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What do you handicraft?


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I was inspired by the darling knitted/felted sheep bag.

 

What do y'all do for handicrafts (in your copious spare time)?

 

I'm a neophyte knitter and crocheter, but I'm a decent quilter and piecer.

 

I'd _like_ to scrapbook my family's photos--but I seem to be a flop at that, and I'm not nearly as into that as I am the sewing.

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I do a little bit of everything. I never specialized in anything so I'm reasonably good at a lot of things, but not great at anything. I am a HORRIFIC knitter. I am just too tense when I do it so my needles are always extra tight and I drop stitches all over the place. I wanted to like it so much, but it didn't work out.

 

The things I do most involve sewing. My current project is a throw quilt for my nephew. It's my first adventure in machine quilting/stippling. And it has truly been an adventure. My first night I broke like 4 needles because I was pulling too hard and stitching too slow. I seem to have hit a groove with it now. I also bought some Dr. Seuss fabric the other day to make my daughter a new tiered skirt.

 

My big goal this year is to finish a lot of my unfinished projects (I have a TON sleeping in a closet) and I'm blogging about it. Here's my first post on the subject. I'm trying to blog every day this year so at the end of 2011 I can look back at the end and say "Wow---I actually FINISHED some stuff!"

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Guest RecumbentHeart

knitting primarily but also crochet and I've been intending to learn to sew my own clothes for a while now. I do like sewing but so far all I've been brave enough to do much of has been fitted cloth diapers.

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Knitting, sewing, book arts - just got paper marbling equipment for Christmas (so fun!). It is a personal goal to learn how to crochet this year. Honestly, I do a little of everything. Felted knitting is great fun. My husband wants some felted slippers this winter. Right now I'm finishing a fair aisle hat and mitts for my daughter.

 

I hate to scrapbook. I've tried, but I'm done!

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I sew and knit. I make soap. I have felted. I dye yarn and wool, though not as often as I'd like. I applique but I guess that'd go under sew.

 

I do NOT embroider and can't understand how DD has the patience for it.

 

But what I'd REALLY like to do is take a pottery class and throw clay on a wheel. :D

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I used to scrapbook with real paper and stickers and all, but not super crafty like some. Just basic Creative Memories scrapbooks, putting pictures and journaling into books.

 

Now I blog. And do a digital-to-print album once/year. I use Picaboo to make a high-quality photo book that highlights our life for the previous year; I do this every December (so December usually is in the next year's book). LOVE those. But I don't really consider it a hobby/handicraft, since I'm just clicking around the computer.

 

I have just begun to do some quilting. I don't own a sewing machine. Nor do I have space to put one if I did own one. And I enjoy the portability of hand piecing. So far, I've only done one project start to finish, and it was a set of four quilted coasters. It took me a very long time, several Saturday's worth of work. And many re-starts on one of the blocks. (they were each a different pattern; all 4 were pieced, then batting/backing added, then binding, then quilted). But I did it, and I learned a ton, and I finished a whole project! And the recipient (these were a gift) really appreciated it.

 

My projects for this year are a pieced/quilted tree skirt and work on a quilt top. I hope I'm not trying to do too much; I really enjoy it, though. And I think I'm decent at it for a beginner and doing it all by hand. Not great, not award winning, but I can give things away with pride and know that it doesn't look like a 5 yr old did it : )

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My favorites are quilting, knitting, digital scrapbooking and cooking. Sometimes just to stir things up I will do some embroidary but usually only enough to make a quilt lable.

 

Paper crafts look so much fun but I know I do not have the patience for that one. I would love to make my own valentines this year to send out to family but will probably just buy some really nice ones off etsy.

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Not as many things as I used to, or as I had planned on for this part of my life, that's for sure. I love to sew, embroider, quilt, and paint. And then I dabble a little in other things like jewelry and furniture making. And the plan for this part of my life was writing and illustrating children's books. But except for a couple of sort of ongoing projects I pull out now and then, an occasional dress for dd, and a lot of wishful thinking, most of that is on the shelf for a while until I get these kids squared away a bit better. They were supposed to be in school. The school was supposed to be able to handle them--they're just children after all. I guess what I'm crafting right now are two functional adults.

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I used to want to try a lot of things and the supplies to prove it. Truth be told, I'm just not good at some things I was interested in so I got rid of the supplies that went with it :-). I've got it narrowed down to cross-stitch and scrapbooking (prefer paper but am doing digital also).

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Currently I spend most of my time knitting. I do some crochet but I'm not as good at it. I do a (very) little bit of sewing but again, not so good at it. It takes me way too long to make a simple dress for dd that I get easily frustrated and end up quitting.

 

My first real handicraft hobby was cross-stitch. I didn't do a lot of it, though. I liked the complex designs but had trouble following the patterns. After that I got into rubber stamping. I've never been adept at other handicrafts like woodworking or jewelry-making. I, too, would enjoy ceramics, throwing pottery on a wheel. I sometimes wonder if I've finally found my niche with knitting or if I'll wander off to pursue some other craft. Soapmaking has always intrigued me . . .

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I've taken up crocheting again. I'm almost done with an afghan for myself and yesterday went to Walmart and let the kids pick out colors for their own afghans. It's a great winter activity - keeps me warm while I work, keeps me awake watching tv (in the winter I cannot stay awake in the evenings just watching tv or reading, I have to be doing something else) and justifies the time spent watching tv :D

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Knitting (almost always have a project going now; learned when I was knee-high to a grasshopper), spinning wool (often, but I started only about 4 years ago), sewing clothes (rarely, mostly vintage 30's-50's patterns or household things), and (very rarely) dabbling a bit in blackwork embroidery, crewel work, weaving, etc. :)

Edited by Medieval Mom
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Neat, y'all.

 

I'm sort of surprised by all the fiber ladies. As a kid I didn't think anyone knitted/crocheted, etc. but lots of people seem to.

 

Do you think it's more SAHMs who do?

 

I know it's hard to generalize. . . but I wonder with time constraints and easy access to the yarn at home, or whatever.

 

Hmmm.

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I'm good at cross stitching on aida, but there are holes in the fabric to tell you where to put the needle, so that only takes patience, not talent. Still, anyone who has ever checked the back of my work has commented on the neatness, so I guess that is something to be proud of? I don't know why, but I've been given that impression...

 

I have dabbled in tabletweaving, quilt making, dressmaking, knitting, dollmaking and freeform embroidery. I'm not particularly good at any of them, but my garb has stayed together through the washing machine, so I'm obviously not terrible at it :D Oh, and cake decorating. I was going to say "like the Women's Weekly cookbooks" but they're Australian. You know, cutesy stuff for kids birthdays. Anyone who can cook can do that though.

 

I'm totally envious of paper scrapbookers, but I can't do it. I'm no good at finishing touches (which is why I like cross stitching; I can pay someone else to frame it) and scrappbooking is a whole craft of finishing touches! It boggles my mind!

 

My crafting challenge this year is to keep learning to knit, and I'm going to have a go at ribbon embroidery. I've wanted to try that for a while and I've finally found a good reason.

 

In the future, I want to learn to naalbind (I think I'll like that better than knitting,) do needle lace, macrame, crochet, stumpwork, to draw, paint and do those lino print things (looking forward to doing art classes with my kidlets :) ) And improve my skills in the others I've already tried :)

 

I think people go for fibre crafts because they are comparatively inexpensive as hobbies.

 

Rosie

Edited by Rosie_0801
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Neat, y'all.

 

I'm sort of surprised by all the fiber ladies. As a kid I didn't think anyone knitted/crocheted, etc. but lots of people seem to.

 

Do you think it's more SAHMs who do?

 

I know it's hard to generalize. . . but I wonder with time constraints and easy access to the yarn at home, or whatever.

 

Hmmm.

One of the reasons I crochet (besides that I kind of like it and I can do other things while my hands are busy) is that my paternal grandma taught me. She was the sweetest, kindest lady in the world and when she died, I didn't get much from her in the way of remberances (she had 9 kids and they all had tons of kids), but I do have the ability to crochet, so when I do crochet I often think of her.

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I knit and (sometimes) scrapbook. I really don't enjoy scrapbooking as much, though.

 

I make boxes for people that tell a story as you open it. (hard to explain) One I made for a friend I painted it then covered it with scrapbooking paper that coordinated with the paint. Then I took a ribbon that matched and glued it to the bottom of the box (inside) and glued the other end to the top. All along the ribbon were parts of a poem I wrote about her, so as she pulled it out of the box she read each part.

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I used to do crewel embroidery, sewing, and needlepoint. I tried to take up needlepoint again, but I can't see well enough to do it.

 

I cook and bake.

 

This year I intend to learn to knit. DH loves to wear bulky wool sweaters, and my eventual goal is to be able to knit ones that he will actually want to wear.

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I'm good at cross stitching on aida, but there are holes in the fabric to tell you where to put the needle, so that only takes patience, not talent. Still, anyone who has ever checked the back of my work has commented on the neatness, so I guess that is something to be proud of? I don't know why, but I've been given that impression...

 

 

 

I remember back when I was doing cross-stitch a friend who had done it previously said the woman who taught her always told her it should look just as nice on the back as the front. So I agree--it *is* something to be proud of.

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I know how to crochet, sew, and embroider. In the past I made many large embroidery projects as gifts, but I've shifted to sewing and crochet and am trying to be more practical. I'm working on a beautiful hand-hemmed set of linen handkerchiefs for my dad right now. If you're interested, I found them on a cool blog:

 

http://littlehouseinthesuburbs.com/2008/11/hand-hemstitched-linen-handkerchiefs.html

 

I just taught a neighbor yesterday to crochet, and she works full time, but I realize that is only an n of one.

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I'm working on a beautiful hand-hemmed set of linen handkerchiefs for my dad right now. If you're interested, I found them on a cool blog:

 

http://littlehouseinthesuburbs.com/2008/11/hand-hemstitched-linen-handkerchiefs.html

 

 

 

Thanks for linking this, Catherine. I'm on a linen kick at the moment so learning the hem stitch technique in the tutorial will be useful.

 

Be well,

Jane

 

ETA: To answer the OP's question: I love to sew. I knit but am a novice. Can we call my pies masterpieces?

Edited by Jane in NC
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Thanks for linking this, Catherine. I'm on a linen kick at the moment so learning the hem stitch technique in the tutorial will be useful.

 

Be well,

Jane

 

ETA: To answer the OP's question: I love to sew. I knit but am a novice. Can we call my pies masterpieces?

 

 

As a woman who comes mighty close to worshipping a good pie, I say, YES! :D

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I'm good at cross stitching on aida, but there are holes in the fabric to tell you where to put the needle, so that only takes patience, not talent. Still, anyone who has ever checked the back of my work has commented on the neatness, so I guess that is something to be proud of? I don't know why, but I've been given that impression...

 

I have dabbled in tabletweaving, quilt making, dressmaking, knitting, dollmaking and freeform embroidery. I'm not particularly good at any of them, but my garb has stayed together through the washing machine, so I'm obviously not terrible at it :D Oh, and cake decorating. I was going to say "like the Women's Weekly cookbooks" but they're Australian. You know, cutesy stuff for kids birthdays. Anyone who can cook can do that though.

 

I'm totally envious of paper scrapbookers, but I can't do it. I'm no good at finishing touches (which is why I like cross stitching; I can pay someone else to frame it) and scrappbooking is a whole craft of finishing touches! It boggles my mind!

 

My crafting challenge this year is to keep learning to knit, and I'm going to have a go at ribbon embroidery. I've wanted to try that for a while and I've finally found a good reason.

 

In the future, I want to learn to naalbind (I think I'll like that better than knitting,) do needle lace, macrame, crochet, stumpwork, to draw, paint and do those lino print things (looking forward to doing art classes with my kidlets :) ) And improve my skills in the others I've already tried :)

 

I think people go for fibre crafts because they are comparatively inexpensive as hobbies.

 

Rosie

 

 

That makes sense, Rosie. You often do!

 

I'm just amazed by the crafty women here. I've made a couple of baskets--I really enjoyed that. BasketmakerAmy has got me thinking of it again. :)

 

And a pie. I need to make a pecan pie!

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I make boxes for people that tell a story as you open it. (hard to explain) One I made for a friend I painted it then covered it with scrapbooking paper that coordinated with the paint. Then I took a ribbon that matched and glued it to the bottom of the box (inside) and glued the other end to the top. All along the ribbon were parts of a poem I wrote about her, so as she pulled it out of the box she read each part.

 

I still don't understand, but it sounds cool...picture please? :001_smile:

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Hmm.... I organize homeschool stuff. Does that count? :lol:

 

I rekon there's an art to that. I'll only be doing 4yo kinder this year, yet there is a scarily higgledy-piggledy pile of things balancing precariously on top of the bookcase. :001_huh:

 

Wow! How are you all so talented? I think I was hit with the non-creative stick at birth. I have tried sewing, knitting, scrapbooking, etc. It wasn't pretty.

 

People who say things like this usually play instruments, have the most gorgeous flower garden in the neighbourhood or bake cookies that actually look pretty instead of looking like the kindergartener made them. So what do you really do? Everyone does something. I know it wasn't you who made that frightening Bento lunch. ;)

 

Rosie

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sewing (even a wedding dress which I also hand beaded), crocheting, knitting, basket weaving, hand quilted, paint, draw, mixed media collage, ribbon embroidery, embroidery (though I hate cross stitch), made my own lampshades, I've thrown pottery professionally, made a living for a time making jewelry.

 

I don't know, my Mom owned a craft store and the women in my family can just do all that stuff--my nana was an artist and my papa did stained glass. All of my cousins are like that, too- all play instruments and are highly artistic-so are their mates. I guess all us kids just absorbed it. We all started very young, too. Like they gave us fabric scraps and needles and thread and said, Go! Nothing was off limits to us artistically.

 

Don't ask me to do math, though.

Edited by justamouse
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Knitting, sewing, book arts - just got paper marbling equipment for Christmas (so fun!).

 

 

Ohh I want to learn that! I'll teach you to crochet, you teach me to marble paper? I want to marble it and make lampshades for my living room. The French marbled papers are *gorgeous*, but I wanna do it myself. :D

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I've taken up cross stitch and I just love it. Of course I'm doing subversive cross stitch because that's how I roll ;) It's all very new to me but I am loving it...I always thought it would be dull but I love how words are formed by just doing little crosses. I also felt and do other bits and pieces, none of it very well because I am not a patient woman :p

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I've taken up cross stitch and I just love it. Of course I'm doing subversive cross stitch because that's how I roll ;) It's all very new to me but I am loving it...I always thought it would be dull but I love how words are formed by just doing little crosses. I also felt and do other bits and pieces, none of it very well because I am not a patient woman :p

 

It helps to train your patience to finish "just this thread" rather than "ARGH! It's going to take me FOREVER to finish this whole piece!!!!!!!!!"

 

Or so I found :)

 

Rosie

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It helps to train your patience to finish "just this thread" rather than "ARGH! It's going to take me FOREVER to finish this whole piece!!!!!!!!!"

 

Or so I found :)

 

Rosie

 

Yes, you are right:001_smile: I try to tackle just a small piece at a time and it's a bonus if I get more done. I am trying to stitch on fabric ATM and I think I have bitten off more than I can chew...I will go back to my aida until I get a little better at counting and stitching. I've only been doing it for a few weeks. I tried to teach my 5 year old as well the other day and had to admit defeat...Mummy's nerves aren't up to that yet:001_huh::lol:

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I cross stitch. I just finished the last of a set of very elaborate stockings for my whole family. I'm a little at a loss now, because it occupies me when I am sitting, and I'm not sure what to stitch next.

 

And I sew. So I guess I do know what to do next because I have to make jester costumes for my son's play.

 

Cat

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Yes, you are right:001_smile: I try to tackle just a small piece at a time and it's a bonus if I get more done. I am trying to stitch on fabric ATM and I think I have bitten off more than I can chew...I will go back to my aida until I get a little better at counting and stitching. I've only been doing it for a few weeks. I tried to teach my 5 year old as well the other day and had to admit defeat...Mummy's nerves aren't up to that yet:001_huh::lol:

 

 

You can get even weave linen. Have you tried that? It would be easier than regular fabric. When I use regular fabric, I get that scrap aida stuff held together with water soluble glue. Man, what is that stuff called?

 

Heheh, you don't want to be teaching a 5 year old on 14 count aida :lol: Maybe a nice long stitch kit? I think I took about 5 years to finish my first one of those, and I still have it sitting around because I don't know what to do with it!

 

Rosie

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