Crafts – Page 2 – Through My Eyes

Final Stitches…

You might recognize the center of this sampler as a throwback to an old nursery rhyme. The pattern for this particular cross stitch design is by Pam Johnson and is called “Home Sweet Home,” as depicted in the smaller block below the shoe.

While I have enjoyed working this piece, I can’t wait to make that final stitch. If you look at the toe of the shoe, you can see where I am in this piece. This is the largest piece I have stitched so far and has taken me almost a year to complete. I’m pretty sure most of you could do it quicker!

What happens next? I’ll wash it, stretch it like a canvas, let it dry, pin it to a mounting board, and frame.

This is a vintage pattern, so it may be difficult to find. Could not find a date on it, but I purchased a really long time ago. Vintage copies of this magazine do appear on both eBay and Amazon. It is published in the UK and it contains beautiful patterns.

If you are new to cross stitch there are videos on YouTube. I rarely pay full price for the fabric and supplies but acquire them through yard sales, auctions, and thrift shops. You don’t have to go broke to create beautiful works of art

Get stitching!

Have a great weekend!

Applique & Quilting

I am one of those strange people who participate in and have knowledge of a lot of things and activities but do not claim expertise at any. I like to stay busy and create new things.

Today I have pieced this block together and I am ready to quilt it. The primary block contains a country angel (yes I know she is missing a mouth) that is appliqued mostly by hand. Today I added the smaller border blocks and am now ready to quilt. My stitch size varies based on the material and batting thickness. Today’s stitches are a little bigger than I normally do.

My mother nor either of my grandmothers quilted. I did have a great aunt who was an avid quilter but she did not live close to us. My quilting journey began back in the 70’s when I took a class at our local community College. I never knew when I walked in that class just how much I would enjoy quilting. Over the years I have made several baby quilts, a lot of squares and a full size bed quilt. Not much compared to most quilters but I also have a wide array of other hobbies.

Here’s the block as I start to quilt it.

Will quilt some tonight and probably finish it up tomorrow. I will then toss it in a bin to add to a later quilt.

Check out quilting classes through your local arts council or community college system.

Get to stitching!

What’s Your Craft?

I have been blessed to enjoy a number of hobbies and crafts over the years. For me, these activities didn’t just fill up spaces of time, but they were also coping tools.

Some people tend to hide under the covers or over indulge in unhealthy habits. Me, I pick up my camera, a paintbrush, or a crochet hook and make something beautiful. It’s the whole turning something negative into something positive thing.

I hear people say, ” I don’t have any talents.” That is really not true. Most of our lives are spent working a job or tied up in some kind of negative situation that distracts us from finding that creativity in us.

How do you find your talent? Start with things you like and are drawn to. If the first thing you try doesn’t work out, find something else. Despite the fact that there are a lot of things I can do, there were just as many things I tried that I did not do well at or simply did not like. Take a class or two, watch videos on different crafts, attend craft fairs, and talk to artisans.

It has actually been proven by medical professionals that having a hobby is beneficial to your health by lowering blood pressure, calming anxiety, and promoting a healthier attitude and lifestyle.

Okay, get off that couch and get to crafting!

A Rainy Day Project

I get especially bored on a rainy day, so I try to find a project or two to kill some time. Here is one of today’s projects.

You don’t have to spend lots of money to have nice linens. You just have to have a stash of fabric. I never seem to have enough pillow cases, and plain Jane cheap ones are not for me. This is the pillow case I just finished:

This is an easy project even for a beginner. Want to try it yourself you can follow this great video that I followed. It’s easy, attractive and cheap. This size pillowcase will cost you anywhere from $6 to $35 retail. My cost for this project is roughly $3.

Here’s the video:

Pull out your scraps and dust off your sewing machine and get to stitching. You guys can do this one, too.

Have a great and productive day.

Crafting On The Cheap

You should never use the excuse “I can’t afford it” when it comes to crafting and here’s why. I do a number of crafts but one I spend a lot of time on is cross stitch embroidery. Over the last four years since our economy has been in the sewer I have been more resourceful in where I buy supplies.

Welcome to the world of thrifting. I shop Flea markets, yard sales, and most often auctions. The last place you would buy crafting supplies, right? You would be surprised. Over the last four years, I probably have spent less than $50 a year on supplies. I have bought multiple boxes of yarn, large boxes of cross stitch patterns, mixed craft supplies, and more. It is too the point that most of the auctioneers will point those items out to me prior to the sale. Here is just a sample from my latest purchase.

Sitting in what we affectionately call a “goodie box” underneath a table was this large binder full of thread and in the box was an array of cross stitch fabric, Scissors and more. I spent a whopping $5 for the box and the binder. The binder looked to be in poor condition so I really was not expecting the thread to be any good. In desperation one night when I failed to find a particular thread in my thread boxes I opened up the binder and quickly found the thread I needed. The thread was on a card that was enclosed in a zip lock bag carefully pulling a strand off the card I held my breath waiting to see if it was any good. On inspection the color looked good but was it weakened with age. I threaded my need and began stitching. Amazingly the thread seemed to be in good shape most likely because of the zip lock bag. On first inspection this binder was the one piece I thought I was going to have to throw out. So glad I didn’t.

So the next time you are in need of supplies, why not venture out to your local auction. You might be surprised at what you will find.

Have a great day, and take a moment to thank God for it

Cross Stitch In America

Yes, I have been slack again in my posts and will try to come up with more interesting topics. In the meantime, I share what I know best, arts and crafts. Today, we will look at counted cross stitch.

While historians seem to be uncertain as to when this type of embroidery began, most believe it goes all the way back to early Egypt. Here in America, it has a history only back to early pioneer days when women would use this simple form of embroidery to adorn pillow cases, children’s clothing, and advanced to decorative samplers. Here is a section of a sampler I am currently working on.

This fabric is called Aida 14. That means there are 14 of those little blocks to the inch. While you see, I do have some half stitches most stitches are done in little crosses. You literally pull your thread from one corner to the opposite corner and then pull your thread up from the opposite corner and down in the opposite direction to form the cross stitch. You can see the little holes at each corner of the block to put your needle in.

While this craft was the rage in this country from the sixties through the eighties, it has seen a decline since. It is, however, extremely popular still in Europe.

If you are interested in learning how to cross stitch, you can follow videos like this one on YouTube:

You don’t have to go into debt to start this hobby. I have bought boxes of patterns and supplies at auctions and estate sales. You can also still find supplies at your local craft shop.

This is a hobby that can both decorate your home but also makes great gifts for friends and loved ones.

Start stitching today!

Have a blessed day.

Camping And Crochet

Yes, you guessed it. I take my crafts on the road. When I am not enjoying the great outdoors, I am crocheting.

Thursday, we hitched up our rig and ventured out to a campground an hour away from our home. This was our first trip of the year. On our first trip out, we usually keep it fairly local before heading out on longer trips.

This is our 22 ft. travel trailer. She is twelve years old but still in pretty good condition. Unfortunately, upon arrival at this campground, we noticed the awning had started tearing away. Up until one year ago, we never needed any repairs. We had purchased it used in 2016, and it was in excellent condition.

Last year, we replaced tires and refrigerators, and I reupholstered the dinette. This year, when the slide floor started breaking away we had to have it rebuilt. Since we were already into the floor anyway, we replaced the ugly carpet with some nice vinyl to go under the dinette. Yes, we could have traded her in, but in all honesty, it was cheaper to fix her. Even when we replace the awning fabric, we still will have not spend much in comparison to what this unit is worth.

It was almost funny that shortly after we realized the awning had to be replaced a hail storm came up. We had been out to eat and just parked at our campsite when it began to rain so hard we couldn’t get out of our truck. The rain quickly turned into hail. It hailed for a good ten minutes before it went back to a steady rain.

Saturday morning, we set out to go to the local farmers market. On the way back to our campsite there it was…the yard sale sign. When I asked the lady if by chance she had any craft supplies, she pointed to a large bag containing yarn. “You can have it for a buck,” she said. I could not get my money out fast enough. She here is one of the projects I made from that bag.

I am now going to go back and start stashing some of my craft supplies into our camper for those rainy days when I can’t get out to hike.

Enjoy the ride everyday. Life is good every day if you Believe!

Cross Stitch Designs

I don’t just do needlework/crafts, I really love to design my own. While I have designed quilts, crochet and knitting projects, my real passion is designing cross stitch patterns. More and more I am getting into the design phase as I have time and creating the actual patterns.

I actually thought about teaching classes but that might tie up too much time as I have lots of interests. Basically, I think the love of design stems from the fact I am very analytical and love to disect things. One of my biggest pet peeves is to start a pattern that I have purchased only to find the pattern was not written correctly and have to sit down and make the corrections to it so it did work. With cross stitch that doesn’t happen too often, but I have a history as a photographer so designing cross stitch designs just came naturally.

I am currently posting some of my designs on payhip.com but will also try to list some in the future on Ralvery as well. If you have not tried counted cross stitch as it is very relaxing and can create beautiful pieces of art.

https://payhip.com/b/2XztV

The above link is for this pattern:

Beach Houses (c) Sue G. Heath 2024

This is not a real large pattern so it makes for a good project for the intermediate stitcher.

Busy fingers make a happy woman. God bless you all.

Cross Stitch And Designing

The only thing I love more in crafting than actually making the craft is designing. From the first initial sketch to the final product it is a challenge but pure excitement to get a pattern “just right”.

Here is my latest creation and it is available now for download.

Here’s the link: https://payhip.com/FolkwaysCreations to my newest store.

So, get those cross stitch supplies together and get to stitching.

Have a blessed day.

Fall Crochet

I love, love, love fall weather. As much as I love outdoor activities I also make good use of my indoor time with knitting, crocheting and quilting. Here is a lapghan I am currently working on.

A typical lapghan (lap blanket) is 36″ x 48″. The stitches are double crochet, slip stitch, slanted post and daisy stitch. I am not using a pattern because I love to freestyle.

I am using a size H crochet hook and knitted a section using a size 6 needle. I have not written out the pattern yet so I am just giving you a summary.

With the H hook I chain 150 sts. In the second chain I double crochet and across, ch 1 and turn. Slip st on the wrong side all the way across and ch3 at the end. Double crochet in 2nd st skip next st, 3 DC over next three sts then yo and DC back into the st you skipped. This is the slanted post and repeat across.

Basically ever even row you work the pattern of your choice and every odd or wrong side you slip st across. This forms a border around your pattern rows.

See how creative you can be and mix and match rows of stitches. Lapghans are a great gift idea for all ages male and female. These are just right for those cool movie nights.