First a note: In our community of knitters, crocheters and sewists there are many designers who blog. They try their dead level best to get it right. Those bloggers... well known and little known should get kudos for being willing to put themselves out there and we should be polite enough to criticize gently. This art that we do is a haven for many in the midst of storms in life. Let's be fair to one another. 💖 Maria Weaber of Maria's Blue Crayon is the subject of today's combined blog! There were so many great ideas on Maria's Blue Crayon that could hardly wait for the opportunity to share the highlights. We did have a craft sale to get out of the way first :) Now things are back to normal and today's designer is a WOW so just hold on for awesomeness.
Maria Weaber's story is here on her blog. I love the fact that she learned to crochet from her mom and now she takes the opportunity to help us learn new and creative ways to use crochet. Personally, I struggled to know where to begin with Maria Weaber's designs so I thought I would start where she started, with blankets! Fair warning, these designs will have your brain fairly exploding with great ideas for charity crafting.
Hats, scarves, and cowls have become an important part of donation for myself and my family. We run the Northern Adirondack Hats of Hope Initiative out of our home. We have an amazing team of coworkers who have given from their hearts. (even to their own hurt financially). We really appreciate designers like Maria Weaber for producing patterns at no cost for our use.
Toys and play therapy can be a fun way to help kids open up when they have been through a difficult time. Toys are also perfect for donation to charities like Operation Christmas Child. Maria Weaber has created some of the most adorable Amigurumi toys for kids or decoration.
There is SO much more to Maria's Blue Crayon. The blog is well laid out, there are apparel and bag patterns, tutorials, link parties, and even a mailing list to join! You can find Maria's Blue Crayon on Facebook, Instagram, and Ravelry. I want to thank Maria Weaber for all the free patterns she provides on her blog. These free patterns will do so much good for others. If you visit her blog please thank Maria Weaber for all her help.
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Do you prep for the holidays early or do you donate Winter accessories to charity? I'm always looking through my magazines thinking about what I'd like to gift, trying to plan what I have time to make in my schedule. It's not easy to find the perfect gift is it? Especially when it's July... and HOT outdoors. I'll just call this our Christmas in July issue :) LOL. In these blogs I pick some classics out of my many vintage magazines and match them with updated versions. We can be inspired by the past to explore the beautiful patterns of the present! Let's see what we can find this week! Hilde "Fashions in Wool" a company out of Eastchester NY is prolific designer Hilde Fuchs. Born in 1911 Hilde Fuchs was a knit shop owner, and created 110 volumes of Fashions In Wool as both owner and designer! Hilde Fuchs died in 1995 but her legacy in wool lives on. One of those cutting edge female designers and publishers we don't hear a lot about these days, in fact I couldn't find one article written about her. That is a shame. I own a couple of Hilde Fuchs books but today's selection is Ponchos and Accessories, 1970. (Fashions in Wool, 1970, Eastchester, NY 10707) Note: I own these works and to the best of my knowledge they are out of print. I've taken pictures of the original work and NOT a copy. This blog falls under "Educational" content in the copyright laws. I in no way receive any compensation, none, zero, absolutely no money or product for writing this blog and therefore I am not profiting off the the works of any of the artists in my Vintage collection. Hilde Fuchs created some great styles that are still popular today. You've probably seen them yourself as many of these designs are timeless. To start with the Reversible Poncho pictured on the right of the front cover. The pattern instructions are simple, as the cover states. A good alternative is the Braided Women's Poncho from the Make & Do Crew. Ponchos for Tweens include the Striped Poncho "Jean" and the Plaid Poncho "Amy" I remember how relieved I was that ponchos had come back. At one point in my life ponchos were a big thing. I remember that my grandmother had made me one. Then they made a come back. Ponchos are great idea for tweens because they aren't bulky like a coat and won't "squish" their outfits :). Both the "Amy" poncho and "Jean" poncho are timeless especially since the "plaid" look is back in a very big way. An update for the Striped Poncho Jean (on the left of the picture) is the Game Ready Knit Poncho from Red Heart. The plaid look can be seen everywhere now including in Hilde Fuchs "Amy" poncho and in the Plaid Poncho from Lionbrand.com. Tunics were out of vogue for a while but they have made a come back to wear with leggings. Hildy Fuchs created the Crocheted Tunic "Kim". As you can see from the picture below, the tunic falls to mid-thigh. This provides warmth without being too heavy. A very similar pattern to the "Kim" tunic the Crochet Sunset Tunic. It is of comparable crochet stitch and length with a thin belt added. Maz Kawok shares this pattern free on her website but you can purchase a pattern with optional sizes! Tunic "Laurie" by Hilde Fuchs is another belted tunic but this has buttons on the side as another design feature. Opening the buttons at the bottom give the tunic an optional fit and look. I like the Lady Poncho Vera Sanon which has a side button and looks very comfortable yet classy. Another tunic with a little more of a lacy look is designed by Maria Bittner. The Weekender Tunic is great as a beach cover up, with leggings or with a straight skirt for work. I love it. There are several pieces in each pattern book by Hilde Fuchs however, the last two I'll add for this blog are the Triangle scarf and a project simply titled "Shawl". While the "Triangle Scarf" is made from the top down with A LOT of stitches it is a very beautiful piece. I prefer patterns that I can personalize by making larger or smaller. Dorianna Rivelli of the Lavender Chair has designed the Clarissa Shawl. For this pattern Dorianna Rivelli used Lion Brand Shawl in a Ball yarn. It's a beautiful pattern. Also ABC Knitting offers the Noro Sock Yarn Lace Shawl. A stunning piece using light fingering weight yarn.
Hilde Fuchs has named her beautiful shell shawl simply "Shawl". It is a really lovely piece! It took me some time to find a pattern that was as visually stunning. However Jessie Rayot of Jessie at Home has designed the Spring Shells Shawl. Jessie Rayot uses Red Heart Rainbow yarn for this project. The delicate lace pattern is perfectly paired with this lightweight yarn. If you prefer larger shells the Fan Shell shawl designed for Crystal Palace yarns is just the thing and in a funny twist it's been archived LOL! That's all for this Walk Thru the Parc. I think our modern designers to an amazing job carrying on the traditions of the past that would make designers like Hilde Fuchs proud! I hope you've enjoyed today's blog. If you stop by the designers featured here, please say hello and thank them for all their hard work. This summer has been unusually warm here in the Northern Adirondacks and while I like keeping busy this heat has been a challenge. No one wants a heavy sweater, scarf or blanket project laying across their lap when it is 100 degrees outside. I thought why not do a big blog of blanket squares? It provides a way to stay busy, uses up the stash, they are a fun way to learn new stitches and when those chilly Fall breezes move in you'll have projects to stitch together.
Word of advice, unless you are doing a join as you go project, tuck in the ends of your squares as you complete them. I was given a bag of squares once and it took me almost as long to tuck in the ends as it did to sew the squares together. There are literally thousands of square patterns from which to choose out here in the "interweb". From the very basics to the super complex, patterns are popping up every day. Best of all, there are charities that will happily accept your blankets or scarves made from squares including Warm Up America and Northern Adirondack Hats of Hope Initiative. In this blog... just like many of the other "highlight" blogs I've done, will be a quick overview of both blankets and individual squares that I think my readers will find interesting! Let's get started with blankets made of squares. There are such a mixture of great blankets from blanket that are one large square to blankets that are small squares sewn together. I'm really making an effort at using up the yarn I have in stock. Not buying new yarn unless it is for a customer. These square blankets allow me to use up yarn in a cute or stylish way. What about you? Are you on a "yarn diet?" (no new yarn until you use up what you have) Check some of these blankets out.
Individual squares are the perfect carry along project and they are so flexible. They can be made into a scarf, cowl, shawl, blanket, even home decor like a table runner. Some of the new squares on the block (sorry couldn't resist) are stunning. I'll list some sites here that have multiple square/block patterns for projects you might want to create this Summer.
The Spruce shares a collection of 35 afghan Squares from 3 inch to 12 inches, a square for every need. Once upon a time I made quite a few of these pillowghans. Here's a free pattern from Sonoran Crafting, see what you think... they are quite handy! Thanks for joining me today on the blog. I think you all will enjoy at least looking through these collections! It's fun to browse! :) Thank you to today's designers! Here in the USA we had our Independence Day celebrations on the 4th of July. I thought with the holiday and the record high temperatures this past week I might just take a bit of time off from the blog. However, we are BACK with a GREAT designer today! Michelle Ferguson is one of those very thoughtful designers who takes the time to thank her friends, followers, and fans for their kindness. YES, her designs are fabulous however, the minute I read her "thank you post" to her 16,000+ fans on facebook I knew she'd be my next indie designer.
Like so many of us who start out just crocheting for fun Michelle Ferguson started out crocheting just as a hobby and was bitten by the designing bug. This is not unusual. We warn you crocheting can be addictive, so addictive in fact that Michelle Ferguson now has 138 designs on Ravelry! She started her business in 2013, began designing in 2014 and the rest is history. However, Michelle's first priority is being a stay at home mom to two boys. Thus the name "Two Brothers Blankets". With designs for home and everyone in the family I have a lot to highlight today so I want to hit those highlights! I found Michelle Ferguson's pattern because I was looking for a cute top pattern that I might be able to pull off even in when it's hot. I'm in the process of getting into better shape physically and I just REALLY needed a top that wouldn't show off all the wrong places?! I happened across Michelle Ferguson's Stash Buster Sweater (everyone who has read this blog knows my stash could use a little busting LOL). It's a free pattern. Two Brothers Blankets has some terrific patterns for ladies. Check these patterns out!
Of course with a name like Two Brothers Blankets you'd expect a couple of blankets :) Yes, there are blanket patterns available designed by Michelle Ferguson.
Obviously with two sons Michelle Ferguson has created patterns for her guys. In fact she even created the "Dude Collection". I love the name! The Dude Collection contains the Dude Cardigan and the Little Dude Cardigan, a longish cardi with a touch of the vintage waistcoat look at the bottom edge of the sweater. However, Michelle Ferguson does not stop there she has written several more great guys patterns.
Though it's been hotter than hades here, it is never too early to think about winter. After all we didn't get rid of winter until mid-May this year. Hats and scarves are actually a great take along small project to work on during the summer months. They don't weigh anything and they work up FAST. Michelle Ferguson does the Northern Adirondacks a favor by designing great winter accessory patterns!
Just because it's called Two Brothers Blankets does not mean that little girls are left out. Michelle Ferguson has designed some SUPER cute patterns just for the girls :)! I know some little girls who would look adorable in some of these patterns!
Thank you for joining me as we highlighted the work of Michelle Ferguson. An exceptional artist. You can find Michelle on Ravelry (as you've seen), Etsy, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Google+ and Pinterest. If you stop by any of her pages be sure to say hello! Thanks to Michelle Ferguson for all her beautiful work. |
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Author**Opinions expressed on blogs about which I write are the opinion of the blog authors and DO NOT necessarily reflect my own opinion. |