Posts Tagged ‘ribbon yarn’...

How to soften your projects

September 10, 2010

I get this question a lot; “How can I speed up the break-in period of an item I made?”

Great question! Over time, the silks that you work with from Darn Good Yarn will get softer and softer. However, I understand there are times where you want that vintage soft look.

So follow these easy tutorial and you’ll be on your way to experience the softness that all of Darn Good Yarn’s Recycled Silk Yarns and Ribbons can bring!

What you need:

Dryer

5-7 tennis balls depending on the size of your dryer and/or project

2 Tbsp of hair conditioner or liquid fabric softener

4.5 cups of warm water

Bucket

Optional:

soak washSoak Wash to pre-clean your project (great for those items that will be against skin!) Buy it by clicking here.

Dryer Safe bag


Instructions

1.Pour and mix the conditioner (or fabric softer) and water in the bucket until conditioner is dissolved.

You can precede this step by washing your project in Soak Wash. Buy it by clicking here.

2. Place project into bucket and hand agitate being sure to get this softening solution in all of the nooks and crannies. (about 2 mins)

3. GENTLY, squeeze out the water. Be careful about warping the project by over-squeezing the water out of your project…you could misshape it!

4. Throw project in dryer safe bag (or not). I originally made the mistake of having too large of a bag and my project wound up being mashed to one side and did not dry! When I re-tried the process, I stuck some wet towels along with 5 tennis balls and my project into the dryer on my standard setting (until everything was ALMOST dry). Remember, don’t go on your hottest dryer setting–use the medium setting.

5. Check your dryer every 10 mins. You want to pull your project out just when it still has a little bit of dampness. This is important in case you have to reshape your project. From there you can lay it flat to dry the rest of the way. If your project doesn’t need reshaping you can let the full cycle of dryer take over.

6. You’re all set! Not only do you have a softened project, but it smells good too:)

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Holy Moly!

September 1, 2010

I wonder what kind of dreams Lashell has. I bet they are in color and have lots of sari ribbon in them. Look at the new, wondrous creations she’s waived her magical hands at!

Oh, and if you like the pendants, check out this one of a kind shop http://www.etsy.com/shop/fuzzballs?ref=seller_info

Rose owns this shop (Click here to visit Rose’s shop!). If you are making some awesome pieces for yourself, contact Rose. She’ll hook you up! Just amazing pieces!!!!

Click on any one of the pictures to visit Lashell’s etsy shop. Do you own a small shop and want to carry a line of her items? Just let me know! Email me now!

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Sari Ribbon as Art!

September 1, 2010

Terri is this wonderful artist and I have been meaning to show you what she does and makes.

Not only is Terri terribly creative she’s also a fellow Darn Good Yarner. So, she wanted to show me what she created with bits of Sari Ribbon in a no-knit, no-crochet project. I think it’s wonderful when we can stretch our imaginations and use funky materials in such cool ways!

Enjoy the pics but first check out a few of her links:

www.feltinglessons.com – Terri’s  site about felting
www.blindsquirrel.etsy.com — Terri’s handiwork for sale
www.indigo.org/rainbow — Terri’s video on pet loss
www.facebook.com/terri.pike – Terri’s Facebook profile

Comments Are Welcome!

Make a tassel already!

July 18, 2010

Have you noticed that here at Darn Good Yarn we’ve become a little nuts about our sari ribbon. And oh the varieties! Check them out here!

Recycled Silk Sari Ribbon Tassel

This one I love! I was futzing around thinking about making a nice tassel. So, I did! I also beaded up a little strand of lime green seed beads and tied them around for extra embellishment. It was the perfect finishing touch. Use these to tie back curtains or tie around a pillow or you can just hang them on over guest hand towels– the possibilities are really limitless. Just don’t be afraid of color! Make a smaller one and use it as a pull on a light or a fan. Or you can make a mini one with a long tail and turn it into a bookmark. What a great gift!

For the tassel pictured you’ll need:

You’ll need 1 100g skein of Darn Good Yarn’s Around the World Sari Ribbon. You can also substitute this skein with the variety of other sari ribbons Darn Good Yarn carries. They come in solids, mixed prints, eye-lashed, and silk varieties.

Scissors

CD Case or heavy cardboard that has the same dimensions (this determines the length of the fringe of the tassel so you can make it as long or short as you’d like)

Optional:

Fishing Line

Seed Beads

Instructions:

1) Wrap the yarn around the CD case (or heavy duty cardboard). Do this until it bulks up to your desired “poofiness”. For the tassel pictured, it was about 25 times.

2) Cut  the remaining ribbon

3) Take  a 7 inch piece of ribbon and thread it through one side of the loops. You need this because you can use this ribbon to attach it to whatever you had in mind. Make it longer if you say had curtains that were very bulky. If you are having a tough time getting the ribbon through the loops, go ahead and go to step 4 and then carefully go back to this step.

4) Slide the recycled sari ribbon off the CD case.

5) Cut another piece of ribbon about 6 inches in length. This will tie the tassel together. So, tie it close to the top of the loops you just passed that ribbon from step 3. Make a neat and tight square knot for this part. this is especially important if you’re not going to add additional embellishments. You can tuck the ends of this ribbon underneath this band to make them lie flat.

6) It should really look like a tassel now! But you must cut and trim the bottom loops. Make sure to get them all and arrange the recycled sari ribbon so there is equal poofiness.

7) Go ahead an embellish as you see fit. Get funky! Try beads, buttons or leave it as is.

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