I haven’t posted anything in over a week and today’s post is a shameless self promotion.
My burp cloth tutorial is featured this week on Tipnut. Check it out as well as other great ideas.
Thank you Tipnut!!
Shameless
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Category Archives: sew
Background info
I grew up in a family where people made things. They recycled things before it became fashionable. My parents and grandparents lived through the Depression in the 1930’s. They had a vegetable garden and canned those veggies for the winter. We had quilts made from scraps of fabric used for our clothes. Braided rugs made from old wool coats, suits and skirts. I have two of those braided rugs in my home today. When I look at them, I see pieces of skirts and dresses I used to wear, suit jacket scraps from my aunt handmade clothing, my sister’s old skirts. Fond memories.
We also had redesigned blouses, skirts, and dresses made from out of style clothing. Our clothes were custom-made and the first time I went to a store and tried on a dress that didn’t fit, I was shocked. Store-bought clothes could be altered but never the way a custom garment fits.
Oversized mohair sweaters were the BIG thing when I was in junior high. My grandmother FORBID us to buy one. But my aunt bought one each for my sister and me. We weren’t allowed to wear them around my grandmother for the longest time but eventually she found out.
My grandmother taught me to knit and sew. My aunt introduced us to be paint, construction paper and felt. My mom helped us with papier-mache and rubber stamps and provided a place to be creative. We made spatter paint and stencil cards with felt and sequin embellishments. So cool to a kid.
So my interest in all arts, crafts and handiwork came from those people as well as my home economics and art teachers. I have friends who got me involved in cross stitch, ceramics, jewelry making, paper crafting.
We’re having a dinner party tomorrow night. Last night I cleaned off the island in my kitchen, set the table and made wine glass name tags. I’ll post a picture of those tomorrow.
I knit a few rows on the slippers and have four more rows before the decrease rows and then I will have one finished. I don’t know if I’ll get the other finished by tomorrow or not. They are a belated birthday present for one of my guest/friends. I could give her one of the other pairs I have in my stash but I picked these colors just for her. Again, pictures tomorrow.
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You are worth it
When I was in 8th Grade Home Ec (I’m a year younger than dirt), we made basic A-line skirts. I found this lovely suede cotton and begged my mother to buy it for the project. I don’t remember how much it was per yard but it wasn’t that expensive. She was looking at the $.79 a yard fabric and I was looking at the $1.29 fabric or something like that. My Home Ec teacher just so happened to be in the store at the very same time and overheard our conversation. She told my mother that she should reconsider her decision and allow me to get the suede cotton. If I didn’t like the fabric, I wasn’t going to wear the skirt. She also reassured my mother that she would make sure I didn’t ruin the skirt.
Well, my mother decided she would get the fabric for me. And I didn’t disappoint. In fact my sister and I shared this skirt throughout high school. By the time I graduated, it had seen better days. But it was worth the cost of the fabric.
Which brings me to my point. If you are going to spend the time knitting or sewing something, get the good yarn or fabric. Get enough so you can play with it, get the feel of it, practice with it, swatch it. Then go for it.
Life is too short to knit something out of yarn you don’t like. It takes a lot of time and effort to knit. If you don’t like the yarn, you won’t wear it. Rip it out and knit something else out of it. Or give it away.
You are worth the “good” yarn.
And speaking of yarn…I made some substantial progress on my mittens last night. I’m altering the pattern by making a slit on the palm so the top part will fold back and expose the fingers. Not sure if I will make fingers or just add an extension for fingerless mitts. I may also do the same for the thumb so the recipient can text while still keeping their hands warm.
Maybe I’ll even get a picture of my progress.
Knitting In Flashes 