It may have taken me two weeks to get my Start Small done, but it’s done. And completion is what counts. Even better, I took the time to make it look a little nicer rather than staying up late and cranking it out just to say I got it done. The binding is far from perfect technically speaking, but practice is the only way to get better. Plus, I love it.
The thing I like about this project is it’s versatility. If you are an advanced sewer, you could easily whip this together in an afternoon. If you’re new to sewing, a project like this is the perfect way to practice new skills. You can create whatever design you want and work in techniques such as appliqué, binding and hand stitching. If you are a quilter, you could even use this idea to practice a new block you like but are unsure of. No matter what technique and pattern you choose to tackle, it’s a great way to use up scraps you have lying around. In my case, I used new scraps that I really like a lot and didn’t want to cut down too much. Now I get to see each piece everyday.
If you create your own coaster of any size, make sure you keep usability and cleaning in mind. When I was assembling this, I made sure that all three layers – top, batting and backing – were securely sewn together. I didn’t want the batting to bunch up the first time I washed it. I also made sure that every bit of the materials are 100% cotton. This also means after a few washes when it starts to look a bit wrinkly, I can iron it without worries of melting synthetic materials. There is a fair degree of hand sewing, which doesn’t always have a great reputation for standing up well to heavy use. In my experience, after a few years of heavy wear, stitches like my backside binding stitches start to wear out. But I made it, so can fix it.
As far as crafting goes, I am back to where I was two weeks ago – lots of ideas, but none jumping out at me. I have been working on getting an Etsy shop up and running, but I think of that as “behind the scenes” crafting. I want to wait and share picture right before the launch. I fear if I share too early, the store opening won’t be as exciting. But I will keep all of you posted on and off.
Also, this is super overdue, but I wanted to share. Abigail Tjaden is a friend of mine who does some really fun installation art In mid-April, she launched her most recent show, a collaborative effort. Sadly, I will not be able to go see it, but if it’s anything like all the other art of hers I’ve seen, it will be loaded with colors and fun to look at over and over again. You will have to take my word for it because apparently, there are no pictures. You can read about it though. But I think this is a great reason for me to contact her for a guest post.
I hope all of you had a great weekend and worked on some good projects. I will keep up finding some good inpsiration and projects to share during the upcoming week. Now relax a bit before you get busy at work too!
daydreamhouse 