Inventory

I started thinking this morning about all the crafty projects I have that I'm either in the middle of, or that I have the stuff for but haven't started yet.

Crochet - I have a lot more yarn than I thought.  I got this great teal wool blend that I want to make a cardigan out of, and I have the supplies to make my cupcake hats and acorn hats, plus some leftovers from previous projects.  In fact I just started a pair of socks tonight using this fuzzy yarn that was originally going to be a blanket.  I also have been saving plastic bags from World Market to make "plarn" water bottle carriers out of.  But the good news is, I did manage to finish a project that had been languishing in my bag for about 7 months!

Quilt - My new bed quilt project is spread out on my work table, being pieced together a bit at a time.  I'm not in a hurry to finish it, since we won't use it until next summer, but since I don't know how long it will take to have it quilted, I should probably get on it.  I also have a box of t-shirts and sweatshirts that will be made into a cozy throw at some point too.  And lastly I have some leftover blocks from my pink quilt that I need to turn into shams or throw pillows.

Sewing - I have all the fabric and pattern to make an adorable messenger bag with an appliqued owl on it... sitting in one of my storage bins.  I also have a stack of dog food bags (the kind made of woven plastic) that I'm going to make into grocery bags,  leftover lampshade fabric and batting that I'm going to turn into a cat bed, and all sorts of other leftover fabric that I'm saving for... something.

Glass painting - I don't have any projects started, but I still have all the materials ready in case something comes up.  Same with batik stuff.

Beading - I bought some cool pendants on clearance, and have plans to make some things to add to my Etsy shop in time for Christmas... I just can't find the motivation right now to squint my way through the projects.

Cross stitch - I have a huge tote bag FULL of unfinished cross stitch projects, including a wedding announcement for my best friend who was married I forget how many YEARS ago now, but maybe I'll get this thing done for their 20th or 30th or 50th anniversary... There's also a Christmas stocking, a wall hanging of the Footprints poem, a baby announcement that I can't even remember who it was originally for, and maybe 2 or 3 other things that haven't even been started yet but I have the kits for them.

One good thing about having so many projects is when I get tired of it, or my hands/eyes get worn out, or when I'm on a TV marathon, or traveling, I can set down the boring/eyestraining/callous-forming/attention-stealing project and pick up one that's more interesting/uses-different-muscles/can-do-while-watching-the-tube.  So it's fun.  It just takes a bit of space to store it all.

Another good thing about being a Crafter-of-All-Trades is being able to come up with good gift ideas.  This list doesn't even include the things I'm making as gifts for other people, which I can't talk about here or I'd ruin the surprise, but know that there are a FEW of them.  Also if anybody wants something made for themselves or someone else, you know who to ask.  :-)

Up for a challenge..

The pattern (with some rows added to make it Queen size)

The fabric scheme, which matches the duvet my mom made

Getting a running start!

And, of course, my "Assistant."

Positive Outlooks

I think it's a sign that we're doing the right thing when:

On the first day of our drive back to Ohio, I get a call to set up an interview...
On the last day, B gets a call to set up an interview too...
The sun shines, the roads are mostly clear, and we only encounter bad weather in the last 20 minutes of the whole trip...
And the cats are absolute angels in the car for the entire four days.

It's true!  My interview was last Tuesday (I know, I'm way behind with the updates) and it went really well.  B's was Friday, and it went really well too.  We probably won't hear anything else until after the holidays - I do know that I'll have a second interview then, and the job B applied for would start in January, so he'll hear a definite answer soon.  The catch is, B's is in Toledo, and mine is here in the Cleveland area - for those who don't know Ohio geography, they're two hours apart.  So we'll have to make a decision, but for now we're just going to enjoy the holidays.  

***

Driving around town, running errands or Christmas shopping, I keep seeing empty storefronts in really great areas.  It keeps reminding me of an idea I've had in the back of my mind for many years now - I want to have a little shop.  At first it was a little gift shop, with custom framing and local artists mixed in with collectibles and cards, located in a little cottage in the tourist district of a beach town.  I still think that'd be fun, but switch it to a craft shop with beads and yarn instead of the custom framing, and offering classes and perhaps a club of some sort, a sort of local co-op for crafters and artists to interact.  My friend Julie is a crafty bitch (or witch... literally!) like me, and she made a comment to me once about "subversive crafting" which I thought might be a fun name for a shop.  Then today I commented back on something she'd written, saying I was a "fickle crafter," which I think is a good one too.  I think with that one, I would have the opportunity to offer a wider variety of things - "when you can't decide what to create" or something like that. My heart was always set on a beach town, like Seaside, or even Port Townsend, but seeing some of the places around here that are open made me realize that I could do this anywhere, any time.

For right now, I've got my little Etsy shop up and running.  An idea like this takes capital, which I absolutely do not have.  So it'll sit on the back burner, simmering away, while I add new ideas and start saving some money.  

Mommy, Mommy, See What I Made!

When I was in first grade I remember making this little book for the parent open-house at school.  Each page had the same little poem on it, each time starting with a different family member - Mommy, Mommy, see what I made!  Mommy, Mommy, I like first grade! -  and then a space below it for a drawing or writing sample or something that I supposedly learned in first grade.

Here's my 30-year-old version.

*ahem*

Check this shit out people!  I made a damn QUILT!

It measures about 75x75, or just a hair smaller than a queen-sized coverlet.  I hand-tied it rather than quilting it (Seriously?  Hand-quilting a queen-sized blanket?  On my first time making one?  I don't think so.) and used cute little felt buttons at the corners.

Some of the fabrics have sentimental value too. 

The pink gingham used to be curtains used in my nursery that my mom saved.  The white with tulips is scraps from my first-day-of-Kindergarten dress, and the plaid is also scraps from a dress Mom made for me.  

The purple paisley is from a shirt she made when I was in college, and the white with blue flowers is a sheet I bought at the thrift store that I remember having when I was growing up.  The rest is stuff I bought at Joann's to match.

The pattern is called "Map of the States" and I got it from Oh, Fransson!'s website.  It was pretty easy, and good for smaller scraps of fabric like what I had.  I had actually started making a plain patchwork quilt from these child-hood fabrics back in eighth grade home-ec, but didn't finish it.  Which is a good thing, because I couldn't sew a straight line to save my life!  So I took that apart first, then used smaller scraps later.  The plan was to keep making blocks until I was out of one of the fabrics, but when I started laying it out and realized how huge it was already going to be... yeah.  I figured this was a good start!