Waiting for Inspiration...?

...Then you will be waiting forever!

Hello friends, how are you? Eagerly looking forward to the new month?  I know I am, as hubby's birthday is on 28th of August.

I am afraid I have not been posting as much as I want to, and I can give umpteen excuses for that. And that is what they actually are...just silly excuses. Because, I firmly believe that if you really want to do something you have dozens of "reasons" for doing it, but if you don't want to do it then you have hundreds of "excuses".

Just when I was thinking up an "excuse" to begin this post... you know, like the weather was dull, my photos were bad, my neck was acting up etc,etc...to explain my tardiness, I came across this video which shut me up for good. Wondering what I am babbling about? Then you must watch this video. I have already shared it on my Facebook page, and I thought I should share it here too in case you are not a fan of my page.

Please click on the image to see the video.

Or click this YouTube link https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7lfaSmDxVZQ

Did you watch the video? Let me know if the link is not working.

I find this woman to be really remarkable. Picking up a craft/skill you already know is one thing, but to actually learn something new after losing one's eyesight is simply fantastic!! What courage and determination this woman has! She has motivated me to once again try my hand at sewing and tatting.... two things that I always felt I will not be able to do.

So, if you have always been wanting to learn something new, but never have because of "no time", "I don't know how", "I can't do it" or "I am not good enough".........I hope this video pushes you in the right direction.

Did you enjoy this video? Let me have your comments. Yes, go on write to me, make my day. I will be back soon with my latest projects (minus excuses). LOL

"Til then, keep crafting and have fun.  :)

My first sewing project

Hi friends, how are you? This post is coming after a long gap as I was busy breaking my head over a new project.
Yes, my first sewing project!

But, first of all, a warm hello to our new friends Debi from Dly's Hooks and Yarns , Priya from Now Serving ... and Maria Filomena from Filomena Crochet e Outros Lavores . Thank you for joining me.

My husband gifted me this wonderful sewing machine  around 10 years back. I use the machine for mending and hemming towels etc. Sadly, the machine does not have a user manual and as I was working full time, I never had time to take a proper sewing class. But I am going to remedy that and sign up for one soon.

Anyway, since non-stop crochet was causing a pain in my wrist I decided to put down my hook and try my hand at sewing. I wanted a small project so I decided to make a case for the crochet hooks I had recently purchased. 

Yeah... even a sewing project had to be related to crochet...!!

So let's go over the materials:

My hooks which needed a case

My wonderful brother sewing machine 

The fabrics and binding

 

My colourful sewing supplies box

The trays can be clipped on to the sides. Isn't that a cute looking box.... I think it was the lovely colours that prompted me to buy this box.

There are dozens of tutorials on the internet on how to make a crochet hook roll. Usually a case was made by stitching parallel lines on the flap to make pockets for the hooks. But that was not how I wanted to make it, why keep it simple.....yeah, a real glutton for punishment, that's me! With my limited knowledge of sewing, I took inspiration from this Pencil Roll Tutorial at You Go Girl .

I wanted pop up pockets  as the hooks had thick handles. To make matters worse, each handle was a different thickness!

There was trouble from the word Go! The bias binding was just not turning and it was too narrow and fiddly for me. So, I cheated a bit there, but I am not telling anything. Then I made the pockets by keeping each hook to measure.

Finally got my pockets in order!

I managed to get the case done after spending the whole Sunday on it.
And ta-da here it is:

I wanted the outside of the case to be plain and not show the ridges. I think I achieved it.

Now what remained was to crochet a length of chains to make a cord, to tie up after the case was loaded with hooks and rolled. But then, you see I had taken a vow to make this as difficult as possible! I decided to try the Romanian crochet cord, a new technique. If you would like to know more about this technique visit Wendy at  Sunshine's Creations. Vintage Threads. She makes beautiful lace using this cord.

This was the first time I was trying this and after crocheting one inch I was ready to give up! But when I read that Wendy's teenage daughters were making yards of this cord I decided not to quit. Well, it was definitely worth it as you can see.

I curled the ends in to make small discs.

 Here is my crochet hook case duly completed, loaded, rolled and tied.


Phew!... no more sewing projects for me. Well, at least not in the near future. Maybe after I take a few lessons.

A cute scene from my balcony, birds of different feather..... chatting together!

The rain gods have sent the clouds, but have forgotten to send the rains! Hot sticky, clammy weather.... well, there is just no pleasing us, is there? We always find something to crib about!!!

 

In this concrete jungle the greenery is a soothing sight...isn't it?

I am going back to my hooks and happy hooking to you too. I have a new project to show you, so see you tomorrow.

Bye,
Love xxx

P.S. The binding is stitched on the top side but on the inside, I got fed up and just stuck it with fabric glue.... so much for my sewing skills, ha ha.

Book Nook

The sweltering summer of Ahmedabad has put all thoughts of outdoor activity out of my mind. The temperatures are in the range of 35 to 40 deg Celsius and coupled with the dry climate it is scorching out there. I am not even venturing out for shopping...just imagine! So over the last weekend I decided to tidy up my craft room. Not kidding there... when we moved from Mumbai to Ahmedabad my hubby actually gave me a room, all to my self, and it  is now filled with my heaps of yarn, my books, sewing machine, music system, fabric stash and all other related paraphernalia.

As I was cleaning the room I came across some framed Anchor long stitch pictures done when we were in our teens. By "We", I mean my brother and me. I thought I will share the pictures with you.
This lovely lady was done by me.

Kamini

When my brother, who is a dental surgeon , saw me doing this he thought it was a brilliant project to improve hand and eye co-ordination which in turn would ensure neat stitches during suturing. This beautiful waterscape is the project he chose.

Blue Lake

Sorry about the reflection of the flash, as the pictures are already framed I could not avoid it.

Let me also share the treasures I recently added to my book collection.

My current favourite...Mary Higgins Clark.

I was lusting for these two afghan books for a long time. Finally got them for a very good price at a book fair in Ahmedabad.

This book by Angela King has some very cute items which are just calling out to be made.

Sewing and knitting are not really my favourite pastimes. If my hands are not crocheting then they are definitely holding a murder mystery. But these two books seemed like "must-haves" for any self proclaimed crafter's library, so I had to have them.

These two "vintage" books were sourced for me by my brother. For both of us, a relaxing weekend consists of hours of browsing through book fairs and bargain book stores. Never mind the swollen ankles and painful feet, at the end of the day it is all worthwhile.

So, do you like my collection. My mouth waters just by looking at these books.
Mmmm... hours of beautiful activity.

A "guided tour" through some of the books is definitely on the cards but at a later date. Right now I am busy with a project for my son's classmate and here is a sneak peek at it.

Yes, it is a pen tablet cover. I am making diagonal lines of popcorn stitch for texture.

Well, I have to go back to playing hooky so see you later. Have a nice day.

How does your garden grow.....

This question is not for Mary who is quite contrary, but for my brother S, who is  passionate about his gardening hobby. He has a variety of plants in his garden, like ferns, gladioli, petunias, zinnias, hibiscus, Song of India, chlorophytum, coleus, herbs like coriander and curry leaves, and vegetables like chilly and spinach.

His current obsession is the Adenium and already he has some 20 pots of adeniums.

Have a look at his very first gorgeous gladioli blooms.

Some more of his wonderful flowers,

Petunias

Marigold

Cute little critters guarding the blooms!

Birds of feather...snack together!

 The result of all this vigorous gardening is that now he has run out of "floor space". To cut a long story short, I decided to try my hand at Macramé (after a gap of 20 years) and make some hanging plant holders so that he can have a mid-air garden.

I wanted a simple and quick pattern. Ta-da, this is the result.

I love these leopard print beads, don't you?

See you later. Please feed my fish at the bottom of this page, thank you.