diy
Do it Yourself; Tips and ideas for DIY projects to create your next family heirloom, personalize your photo album and more.
Great Aunt Dottie
There’s nothing like the feel of soft yarn through my fingers. Let’s face it; Seattle, Washington can be dreary in those long winter months. It’s not as rainy as Forks, but there are those torrential rain days where lighting candles and sitting by the fire makes homesteading look easy. There are also those clear cool nights when sitting at the fire pit, knitting a blanket keeps me warm connects me to my great Pacific Northwest roots. Nothing tops listening to the birds chirp next to a roaring fire bursting with hot orange flames. One of my Great Grandmothers who lived back during the Civil War, made her own clothing from raising sheep and growing flax, spinning a yarn she named, “Flaxy Woolsey.” Knowing I’m continuing the tradition of knitting from generation to generation connects me to the family I never personally knew, but from stories in old letters brings a sense of comradery. Having something to keep my fingers busy brings me joy, especially when it can bless someone else. My own Great Grandmother Ruth knitted many a warm outfit for my own mother when she was a baby living with her family in Alaska. Great Grandmother Ruth wrote about my mother, “It isn’t much, but Grandma wants those little legs warm these cold mornings.” She knew the icy weather my Grandmother Donna experienced in Alaska. Grandma Donna wrote to Ruth, telling her how the great north winds coming off of the Taku Glacier chilled her to the bone. Those were the days where Borden’s milk cost a dime and my Grandfather could buy a ten pound salmon for a quarter. Making things by hand was both special for the person receiving them as well as practical if you could save a dime doing it.
By Cynthia Mael5 years ago in Families
Hooks, Dolls and Blankets
My mother always said I was good with my hands. When I was a child, she'd patiently let me French braid her hair for hours at a time. I was fascinated with her knitting and begged her to teach me basic stitches. At school, I fervently made friendship bracelets, which helped me form social connections. I freely handed them out to my peers and taught them how to do it themselves. We spent lunchtimes winding and knotting colourful embroidery thread together.
By Verity Guiton5 years ago in Families
You Can Sew Again
Home Ec. was a mandatory high school class for girls in earlier eras of American life and I had the epitome of all Home Ec teachers. A cross between Ms. Manners and Attila the Hun, Mrs. King was her name and sewing was her game. She taught her particular home art well, though, and I enjoyed it until a couple decades ago when lack of time, other passions and less expensive readymade clothes caused me to abandon my trusty machine. Just like song lyrics, though, I can still chant strings of obscure sewing terms; ease plussing, fusible interfacing and darts come to mind.
By M. Michael5 years ago in Families
A Peacock’s Journey
Hello. I was born today. Or, I was drawn today. The creator cut me up with Fiskars, orange scissors and then gave me a face. Right now, she calls me Jackie Paper. I’m the first peacock ever made by my creator. I don’t know what that means but I’m the only one created today that got my own name! Using Fiskars, she also cut out other things. She called them animals but they didn’t get a special name. I think she loves me best.
By Tracy Phillips5 years ago in Families
Tiny Dioramas-Big Delights!
My name is Angela Zampell and I’m a crafter and seamstress. I live in Rhode Island with my tattoo artist and painter fiancé Tom Butts along with our little rescue pups, Bridgette and Gidget. Creativity is alive and well at our house. I want to tell you about my favorite craft endeavor yet. This is the story of Hot Glue Heroes.
By Angela Zampell5 years ago in Families
Never Happier Than During the Pandemic
Act 1: Family Talent My grandfather wrote funny poems, my grandmother did oil painting and could draw people, famous peoples faces and likenesses, woman posing and fashion. My mother was a cake decorator, as was my aunt, she could make icing do things that only people nowadays can do with fondant. Amateurs! She put eyelashes on every animal like it was a Muppet and drew them in long grass because she never got their feet right. Auntie was wonderful at decorating wedding cakes. She had the patience and steady hand for creating delicate, intricate patterns and lacing. She also was fairly talented on the piano and could hold a tune, as can my brother, while my mother and I could not. This is the last mention of my brother. He was the first to take a piece of me and alter how I saw myself. My mother was also a watercolorist. She did mostly landscapes and would always point out a single tree or rock that she liked, but rarely liked the whole. I couldn’t even use a pair of scissors. Later I realized it was only because I was a lefty using right handed people's tools. I learned to adapt.
By Katharine Novak5 years ago in Families
3 Kid-Approved Crafts for Non-Crafty Families
I am not a Crafty Mom. Oh, I'd love to be one. I've tried to be one. My efforts, sadly, are in vain, and most of my attempted projects end in tears, explicit language, and/or blood. My house is littered with the ghosts of DIY projects that I have abandoned in frustration.
By Jessica Conaway5 years ago in Families
Decorate Your Abyss: A Doll-Clothing Craft to Create Happiness in Your World
I was in a miserable, dark abyss. That’s how my therapist described the circumstances I was facing. I had been in an abusive marriage for 8 years already, and things began unravelling rapidly after the pandemic hit. I was depressed and anxious, and life seemed to keep throwing curveballs at me, one after another. All the people and places I had once found comfort in were crumbling away, revealing toxicity I had never noticed before.
By A.M. Harte5 years ago in Families
Treasured heirlooms
Let me start by saying that I have too many hobbies. I enjoy baking, cake decorating, scrapbooking, and knitting. Most of these hobbies I learned from my mom. My mom is a Nebraska farm girl. She was an active 4-H member from childhood through high school. Many people associate 4-H with raising livestock, but it also teaches skills like sewing, cooking, photography, and gardening. My mom did all of these things, but is especially great with fabrics. She made clothes for her children including matching dresses for me and my sister. She made stuffed animals and dolls, Halloween costumes and dress-up clothes, blankets and quilts. She sewed tiny clothes for our Barbie dolls. She even judged clothing entries at the state fair. Her sewing machine was often in use and next to that machine sat her orange "sewing" scissors. Everyone in the house knew that we had “junk drawer” scissors and “sewing” scissors and the two should NOT be mixed up.
By Abbie Corrine Brewer5 years ago in Families
