Housecleaning Crafting
October's priorities:
WIPs, projects with earmarked materials, sewing machines
especially the Morse case and the Secret Project
I began October with 2 (possibly 3) completions on my challenge to complete 12 projects between late September and the end of October (the challenge was not only crafting projects, but I hadn't completed any non-crafting items yet). The first week of the month was incredibly busy but I made a tiny amount of progress on the boxers and did a little crochet.
That weekend I had the first Sew-op pattern drafting group meeting, and it was exactly what I was hoping for. One of the people who came has a lot of experience drafting patterns, and she's going to help me with my green jacket project. I was able to help her with a pants fitting project - not with the drafting part, but with the identifying what changes might help the fit part. Afterward I came home and finished the two pairs of boxers I've been slowly making my way through.
I had tried the new Dremel attachment on the Touch & Sew Friday night and it just made huge sparks, so I decided just to scrap the machine. There will always be more and it's in my way mentally (and physically). Saturday I picked off what I could from both Touch & Sews and moved them into the hallway to await disposal. The challenge requires them to actually leave the house, but the mental difference of just not having them in the workroom was huge.
Sunday I decided to keep going while I was on a streak and parted out the third sewing machine that was awaiting that fate. Between dogsitting, chores, and distraction that was it for crafting that weekend.
My mission for the weeknights was to gradually remove the sewing machine detritus from the basement, so Monday I recycled the boxes two had come in and Tuesday I threw out the bags of removed parts. Tuesday night my husband put the three machine carcasses in his car to take to the dump - so they left the house and they're done!
That week I had a "perfect week" according to my health economy, which meant a little shopping spree: unlimited fun money for one outing, essentially. Well, I think I need to change that reward a little because it's a bit too big, at least potentially. I had some really good coupons and limited myself to Jo-Ann's but my craft spending total went up by a hefty chunk. And I even realized afterward that I forgot something!
I realized Saturday, though, that I hadn't done much actual crafting for a week, and hastily sewed myself a new sunglasses sleeve and glued felt into a mini Altoids tin for a purse catchall that wouldn't be super noisy (I had some metal hair clips and a mini screwdriver in it).
Sunday I ran a machine care workshop at the Sew-op and helped three people with machines while not really improving the situation at all for two Sew-op machines. Oh well! Another busy week but I had a friend over Tuesday and did a few rounds on a crochet basket. Another few rounds on Wednesday (after a return trip to Jo-Ann's to spend actual fun money on the thing I forgot the previous trip) and the basket was close to done. That happened Friday, and Saturday I dyed twill tape for my new purse project.
So little crafting! On Sunday chores and other activities kept me busy until into the afternoon, but I cleaned house in the sewing room a bit, uncovering a half yard of burlap that I sewed into two produce bags (itchy!). I also plotted out my new purse and created a long strip of knit "bias tape" to bind my scarf with at a later date.
During the week I squeezed in choosing buttons to "button tie" a quilt top that was donated to the Sew-op; the plan was to simultaneously batt and back it with a piece of fleece, bind it with blanket binding, and donate it to the Visiting Nurse's Association. There wasn't time for other crafting, though. At least until Friday night, when I laid out the quilt top on the fleece and pinned it, and sewed on 16 buttons to secure the layers.
Finally Saturday I was able to get into the sewing room for an extended period. I sewed the binding to the quilt from the front, adding a 17th button along the way to fill a gap, and pinned it to the back. I cut out my purse and got it down to 4 pieces (not counting straps) from 18 (between fabric, bias tape, elastic, and a zipper). That evening I hand-sewed the binding to the quilt halfway around.
I didn't have a lot of time Sunday - maybe an hour and a half - but I made more progress on the purse, connecting 3 of the four pieces and partially connecting the fourth, as well as getting some of the strap work done. I realized afterward that I'd put the attachments for the strap on the wrong side of their seam, so I had to pull some of that out, but Tuesday night I finished the purse and straps relatively quickly. Also Tuesday night, I finished hand-sewing the quilt binding to the back of the quilt. To my grateful surprise, that meant I succeeded in my challenge despite how little I'd crafted, and without counting the needlebook!
Wednesday I got inspired - when I unearthed the burlap, I also found 10 bags I sewed a few years back to be raffle bags; they are simple pouches with a long strip extending from one side of the opening so they can hang off the table. I thought it would be fun to turn them into bags that hang over the arm of a couch or easy chair for sewing items or pens, and converted the first one into one for sewing. I also wound some yarn for a basket to be a gift.
October's craft spending:
knit fabric to bind scarf ($4.76)
strap material, bias tape, and hardware for new purse ($13.23)
2 packages blanket binding for donated quilt top ($6.38)
8 skeins yarn for an afghan ($39.54, the big splurge and the one thing that wasn't on my list going in)
4 skeins yarn for gift basket ($13.17)
twine and hardware for Secret Project ($6.38)
thread to fix up couch ($0.99)
October's completions:
2 pairs boxers sewn *
3 sewing machines scrapped *
sunglasses sleeve sewn
raffia and metallic yarn basket
2 burlap bags for squash etc
new purse sewn *
donated quilt top backed and bound *
raffle bag converted to thread catcher bag
* Count for Challenge (7)
pre-October challenge completions: 2
non-craft challenge completions: 3
total: 12 - success!
November & December's shared priorities:
recover Morse case and finish Secret Project
get all not-mine sewing machines done and out of the house
rearrange sewing room; make collage materials more accessible
WIPs, projects with earmarked materials, sewing machines
especially the Morse case and the Secret Project
I began October with 2 (possibly 3) completions on my challenge to complete 12 projects between late September and the end of October (the challenge was not only crafting projects, but I hadn't completed any non-crafting items yet). The first week of the month was incredibly busy but I made a tiny amount of progress on the boxers and did a little crochet.
That weekend I had the first Sew-op pattern drafting group meeting, and it was exactly what I was hoping for. One of the people who came has a lot of experience drafting patterns, and she's going to help me with my green jacket project. I was able to help her with a pants fitting project - not with the drafting part, but with the identifying what changes might help the fit part. Afterward I came home and finished the two pairs of boxers I've been slowly making my way through.
I had tried the new Dremel attachment on the Touch & Sew Friday night and it just made huge sparks, so I decided just to scrap the machine. There will always be more and it's in my way mentally (and physically). Saturday I picked off what I could from both Touch & Sews and moved them into the hallway to await disposal. The challenge requires them to actually leave the house, but the mental difference of just not having them in the workroom was huge.
Sunday I decided to keep going while I was on a streak and parted out the third sewing machine that was awaiting that fate. Between dogsitting, chores, and distraction that was it for crafting that weekend.
My mission for the weeknights was to gradually remove the sewing machine detritus from the basement, so Monday I recycled the boxes two had come in and Tuesday I threw out the bags of removed parts. Tuesday night my husband put the three machine carcasses in his car to take to the dump - so they left the house and they're done!
That week I had a "perfect week" according to my health economy, which meant a little shopping spree: unlimited fun money for one outing, essentially. Well, I think I need to change that reward a little because it's a bit too big, at least potentially. I had some really good coupons and limited myself to Jo-Ann's but my craft spending total went up by a hefty chunk. And I even realized afterward that I forgot something!
I realized Saturday, though, that I hadn't done much actual crafting for a week, and hastily sewed myself a new sunglasses sleeve and glued felt into a mini Altoids tin for a purse catchall that wouldn't be super noisy (I had some metal hair clips and a mini screwdriver in it).
Sunday I ran a machine care workshop at the Sew-op and helped three people with machines while not really improving the situation at all for two Sew-op machines. Oh well! Another busy week but I had a friend over Tuesday and did a few rounds on a crochet basket. Another few rounds on Wednesday (after a return trip to Jo-Ann's to spend actual fun money on the thing I forgot the previous trip) and the basket was close to done. That happened Friday, and Saturday I dyed twill tape for my new purse project.
So little crafting! On Sunday chores and other activities kept me busy until into the afternoon, but I cleaned house in the sewing room a bit, uncovering a half yard of burlap that I sewed into two produce bags (itchy!). I also plotted out my new purse and created a long strip of knit "bias tape" to bind my scarf with at a later date.
During the week I squeezed in choosing buttons to "button tie" a quilt top that was donated to the Sew-op; the plan was to simultaneously batt and back it with a piece of fleece, bind it with blanket binding, and donate it to the Visiting Nurse's Association. There wasn't time for other crafting, though. At least until Friday night, when I laid out the quilt top on the fleece and pinned it, and sewed on 16 buttons to secure the layers.
Finally Saturday I was able to get into the sewing room for an extended period. I sewed the binding to the quilt from the front, adding a 17th button along the way to fill a gap, and pinned it to the back. I cut out my purse and got it down to 4 pieces (not counting straps) from 18 (between fabric, bias tape, elastic, and a zipper). That evening I hand-sewed the binding to the quilt halfway around.
I didn't have a lot of time Sunday - maybe an hour and a half - but I made more progress on the purse, connecting 3 of the four pieces and partially connecting the fourth, as well as getting some of the strap work done. I realized afterward that I'd put the attachments for the strap on the wrong side of their seam, so I had to pull some of that out, but Tuesday night I finished the purse and straps relatively quickly. Also Tuesday night, I finished hand-sewing the quilt binding to the back of the quilt. To my grateful surprise, that meant I succeeded in my challenge despite how little I'd crafted, and without counting the needlebook!
Wednesday I got inspired - when I unearthed the burlap, I also found 10 bags I sewed a few years back to be raffle bags; they are simple pouches with a long strip extending from one side of the opening so they can hang off the table. I thought it would be fun to turn them into bags that hang over the arm of a couch or easy chair for sewing items or pens, and converted the first one into one for sewing. I also wound some yarn for a basket to be a gift.
October's craft spending:
knit fabric to bind scarf ($4.76)
strap material, bias tape, and hardware for new purse ($13.23)
2 packages blanket binding for donated quilt top ($6.38)
8 skeins yarn for an afghan ($39.54, the big splurge and the one thing that wasn't on my list going in)
4 skeins yarn for gift basket ($13.17)
twine and hardware for Secret Project ($6.38)
thread to fix up couch ($0.99)
October's completions:
2 pairs boxers sewn *
3 sewing machines scrapped *
sunglasses sleeve sewn
raffia and metallic yarn basket
2 burlap bags for squash etc
new purse sewn *
donated quilt top backed and bound *
raffle bag converted to thread catcher bag
* Count for Challenge (7)
pre-October challenge completions: 2
non-craft challenge completions: 3
total: 12 - success!
November & December's shared priorities:
recover Morse case and finish Secret Project
get all not-mine sewing machines done and out of the house
rearrange sewing room; make collage materials more accessible