A Muggy and Mirthful Monday Morn. September 8, 2014
Today our Waldorf School of Orange County craft group got together again for the first time for our 2014-2015 school year. We gathered under the gazebo outside of The Company of Angels store to make recycled T-shirt place mats. Our handwork teacher Christine Newell prepared the supplies and taught us how to make this wonderful craft which I think is useful for delightful post-apocalyptic home beautification. The supply fees for this craft was $12 dollars. We were so happy to see each other again and also to meet new friends.
Please join us every Monday morning 8:40am-10:50am at the Company of Angels to make various crafts. Presently, Christine is taking suggestions for craft projects for this school year. If there is something you really would love to make, please let Christine know, so she could schedule it for craft group.
We spent 3 week on recycled T-shirt yarn projects. Click on the below to view our craft journey for each of those weeks…
- Week 1: Post-Apocalyptic-Skill Set: Weaving Recycled T-Shirt Yarn Place Mats, Week 1. Monday Morning, September 8, 2014
- Week 2: Craft Projects with Recycled T-shirt Yarn, Week Two. Monday Morning. September 15, 2014
- Week 3: Recycled T-shirt Yarn Projects Week 3: Woven Rugs, Knitted Bags and Crochet Place mats. Monday, September 22, 2014
Click on below picture to see a gallery of our past craft group projects.
You can “like” and follow our weekly craft group projects on facebook here.
Click here to see week 2 of this craft group project
Please think also of craft group projects you will like to make or see offered, as our craft group donations for our 2015 Waldorf School of Orange County annual gala fundraiser. It’s still early for May 2015, but it’s good to give ourselves plenty of time. E-mail me, if you have ideas: [email protected]
– Jzin. September 8, 2014
This morning’s craft project: Woven Recycled T-Shirt Place Mats.
Christine’s handmade recycled T-shirt place mat.
Our work-in-progress by the end of our morning together…
Here are some photos of our work done so far. We have yet to finish and remove our place mats from the cardboard loom.
If you wish to see our crafting process, please scroll to the step-by-step explanations below.
Sharmin’s work. Such lovely colors!
Adrian and his handwork.
Julie
By nature. The maximum number of sunflower seed woven in per space allowed on flower, resulting in mesmerizing lines and patterns in the spirals reflecting the golden Fibonacci sequence.
Rachel’s placemat. If you need mosaic work done, check out her mosaic work website here: Rachel Skelly’s Smashing Mosaics.
Katya and her superb handwork.
Our Crafting Process This Morning
Thank you Christine Newell for preparing all the supplies and teaching us this wonderful craft. It is very useful especially when you are stranded on an island without proper yarn and are visited by that tremendous urge to craft. I really love this basic skill of re-purposing the ubiquitous cotton T-shirt into a handwork of love and practicality!
Making a cardboard “loom”
Circular discs were cut out from poster boards or cardboard to form “looms” 10 inches in diameter.
Back and Front views. Do not cut the notches too deeply.
Making yarn from T-shirt
Christine purchased sized XXXL cotton shirts from Walmart for this project because they do not have side seams. Next, she turned these white T-shirts inside out (this is because our T-shirt yarn has a tendency to curl, presenting the inside surface of the fabric) and hand dyed them into gorgeous colors.
Watch out! That rotary cutter can be dangerous. Push down hard as you cut, but be careful with your fingers. Crafter extraordinaire Cathrine Ji showing Anička the ropes.
We worked with the lower portion of hand-dyed size XXXL cotton T-shirts. (We cut across and leave the top parts and sleeves of the shirt for other projects). Folding that in half we cut strips from it.
Reminder: leave an inch or so border on the top.
Next, Melissa cut the top border of T-shirt diagonally to result a long, continuous strip of T-shirt yarn suitable for knitting projects.
Next we pulled/stretched out these strips. The strips naturally curled inwards into yarns.
Ta-daaa! Melissa made a long and continuous piece of T-shirt yarn, to be balled up for knitting, crochet and other projects!
An alternate view of Christine making diagonal cuts to result in a long and connected strip of T-shirt yarn.
For this place mat project, you do not need a long ball of continuous T-shirt yarn. Melissa’s long continuous yarn will come in handy for our projects in the next few weeks. For today’s work, it is suffice to cut your strips shorter as shown below.
Anchoring tail end of yarn onto template
Such joy to see new faces to our craft group! Kotomi starting from the center, then taking a pause to say hello to me. Hello our new friend!
Melissa showing craft group how to anchor yarn at center of loom. Due to her design, her starting piece of yarn is very short. You may choose a longer strip of yarn to start with.
Melissa’s design: A shot of orange at bulls’ eye, followed by variegated T-shirt yarn.
Note to self: Melissa knows what she’s doing all along the steps. I should remember to sit next to her in the future!
Weaving in a circular fashion
Weave your T-shirt yarn in and out in circular fashion. Turn your yarn strip so that the seam faces the same side, e.g. seams facing down.
Next, push and gather your weaving to the center of your circular loom. Notice, Gisela used T-shirt with side seams, resulting in T-shirt seams appearing as bumps in the yarn.
Christine said not to pull the yarn too tightly or your resulting place mat will be bowl-shaped.
Adding on next piece of yarn / Changing yarn colors
Attaching new piece of T-shirt yarn by opening up the seams of one yarn and inserting the other strip into it, then stitch the two pieces together.
Home schoolers Alena helping Anička stitch two pieces of yarn together.
9 year old Anička weaving her place mat of many colors.
When you are done weaving your place mats, you can fold down the notched tabs along the perimeter of your circular loom to unhook and release your loom strings and retrieve your place mat from the cardboard loom. You also have the option of tying short T-shirt strips all around your circular place mats to make fringes (the same way as you would add fringes to a knitted scarf).
See you all next week! We will be making lined, T-shirt yarn hand bags!
Click here to see the results in our following week of craft group.
Jzin’s Etsy Store, Castle of Costa Mesa
Here’s my latest handwork for sale on Etsy. Please support my crafting mania by shopping on my Etsy store, Castle of Costa Mesa. Thanks a zillion!
Oh! How the winds pick up my kite so high!
Summer is slipping away and autumn brings us the cold gusty air. Kite boy for Fall and Winter season tables, available on Etsy: Etsy store, Castle of Costa Mesa
Kite boy on my Etsy store. Thank you for supporting Handmade!
Snow White and Rose Red playscape with many surprises, available on Etsy.
Snow White and Rose Red were two sisters who love each other very much. They were also as different as night and day. One day as they were walking in the woods, they encountered a strange little fellow…
Snow White and Rose Red often ran about the forest alone and gathered red berries, and no beasts did them any harm, but came close to them trustfully … More on Etsy.
My New Art Website: JzinTeng.com
Check out my new art website: http://www.jzinteng.com/
Please “Like” my painting facebook page, so you will see my upcoming artworks. Thank you for your support of my passion! – Jzin
Please “Like” my painting facebook page, so you will see my upcoming works.
Gallery of Past Projects from The Waldorf School of Orange County Craft Group
Click on the image below to view our Waldorf School of Orange County weekly craft group projects.
You can “like” and follow our weekly craft group projects on facebook here.
Be in the know for upcoming handmade giveaways: Like CastleofCostaMesa.Com on Facebook
I give away my lovingly handmade dolls and crafts every season. If you “Like” my Castle of Costa Mesa Facebook page, you will be notified of upcoming giveaways. Click here to view the list of my past giveaways. Perhaps the next winner could be YOU?
Support Our Local Waldorf Community/ Place a Free Ad
If you are interested in placing an ad on “Support Our Southern California Waldorf Community” (free if you are a member of Southern California Waldorf community) please e-mail me a good picture and a link.
Meanwhile, please support our local peeps! Thanks! – Jzin
New addition to our community page: Fermentation Farm in Costa Mesa.
Check out our Yasmin’s new store, Fermentation Farm in Costa Mesa. You can also like her on facebook. Good luck, Yasmin!
