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Thursday, March 14, 2013

Crafting History

March is National Craft Month - maybe it is only in the US, but I am going with it! I thought I would share some of my addictions crafting history.

I was lucky enough to grow up in a house where people did things and made things. My Mother is an incredibly talented seamstress, she sewed all the time (she still does), she made most of our clothes growing up, plus she did crochet, knitting, needlepoint, weaving, macrame..., my Father fixed things (still does) and now also does the most amazing cross stitch, and needlepoint, this winter he tried rug hooking - for the first and only time he tells me, my oldest brother made beaded jewelry when we were young, my sister sews, she makes beautiful quilts....... How could anyone growing up in a house like that not be inspired to create!

My philosophy has always been "If someone else can do it, I can at least try".

I started young, making things for my dolls with scraps of fabric.


When I was in school in England (my Father was in the Air Force and we moved a lot), I was taught to crochet (the large granny square) by a school friend. I was then given a ball of red yarn and I crocheted my Barbie every article of clothing imaginable with that red yarn. We were also taught embroidery at school.


I still love embroidery, and have tried all kinds over the years. The crazy quilting was influenced by my Grandmother's crazy quilting.


I tat, plus I have made dolls and stuffed animals.


I knit - some practical,


some not so practical (one year I wanted to learn to follow knitting charts).


 I've done leather and bead work.


I did stained glass - I sold and taught it for years, I would love to get back into that, but it needs a dedicated space (it's messy).


I tried some wood working (my son's headboard).


I dabbled in pottery.


And of course I quilt! I have made mountains and buckets of quilts! These are just some that aren't on beds or walls.

This week is my 47th birthday and I thought it would be great to try a new craft!


 I got a spinning wheel for my birthday!!! It is an Ashford Kiwi 2.

It is so much fun learning something new! There is a whole new language - words like 'niddy noddy', 'lazy kate', and 'mother-of-all' are used in spinning, plus the challenge and reward of improving is so wonderful.

I bought the spinning wheel from Ottawa Fibre on Ebay, Heather, the owner, is terrific! She has  fabulous ratings on Ebay and Etsy, and I know why - when Ebay made a mistake, Heather very kindly sent me a generous bundle of fibre to spin. Thanks Heather! I'll have pictures soon.

I have added a linky if you would like to share how you are celebrating National Craft Month, or if you  want to share your crafting history (remember to link the specific post, not just your blog).

Have a great day and thanks for stopping by!