M is for ...

Macrame

This is another of those crafts that I've admired from afar. But more than that I like the look of them and I want to give it a go.

What is Macrame?
It started as a decorative way to secure ends of a piece of woven fabric. It became more than that and soon whole items were made out of macrame. It became very popular with the sailors as a way to spend time while out at sea and then they could sell their finished products.

Some Examples

This is something that I don't have any examples for... actually I'm going to make one example up now!

I apologise for my really really bad example of macrame,... I will have to have another more serious go. It was actually fun just need something to hold the threads tight against my head.

How to find out more?

I am getting most of my information from an awesome book that mum got. It's an old Reader's Digest craft book.

There are also many websites out there.

I keep linking to this site A Beautiful Mess but they have some awesome DIY crafts. They did an awesome macrame curtain last year.

Happy Stitching,
Caitlin
Join me tomorrow for N is for...

L is for ...

Loom Weaving

When I was in New Zealand last year I had the privilege of seeing a loom weaving exhibition. We happened to have time in Palmerston North where they had one on and I loved what I saw. Weaving is something that has always interested me but something I haven't tried. That said I can not for the life of me find the photos that I took while over there so you will just have to believe me that it was beautiful. I had all sorts of fancy plans but I can't find any of the photos :( 

What is Weaving?

It is where a fabric is formed by lacing together two distinct sets of threads. You lace coloured threads onto a weft threads. It is an old craft that was used to create beautiful tapestries that used to show amazing themes. 

Cross stitch fabrics are woven fabrics because they are even side to top. Technically most fabrics we use for craft are woven fabrics we just don't have the ability to hand loom such fine fabrics. 

Some Examples

This is a lovely scarf my mum brought me back from Tasmania when they visited. It is hand woven out of Alpaca wool. 

I found this tapestry photo when I started searching. It's not the full reveal unfortunately but by the looks of it it will be revealed later this month. It looks to be an amazing piece.

How to find out more?

I know I've been reading lots of instructions recently over at A Beautiful Mess where they have been showing how to do your own weaving. Here are the instructions for a cool looking pillow. 

I'm sure you can find more tutorials around the place.... I need to see if I can have some fun with making my own woven stuff. 

Happy Stitching, 

Caitlin 

Join me tomorrow for M is for...

K is for ...

Knitting!

There really wasn't anything else that K could be was there? At least when it comes to me it's one of my main crafts. Though like crochet it comes and goes with my mood but it's something I always do. My grandma taught me how to knit a couple of years after I learnt to crochet. I must have picked it up really easily because grandma can't even remember teaching me. I think having done crochet before trying knitting really helped my hand control and a basic understanding of movement.

So what is knitting?
Well I've had to look up an official definition because I know what knitting is it's using two sticks that look like chopsticks to create a fabric. That said it doesn't sound very official. The best definition I've found is the act of forming a fabric by looping a continuous yarn. This can be done by hand, needles or machine.

I know that I have a knitting machine hiding somewhere but it's not something I've had the time to learn yet. But knitting with needles is what I'm going to talk about today. With knitting you can make everything from toys through to garments to wear. I haven't braved clothes but I have made numerous scarves and beanies.

Some examples

 This beanie my grandma knitted for me when I was 14 and went over to America. I love it... I already loved purple even back then.

 I made these fingerless mittens last year for when I went to New Zealand. They were so easy to make. I'm planning to make some purple-grey ones this year to go with them. It's a pattern called Campout fingerless mittens. You can find it on Ravelry.

 When I was in New Zealand I bought this beanie to keep my head warm. It was lovely and an owl is always welcome.

I made this set a couple of years ago. They are very bulky so I don't wear them often but I do love the colour.

All these toys were made from patterns by Jean Greenhowe. Her patterns are gorgeous and so easy to use.

How to find out more?

 These books are some of my many knitting books. The one on the left is full of gorgeous patterns and it's such a beautiful book to read. It's designed to be very welcoming.

Sometimes when you order yarn you can get patterns as well. I got this pattern when I got my cotton yarn from Bendigo Woollen Mills.

Also if you are a knitter or crocheter your best reference tool should be Ravelry.com it has lists of patterns free and paid for any project you want to make.

Happy Stitching,
Caitlin

Join me tomorrow for L is for ...

J is for ...

Jewellery Making

I know I talked about beading on the second day of this challenge but there is a lot more to Jewellery making than just beading. It's actually quite complicated especially if you start getting into metal work or Lapidary. Now I am no expert but I have tried some basics over the years.

What is Jewellery making
I'm going to define it as anything you make to wear as an accent or accessory to your outfit. Now I will exclude scarfs, hats and handbags from this definition as they don't really fit under Jewellery.

It can be anything from brooches to necklaces to earrings. They can be beaded, be made purely out of metal or even be made out of something like wood. They can be elaborate or precious anything that you want them to.

Some Examples
As I said before I showed you some examples of what I've made with regards to beading when I talked about it last week. SO I'm going to show some other pieces that I have made today.

This bracelet was fun to make. I made the beads out of femo clay and then put them on wire. That said I don't wear it. ... don't wear much jewellery anymore because I react to the metals.

I had a go at wire wrapping too but these were too heavy for earrings... I will use them for something one day.

Where to find out more?
If you're interested in working with stones then I recommend going to your local lapidary club. They know way more than I can ever tell you and would be a much better help.

Again if you want to learn how to work metal there are better people than me to ask.

But there is a lot to be found out from books if you look.

Happy Stitching,
Caitlin

I'll be back on Monday for K is for...

I is for ...

Ink Stamping

so you may have noticed I've become slightly obsessed with planners and planning and scrapbooking stuff this year. Actually not badly obsessed though stamps and alphabets seem to be calling me often. I wanted to talk about ink stamping today. It is really a craft of it's own and the tools are varied.

So what is stamping? 

I'm talking about the wooden and acrylic stamps that you can buy from craft stores not metal stamps. Stamping is the act of putting an imprint on something. You can use metal stamps or leather ones but today I'm talking about the wooden or acrylic ones used with ink.

To start with the inks you use are important. Yes you can use cheap inks from officeworks but the colours are no fun and they are often not acid free. Acid free is important for scrapbooking as it won't damage photos or paper.

 I love the versa color inks they are pretty and the range of colours are awesome.

Staz on is good because it is a permanent ink that can be used on any surface unlike the versa color.

Some Examples 

So onto some examples of stamping I love to play with my stamps and I had some fun the other day with colours.

 Practicing with my days of the week stamps. I love all the new fonts I got myself.

 I now have three sets of days of the week and I do love to use them in my planner.

I also have three seperate alphabets ... I don't have an obsession yet.... but alphabets are so fun! The clear stamps are acrylic stamps and you need a block to put them on to use. You can see a block in the photo below.

It must be the musician in me but I seem to collect little music note stamps. I like the rubber stamps on the left better just because the note is nicer. The ones on the right are wider. One thing to remember when using an acrylic block is to put your paper on something that isn't rock hard. It doesn't have to be very soft but a cutting board would just give a little more give which gets a cleaner stamp.

Hoot Hoot :D This was a fun combo to make. I just need to practice not hitting the edges of the stamps on the paper as well. I'm slowly getting better just really bad when I'm rushing.

Here are some of my wooden stamps I keep them all together and they look sooo pretty :D

Where to find out more?
I was really hoping to be able to show you an awesome stamp that I have on order from a lady called Hoffee and Nuffin but it hasn't arrived yet :( Hopefully soon! You'll just have to wait for the reveal. But she carves her own stamps and her designs are awesome for the crafter and she ships everywhere. Also I love the ways she uses stamps. It really makes them useful for more than just scrapbooking.

ETA... My stamps came in today :D I'm so excited! aren't they sooo pretty :D I'll show you them in use on Wednesday :D

Other than that I have bought most of my stamps at spotlight. Though some were passed down to me from my mother.

Enjoy,
Happy STitching,
Caitlin

P.S. Join me tomorrow for J is for...