I don't do a lot of knitting in the summer. I'm not big on A/C though I will use it when it gets muggy hot and the best way to avoid turning on central air is to not sit on the couch with a warm knitting project on my lap. Sometimes the urge to knit will be too strong to resist even with the hot summer weather but mostly I knit to make something I want to use and there isn't a big need for knitwear in the summer.

I have a lot of brands in the fire and I need to focus on some other projects for a while so I don't expect to get many crafting posts done in the next several weeks or even months. I will try to post any projects I do, whether knitting, crocheting, beadwork, wirework, or sewing but I won't be able to create projects just for the blog for a bit.

In addition to some other major projects going on I am planning a big move. That will be my big time sink for a few months. Between writing and preparing house to sell and a new job starting next month I will be lucky to get even a monthly post done on here. I will try though.

Sometimes you just have to focus on one thing at a time. I tend to have so many things going on at once that every once in a while I have to stop and focus on one thing or it gets a bit overwhelming.

Don't Be Afraid to Play with Any Crafting Process

When It Comes to Crafting, Experience Comes with Playing

I like to make things. I’ll bet you do also. That’s why you’re visiting my blog, right? Looking for some suggestions or patterns or inspiration to make something? Although we want our projects to “wow” our friends, relatives, or people passing on the sidewalk, it’s mostly about the process more than the finished project.

I mean, if all we cared about was the end result we could just go to some brick and mortar shop stuffed to the brim with unique, awesome products or some eye-catching online boutique, right? It’s about making it ourselves, having the control to create a version of something we saw somewhere but in the colors we want, the textiles we prefer, etc. Right? At least that drives me quite often.

I started on my journey of cross body purse making when I couldn’t find that exact right purse that I wanted. From cross body I went to hobos and totes and luggage then to full on any purse silhouette that I wanted to make. I inserted key tethers, the size pockets I wanted, external pockets, zippered pockets, hidden pockets, and the list goes on. With enough practice creating a bag with fine details and a professional look becomes second nature.

That’s the key, practice. I’m not afraid to cut up an old pair of jeans, an old flannel shirt, or fabric off the clearance rack to make mock up versions to practice. The key is to not be afraid of messing up. No matter how many times you’ve made something, mess ups happen. The thing is, learn from it and move on.

I’ve taught a lot of people how to knit. It’s amazing how many people want to learn and are just afraid to do it. Once I was at work and taught someone how to knit using two pencils. She made a whole scarf on those two pencils! That still makes me chuckle. I always tell new knitters to go get some cheap, smooth yarn at the local department store. It’s a $3 investment and those cheap skeins go a long way. A cheap set of straight knitting needles is just as cheap and a set of circular is a cheap investment. (We all advance to leaving the straight needles behind at some point.) Play and undo and play some more. A night at the movies cost more in popcorn and soda than a skein of cheap yarn and basic knitting needles.

The point that I’m trying to make is to play. Don’t be afraid to try something new. It’s about the process and with enough experience you will eventually create something that will wow your friends, family, or that person walking past on the sidewalk.

Number One Cat Toy #1

Cats have different personalities. Some like a toy mouse. Some love catnip. For my Max it's all about the string.

I was making a fabric stuffed flower and the first attempt I cut the fabric with the wrong dimensions and it created a barrel shape too narrow to flatten for the flower. I ran some yarn through the center and Max's favorite all-time cat toy was born.

It doesn't look like much does it? But the cat loves it. It's so great when mistakes turn into unexpected treasures.

Even hot and tired, he can't resist a few swats.

It took about half an hour total to make and was completely scrap items. I think it took less than half an hour but we'll say half an hour for the first one.

1. Cut a piece of fabric 3"x 4 1/2". Crease or iron 1/4" along the long edges. This keeps raw edges inside.
2. Sew into a tube. I used sewing machine but it's small enough that you could do it by hand.
3. With needle and thread, use a running stitch along the top edge. You can use doubled standard thread if you want a stronger thread. Make stitches fairly large. I inserted needle about every 1/4". You just don't want the stitches too tight because that actually hinders gathering. Pull up thread to gather together and secure with a knot or two. Turn inside out and do the same on other end; use running stitch around edge (in center of the folded fabric), tighten to gather, knot to secure. Stuff. I used poly fill but you can use scraps of wool, yarn, even add some catnip. My Max doesn't care about catnip so I don't bother with it.
4. String about a yard of yarn (or string or cord, whatever you have on hand) onto a tapestry needle, run needle through center of barrel. The gaps at top and bottom from gathering fabric together make the perfect spot to insert the thick needle. Tie yarn. If yarn gets too beat up with lots of play it's really easy to replace. Just cut off old yarn and string on new yarn.

With such a quick, frugal, and well received toy, you can make several to have on hand for play.

Organic Scrap Quilt Loaded with Color

I am tickled pink with how well this scrappy quilt turned out.

I had a box of fabric scraps that were really too small for anything but some of the fabrics were so great that I couldn't bear to throw them away and felt the need to find a way to use them up.

What I did was randomly sew pieces together. I did straighten most of the pieces, so no curves. But other than that it was completely random, often cutting off the excess after sewing strip after strip onto the growing scrap block.

I did square up the blocks. You can likely see that one of the large blocks resulted in leftover log cabin coaster blocks sewn together. There's a mini mountain square patch in the middle of a larger scrap patch.

I used up all those small pieces and then used larger pieces of scrap fabric to fill out the dimensions. I free motion quilted the blocks, cutting the backing squares at least an inch bigger on every side. Then I joined them together by sewing the backs together with a tight 1/4" seam and using 3" sashing strips folded in half for the front. Even the binding is created by joining 3" scrap pieces together. I joined the binding on the back and flipped it over to the front and sewed along the edge. No hand sewing the binding for this scrappy quilt. It was all about down and dirty, quick and easy (though the scrap blocks were started over a year ago), and impact more than perfection.

Dimensions, big enough to cover the love seat. We had a few days of cooler weather last week and it was a cozy little lap quilt to pull over my lap while reading or watching tv but not big enough to cover my toes if I wanted to lay down. I'm still tickled pink with it.

The vibrant colors really thrill my senses. And this quilt was made almost entirely of scraps of fabric that most sane people would have tossed when finishing the original project. So it's a freebie as well as free form. The batting was leftover from a wedding quilt I made two years ago. The backing fabric was the top sheet from a set whose fitted sheet tore. It's a true scrap quilt.

Because of its nature, I felt a great sense of freedom in whatever I did with it, as in processes. I played with the free form quilting, not worried about how it looked, just having fun with it. I experimented with the using the backing fabric to attach blocks together to see how that worked out. It worked out but I definitely learned some lessons for that.

Just take a look at the ladybug quilting I did. That's what it reminded me of, the path of a flying ladybug.

But it's all right. It made me happy to play. This is what a quilter sees but the bigger picture is what everyone else sees. I'm not entering it in any competitions. I am content to have it on my love seat for the next cool evening where it will make me feel good to cover up my legs and lap with a splash of bright colors.