New Year's Eve
We went to my parents' house for dinner, where we were joined by my sister, her husband and their new puppy, Uncle Frank and Aunt Theresa, and my cousins Jennifer and Jessica. Did I remember to take the camera? Ha ha - no. Again, I forgot. Sigh.
In the meantime, the knitted kittens have doubled.
Instead of finishing the shawl-that-is-sucking-the-life-out-of-me, I procrastinated by making this quilted throw out of old college shirts.
The sashing is made from leftover bits of my sons' flannel receiving blankets (I used the bulk of them to make quilts for each), the cotton batting is from an old blanket, and the backing is a worn pillowcase. Yep, except for the thread, it's made entirely from recycled materials.
I like the idea of quilt-making, but I don't currently have the space for it, ideally an off-limits room where I can place the sewing machine, a cutting table, and bolts of fabric. The other thing that's prevented me from serious quilting is that, for me, it feels wasteful to take on a craft that requires buying lots of raw materials. I mean, if I really needed a blanket or throw, I would just buy the finished object rather than purchase the raw materials required to make it. Of course, I buy yarn for knitting, but for each skein I get hours and hours of knitting enjoyment, and I don't "stash" yarn as many knitters do. I don't mean to make myself sound virtuous, but even when my scrap yarn pile gets too big, I make little things like toys - hence the stuffed kitties - to use up as much of it as possible.
I haven't been reading, so much as flipping through various books looking for crafty inspiration. Why do I love the public library? Because it has many out-of-print craft books full of retro designs. This is The Splendid Soft Toy Book (London: Pan Books, 1988), ISBN 0-330-28746-x.
Check out the dachshund on the right page, below. I like its curvy, stylized lines.
A book I picked up before Christmas that I've been enjoying much is Christmas Days. It's printed by a small Toronto press, and is an advent calendar. There's a short 5-10 page section on each topic (e.g. Fake Snow, Christmas Crackers), which describes its history in Canada.
What sold me on this book were the end papers, showing a denuded forest.
I also very much like the illustrations by Toronto artist, Seth. Here is his contribution for the entry on Christmas crackers.
In the meantime, the knitted kittens have doubled.
Instead of finishing the shawl-that-is-sucking-the-life-out-of-me, I procrastinated by making this quilted throw out of old college shirts.
The sashing is made from leftover bits of my sons' flannel receiving blankets (I used the bulk of them to make quilts for each), the cotton batting is from an old blanket, and the backing is a worn pillowcase. Yep, except for the thread, it's made entirely from recycled materials.
I like the idea of quilt-making, but I don't currently have the space for it, ideally an off-limits room where I can place the sewing machine, a cutting table, and bolts of fabric. The other thing that's prevented me from serious quilting is that, for me, it feels wasteful to take on a craft that requires buying lots of raw materials. I mean, if I really needed a blanket or throw, I would just buy the finished object rather than purchase the raw materials required to make it. Of course, I buy yarn for knitting, but for each skein I get hours and hours of knitting enjoyment, and I don't "stash" yarn as many knitters do. I don't mean to make myself sound virtuous, but even when my scrap yarn pile gets too big, I make little things like toys - hence the stuffed kitties - to use up as much of it as possible.
I haven't been reading, so much as flipping through various books looking for crafty inspiration. Why do I love the public library? Because it has many out-of-print craft books full of retro designs. This is The Splendid Soft Toy Book (London: Pan Books, 1988), ISBN 0-330-28746-x.
Check out the dachshund on the right page, below. I like its curvy, stylized lines.
A book I picked up before Christmas that I've been enjoying much is Christmas Days. It's printed by a small Toronto press, and is an advent calendar. There's a short 5-10 page section on each topic (e.g. Fake Snow, Christmas Crackers), which describes its history in Canada.
What sold me on this book were the end papers, showing a denuded forest.
I also very much like the illustrations by Toronto artist, Seth. Here is his contribution for the entry on Christmas crackers.
posted by ax174 at
7:09 PM
