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Just one, really:
To use up my craft and sewing stash and refrain from buying new stuff for the entire year.
This includes all the various pieces in my fabric stash, craft supplies, and craft and sewing books.
Before Christmas, as the economy was heading down the toilet, I stepped back and took a look at all the stuff I had. I have a lot of stuff. I’ve been collecting craft and sewing stuff for at least 25 years. Maybe longer. The stash reduction contest this past summer inspired me to take that idea a step further. I don’t need to buy new supplies. I need to use what I have.
Realistically, I expect to get through about 6 months of crafting and sewing from my stash. Then I’ll have a new little baby to deal with, along with my adorable preschooler. I expect I’ll have to put a bit of that on hold for a while. To keep me honest, I’ll post my progress here and you can read along. Are you working from your stash? What’s the oldest piece you have in your stash? What creative challenges are you facing with dealing with your stash? Do share.
tagged: Craft, new year, resolution, Sewing, stash
Did I just say that? Well, for St. Valentine’s Day, I offer up these amigurumi-style hearts I’ve designed. I hope to have an Instructable up in the next day or so and will post the pattern here, as well.
Happy St. Valentine’s Day! Enjoy!
Update: The instructable mentioned above is posted here and it’s accompanying slide show posted here on Instructables.com. Both were entered in the Valentine’s Day contest and the Lion Brand Yarn contest. No luck in either, but it was still a fun project.
tagged: Amigurumi, Craft, Crochet, hearts, instructable, softies, valentines
About a week ago I was perusing Craft: magazine’s website/blog. I came across their collection of posts on softies and amigurumi. The amigurumi they featured really caught my attention and, well, I was hooked. Amigurumi, as I understand it, is a Japanese style of soft toy created primarily by crochet but also by knitting. Amigurumi are usually crocheted in the round, as a continuous spiral, using the single crochet (US) stitch. The three-dimensional shape comes from increasing and decreasing stitches within a round. I’ve been into crochet for quite some time. I’ve never really cared for most crocheted dolls or animals, but the amigurumi style critters really appealed to me. They’re just so cute. They have a simple form and really accentuate the “toddler” or “infant” proportions: big head, tiny body. So this mouse represents my first foray into the world of amigurumi. I came across the pattern via a list of links on Squidoo (which I found via Google, of course). The pattern was created by KristieDM and posted on Crochetville.org. She has other really cute amigurumi patterns on her site: http://kristieskids.weebly.com.
I had so much fun making this little mouse. He’s made from worsted weight blue yarn (that’s what I grabbed from my stash). I think it might have been Red Heart brand–lost the wrapper a long time ago. It took me all of an evening to make it. Such a fun, little, near-instant gratification project and my son thinks it’s a neat little toy to play with–fit’s so nicely in his hands. Since making this mouse, I’ve tried my hands at a couple of other critters and also have tried making my own designs. More on that later.
tagged: Amigurumi, Craft, Crochet, mice, mouse, softies
I posted an instructable on making a denim wallet on instructables.com. Check it out. The denim came from the leftover cuffs after hemming a pair of too-long jeans. So far the wallet has stood up to use, though I think I’ll have to hack the usability some–I keep opening the silly thing upside down.
tagged: Craft, denim, instructable, jeans, project, Sewing, wallet
