Blending blue

Blending blue has moved

2010-04-20T06:47:00.001+02:00

All free patterns have moved to little Z handmade.

When I started this blog I had way more time at my hands than I have now (due to a wonderful new job). I underestimated the time it takes to maintain two blogs properly. As I think quality is important as it comes to blogging I decided to move (back) my free patterns to my personal blog. Another important reason to do so is that I figured out a way to store my patterns in a good way so that readers can find back my free patterns amongst the other posts. My excuses for the inconvenience but i had to figure out a way to simplify my (digital) life ;)

Toen ik dit nieuwe weblog begon had ik veel meer tijd over dan nu (vanwege een super leuke nieuwe baan). Het kost me nu heel veel tijd en energie om twee blogs op een kwalitatieve manier te onderhouden. Omdat ik kwaliteit heel belangrijk vind bij bloggen heb ik besloten mijn gratis patronen terug te zetten op mijn persoonlijk blog. Een andere belangrijke reden is dat ik een manier heb gevonden om de patronen handig in te delen zodat ze vindbaar blijven. Sorry voor het ongemak, maar ik had een manier nodig om mijn (digitale) leven te versimpelen ;)

Dus, neem een kijkje op little Z handmade (mijn originele blog). Daar kun je door de gratis patronen zoeken op category, occasion en technique zoals je hier gewend was.

Sea berries

2010-04-13T15:00:00.001+02:00

{art}
{bookmark}

This time I have a small piece of printable art for you. It's fit to frame into A4 size frames or smaller (the image is 12,5 cm wide). There is also a bookmark to download for you.

Deze keer heb ik een klein printable kunstwerkje voor je. Het past in A4 fomaat lijstjes of kleiner (het plaatje is 12,5 cm breed). En een bijpassende boekenlegger.

Camera printable paper

2010-04-12T20:52:00.006+02:00

{printable}

Design by: Maybemej

Isn't this printable (srapbook) paper just lovely? Perfect for your (digital) scrapbook projects or other paper work. The set contains 4 different papers.

Is dit printable (srapbook) papier niet super lief? Perfect voor je (digitale) scrap projecten of andere papieren projecten. De set bevat 4 verschillende dessins.

Printable gift set 'You are my cutie pie'

2010-04-05T20:49:00.002+02:00

{English}
{Nederlands}

Make your own cute gift set and/or greeting cards with this 'You are my cutie pie' printable gift set. The set contains a mini greeting card and matching envelope, wrapping paper, gift tag and two stickers.

Maak je eigen super schattige cadeautjes en/of kaartjes met deze 'You are my cutie pie' printable cadeauset. De set bevat een mini kaartje met bijpassend envelopje, inpakpapier, cadeaulabel en twee stickers.

Printable cd cases

2010-03-21T20:09:00.005+01:00

{music}
{travel}

Design by: Tomoko Suzuki for Canon

I came accross these wonderful printable cd cases. I think it's perfect for a gift cd with your own selection of music :)

Ik kwam deze super leuke printable cd hoesjes tegen. Ze zijn perfect als cadeautje met een cd met jouw eigen selectie van muziek.

Spring door quilt

2010-03-13T12:56:00.007+01:00

{Pattern}

Spring is coming fast now, the first flowers are emerging and the sun is getting stronger and stronger. Make yourself this cute spring quilt to hang on your door to welcome everyone that enters your home. No big tutorial for this one, just the pattern. Just one suggestion: the sheep, flowers and birdhouse are cut out of fabric and then finished off using fray check. So basic quilting skills are needed to make this one. More on quilting can be found here. Also you may want to use the instructions for the pencilcover, as it is made using the same techniques.

De lente komt er snel aan nu, de eerste bloemen komen boven en de zon wordt sterker en sterker. Tijd om deze leuke lentequilt te maken om aan je deur te hangen, zodat je iedereen bij jou thuis kan verwelkomen. Geen uitgebreide uitleg deze keer, alleen het patroon. Een tip: het schaapje, de bloemen en het vogelhuisje zijn uit stof geknipt en daarna afgewerkt met fray check. Om deze te maken heb je dus wat basis quilt kennis nodig. Meer over quilten vind je hier (engels). Je kunt ook de werkbeschrijving van de potlodenhoes lezen, want die is grotendeels met dezelfde techniek gemaakt.

Printable: would you care for a drink?

2010-03-01T20:42:00.005+01:00

{English}

Whether it's tea, coffee or wine... ask your friends if they would care for a drink the cute way! Write your message at the patterned back. The illustration is made from a collection of small 'bottle and glass' doodles which are hand drawn and coloured with ink. This printable is a set of 6 small invitation cards. Print double sided for a patterned back.

Of het nu thee, koffie of wijn is... vraag je vrienden voor een drankje op 'de schattige manier'. Schrijf je boodschap op de gedessineerde achterkant. De illustratie is gemaakt van een collectie van kleine 'flessen en glazen' doodles. Ze zijn handgetekend en ingekleurd met inkt. De printable bestaat uit 6 kleine uitnodigingen. Print de pdf dubbelzijdig voor een gedessineerde achterkant.

Birthday Calendar

2010-02-24T16:12:00.011+01:00

{English}
{Nederlands}

This birthday calendar is made with the fabulous Hippie chic stack from DCWV. Each sheet consists of two different kinds of papers from this stack but feel free to choose your own papers. The corners are rounded for that extra special look and the photo's (and calendar sheets) can be removed. Handy, when you want to look at some new photo’s! You can just add photo’s of your friends or choose a theme for your calendar (mine is filled with pictures of our VW bus and beetle).

Deze verjaardagskalender is gemaakt met papier uit de geweldige Hippie chic stack van DCWV. Elk blad bestaat uit 2 verschillende soorten papier uit deze stack, maar je kunt natuurlijk helemaal zelf jouw eigen papier uitkiezen. De hoekjes zijn afgerond voor een mooi, afgewerkte look en de foto’s (en kalenderblaadjes) kunnen verwisseld worden. Handig, als je eens naar een andere foto wilt kijken! Je kunt foto’s van je vrienden kiezen of kies een thema voor jouw kalender (die van mij is gevuld met foto’s van onze VW bus en kever).

Beautiful Blogger Award

2010-02-19T20:28:00.003+01:00

I got a Beautiful Blogger Award from Noni and Ozowiezo and because I feel awfully lazy today I will only be writing in Dutch. Sorry...

Wat lief! Ik kreeg van Ozowiezo een Beautiful Blogger Award. Dus nu moet ik 7 dingen over mijzelf vertellen en de award doorgeven aan 7 andere mensen. Ik kreeg ook een Beautiful Blogger Award van Noni voor little Z handmade en - luie ik - voeg ze lekker samen tot een bericht.

1. Ik ben helemaal niet geëmancipeerd (al was het maar om het foute wannabe-man-maar-mannen-hatende-stereotyp). Ik houd wel van een beetje een traditionele rolverdeling. Dus vriendlief sleept de poen binnen, ik sleep ook wat, maar minder, poen binnen, vriend-lief bestuurt meestal de auto en ik zit ernaast (tenzij bij een meeting, want dan sturen we soms samen twee auto's), vriend-lief klust aan autos', ik haak/brei/naai en wat dies meer zij.... (maar ik kan wel onvrouwelijk goed rijden en navigeren (zonder stom stom) vind ik zelf) :P

2. Ik ben een echt kattenmens, maar voor een husky of border collie maak ik graag een uitzondering.

3. Mijn meest-lievelings-kleding-kleur-van-dit-moment is petrol blauw maar ik heb de laatste tijd zin om kleuren te kopen die ik normaal niet draag zoals beige-geel en oud-roze (en dan lekkere combi's maken).

4. Ik heb vorige week 2 paar hakken gekocht omdat ik zin had in hakken na al het degelijke-platte-schoenen weer! Maar nu de gladheid is vervangen door regen moet ik nog heel even wachten...

5. Nu lijk ik koopverslaafd (ben ik eigenlijk ook, maar ik zit in de ontkenningsfase) maar ik kan heeeeeel lang niks kopen. Ik houd dat prima vol en koop dan alleen wat ik echt nodig heb... Maar het lijkt wel of het koop-gevoel zich gewoon opspaart en als-als-als ik dan even wat mag kopen van mezelf....Nou he!!! Daar vliegt het geld... En dan kan ik weer - heel gek!? - heeeeeeeeel lang niks kopen.... :P

6. Swap-bot is een ideale manier om in mijn koop en craftverslaving te voorzien, want ik mag - geoorloofd en ongestoord - allemaal leuke dingen voor anderen kopen en maken!

7. Ik voel me reuze oud nu ik weet dat Mmmbop alweer 12 jaar geleden een hit was (en dat ik toen niet 15 jaar oud was).

En ik nomineer deze keer 7 van mijn swap vriendjes (in willekeurige volgorde):

Kimminita
MadeByMo
Kreatieve
Looking after dragons
Sraps-enzo
Nicollie
Viola Odorata

Squirrel magnet or applique

2010-02-18T09:32:00.007+01:00

{English}

Design by: Cylinda Mathews

A cute squirrel you can use as an applique on clothes, bags and more. Or make a fridge magnet (see the tutorial for instructions).

Een lieve eekhoorn, die je kunt hem gebruiken als applicatie op kleding, tassen en nog veel meer. Of maak een magneet (zie de werkbeschrijving voor instructies). De werkbeschrijving is dit keer alleen in het Engels, want met deze vertaling kun je het patroon als het goed is volgen.

Crocheted vase

2010-02-09T11:21:00.006+01:00

{English}
{Nederlands}

This bold looking vase is made of hoooked zpagetti. This wonderful stuff is made out of recycled left over from the clothing industry. The collection is constantly changing according to the colours of the season. So it's green and it's cool! The crocheted cover fits around a glass vase. I love that the tip of the vase is still showing but you may want to make the crocheted cover a bit higher to cover up the vase completely. It’s all up to you…

If you want to crochet but have never done it before, this is a wonderful project to start with. It’s a quick project, only using the basic crochet stitches but with maximum result. I have put up some links to crochet tutorials at this site (see: beginners guides at the right).

Deze stoere vaas is gemaakt van hoooked zpagetti. Dit geweldige spul is gemaakt van restmateriaal uit de kledingindustrie. De collectie verandert voortdurend al naar gelang de trendkleuren van het seizoen. De gehaakte hoes past om een glazen vaas. Ik vind het heel mooi dat de bovenkant van de vaas nog te zien is, maar je mag de hoes natuurlijk ook hoger maken om de vaas volledig te bedekken.

Als je nog nooit gehaakt hebt is dit een ideaal project om mee te beginnen. Het is heel snel klaar en je gebruikt alleen basissteken, maar je hebt wel een maximum effect! Ik heb wat links op mijn site gezet naar uitleg over haken (zie: beginners guides rechts).

Watch out what you throw away

2010-02-02T13:30:00.000+01:00

Often objects don't seem to be reusable. But, appearances are deceptive. A couple of examples:

Never just throw away your old clothes. First check if there’s something useful. For example: buttons, zippers, applications, ribbons (inside to hang clothes onto a coat hanger), etc. And the fabric itself can be useful for patchwork.
Things like key cords often have useful fasteners and clips on them.
Ugly beads can be reused by painting them. Or use them as a rattler, by putting them into a plastic box. You can use this rattler for toys or plushies.
When you throw away old jewellery, also look at clips, thread, rings, etc instead of just the beads and charms.
If you have an old refrigerator magnet, maybe you can pull of the magnet and reuse that.
A photo frame might be too ugly, even with paint. Maybe you can cover it with fabric or felt.

Table runner

2010-01-27T14:31:00.012+01:00

{English}
{Nederlands}

This is a very special table runner. I'm totally in love with it. It's made of pieces of fabric which are attached using blanket and crochets stitches. The light blue pieces are from two kitchen towels and the dark blue fabric is from Ikea. It's about 200 x 50 cm big (in the picture it's folded). I love the combination of crocheting with sewing and it looks wonderful at my table :D

Fray check / fabric magnets

2010-01-21T08:00:00.001+01:00

I use fray check a lot! So I wanted to share this tip with you. Fray check is used to finish off fabric to stop them from fraying.

It's really simple. Just cut your fabric without seam allowance. Then apply a small line of fray check along the side of the fabric. After it's dry your fabric won't fray anymore and - that's the best part about fray check! - the fabric is still soft and flexible.

In the example I've cut out the apple and pear from the fabric, finished off the edges with fray check and applied them on a self adhesive magnet sheet. Then cut the excess magnet, following the edges of the fabric shape.

Fastening the Blanket stitch

2010-01-14T13:42:00.002+01:00

I often use the blanket-stitch (you will find this stitch in many of my patterns). Sometimes you have to fasten a new thread. I’ve long searched for a way do this properly and invisible, but (as far as I know) there’s nothing about this in books or on the internet. Eventually I came up with the method as explained below.

(in this example the heart marks the back of my work)

Step 1: Insert the needle back through the last stitch (through the felt and at the back of your work). The thread comes out at the inside of your work where you can bind it invisible.

Step 2: Insert a new thread from the inside of your work through the last stitch (the same stitch where you inserted the old thread in step 1). The thread comes out at the back of your work.

Step 3: Insert the new thread through the loop of the last stitch (not through the felt) as seen in the third picture. Now the thread is positioned for the next stitch. If you continue the blanket-stitch from this point you will have an invisible fastening.

To wish list

2010-01-13T20:08:00.005+01:00

{English}
{Nederlands (blz 3)}

Design by: Homemade Happiness

Achieving your goals and wishes (like quit smoking or making that big journey) isn't always easy so let's make it a bit more fun with this cool download.

Write your five most important wishes or goals for coming year on these cake toppers. Then hang the poster someplace you see it often (like on the toilet door or the fridge!). Achieved a goal? Or did a wish come true? Yay! Make a note on the poster, cut out the caketopper and treat yourself to a yummy muffin, brownie or a nice juicy apple - with a festive topper.

Embroidered candleholders

2010-01-05T16:09:00.001+01:00

{English}
{Nederlands}

Do you think embroidery is old-fashioned? Well, take a look at this candleholder! This dull glass has a new coat of felt embroidered with a contemporary pattern.

Money gift

2009-12-31T13:16:00.004+01:00

{English}
{Nederlands}

Spice up a money gift with this original vintage pin-up girl. The banknote is sitting in a pocket behind the girl. This way the note is acting like the girls bathing suit.

Unfortunately I haven't got this specific image anymore, but you can have a look here for some vintage pin-up girls.

crocheted plaid

2009-12-27T12:19:00.000+01:00

{English}
{Nederlands}

Make this wonderful, warm plaid yourself. It's made from 25 small squares in different hues of grey and blue. Of course you can adjust these colours to your taste; use ton-sur-ton colours for a subtle look or complementary colours for a bold look.

Crocheted cushion

2009-12-23T10:04:00.004+01:00

{English}
{Nederlands}

Warning: cat's will love this cushion! They can and will trample to destroy it! ;)

Cover up an old pillow by making a crocheted pillow case for it. The back is made of thick felt so you have two different sides. The back and front part of the cushion are sewn together by hand, using a decorative blanket stitch. Use thick wool to give your cushion a bold look.

Pencil cover

2009-12-19T09:42:00.002+01:00

{English}
{Nederlands}

This pencil cover is perfect to take your drawing supplies with you. The cover has room for an A5 drawing book. The back of the book fits into a pocket so it sits tight. The pencils and some other stuff fits in the pocket besides the book. The pocket and the flap are filled, so the pencils are well protected. The cover closes with two ribbons that are tied around two buttons.

The cover measures 6.7x10 inch when closed and 1.25 inch thick (filled). Opened it measures 13.5x6.7 inch.

Crocheted Christmas tree

2009-12-17T10:11:00.003+01:00

{English}
{Nederlands}

Design by: Grietjekarwietje

How cute is this? This pattern is made by Grietje and I think it's the most amazing, cute thing for Christmas. I have to make one myself yet, but I think it will be a rather quick decoration to make so it will be perfect as a last minute present. I think you can transform this one for the boys too; just add some bold buttons, spikes or a funny face as decoration ;)

Christmas star

2009-12-15T20:01:00.006+01:00

{English}
{Nederlands}

A beautiful embroidered star. This star is rather big (about 13 cm) and will look wonderful in front of the window attached to a long ribbon.

Ballee bird

2009-12-12T16:29:00.010+01:00

{Photo tutorial}

Design by: Ballee

Make this cute and versatile bird as a (door) hanger, a gift, for gift wrapping and so on.

Simple stars

2009-12-10T20:33:00.011+01:00

{English}
{Nederlands}

Make these cute and simple stars as a last minute decoration. They are really simple and fast to make and you can do various things with them; decorate your tree, make a garland with multiple stars or fill them with some nice smelling herbs.

Kits with all materials needed are available at East of the Sun (including fabric figure sheep, rooster, dog or rabbit).

Candle holder with ribbon

2009-12-05T14:29:00.004+01:00

{English}
{Nederlands}

A quick and simple, but lovely looking decoration; you'll only need some glasses, ribbon and felt. Adjust the colours and ribbon to your liking or the season. The ribbon used in this example is from East of the Sun.

Simple and fast scarf

2009-12-03T20:00:00.006+01:00

{English}
{Nederlands}

A beautiful bold scarf for those cold, winter days. This will make a perfect gift for anyone, even your dad or your boyfriend. Just don’t be stingy on the wool here, because good wool makes this scarf work!

Difficult? No way! This scarf is easy as a breeze, even if you have never knitted before. It’s made with knitted stitches only and due to the thick needles and wool you are done in no time.

Tip for the boys: use bold structured wool with colors like grey, brown, black, creme or multi-color.

Handstamped felt keychains

2009-12-02T09:18:00.004+01:00

{English}
{Nederlands}

These adorable hand stamped keychains will make a perfect (and quick) Christmas or birthday gift for girls as well for boys. You can make endless variations in stamp design, material and colour. Or personalise your keychain with a very special Chinese Zodiac stamp.

The stamps used here are from little Z.

Tip for the boys: use grey, black, white, orange or lime felt or use a cool car stamp.

Let's go shopping invitation

2009-11-30T18:00:00.007+01:00

{English}

Here is something cute for you; a special 'let's go shopping' invitation. Just let your friend(s) know when and where you want to go. There is some room to write an additional message. The original illustration was done in ink and water paint.

Including matching envelope, size: 12 x 17 cm.

Crocheted Christmas garland

2009-11-29T09:30:00.007+01:00

{English}
{Nederlands}

Last year I made felt ornaments and fabric balls for my non-glittery-style-christmas-tree. And of course I needed a matching garland. The problem was that most garlands are too glittery. At a fare I came across a devise (a netting fork or loom) to make shawls and this was the perfect devise for my Christmas garland.

I have combined white wool with star-floss (it has to be a little glittery of course). It is a very quick and easy technique. Enjoy!

Organizing fabric

2009-11-28T10:00:00.003+01:00

I have found the perfect way to organize my pieces of fabric. It's based on the fabric organizers you can buy at the store. I thought they were a great solution but I wasn't willing to pay that amount of money on it. So I cut up some cardboard boxes (from the supermarket) and cut pieces that fit into my storing boxes. I wrapped my fabric around this and secure it with a rubber band.

For the larger pieces of fabric I made cardboard pieces measuring A4 size so they fit into my book case.

It's quick and easy and you are recycling too!

Lavender teabags

2009-11-26T17:20:00.005+01:00

{English}
{Nederlands}

Design by: Bugs and Fishes

These teabag-shaped lavender sachets are so sweet - a fun and quirky way of keeping your clothes smelling sweet and deterring those pesky moths (just don't try to drink them!).

Tip from Minkeltje: it's also lovely for a tableware play set.

Shopping and Wishlist

2009-11-25T15:05:00.016+01:00

{English}
{Nederlands}

Shop in style with these shopping lists. This little apple lady will help you remind what you need (and she also wants to remind you that apples are a delicious and healthy choice).

And because every girl has a wish list (and I’m not talking groceries or apples here) I also added a special wish list for you.

Just print and cut. Have fun shopping!

Kreativ Blogger Award

2009-11-23T19:45:00.001+01:00

My blog is just a few days old and already I got this wonderful Kreativ Blogger Award from Tizzalicious! Thank you so much!

The rules:
Put the award on your Blog and link to the one you got it from.
Tell us 7 things about you we didn't know.
Choose 7 other bloggers who you want to give this award,
link to them and let them know you gave them the award!

So here are 7 things about me:

My favourite classes at school used to be drawing (duh), history and biology
I love watching Discovery, National Geographic and History Channel
I love watching movies even better (I must admit: I watch about 3 movies a week)
My favourite animals are: fox, cat and the rest of all that’s cute (or very wild)
I think fishes are kind of scary – therefore I don’t like to swim in open (dark) water
I’m a bit afraid of water all together (especially diving in it, head under the water). That’s kind of strange for a Pisces
And yes, I’m Pisces – big time! Even moon and Venus are in Pisces! Sigh * the romantic type…

And the 7 people I want to give this award to:

Felt Christmas ornament

2009-11-22T13:08:00.007+01:00

{English}
{Nederlands}

It doesn’t matter if you’re the stylish type or the more traditional type. Just decorate your tree with one or more handmade Christmas decorations. Make it stylish in black and white with a subtle embroidered pattern. Or go traditional / Tilda-style with brown colours and cute little hearts. You will find both versions in this pattern.

Crocheted blue hat

2009-11-21T08:00:00.026+01:00

{English}
{Nederlands}

Last summer I was at a VWT2-meet and a friend of mine had this cute, crocheted blue hat. I kind of stole it from her and wore it an entire day. Actually I didn’t want to give it back but then I remembered I had some wonderful petrol-blue yarn at home. So I figured out how to make one myself. I promised my friend to tell her how I made it, because she doesn't use patterns and never can reproduce the same hat twice, but too bad, the model did turn out quite different...

However, I looooove blues and greys so how can I not like this hat. Hope you like it too! Have fun!

Chocolat cake hang tags

2009-11-20T10:00:00.016+01:00

{English}

Design by: Homemade Happiness

Party coming up? Or feeling a little bit down? What you need is a chocolate fix - and with these fabulous '5 minute chocolate cakes in a mug' you can't go wrong! Enjoy! Check the cake recipe here and the chocolate topping recipe here!

Scented sachet

2009-11-19T10:18:00.012+01:00

{English}
{Nederlands}

Let your house smell deliciously with this scented sachet made of wool felt and linen. Fill it with herbs or your own choice. This will also make an excellent gift. Just adjust the colours and scent according to the season or the occasion.

Embroidered heart

2009-11-18T16:37:00.013+01:00

{English}
{Nederlands}

This heart will look wonderful in your Christmas tree or anywhere else in your house. Just adjust the colours of the felt and embroider thread to create a total different look. This way you can also use this design for general gifts or other seasons.

Autumn quilt

2009-11-17T11:42:00.007+01:00

{English}
{Nederlands}

An autumn welcoming quilt to hang in your hallway or on your front door. It's rather quick and easy to make. The embroidery is quite some work if you want to use small stitches, but feel free to make bolder stitches. A wonderful project to make on a stormy day (of course add some hot chocolate!).

About Blending Blue

2009-11-16T11:34:00.015+01:00

Blending Blue stands for blending colors, techniques and creating new things…

About Blending Blue
Blending Blue is a project by Lisette, a Dutch girl always busy creating things. I'm also the owner of little Z, a shop with handmade stamps and paper goods.

The start of Blending Blue
In the past years I have made a lot of patterns and I never made a decent decision about what to do with them. So they first ended up at my website. But as my website evolved there was no room for them anymore and I moved them to my regular blog. But they kind of got lost there in all those posts. Because I think they deserve their own spot I started a brand new project: Blending Blue.

What will I find on Blending Blue?
Basically my free patterns and free downloads. And because there is so much wonderful stuff out there I will be regularly hosting a guest design from other designers.

So enjoy! Be creative and please share your thoughts and suggestions...

About the name
I have a few favourite colours but I think blue is the most important one. It appears on my website, in my house and in my clothes. I love to blend blue with other colours.
And because creativity for me is one big journey I also love to try new things and creative techniques. So blending for me also means 'evolving into new things'

What am I allowed to do with these patterns?
Almost anything; make goodies for yourself or as a gift to another person and make as many as you like. You may also make adjustments to the design, like colour variations (unless otherwise stated). All designs are for non-commercial use only. The only thing I would like in return is that you give credits to Blending Blue by linking back to the original post. You may also post your pictures of what you made at the Blending Blue FlickR Pool.

I want to donate my design
I will regularly post guest patterns and designs. If you want to join, all you have to do is send me a good picture (450px wide) and the pdf file. I will judge the design and will let you know if and when it will be featured on this blog. I will also link back to your website or blog and it would be great if you link back to Blending Blue.

Contact

Link to Blending Blue
If you want to link to Blending Blue you may also use this banner: