Alphabet stencil

Recently I have gotten really excited about the idea of using alphabet stencils for projects. I love the idea of a simple initial on a table runner or cloth napkins, or stenciled words on clothes or pillows.

I finally went down the street to Flax last week and picked up two sets of stencils, 2" letters and 4" letters. I figured it was a good idea to have 2 different sizes depending on the look I wanted, and the size of my fabric of choice.

My first project, of course, was for my niece. I had a white bib from a past sample sale that I had planned on embroidering, but now that I see how quickly bibs get dirty, stained, and abused, I decided hand embroidering a bib would be a waste of time. Perfect for stenciling!

Yarn Octopus

When I got my August issue of Martha Stewart Living, I of course read it cover to cover, tore out the recipes I want to make, and folded down the pages of projects I wanted to do. There was a whole section on braids, including the yarn octopus shown above. It is a quick and easy project that I did while my niece was taking a nap.

First, I bought a small ball from the pet store around the corner (the magazine calls for a Styrofoam ball, but alas, no craft store in my neighborhood), and then I pulled out a ball of ribbon like yarn that I had on hand and knew I would never use for a knitting project.

The magazine calls for a skein of yarn which would have been easier to work with, as I had to unroll the yarn in order to get started. I tied the yarn in the center, pulled it over the ball, and tied the yarn again beneath the ball.

I divided the yarn into 8 sections, and started braiding. The braiding went pretty quickly, tying off the ends and trimming so none of the strings were too long. I did not get a chance to stitch the eyes on the head before Phoebe awoke and I introduced her to her new octopus.

If I were to make another one for a baby, I would cover the ball in fabric before covering it in the yarn, as Phoebe likes to pull at the yarn around the head, and I don't like seeing the ball underneath exposed. She doesn't seem to mind, and overall I think the project was a success!

Pick up the August issue off Martha Stewart Living for the full instructions and more braiding projects.