crafting, – Through My Eyes

Crafting Sources

With the demise and death of yet another crafting giant, it’s back to the drawing board for supply needs. If you are going to rush out to Hobby Lobby or Michael’s, you might want to ck their websites before as both may not have what you want. Yarn, in particular, is in demand. Hobby Lobby has a very limited amount, and I was told by Michael’s they are not buying any more. If you shop FB Marketplace, you will most likely get ripped off. What’s a crafter to do…. get creative, of course.

For crafting tools, you need go no further than your local hardware store. You will be surprised what you can not only find useful but also cheaper than conventional craft stores. My favorites are Ace and Harbor Freight.

For yarn and bead lots, check the following: Dollar Tree and Five Below.

For other buys in quantity, check your local auctions both in your local area and online. Over the years, I have literally bought thousands of dollars worth of yarn, beads, and pattern books, all for pennies on the dollar. If you have a lot of yard sales in your area, these are also a possible source of supplies.

For other retail sources, there are these:

Amazon.com – While I hate this is a China company, I do still support them because they have a distribution center here locally, so I get some things in 24 hrs.

https://123stitch.com/ for all your cross stitch and embroidery needs.

https://www.equilter.com/designer/39/rubin-design-studio/page/2 This site is great for quilters.

https://www.bearwood.com/live-edge- An interesting site for small project woodworkers.

Will post more links as I find them. Until then, happy crafting.

Early Mornings Crafting

I love it when I wake up early. Everyone else is asleep, and it is just me and God. I talk to him like I would talk to not just a Father but a best friend. He gives me inspiration.

Guess what I am creating?

It makes you wonder how God must have felt in those early days of creation. Could he have felt the frustration of imperfection if there was any one thing that was not quite right in His eyes?

My Dad used to say to me, “You never finish anything.” I do finish most things I start with my crafts, art and in life however I am so picky because I am always trying to get that one thing just right that I forget that its sometimes okay to be a little imperfect!

I’m okay with being imperfect. One of my favorite tees bears this slogan “Under construction – a work of God” and I wear it proudly.

Break away from life and take the time to create something or just to have a little talk with God. He listens, doesn’t judge, and sometimes even gives you a little nudge!

Have a great weekend!

The Perfect Ripple

I never really liked that this pattern had two sets of holes. The original pattern has a hole at the top of the arch and one seven stitches away in the valley.

I played with it awhile and came up with this alteration. Make 7 sc up to the arch, 3 sc in next st, 7 sc down the opposite side then this..

With the last stitch still on your hook pull up a loop in the next 3 sc and then pull a loop through all 4 loops on the hook. Continue up the next arch with the next 7 sc. Then you have what you see in the top photo.

Hope this helps you to make more ripples.

Have a great day in Jesus’s name.

Easy Peasy Crafting

I love easy useful craft ideas here’s one anybody can do. If you don’t have a fairy light to light up your yard here’s how easy they are to make.

Start with any size Mason jar ad remove the ring and lid. You will replace this with a fairy light solar kit you can find on Amazon. This is what the kit looks like :

You don’t get the jar but you do get the solar caps on the left attached to about 30 fairy lights. I get great bargains on jars at local auctions. On the back side of the light you flip the power switch to on and pull the paper blocker out. Drop the lights into your jar and hook the wire handle around the neck of the jar. Now you can proceed to twist the cap on tightly.

You can test your light by covering the top of the lid. You will see the lights quickly come on.

I make lights from pints up to half gallon size. Want to take it a step further? Check out the colored jars at Tractor Supply. I snagged some pink ones at a great price.

Hope you enjoy this easy craft.

From Rags To Bags

At a time when luxuries are out of the question, I try to recycle when possible. Here’s a recycle that is both practicle and completely free.

This piece of appliqued denim was formerly a section off the bottom of a midi skirt from the 80’s. The size of the applique dictated the size of the bag. After squaring off the block I rounded the corners at the bottom slightly. I then used this piece to cut the back and the lining sections. I then cut from the remaining denim I had about a two inch strip that would go about the bag section to form bottom and sides. Make sure you also cut this from your lining fabric. For strap cut another two inch strip for your desired length. Stitch the appliqued section and the matching back section to the side strip being careful to follow the curve at the bottom. For the strap, fold and stitch the length and turn. Press flat after turning and top stitch each side of the strap. Stich the strap ends between the denim and the lining. Folding the top of the denim and lining under, stitch all the way around the bag making sure you catch the straps in place.

While this project was time consuming, it was still fun.

Hope you enjoyed this project and that you will create a recycle bag if your own.

God bless and keep stitching.