Café Wall Illusion Cushion - free crochet pattern

A few years ago, I made a series of optical illusions quilts. One optical illusion I always wanted to turn into a quilt is the Café Wall Illusion. In this one all the horizontal lines are parallel, even though they appear to be sloped. There's a building in Melbourne featuring this illusion - I discovered it during my sixth visit to Melbourne in May 2017 and took this photo from the SkyBus:



When we were in Canberra in December 2017, we also saw the illusion: it was, very appropriately, on the wall in the café of Questacon, the National Science and Technology Centre:



The quilt never got made by me (other quilters did make it - here is an example), but after another trip to Melbourne in May last year I decided to try and crochet a Café Wall Illusion Cushion. And voilà!



I crocheted the front panel of the cushion in the Café Wall pattern (read on for the instructions), then crocheted a plain red back, and sewed them together:



To create a crochet pattern in multiple colours, I used a technique that was new to me: tapestry crochet. It isn't difficult, as you only use one crochet stitch throughout: the single crochet (sc) in US terms (double crochet (dc) in UK terms).When changing colours in a row, you carry the first colour along and 'hide' it in the stiches of the new colour.  If you're new to tapestry crochet too, I recommend having a look at a this step-by-step photo tutorial by Lilla Bjorn Crochet.

Tapestry crochet is often done in the round, but can be done back and forth in rows as well, as I have done here. I have written out the instructions for every row, but looking at the graph will help you understand the pattern. It's pretty simple!

I cut the red yarn after each red row, and the black and white yarn after each block of black and white squares, but you could also carry them over to the next row/block.

Café Wall Illusion Cushion
Finished size: 41 cm / 16 in square

Materials
Yarn: I used Bendigo Woollen Mills Cotton 8 ply (DK) in red, black and white. This yarn comes in 200 g (484 metres / 529 yards) balls - I used about 100 g of each colour.
Hook: 4mm (G)
16 inch / 41 cm pillow insert
Scissors
Tapestry needle

Gauge: 22 stitches and 20 rows = 10 cm

Abbreviations used
ch = chain
sc = single crochet (UK dc)
st = stitch

Directions for front panel - see graph below.
With red, ch 91.
R1: sc in the second ch from hook and in each st across, ch 1, turn. (90)
R2: *change to black, sc 9. Change to white, sc 9. Repeat from * until end of round. Ch 1, turn. (90)
R3: *sc 9 in white, sc 9 in black. Repeat from * until end of round. Ch 1, turn. (90)
R4: repeat R2
R5: repeat R3
R6: repeat R2
R7: repeat R3
R8: repeat R2
R9: repeat R3
R10: repeat R2
R11: change to red, sc in each st across, ch 1, turn. (90)
R12: change to white, sc 4. *Change to black, sc 9. Change to white, sc 9. Repeat from * 3 times. Change to black, sc 9. Change to white, sc 5, ch 1, turn. (90)
R13: sc 5 in white, *sc 9 in black, sc 9 in white. Repeat from * 3 times. Sc in 9 in black, sc 4 in white, ch 1, turn. (90)
R14: repeat R12
R15: repeat R13
R16: repeat R12
R17: repeat R13
R18: repeat R12
R19: repeat R13
R20: repeat R12
R21-80: repeat R1-20 4 times
R81: change to red, sc in each st across. Fasten off and weave in ends.


(many thanks to Meghan from Meghan Makes Do for the tutorial on how to create these charts!)

Directions for back panel
With red, ch 91.
R1: sc in the second ch from hook and in each st across, ch 1, turn. (90)
R2-80: sc in each st across, ch 1, turn. (90)
R81: sc in each st across. Fasten off and leave a long tail to sew front and back panels together.

Assembly
Place the front and back panel wrong sides together and sew 3 sides together. Place the pillow insert inside and sew the remaining side closed.

Sit back and admire your Café Wall Illusion Cushion!

Lined Project Bag - Tutorial

We had a rainy weekend here in Sydney, so I whipped up four (!) more project bags. They are great for crochet projects, but would also work very well for sock knitting or hand sewing projects.



And they are quick and easy to make - no pesky zippers, 'cause we wouldn't want our precious yarn to get caught up in a zipper, right?
If you can sew a straight line, you can make these bags. And you could easily make one in an evening.
I took photos of every step of the process, and have written it out here if you want to give it a go. If you'd rather be crocheting or knitting, stay tuned for I will be giving away some of these bags here on the blog later this week!

You will need:

Materials:
- two 12'' (25cm) squares of fabric for the outside
- two 12'' (25 cm) squares of lining fabric
- two 11'' x 5'' (28 x 13 cm) rectangles of lining fabric
- two 20'' (50 cm) pieces of cord or ribbon
- pair of toggles (optional)

Tools:
- ruler
- fabric marker
- scissors
- pins
- matching or contrasting thread (I use and recommend Aurifil threads)
- sewing machine
- iron and ironing board
- safety pin
- 2 small bulldog clips



1. Take the two outer fabric squares, right sides together, and pin along the side and bottom edges. If you are using a directional fabric like I did, make sure the top is facing up. Sew the three sides together using a 1/2'' (1 cm) seam allowance. Backstitch at the start and end.



2. Do the same for the lining fabric squares.
3. Now take one corner of one of the bags you have just sewn (I'll show my lining one here, as it's easier to see on the lighter fabric) and arrange it so that the side seam sits on top of the bottom seam, like this:



The photo above shows the side seam. If you lift up the corner you'll see the bottom seam:



Make sure the seams are folded to the same side. When they are perfectly matched, pin them together. Take your ruler, line it up with the seam, and find the point where the distance from one side to the other is 2.5'' (6.35 cm) - this is how wide the bottom of the bag will be. Use your fabric marker to draw a line on the fabric.



4. Sew along this line, backstitching at the start and end.



5. Cut off the corner 1/4'' (0.5 cm) from the seam:




6. Repeat steps 3-5 for the other corner. The inner bag now has a nice flat bottom:



7. Repeat steps 3-6 for the outer fabric bag.
8. Turn the outer fabric bag right side out. Fold in the top edge 1/2'' (1 cm) and press. It now looks like this:




9. Leave the lining fabric bag wrong side out. Fold out the top edge 1/2'' (1 cm) and press. It now looks like this:



10. Place the lining bag in the outer bag with wrong sides facing. Match up the side seams and pin them together. Small bulldog pins are useful to do this, or binding clips if you have them.




11. Take one of the lining fabric rectangles and fold in the short edges 1/2'' (1 cm). Press.



12. Now fold the rectangle in half lengthwise and press.



13. Repeat steps 11 and 12 with the other lining rectangle.
14. Take one of the folded lining rectangles and insert it between the inner and outer bag with the folded side on top. About 1'' (2.5 cm) of the rectangle should pop out. Pin the rectangle in place, as shown in the photos below. Make sure the edges of the inner and outer bag are neatly lined up.





15. Sew the inner and outer bag together with the lining fabric in between. Start at one side seam and end at the other, backstitching at both ends. Sew a few millimetres from the edge of the outer bag, taking care not to catch the other side of the bag in your sewing.



16. Repeat steps 14 and 15 for the other side.



17.  Use a darning needle or safety pin to guide one piece of cord or ribbon through one sleeve and back through the other.



18. Starting at the other side, guide the other piece of cord or ribbon through one sleeve and back through the other. Tie the two ends on both sides together or use toggles.



19. Put your project in the bag, pull on the ends, and voilà! Your new project bag is finished!



If you have any questions about this tutorial, just leave a comment here and I will do my best to answer it. And if you make a project bag, I would love to see a photo!

You are free to use this tutorial to make project bags and sell them. Please do link back to this blog post as the source of the pattern for the bags.

Oven Mitt - Tutorial

Only three more sleeps and then we are off to the Netherlands! I can't wait to be back in my home country, see family and friends again after 2.5 years, speak Dutch all the time, ride a bike everywhere without a helmet and eat lots of Dutch cheese and licorice!We will also take the boys on a city trip to Rome for a few days, that is going to be so much fun!!

We will be staying in a few different places while we are in the Netherlands. I thought that it would be nice to have some small, handmade gifts for our hosts, so decided to use some of the Australian fabrics in my stash to whip up a few oven mitts. They're quick and easy to make - I took some pictures along the way to show you how. They make great seasonal presents as you can use any fabric you like (Christmas oven mitts? why not!)

I found some Insul-Bright heat resistant batting in my fabric cupboard (from when I made a tea cosy in 2013), which of course is great for oven mitts. I added a layer of cotton batting to get nice and thick mitts. If you don't have any Insul-Bright, two layers of cotton batting will also work.

You will need: 
- two 8'' x 12'' (20 x 25 cm) rectangles of your chosen fabric
- two 8'' x 12'' (20 x 25 cm) rectangles of Insul- Bright batting
- two 8'' x 12'' (20 x 25 cm) rectangles of cotton batting
- two 8'' x 12'' (20 x 25 cm) rectangles of lining fabric
- matching or contrasting thread
- 24'' (60 cm) ribbon or double-fold bias tape
- sewing machine (a walking foot is recommended for sewing through multiple layers)
- safety pins
- binding clips



1 Use one of your oven mitts to create a template, by placing it on a piece of paper and tracing around it, adding a seam allowance of 1'' (2.5 cm). (If you don't have an oven mitt, trace around your hand with a 2'' (5 cm) seam allowance) Cut out the template.

2 Make a fabric sandwich from the following layers: the outer fabric on top, right side up; the Insul-Bright next, shiny side up; the cotton batting next, and the lining fabric at the bottom, wrong side up.

3 With the walking foot attached to your sewing machine, quilt the sandwich in horizontal and vertical lines:



4  Make a second sandwich in the same way and quilt it.

5 Pin the template to the front of one of the fabric sandwiches and cut it out.



6 Flip the template over and pin it to the front of the other sandwich. Cut it out.



7 Place both parts of the oven mitt right sides together.

8 Cut a 6'' (15 cm) piece of ribbon, fold it in half, and place it 2'' (5 cm) from the bottom edge of the mitt in the side seam between the two parts, facing inwards with the rough edges aligning.

9 Use binding clips to clip the two parts together. (pinning through so many layers is really hard!)



10. Sew all around the edges, leaving the bottom edge open. Trim the seams where necessary to reduce bulk.



11. Turn the mitt right side out. Fold the remaining ribbon around the bottom edge and sew it in place. Use one or two binding clips to keep the ribbon from moving and replace them as you go. Fold the last 1/2'' (1 cm) in for a neat finish.



12 Admire your finished oven mitt!

Denim Doorstop - Tutorial

In January I made two doorstops - one for the living room and one for my eldest son's room - and now my youngest son asked if I could make one for his room as well. Of course! This time I decided to use fabric from old pairs of jeans, and to write down the instructions and share them here for those of you who would like to make one as well.

You will need:
- six 6'' (15 cm) squares of denim or another heavyweight fabric
(for the previous doorstops I used 5'' squares, but here 6'' was needed to be able to include the pockets)
- matching thread
- sewing machine (a walking foot is recommended for sewing through layers of heavy fabric)
- filling - I used a layer of cat litter (clay) topped up with scraps of batting. You could also use sand, rice, beans etc. (although I would worry about mould and pests when using edible materials as filling)



I cut two plain squares for the top and bottom, and four squares with a pocket for the sides.



Start with sewing the side squares to the bottom square, right sides together, using a 1/2'' (1 cm) seam allowance. Start and stop 1/2'' (1 cm) from the corner and back stitch a few times at the start and end of each side. Make sure the side squares with the pockets are positioned correctly.



The top square will need a handle. I found some baby overalls in my denim stash and used the straps:





Alternatively, make a handle by cutting a 5'' x 4'' (12.5 cm x 10 cm) rectangle of denim and sewing a 1/4'' (6 mm) seam on both short ends. Fold the rectangle in half lengthwise, open again, fold both sides in towards the fold in the midline and then fold in half lengthwise again, so you have a 4-layer strip that is 1'' (2.5 cm) wide. Sew together along one side, then sew both short ends to the top square.

Sew the top square to one of the side squares as shown below:



On the right side it will look like this:



Now sew the side seams together one by one to create the cube:



Sew two sides of the top square to the side squares, leaving one side open for turning and filling.



Clip the corners and turn the cube right side out. Insert a plastic bag and fill the cube for about one third with a heavy filling such as cat litter or sand. Tie the bag closed and push it inside the cube.



Fill up the cube with a soft filling such as scraps of batting:





Handstitch the remaining side closed. I use bulldog clips to keep the edges together while sewing:



Finished!



Here is my collection of doorstops. The one made with Dutch postbag fabric is still my favourite:



Do let me know if you have any questions, and if you make a doorstop, I would love to see a pic!