crafting and quilting and caring, oh my!

As many of my followers know, crafting is very close to my heart - it pretty much rules my entire life (and 95% of storage place in my home)... if I could make a venn diagram which plotted my crafty interests alongside my interests in crafting for people or for a good cause, then the project I'm about to tell you about would fall smack dab in the middle, in the perfect storm of patchwork, quilting, creativity, collaboration and caring.

I found out about this project through my lovely friend Kyla who I sadly do not know as well as I would like too... you see, we have sort of parallel life paths that only occasionally seem to meet up. For example, we both did the same internship at the same museum, but at different times... we've both lived in Bristol, but at different times, and we share a similar set of common friends... though occasionally the universe does allow me to spend some time with her... I mostly find out about her through our social media connections and all the updates I see about the amazingly creative things she is up to in her corner of the world.

I'm not sure I could do the story any more justice than the Edmonton Journal already has, but Kyla was among one of the many friends and loved ones of artist Darren Zenko who came together to create something beautiful and everlasting when he was moved into palliative care towards the end of his battle with cancer.

Please read more about it here  OR have a look at the gallery of patches here:

Just one of the many beautiful patches in the quilt created by Darren Zenko's loved ones.

Now I'm not so naive that I think that creative arts and crafts is going to solve all of the worlds problems or protect us from all pain and hardships, but the longer I carry on crafting, the more I realise that it plays a more important role in my life than being something that I do for just business or pleasure.

Without getting too philosophical, I think we really do put a little of ourselves into everything we make - whether it be a one-off unique gift for someone, a commissioned piece or even a long run of similar items we design and make for sale.  People use religion, philosophy, literature and science to help them understand the world and get through day to day life, and I'm not ashamed to say that I use crafting.

I craft out of happiness, I craft out of frustration, I craft out of sadness sometimes too.  Crafting provides me with the space to clear my mind, put things in perspective and pour a part of me into something physical. It's not always as meaningful as that, but I know it can be if I want it to be. Earlier this year I wrote about what motivated me to start my 52 Week : 52 Craft challenge, and how crafting filled my need to do something at a very difficult time... this project really touched me and really inspires me as I reach the halfway point in my fundraising for Macmillan Cancer Support.

I don't expect all of our creations to be preserved in museums and galleries for eternity, but there is something a little comforting in making, and giving, and knowing that you are making something that carries with it some real posterity.

This project is really inspiring because I know that it must have not only meant so much to Darren himself, but it also helped bring people together and gave his loved ones a way to help in a very difficult time.  This new object, created by many hands, doesn't just tell the story of one person, but it preserves the story and experience of a connected web of people at a very significant moment when all their lives collided under sad circumstances.  I hope that in this very difficult time, they've found a bit of joy in what they did and what they were able to create together.

Week #24 - Laser Cut Mobile - Under The Sea

For this week's craft I wanted to do something a little bit different and so I approached my absolute favourite arts and craft haven Fred Aldous and asked them if they would donate an hour of time with their laser cutting machine to the project.

For those who don't know; Fred Aldous is an art supply paradise smack dab in the middle of Manchester's Northern Quarter... but you don't have to go to Manchester to visit them. Their website perfectly solves the dilemma many of us face when it comes to choosing between supporting independent retailers and finding great deals online: Fred Aldous started off in 1886 selling cane, willow and yeast, and they now offer more than 25,000 products!

I've used Fred's laser cutter hire service in the past, and always had lots of fun cutting out my various christmas decorations, badges and other projects... so with baby visits still on the brain, I thought I'd approach them with a plan to cut out an under-the-sea mobile for week #24's project.

The Laser Cutter at Fred Aldous

Paul and Elle were really accommodating and we organised an hour of laser-time in their studio, as well as access to enough free scraps to cover my project.

For details on how to hire the Laser Cutter at Fred's click above.

This time I was raring to go and prepared from my past experience... but upon my first visit a few years' back, I was quite a newbie and found the staff gave really helpful advice when it came to preparing my designs and making the most out of my hire-time. Within no time, the machine was cutting away my seahorses, jellyfish, whales, fish, and starfish.

Check out the laser in action:

Within the hour I had a nice stack of shapes cut, and was ready to go home, stain them, string them up and hang my mobile.  Because I didn't trust myself to guess how the pieces would hang, I did not use the laser to cut the hanging holes and instead did that at home myself with a drill... this also made sure I had some adaptability with how I planned on hanging the project.

The mobile is hung with strong brown linen thread, and all of the knots are both tied and fastened with crimped beads for safety.  Please have a look at how it turned out and don't be shy to share your thoughts and comments.

The silhouette of the mobile

Thanks to the generosity of Fred Aldous' donated laser-time and materials, this item will be up for auction with 100% of the sale going to Macmillan Cancer Support, starting tonight, Sunday, July 8th and ending in one week's time Sunday, July 15th at approximately 8:17 pm.  In the meantime, while you are waiting for the auction go live, please browse the two other items I have ending today!

Week #23 - Pram blanket continued...

Thanks for your patience as I solved the technology gap that was preventing me from posting.

I decided not to do a full step-by-step tutorial for this one, as a lot of the basic steps are covered in some of my other tutorials... but I'm going to go through a few of the steps to show you just how I did it.

Firstly, I assembled 6" by 2" strips into a lovely french braid pattern, before trimming it down to a clean 5.5" strip measuring the length of the blanket (31 inches with 1/2 seam allowances).

Then using a 1/4" seam I attached it to some linen pieces to complete the top, and sandwiched the top, back, and cotton wadding layers together basting with pins. (Laying the top and back pieces rights side facing, with the wadding behind it).

Then I sewed around the edges (pivoting at the corners) using a 1/2" seam leaving about a 6 inch gap for turning the project inside out.

Then I turned the project inside out, pressed, and basted about every 5 inches with safety pins. You can see in the above shot that the 1/2" seam folds into the project so that I when I sewed around the exterior with a scant 1/4 seam, the hole is closed up by my top stitching.

I Finished the project with a top stitch around the border, and then some wavy stitches to quilt the layers together... I tied off my ends, trimmed them, and voila!

This linen blanket, and the unsold lavender bag from last week are listed on ebay and will end this Sunday evening, so please bid and support Macmillan Cancer Support!

** please note the auctions above update only once an hour, so there may be less time to bid than you think! please click to follow the link.

Week #23 - Pram Blanket (better photos to come!)

This week I've been crafting in my home-away-from-crafty-home Manchester, while in town to teach a few workshops with Ministry of Craft.

Things have been a bit baby-centric in my life lately, as I've had my sister and 9-month old nephew visiting, so in the spirit of having survived a week with a baby in the house, and to fill the tiny void they left when they departed back to Canada, I decided to go for a baby-rrific craft this week!


Just a few kinks in my plans however: first off, all the lovely step-by-step shots I took for a mini tutorial are trapped on my camera (both my first-string battery and back up battery have somehow failed!!!) and also after neatly pressing my project this morning I folded it up into my bag, and it being linen it naturally creased beyond all recognition and so I'm struggling to take a good photo of it with only my iphone camera.


But I decided I'd persevere and update now anyway, with a plan to provide better photos and a rough step-by-step guide when the technological stars decide to finally align for me.


So this week's project is a simple pram/stroller/travel blanket made with a french braid patchwork strip and some lush natural italian linen I've had saved up for a nice project.  I wanted to do something light and summery, and I decided this was the right project to use it for.


I've been meaning to try this french braid patch for a while, and also picked up some lovely baby-ish fabric while I was away in France in June so I decided it was time to give it a go.  Normally I shy away from using baby or children's prints because I find it difficult to find ones that aren't too cutesy or overly childish, but this little print featuring turtles, teddys, houses, trees, and elephants was really sweet and I already had some fabrics I knew it would match with nicely.

Above is the close up of the french braid strip, and here is the finished product. Please forgive the poor quality photos, and clear lack of pressing!

The blanket itself is made from 100% linen (front and back), with the patchwork strip made from cotton prints, and a layer of natural soft cotton wadding sandwiched in the middle. It measures roughly 30" by 26" so its just the right size for a pram, to take in the car, or to take as a changing mat/play mat away from home.

I'll tell you a little more about how I made it in my next post, where you'll also be treated to photos that are not only colour-accurate but also in focus!

As I post there there are just 45 minutes left to bid on last week's Lavender Bag http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/251095053659

... and this item will also soon be up for auction with 100% of the sale going to Macmillan Cancer Support. Please check back for auction details and my tutorial!