Crafts with Love

I had a wonderful crafting moment this week when I remember the pure joy of crafting for someone that not only will appreciate my gift but also my ability to share goodness, compassion and love through making things.
I am still getting used to my new work environment, and even though I still don't think my officemates would eat my cookies I have found a few kindred souls that make the day better.
There is one fellow in particular that always brightens my day; even when she is having a really hard day she always has a wonderfully kind smile for me and I can always count on her for a good morning, something I have learned not to take for granted. She has been having a pretty rough month at work, you can hear it in her voice and see it in her eyes and well it just makes me want to love on her. Actually it makes me want to scope her up and take her very far away and surround her with good folk.
Last week I showed her some of my bags and pouches and she was so enthusiastic about the prints that I knew I had to make her one. I went home and set to work. I had to do a little mental brain tease to remember how to line a pouch after all those NY times zippy pouches but Tim Gunn (the sewing machine) and I finally got it right.
I gave it to her today with some Guatemalan worry dolls and it was warmly received.
The thing is, I have been so caught up in trying to complete my Crafting Resolution list and finding my way in a new job that I forgot the pure joy of making things and how important making things is to me as a way of connecting with people. I guess what I am saying is, Pastor Callie Janoff, I finially really get the Church of Crafts being and mission.
It is a really good thing to remember.

Placemats

I have been submerged in many worlds this last few weeks but I have been working on the resolution list. I have been really into making placemats. The blue ones are for us and have an easy rolled binding (I rolled the the edge of the backing fabric around the front and sewed it down). The red ones I am actually attempting to do a quilt binding, adding a totally new stripe around the edge. Mostly it makes me confused and a bit angry, hence I now have three completed blue placemats and one one red one. Oh well I am trying right?





opps I didn't take a picture of the red one completed so you will all have to imagine the edge all turned over and pretty.

Crafting Resolutions II

As I suspected I have many more unfinished projects hidden around the apartment then I first guessed. Perhaps it is because I am preparing to go back to work full time or maybe it is just the new year but I feel a real need to take stock in what I have begun. It feels a little like airing my dirty laundry but heck what are blogs for other than airing dirty laundry?
Before I tell you about all the goodies I found under my craft table and hidden in the dark recesses of the couch let us first remember what I have already confessed too:

1) Hunter's Quilt

2) Fingerless Gloves

3) Green Mittens

4) Modular Crochet Sweater

5) Costume Fused Bags

6) Brown Quilt (for me)

And now for all those new(ish) dirty secrets:

7) Gauze Shirt: I bought this wonderful light fabric to duplicate one of my all time favorite summer shirts that has been loved into almost three separate pieces.

8) Bunny Toy: I got one of those supper fun Japanese toy kits to make a bunny toy for one of my favorite buns, alas the all Japanese instructions were a little scary.

9) Yet Another Baby Sweater: I will be honest I can't even remember who this was going to be for, but fear not everyone seems to be pregnant or about to be...you know who you are!

10) Placemats: my plan was a simple one, practice quilt binding in a smaller, less scary form by making placemats for a good friend who just got a new house. It turns out bindings really are scary.

11 & 12) Pillows: a: made from old silk ties, half finished; b: made from a stenciling mishap that could be saved.

13) Colonial Print Baby Quilt: this was started so long ago the kid is probably about to graduate from middle school but it is half finished and like I said earlier there are a lot of babies being born.

14) Loop-d-loop Sweater: I got on the ban wagon when the book came out and started one of the sweaters. It was the asymmetrical one, in brown- and truth be told I can't even remember where I left this one off, although I think I was pretty far along, of course I have since taken the needles out and I have no idea what size I originally used.

15) Green Bag Lady Project: Oy! I got all excited and had a whole bunch of fabric donated to help out the Green Bag Lady. I got other people excited and they helped too. But now I have a lot of half finished bags under my craft table, frankly it is just sad.

Dear God how is this list still going on!

16) Refinish Coffee Tables: this one might not be an unfinished project yet because I haven't gotten that far. We have these beat up little tables from Ikea that I have been planning on rehabbing for awhile now and gosh darn it I am going to do it this year!

Yup there is still more...

17) Baby Granny Square Project: I have no real idea what this is even going to be! It started off with me making a lot of baby granny squares with left over yarn from the Beast, and now, well it is kinda a beast in it's own right.

18) Knitting with Plastic Bags Tutorial: no you are not crazy there is only a part one of the knitting with plastic bags tutorial, what can I say there are clearly many other projects taking up my time here.

Alright that's it! I may have some more stashed away but this is really all I can admit to right now. I think it is clear that I may be a craft-o-holic but maybe not a finish-o-holic. But I am really going to try to finish these up before getting any other crazy ideas, I swear! Really, even if that yarn is really pretty and I am really loving machine quilting and...

Hunter's Quilt

This week has kinda slipped away from me. I can't believe this is the first time I am posting about Hunter's quilt in the making. I am actually working on one crafting resolution number 1: Hunter's quilt.
I actually got a good head start on this one when my sister was in town at the end of the summer. She has an amazing eye for color so any time I can get her to help me pick fabrics I do. It was perhaps our fastest fabric selection ever. In fact we picked the fabric so quickly that we felt like we needed to wander around the store for an extra half an hour just in case we were being hasty.
I am in love this this pattern even though it is one of the most persnickety quilt patterns in the universe. It requires very straight seam sewing and very precise cutting. No sleepy or distracted cutting allowed or these darn seams won't line up. This will be my third quilt in this pattern and I think I have finally got a good system down, sew several blocks then cut them one after another. I use double sided tape on the back of my plexi square to help keep it from skidding. I managed to sew 8 squares this week, actually ten but there were two casualties to sleepy cutting. I think another 10 or so and the top will be done.
I am thrilled with how well it is coming out. I increased the size of the center square (the yellow box in the middle) which is making the whole thing a lot easier.

Crafting Resolutions

I have been thinking a lot about New Years resolutions. I think it is time I make some crafting resolutions for the next year. I am going to vow to try my very best to finish up some of these projects that I have squirreled away half finished. My friend Mary recently made an excel spread sheet of all unfinished crafts which might be a bit extreme for me, instead I offer up my half finished project to the world wide web and expect you all to keep me on track. No matter how excited I get don’t let me start to knit another hammock before I conquer some of these. Oh I haven’t told you about the hammock yet, well that is a story for another day.

1) Baby quilt for friends in London. Fabric is purchased, washed and cut. The baby was born in October- sigh- they always come faster than I sew.

2) Fingerless gloves for my friend in Canada. One is done the second is started and hiding under our couch out of sight.

3) Lovely green mittens for me. These are actually all done but the thumbs which I was thinking of making a hidden opening in so that I can spin my ipod wheel in the cold. The sad part is there really are only 40 sts left to knit here.

4) Modular crochet sweater. As you know I was cruising along on this until it got hot out. I have one and a half sleeves to go and then there is a yummy winter sweater awaiting me.

5) Various custom fused plastic bag pouches promised to various loved ones.

6) Brown quilt for us! That’s right I actually started making a quilt for our bed but I tend to loose steam on that one pretty fast or maybe it is that there is always another shinier quilting project comes along.

I am sure there are many, many, many more projects hidden under my couch but as I am in North Carolina and can’t look under it so for now they are out of sight and out of mind. I promise to add on as I remember them. Happy holidays.