5/17/11: Crochet Thread Talk + Tip

Haven't been able to find a spare moment the last couple days. Farm planting is on full throttle right now, you see, and not much time is left for blog posting. I will be getting an afternoon free tomorrow so maybe I can catch up a bit and schedule some posts. I sure hope this will happen because I don't won't to miss a day! :)

Previously, I talked about how I store and organize my fabric and my sewing machine/serger. For today I will be sharing how I store my crochet thread.

Now not many crafters probably have balls upon balls of crochet thread in their stash, but this is most certainly the case with yours truly. When I started out in crochet I went down an unexpected route: I did thread crochet. Most beginners start with a J hook and worsted weight yarn but I began with small steel hooks and thread. The main cause for this was because the Yahoo! group I joined (Eri's Crocheting Circle) had many members that were passionate "threadies." Their enthusiasm rubbed off on me and I couldn't help making doilies and table runners. :)

This led to a large lot of balls and I needed a place to store them. So I made this:

Yeah, not much to see. But it transforms before your eyes when you add a few of these:

 These crochet thread holders of mine are simply 1x4's that I drilled holes into. I then added a dab of glue and inserted cut-to-sized dowels into the holes. The dowels are cut to three different lengths (small, medium, and long), so I can have a dowel the right length for the different sized balls I have.

Here's a tip for better organization and storage: Remove the ball's label, insert it into the core of the ball, and then place the ball in a plastic bag to protect it from dust. Keeping the label helps you remember which size the thread is and the bag is specially helpful when it comes to white thread!

P.S. Interesting wallpaper, no? That's my sewing room's nursery-themed wallpaper I talked about earlier! :)

5/6/11: Machine Talk + Tip

I am no way familiar with the 1001 different machine brands and models and haven't a clue what does what, but I do love learning about the "workhorses" (our sewing machines), and sewing equipment people use. Earlier, I talked about how I store and organize my fabric. For today's post I will be telling you all about the two machines that help me do the stitching.

Side note: Be thankful that I didn't give my post the title: Rise of the Machines! I was this close to doing it but opted for the other because I'm not a big Terminator fan. :)

So I first bring you my Kenmore 385-1764180. 

This machine doesn't have much "bling" with computers and such, but he does have twenty-four different built-in stitches; I only use about two of them. :) So from the sounds of it, I don't think a computer would help me out much, I am a straight/zig zag stitch type of sewer. 

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5/1/11: Fabric Storage Talk + Tip

So let's kick off this May-Every-Day enterprise of mine!

Here's my first post. . .

So where do I craft? I don't think I've wrote about this subject before, have I? This is quite a remarkable overlook on my part because I LOVE reading and looking at the crafting spaces or rooms that other people share via the internet, magazines, and books. I could pore over crafting spaces for hours if there were enough hours in the day.

In my part of the world, I have a designated room in my house just for crafting. For as long as I can remember we've called it the 'sewing room', and it has been used for just that for about 20 years. It is right off our dining room--which is connected to the kitchen--so it is easy-peasy for me to cook something and sew at the same time. Awesome! It is a 8-1/2 x 11 foot room and it was used as a nursery at one time. There is certainly evidence of this. . . The baby wallpaper still hangs!

I just wanted to state here that, yes, it may be true that I do complain a good deal--just ask my family--but I am very, very grateful for many things; having a sewing room is one of these. Being able to organize the room the way I want it to be, having the ability to leave my projects strewn about the room, and having the work space to create is so wonderful! A lot of good memories are in this room and if I ever had to live in a different house, I wish I could take it along with me. :)

I thought it would be fun to talk about my sewing room over a couple posts. So for this segment I will be discussing the closet that contains all my fabric. The closet originally had folding doors on a runner, but I removed them a couple years ago because they malfunctioned 2 times out of 3. Now it is sort of a fabric nook with a large wooden dresser. The dresser was bought by my grandmother decades ago and it has a little secret. OK, maybe the secret is an obvious one. The drawers do not slide in and out well at all. They do serve their purpose. . . But for only those who have the knack. It took me a couple weeks to master it! Here's a photo:

My sewing nook

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