Do any of you do crafts?

[mamakat]

What types of things do you do? Im a craft junkie and love to talk about projects and plans and supplies, anything related to just about any craft you can imagine. I spend way too much time and money at Hancock Fabrics

I have too many crafty websites bookmarked. I spend most of my day drooling of Martha Stewart stuff, magazines and online.
So talk to me

Tell me all about what you do and hope to learn!

As for me, I love crocheting and knitting. Im very good at crochet, Ive done it since I was in gradeschool. Knitting Im not as skilled at, though I actually enjoy it more. I love wooden needles. I have too many

I have baskets of yarn all over the place, Im a yarn nut. I have enough to keep me busy for ages!

I also love canning. I just started last year, and my favorites are my pickled beans, pickled beets, and pickled peaches. I know they sound weird, but if you serve the peaches with a ham you will die of pleasure

I also enjoy sewing and making clothes, and while Im ok at it, I am slow. My real skill is in making handbags. I make all my own purses and some for friends and family. I sell them on occasion too, when Im feeling motivated enough to make a few. I made fleece blankets last year and sold a few at a craft fair, but not enough to make it worth the time. Im always on the lookout for new things to sell or give away for Christmas.

My most current project is becoming a bit of an obsession. I love buttons!!! My mom and I have crates of them, and I often buy them off ebay for too much money

I saw on Martha Stewart a way to use them to make napkin holders. So Im doing this very painstaking project for my dad for Christmas. Making him a set of 8, mixed buttons that dont really match eachother but all together look great. Im going to attach a picture for you guys to see

Its time consuming because while Martha used all the same buttons and the same colored thread, Im switching thread a lot and tying little tiny knots over and over. Its tricky stuff, but lots of fun.

In the picture you can see the first finished one laying down, an unstarted elastic band and then the one Im holding that was being worked on.

 

[clarabelle]

I love to sew, but times I dream more about it because I do not have the time.
I also collect old sewing patterns from 1930 thru 1970's and find most of them off Ebay

Love Ebay.
Now I know what to do with all my buttons

And Hancock's is my favorite place to shop. Everyweek I am there on Friday or Saturday and do not forget this Monday is Labor day they they have the 50% off notions
Clara

 

[momofmany]

LOL My third bedroom in the house is my "craft room". It is piled high with a lot of unfinished projects and there's enough in there to keep me busy for years. When not at Petsmart, I live at Hancock fabrics, Hobby Lobby and Michael's Crafts.

I like crafts where you start with a blank slate. Counted cross-stitch, painting, anything with fabrics, floral arrangements. I make my own curtains, pillows, chair cushions, napkins, placemats, clothes, costumes, slip covers, etc. I've been sewing for (dare I say?) 38 years.

For Christmas, I don't believe in buying gifts. I make them each year - floral arrangements, candles, soaps, ornaments, placemats, or anything fairly quick and simple (I have about 20 families to make for each year).

I have canned lots of things with pears. I have a monster pear tree and can pear butter, pear jam, sliced pears each year. Those make great Christmas gifts also.

Your button obsession made me smile. When my mom passed away in 2000, we came across her basket of buttons that she collected over the years. Mom didn't throw away any clothes without cutting the buttons off first. No one wanted her button collection so I gladly jumped all over it. Not that I'll do anything with it, just preserve it lovingly for years to come.

I'm up for sharing new ideas for gift giving. Would love to hear about your latest projects. I just finished making new curtains for my kitchen and living room. My next project is curtains for my craft room.

 

[malynn]

I used to do alot of crafts but it seems as I've gotten a little older that I cant stand the clutter of things in the house, too much to dust! I would like to get back into some kind of craft to say I've done something but seems like everytime I start a project I never finish it, I used to cross stitch, do floral wreath's, make topiarys, etc. but nothing like that seems to interest me anymore. I used to collect lots of things too, German Steiff Bears, Swarovski Crystal and stuff like that, from our years of living in Germany but for the past couple of years I dont do any of that either.

 

[jin & spawn]

I crochet. I don't meet a lot of other people my age that do also! I go in phases though. Last year as a Christmas gift I made a gorgeous afghan for a friend of mine that loves crafty stuff and has her home decorated that way. It was hard to part with it! I was going to make another one to keep, but then got sidetracked on another afghan. I haven't worked on anything, though for the past 5 or 6 months, though. It's just too hot in the summer!

 

[mamakat]

Do you want to see a couple pictures of my bags? I'll attach a few

Heres a hat I crocheted

Heres just one of my blankets, my favorite

 

[mamakat]

Does anyone do any quilting? I really want to take that up. I planned to take classes last fall and put it off. Is it difficult to learn? Jin&Spawn, I agree its too hot in the summer. I dont do a whole lot until September or so, and Im starting to get the itch to start again

Im working on knitting a scarf right now. I really want to learn to knit socks, but Im the type that needs someone right in front of me showing me how to do it. I cant seem to learn just through pictures or online animation. I have all the supplies for my first pair of socks, but no one to teach me yet.
Ive also thought about starting a stitch and bitch club type thing for my area. Im not sure how many people would be inclined to come over to participate, but I think it could be fun.

 

[momofmany]

Cool stuff! I like those kinds of bags for shopping and vacations. Is the blanket a print that you filled and quilted?

I'll post some stuff once I get on my other PC - can't download pics on this laptop I'm using.

Mamakat, if you want to learn how to quilt....I'd love to show off my mom's quilts...they will inspire you to learn!!

 

[princess purr]

I make jewelery and cat collars.

 

[KittenKrazy]

LOVE to craft ! I cannot crochet or knit (actually haven't tried yet). Have done cross-stitch, candlemaking, soapmaking, all kinds of sewing, and love to try new things. In the past six months or so, I have learned to quilt and I LOVE it. I have peiced 6-8 tops, but only have one quilted.....much slower at quilting than peicing !
I seem to take my canning in spells. Some summers I can nothing, and sometimes I can anything that doesn't move.

 

[momofmany]

Originally posted by KittenKrazy
LOVE to craft ! I cannot crochet or knit (actually haven't tried yet). Have done cross-stitch, candlemaking, soapmaking, all kinds of sewing, and love to try new things. In the past six months or so, I have learned to quilt and I LOVE it. I have peiced 6-8 tops, but only have one quilted.....much slower at quilting than peicing !
I seem to take my canning in spells. Some summers I can nothing, and sometimes I can anything that doesn't move.

Muddy ]is swatting at your moving cat. Sorry for any typ0os on this reply. He wants you to nudge your cats into motion during canning season this year.......

 

[KittenKrazy]

Originally posted by Momofmany
Muddy ]is swatting at your moving cat. Sorry for any typ0os on this reply. He wants you to nudge your cats into motion during canning season this year.......

Sigh, all I've canned this year is about 30 quarts and 18 pints of green beans....

Have threatened to can a couple of kitties if they didn't get out from underfoot in the kitchen....they're really worried !

 

[KittenKrazy]

Originally posted by MamaKat
Does anyone do any quilting? I really want to take that up. I planned to take classes last fall and put it off. Is it difficult to learn? Jin&Spawn, I agree its too hot in the summer. I dont do a whole lot until September or so, and Im starting to get the itch to start again

Im working on knitting a scarf right now. I really want to learn to knit socks, but Im the type that needs someone right in front of me showing me how to do it. I cant seem to learn just through pictures or online animation. I have all the supplies for my first pair of socks, but no one to teach me yet.
Ive also thought about starting a stitch and bitch club type thing for my area. Im not sure how many people would be inclined to come over to participate, but I think it could be fun.

Wish I could come, but Alabama is a little far from you. Check out this forum link http://forums.about.com/ab-quilting/messages, for a bunch of folks that are really good at answering questions and helping with problems.

 

[momofmany]

Stitch and bitch clubs are great fun. I was part of a lunch club doing cross stitch for about 10 years. During that time we had 7 babies, 2 divorces and one spouse commit suicide, not to mention the first tooth, first day of school, first date, and first day of college. Maybe we could figure out a way to do this over a forum?

 

[KittenKrazy]

Originally posted by Momofmany
Stitch and bitch clubs are great fun. I was part of a lunch club doing cross stitch for about 10 years. During that time we had 7 babies, 2 divorces and one spouse commit suicide, not to mention the first tooth, first day of school, first date, and first day of college. Maybe we could figure out a way to do this over a forum?

Now that's a great idea !

 

[mzjazz2u]

I make these cute little bags out of felt with applique's on them. They are very simple and excellent for giving small gifts in like candles, makeup, perfume etc. I will take a picture of one of them. I also do TONS of scrapbooking and card making. I can crochet and sew but I loose patience with it so I haven't done it in a long time. Except for some pillows and baby blankets for friends. I do a lot of little crafts too. Like decorative pencils and pens, painting christmas ornaments, stenciling etc. Also do a little candle making occassionally. That's about it!

 

[22angel]

Me too!

I made a quilt for myself when I was in 4-H and had many ppl offer to buy it, but I wouldn't sell it. It said on the pattern that it would take just a weekend to do, but it so didn't. I guess b/c it was my first one, and my mom didn't know how to do it either, it took so much longer. I was going to make one for my sister as a wedding present, and I had one all picked out, but I didn't get time before the wedding, and then they got about 10 of them as wedding presents, so I decided not to.

I also do cross-stitch. I'm thinking that if I have to have surgery on my shoulders, it will be easier to do cross-stitch/embroidery than crocheting lol. I have a few projects on the go right now....well have had them for a while. lol

I like to crochet also. I am making a ruffle baby blanket for my sister, her due date is in Oct, so I'm going to work my butt off on that and get it done before the baby is born and before I have to have surgery.....wishing!!!! I also knit, but I don't like that as much as crocheting. Knitting involves a lot of concentration. And you have to keep track of what stitch you are doing. I find that I have to write it down, and keep track religiously or I forget what I'm doing. I was making myself a scarf, but it was in black and therefore really hard to see, so it's still not done. lol

For Christmas presents, I like to make soaps/bath stuff, and little projects that don't take much time. It takes me a little while to get into the Christmas spirit, so then I don't have lots of time to do the big projects.

Lately I have been making my own clothes. I made a pair of pajamas, and a pair of shorts. The shorts didn't fit me (I didn't look at the measurements and just made them the same size I always take, and they didn't fit) so I sent them to my friend overseas. I'm sure she'll like them.

I think that's all I'm doing right now. I have tubs (Rubbermaid storage tubs) full of craft stuff, and boxes upon boxes of stuff lol. Oh well. Someday I'll be thankful that I have all this stuff I can do.

 

[ttmom]

Depends on what I'm interested in at the time. For my wedding I made beautiful little bracelets from ribbon and the little ribbon roses (my flower girl wore hers as a choker afterwards and it was cute that way too).

I've also made pretty lampshades and just hanging plant decorations too.

I even scrapbook once in a great while.

I do lots of kiddie crafts with our son.

 

[KittenKrazy]

DRAT IT ! I was thinking in the shower this morning that I was going to come to work and take a pic of this neat purse I made from a quilt block made out of kitty prints....when I got here this morning, I found out that it sold yesterday ! Hmph....oh, well, now I have money to go to Hancocks with !

 

[mamakat]

KittenKrazy! Yeah I swore I would never work at Hancock because all my money would go right back there again!
Well anyone else who has picture of special projects, Id love to see them