Paper, glue, scissors, yarn, etc.

Well, this is a bit different, but I just decided to teach myself to play the recorder. I used to noodle around on one, but now I want to read music and learn it right. Should be a healthy alternative to watching my favorite teams get thrashed on TV of an evening!

Cool! When I was a kid, I remember doing all sorts of craft-y things. And that also always seems to be the time to do self-improvement stuff like learn to play an instrument. Why not do so during the adult years?

I painted my bedroom room a color between periwinkle and lilac. Not so artsy. But THEN I painted an old bookshelf (it was an old arty project, faux tiles) in a deeper periwinkle-lavender. The paint was all chunky, so it came out like watercolors.... lovely. I hung pictures (photos and paintings) and re-arranged the furniture.

I love it too, Jes. I try to do some project every few months. Then again, being a nanny is pretty arty in itself.

I have always done craft projects, or art projects, they seem to be an on going element in my life.
I cant knit or crochet but, I can do counted cross stitch, and have made many a things over the years, not much anymore however.
Last year I did some decoupage...it had been forever! I did some tile stuff too...that was fun.
I did one scrapbook, from my cruise to Bermuda and that was great fun, it was a lot of work though! Would be great to see how your photo album came out...Im sure its fabulous!

I've never done a scrap book, but I have two empty ones....

embroider - used to
cross-stitch - my favourite when i was a kid. used to do it with my mother
Knitting - love it. still my favourite crafty thing, i think
Crocheting - if the mood strikes - i sometimes make huuuuuuuuge granny squares - it's awfully relaxing
Collage - oh yes
Decoupage - yup, working on some these days
Papier Maché - used to do this upscale version of decoupage - got lazy
Rug-hooking - enjoy it, but can't imagine what to do with the results - it's sort of too fast
Weaving - kinda liked it a bit, but the equipment's a bit too serious of an investment for me - i need a jigsaw before i consider a loom - i've got a tiny beading loom that i've never used
hmmmmmm - what else is there? oh, sewing - i like to do creative sewing projects - designing valances in funky shapes and then making them

i love to play the recorder - i've thought of going to adult recorder camp

hmmmmmm, what else is up in the craft zone? i don't think i should go in there right now - i still have to work a couple more days this week

I used to do scrap books before they came out with all those great scallopy scissors and things. Maybe someday i'll get into that again. I used to really enjoy it.

When I was in college, my dorm held a door decorating contest. My roommate, who was very artsy, designed a lovely winter scene all to be cut out of construction paper. I volunteered to help, of course, though I confessed I was rather lacking in artistic ability. She didn't believe me and showed my how I was supposed to cut out snowflakes. End of story: my contribution was tree stumps. Incidentally, her door design won first prize (must have been those really neat tree stumps).

Then, when first married, my mother-in-law tried to teach me how to knit. I managed to make some red golf club covers for hubby (which looked rather sad, I'm afraid) and then gave it up for ever.

In my later years, I have discovered latch hook (which really requires nothing more than patience) and digital photography (which allows one's mistakes to mysteriously disappear and one's half-decent photos to be enhanced to full decency). The digital photos (and a computer and a cheap scanner) have allowed me to make up calendards and such (magnets, memory books, etc.) for various family members. Makes me feel like I'm being at least a little creative.

I loved doing those colored-construction-paper-cut-out scenes in college!

I had the chance to do a little cutting and shaping for the photo book. One of the contributions was an email, nothing more. So, I printed it and then cut it out in the shape of a heart. Showed the whole thing to hubby yesterday and he liked it. He volunteered to outline the heart somehow so that it would stand out better. So, he's getting into it, too (he does drafting work so this is right up his alley - my hand isn't steady enough to do the kind of tracery work he'll do). :-D

I have never been able to knit or crochet but maybe I just don't try hard enough. My mother has tried to teach me to knit, but either I don't have the patience, or I'm not steady enough, or what, but I always end up with loose stitches. I haven't tried in quite a while. Since she was never a crocheter, I never became one, either. Never did weaving or rug-hooking - I know some people swear by them as relaxation techniques.

One of my late, great-aunts used to do an art called bunka, which is punch embroidery. Here's a site about it: http://66.111.220.28/

Hi Jes -- your scrapbook sounds wonderful.... I'm looking forward to seeing the pictures....

I love to cross-stitch. My house has many of my cross-stitch projects hanging on the walls. In my kitchen, I have a framed sampler that says "Meals In This Kitchen Are Seasoned With Love". By my front door, I have two large framed initials. An 'R' for my daughter's name and an 'S' for my name. Each initial in entwined with pretty flowers.

I also do beading, but I don't use a loom. My friend taught me how to create a strip, usually about an inch or an inch-and-a-half wide and as long as wanted, holding it loose in my hands. I tried using a loom, but it was too rigid. My friend makes beaded strips in Native American design patterns, and then she stitches them onto horse halters. (She and her husband raise horses.) When my daughter was actively showing her white horse, she entered him under the name of 'Shadow Dancer', so I created a strip with 'Shadow Dancer' in black-and-white beads, to be put on a black halter. It was really awesome. I used a cross-stitch alphabet pattern for the letters. Cross-stitch border patterns work great for these beading projects.

Last month I went to a few Christmas bazaars and bought a few crafty-type items, with the intent of copying the ideas.

When we were raising sheep, I learned how to spin wool, including the shearing, carding, washing, dyeing, weaving. But I didn't continue, and now we are out of the sheep business, and, well, you know, maybe someday.......

D'artagnan.... Recorders are awesome! I'm a total music lover. I have a recorder, too, but I haven't played it for a long time.

Wow, spinning! The only time I've seen that done is in old towns that have been restored to colonial times, like Bethpage Village Restoration on Long Island and Sturbridge Village in Massachusetts.

Hi Jes --

When Rosanne (my daughter) was in 4-H, we took her sheep projects around to all the local and state fairs. The 4-H requirements for exhibiting projects include demonstrations, and spinning was a popular demonstration for the kids with sheep projects. The kids would set up their spinning wheels along the aisles of the fairgrounds and talk to the people who were walking by. Another popular demonstration was modeling clothing made from wool. The kids (wearing sweaters and skirts or suits made of wool) would walk around in a circle, leading one of their sheep (on halter) and the sheep would have a blanket or necktie or something that was made from the same wool material that the kids were wearing. It was really fun.

I'm glad this old thread is here. My daughter has gone bonkers for knitting and constantly searches out patterns on-line.

She wanted to know something about the stockinette stitch which she googled. It led her to this site, which she sent to me via IM. I started tooling around . . . something that has taken up my time over the past two days and found the site was a fabulous store in NYC.

I need to share: www.purlsoho.com

I never, really, got the hang of knitting. It was a godsend when my mother and I had to wait in the hospital for my Dad to have surgery about five years ago. She sat there and knit, and I read, but we met this guy who was maybe 21 or so, covered with tattoos, and he said he liked to knit! So here is my seventy-plus-year-old mother and this twenty-something be-tatted dude, and they are discussing how to properly make a pom-pom.

That's a charming story. I tried knitting once when I was a kid. My mother had some yarn and a pair of needles from the single attempt she made at knitting. There was a pamphlet involved as well which was probably hers. Anyway, my stitches got tighter and tighter until I could no longer put the needle into the loop.

I never knew my daughter had tried knitting, but, she'll be 33 in January and left home at 18. She, too, had some yarn and needles. She said she would pick up every other year or so. She finally learned how to do a garter stitch.

She took the yarn out this last time because I noticed a sign in the window of a knitting shop: 3-hour introductory knitting workshops. Why not? I asked her if she wanted to come but we live 70 miles apart.

My workshop is a week from tomorrow. . . or, rather today, as it is 12:29. I'm excited about it. Not that I have time.

I learned to knit from an expert - my first MIL from Newfoundland. I also used to crochet. I did a couple of cross stitch projects. I've also done mosaic tiling, sketching, pen and ink, watercolours, acrylics, oils, decoupage, collage, calligraphy, papier mache, applique wall hangings, sewing, pottery... I like a buffet of everything. So I would say I'm a Jill of all trades and mistress of none.

Knitting just seems to be such a lost art/craft/skill. I know ehBeth knits, or at least I think she does.

Yup - I still knit. A friend of mine just gave me some wonderful socks she knit for me. I was sceptical, my last experience wearing homeknit socks was not good, but these socks are so comfortable (and gorgeous yarn was used). I think I'm going to try knitting some socks (a good excuse to search out more yarn ).

From the original question - and my original response (7 years ago?) - I am sewing a LOT more these days. This week I'll be finishing off two costumes for our bellydance gala on Friday night. The sewing machine is getting a lot of action these days.