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Hands Occupied

Colorful knitting, crochet, latch hook and macrame from craft book author & designer Heidi Gustad.

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How-to: Google Reader Onesie

November 2, 2011 1 Comment

On Monday, Google ended Google Reader sharing as we knew it. My friends and I are were a part of a particularly active bunch of sharebros (a.k.a. Google Reader friends, like Facebook friends but so much better). Some of my ‘bros were even got a little bit famous last week with this article from The Atlantic Wire. My friends Laine and Ramey were mentioned and quoted in it. You see, they met on G’reader, married and are expecting a baby in a few short weeks.

via Iconspedia

In honor of their impending baby and to commemorate the end of Google Reader sharing, I decided to make them a special little onesie (surprise, guys!). If you happen to have friends totally hooked on G’reader like mine are, you should make them baby onesies or at least patches using the pattern I’m about to share.

Since it’s the old version of Google Reader I’m commemorating here, it only seemed appropriate to replicate the old version’s icon.

Supplies

red, blue, green and white felt

fabric scissors

sharpie

needle & thread

a baby onesie

ruler

Directions

Cut one square each of red, blue and green felt in to 3″x3″ squares. My felt came in 8.5×11″ sheets, so for the white squares of felt I needed, I cut a 3×8.5″ strip of white felt into two 3×3 squares and used the extra bit leftover as-is.

Cut one of your 3×3 white pieces into the following shape. Draw two curved lines on the shape and cut around them to form the RSS wave shapes from the icon.

Following a similar procedure, cut out the following shapes for the red piece of your icon. The reason I did less cutting for the red piece was because you don’t see the full square when the blue square is laid over it. I referred back to the original icon a lot as I worked on this project.

For the white pieces of felt that will lay over the green felt, you can cut out even less. This is where not needing a full third 3×3″ square of white felt comes in. I think I’ll let my photos do the explaining for how I cut out my last set of RSS-wave shapes:

Once your pieces are all cut out, lay out everything on your work surface to make sure you’re happy with how it all lays. Now, round off the corners, being careful not to take too much off.

Time to start sewing! I used a basic stitch perpendicular to the edges of the pieces I was sewing to make it look very quilt-y. (If anybody knows a proper name for this, let me know. It’s late and I’m too tired to look up wtf it might be called.)

After all of the white pieces are sewn to each colored piece, lay all three in place based on the icon.  Take off the blue piece and loosely sew the red and green ones together. Be careful to conceal the thread in places where it will be covered by the blue square.

Next, add the blue piece. Since these stitches will have to be visible, place your stitches where there are already stitches in place. Like this…

Now, sew the whole icon to your onesie using the same style of stitching you used to attach those white pieces to the colored ones. Tie it all off, and you’re set! So cute!

Hey, Laine? Surprise gift! Email me your mailing address so I can send you this thing. :) Normally, I’d just @you on Reader, but y’know, I can only G+ it now. #notpleased 

I was originally going to have the phrase “never forget” below the icon, but I think the icon alone is much more attractive. Anybody else made techy onesies they’d like to share? Throw me a link in the comments and I’ll post it on Facebook!

Filed Under: Embroidery, How-to Tagged With: applique, felt, google reader, onesie, rss, Sewing, stitching, tech crafts

About Heidi

Heidi Gustad (she/her) is a craft book author & designer specializing in yarn crafts. Her work combines vintage and modern design elements, prioritizing color and graphic motifs. Her first book, Latch Hook: 12 Projects for the Modern Maker, is out now.

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  1. Feed me! Well, you. – Hands Occupied says:
    March 29, 2013 at 12:15 am

    […] It feels like so long ago that I made my Google Reader buddies’ new babies Google Reader logo onesies. […]

    Reply

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Heidi Gustad from Hands Occupied / Craft Book Author and Knitting, Crochet, Latch Hook and Macrame Designer

Hi! I’m Heidi (she/her/hers), and I’ve been helping yarn crafters untangle various techniques on the internet since 2010. I got my start here, as a blogger, and since then I’ve shared more than a few tutorials here and on YouTube as I’ve grown as a pattern designer. 🧶 

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Heidi Gustad 🧶 knitting & yarn crafts

handsoccupied

Knitting & yarn crafts designer 🧶
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Stay up-to-date 💌 & shop new patterns ⤵️

POV: Showing you how my new Bevelled Tank pattern POV: Showing you how my new Bevelled Tank pattern fits with no ease vs. 4” of positive ease. There’s a bit more length to the cotton (brighter color) sample, but both are cropped and feature shoulder seams designed to sit an inch back onto the shoulder instead of on top, giving it a little swing. Length is easily adjustable for folks looking for less of a crop. 
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Pattern: Bevelled Tank by @handsoccupied for @pompommag x @hobbii_yarn summer 2024. Available for free from Hobbii at the 🔗 in my profile.
Yarn pictured: @kelbournewoolens Skipper and Camper. 
Dress form is adjusted to a 36” chest and ~5’3”ish in height. 
Human has a 40” chest and is 5’5”.
Both skirts are vintage.
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#pompomxhobbiisummer2024 #handsoccupied #intarsia #handmade #knitting #colorwork
Let’s talk about fit and ease! . During the Beve Let’s talk about fit and ease!
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During the Bevelled Tank design process for @pompommag, I knit 2 samples using 2 different @KelbourneWoolens yarns. One was in Skipper (100% cotton, second photo) and the other was in Camper (100% 2 ply wool). The Skipper sample was knit for a 36” bust, which measures in at 40” with 4” of positive ease. And I knit the Camper Sample for my 40” bust with a 44” finished measurement. (BTW, I’m 5’5” for folks that find that measurement helpful in visualizing fit.)
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Based on the size chart for the Bevelled Tank, that means I knit one size 3 sample and one size 4. As designed, I conveniently fit a size 4 as intended with 4” of positive ease. When I wear the 3, there is no ease at all because the garment and my body are both 40” in size. Comparing the 2 garments, you can see how the fiber content (cotton vs. wool) and fit (no ease vs. 4” of positive ease) makes a difference in the look and feel of the finished garment. 
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These samples are a great way to compare what ease looks like on different bodies. While I can fit both a size 3 and 4, the garment with no ease feels more like pajamas or a bralette when I wear it. On the other hand, when I wear the one with 4” of positive ease, I feel comfortable enough to wear it to work, even as a crop top. Plus, it leaves me with enough room to layer it with a nice button down if I’m not feeling the cropped look one day. 
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I’m curious - how would you style this tank? Would you modify it with a few stockinette rows for added length? I’m so curious now that this pattern is finally out in the world. :) 
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#pompomxhobbiisummer2024 #bevelledtank #handsoccupied #knitting #intarisa #handmade #kelbournewoolens #croppedsweater #summerknits
After a 6 month hiatus, I am happy to say I’m ba After a 6 month hiatus, I am happy to say I’m back with a brand new pattern in 9 sizes, and it’s FREE as part of @pompommag x @hobbii_yarn’s summer design collection! (Link is in my bio.)
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In my December newsletter, I announced that I was soliciting test knitters for a pattern that had originally been selected for the summer ’24 issue of Pom Pom Quarterly magazine. However, the magazine ceased publication after its spring ’24 issue, leaving in-progress designs unpublished. (It happens.) As a result, I’d begun the long process of editing, testing, and photographing the pattern for independent release through the Hands Occupied pattern shop and Ravelry.
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Before I was done with that process, Pom Pom Quarterly’s former editors reached out with an exciting proposal for the pattern. Post-magazine, they’ve begun to partner with yarn companies to produce high quality pattern collections. They wanted to include designs from the would-be current issue of Pom Pom Quarterly in a new collection for Hobbii yarn, including my Bevelled Tank. I worked with the same technical editors I would have for the magazine on this one, and as you can see from the photos, Pom Pom’s team did an amazing job of styling the garment to the beautiful standards they’re known for.
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You can learn more about the pattern on my blog and get the free pattern from Hobbii yarn - links to both in my profile. I’ll post sizing info in the comments for quick reference too. 🧶
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#pompomxhobbiisummer2024 #knitting #intarsia #sponsored #colorworkknitting 
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Photos: @dianascarrunz 
Model: @angel.jade_
Here’s a nice throwback for you: my take on a vi Here’s a nice throwback for you: my take on a vintage knitting pattern from 1938 called the Fernlace Pullover. A pattern so nice, I knit it twice.
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Yellow version 💛: knit with Despondent Dyes’ Vintage Vixen Sport after attending a @squidneyknits vintage knitting retreat in 2019 & learning *so much*. Paired with a self-drafted circle skirt pattern. 
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Blue version 💙: knit with @eweeweyarns Ewe So Sporty in Sky Blue. Paired with the 1940s Boardwalk Duet sewing pattern from @decades_of_style 
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Head to my stories for 🔗🔗 to the handmade wardrobe blog posts I wrote about each take on the Fernlace Pullover, working with a vintage pattern, where to find vintage patterns (including the one I used), & some thoughts on sizing. 
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Image descriptions available in alt text. 
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#handsoccupied #handmadewardrobe #fernlacepullover #vintageknitting #vintageknittingpatterns #knitting_inspiration
Frogging is a word in the knitting world that mean Frogging is a word in the knitting world that means to rip out your knitting. It’s called frogging because frogs say “ribbit,” and when you’re tearing out your knitting, you will “rip it” out, and that sounds like ribbit. No really. 🐸 Did you know this fun fact? 
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P.S. I did like this design concept, but to make the pattern more knitter friendly as well as more wearable, I am making some tweaks to the construction. Excited to share when it’s ready! 🥰🧶
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Yarn: @blueskyfibers Woolstok North in Morning Frost & Highland Fleece 
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#handsoccupied #knitting #frogging #blueskyfibers #knittersofinstagram #blueskymakers #knittingvocabulary #bsfmakers #knitdesign
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