I know. I promised to finish the tale of how I got through that first
quilt and on to the glamorous world of crafting for a living, and one
day you will get the rest of that story.
That day is, sadly, not today.
You
see, the hardest part of being at self-employed is my four bosses.
Always changing my schedule, throwing things at me last minute, pulling
me away from my daily workload to assist them in emergency rescue
missions (saving yet another Littlest Pet Shop figure from a fate worse
than death by dog slobber). My bosses/children/tyrants are my heart,
and because they holler louder than an unfinished quilt - they will
always come first. ;)
So after a pretty rough bit of phasing
with my two youngest kids and summer vacation in full swing we are now
getting back on a bit of a more regular schedule and it's time to oil
the cogs and get this creativity machine rolling once again!
I promise, promise, promise I will get back to my first quilting adventure, but while you are waiting...
I am adding a new page to the website! It's a listing of all of my running Teespring Campaigns. Take a peek, tweet, share, pin at will! They can be found in all their super cuteness right here. Many other styles and colors are available here at my CafePress, as well!
Lots of new things coming this summer so please stay tuned!
Monday, June 2, 2014
Learning to Crawl...
“And suddenly you know: It's time to start something new and trust the magic of beginnings.”
― Meister Eckhart
― Meister Eckhart
I'd
like to say I am a self-taught crafter, but that would be dishonest. I
am a self-Googled crafter. I typed those words into that search engine
ALL BY MYSELF! The only credit I can take is that I chose a good
tutorial, and I absorbed enough of what I read to apply it adequately to
my project. I set out to make a quilt - and I made one - thanks to the
internet.
Well, thanks to the internet, and this lady right here: JessyRatfink. Her Instructable, How to Sew a Quilt! (Quilting 101) was not the first tutorial that I found, but it was definitely the most comprehensive. She really lays it all out for ya, from materials, to tools, to tips, (she uses a mason jar next to her sewing machine to throw her thread scraps in - I have a jar as well. Mine is a pickle jar, though. It smells like pickles and makes everything pickley, but I like pickles and it's trash - why would I care if it smells like pickles?) and she also gives a rundown of quilt basics and terminology, very helpful! If you want to learn to quilt, I would recommend checking out her Instructables, (she has TONS on all kinds of subjects). She is awesome. Trust me.
I need to take a moment and offer a bit of advice to those of you who might be wanting to learn to quilt. First and foremost, don't do what I do. I am impulsive and utterly impatient. I am absolutely one of those instant gratification people, if the seeds I sow do not produce fruit almost IMMEDIATELY, I often give up and move on to the next thing I have chosen to waste time and money on. The best thing I can impart upon you is this - do a LOT of research! Read a LOT of tutorials. Ask a LOT of questions. There are some that would argue, but I am of the opinion that there is no wrong way to make a quilt. Pick and choose the methods, techniques and tips that suit you best, and make it your own! That is part of the fun, and hobbies are supposed to be fun!
That being said, I did not read through that tutorial entirely before I ran right out and bought all the things listed for materials and tools. Wrote 'em down and out the door I went. I wish I had taken just a little bit of time to do some checking into what I was buying to ensure that I was getting the most bang for my buck. It's hard to select a good rotary cutter and mat if you have no clear idea what you are about to do with them. I ended up having to do the research, anyway, and if I had done it beforehand, I could have saved myself some time and money. It does not help to ask someone else what they use, either, it's all very personal. Just do the research, people. Do it!
Well, thanks to the internet, and this lady right here: JessyRatfink. Her Instructable, How to Sew a Quilt! (Quilting 101) was not the first tutorial that I found, but it was definitely the most comprehensive. She really lays it all out for ya, from materials, to tools, to tips, (she uses a mason jar next to her sewing machine to throw her thread scraps in - I have a jar as well. Mine is a pickle jar, though. It smells like pickles and makes everything pickley, but I like pickles and it's trash - why would I care if it smells like pickles?) and she also gives a rundown of quilt basics and terminology, very helpful! If you want to learn to quilt, I would recommend checking out her Instructables, (she has TONS on all kinds of subjects). She is awesome. Trust me.
I need to take a moment and offer a bit of advice to those of you who might be wanting to learn to quilt. First and foremost, don't do what I do. I am impulsive and utterly impatient. I am absolutely one of those instant gratification people, if the seeds I sow do not produce fruit almost IMMEDIATELY, I often give up and move on to the next thing I have chosen to waste time and money on. The best thing I can impart upon you is this - do a LOT of research! Read a LOT of tutorials. Ask a LOT of questions. There are some that would argue, but I am of the opinion that there is no wrong way to make a quilt. Pick and choose the methods, techniques and tips that suit you best, and make it your own! That is part of the fun, and hobbies are supposed to be fun!
That being said, I did not read through that tutorial entirely before I ran right out and bought all the things listed for materials and tools. Wrote 'em down and out the door I went. I wish I had taken just a little bit of time to do some checking into what I was buying to ensure that I was getting the most bang for my buck. It's hard to select a good rotary cutter and mat if you have no clear idea what you are about to do with them. I ended up having to do the research, anyway, and if I had done it beforehand, I could have saved myself some time and money. It does not help to ask someone else what they use, either, it's all very personal. Just do the research, people. Do it!
Several
months before I started my quest to quilt, I had purchased a Singer 23
Stitch sewing machine with the intention of making curtains for our
humble little house. It sat in a box in the basement, waiting for me to
decide on a color scheme for our adjoining living and dining rooms, (I
still haven't decided even though I cannot stand our off-white walls).
Having it on hand, however, made it that much easier to jump right in
with both feet. I knew the machine was pretty basic, but I hadn't wound a
bobbin since I was a freshman in high school. Better that I practice a
little before I got to those curtains!
With
the most important tool already taken care of, the rest seemed fairly
simple to me. List in hand, sans a couple of items that seemed to be
more items of convenience than necessities, (yep, that was a mistake), I
headed to my local Walmart. About 10 minutes later we were back in the
car heading to a different Walmart because my neighborhood store doesn't
have a fabric department, can you believe that? Another 45 minutes
later, we were on our way home! I can't recall how much I spent, but I
am positive it was more than I should have, and on all the wrong things,
for the most part! In that minute, however, I was pleased as I could
possibly be, and eager to get started! I emptied my bags out on the
table and got to work!
The
fabric I chose was a small collection of coordinating pre-cut fat
quarters, (in a peace, love and music theme) from Creative Cuts. They
are readily available anywhere you shop for fabric, really. I love them,
and not because they are good quality fabric, because, to be honest,
they are not. I love them because they are pretty. They come in a
hundred beautiful, neatly carded and easily stored designs that I just
love to look at. Oh, and they are cheap. I use them, shamelessly, to get
my fabric-fix. At this point, I still had not read through my directions entirely. I had looked at all of the pictures, and skimmed a few paragraphs here and there. It all looked pretty straight forward. Cut the fabric, sew it together, stitch it to the batting and backing, put on the binding.. done! No problem!
So I unpacked my sewing machine, spent a few minutes reminding myself how to make it work, (which was easier than I thought it would be - apparently I did learn something in school) and laid out all of my other newly acquired goodies on my dining room table. I got on the computer and began really reading the tutorial. After reading a few steps I was pretty sure I knew what I was doing, and I began...
To make a big huge mess.
And I will tell you all about it on Friday!
Where it all began...
It's all my daughter's fault.
See, I've never been particularly crafty. Artistic, yes, crafty, noooo. I don't glue-gun. I cringe at the thought of glitter and bling. No pipe cleaners, pom-poms, googly eyes and tissue paper. Not here, no way! The extent of my DIY is I can design a card in Photoshop, hit print (I CAN change the ink when it runs out) and fold it in half. Voila! Better than store-bought, am I right?
See, I've never been particularly crafty. Artistic, yes, crafty, noooo. I don't glue-gun. I cringe at the thought of glitter and bling. No pipe cleaners, pom-poms, googly eyes and tissue paper. Not here, no way! The extent of my DIY is I can design a card in Photoshop, hit print (I CAN change the ink when it runs out) and fold it in half. Voila! Better than store-bought, am I right?
Our Stella
So
when we were expecting my youngest daughter, Stella, and her baby
shower was quickly approaching - people wanted to know - what was our
"theme"?
Ugh, the theme!
I don't think people understand how truly important that small thing can be. If you have ever had a child, you might know what I am saying. It seems silly, almost, to stress over something that your baby isn't even going to be aware of. In all reality, it's not about the baby. It's about what the parents can tolerate looking at day in and day out; dressing the baby, washing the clothes and bedding, and perhaps even painted on the walls. You have to be careful with your theme selection, your sanity could depend upon it.
Ugh, the theme!
I don't think people understand how truly important that small thing can be. If you have ever had a child, you might know what I am saying. It seems silly, almost, to stress over something that your baby isn't even going to be aware of. In all reality, it's not about the baby. It's about what the parents can tolerate looking at day in and day out; dressing the baby, washing the clothes and bedding, and perhaps even painted on the walls. You have to be careful with your theme selection, your sanity could depend upon it.
My boy, Killian
For
my son, Killian, we had a Winnie the Pooh theme. (That was a selfish
decision, really. Mommy loves that bear, and you can never have too much
Pooh). Oh we had it all, wall-hangings, blankets, singing stuffed
animals and clothing. Killian, now 13, would probably die from
embarrassment if I mentioned it now, but he was my Piglet. Ok, he is
STILL my Piglet, just a little more like a wild boar with his attitude
and appetite!
Sass A. Frass (better known as Kassidy)
My
first daughter, Kassidy, was easy. Butterflies! Lots and lots of
butterflies! And PINK! TONS of it! We were so excited to have a girl,
(although I was never much good at being one myself) we figured pink was
key to nurturing a sweet and gentle disposition. So we swaddled that
babe in as much pink as was humanly possible, gave her wings and hoped
for the best! This was my lesson. I now hate butterflies, sick to death
of them! She is 9, and I still can't stand them! She is also Lil Miss
Sassy Pants, so that sort of blows my color theory out of the water.
Sephie Doodle
So
then there was my Persephone. I am willing to admit that I got lazy
with Sephie's theme. Pink and brown, because it was in abundance at the
time and it complimented her ginger complexion. When she was born, I was
a single mother just trying to make it through the day, so simple and
easy was perfection. As we get closer to her 5th birthday and her
extreme level of sauciness becomes more apparent, I've come to the
conclusion that pink is evil. It should come with a warning label, for
real. Keep your daughters sweet - don't do pink!
And then came Stella.
I tried to be a little more selective with a theme for her, she is our last baby, so I wanted to to do it right. No Pooh, butterflies and definitely not pink! We had considered owls, because owls are my personal favorite animal, and lately they are just everywhere you look, but that felt a little like choosing The Hundred Acre Woods for my boy, so we nixed it. We moved on to the idea of frogs - her Godmother LOVES frogs - but most of the items we found with froggies on them were geared for boys. I don't do animal prints, not a fan of Dora, Bubble Guppies, or Disney Princesses really and NO FREAKING PINK!
So the hunt was on to find the perfect theme. I searched through thousands (probably more like hundreds, but whatever) of crib sets online, hoping something would just grab my attention and I would just KNOW. Hours were spent scrolling through a sea of thumbnails....
And then I found it.
It was a patchwork crib set. I was in love! It wasn't particularly girly, there was no clear idea behind it, just a mish-mash of fabrics, sewn together in an aesthetically pleasing configuration that I was just wild about!
I had to have it.
Just had to!
Then I saw the price tag.
Mind you, this was not a handmade crib set. It was a mass produced interpretation of what a crib quilt should be. I may not have fully understood it, at the time, but spending $300 on something for an infant that really doesn't give a shit what she shits on, seemed - excessive.
It was a pieced set. I didn't really need the coordinating wall-hangings. Nor did I need the matching sheets, I could buy something that complimented the quilt and none would be the wiser. I remembered reading that they were now advising that you not use bumper pads - score! That left the "blanket". Singularly priced at near a hundred dollars, it still felt better than $300 for a bunch of crap I didn't really want or have use for. I added it to my registry and put it out of my mind.
Okay, no I didn't.
For days it nagged at me. That voice in my head likes to talk, (rarely shuts up, really) and it just wouldn't let it be. Over and over it reminded me that I had a brand new sewing machine in the basement. I had been looking for a good reason to open that box... then I countered with the best argument I could muster - if I pulled out that machine, my fiance would expect curtains and throw pillows and pretty little dresses for the girls, isn't that why we bought it in the first place? I then reminded myself that he is a very patient man and he still believes me when I tell him I'm working on it - it could be years before he really expected me to truly produce anything. (God love him, he is the best).
I tried to be a little more selective with a theme for her, she is our last baby, so I wanted to to do it right. No Pooh, butterflies and definitely not pink! We had considered owls, because owls are my personal favorite animal, and lately they are just everywhere you look, but that felt a little like choosing The Hundred Acre Woods for my boy, so we nixed it. We moved on to the idea of frogs - her Godmother LOVES frogs - but most of the items we found with froggies on them were geared for boys. I don't do animal prints, not a fan of Dora, Bubble Guppies, or Disney Princesses really and NO FREAKING PINK!
So the hunt was on to find the perfect theme. I searched through thousands (probably more like hundreds, but whatever) of crib sets online, hoping something would just grab my attention and I would just KNOW. Hours were spent scrolling through a sea of thumbnails....
And then I found it.
It was a patchwork crib set. I was in love! It wasn't particularly girly, there was no clear idea behind it, just a mish-mash of fabrics, sewn together in an aesthetically pleasing configuration that I was just wild about!
I had to have it.
Just had to!
Then I saw the price tag.
Mind you, this was not a handmade crib set. It was a mass produced interpretation of what a crib quilt should be. I may not have fully understood it, at the time, but spending $300 on something for an infant that really doesn't give a shit what she shits on, seemed - excessive.
It was a pieced set. I didn't really need the coordinating wall-hangings. Nor did I need the matching sheets, I could buy something that complimented the quilt and none would be the wiser. I remembered reading that they were now advising that you not use bumper pads - score! That left the "blanket". Singularly priced at near a hundred dollars, it still felt better than $300 for a bunch of crap I didn't really want or have use for. I added it to my registry and put it out of my mind.
Okay, no I didn't.
For days it nagged at me. That voice in my head likes to talk, (rarely shuts up, really) and it just wouldn't let it be. Over and over it reminded me that I had a brand new sewing machine in the basement. I had been looking for a good reason to open that box... then I countered with the best argument I could muster - if I pulled out that machine, my fiance would expect curtains and throw pillows and pretty little dresses for the girls, isn't that why we bought it in the first place? I then reminded myself that he is a very patient man and he still believes me when I tell him I'm working on it - it could be years before he really expected me to truly produce anything. (God love him, he is the best).
Our family!
I haven't stopped quilting since that day, and it's all Stella's fault.
I am always working on a quilt. If I'm not on my machine with it, I am designing a new one, researching fabric, attempting to learn a new technique.. it never ends.
My house is never clean anymore, and my family has had to forfeit the dining room table, but I am happy!
I still don't have curtains, by the way.. and I still blame the baby.
My next post will be a walkthrough of making that very first quilt, wooo!
What the Filth Flarn Filth am I doing here?
I woke up the other morning and said to myself, "I should start a blog."
I got up, let the dog out, and sat down to rouse myself with a cup of coffee and I realized - I don't know the first thing about writing a blog.
I'm a stay-at-home mom of 4, running a small crafting business out of my dining room, barely squeaking by with the housekeeping and surviving solely on caffeinated soda, coffee and peanut butter sandwiches since my youngest was born and a good night's sleep moved out to make room, when would I ever have the time?
And even if I did have time, what the hell would I say?
I am no authority on anything. I know a whole lot about a whole lot, to be sure, I've worn my fair share of hats. It actually took a bit of work to figure out some of those hats didn't fit like they should, (a couple of required a bit of therapy, even), pulling them out and dusting them off - even for display may not be such a good idea. And really, who wants to read a blog about hats?
I finally realized, all the things that I do, I didn't know how to do before I did them. Half of them I wasn't even aware I had an interest in them until I did. Besides, who wants to be an authority on anything, anyway? I think it's best to concede there is always something more to learn, something new to be known. I have never been a huge fan of limitations, really.
So. Lacking know-how, no time, nothing to say...
This should be the best blog ever, right?
I may be without a clue, but so much can come from that! I am determined to learn new things, improve myself and my crafting skills, raise my kids as best I can, plan a wedding and grow my business. Not necessarily in that order and I am sure I am leaving a thing or two out, but that is a pretty good start.
I have so much planned for my little blog, and while I can't promise that I won't show you anything you haven't already seen or that my content will always be rated for younger audiences, or even possess good grammar, it should at least be good for a laugh.
I got up, let the dog out, and sat down to rouse myself with a cup of coffee and I realized - I don't know the first thing about writing a blog.
I'm a stay-at-home mom of 4, running a small crafting business out of my dining room, barely squeaking by with the housekeeping and surviving solely on caffeinated soda, coffee and peanut butter sandwiches since my youngest was born and a good night's sleep moved out to make room, when would I ever have the time?
And even if I did have time, what the hell would I say?
I am no authority on anything. I know a whole lot about a whole lot, to be sure, I've worn my fair share of hats. It actually took a bit of work to figure out some of those hats didn't fit like they should, (a couple of required a bit of therapy, even), pulling them out and dusting them off - even for display may not be such a good idea. And really, who wants to read a blog about hats?
I finally realized, all the things that I do, I didn't know how to do before I did them. Half of them I wasn't even aware I had an interest in them until I did. Besides, who wants to be an authority on anything, anyway? I think it's best to concede there is always something more to learn, something new to be known. I have never been a huge fan of limitations, really.
So. Lacking know-how, no time, nothing to say...
This should be the best blog ever, right?
I may be without a clue, but so much can come from that! I am determined to learn new things, improve myself and my crafting skills, raise my kids as best I can, plan a wedding and grow my business. Not necessarily in that order and I am sure I am leaving a thing or two out, but that is a pretty good start.
I have so much planned for my little blog, and while I can't promise that I won't show you anything you haven't already seen or that my content will always be rated for younger audiences, or even possess good grammar, it should at least be good for a laugh.
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