FanningSparks – Page 57 – A DIY and lifestyle blog authored by Peg Frizzell.

Fiber Make

Reimagining The Cross Stitch

Today I’d like to delve into the cross stitch and how it’s being re-imagined in surprising new ways. You may recall from my post on The Ultimate Maker’s Cabinet that I recently used extra-large cross stitches to add interest to my cabinet doors. But I’m certainly not the first person to consider using the cross stitch in unconventional ways. Here are some great examples that I found in my online exploration.

Spanish artist Raquel Rodrigo and her studio Arquicostura are known for amazing large scale outdoor installations of cross stitch. On her website Raquel explains that she’s passionate about designing spaces and products that generate emotions. Below are examples of her street art and street marketing. They are created with cross stitches in colored thick string on wire mesh. Imagine strolling along the street in Valencia Spain and coming across one of these awesome works.

Street art by Raquel Rodrigo/ Arquicostura in Valencia Spain Shared @FanningSparks — Photo via Arquicostura

Street Marketing by Raquel Rodrigo/ Arquicostura in Valencia Spain Shared @FanningSparks — Photo via Arquicostura

Canadian designer, Laura Carwardine, created a spectacular feature wall in Patria Restaurant, a Spanish tapas restaurant in Toronto Canada. The two-story wall showcases an intricate cross stitch design made with over 17,000 stitches of cotton jersey on copper-coated steel grid. I’d love to see this in person someday… hmmm, maybe I could swing by the next time I travel to Nova Scotia to visit family.

Laura Carwardine/ Cargo Collective feature wall at Patria Restaurant in Toronto Canada Shared @FanningSparks — Photo via Cargo Collective

Charlotte Lancelot Design Studio, from Belgium, worked in collaboration with Gan to present a collection of over-sized felt cross stitches. The Canevas collection included rugs, poufs and cushions. On her website, Charlotte explains how she’s re-interpreted the cross-stitch by updating the support and materials. She notes that even in this transformed state the cross stitch maintains its essence and adds warmth to our homes and surroundings. That’s the perfect explanation of re-imagining the traditional cross stitch.

Charlotte Lancelot Design Studio for Gan Canevas Collection Shared @FanningSparks — Photo via Charlotte Lancelot Design Studio

German artist, Miss Cross Stitch, leverages cross stitch in public spaces to jazz up benches, chairs and other mundane public furniture. She refers to this as street embroidery. These unexpected treatments delight passersby in several European cities such as Berlin and Cologne Germany, Milan Italy, and Zurich Switzerland. Here is an example of her street embroidery:

Miss Cross Stitch street embroidery from Berlin Germany Shared @FanningSparks — Photo via Miss Cross Stitch

Miss Cross Stitch street embroidery in Berlin Germany Shared @FanningSparks — Photo via Miss Cross Stitch

This Little Street blog, based in the US and authored by Audrey Smit, featured an unusual cross stitch project a few years ago. It’s an interesting application of the traditional flower motif done in cross stitch on an nontraditional item.

Audrey Smit/ This Little Street cross stitched stool Shared @FanningSparks — Photo via This Little Street

But perhaps the most unexpected application of cross stitch comes from Lithuanian artist, Severija Inčirauskaitė-Kriaunevičienė, who cross stitches domestic metal objects such as pans, watering cans, spoons and even car doors. Integrating traditional elements from her Lithuanian heritage, Severija creates beauty from the simplest of items.

Severija Inčirauskaitė-Kriaunevičienė cross stitch Shared @FanningSparks — Photo via Severija

In the company of such talented artists and designers, embellishing my Maker’s Cabinet with extra-large cross stitch isn’t so exceptional. But, as you can see from the below photo, this treatment does push the limits on the materials and scale of traditional cross stitch. I’m very pleased with how it turned out.

To fully appreciate to what extent these artists and designers have reimagined the traditional cross stitch, consider the below example of a conventional work of cross stitch. The cross stitches are hand sewn on cotton fabric with embroidery floss in a classic rose pattern.

More Info

You can learn more about the talented artists and designers mentioned in this post on these sites:

In addition, I created a FanningSparks Pinterest board to showcase reimagined cross stitch works.

For the basics on cross stitch, The Cross Stitch Guild and DMC, the world-renowned thread company, both offer outstanding reference sites.

Today’s Takeaways

Studying the groundbreakers in an art/craft form that interests you can spark lots of ideas.
Transforming traditional craftwork in contemporary ways leads to outstanding results.
Challenge yourself to “transcend the ordinary”.

Make Other Media

Open Me First – Move In Gift Suggestion

Moving to a new home is top of mind for me these days. We bought a new-to-us house on Lake Oconee in Georgia, USA about 2.5 hours away from where we currently live. Making this move is both exciting and disruptive.

According to realtors and movers, more US households move in June than any other month of the year. Chances are, someone in your circle of family and friends is moving into a new home in the next few weeks. Chances are, you’ve gone through this experience yourself and know how stressful it can be. Perhaps you’re wondering what you can do to help ease the moving process for family, friends or new neighbors. Here’s a suggestion that might just be the answer.

The Open Me First move in package is filled with useful everyday items people need when moving. I’ve put together and gifted dozens of these move in packages over the years. The recipients have always been very appreciative. On the other hand if you’re moving yourself, you may find some helpful suggestions of things to have on hand at your new home.

Deciding what to include in the move in package is easy. Just think about your own experience of moving into a new home.

Wondering what to do with those new keys so you won’t lose them? Include a key ring.
Tempted to rip packing tape with your bare hands because all sharp objects are packed? Include utility knives.
Need to start a list of Things To Do? Include a pen and notebook.
Stumbling around unfamiliar hallways after dark? Include a night light.
Discover there’s no toilet paper at a crucial moment? Include a few rolls of toilet paper!

You can include band-aids, light bulbs, hand soap, cleaning essentials, and lots of other useful items.

You could invest a significant amount in this gift but I’ve found that’s not necessary. The move in package I’m sharing with you today cost approximately $50.00 USD. Keep in mind, you’re buying point-in-time supplies and tools. I bought most of these items at the local dollar/ discount store.

Even though you’re not buying high end products, it only takes a few minutes to dress up this gift and make it special. I like to use a 16” square packing box for the container. Adding a printed banner around the package (aka a gift box “belly band”) along with some colorful tulle ribbon really dresses it up. For an added touch, I like to add a nice card and tie a couple of paper skeleton keys to the bow. See More Info below for further details.

In addition to being packed with thoughtful items and looking pretty, the Open Me First move in package relies on good timing for maximum effectiveness. It’s best to have it waiting for the recipients when they first arrive at their new home.

It’s also useful to provide the recipients with a list of what’s inside the move in package. This allows them to scan the list and get a general idea of what’s included. I’ve created a simple printed list (see More Info below) that can easily be updated to reflect the actual contents you include.

Here’s a look at the list I typically include in an Open Me First move in package.

One final fun detail is the below Home Sweet Home sign. I simply print this on the printer, trim it and insert into an inexpensive magnetic picture frame.

More Info

I’ve prepared a complimentary download for your convenience. Click the link below to receive the following documents along with some simple instructions:

Open Me First and Welcome Home belly band.
Open Me First contents folder – list and cover.
Home Sweet Home sign.
Skeleton keys.

Open Me First Move In Package – Complimentary Download – Jun 2018

It’s not necessary to identify yourself to receive this download but it would be ideal if you would sign up for the FanningSparks list. Thank you!

Today’s Takeaways

I hope today’s post triggers some ideas…

Personalizing a gift to the recipient’s specific situation isn’t always easy but is very thoughtful.
Gifts need not be expensive to be appreciated.
Dressing up the package makes a gift special.

How Tos Make Repurpose Wood

The Ultimate Maker’s Cabinet

As someone who loves to make, I’m always looking for places to display my treasures and store my projects and materials. I also need a space to tack ideas and inspirational items. I assume fellow makers and collectors face a similar challenge. Today I’d like to share how I solved this problem with what I consider to be The Ultimate Maker’s Cabinet.

My Criteria

When I started thinking about a Maker’s Cabinet, I had several seemingly conflicting criteria in mind. Let’s walk through my criteria and I’ll show you how I addressed each one.

1.The Maker’s Cabinet should be an attractive piece of furniture that will fit in anywhere in my home. It can’t require a studio or dedicated craft area. It should be a separate piece of furniture that can be moved and should not be built in.

2. The Maker’s Cabinet should make a statement on its own. It should be special and stand out.

3. The Maker’s Cabinet should keep all my lovely maker collections and materials visible but allow me to hide them.

4. The Maker’s Cabinet should provide quick and easy access to all my projects and materials but keep them neatly stored and organized.

5. The Maker’s Cabinet should provide lots of space to pin inspirational items, art and ideas. It should be easy to add, remove and change these items. It needs the flexibility to keep them hidden or display them.

6. The Maker’s Cabinet should be affordable. Re-purposing a piece of furniture is a possibility but having a furniture maker build a new custom cabinet is not.

My Process

The above photo shows the old entertainment center I re-purposed to create my Maker’s Cabinet. I searched numerous thrift stores to find the perfect “blank slate”. This entertainment center was definitely dated and has a very rustic style but it was solidly built, in good condition and the desired size. And at only $50.00 USD, it was the perfect price!

TIP: Thrift stores, especially the Habitat for Humanity Restore thrift stores I frequent, are jammed with old entertainment centers these days. It seems everyone is switching to wall mounted TVs so entertainment centers are being phased out. Generally, these entertainment centers are good quality and (I assume due to the sheer number of them) priced very low. This situation presents some fabulous opportunities to anyone interested in re-purposing and/or refining furniture.

Once I had this foundational piece I was able to start the transformation. Some of my changes were quite predictable. I reconfigured the shelves into more, smaller shelves (as shown below). I added a back to the top section and covered it with fun fabric. I refinished the cabinet with a fresh coat of paint on the inside and the outside. I fixed up the hardware by replacing the knobs and painting the hinges.

But several changes were less conventional. Covering the outside of a cabinet with fitted fabric panels is certainly not something you see every day. But this is my favorite thing about this cabinet and, in my opinion, this feature makes it stand out from the crowd.

The original cabinet had simple, wooden panel doors. I knew I wanted to rework them with something unique and special. First I considered a fretwork overlay. I even created an entire design with a mirror background that would have been lovely. Then I started to think about stained glass and mosaics which could have been extraordinary. But then it occurred to me that I was wasting all that space on the sides of the cabinet. I started to wonder, why is it that cabinets and furniture never maximize their surface space? That’s when the idea of being able to display things on the outside of the cabinet occurred to me. I experimented with a few options and then settled on wooden frames made of mitered molding with fabric-covered panels inside them.

This approach gives me ultimate flexibility. I can leave the panels blank. I can embellish a single panel as I did with the extra-large cross stitch. I could display an entire collection by pinning it to the panels. Or I could switch things up by putting different fabric on the panels. These panels allow me to easily change the look of the cabinet at any time. I was so taken by the fabric-covered panels on the outside of the cabinet, that I repeated the idea on the inside of the cabinet. There are two panels on the top doors and a sliding panel.

The sliding panel was actually a way to maximize space. There were a few inches of unused space in front of the top shelves so I decided to squeeze in a sliding fabric-covered panel. This was a fun addition because I learned how to build and install a mini barn door. Many thanks to the folks at Shanty2Chic for the idea to use clothesline pulleys and for the detailed instructions. More Info section below for link. I did have to adjust the design to mount the horizontal bar inside the cabinet instead of on the outside where a door would normally be mounted.

Another detail that makes this cabinet special is the series of plastic trays. Originally I considered using a series of drawers but building drawers requires significant effort and purchasing custom-built drawers can be rather expensive. I started looking for alternatives and discovered the IRIS Portable Project Cases which are plastic cases that measure about 12”L x 13”W by 3”H. They’re the perfect solution.

I appreciate that I can slide the entire tray in and out; it’s easy to simply slip out a tray and take it to my work area. I also appreciate that they’re a good size and can hold a considerable amount. Plus it was easy to build supports for the trays by simply installing two pieces of 1.5″ wood lath to hold each tray. And to meet my objective of keeping things neat and orderly, I found labels that fit the plastic trays perfectly and printed appropriate titles for each tray. See More Info for links.

And, finally, who doesn’t love a good before and after comparison?

More Info

Several of the projects/ items pictured below in my Maker’s Cabinet have been mentioned in other FanningSparks blog posts.

The vintage tablecloth (bottom of stack) was the inspiration for This Stitch is Off and Running.
Several of these gorgeous yarns were purchased during A Visit to Clara’s Loom.
Alabama Chanin has its own dedicated shelf. See A School for Makers for more information about this amazing designer and the Tshirt project I have underway.
This embroidery sampler is the first one I ever made. You can learn more about it on my About page.

You may also have noticed the DIY woven statement necklaces pinned to the right door. See DIY Woven Statement Necklace Tutorial for step by step instructions on how to create one for yourself.

You can learn more about the Habitat for Humanity Restore thrift stores on their website.

Here’s a link to the excellent post on DIY Barn Door Hardware for $20 by Shanty2Chic. Special thanks for this great resource!

Today’s Takeaways

It is possible to keep your maker treasures and materials both hidden and displayed.
Fabric-covered panels can be used to maximize the surface space of a cabinet for display purposes.
Entertainment centers, which are readily available at thrift stores, can be transformed into one-of-a-kind Maker’s Cabinets.

Make Photos Southeast Travel

Madison in May – 15 Favorite Fotos

Every year, the small town of Madison, Georgia hosts a Spring Tour of Homes. Madison proudly claims a lovely Historic District which is listed in the National Register of Historic Places. As stated on the Madison website, “Madison’s preservation efforts reflect a nationwide movement to preserve a “sense of place” amid generic modern development.” These efforts appear to be paying off as Madison was recently awarded the title of Best Small Town in Georgia 2018 by Southern Living.

There were 8 homes on the tour this year. I was able to visit 5 and I took a ton of photos. I had to force myself to narrow it down to my top 15 photos to get to a manageable number for this post. This is pretty typical of most home and garden tours; you’re surrounded by so many new and interesting things that it’s impossible to digest everything you see. I’ve learned to make the most of a house and garden tour by focusing on a few intriguing details at each location. I don’t try to notice, record nor document everything about every location. Instead I look for interesting items, pleasing arrangements and pretty vignettes. You could think of them as snippets. I learn as much as I can about each snippet before giving it further consideration. Why did this item/arrangement/vignette appeal to me? What does it tell me about the owner/creator? Is there a story here? Is it something I would want to recreate/re-imagine in my own home?

Here are, FanningSparks 15 Favorite Fotos (aka snippets) of the Madison in May Spring Tour of Homes…

Spotted at the Holly Hall property on Academy Street (circa 1851):

This charming roof originally covered the well house at this property. @FanningSparks — This charming roof originally covered the well house at this property.

Vintage eyeglasses casually placed on an old DVM Library book. @FanningSparks — Vintage eyeglasses casually placed on an old DVM Library book.

Authentic Singer sewing machine staged for action. @FanningSparks — Authentic Singer sewing machine staged for action.

Spotted in the Madison Historic District around Porter and Third Streets:

Curvaceous lines of a vintage truck peeking out of a shed. @FanningSparks — Curvaceous lines of a vintage truck peeking out of a shed.

Old school bicycle perfectly placed in front of this lovely Victorian style home. @FanningSparks — Old school bicycle perfectly placed in front of this lovely Victorian style home

Spotted at the Sylkenplum Cottage property on Plum Street (circa 1912):

Unexpected and amusing collection of springs. @FanningSparks — Unexpected and amusing collection of springs.

Spotted at the Rector House on Dixie Avenue (circa 1850; altered 1890 and later):

Showstopper countertops are made from local pecan wood. @FanningSparks — Showstopper countertops are made from local pecan wood.

Spotted at the Camp Boxwoods property on Athens Highway (circa 1978; significantly modified 2003):

Thoughtfully placed fountain is the perfect focal point in the pergola's line of sight. @FanningSparks — Thoughtfully placed fountain is the perfect focal point in the pergola’s line of sight.

Custom-made wood ceiling meticulously cut to taper in at the peak of the turret. @FanningSparks — Custom-made wood ceiling meticulously cut to taper in at the peak of the turret.

Simple colored glass bottles displayed with a few choice blooms echo the colored glass window panes. @FanningSparks — Simple colored glass bottles displayed with a few choice blooms echo the colored glass window panes.

Purple tones of the African violet emphasize the blue and white dishes. @FanningSparks — Purple tones of the African violet emphasize the blue and white dishes.

Pretty ball and dowel spandrel is highlighted by the greenery of the hanging ferns. @FanningSparks — Pretty ball and dowel spandrel is highlighted by the greenery of the hanging ferns.

Beautifully restored white vintage truck makes a statement without taking over. @FanningSparks — Beautifully restored white vintage truck makes a statement without taking over.

And now for something a little different. You don’t often see farm animals on a house and garden tour! Perhaps that’s why these are my two favorite shots. Please note I will not be trying to recreate this snippet in my own home :-).

Highland cows are originally from Scotland and have a very distinctive look. @FanningSparks — Highland cows are originally from Scotland and have a very distinctive look.

This donkey strikes the perfect pose. @FanningSparks — This donkey strikes the perfect pose.

Truth be told, I love taking photos of farm animals and I’m always on the lookout for a photogenic cow! Hmmm… wonder if it has something to do with the fact that I grew up on a dairy farm in the picturesque countryside of Nova Scotia Canada?

More Info

You can learn about the Madison in May event on their website.

You may also enjoy a look at Charleston’s Glorious Window Boxes which I posted after visiting Charleston’s Festival of Houses & Gardens earlier this year.

Today’s Takeaways

House and garden tours are a great source of ideas. Avoid being overwhelmed by looking for the details that contribute to the overall decor.
Look for unusual collections, treasures and arrangements. Why does it appeal to you? What does it tell you about the owner/creator? Is there a story here?
Consider recreating/ re-imaging an idea in your own home. How could you make it your own? What details are most relevant to you? Does it help tell your story?

Make Nature Other Media Plants

Natural Dye Making

The Heritage Garden at the North Carolina Arboretum in Asheville features plants associated with Southern Appalachian crafts such as natural dyes, hand papermaking, broom making, basket making and botanical remedies. An informational board showcases naturally dyed yarns in a surprising array of colors and identifies which plants were used to create the dyes. Small signs (like this one for the Rose of Sharon) identify specific plants and their usage throughout the garden. I became intrigued by the idea of natural dyeing after seeing this exhibit.

Fast forward to a year later, I had the opportunity to attend a Natural Dyes workshop at the Robert C. Williams Museum of Papermaking in Atlanta. The workshop was led by Doug Baulos and Jacob Phillips. It was an information-packed, fun-filled day of making.

First we made an eco-print placing eucalyptus leaves, red cabbage and steel wool on a vinegar-spritzed sheet of paper. The paper was tightly rolled, tied with fabric strips, and then cooked and steamed for several hours in a concoction of coffee, tea, vinegar and other liquids. The results were a wonderful surprise!

In our second project, we learned about Suminagashi which is the ancient art of Japanese marbling. We used natural dyes made from cutch, pokeweed, hopi and lily/buckthorn/iron. The best part was playing with the floating dyes to achieve a striking design. Next, we moved on to the Venetian Fold. Using rice paper, we learned how to complete a Venetian fold. We dipped our folded paper into 3 different dyes (buckthorn (alembic), alkanet and madder) to achieve a lovely ombre effect.

All of this was great fun but the last topic, Itajime, was the most popular. Itajime is a Shibori technique where you fold to create negative spaces in the dyed fabric. We learned about vat dyeing and the proper way to develop and handle an indigo dye vat. Then we all had great fun folding papers and fabrics in a variety of innovative ways. We used clamps, wooden blocks, string and rubber bands to hold the folds in place and create interesting patterns. Then we dipped our little bundles into the indigo vat to let the dye take over. After carefully unfolding our dyed items they were hung to dry. Here you can see some of the amazing work created by my talented classmates.

The whole process was magical! It’s little wonder natural dyeing has become so popular. Ironically the age-old practice of using dye derived from plants and animals was phased out in the mid-1800s when synthetic dyes were introduced. Yet, as we see with so many traditional arts and crafts, interest in natural dyeing has surged and it’s back in vogue.

I’ve always loved the beautiful deep purple-blue flowers of the Baptisia australis (aka Blue False Indigo) but I never realized I could use it to dye fabrics and papers naturally. Here are a couple of shots of my itajime projects staged in front of the Baptisia australis when it was in full bloom in my flower garden. Isn’t it cool to see the indigo-dyed paper and fabric with an actual indigo plant?

Warning: Using natural dyes does require an informed and mindful approach. Poisonous plants can easily be mistaken for the intended varieties. Harmful materials can be used incorrectly. Research and safety are critical! It’s also important to be mindful of your sources. In the southern US, for instance, the demand for natural dye making has increased the illegal harvesting of plants from protected areas and is causing environmental concerns due to over-collection. Let’s not contribute to this problem.

More Info

You can learn more about the Heritage Garden at the North Carolina Arboretum on their website under Plan a Visit > Garden Exhibits.

Workshops and exhibits at the Robert C. Williams Museum of Papermaking are posted on their website. They also have an active Facebook page.

Both of the Natural Dyes workshop instructors, Doug Baulos and Jacob Phillips, are active on Instagram. Be sure to check them out.

Michel Garcia, from Lauris France, is considered to have played a pivotal role in building an understanding of natural dye history and teaching sustainable adaptations for current practice. He established Le Jardin Conservatoire des Plantes Tinctoriales (Botanical Garden of Dye Plants) as a horticultural resource for chemists, natural dye researchers, and botanists.

I’ve started a Pinterest board on Natural Dyes with lots of info about making and using natural dyes.

Today’s Takeaways

Here are a few thoughts to take away from today’s post.

Sometimes the materials you need to make something innovative and new can be found in your own backyard.
There’s a fascinating connection between gardening and traditional arts and crafts.
Natural dyes have a long history that opens up a world of possibilities.

Artists Fiber Make Southeast Travel

A School for Makers

A School for Makers? There actually is such a place and I’ve wanted to attend it for some time. But it’s not the kind of school where you carefully load your backpack with new pencils and notebooks for the first day of school. It’s not the kind of school where you attend a series of classes to listen to teachers lecture about math, languages and sciences. It’s not the kind of school where you take copious notes and study into the wee hours before the next big test. The School of Making™ by Alabama Chanin is an experience where you learn by doing, surrounded by like-minded makers and tons of living examples. You learn new techniques, you try things, you get the hang of it … and you M.A.K.E! At this school, you learn how to make garments in the style of the award-winning Alabama Chanin brand. The garments are comfortable and flowing and beautifully embellished by hand.

Here’s a peek into the Alabama Chanin Factory Store in Florence Alabama.

This gorgeousness is the Alabama Chanin Dogwood Tunic.

Equally lovely is the Alabama Chanin Georgia Smock.

The story of how The School of Making came into being is fascinating and surprising. Natalie Chanin is the talented designer behind the Alabama Chanin brand of fashion and home goods. They are known for working in 100% organic cotton jersey fabric.

You may wonder why someone who makes her livelihood from designing, producing and selling beautiful garments would readily teach others how to make those same garments. Isn’t the fashion industry about keeping secrets and preventing others from copying your ideas? Aren’t “knock offs” a bad thing? Apparently not at Alabama Chanin! In fact, their mission clearly states their devotion to openly share and educate others.

I had the pleasure of hearing Natalie answer these questions in person. She readily admits her pieces are expensive and that not everyone can afford them. But early on when someone accused Alabama Chanin of being an elitist company because of it, she resolved to show others how her garments were made. That’s when she wrote the Alabama Stitch Book. Others warned she was putting the nail in her own coffin by giving away her designs and techniques. But reactions to the book were the opposite; people said “this is kind of hard… now we see why it’s worth so much”.

So Natalie’s gutsy move paid off! I am thrilled that it turned out in her favor… and in ours! An entire community of makers eagerly embraced her designs and techniques. Over time, this evolved into The School of Making where Alabama Chanin fosters creativity and Natalie gives serious thought to cultural sustainability through keeping traditional crafts alive.

So what did I learn in school? The session I attended was a compressed workshop so we only had time to learn the basics and start a Tshirt project. Here’s a peek at my “school desk”.

We were able to examine spectacular samples and stitch books.

Here’s my attempt at the Cretan stitch leveraging the ingenious template from The Geometry of Hand-Sewing. You may recall me mentioning this book in my post called This Stitch is Off and Running. The stitching templates are made of firm plastic which you can easily tear out of the book. You simply lay the template on your fabric and use a FriXion marking pen to mark dots on your fabric. After you’ve finished making your perfectly spaced stitches, you use the heat of an iron to make the dots disappear. Genius! See More Info section below for a link to the book.

This is the Tshirt I started. We used stencils and markers to add the design. Then used reverse applique with fabric scraps to embellish it. As you can see, my Tshirt has a long way to go!

Thankfully, I have The School of Making Stitchalong Facebook group to keep me motivated. It’s an online support group of over 1000 classmates and like-minded makers. Folks share their projects, celebrate accomplishments and seek advice. I imagine this type of interaction being similar to the old-timey quilting bees where members of the community came together to sew and support each other.

Now I’d best get back to that project… I have homework to do!

More Info

You can find lots of information about Alabama Chanin on their website. Be sure to check out the gorgeous Collection and The School of Making. There are several DIY Sewing Kits and other resources to get you started.

Today’s Takeaways

I’d like to leave you with these thoughts; perhaps they’ll spark an idea.

Few award-winning designers are as willing to share as Natalie Chanin so it’s important to show appreciation and support her brand.
A DIY Kit, complete with materials and instructions, is a great way to try a new craft.
Take advantage of online support groups to keep learning and stay motivated.

Reimagining The Cross Stitch

More Info

Today’s Takeaways

Open Me First – Move In Gift Suggestion

More Info

Today’s Takeaways

The Ultimate Maker’s Cabinet

My Criteria

My Process

More Info

Today’s Takeaways

Madison in May – 15 Favorite Fotos

More Info

Today’s Takeaways

Natural Dye Making

More Info

Today’s Takeaways

A School for Makers

More Info

Today’s Takeaways

Trap Some Christmas Cheer

FanningSparks Appliqued Scoodie

Stepback into a Local Hidden Gem

Make & Give Roundup 2024

Historic Carousels: Works of Art in Motion

One Potato, Two Potato, Three Potato, Four