Tag Archives: present

Crochet Phone Case Pattern tutorial

Posted on by Abi

phone-casesCrochet and knitting have been experiencing a fashionable revival in recent years, there’s even been quite a few celebrities getting in on the fun. Whether you are an avid Knitter, Crocheter or general Hobbyist, then chances are you have a stash of threads/wool left over from previous projects. But there’s no need to consign them to the rubbish bin, with todays Crochet phone case pattern.

I actually wrote this pattern several years ago for the Boden Community  but I think it would make a great homemade present so thought I’d share it again today.phone-in-case

We all seem to live our lives through our mobile phones and Crocheted phone cases are not only pretty, they’re practical too! First they help to protect your screen, second they don’t muffle the ringing tone as solid cases can.

What You’ll Need

Left over DK Wool or DK Cotton yarn

A Mobile Phone

3.5mm Crochet Needlechain

To Begin

Begin by making a chain long enough to go right around your phone. Mine was 26 chains and then use a slip stitch to join into a ring.First-colour

 

Round 1ch 1, 25 dc, (this is one dc into every chain stitch), then sl st into first chain to close up the circle. Round 2ch 3 and then work 1 tr into each stitch until you have completed the circle and then join with a sl st. Round 3Join second colour into top of any tr st from last round, ch 3 and the work 1 tr into each stitch until you have completed the circle and then join with a sl st. Rounds 4 – 13. Join in new colours , ch 3 and then work 1 tr into each stitch until you have completed the circle and then join with a sl st. You may need to adjust the amount of rounds you complete here depending on the size of your phone.strips

 

Last Round 

ch 1, dc into each stitch of the last round and join with a sl st.

endsSewing Up

To sew up, turn your phone case inside out and use a large needle to weave in all the loose ends. To close the bottom of the case, sew along the edge with an over sewing stitch.

Once all ends are sewn in, turn the case the right way out. To close, sew on a button and then join the yarn to the top edge and make enough chain stitches to be fit over the button.

Mine was 18 chain stitches. Finally weave in these ends and place your phone in its smart new case. Here are some more examples of cases I have made.

 

ABBREVIATIONS:

ch: chain dc: double crochet sl st: slip stitch tr: treble crochet

 

 

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Boden Place Mat Tutorial!

Posted on by Abi

Family gatherings or dinner parties with friends aren’t just about the food, dressing the table plays a big part in proceedings and this tutorial teaches you how to sew your own placemats! I originally wrote this for the Boden Community which has now become the Boden Blog. You might still be able to find it if you look through the archives, but it’s much quicker to share it direct with my readers over here.

Boden Placemats

Boden Placemats

 

Home-made accessories give a wonderful feeling of accomplishment, plus they make fabulous presents if you’re going home-made this Christmas. Armed with a bundle of gorgeous Boden fabric I’ll show you just how I made mine. It’s a very quick method that will have you whipping up mats in no time at all.

placemat2

What You’ll Need (for one Mat)

23cm X 15cm piece of fabric (for the middle panel)

Two 23cm X 6cm pieces of fabric

Two 25cm X 6cm pieces of fabric

Matching Thread

Wadding

Backing Fabric

Step 1

Begin by pinning and sewing the two shorter (23cm X 6cm) pieces of fabric, one to each side of the longer edges of the middle panel. I used a small seam allowance, approximately ½cm.

placemat3

Step 2

Iron the seams open and then sew the two longer strips to the side edges (this now includes the middle panel and the two fabric strips from step 1). Iron the seams open.

placemat4

Step 3

Cut a piece of wadding and backing fabric the same size as your placemat piece is currently. Put the backing fabric down right side up. Add the placemat piece on top right side down (so the right sides of backing and placemat are facing). Then finally place the wadding on the back of the placemat piece. Sew all three pieces together leaving a 5cm gap in one side, this allows you to turn your mat the right way out. Once sewn, trim the wadding back close to the stitches and cut across the corners.

placemat5

Step 4

Turn the mat the right way out and iron. Iron and pin where you left the gap and then machine stitch close to the edge all the way around the mat. I also stitched around the middle panel to keep the three layers neatly in place.

placemat6

All you need to do now is repeat the steps above and make as many placemats as you like!

 

Boden Placemats

Boden Placemats

 

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Gift Guide for the man in your life

Posted on by Abi

I think men are harder to buy presents for than women or children, partly because so many ‘manly’ gifts (tools, socks, aftershave etc) are boring and uninspired. As a general rule I want my recipient to know that I’ve considered their tastes and hobbies whenever I give a gift. With that in mind I’ve created this short gift guide full of ideas for that chap you know but can’t think what to gift.

timberland-earthkeeper-chukka-bootFor the outdoors man

For the man who likes to spend time outdoors roaming the countryside or tinkering with the car I don’t think you can go wrong with a really great pair of boots. I think this is the kind of gift which is often appreciated more during use, especially if you can find a stylish yet comfortable pair. I found these Timberland boots online at Cockney Rebel Fashions, they even have a few reduced pairs at the moment.

562978For the Gardener

Tools which lighten the load and make gardening more pleasurable can really be appreciated. I particularly love this Golden Gark Multi Purpose Lightweight Garden Rake from QVC. The ability to lift and scoop makes chores like mowing and leaf raking significantly easier.

51msJxwJjlL._SY450_For the creative man

Give your chap a brand new hobby! I really like this jar and bottle cutter from Supermarket USA on Amazon, it could be used to turn bottles into vases or drinking glasses.

p6351_column_grid_12For the smartphone fan

Smartphones are great until you get a call on a cold day and have to pull your gloves off to get the screen to respond. With these Mujjo Touchscreen Gloves from Firebox your guy can keep his hands toasty warm

p5611_column_grid_12You could even go a step further and nab these whimsical Bluetooth gloves also from Firebox, although the question of whether you might look slightly mad talking to your fingers still remains.

 

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