Folding and attaching

I feel like I’ve done nothing crafty in months, and despite reading right through both of these books during that time I really haven’t followed up by doing any of the projects taught/suggested in either. That shouldn’t be taken as a reflection on either book, since I certainly thought about doing things from both, but just haven’t really been in the mood so much of late.

Cover of The Ultimate Papercraft and Origami Book

30. The Ultimate Papercraft and Origami Book by Paul Jackson and Angela A’Court

This is a large and long book with lots and lots of fairly simple but very diverse paper projects. Cutting, tearing, folding and sticking skills will all be put to good use in making things decorative, fun and useful. Decidedly a family book (rather than being aimed just at either children or the adult crafter) that I can see enjoying with my little girl in a few years.

Cover of Take Up Patchwork

42. Take Up Patchwork by Ionne Hammond

I actually want to try out the patchwork and quilting techniques in this book (most of them, anyway), but for some reason I feel a greater need for a teacher with this than I did with crochet. I think I just need to a) learn to use a sewing machine and b) get over my fear of cutting into large pieces of new fabric without being sure I can turn them into something worthwhile. Crochet didn’t incur that fear, since it doesn’t require cutting anything up, and one can always rip out and start again. (I learnt to crochet on cotton string, so didn’t even have to worry about damage to delicate fibres.)

As to the book itself – it includes a variety of small sized projects using a range of techniques, so I imagine making a few of the projects would be a great learning process in sewing generally and patchwork and quilting more specifically. The fabrics and colours in the illustrations aren’t necessarily ones I would choose to use, but then changing those is the easiest possible customisation going!

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Some crafty purchases

Now to show you some of what I bought today.

On top, lots and lots of turquoise jersey knit cotton (t-shirt material), for that skirt I mentioned yesterday, and a couple of other things I’ll show you if they work. It cost more than I thought, largely because it is more than I thought, since the fabric comes in getting on for twice the width I was expecting (170cm rather than 1m). I still needed the full length for one of those possible projects, but that gives me plenty of ‘practice’ fabric (my sewing experience is limited anyway, especially with stretchy fabric), and I have ideas for things to do with real leftovers anyhow. Even at more than I expected, and with buying matching thread, the total still comes in at less than buying either of the two main things I’m planning on making with it, plus I get the fun and fit (and frustration, which will still be better than clothes shopping) of doing it myself. Now I just have to get on with it!

In a third shop (why would a fabric store sell thread, after all?!) I found some of those jigsaw style playmats (underneath the fabric and thread in the photo above) I’ve seen recommended so many times on Ravelry and elsewhere for blocking with, so we got those too. They’re printed on one side, which I’ll probably try to leave pristine, and use the yellow side for sticking pins in!

The place where we got the thread (and were horrified by the price of the sewing machines – if/when I get one it won’t be that fancy) is a couple of doors from one of our favourite second-hand bookshops, and in there I found a beginner’s guide to patchwork (Take Up Patchwork by Ionne Hammond), which looked like it had clear instructions, good information and helpful pictures, as well as templates and some plausible (for me) patterns, so I got it, of course! (Sorry about the glare on the picture.)

I’ve started reading the introduction, and it’s well enough written that I might go straight through and put it on the booklist.