Anybody crafty / artsy among us?

[Bucky]

Many times when stressors come into our lives we look for different avenues to find something to take our mind off life's problems and de-stress, unwind and relax.  For some, that means working on crafts, or doing something with their hands.

Do any of our members work on crafts - sewing, knitting, quilting, crocheting, scrapbooking, jewelry making, painting, etc.

This topic could also include gardening - which I know several of our members do, and are so talented at.

This past Monday, I attended a class at our local library that was offering a free class on loom knitting.  We are making a hat.  I don't know what the lady was thinking, but somehow, she thought in a hour-and-a-half that we would all have made a hat.  Pffffttttt, we were nowhere near completing a hat in that short amount of time.  Some of the ladies had smaller looms and could probably have made a small infant hat, but I had a larger loom and I've got a long ways to go before I have a finished hat. 

We were able to check out the looms from the library so we could take them home and continue to work on them, plus, we all decided to meet again next Monday to see how we're doing and to get some help "finishing" the hat (taking it off the loom and sewing it closed).

My hat has a brim on it, which in hindsight, I should have made thicker - but, I didn't want to rip it out and start over again - so it is, what it is.   

Anybody else working on a project right now?

Bucky

[P.Trish]

My little grand daughter calls it 'to make', meaning creating things with our hands & brains.  I find it

crucial to keeping my sanity? &  lowering my stress level, by have some project: piano is ongoing;  I

also enjoy knitting (I'm a novice, but almost ready up move beyond scarves).  Giving up

singing, including choir was a 'grieving' process, but I'm feeling thankful for other creative outlets.

The knitting loom sounds fun!

[aussie mum]

As a child, I learnt music - the piano and classical guitar. Right through my life, at times of stress or sadness I get completely lost in my music.

As a teen, I enjoyed doing cross stitches or embroidery, sewed my own clothes and knitted.

As a mum with young children, I attended some local craft classes - I learnt folk art, pottery, calligraphy, hand sewn patchwork quilting.

I got into beading over the past 10 years or so, I'm not particularly good at it but loved my little bracelets and necklaces.

Now a grandmother, working part time (53) I still love music and have added a Ukulele and just last weekend a Flute to my list of instruments (although I'm yet to make a noise out of the flute lol) I love photography, digital cameras have to be one of the best inventions of all time. I haven't done any craft in years but hope to get the sewing machine up and running again to make outfits for the grandchildren.

[quietdynamics]

Bucky.. We have had a wonky winter.
Of late some days like today in the low 60's .. but it snowed on Friday.

I have already been outside looking at my garden area.. some leaves on bulbs I transplanted coming up. Darn deers nipped at Rhodo in front I have been nursing back to health.. grrr. Long legged rodents. (speaking of rodents .. we have squirrels in an attic eave.. need to wait to trap them as I can't leave pups there to die.)

A mid sized tree went down in a storm last week.. anyone have a light weight chain saw..lol
I want to use the straight part of tree to edge part of garden.

Brought Mom's sewing machine back with me.. so still collecting damaged cashmere sweaters to make a quilt.   Just one band at bottom, along the lines of a Chinese Coin quilt.. and a Hudson Bay Blanket.

[Carolina]

I am not one single bit crafty. 

Remember the 60's and 70's...the hey day of arts and crafts, with macrame hanging from every possible hook.

Not me. 

My 'art and craft' is shopping on line!

Hugs,  Elaine

[Scottietottie]

Hi 

I make handmade cards and also do scrapbooking. I'n finding it harder right now because I am not seeing properly. Still doing it though.

Take care - Scottie 

[eye2dry]

hello everyone.


I make terrariums.

I try to still do embroidery and crewel work.....hard with my clumsy hands and
the up close work is hard on my eyes. I then frame my work and have it
under glass so it doesn't get dusty.

I make wreaths.....to hang indoors....start with a grapevine frame
and all are made different.....no 2 alike.

I recently made my own bird cage cover for when I put my
birds to bed at night. Very hard to find and couldn't get right size
and shape......I had always used a old square tablecloth and threw
over them........ not anymore...my little birds gave it a thumbs up.

And of course gardening.........spring is nearly here.

shelly

[Linda196]

I used to paint, but a combo if hand tremors and weakness, and sensitivity to the paint, put an end to that. I've found a fun computer program that transfers photographs to watercolours, sketches or oils, and I've found I can edit, alter and rearrange my photos before transforming them, and have a fairly real looking watercoulour or pencil sketch
.
When I'm up to it, I still knit, crochet and sew, but that happens in spurts only (I have a lap robe in my work bag right now that I've been working on sporadically for at least 6 months, they used to take a week)

Like Scottie, I make cards and scrapbook, but less than I used to, mostly now I have a scrapping day with my granddaughters and they  produce their own pages.

Photography remains a strong interest, I found myself actually moving my car around a beach road one day to get several angles of the surf, without getting out of the car! I traded my old camera for one that has a better handgrip and is lighter, I used to choose them based on technical and optical options LOL.

I still love to cook! Recently started making bread again, but it has to be a very good day, and I have to recover from it, but it's soooooooooo worth it! Again, I indulge this passion mostly by teaching my granddaughters. The youngest is gluten free, so we explore and invent recipes for her, and they all help a lot with the clean up.

Arts and crafts don't necessarily have to be hands on, make from scratch, produce form nothing, flood Pinterest with ideas sort of things. Whatever feeds your soul, even if you never share it with anyone else, will serve the same puropse--flights of fantasy inspired by reading can be as nourishing as producing any "hand made" project.

[Bucky]

You all are talented ladies and I'm sure whatever craft it is you are doing, it's beautiful - not only to look at, but to eat too!   

Quiet - I like that quilt!

I finished my loom hat. I didn't go back to the library the following week, I just watched some Youtube tutorials on how to finish the hat and take it off the loom. Well . . . I have to remember it's my first try at making a hat on a loom.  The hat is "okay" . . but, too big - next time I need to use a smaller loom.  I also dropped a few stitches which left a different kind of pattern to the hat on one side. Next time, I will also make the brim thicker.  My husband and son were impressed.   

Current project:  We're going to be flying soon and I wanted to distinguish our luggage from the sea of hundreds of other pieces of luggage coming off the plane.  I had seen online that a lady did some painting on her luggage.  So, I got a stencil and some acrylic paint and I painted on my suitcase tonight.  It will have to dry for a day or two, but I think I used too much paint.  What I "should" have done, was painted it once and let it dry, then apply another coat if I needed it.  Live and learn!  Oh well, I will be able to find mine in the sea of suitcases - so mission accomplished! 

Hubby is going to go with the colored duct tape on his luggage.  LOL

Bucky

[sixty]

I've done lots of crafts but lately I've been coloring.  I love it because it's instant and the colors are so easy on the eyes.  I like looking at all the pages I've completed.  There are so many coloring books out now and colored pencils.