craft magazines

children's clothing, craft magazines, crochet, kids clothing, musings, patchwork, planned projects, sewing, vintage patterns, work in progress

In progress in August

What I’m up to so far this month:

July 2009 Hip to Hook by you.

Admiring yarn colours from Sarah London‘s Hip to Hook club and working on her Hawaiian Flowers motif.

Sue Ross BOM August 2009 - Whirly Gig by you.

Assembling my first Sue Ross Block of the Month (BOM) from Material Obsession – I nearly fainted when I received it, as it contains curved pieces, templates, needleturn applique and hand-piecing.  Gulp!  I’ve made a start – but I’m piecing by machine.

Crocheting a second (larger) red doily for my contribution to The Quilt Project.

Mod Sampler quilt top cut out ready to piece by you.

Combining the pieces for my Mod Sampler Quilt.

Procrastinating about crocheting this month’s Ravelry afghan blocks – neither of the patterns really inspire me, so I suspect this month will just squeak in once the pressure of a new month comes closer.

August 2009 Craft Mags by you.

Browsing some inspirational craft magazines – and look, there’s a beautiful quilt by Kellie on the cover of Homespun magazine!

Wool/cashmere & coat pattern for Stella by you.

Planning on making this coat from this beautiful green wool/cashmere for Stella for next winter, thanks to a very generous friend.

Drooling as I read the recipes in the Homemade, the Handmade Help Recipe Book.

Dreaming of having the time and energy to do everything I’d like to do and be all that I’d like to be.

How about you?

by thornberry
craft magazines, crochet, sewing

A little light reading

I have always been quite keen on magazines.  It started with Dolly way back in my early teens, progressed (I use the term loosely) to Cleo and Cosmo, then made it to fashion magazines as well.  I always devoured Mum’s copies of Women’s Weekly, Woman’s Day and New Idea (back in the days before they weren’t just Hollywood gossip).  While I was reading all of those magazines, my brother was reading every fishing, hunting and shooting magazine he could get his hands on – Dad was reading National Geographic and every 4WD and outback magazine he could get his hands on.  Nowadays my taste in magazines has changed.  Here is a sample of my latest reading matter:

Feb March 09 reading matter by you.

This is a fairly international mix of mags – the UK, USA and Australia are all represented!  I finally stumbled across Sew Hip in my local newsagent.  So far I quite like it.  I subscribe to Mixtape, Threads, Sewing with Stitches Australia (formerly Australian Stitches), Crochet Today! and Inspirations.  Stitch is quite an impressive sewing magazine in its first issue – I’ll be interested to see how it develops.  I also subscribe to Interweave Crochet (the best crochet magazine around, in my opinion).  And I’ve been known to buy a copy of Homespun and Quilter’s Companion.  Despite my addiction to craft on the net, there is still nothing quite like having those pages between your hands, flipping back and forth and poring over the photos, devouring the articles.  Lot of inspiration, dreams, and learning contained within the covers.  And I occasionally even make one of the projects!  My biggest problem is finding the time to read them properly inbetween my other commitments and desires.

by thornberry
craft, craft magazines, fabric stash, sewing, Sunday Stash

Sunday Stash #10

I know – it’s Tuesday, not Sunday, and this post is about 2 1/2 weeks overdue.  That is how things are at the moment.  I posted some Christmas cards today and didn’t actually write anything on them, just quickly addressed them and enclosed our Christmas letter!  I figure that is better than nothing (most people received our letter via email; I only posted to people I didn’t have email addresses for) – and believe me, nothing was almost the alternative!  Anyway, to get back to fabric, here is Sunday Stash #10:

Sunday stash 10 - chenille by you.

This is what is left of my vintage chenille stash – most of it has been incorporated into baby quilts or cushions.  Did you know that before Jodie was the crazy selvedge lady she was the crazy chenille lady?  Most of my chenille comes from Jodie, back when she had a eBay store.  It was actually Jodie who got me into blogging – thanks so much Jodie!  Without your encouragement I wouldn’t be blithering on the internet almost two years later!

Thanks also to Tamara for hosting Sunday Stash.  I am extremely envious of her stash this week – as well as highly covetable Liberty fabric it includes two copies of Sew Hip magazine, which I haven’t seen in any newsagents here at all.  I can’t locate Crochet Today at any of my local newsagents any more either.  Very frustrating!  Thank goodness I subscribe to Interweave Crochet, Yarn, Stitches and Threads.  If any other Aussies have spotted Sew Hip anywhere, please shout out!

by thornberry
craft, craft magazines, fabric stash, sewing

Should I buy a Tatts ticket?

I have been such a lucky crafter over the past couple of weeks!  The first surprise parcel that arrived was from Mary, all the way from Oregon, USA.  She had posted a destash notice on Ravelry months ago.  Look at the lovely bits and pieces she sent me!

Gift from Mary by you.

This little parcel contained vintage ric rac, loads of lovely pieces of fabric that I’ll use in a quilt, a kit to knit a lace bookmark (Mary’s own design) and that little brown envelope is full of vintage embroidery transfers!  Mary also sent me the most fantastic hand-made card.  Thank you so much Mary!  I had completely forgotten that this parcel would be coming, and it was such a welcome surprise.

Then I managed to win a Betty Jo giveaway!  I have been coveting her brooches for a long time.

Betty Jo duck brooch with tablecloth by you.

As well as the brooch, she included some vintage aprons, sewing and knitting books, knitting needles and wrapped the whole thing in a beautiful vintage tablecloth.

Sewing and knitting goodies by you.

Huge thank-you to Betty Jo!

At Brown Owls last week, Brooke kindly pulled my name out of the door prize barrel.

Brown Owls door prize by you.

Black grosgrain ribbon and a great softie pattern!  I picked up a lovely scrap of fabric while I was there too.

But I’m not finished with the good crafty luck!  Last week I won a giveaway that Corrie was holding with the story of my Nanna hiding the Christmas pav under the bed.  And look at what she sent me!

Win from Corrie by you.

A Japanese craft magazine, some cute tape and fantastic pieces of Japanese fabrics!

IMG_6628 by you.

Thank you so much Corrie!  I think that I have used more exclamation marks than usual in this blog post, but honestly it has been so exciting to win these generous giveaways and it is always so much fun to receive a parcel.  Now I have even more ideas of what I’d like to make and just need to win some time to do it in.

by thornberry
books, craft, craft magazines, this is ...

This is … my current reading material

First of all, thanks to My Champagne Dreams for this week’s theme.  I know that I always juggle a few different things to read at once, similar to the way I juggle a few different craft projects – what I read/make depends on what mood I am in, how much time is available, and how much I need the finished result.  I hadn’t quite anticipated that it would be this many items being juggled though:

This is ... current reading matter by you.

Clockwise from the bottom right corner:

  • Birds Without Wings by Louis de Bernieres – our current book group selection.  Book group is meeting tomorrow night.  At my house.  I haven’t started this book yet.
  • The second book of the Ellie Chronicles, by John Marsden.  The first book in the Tomorrow series was our book group selection two months ago – since then I have completed the rest of the seven-part series, and the first of the Ellie Chronicles which comes next.  Great books!
  • Golden Hands complete crafts – my $1 garage sale find from Saturday.  I’ve only flipped through it so far and it will be a great reference.
  • Everyday Crochet by Doris Chan.  I’ve got some beautiful Vintage Hues yarn stashed, enough to make a jacket for me.  Just trying to find the right pattern – the yarn is about 10 or 12 ply.
  • Current issues of craft magazines – Threads, Australian Stitches and Interweave Crochet.  I get them all on subscriptions (especially pleasing that I subscribed to the US ones when our dollar was worth something).  So much inspiration!
  • More magazines – Real Living and Shop.  These come from a magazine addicted friend (in a bag with another ten magazines or so – Vogue, Madison, InStyle, She, Grazia, Lucky, Harper’s Bazaar, Australian House and Garden, Marie Claire, etc) each month.  Then I pass them along again.  I don’t read them thoroughly but they’re great to flick through.

Not in the photo but still current reading matter – today’s Sunday Age, the magazine out of last week’s Sunday Age, and bloglines, of course!  And let’s not forget The Very Hungry Caterpillar, One Fish Two Fish, lots of other board books that Stella loves, and too many books to mention that Clare loves.

by thornberry
bags, craft, craft magazines, patterns

Blowing the trumpet for Jodie

Did you know that Jodie is actually a shy and humble lass?  See this current patchwork/stitching mag?  That she hasn’t mentioned at all on her blog?

Mag with ballerina bag by you.

Have a look at what is inside (and on the front cover):

Little Ballerina Bag by you.

The Ballerina Bag!  Yay Jodie, you’re published!  Congratulations – I’ll definitely be making one of these for Clare (and potentially a few for her little friends).

By the way, I have a spare copy of this magazine:

Handmade Annual by you.

If you would like it and you’re in Australia, leave me a comment – first in who wants it gets it!

by thornberry
craft, craft magazines, crochet, embroidery, work in progress

Magazines, a little stitching, and meeting Michelle!

We were away (again!) over the weekend, so not a lot of crafting was done.  I have been reading these magazines which arrived over the past couple of weeks:

I subscribe to all of these!  Interweave Crochet only arrived yesterday, and as usual it has some stunning projects!  While visiting my parents I managed to do a teeny bit more stitching on my Brown Owls tote:

I have a few plans for lining the tote with complementary fabrics and adding them to the handles.  I’ve finished my name embroidery and just need to make a top to sew things on to!

But more importantly, I had a visit from the lovely quiltingmick from Canberra!  Lucky me – she had a few days visiting Melbourne and we were able to coordinate for an hour and a half.  It was the first time we’ve met “in real life” – and we had a great chat!  So much in common, sometimes it is spooky!  She gave me this gorgeous crocheted flower brooch, which looks absolutely huge in this photo!

Thanks so much Michelle – great to finally meet you and next time we might be able to go fabric & yarn shopping together!

by thornberry
books, craft, craft magazines, crochet, miscellaneous, op-shopping, sewing

Craft show and shopping (not the same thing)

Along with all the Melbourne women aged over sixty (or so it seemed), I went along to the Stitches and Craft show today.  Taking a baby in a pusher is a great way to have an economical time at a craft show, I must say!  It makes it quite difficult to get close to the stalls.  People either stop and coo and chat to bub, or they see the pusher and glower threateningly.  The Living Creatively stand was a highlight!  There is the most gorgeous crafty garden that has been created, complete with real grass and real rabbits!  I briefly met Kristen, Angela, Bianca, Kristine, Justine, Fiona,  and there were other crafty gals there too I didn’t get to chat to but whose names seemed very familiar.  It was a bit of a blogmeet!  My friend Nikki was demonstrating how to make bags (very professional with the microphone, I must say) and all in all it was the best stand there.  There were also some beautiful yarns available (Pear Tree Yarn was especially gorgeous), but I restrained myself from buying and instead took their business cards with those all-important online store addresses.  Some great felting stands, loads of beading/scrapbooking/cross-stitch/needlepoint/quilting (none of which interests me at the moment – although I did get a little excited about a super-duper fancy schmancy iron and ironing board – what am I for that to be a thrill?), lots of the same old same old, so it was great to have Living Creatively there to freshen things up.

So, back to shopping!  I have done a little bit of online shopping over the past month or so, and thought that it’s time that I shared it.

Lots of beautiful crochet patterns, great skirts (it’s about time that I learned to draft my own simple skirt patterns instead of relying on commercial ones), yet more crafty bags, scarves, placemats etc in the Simple Gifts book, and Style Rx is a terrific guide to dressing to suit your shape. 

Clover crochet hooks, from the USA.  Once again, it would have cost me more than double the price to buy them here!  Online shopping must really be doing some Australian retailers out of some business.  I can’t wait to give these hooks a try.  Maybe with my other new book, Vintage Crochet.

Oh, so many lovely things to crochet!  Like these:

Vintage Crochet Vintage Crochet

Vintage Crochet Vintage Crochet

among many, many others!

A week or so ago I also managed some successful op-shopping – fourteen old Top Kids magazines for 50c each:

and the Spencer & Rutherford handbag outlet sale had these trims:

As you can see, I had no need to go spending money at the Craft show after all!  I’ve got loads of lovely goodies to craft with and inspire me as it is.

Although while getting my sewing machine attended to again yesterday, I did spot this:

Well, I do have a major birthday coming up … maybe I can dream a little …

by thornberry
craft, craft magazines, crochet

Today’s Woman Granny Squares

Warning:  this is a very photo-heavy post!

My mother found this with some of my grandmother’s things, and since I am interested in crochet, she has passed it on to me.  It’s “Today’s Woman – Granny Squares”, from 1978.  Here is a selection of what it has to offer.

Check that cover photo!  This top comes with the tag line “Love that Soft Look – pretty peasant blouson, in peaches and cream colour”.  Hmmmm.  Some of the other adult’s clothing:

Can’t say I’m dashing off to grab my crochet hook for any of these ones.  Maybe homewares is more promising …

Some of these are quite funky – and in other colour combinations, I think they’d look terrific!  What about the kid’s clothes?

Once again, I think some of these would look great in the right yarns and colours.  But I don’t think that anything can be done to save this:

Some things are so bad they’re good.  This is just bad.

 

by thornberry
craft, craft magazines, crochet, patterns, planned projects

Crochet inspiration

The last couple of days have been good for mail!  These back-issues of Interweave Crochet arrived yesterday.

They both contain some really lovely projects.  I have flipped through plenty of crochet mags at the newsagent over the last few months, and I think that Interweave Crochet is definitely the best (although Crochet Today also has some nice projects).  It has a lovely mix of items and varying levels of difficulty, so they should keep me going for years!  I really want to make this blanket:

I know that it will take me years, but it will be a nice portable project (there are 126 squares in total, ranging from two-rounds to 12-rounds, in 18 different colours).  The hard part might be choosing the colours and deciding on the combinations for each sqare.  I’ll probably order some yarn from Bendigo Woollen Mills – they have a great mail order service.

by thornberry
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