Category Archives: Crafting

Crafting

The Cricut Design Space, Cricut Joy, and teaching

Leave a comment

I’ve been spending time watching tutorial videos on the Cricut cutting machine. My next class at the maker space is Saturday and I will be teaching several people how to use the Cricut software, Cricut cutting machine, and our heat press to create unique gifts.

I will bring a variety of glass, paper, plastic, and fabric items to show what can be done with various types of vinyl, including heat transfer vinyl with the heat press. I’ve made stencils for etching glass, a design for a bib, plus designs for tee shirts and glass objects such as plates and jars.

I haven’t checked the stash of objects I keep at the maker space lately, but there should be at least one plate, a couple of glass mugs and coffee cups. I din’t think there are any fabric items in the box, but I’ll bring a couple of tee shirts, a fabric tote, and a ballcap to make up.

Also this week, I had some students from a local high school to teach sewing to. I generally have the kids sew pillowcases as they are simple, only have two seams and a hem to sew. It seems to take them most of the two hours to finish their pillowcases.

I bought precut fabric in a variety of patterns and colors from Walmart. That was faster than my first classes where I used fabric we had at the maker space and had to cut to size. My first classes were assorted ages, either children of members or a group of students from the neighborhood.

Next week is the big project – sewing pillow cases for Ryan’s Case for Smiles https://caseforsmiles.org/. There will be up to forty students with their instructors, taking turns cutting, pinning, and ironing fabric as well as sewing the pillowcases for kids with cancer.

We’ll have ten sewing machines going. I’m not certain how many cases we’ll get done next week, but we’ll get as many done as we can. And maybe schedule a second session to finish up. I was asked by a member if I arranged for compensation for my time. I did not. But if they offer, I’ll accept it. At any rate I’ll definitely be filing extra 1099 forms for tax season with the classes I’ve taught so far.

At the end of the month, I’m going to schedule a class on how to read a sewing pattern. There are a few beginning sewers/sewists(?) who have asked me what all the markings mean on sewing patterns. This one will be a free class, but I’ll require sign ups so I’ll know if I need the classroom with the projector.

Crafting

Not another die cut machine!

Leave a comment

Yep. I have another cutting machine. This one is the Cricut Joy. I don’t need a large cutting machine because my go-to machine is a Silhouette Cameo. The Cameo replaced my Silhouette Portrait which I’ve had for several years, but the Portrait doesn’t like Windows 11. I haven’t checked to see if there’s a fix or work around for it.

The Cameo has been a great machine, but the reason I bought the Joy is that I’m teaching classes and machine checkoffs at the maker-space using a Cricut Explore 3. The Joy is a basic machine but it lets me become more proficient with the Cricut Design software.

My new Cricut Joy.

I didn’t want to pay a lot for a Cricut machine, but when I was in Michaels today, I saw the machine for almost 30% off. Since the class fee will cover the purchase, it was a win-win. It only cuts 4 1/2 inch by 6 inch materials so it’s great for small projects.

A sheet of vinyl can be cut down to fit the mat or I can purchase a specially sized roll for the machine. Since I have lots of unused vinyl, the weird colors can be used for proofing designs. I can do the same with cardstock.

I might even buy a multi-pack of the pens to draw and color items before cutting. The pens will also work in the pen holder for my Cameo. So, double duty. Maybe I’ll suggest that the youngest Granddaughter could get the pens for me for Christmas. She works and has more money than all of us.

She’s been planning her future since she was a Freshman in high school. She graduates next Spring and plans to do her basic courses at the technical college before transferring to the university. I’ve offered her the room upstairs if she wants to not be under her Mom’s thumb which requires a lot of watching and caring for the preteen. She’ll also be closer to the college if she lives with me.

I think she’ll do well upstairs. I’ll rearrange things up there so she has a private space. I’m certain she’ll be a better tenant than her Dad, who never seems to have any money toward the added expense of heat and water. She has her own car, so transportation won’t be an issue. She’ll also be able to get a transit pass for a nominal fee as a student.

Another consideration will be that if she lives with me, the kids will stop trying to get me to sell my house and move into an apartment. I don’t do well with close neighbors. Either they’re too noisy or I am. Besides, it’s nice being in a relatively quiet neighborhood. When I first moved in, I was on the younger side. Now I’m the oldest person on the block.

Crafting

Classes, Part two

Leave a comment

My third class will be melt and pour soap-making. I’ve been making soap on and off for 17 years. My first bars were cold process castille soap. I started soap making shortly after my youngest grandchild was born. Since the other three live 900 miles away, I was determined to be a part of this child’s life.

One thing I wanted was to make certain she had good soap without additives and strong scents. I’m mostly scent free, except for a few scents such as lavender, cedar and saffron, and mint which I find pleasant enough. When I make soap for others, I tend to use the first two and the mint is used with chocolate to make a chocolate-mint soap.

I do have other scents that I use for cleaning and as all purpose air- freshening. But most of my soaps for my use are unscented or lavender. When I give soaps as gifts, I use other fragrances that most people find pleasant. Those are made in small batches.

Back to my class, hopefully I will have all eight slots filled – there has been a good response so far. The class is going to be held in November at the maker space I belong to. Offering classes is a way we engage other members and teach them new skills.

There are classes offered every week in every area of the shop -woodturning, ceramics, hot glass, and others. All the classes are taught by members skilled in the use of the tools and materials. We are all volunteers and no limit is put on how many classes or what we can charge for our expertise.

I usually just charge small fee for time and materials, while some of the others are actively supplementing their income. At the end of the year, the person who is in charge of posting the classes will send out any tax forms that we need to report our class income. This year, I will probably be at the limit and will get a 1099. No biggie, I always report my sales and income.

Crafting

Classes, part 1

Leave a comment

I wrote up three new classes for the members of the maker space I belong to. I’ll be offering a class in using our heat press to make unique gifts. This will include training on our Cricut cutting machine for cutting vinyl for stencils and transfers.

Our heat press has attachments for applying vinyl designs to shirts and other flat items, for mugs and tumblers, ball caps and two sizes of plates. We actually had it sitting around disassembled for almost a year until I finally put it together and taught myself how to use it. I’ve given classes in its use before but it doesn’t get much use since we got screen printing set up.

What I plan to show my students is that the combination of the Cricut and heat press can give them more options for unique personalized gifts. I recommend screen printing for runs of multiples of the same t-shirts or fabric goods. We do have several members who use the Cricut or our big vinyl cutter to make stencils for screens, but for a one-off, the two machines work well.

My second class is basic book binding. I’ve been repairing and making books since 9th grade. I had a open period and started working in the library during that time. We would be given discarded books that had missing pages or wrecked bindings. My job was to make a page template and type up the missing pages from a borrowed copy to be bound into the book. This was ages before copy machines were a thing.

I found it much more interesting work than taking what was called Home Economics which was a course for only female students to prepare them for a home and family. Now Home Ec has been repackaged for both female and male students to teach them some life skills, but not nearly enough skills.

I actually have a side business of repairing older books by hand. I’ve restored both leather and cloth bindings and rebind those that need it. I no longer type up missing pages, but I do use acid-free tape to repair torn pages.

My bookbinding class will have the students build a book from making the signatures and cover to assembling the signatures and cover to make a useful notebook. In the interest of time, I will make basic kits containing the papers, and chipboard, decorative papers, and permanent glue sticks. We won’t be making books to last for ages – just something easy and usable.

About me, Crafting

Paper Tube Figures and Memories

Leave a comment

I’ve started making some cats and birds with the cores of toilet rolls based on similar things I’ve found on Pinterest. They’re small and currently covered in torn book pages. I need to put another layer of torn paper and methylcellulose. I’m out of wheat paste and the better white glue, but have plenty of the methylcellulose powder. A tablespoon of powder, hot water, and then cold water make a bit less than a cup. More than enough for a couple of papier-mache projects.

I’m going to use handmade paper for the final paper layer to give texture to the figures. Then they will be painted with acrylic paints. I’ll use them as examples of what people can do with imperfect handmade paper scraps.

I collect cat-related things – hot pads, towels, earrings, live cats. I’m down to just one cat. She was once feral and doesn’t trust other cats. When she first came here, I had two elderly cats- a tortie and a grey tuxedo. Sadly, they both crossed the Rainbow Bridge to join Greta, Claire, Spooky, Mao, Nermal, Perrin, Shmoo, and a few whose names I’ve forgotten.

I’ve forgotten them not because I didn’t care for them, but because I realize that my elderly brain is forgetting a lot of my past life. Most of my childhood is gone. That’s no great loss, except I don’t remember too many good times. I remember getting my piano because the workers had to remove a window and use a block and tackle to hoist it up to the front room of our New York Apartment.

I remember my youngest uncle coming in drunk and throwing up beans and franks on my baby brother who was sleeping in his crib. I think my uncle was living with us and sharing the baby’s room. I was in either first or second grade at the time.

I remember chasing after this same brother when we lived in Connecticut a few years later. I used to take him with me to the little store that was located at the end of a wide wooded path. He made it there once by himself and the owner called my mom and told her my brother was there.

The time I chased after him, I was supposed to be watching him outside, but he escaped. I thought he went into the house, but he hadn’t. I took off for the store and caught up with him halfway there, chanting, “found penny. Going to Mike’s!” Mike’s was the name of the market. I didn’t want them calling my mother again. I feared the wooden spoon she used on me. That I remember.

I also remember I was in 9th grade when I got my last whipping with my father’s belt. Afterwards, he asked me why I made him do that. Well, Daddy I didn’t mean to jump into you, but I got stung by a bee. Excuses were not allowed.

Some memories are best forgotten, but those are the ones that pop up from time to time. Now that you’re depressed, don’t be. I survived my parents and moved away from them. They’re both dead now and I don’t miss either of them.

My siblings have different, kinder memories for the most part. I don’t know how they did it. My youngest sister is permanently branded from when our mother hit her with a hot steam iron when she was 5. The oldest of my two brothers was abandoned by both my parents at age 15.

The sister 10 years younger than me was made responsible for our 4 youngest siblings at age 11. She finally ran away and was put in a foster home at age 13. She allowed our mother to live with her for several years when our mother was homeless.

I kicked my mother out of my apartment by calling the cops on her when she left my 5 year-old son alone in my apartment when he was home sick. She wound up in a shelter until one of my younger sisters took her back East, where she was kicked out of three nursing homes for scaring the other residents.

Mental illness is strong in our family. It doesn’t just run; it hops, skips, dances, and pirouettes.

Crafting, Stuff

Craft Room

Leave a comment

I was actually in my craft room last evening for several hours. I made a painting of a cat. It’s “ugly-cute” as my youngest grandchild once described my former dog. It’s not one of my best, but it represents an effort to get back into creating art, and books, and other types of crafting.

My goofy cat painting

It’s been almost a year since I’ve actually created anything. The depression has been bad. Before The Road Trip From Hell, I was up in the craft room almost every day making junk journals, drawing, and making collages. After TRTFH, I was deeply distressed after the breakdowns of the car, the unexpected extra hotel bills and the lies about being reimbursed for the tows and the extra stays.

My sister called me last week, asking if I had a passport and if I wanted to take another trip with the two of them to Europe. I declined, citing the need for a new roof. My next trip will be to Pennsylvania for my granddaughter’s wedding. I don’t plan to travel with any of my siblings again. I might visit some of them next year if the world doesn’t end.

I’m not certain my son will be going to the wedding with me. He called yesterday after visiting his doctor and he broke his pelvis. I know he fell down stairs, but I don’t know if it was work-related or if it occurred at home. So long as he can still work and not move in with me, I’m not going to worry about him. He can only lift 10 pounds for the next 4 months which affects his work. I’m not certain how comfortable he will be sitting in the car for the trip to Pennsylvania.

Crafting

Current Mood

Leave a comment

I started this a couple of gloomy days ago. Grey. Grey skies again. Raining – good for plants, bad for me. it’s so dark at 8 am. This will be another day of not getting my shed assembled. I can’t do it alone, but my help is really bad on the follow-through. Is it bad parenting? Or is the alcohol?

My family where I live consists of two people other than me – my son and my youngest granddaughter. I rarely see either of them. My son has to work, made plans with a friend he hasn’t seen in 5 years, doesn’t have gas money, promised someone he’d help them do their yard, or some other equally obnoxious excuse. The only time I hear from him is if he needs gas money or food.

My Granddaughter works, and when she’s not working, watches her younger sister, or hangs with friends. She’s still a kid at 16, soon to be 17. I cut her plenty of slack. I’m not her responsibility. If I call her and say I need her help, she’ll figure out a day and time. But I don’t impose on her.

So my shed is in its component parts waiting. If it wasn’t a two-person job, I’d have done it by now. Enough bitchin’ and moaning. You’re not here for that. You’re here to find out if I ever made it to the Quilt Museum. Yes I did. The Wisconsin Museum of Quilts & Fiber Arts, located in Cedarburg, Wisconsin, has been hosting the traveling exhibit 25 Million Stitches: One Stitch, One Refugee.

This exhibit is an artistic collaboration from many different nations and people about human displacement, immigration, and solidarity. It consists of over 25 million hand-sewn stitches, each representing a single displaced human being. The stitches are sewn on muslin banners of varying lengths, which were connected to form banners each 14’ long. Completing this physical representation of this huge statistic required participation from over 2,300 stitchers from 37 countries and all 50 U.S. states.

I spent several hours there at the Museum, actually looking for my panel which I could not find. Several other guests helped after I showed a photo from my phone, but I never did find it. I thought I had, but it was not clearly visible from the floor.

The center aisle of the exhibit.
Some of the panels from the left side of
the room.
An example of some of the intricate stitchery that made of the exhibit.
The center panel of this image vaguely suggests the panel I made. I’m not certain it is actually mine.

That last photo was taken from the floor, looking up at the panel. It seems to be washed out by the overhead light. The picture below is what my panel looked like before I packed it up to send out.

My entry to the 25 Million Stitches Project.

I did find my name on the list of contributors so I know they received it. The exhibit has been traveling for several years not so there’s bound to be fading and damage even though they pack the banners very carefully. It was worth the drive even though my GPS kept trying to get me back on the selected route after I had to detour because one of the bridges was out of service for replacement.

Crafting, Stuff

Storage Shed and Other stuff

Leave a comment

The big project today was to assemble the shed I bought a month ago. The Boy Wonder came over early to finish laying the pavers for the shed base. But we didn’t finish because we both got over-heated preparing the ground for the paver base.

Tomorrow we need to re-do the pavers we did today. I totally forgot to put down the weed barrier. We still have one row of pavers to finish. Then we can assemble the shed and the yard equipment and furniture will no longer have to be stored in the garage. I might finally have enough room to pull the car all the way into the garage and be able to walk around it.

I’ve been working on my Will. That’s a lot of work. I spent 4 hours typing 5 pages. I’m not the best typist for words. Nor am I any longer a great number typist. I worked retail for so many years, and I was fairly fast with either hand, depending on how the checkout counter faced. But now I’m Miss Pokey. I never learned to touch type. That was taught in 9th grade, but I worked in the library at that class period.

The funny thing is that to replace missing pages in a book, we had to borrow a copy from the local library, create a page template, and then manually type the replacement text. So I did type but never learned the keyboard properly. Those replacement pages were then cut to size and inserted into the book. That’s how I learned book repair and re-binding – a skill I still use to make my own books and journals.

Today was supposed to be the day I held a paper-making class, but only one person had signed up. She’s willing to attend the August session which should have more people signed. Several who were interested had planned vacations for this July weekend.

I need to drive over to the Quilt Museum. I actually have a piece on display as a part of the 25 Million Stitches Project. It will be interesting to see the full display. Sad as well. Each stitch represents a refugee from an area with war, or drought, or other life-changing disaster. At this point in time, 25 million stitches is probably too few. I did 2500 stitches on my piece. Not nearly enough, considering the current state of the world.

And that is today’s update. I promise I will get back to crafting and posting pictures. The depression still has a tight hold on my brain, but I am getting better.

Crafting

Back to Bad Habits

Leave a comment

As in not posting. My paper-making class is about to be cancelled. Only one person signed up. I guess I charged too much. Most classes at the maker-space are from $50 to $250. I charged $50 per person and $25 for kids. I normally only charge a materials fee based on the average amount I pay for supplies plus $5, so people probably think the cost is too high.

As far as I know as of today, only one person has signed up for tomorrow’s session. I’ll ask if they want to attend the August class and postpone this session.

Update: July class is definitely cancelled.

Crafting, Stuff

Rainbow

Leave a comment

I’ve never seen a rainbow at night.

Rainbow 8:25 pm. Taken with phone.

I was at the Maker-space for Craft Night, but due to the weather reports, most people stayed home. Those of us there stayed until a bit after 8. The drive home was nothing special until I saw the rainbow the red sky.

I didn’t want to pull over on the side of the road so I took the photo after I pulled into the garage. It was weird seeing the multicolored arc in the evening sky. I thought it might be a moonbow, except the sun was just setting behind storm clouds in the west and the rainbow was to the east. So technically, it should be a rainbow not a moonbow. But someone who knows more can feel free to correct this old lady.

So far, I only have one person signed up for my first Basic Papermaking class. I hope I get a few more students by Saturday or I’ll have to cancel. And move that person to the session in August. Ah well. That’s it for now.