The Joys of Moving - and Crafting?

Or something like that.  I'm moving hopefully as of tomorrow, and I am looking over my lists of things I need to get for my new place.  Dividing possessions always seems to leave the most interesting holes, such as forks, spoons, and butterknives - but no sharp knives.  Pots and pans, but no oven mitts.  So I survey my list of must-haves and something is rebelling against the idea of going out and buying all of these things.  It isn't like I know how to make knives or bottle brushes or can openers or serving utensils - I just hate the idea of contributing to the manufacturing machine.  So my goal is to find as many of these things secondhand as possible, but I'd also like to make a few if I can - make my new apartment feel more homey.  So the list is below, and if you know of a way to make such things or have seen a tutorial, please let me know.

ovenmitts

kitchen towels

bath mat

rectangular baskets for my many shelves

Everything else I am hoping to scour craigslist and the local goodwill for in the hopes of promoting second lives for useful, but unwanted things.  I want them, I swear!

Back . . . sort of

Hello there.  I know it has been massively long since I've posted anything here.  I'm not even sure how long its been.  I apologize for leaving my blog to languish, but have had personal issues to deal with - serious illness in the family and the end of a relationship which has lasted almost 8 years.

So I'm currently living out of boxes until my new apartment is ready, hence the sort of back.  My crafting things are waiting for me somewhere in the boxland that is my life right now.  I hope to have things back in line soon, but we'll see how that goes.  Life is apparently pretty unpredictable.

I am way behind on my christmas crafting, so hopefully I will have some updates there on ideas if not results while I am in transition.  I hope all of you are doing well, better than I, and that your holidays are joyous.

OffLine - For Now

Well, so much for that refashion I had lined up.  Unfortunately something personal has come up and I will be unable to post to this space for about two weeks.  I will hopefully be back to working on my refashions and garments for Self-Stitched September '11 as soon as I can.  I will miss my sewing machine.  Take care readers.

Self-Stitched September 2011

I have watched these challenges go down in the past and have been envious of the creativity of the participants.  I haven't been doing much sewing lately, but why let reality get in the way of a good challenge?  Some people go all the way with all self-made clothing, others endeavor one item per day.  I will be in the latter group.  And I am including refashioned items as eligible.  We'll see how I do, have to get sewing!

'I, Erin of crazyncrafty.blogspot.com, sign up as a participant of Self-Stitched-Sept '11. I endeavour to wear one item that has passed through my hands, refashion or new, each day for the duration of September 2011'

If you are interested in learning more about this challenge you can click on the button to the right to link back to Zoe's blog.  She is the lovely lady who organizes these fantastic challenges.  A chance to really put my willingness to wear my own work to the test.  I'm looking forward to it.  I'm just glad I have some time to work on some items.

Christmas in July

Why do we make things for ourselves?  I do it because I like to think that getting off the hamster wheel of consuming industrial-made goods is a statement of my convictions.  This planet matters, one person's behavior can matter.  Yeah, I buy yarn and fabric so I'm not completely eco-friendly, but animal fibers are an allergy issue for me, and I'm looking into trying to reclaim yarn and fabric in the future.

I'm one of those people who buy gifts all year round.  I don't wait until october-november to think about christmas.  I'm buying things in february on sale, or june on sale, if I think someone might like it for a gift.  I have my gift box where I collect these bits of stuff and then when gift season comes I "shop" these bargains I already have, for myself and my mother when she can't think of what to give someone.  Since I live a couple hours from my family I often go in on gifts with my parents, so I contribute from the box.

I was thinking though, I've been looking to make things for myself, either from scratch or remaking something I have into something I'll wear, but I still think about buying gifts brand new from stores.  I buy at thrift stores for myself because of my ethic, but I blithely spend money at the mall for other people.  Is this some sort of grave conflict in thinking?  I know many people don't like second-hand or used, or even new if it came from a thrift store.  But I often feel like I should apply my ethic to all my purchases, not just the ones I make for myself and my household.

So I've taken steps to do just that.  I've been keeping an eye out at the local Goodwill for stuff I can give as gifts.  I found a whisk ornament for $0.99 and cast iron shaped muffin (?) tray for $7.99 for my baker cousin.  Well, the baking tray will be hers after I scrub it clean, if it comes clean.  Obviously if it doesn't clean I'll find something else.  My mother is making scarves for many of the women in our family as well as dish clothes and potholders from cotton yarn (my mom is way better at crochet than I am) for the adults.  We'll have to buy the gifts that are food items like special spices some of the guys like and hot sauces.  Other than that, stuff will be made.

For boyfriend's family, I made a scarf for his sister-in-law and am in progress on a scarf for his sister.  I found a ton of boucle yarn on clearance for $0.97 per 255 yard skein.  My mother graciously made a scarf for his older niece that I made a matching hat for so she can match.  Younger niece is also getting a hat that matches her older sister.  If I have time I wanted to make skirts for them so they can match (older sister likes pink and her baby sister so I thought matching pink skirts would be cute), if not I will add diapers to younger sister gift.  Not sure yet what I will do yet for brother and parents.  I'm thinking something in sports colors for brother and maybe some cotton washcloths for mother since she mentioned she had one she liked.  Father I am clueless, kindof like with my own dad.  Funny how that works out, must be a dad thing.

I still look at thrift stores for stuff I can use, re-use, or clean up and give as is.  My standards are a bit higher for gifts than they would be for myself, but you can still find things that, if you didn't tell them, people would not guess you bought from a thrift store.  And I feel better knowing I am being consistent with my principles and still giving great gifts.

How do you feel about gift-giving?  Are you a shop on the 24th kind of person?  Do you try to make gifts or thrift gifts?  There is a button on the right side of the screen for the Crafty Christmas Club that I will be signing up for in the fall when they take pledges for the coming holiday season.  You should check it out too.

Make and Mend 2011 - July (no pictures)

So I am hoping you will take my word for it that I have been mending for this challenge to make or mend five pieces a month.  I've mended a tear on the inside of a pocket on one of boyfriend's work pants, sewn closed a hole next to a back pocket on a pair of his shorts, and an almost identical hole next to a back pocket on a pair of my jeans. 

I'm working on formulating how to fix a split hem on another pair of boyfriend's shorts since I can't just take them up like I did his other work pants.  I'm thinking about putting the hem tape inside the split hem as close to the open edge as possible.  We'll see how that works out.

Still experimenting with making small drawstring bags.  I'd like to sell dice bags on my etsy shop if I can ever perfect the drawstring channel.  Maybe next one will work.

Hats, Hats, Everywhere

So I have been super busy outside of work making hats.  Baby size hats actually.  A coworker is doing a craft fair in the fall and, seeing me making a hat for a christmas gift, asked me to make some for her table.  I agreed.  Went out and bought the yarn, a nice bulky 6 yarn from Bernat.  The label says it is for blankets, but who cares, soft yarn is soft yarn and it'll be nice and warm.

The theme is baby girls, so I got yellow and white yarn.  They didn't have any pink.  Then came the tedious part - actually knitting the hats on my new loom.  I bought the two small size looms.  The blue is the baby size and the orange is a special extra small size.  The instructions that came with it were for making flowers.  I tried it out on these which I then put up on my Etsy store, hehe, didn't have anything else to do with them really.

Baby loom went to work making hats.  I'm almost done as you can see here.  She wanted 5 white and 5 yellow.  Only 1 more yellow to go.