MaeLyn's Musings

Something that I have enjoyed doing a lot in the last couple years is using plastic canvas and yarn to make tissue box covers. This is a simple way to be creative and make something that I will use!  I start with 5 pieces of plastic canvas. The top is about 33 holes x 60 holes, two sides are 60x24, and the last two sides are 33x24. The top will have a slot cut in the middle, but the size of the top varies depending on the design. It should at least be large enough to easily feed the tissue through! I usually plan my design before I begin, often drawing it out either on graph paper or sketching it onto the canvas itself with a permanent marker. I like experimenting with different types of stitches and textures to make each one unique in its own way. Once each side is stitched, then I sew them all together. Here are some of my past projects: This is the one I have on my bedside table. The colors aren't good in the photo, but it is navy and pink. The monster box was one of the first o...

 I like to make things. I'm not really content unless I have some project or another to be working on. Here are a couple projects I just completed. When JoAnn closed last year, I took advantage of the discounts at the very end to snag some yarn that is usually more expensive than I care to buy. This blanket was made of Bernat Baby Blanket yarn, which is usually over $10/skein, and I got 4 skeins for about $12. This yarn is very soft, but also thick, and so while I started the blanket in May or June of last year, I put it away for the summer because it was too warm to have on my lap as I worked! I picked it up again recently and finished it yesterday afternoon.  I really like the crosshatch pattern, although if I had been smart, I would have used stitch markers from the very beginning to help me keep track of the pattern. The finished blanket is about 4'x5' and will be great for snuggling under next winter.  The second project I finished yesterday is one that I started mor...