Weave a recycled Easter basket

Diane Gilleland has created this pretty Easter basket out of woven strips of recycled cardboard food boxes. Full instructions at craftstylish.com. Start raiding that recycling box!

1940s child's beret and loveheart hat

This 1940s school girl looks ready for anything in her striped beret with matching socks! Her rough-textured blazer and softly-curled hair are so typical of the period. The Juliet Cap, on the other hand, looks very modern in both shape and motif design. I can see this looking wonderful worked in pink with a red heart motif.

Cap, beret and socks are all worked in 3 ply oddments and are suitable for a girl aged 8 - 10 years old. Measurement from centre of crown to edge of beret is 6 inches, width all around edge (slightly stretched) is 20 inches.

Make Do and Mend alteration ideas

How to turn an old coat into a two-piece dress and jacket, and how to change the style of a summer coat, using fabric from an old dress or blouse. Two useful and thrifty alteration ideas from a WW2 Make Do and Mend leaflet:

"With light summer coats, a changeover can often be done by unpicking the facings and reverse, adjusting the neckline and seaming the coat up the centre front. The sleeves will probably need taking in a little.

You may have an edge-to-edge summer coat which will not quite join down the front. A narrow panel down the centre front will solve the problem. You may have a frock which has become too worn to be of any use as it is, or a blouse worn under the arms. You will probably be able to get enough material out of this to make the panel.

An old coat that is on the long side can be made into a useful two-piece dress and jacket, providing a fairly long blouse or jumper is available to make a top for the dress. Cut the coat round at hip level, and remove facings from the lower part. Join up the centre front seam and sew this new skirt on to lower edge of the blouse.

Then face lower edge of jacket. The original coat must be cut to correspond with the length of the blouse used, so that the jacket and matching part of the skirt just overlap."

Easy one-stitch crochet baby top

This vintage baby top from a 1970s Woolworths magazine is perfect for a first crochet project - the only stitches you need to know are the chain stitch, and the UK treble stitch (that's USA double crochet stitch). There's minimal shaping - just one easy decrease stitch, explained below, and to make things even better, this is a perfect stash-busting project - an excellent way to use up all those pretty odds and ends of DK yarn.

I made mine in shades of lilac, pink and blue, or you can try making it in the original pattern's bright colours. Or different shades of just blue. Or neutrals... Or...

You will need: oddments of DK yarn, 3.5mm and 3mm crochet hooks. Buttons.

Measurements: To fit chest sizes 46 (51-56) cm or 18 (20-22 inches).

Tension: 19 sts and 11 rows = 10 cms square measured over tr on 3.5mm hook.

Special abbreviation: Dec 1 = work 1 tr until 2 loops remain on hook, work next tr until 3 loops remain on hook, yo and through the 3 loops.

Back: Using 3.5mm hook make 49 (53-57) ch and work 1 tr into 3rd chain from hook, 1 tr into each ch to end.

Next row: 2 ch (count as 1 tr), 1 tr into each st to end. 48 (52-56) tr.

Rep the last row until work measures 15 (16.5-18) cm (6 (6.5-7) inches) or required length to armholes. Tie a marker to each end of last row to mark end of side seams.

Work straight until back measures 9.5 (10-11) cms (3.75 (4-4.25) inches from markers.

Shape back neck: next row work 17 (18-19) tr, fasten off. Miss centre 14 (16-18) sts, rejoin yarn to next st, 2 ch, work to end. Fasten off.

Left front:

Using 3.5mm hook make 23 (25-27) ch, work 1 tr into 3rd ch from hook, 1 tr into each ch to end. 22 (24-26) tr.

Work straight until front measures the same as back to markers. Tie a marker to one end of last row to mark end of side seam. Work straight until front measures 4 rows shorter than back to shoulder ending at side seam.

Shape front neck: next row work 19 (20-21) sts, turn. Dec 1 st (see special abbreviation) at neck edge on next 2 rows. Work 1 row. Fasten off.

Right front:

Work to match left front reversing shaping.

Sleeves:

Using 3.5mm hook make 27 (29-31) ch, work 1 tr into 3rd chain from hook, 1 tr into each ch to end. 26 (28-30) tr.

Work 1 row in tr. Continuing in tr, inc 1 st at each end (by working 2 tr into first and last st) of next and every following 2nd (2nd-3rd) row until there are 36 (38-40) sts. Work straight until sleeve measures 12.5 (14.5-16.5) cms (5 (5.75 - 6.5) inches. Fasten off.

Finishing and edgings:

Join side seams up to markers. Join shoulder and sleeve seams. Insert sleeves.

Edgings: With right side of work facing and using 3mm hook, join yarn to lower edge of right side seam, work 1 round of firm tr all round outer edge of jacket, working 3 tr into each corner, sl st to join.

Next round: 2 ch, work 1 tr into each tr, working 3 tr into each corner tr, work to end, sl st to join.

Next round: 2 ch, work 1 tr into each tr to end, sl st to join. Fasten off.

Work 2 rounds of tr around each cuff.

Sew buttons on left front edging as illustrated. Sew round corresponding space between 2 trs on right front edging for buttonholes.

1950s tea cosy and egg cosy knitting pattern

Welcome in the spring with this cute 1950s knitted tea-cosy in the shape of a dove cote, and a sweet dove-shaped egg cosy.

You will need: 1oz blue and 2oz white double knitting yarn, 1 pair no 9 knitting needles, padding and lining.

Measurements: Tea cosy, round base 18 inches, 7 inches high.

Tension: 6 sts and 7 and a half rows to 1 inch.

The tea cosy: cast on 55 sts with Blue (B). K 4 rows. Proceed thus:

1st row: K (11 B, 11 W) to last 11 sts, 11 B.
2nd row: P as first.
Repeat these 2 rows 6 times more. Work 2 rows, working B over W and W over B. WOrk 14 rows as before. Now reverse colours again. Work 18 rows, then turn up wrong side of work and K tog 1 st from needle and 1 from the 1 st row worked in corresponding colour on the wrong side, thus making a tuck to represent the eaves of the roof. P 1 row, keeping continuity of colours. Work 8 rows, then dec in next and every 4th row following, thus:

9th row: (K 2 tog, K 7, K 2 tog tbl) 5 times.
13th row: (K2 tog, K5, K 2 tog tbl) 5 times.

Proceed thus until 15 sts remain. Work 3 rows. Next row: K 3 tog 5 times. Break wool, thread through remaining sts, draw up and fasten off.

Work second side of cosy in same way, reversing colours.

To make up: Join seams, leaving openings for spout and handle. Pad and line the cosy. Embroider the doorways.

The egg cosy: Cast on 32 sts with W. K 4 rows. Work 2 inches st st.

Next row: (K2, K 2 tog) to end (24 sts). P 1 row. Work 10 rows st st.

Next row: (K1, K 2 tog) to end. P 1 row.

Next row: K 2 tog to end. P 1 row. Break wool, thread through remaining sts, draw up and fasten off.

Join seam. Pad head and gather round neck. Embroider eyes and add felt beak.

Victorian papier mache chair

These days, papier mache is associated mostly with small objects: boxes, plates, ornaments. The Victorians used papier mache on a much grander scale, with ornate papier mache furniture being very popular, especially after the display of this spectacular Daydreamer chair at the Great Exhibition of 1851.

"This chair was made from papier mache... and inlaid with mother-of-pearl in the forms of snowdrops, poppies and angels, and covered with buttoned upholstery. It was decorated with "two winged thoughts": one "troubled", in the form of bat-like wings, and one "joyous", illustrated by a crown of roses, both divided by a symbol of hope, the rising sun". (Introduction to Victorian Style, David Crowley, Eagle, 1998)

As anyone who has ever spent hours tearing up little bits of paper and glueing them round a balloon would testify, papier mache is a time-consuming craft. Imagine the number of labour hours that would have gone into making a chair like this. A Victorian papier mache chair would have been constructed from over 100 layers of paper, all applied by hand: testimony to the almost limitless supply of cheap labour that could be tapped into in this era.

Recycled gift bows

Thumbs up for anything that involves rummaging around in your recycling bin, rescuing and remodelling waste into something beautiful.

Miss American Pie has posted a step-by-step guide to making pretty gift bows out of cast-off glossy magazines at Craftster. These would also look great if you used recycled wrapping paper. Be warned - she says that these are seriously addictive to make...