduce my new works here. TA-DA—-!!! They are beautiful cushions made with lots of flowers!! I’ve asked my little people to help me to introduce the works. I haven’t even introduced my little people, have I? Let me introduce them properly to you some other time!!

I’ve combined some colors of yarns which I had at home. One is with light-green, purple, navy and gray.

The other is with orange, pink, white and light-pink. These are more like my kind of colors, but I also liked the other one 🙂

I normally place them on the stools.

… but, I think my little people like to lay down on the cushion 😀 They look as if they are laying down in the field of flowers!!

I think it will be cute to make a cushion cover with those flowers although I don’t know if I’ll do that since it takes me quite lots of time to make lots of flowers …

Thanks to the pattern on a Japanese creator, ayuca-san, I’ve enjoyed making them 😀

Happy crocheting ♡

My FAVORITE Feminine Pearl Earrings

Today, I’ve added a new pattern on my pattern shop. This is how they look like 🙂 I think with those pearls and those elegant colors of tiny threads, they add an elegant atmosphere on you.

This is how it looks like on me. I love the beige color, so I pick up that color for myself.

I’ve made some other colors of earrings to one of my best friend and her mom ♡

I’ve poured a lot of efforts and love in making the 9 pages of PDF pattern files, so I’ll be happy if they will brings lots of smily faces on beautiful ladies all over the world!! I’ve explained every details of the crocheting part as well as the beading part with many photos, so I think this project is suitable for everybody 🙂 ♡

With just a little portion of threads and pearls and within a few hours of creative work, you will get a gorgeous earrings 😀

The easy-to-follow crochet pattern for the feminine pearl earrings is now available on Craftsy and Etsy!! If you are interested in, please come visit my shop below 🙂

Happy crocheting ♡

Decorating Louis Vuitton Bag

One of my friends asked me if I can make her a set of handle covers for her Louis Vuitton bag. She told me that  the leather absorbed the sweat/oil and other things and the handle parts got darker as she always used that. So, she was looking for handle covers which were removable and washable.

According to her request, I’ve started making a handle cover for her gorgeous bag. We went to a yarn shop together to get ideal colors of yarns.

Now I’d like to share with you how I’ve decorated those handles. This is the original bag.

I’ve made those handle covers as how my friend has ordered to me. After I’ve crocheted the covers and sewed the pink pearls, I and my friend sewed the zippers together, one for each.

She wanted to put flowers to decorate one side of the handle, so I’ve made them 🙂

Finally, we’ve got those covers.

She decided to make the flowers removable as well. This is how the bag looks like without the flowers.

Then, this is how it looks like with the flowers!!

I’m happy since my client is very happy with them 😀
The best thing about handmade is you can get what you want!!

I’m super satisfied with the outcome!! Happy crocheting ♡

Decorate your workspace!!

It’s been a while since I last posted a blog here. I had been working on some new works, but I just couldn’t find time to update all of them here…!! Now I have so much to write, I will try to keep updating a lot here 🙂

Recently, I’m in love with my can cover which I’ve created the design itself. I’ve made them because I wanted to keep my beads nicely so that when my friends came to my place for the workshop, everybody will know where to put those beads and it will be easy to share those beads. So, first, I just tried to put them in an empty can…The idea was good. They did the job but it didn’t look good. So, I started making covers for the cans.

Here is the before and after photo. I think those cans in cover look much better and I really like the designs.

I originally wanted to make them very colorful, but my husband liked to keep them simple, so I’ve decided to go with beige&black, beige&white and beige&brown. They look cute together!!

I am not usually good at organize things but I think those cans will help me to make my rooms less messy and more beautiful!!

 

I’ve made the pattern for this can cover. It will fit any size of square-bottomed cans. I hope you will recycle your empty cans to something cute with your favorite colors of yarns!! 🙂

The easy-to-follow crochet pattern for this stylish can cover is now available on Craftsy and Etsy!! If you are interested in, please come visit my shop below 🙂

It might will be a good idea for the upcoming valentine’s gift or somebody’s birthday gifts? In Japan, Valentine’s days are for the girls to give chocolates and gifts to their loving one (boys). Maybe he/she will be happy to put those simple but cute cans on their workspaces!!  🙂

Happy crocheting ♡

Happy New Year 2015 :D

It’s been a week since the new year, 2015, has started!!! But, better late than never!! So, here I say, “Happy new year!! Hope everyone who visit my blog will have a wonderful and adventurous year in 2015!”

I am so glad to share this with you… On the very end of 2014, one of my free patterns got ranked in “Top 20 Free Crocheting Pattern” on Craftsy!!

This is a small achievement, but I hope I will achieve something more in 2015 😀

Happy creating something cute for your loving people ♡