We Can Do It! Building a Table

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I promised to give you projects that Rosie the Riveter would be proud of, and here is the first one. 

                                    

So for one of my first major projects in my new home I decided to build a table. I built it out of real wood and spent about $25 dollars to do so. It's just a small round side table that I use between my two big leather chairs. However even smaller tables made out of particle board were $50 or more in retail stores, and I didn't even like any of them. So I set off to beat the retail stores and purchased what I needed to make a table of my own. 

What you need:

-A Phillips head screwdriver (that fits your chosen screws well)

-Wood screws (at least 1/2 inch longer than your table top is thick)

-Wood Putty

-A table top (mine is a 27 inch diameter and an inch and a half thick, purchased at Lowes)

-2 rods (4 feet in length by one and half inches thick, purchased at A.C.Moore)

-One saw

-Sandpaper

-optional* small pieces of wood to use as supports between the legs----if you do this you will need wood glue and clamps.

This is really more straight-forward than you might imagine. You can do it!

Directions:

1. Mark on your table where each of the legs will go. This is mostly up to you because of aesthetic reasons. I aimed to have them about three inches from the edge. Make sure to space them evenly or your table wobble.

2. You also need to measure out two feet (to the middle) of your two rods. If you are lucky enough to have a power saw then use that to cut evenly throught the rod. If not I suggest marking the 2 foot line all the way around the rod before trying to cut straight with a hand saw. Set them aside

3. Where you marked the table for the four legs use the screwdriver to power the screws through to the bottom side. 

4. Once you've done all four, get the rod halves. Use the screw driver to hold the screw in place while screwing the rods onto the table.

5. Set your table up on its legs to test that it is even. If it is not adjust the rods by tightening the longest ones on their screws.

6. Apply wood putty over the screws (carefully). 

7. Allow it to dry for the amount of time prescribed on the bottle. Then sand it down to be smooth.

                                     

There's your table!!

If you decided to add the leg supports you need to cut them to the appropriate length (measure the distance between the legs). Bear in mind that these may not be the exact same length. Use the same marking and sawing method you used for the rod legs to cut them. Then set your table on its top. Use wood glue to position the supports and clamp them into place. I used only two and I attached them after I stained the piece so you will see them in later pictures. Using four would be a good idea for stability's sake.

After I finished the table building, I painted a design on the top. 

                             

I used acrylic paints that I already had from other previous projects.

Then finally I stained the piece in a color called Gun Stock by Minwax. I love this classic color for a very vintage look. It took two coat and I stained right over the acrylic paint except for the white parts. Finally I used a polyurethane to finish it off and give it a shined up finish!

Finished Product:

                                   

Stay tuned for more cost savvy DIY Decor projects! 

DIY Crochet Bedspread

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Here's a quick post I wanted to share with you guys! 

I made this bedspread for my guest room. I found it on another blog called Da's Crochet Connection and I loved it so much I wanted to share it with you all. It's a great project for scrap yarn. The original source is at the bottom of this post.

 (Look my guest room is almost pretty!)
(BTW later I'll show you how I made the curtains)

So here's the patter I followed:

"Finished size: 52 1⁄2 inches (133 cm) by 64 inches (162 cm)

Yarn: Stylecraft Special DK.
Colors: Aspen, Aster, Bluebell, Clematis, Cloud Blue, Fondant, Lavender, Lipstick, Magenta, Meadow, Pomegranate, Sherbet, Shrimp, Spring Green, Sunshine, Turquoise, and Wisteria.

Hook Size: G-6 (4mm) and a 7 (4.5 mm) the 7 or 4.5mm hook is only used for the dfpdc rows 29, 31, 37, and 39 and so forth

Stitches used:
Basic stitches: ch-chain , sc-single crochet, hdc-half double crochet, dc-double crochet, tr-treble/triple, sk-skip a stitch, yo-yarn over

Special Stitches:
Double Front Post Double Crochet (dfpdc)-Yo, insert hook from front to back around the next two double crochets, (Yo, draw through two loops on hook) Twice, See hook size for hook changes Popcorn stitch- make 5 dc in the stitch indicated, remove the hook and insert from the front to the back through the top of the first stitch and then in the dropped loop yo and pull through the 2 loops on the hook
Puff stitch- *yo, insert hook into stitch indicated and pull up a loop, * repeat from * to* four more times, yo and pull through all 9 loops on the hook, ch1
”V” stitch-dc, ch1, dc in the stitch indicated
Reverse single crochet (crab stitch)- insert hook in the next stitch to the right, yarn over and pull up a loop, yarn over and pull through the 2 loops on the hook.

Notes about pattern:
This pattern is written in U.S. terms

Blanket is done in multiples of 24, as to accommodate the stitch patterns that are done in multiples of 2,4,6, and 8. So for a blanket about 50 inches (127cm) without edging, I would chain 216 (9x24) or for a blanket about 56 inches (142 cm) without edging, I would chain 240 (10 x24) and so forth.
Because of all the different stitches used, there will probably be a small amount of adjusting, depending on which pattern is used. So make sure to check that you have the beginning stitch count after each row.
Color changes are not listed in the pattern, as to leave the color creativity to you.

Each group of stitches is done in sets so it makes it easier to end the blanket. Row 1 Foundation row
Rows 2-20= Set1
Rows 21-25=Transition rows, between sets
Rows= 26-41= Set 2

Blanket pattern:
Chain 242= 240 plus 2 for turning
Row 1: hdc in second chain from hook and in each chain across (240 sts), ch 2, turn
Row 2: hdc in each chain across (240 sts), ch 2, turn
Row 3: hdc in each stitch (st) across (240 sts), ch 1, turn
Row 4: sc in the next 3 sts, *dc over the next st into hdc from row 2, sc in next 3 sts, * repeat from * to * to the end, ch 2, turn
Row 5: hdc in each chain across (240 sts), ch 2, turn
Row 6: Repeat row 5 but ch 3, turn
Row 7: sk first st, * “V” sitich in the next st, sk next st*, repeat from * to * to the last 2 sts, skip next st and dc in the last st. ch 1, turn
Row 8: 2 sc in the first space, * 1 sc in ch 1 space, 1 sc between the “V” st, repeat form * to * until the last sp, 2 sc in the last space 1 sc in ch 2, ch 2, turn
Row 9: Hdc in each st across. Ch 1, turn
Row 10: sc in each st across, ch 1 turn
Row11: sc in the next 2 sts, popcorn in the next st, * sc in the next 3 sts, popcorn in the next st* repeat from * to * to the last 3 sts, sc in the last 3 sts, ch1, turn
Row 12: sc in each st across to the end, ch 1, turn
Row 13: Hdc in each st across to the end, ch 3, turn
Row 14: Repeat row 7
Row 15: Repeat row 8, ch 2, turn
Row 16: hdc in each st across to end, ch 2, turn
Row 17: hdc in each st across to end, ch 1, turn
Row 18: repeat row 4
Row 19: repeat row 5
Row 20: repeat row 6
Row 21: 1dc in the first st, *skip 2 sts, work 3 dc into next st (this is a 3 dc cluster),* repeat from * to * until the last 3 sts, sk 2 sts, 2 dc in the last st, ch 1 turn
Row 22: sc in the 1st st, ch 2 sc in the space between the clusters, * ch 3, sc in the sp between next clusters* repeat from * to * to the last space between clusters, ch 2, sc in the last st, ch 3 turn
Row 23: 2 dc in the ch 2 sp, 3 dc in each ch 3 sp across to the last ch 2 sp, 2 dc in ch 2 space, dc in last st, ch 1 turn
Row 24: Repeat row 22
Row 25; Repeat row 23, but ch 2 instead of ch1, turn
Row 26: Hdc in each st across, ch 2, turn (240 sts)
Row 27: Hdc in each st across, ch 3 turn (240 sts)
Row 28: dc in each st across, ch 3 turn (240 sts)
Row 29: *dfpdc around the next 2 dc, ch1; * repeat from * to * to the last st, dc in the last st ch 3 turn
Row 30: 2 dc in each of the ch 1 spaces across to the last st,dc in last st, ch 3 turn
Row 31: Repeat row 29, but ch 2 instead of ch 3
Row 32: hdc in each dfpdc and ch 1 space across, ch 3, turn
Row 33: Puff st in the next st, *skip next st, puff st in the next st * repeat from * to * to the last st, dc in the last st, ch 3 turn
Row 34: Puff st in the space between the next two puff sts across to the last st, dc in the last st, ch 2 turn
Row 35: hdc in each puff st and each sp between puff sts across, ch 3 turn (240sts)
Row 36: Repeat row 28
Row 37: Repeat row 29
Row 38: Repeat row 30
Row 39: Repeat row 31
Row 40: Repeat row 32
Row 41: Hdc in each st across (240 sts)
From this point on you will repeat the transition rows, set 1, transition rows, and set 2 until the blanket is the length you desire."

I did not include the border used originally, because I made up my own. Itwas just double crochets all around with increases in the stitches at the corners. I did four rounds of that to finish. Nothing compicated.

Here's Da's blog! Check her projects out!