CRAFT matters of a new and urgent nature.

[mixed cats]

two more little things


raven


viking watchtower

[G.C.R]

I love the duvet, and also the raven and tower. I think a whole Mixed Cats Gothic series would be ace.

[Little Sixes Little Nines]

thanks guys! it is so fleecy and nice to sleep in.

[mixed cats]

I love the duvet, and also the raven and tower. I think a whole Mixed Cats Gothic series would be ace.

that'd be sort of funny.. these are from looking back through pictures/sketchbook entries from trips that Bill & I took together. We managed to do a bunch of traveling between 2008 and 2011 and I don't know if or when we'll be able to do it again. Little memories.

All the wood hoops shown are 3in/7.5cm across; I'm doing the stitching on a plastic 4in/10cm hoop and transferring the finished things into the smaller hoops for permanent setting.

[Bernard]

smaller, hoopy things (thumbsup)

[mixed cats]

I started another embroidery on Thursday - of a Eurasian coot! - but I didn't get to finish it yet.

I just applied for my first craft show. Which is also juried, so I might not get in, but I'm not so worried about that.. Applying was the first thing. If I do get in, well.. it's happening in June and I'll be 8 months pregnant ha ha ha.

[Bernard]

Ooh, crafting at 8 months is fun. Your nesting instinct is in overdrive!

[mixed cats]

I have a bunch of stuff ready to sell, at least! The only things I'll have to do are make business cards and figure out how to use vertical space for displays.

Even if I don't get in, I'll probably try to dye another ten billion scarves since I dont want to deal with dye powders for several months post-baby.

[Bernard]

Have I already asked you if you've used indigo or woad?

In other news, eeeeeeeee new patterns out: http://figgyspatterns.com/

[G.C.R]

I started another embroidery on Thursday - of a Eurasian coot! - but I didn't get to finish it yet.

Can you put lines out its butt and then it can be a pooting coot, or is that too twee?

[mixed cats]

Have I already asked you if you've used indigo or woad?

In other news, eeeeeeeee new patterns out: http://figgyspatterns.com/

I have not used indigo or woad, but some other natural dyes yes. Using indigo is different though.
The jacket middle bottom is sooooooo goooood!


Grace, that is not for this project but maybe another! This one is more for the foot of the coot, which does not quite rhyme, thanks English.

[Bernard]

With my brain being made, as it is, of swiss cheese, I may ask you about those dyes about 1,000,000 more times. Feel free to throw hatchets at me.



Mostly old, some new. This kid is way spoilt for handknits. And courtesy of my grim refusal to swatch, they're all too big. Better than too small, like that one forty billion dollar white cashmere one (not pictured)  

[mixed cats]

woo

[Bernard]

Ooh, neat -- is that embroidery on canvas laid over another piece of fabric? Or is it a funky printed linen or something?

[mixed cats]

Two layers - cotton gauze over a leaf print. Stitched through both. Also, sweet sweater stack!

[Bernard]

Oh, cool! And thank you.

[mixed cats]

I just applied for my first craft show. Which is also juried, so I might not get in, but I'm not so worried about that.. Applying was the first thing. If I do get in, well.. it's happening in June and I'll be 8 months pregnant ha ha ha.

The person organizing things just called, and I guess they aren't actually that picky about eliminating applicants.. She said they had a ton of people apply at the last minute (I did it on the second-to-last day) and she was trying to fit people in. She asked if I could do Sunday instead of Saturday, but my mom planned the baby shower for that day. She asked if I could do outside, but again I was like, "well, pregnant, June, hot." So she's going to see about finagling more things to get me inside? Which is incredibly considerate and not at all what I'd expected.
I could probably deal with being outside if I absolutely had to, but I'd also have to buy a tent. Probably not a bad investment though if I plan on doing this more often.. I guess if she calls back I'll tell her that, or that it's OK if they don't have space for me.

[Ashley]

all of the things on this page are too great.

I might be moving in with a material art and design (MAAD) student in september.  She does weaving and owns a loom.

Sometimes we talk about dying (I want to dye wool for needle felting but haven't had time to yet) and we get all giddy and excited and say things like "oh I can't wait to live with you, we can get high and do textiles all the time!"

I'm so envious of the MAAD students sometimes. 

[elpollodiablo]

How would the experienced tailors & seamstresses in this thread suggest I go about learning to mend clothing? It's something I've long wanted to learn how to do.

[peacocks]

woo

i want it

[mixed cats]

How would the experienced tailors & seamstresses in this thread suggest I go about learning to mend clothing? It's something I've long wanted to learn how to do.

I am terrible at clothes, so I will defer to Bernard if she has better ideas.

There are a lot of good instructional resources on the Internet.  YouTube videos, step by step tutorials on blogs, etc. Search for whatever you're trying to fix and you'll probably find something useful.
If you want to learn simple tailoring (like hemming pants), buy practice clothes at the thrift store.
Books about sewing in general are probably good to look at - knowing how clothes are made from scratch can help you put them back together again. Plus this like 12 different ways to sew on a button and they'll tell you all about it.
If you can't find an exact match for thread color, slightly darker thread usually works better than slightly lighter. IMO, anyway. I usually say fuck it and use something that contrasts horribly.

[Bernard]

What mc said, pretty much.

I actually know next to nothing about clothing construction, I just follow commercial patterns. Is there an example of something you'd like to mend? I've done a few mending jobs that involve reattaching something that's come apart (lost buttons, burst seams, degraded top stitching, fallen blind hems) but that's just a question of looking at other parts of the garment and copying the existing work. Are you thinking more of stuff that needs to be darned?

 

[bethany_m]

I have an origami problem lately.








part of it is that my housemate gave me a huge stack of gently used maps and nautical charts that the marine institute was going to throw out.  Things are coming out better than expected, given that I have to cut them square myself.

[Javan]

those maps and your creations are beeeeeyoutiful. good work!

[The_Tourist]

the flower thing is great