it's only taken me eight months to tackle this project. sadly, it wasn't even a project that was so big it required tackling. if it only took 30 minutes, start to finish, wouldn't it be considered so lightweight it only needed a gust of wind to come and blow it down?
each member of the family selected a color of floss. i sat at the kitchen table and went to work. the girls were right there, quite amazed at how quickly and effectively their napkins were finished. obviously, one initial is much simpler than an intricate flower design, but i think i needed one of those instant gratification projects.
it's taken me a long time to appreciate needlework, in all forms. knitting is of course my passion, but sewing has come to be a close second, and last summer, i was in awe of what crafters were embroidering. the sublime stitching patterns sucked me in, and after purchasing the book and a kit, i found myself in the same state of mind whenever i am embarking on a new endeavor: i can't begin this project because i'm too afraid it will fail.
for being my first project, this tea towel didn't turn out too bad, but i didn't love it. 
honestly, i think it had more to do with the size of the towel (it was entirely too large) and that it was very lightweight. the embroidery needle tore through the weave, and god forbid if you wanted to remove a stitch, for it left a gaping hole that no amount of strategic stitching could hide. i'm now hunting for a good-quality, heavier tea towel, similar to this product, but maybe a bit more economical. do you know of any?
what other crafts do you enjoy, or wish you could do well? or are you a purist, knowing you can only tread the waters of one hobby at a time? happy crafting!
Monday, March 2, 2009
other crafts
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16 comments:
oh,will you hate me if I say I've really done it all?
sorry...my hands won't stop :)
I've always had a love for drawing.
Then I enrolled in a fashion design program not knowing how to sew a thing. I learned fast, and sewing garments was my passion.
I stopped for awhile, and now I try my hand at so many things like knitting, embroidery, quilting, etc. But I don't feel very good at many of those. Your napkins are lovely. I really love them and think you are way too hard on yourself.
these are very lovely. I have to say that I can only do one craft at a time -- its a tick that applies to most things in my life -- eating one food off my plate at a time, if I'm writing, its difficult for me to craft, too, etc etc. I started out with embroidery as a young girl, then moved to sewing and for the last years knitting is where my heart has been. mmmm, but I wouldn't mind cycling back to some embroidery like this...
I just finished my first crocheted garment, so I am flirting with other crafts. I haven`t done needlework in many, many years and would love to try again. But for some strange reason I find it difficult to try something new now that I am quite skilled in knitting. Maybe I`m afraid to fail? I bought a sewing machine last year, but haven`t touched it yet - such a shame...
I love your napkins and tea towel! I used to do lots of embroidery, and needlepoint, and I used to make loads of my own clothes. At the moment it's just knitting, although I have got a hankering to get back into clothes making again.
Just an idea about finding nice towel: I collect old linen, and often find really beautiful linen towels very cheaply on ebay. The quality of the fabric is so beautiful compared to what you can find today. Hope that helps!
Love your napkins and towel! I have recently stuck my toe into needlepoint. Received some book for Christmas and will hopefully take the plunge soon. :)
They're beautiful, M! I have been dying to try embroidery...and quilting...and breadmaking...and I want to get better at sewing... But alas, until I can convince the higher powers that we really need 36 hours in a day and not just 24, I'll have to stick with mostly knitting.
That is such a cute project! What a great idea.
Before I started to knitting I was heavy into scrapbooking. But knitting seemed to fill the void of papercrafts. Here and there I do cross stitch, or I'll paint, sketch, sew. Knitting still steals the show!
i love the letters!
i have embroidered. if you could see my floss collection. and i still LOVE to needlepoint. although do not do it nearly enough. i like to make belts and both boys are due a new one.
I used to embroider and do needlepoint. Now I mostly stick to knitting,sewing and quilting. I would love to learn to spin and hand dye my own yarns though...
Oh, and I scrap book!
I can so relate to you on beginning a project in fear of failure but we have to start somewhere (even if it takes us months to begin)
I love to sew, quilt, work with felt, and digi scrap memories. I've tried embroidery and the sublime stitching patterns have caught my eye but I have yet to take the plunge.
To only have more time....
Love the embroidery projects!! I bought some of the sublime stitching kits too! Just haven't had a chance to get them out- even though I embroidered a lot in 7th and 8th grade (fancy fancy irish dancing costumes had lots of embroidery...so mom had someone teach me so I could help make my own...child labor and all!).
Keep me posted on any good tea towel finds!
i love these. this is a craft i have never tried. you did an awesome job.
I have always wanted to be a good painter. i am horrible, though.
What a simple and beautiful idea. I love the hand embroidered tea towls!
These are just gorgeous. I am just learning the art of hand embroidery, and I find it to be a very soothing art.
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