Black History Month #2!

This week's cool African American person is Frederick Douglas! i messed up the screen and his face is kind of scary, but the screens kept on dying and I had to print at least one of them. This is it! I might make another one, but right now, I'm kind of happy with how freaky it looks. Thank you Frederick Douglas for caring about slave issues.

My First Quilt!

I finished my first quilt the other day, and the whole experience was very rewarding. Going into this, without research, and not knowing what kind of commitment I needed to have, it was very difficult. But few Mondays ago, I had to end the 4 month long process of not finishing the quilt. My favorite part is that I can actually cuddle with what had been scraps of fabric, and the light that comes through the quilt when I hold it up to the light. I am pretty much infatuated with all the uneven parts, which is pretty much the whole quilt. If I were to do it again, I would definitely plan but right now it's kind of hard to even think about the next one. I wish quilts were easier to make so I can make one everyday, but then I wouldn't feel so good to cuddle with them. And next time, I would definitely make a pattern. For this one, I used self developed quilt making skills and made it according to my assumption of how it was made, rather than planning ahead with research and preparation. I want to do it for real next time!
There's a "detail" shot of my quilt with Frank Farter, our favorite dog toy for our non existent dog. Justin's new house gets lovely light through the windows during the day, so I want to bring everything there to take pictures.

Fuse Beads!

They are my new favorite. Ali bought me 10,000 beads for last Christmas and tonight we worked with them. They are so amazing. I really love how tacky they are. I love fuse beads!

I've been pulling my hair out because of the stress of one shirt design a week. It's pretty hard, but this week's shirt is pretty kick ass.

Black History Month

As you all know, February is Black History Month. To celebrate this special month, I will be debuting new t-shirt design of deserving icons of the African American history every Friday. The first week, the first shirt is dedicated to Oprah Winfrey. February is special and has 5 Fridays, that's 4 more design!

If you want one, just ask!

Asian Knot makers

I usually freak out over how much craft supplies I want all the time, because people have thought of the best things to make crafting even more interesting than it already is. But when I stumbled onto these Asian knot maker thing, I couldn't believe that they existed. Who makes those knots? I am so unbelievably unbelieving of their existence that I had to say something about it.

http://www.shopatron.com/index/181.0.22735.22130.0.0.0

Insane, right?

2007 in crafts!

This year was by far the best year of my life. I've continued to make, and deeply fell in love with crafts. Ali and I started craft nights on Wednesdays, which kind of fell apart but because of it we are crafting every night, and I started working with different mediums and learned so many new things. For the first time, knitting felt relaxing instead of stressful, and I learned how to silkscreen, needlefelt, and so much more! The amount of money I spent at craft stores was outrageous, as well as the number of times I visit JoAnn every week, but everything was so worth it. I am a happy girl. This is what 2007 in crafts looked like.

I learned how to cable knit, to use double pointed needles, and to knit in a circle. Thanks to knittinghelp.com. For a while the only thing I was not happy with was the frustration that came with the lack of knowledge in knitting, but I think I'm doing better, and I couldn't have done it without knittinghelp.com.

For my mom's Christmast present, I made this jewelry box. She asked me to make her something that isn't too crazy, but I just felt like gluing all the jewels I can find and painting it yellow. She loved it!
These little dummies were the first few of many plushies I made this year. I gave the bunny to mom for Mother's day, and I made the fruits while Justin was in Paris. I also made a bunny just like in green that for my favorite teacher in high school and I hope he still loves it as much as he did when he first saw the bunny.

It is really hard to work with felt lately, since I spoiled myself with fancy wool felt for the white elephant party gift, because sewing acrylic felt makes me feel bad inside.

This year I also organized my embroidery floss box for the first time in about 4 years. It looks so pretty now.
I am not a very organized person, but when it comes to craft supplies I am really crazy and neat. I guess that is how much I love it. I'm constantly cleaning my workspace and organizing everything!





Then I made some knitting needles with buttons and wood sticks. I love the feeling of carving wood, and E6000 is amazing. I made a pair for Ali and pair for myself.


I made a white elephant named Finney for the aforementioned white elephant party using fancy white felt. I really didn't want to give him away, but when the day came, I knew it was the right thing to do. Luckily, my friend Mallory ended up with Finney, and I ended up with a gift she put together, which consisted of a handmade pouch that I use to store all my knitting accessories, a doggy calendar, and candy in this lovely drawstring bag I now use to transport my knitting projects. It couldn't have been more perfect. I got something handmade for something I made. I wish everyone had made their presents.

That's Finney and that's the pouch. Aren't they lovely?












This is the first thing I've ever needle felted, and the first knitting project that I've finished that is not a scarf. It looks kind of silly and frumpy, it's a laptop case and I love the big red swirly button.












Enough with things I've made, now it's time for things other people made that I love so much. Going to Felt Club and purchasing Heidi Kenney's cutie banana was the best feeling in the world. Justin bought me the bunny at the museum store, and she is the cutest. While Caitlin was in New York, she bought this Tigre for me, and Jeff brought me back the Homer Simpson and the Batman that I call Bateman when he moved back to California. I don't know why I didn't run into any finger puppet vendors while I was in New York. At least I have friends who would buy them for me!












Last but not least, I knitted a hat tonight, while watching the Law and Order marathon. It's the first hat that I knitted that is actually wearable.


I want to make a new year resolution to make at least one thing a day, but I don't want to make things just because I said I would. So my new year resolution is to be as creative as I can be! Also, I bought a pair of gold Ginger scissors with JoAnn gift card Justin's mom got me! So fancy! I'll definitely be sewing more with these new scissors, after I get both of my machines and serger fixed. Hopefully next year, crafting will be even more exciting for me and for everyone else everywhere! Happy new year!

First Craft Fair

Last Saturday was the craft fair at BFF and it was absolutely amazing! So many people complimented on our stuff/design/etc. and they were strangers! There is something so special about people you don't know telling me that I am doing a good job. We sold out of all the girl Abe shirts, and sold tons of necklaces we've been working really hard on, and my last minute ornaments were pretty well received too. We stayed up till wee hours of the night for weeks to do this thing, and the results were pretty satisfying. This is what it looked like.

I've been knitting crazy lately, and having yarngasms, and only looking for knitting things on ebay and websites, and getting yarnspiration on other people's blogs, and hating everyone who were taught by grandmas (because my grandma didn't teach me), and thinking of new projects to work out everyday, all day. It's such a good feeling that over the course of two years of knowing how to knit, I went from dreading every stitch to a yarnoholic. I'm pretty happy. I could not live without knittinghelp.com
And today I knitted a pair of fingerless gloves but they are too snug because I couldn't find my size 6 needles so instead i knitted with size 8 ones. I am almost thinking about unraveling the whole thing and starting over, or even felting it, but I don't know how much they will shrink?
But I am pretty amazed and happy that I finished a project in one day and I watched three episodes of Law and Order: Criminal Intent with my boyfriend too. I am pretty happy overall. As always, I cheated and know what I am getting for Christmas, and I am getting JoAnn gift certificate AND the Craft Magazine Boxset! I have all the good things in the world! Also, I just ordered the entire collection of bamboo circular, double pointed, single pointed needles from China and they are on their way here. Seriously, I am too happy.