Freeform Crochet Pillow

Happy Friday Everyone!

I just finished a new Freeform Crochet project!

I had so much FUN over the last few months making each piece and then sewing them together to form this beautiful pillow!

Creating the back in a simple single crochet stitch was so relaxing after the intricacy needed to make the front.

Ta Da!

I just love how it turned out!

It looks perfect in my bedroom with the beautiful crochet afghan my sister made for me and the wool pug wall hangings I made a last year.

It is as soft as it looks!

Yipppeeee!

xoxoxo

Melissa & Archie

Freeform Crochet ~ Mushroom

Happy Tuesday everyone!

The Spring ahead daylight savings time change happened this weekend!

To celebrate the coming of Spring, I thought I would do a little freeform crochet and create something new.

I decided to make a little mushroom for my fiber art garden!

It was so FUN to see it pop to life!

I did not have a pattern. I just made it up as I went along.

I used my trusty E size crochet hook, a little polyfill and my favorite Amazing Yarn by Lion Brand.

I just love how it turned out!

It was so FUN to start and finish something in just one afternoon.

I will create more for my little garden to show you!

Have a super day!

xoxox

Melissa 

Freeform Crochet ~ Corgi Doll

Happy Wednesday everyone!

and ...

Happy 1st day of Fall!

Yay!

It is my favorite time of year!

I LOVE when the air has that special crispness that only Fall breezes can bring!

I LOVE when the leaves turn golden, red, orange and brown.

.

I LOVE when the leaves blow off of the trees and blow in swirling circles around our feet when R-Chee & I take our walks together.

and...

I LOVE to crochet and make art with wool, felt and recycled sweaters!

I am excited to show you my latest project...

~ Freeform Crochet Corgi Doll ~ 

I got to combine all 3 of my favorite things to do, and I cannot wait to show you pop to life!

Earlier this year I taught myself the art of Freeform Crochet with the help of Myra Wood's wonderful Craftsy class.

The freeform pieces I made during that class became this wonderful pug doll...

In June, I wrote a blog post when I made him to show you how I created him. :)

I had so much FUN making him that I immediately started making new freeform crochet scrumbles to create another doll for my wonderful twin sister, Melanie.

I knew just what I would make... her little corgi named Teddy!

Here are the scrumbles for the front of the body.

...and here are the scrumbles I made for the back!

The next step was to fit and sew them together into the fabric that I would form into the body.

After I sewed the body shape, I got out my felted cashmere and wool sweaters from my stash that I was saving for the perfect project and cut out shapes to make the head, neck, ears, arms, legs and tail.

The next step was to stuff the pieces and sew them into the body and put the final touches on him.

I formed the stiff corgi ears by bending and sewing floral wire to make a frame of sorts that is stiff but flexible too so I could shape the ears and help give the Teddy doll more expression and personality.

I did not want to stuff the ears with polyfil because I did not want him to look like a bunny with soft or floppy ears. :)

The eyes, nose and tongue were made by cutting out shapes from felted wool pieces and gluing them on with fabric glue.

Here is the back of Teddy complete with his Cardigan Corgi tail. :)

I just loved making him and love how he turned out!

But the best part of the whole project which took a few months to complete was the smile on Melly's face when I surprised her with it. :)

...and guess what?

Now that is is Fall, my hands are busy making new Dog Sweater Vests for you to enjoy!

Yippeeee!

I will be able to show them to you in just a few days so please stay tuned!

xoxoxoxo

Melissa & R-Chee

Tunisian Crochet ~ New Owl Doll

Happy Tuesday everyone!

R-Chee & I hope you all had a wonderful Labor Day Weekend!

Labor Day traditionally marks the end of the hot Summer to welcome in the fresh cooler breezes of Fall.

I thought it would be FUN to celebrate this special time of year by crocheting a new owl doll this weekend.

I made him without a pattern and combined the techniques of tunisian crochet, freeform crochet and traditional crochet stitches to make this fun fellow.

The first step was to create the body shape by making what looked like a long rectangle or short scarf with the tunisian crochet stitch to form the body and head.

When my long rectangle was done, I folded it in half and sewed up the sides with matching yarn and my yarn needle.

Then I stuffed him and partially closed up the bottom to form the beginnings of leg openings.

The final steps were done by pulling out my traditional crochet hook and using freeform crochet techniques to make the eyes, wings, sash, beak, under eye feathers and feet.

Ta Da!

He is all done!

I think he looks cute in my collection of other tunisian crochet and freeform crochet dolls I have made over the years.

What a FUN project!

What fun things are you doing?

Please leave us a note and let us know!

We would love to hear all about them!

xoxox

Melissa & R-Chee

Our Summer is Blooming!

Happy Monday everyone!

It is meeeee...

R-Chee!

Guess what we have been up to this summer?

We have been enjoying it by taking the time to stop, see & soak in all the wonderful things around us!

Like ... cooler breezes that have arrived this Summer that rarely come in July!

Enjoying the rain that falls from the clouds that gather in the bright sunny skies every afternoon.

Appreciating the flowers that pop their heads up at us!

... and creating lots of art together and then sharing it with you!

 My mom and I have had so much FUN drawing, coloring, crocheting, sewing and learning that our Summer has been flying by!

Here are some of the things we have been inspired to make with our crayons and crochet hooks so far...

"Pick Every Flower"

Wax Crayon & Collage ~ Melissa Langer 2015

...and our freeform crochet flower garden is growing!

It is so much FUN to see how it changes everyday!

I am excited to see which way it takes us next!

What FUN things are you doing this Summer?

Please leave us a note and let us know!

We cannot wait to hear all about them!

xoxoxo

R-Chee & Melissa

Freeform Crochet ~ My FUN Fiber Flower Garden is Growing!

Happy Tuesday everyone!

I am having so much FUN creating a Fiber filled flower garden this Summer!

It is sprouting up everyday with new colors & textures right before my eyes without a plan or a pattern. :)

I am really enjoying the process of picking up my hook to combine all my favorite stitches like bobbles, bullions, fans, and single, double and half double crochets into magical little blooms.

Each one is pretty by itself, but when I pick up my yarn needle & join them like a puzzle to form a solid fabric, I get something spectacular!

I recently showed you my Freeform Crochet Pug Doll that I made from the fabric I created in an online Freeform Crochet Class on Craftsy with Myra Wood.

Well, I loved him so much that I could not wait to get started on my next project.

To add to the FUN and ease of working without a pattern, I treated myself to trip to The Container Store!

I love any excuse to find neat containers to organize my projects.

I came home with a little red cart to make my yarn stash portable and easy to access anywhere I want to work... even outside in my outdoor garden! :)

Now I it is easy to work & watch it grow!

I do not have a plan for this new project but the idea of creating a unique wall hanging is exciting to me.

I will keep you posted on how it grows as I go! :)

xoxoxo

Melissa & R-Chee

Freeform Crochet ~ My New Pug Doll!

Happy Wednesday everyone!

I am so excited to show you the new project I just finished!

It is my NEW Freeform Crochet Pug Doll!

I have been learning more about the art of Freeform Crochet!

 You work from your imagination and never a pattern!

It is a completely free flowing, evolving process that unfolds magic right before your eyes!

I loved every minute of making this doll for my personal Pug Art Collection, and I cannot wait to create more wonderful things from this relaxing and exciting way of crocheting unique fabrics!

I began my lessons in an online Freeform Crochet Class taught by Myra Wood on Craftsy.com

It is a wonderful class and easy to follow her instructions, method and tutorials.

Her class is a platform for taking the Freeform technique and making it your own.

The class is not about making the stitches she teaches in the sequence she would make them, but just how to make the stitches from your own hand and see how they evolve with the turn of your fingers.

The first step was just to create some centers...

The you organically grow each piece by adding more details around each piece.

There is no pattern, counting or rules to follow.

The only rule of thumb to try to accomplish is to allow enough give in the unfolding shape to lay as flat as possible so it does not bunch or curl as you go.

Here are some of these rounds a few rows later. :)

These are called "scrumbles" and are small abstract shapes that you attach together and continue building upon to form a rich, wonderful fabric in any size or shape you want!

You can make wall hangings, bags, pillows, pin cushions, scarves, sweaters, dolls or anything you can imagine with your fabrics!

Here I am piecing the together.

This process is called "scrumbling". :)

These are the two pieces of fabric for the front and back of my pug doll before I crocheted a bit more on these bigger pieces to fill in some of the open areas that I wanted to be filled to form the body.

After I got the larger scrumbles to the size and shapes I wanted, I sewed them together leaving the top, bottom and two places to sew in the arms on the sides.

I made the head, arms, legs and tail from scraps of felted wool sweaters from my stash.

I cut them without a pattern and sewed and stuffed them and then attached them to the 3/4 sewn, stuffed body.

I finished stuffing and closing up the body as I attached the limbs.

The I pulled out more wool pieces and started cutting pug face shapes without a pattern to form the features of the pug!

This is where the real magic popped for me.

My pug doll came to life right before my eyes as I glued each piece of felt down, one layer on top of the next.

I did this in the same way that I made my collaged fabric pug portrait wall hangings earlier this year.

Ta DA!

My Pug Doll is complete!

I just adore how he turned out!

There were many times during the project that I was not sure how it was turning out.

That is the point you just need to have trust, faith and excitement for the project that it will be even more wonderful in the end than you ever imagined!

The push through the feelings of doubt is part of the process and it is very important to stop and rest from it when you start feeling it is in any way overwhelming or stressful to you.

Check in often with yourself and pay attention to how you feel...

If it feels FUN then it is the right time to keep creating!

If you feel tired or tense or overwhelmed then time to go and play with the pug!  

:)

Ta DA!

My new pug doll now lives with some of the other Tunisian crochet dolls I created from the fabric I created in a different craftsy class I took on Tunisian Crochet!

I had so much FUN making my new pug doll!

I cannot wait to see what I create next in this wonderful new medium of creating!

What FUN things are you learning this Summer?

Please leave me a note and tell me all about them!

I cannot wait to hear!

xoxoxoxox

Melissa