So, it’s now a THREAD Thread?......................
If you ever worked knots, try macrame
Have bandaids handy, as it gets rough on the knuckles.
Rugs
Ornaments
Belts
Planters
Bell pulls
It gets involved
I've starting having everything professionally framed now, I used to do the framing myself - but the results are much better with the professionals, the process was always difficult for me and the results not as good as the professionals.
Is there anything you CAN’T do???!!! : )
I recycle T-shirts or other jersey clothing to make rugs from 95 to 100% cotton. I use this pastime while watching TV, waiting for appointments, and so forth. I've made over 20 as gifts for relatives and friends in various sizes in the 28"- 32" range—mostly circular, hexagonal or oval; but also some rectangular, or shaped like a heart, star, etc. They are machine-washable, unlike traditonal woolen braided rugs, and are more colorful, soft and appealing for bedrooms, bathrooms or children.
Yes, I have a dedicated shelf of folded jersey garments gleaned from family, yard sales, church bazaars, thrift shops or dollar stores, stacked by color. Sometimes the garment itself will inspire a color theme—I saw a dark red and loden green striped golf shirt in Good Will and grabbed it to make a Christmas rug -- someday! I put it in a tote bag, and when I've snagged another item of compatible colors, I've thrown it in the tote. I have a second bag containing "memories" shirts from a grown child of mine, to make a braided, washable cat basket. Hope I get around to both those projects while I can still see!
When I want to make one, I envision what color theme would work for the person who is having an occasion, and pick out the fabrics. I cut them in strips and sometimes join the strips on the sewing machine and roll them up; but they are bulky to braid that way. More often I just join by hand, piece by piece, as I am working and looking at how the colors are combining in the circle, which is almost impossible to pre-calculate. Once in awhile I have to buy one more item while a rug is in progress in order to round out the color palette.
They take 15 to 20 shirts and about 40 hours, so are not profitable to sell, but for special gifts like weddings, graduations, babies, or housewarmings, "there's love in every stitch":
This one below is an early experiment—it's over 20 years old. It's in front of a sink, so it gets walked on frequently, and you can see where I've spilled bleach on it here and there. When it looks grimy, I turn it over for the next few months. It has held up with a few spot cleanings, 2 machine washings per year on gentle cycle, and a few odd stitch repairs:
I sometimes include a jersey top from a beloved aunt or a polo shirt from a deceased great-grandpop when making a gift for a new baby:
I had a sewing room helper on that one:
I'm repairing a kitchen rug now that is 25 years old; it gets stood on many times every day, often with yard dirt from the back door; so it has also been washed and repaired more than any other, and it's still wearing like iron. I used thicker, poly-blend jersey like old sweat shirts in that one, so the rug itself is thicker and puffier. A couple of areas have become so ragged that I had to pull out a few inches of braid and work a replacement piece back in before its pre-Christmas laundering. That's kind of hard, but also kind of fun, like, "how long can I keep this one going?" It has strips of clothing in it from 3 generations of family.
I’m making a vest out of a heavier velveteen. I’ve read that invisible zippers should only be used on lighter weight fabrics as they are not as sturdy as standard zippers.
Obviously I’ll be using a separating zipper and would like it to not show so I need to use either an invisible zipper or a standard zipper with a fabric constructed placard. I’m not sure I want to use a placard with this velveteen as that might be too much bulk.
I’ve never used an invisible zipper. Any feedback, suggestions or recommendations would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks for these threads, Diana!
Anyone ever use Wonder Clips and, if so, would the user recommend them?
So she's got a blog post on how to make a lovely wreath and I thought I'd share it. She's got a video, too - the link for that is in the blog post.
How To Make A Christmas Wreath
The final wreath, hanging on her door (pic at end of blog post) has some pine cones added and they make a nice addition.
I still need to do the lining, but you won't see it inside the stocking, so I took the pic on top of the lining fabric before I cut it out so you can see the pattern. I have borrowed my SIL's sewing machine - if I can figure out how to use the machine, sewing the lining seams should be easy - don't want to do it by hand. Sewing the lining neatly into the stocking at the top will be an adventure.
The hubby is a hunter so I think he'll love the lining and I think the stocking looks a lot like a 'hunting sock'. I still have to deliver it - hour & 15 minute drive each way .... will do it early one morning coming up this week. She plans on letting him put up his old, very small stocking he had as a child & then she's switching it out with this one - when he comes down in the morning, he'll have a new huge stocking ... a bit bigger than his son's, which I made last year. Fun surprise for him - my niece is excited about pulling off the switch/surprise.
Color is off ... red is a beautiful deep red. Cuff looks narrow, but it's not. I used a 1 x 1 ribbing & this works really well ... better than 2 x 2 ribbing I used on the first stocking.
