Almost time!

The holidays are coming way faster than I would like but isn't that the norm?!  My list of to-do has grown smaller and smaller which I am ever thankful for but until December comes I am not able to really post any of the projects I've been working on.  That being said I do know how long it has been since I've posted any thing at all so a small bit of spoiling is in order.

My brother-in-law requested an apron for the holidays and since he even drew up exactly what he wanted I see absolutely no harm in posting a picture of that ... though I did add some personal touches and flair to the apron that were not requested (I've got a problem with wanting little details in the things I make ... it is a good problem to have though.)

This was quite the learning experience for me because I've never really sewn on a machine with denim.  Sure I've made purses and water bottle holders from old jeans but that was when I was all about sewing by hand; connecting with what I was making and blooding my thumbs to the point of frustration simply because the sewing machine scared me.  At least I now know that denim and french seams do NOT splice!  But this did end up being the biggest apron I've made and I won't lie when I tried it on I totally felt like I was 3 again trying on my dad's coveralls.

Not only did I get some sewing done but I also taught myself a new craft.  For quite some time now I've wanted to learn how to crochet and since I was all sickly and snuggled up on the couch why not at least be productive?!  So I set out with the one crochet hook I some how ended up with and a thing of yarn I bought when I was all "I can knit with a loom" and went to town.  Armed with a book my grandmother gave that was published in 1978 a chain stitch was simple to learn but as you can imagine everything after that just didn't make a lick of sense to me.  Of course I was way too lazy to get on the YouTube to see if I could find a great tutorial for the super visual learner so I just wung it ... one day I'm going to realize that 9 times out of 10 that doesn't yield the best results.

 

But hey at least Gus enjoyed my sitting still for long periods of time though the yarn seemed to grab her interest more than my wishing she'd just sit down and keep me warm.  Now on the to-do list: learn to make a hat!  I have to say this crochet thing is probably the best craft learning experience because if you mess up or don't like what you make just a tug on the yarn makes the whole thing disappear and you've not wasted a single thing.

The nerd in me

A dear friend of mine is one of those people who is very passionate about history,  we are talking does reenactments usually a few times a year.  He collects historical artifacts, studies for fun, makes historical facial hair look cool, and can talk so enthusiastically about history it gets other people excited about it.  His vast knowledge is astounding and it is always a great pleasure for me when we get into discussions about Europe in the 1500's (I adore the Tudor dynasty.)

It may seem a little odd for me to talk of such things in a craft blog but there is a very good reason ... he has asked me to make a historically accurate quilt for him!  The amount of work it is going to take does seem a little daunting but in the face of difficulty I tend to develop an almost inhuman amount of determination. This is just a very exciting opportunity for me!  Not only do I get to share my passion for quilting with a friend but I also get to let my inner nerd out to play.  The research has begun for both of us, as we both want to make something accurate to time, trying to find patterns and fabrics that do not jeopardize the integrity of a reproduction. 

I'll be meeting up with him tomorrow in hopes to brainstorm further about what he wants and maybe I can talk him into doing one of those pretty Turkish red and white quilts I keep coming across in my research.  Like quilting has been since I started almost 2 years ago this shall be a giant learning experience for me and I'm completely thrilled about it.

the downside

I'm a crafter with a full time job that I absolutely love which means outside of work and sleeping I only get about about 64.5 hours a week to craft, have a social life, read, do housework, and buy groceries.  I know it sounds like a bunch of time, and maybe it is, but right now it just doesn't feel like it.  Basically this means I end up with nights like last night; nights where I lay in bed thinking of all the things I could make, things I would be proud to sale, things I would want to keep as my own because of how cute they are.  Last night's awake dreaming was brought on by the idea of embroidered pillows.  The color of fabric, the color of thread, the color of button, which colors look best together, should I make them coordinating, should I try to put them in groups and if so how many per group, do I want to repeat colors, do I let the buyer choose colors, and ending with "I really should be sleeping now."  I knew trying to get things up and running would be difficult, I knew I would have to learn how to manage my time better.  I believe the hardest part about this is going to end up being trying not to force myself to craft and to be able to maintain the passion and love for it which basically means I'll have to say no more often than I like.  I wonder how many other crafters out there have full time jobs and how they manage to maintain a balance without stressing too much.  A night of little sleep isn't the norm and I am used to the occassional one but I just don't want this to become a regular thing.  The past 2 quilt-a-thons I've done didn't stop my passion of quilting in the slightest but they both required a significant amount of downtime afterwards to recharge not only my spirit but to also heal ... quilting fingers are gnarley!

 

Just some of the color combos that kept me up last night ... no worries my embroidery skills are much better than my paint skills on a computer!

I planning on getting started on one of the quilts for my nieces this weekend which means tons of pictures for my first ever tutorial!  Y'all keep a look out next week ... things are going to get darn crafty in here!