I Made This - Carolanne Graham

I Made This is a weekly blog series that features makers from around the world and aims to talk about the things we are proud of; of the objects we make that have meaning to us and the journey we take to make them.

So many of you will remember the I Was Totally Wrong About Patchwork series. I've come a long way since then - I've come as far as making my own patchwork queen size quilt after years of whole cloth work. And part of why I've come as far as I've come is because of someone I met on instagram - Carolanne Graham.

Some work from Carolanne's instagram feed. 

I first found her through the feed of Lindsay Stead (who is one of the feature quilters in the patchwork post). Lindsay and Carolanne both work at the amazing Workroom in Canada. Anyway down the instagram wormhole I went and it happily lead me to Carolanne's insta feed. The work in her feed seems to have such intention and the space to become what it wants to become. I've never met her but her work really inspired me. I obsessively made my star as a direct result of seeing the star Lindsay made while taking Carolanne's star class. By obsessively, I mean the kind of making where you feed your kids toast for dinner just so you can keep making the thing. And then give them a Sparkle Story rather than reading them books. Anyway….a long intro to say that because I don't get to meet her in person, and because I don't get to go to one of her classes, I asked her to share something about her making here. And I love what she wrote. Thanks Carolanne. x

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I Made This - Carolanne Graham

I initially described my whole cloth star as “accidentally wonderful” like so many creative endeavors. I never intended to make it as a sample, but I’ve been bringing it to classes for years and I’m delighted to know that this quilt has inspired many dyeing and whole cloth projects. It also makes a guest appearance every year under a tiny Christmas tree on my sewing table.

The cloth was dyed in the summer of 2009 in the workroom’s first natural dyeing class. I tried to stay very busy back then. Having recently finished graduate school I was dreading stagnation and questioning the copious changes I had recently made in my life.

I arrived for class late and unprepared (again). It was indigo week and I had no plan for my shibori. The week before, our instructor Julie Sinden showed us a star that she had made in art school so I told her I wanted a star too – like I had planned it all along. My classmates were tactfully impressed. But I was so disappointed that I hadn’t put thought into my piece. There were no grades to assign yet, when I had the freedom to do whatever I wanted – I had no idea what to do. I had wanted to work with natural dyes for years and when I finally had the chance, I didn’t really show up.  

In the winter of 2011, I had bought my first home since the dye class and homeownership left me feeling perpetually nervous and preoccupied; like I was constantly moving, but never in the right place. I returned home from teaching an intro to handwork class, sat down to work on a project and I realized that I had left my rotary cutter and my scissors at the shop. I tried to salvage the evening by reorganizing my fabric and that’s when I found my star.    

Photo by Karyn Valino.

The decision to make a whole cloth was easy because it was the only sort of sewing I was going to do that night. My star became the sort of project that you start on autopilot; when you need to sew something to get out of your own head.  I marked and basted it quickly and after a few rounds of stitching, this underwhelming, flat piece of pale blue vibrated with life. Though it started in the midst of creative struggle, I added the best part of it when I was too tired to question my instinct.

I made this; out of two circumstances when I was exhausted from trying so hard.  I no longer reproach myself for the shibori pattern. You make for many reasons in your life. There are times when you can’t contain your brilliance and others when it’s been nearly depleted. Taking inspiration doesn’t mean the work isn’t your own. Sometimes what you add is your love and commitment and I promise you – that’s more than enough. 

I Made This - Brienne Moody

I Made This is a weekly blog series that features makers from around the world and aims to talk about the things we are proud of; of the objects we make that have meaning to us and the journey we take to make them.

This week's I Made This comes to us all the way from Minnesota in the US of A. I met the lovely Brienne a couple of years ago when I was lucky enough to share a cabin with a few years ago at Squam. I'm totally in love with her style and her willingness to experiment and make stuff up. Brienne has such an incredible way of putting things together. She shares her successes (and her not-so-sucesses) at her blog By Brienne, she has an etsy shop and you can find her on instagram at @bemoody. 

Two of the super women I met at Squam a few years ago. Brienne is the smiler on the right!

I made this deer last June. I remember the weekend that I made it - it was very rainy. We had hiked in the morning over many slippery, mossy rocks. We had an early lunch that included a bit of wine. When we got home, still encouraged by the morning walk and by the wine, I settled in and began to work on this deer alongside my daughter.

I make mostly garments and handbags but I’ve always been drawn to soft sculpture. Over the years I’ve learned to appreciate a professionally finished seam and a well-fitting, handmade dress. I sew on my machine every day and I have knitting in my hands at all times. In fact, as I write this, all I can think of is my unfinished sweater sitting just inches away from my fingers...

I’m most inspired, though, by the things that show the hand that made them. But I don’t do “hand making” as much as I like. So the deer was a stretch for me. It is all hand-sewn and is made in such a way that the hand sewing is featured. There is no hiding your mistakes. I did all of the stitching and my daughter did all of the stuffing.

The children were so eager to get her in their hands that I allowed them to play with her for several days undressed and with one leg.

I think that her knitted shawl is backwards. Her left leg keeps falling off. I didn’t do the knots correctly when I finished a section. Still - she is the thing that I am most proud of making. And whenever I unearth her from under a pile of dress-ups or when my daughter clips her into an empty carseat to keep her safe on the road, I am reminded of the work that I did to animate her. And of the afternoon spent together with my daughter greedily stuffing her limbs. 

I love her so much that I made a boy version of her this fall to give to my son for Christmas. And I have two babies stowed away to be given as a Valentines day treat. Thank you for having me, dear readers. May your next crafty stretch become your new obsession:)

I Made This - Martine Lynch

I Made This is a weekly blog series that features makers from around the world and aims to talk about the things we are proud of; of the objects we make that have meaning to us and the journey we take to make them.

I ended last year with an I Made This from my good friend Jenn, and I am going to start the year with another good friend of mine Martine. And there is a reason why I want to share their stories. Both of them are newbie crafters and have only been making for the last two years. Which is part of why I find them so inspiring. Neither of them has years of crafty experience under their belts and so they totally have the newfound joy of making for themselves. They are finding their feet, sorting through their stuff and finding their confidence. It is a total privilege to watch. They show that you can be at the start of your crafty life AND make amazingly beautiful stuff that makes your heart sing.  

Martine on the road trip from Melbourne to Darwin - 6am in Kings Canyon. 

It turns out that my first knitted sweater, coincidentally my first knitted garment for my boy, feels amazingly special. He is SO chuffed, and I'm chuffed for him, and for me.

Knitting it was a twelve month marathon in the making. Casting on occurred while on a beach holiday last year, and I happened to bind off and sew in the ends sitting at the same table, twelve months later. It's kind of ridiculous but the learning has been incredible. 

Before I talk more about the sweater I want to give a little backdrop to my story, and let you into my thinking. I started knitting two short years ago with the loving encouragement of our dear friend Felicia. For a good ten months I sat in awe of her ability to make such beautiful things. It is only through her "of course you can do it" motto, that pushed me from knitting kilometers of garter stitch into knitting garments that I like, and that my children would wear. I now have made several cardigans for my two girls, starting off with easier capped sleeves, progressing to full sleeves and then to lace. Totally fun when you have a 'master' at your finger tips and a small community of makers in your mix.  Learning craft together, and benefiting from this new found love, as our hands make. For the first time in years, I have felt dizzy excitement over something that I created. Sounds kinda sad? It's not. I have a lot to be grateful for in my world, but this feeling is different. Even though so far the final products are worn by others, everything about the making is for me, Martine. It's not about the role of mother, social worker, or wife. Just, ME! 

Back to the sweater. This project is different to the cardigans for a few reasons. The knitting was kick-started on a Thelma and Louise style car trip from Melbourne to Darwin, where I got to be me for the first time since having kids, and then came with me on our family holiday in Darwin. Not long after that trip, my trusted master went on a lengthy family sojourn for six months and I had to work the tricky bits out alone. I had to sit with how I process things and work out ways of breaking through my expectations, my fear of making mistakes, my frustration in still being a learner, procrastination...ugh. 

So, here's what happened. I got stuck when I had to start the shoulders. What the hell was I supposed to do with those floppy ends? How was I to sew them down to create create arm holes and an envelope neck? The designer assumed I knew. My first strategy was to put the project down and distract myself with making two cardigans. My poor boy, he was so understanding, he knew I was stuck. I then got sick of not knowing and googled everything I could, read what felt like hundreds of blog posts etc. Then I had that light bulb moment, when I realised that I had to let go of the fear, and actually just give it go. So - lesson 1- often it doesn't make sense until you are doing it. Big. Then I read the pattern again and she did tell me how to do it.  I just wasn't ready to trust that I could do it. Very big moment.

From here I was OK. I just worked through each challenge. I did the first armhole three times. I did the whole arm twice because I somehow lost a ball of yarn and had to rethink colours. I redid the short rows on the second sleeve.

Then one final stumble - I started beating myself up over the time. "By the time I finish it will be summer" and the realisation that I have worked through so much and "it might not even fit him by winter". The filthy mood this created slowed the jumper down again. l processed these thoughts quietly and then woke up one morning early in December and decided I would finish it regardless  - "if it doesn't fit, I'm pulling it". BANG. Liberating - lesson 2 - I know how to do it now so why not. Feelings of exhilaration came once I got over this hurdle, because it meant completion.  

Who would have thought that in making stuff you get to know yourself better?

The good news is it does fit, and even has some room for growth. His comment was "mum, I really love it! I can't believe how nice it is."

The chosen pattern, is 'Softly (you)' by Solenn Couix-Loarer, the yarn is Rowan Felted Tweed DK in Clay for the main body and Seafarer for the stripes and sleeves.

I Made This - Jennifer Mobilia

I Made This is a weekly blog series that features makers from around the world and aims to talk about the things we are proud of; of the objects we make that have meaning to us and the journey we take to make them.

This week's I Made This features my very good friend Jenn. She doesn't have an online crafty presence for you to check out, but she happens to be one of the most inspirational crafters I know. I'll let her speak first, but at the end of the post I'll tell you just why I find her so incredible. 

The lovely back of her head at The Craft Sessions 2014 wearing her freshly made Scout Tee!

It was the inaugural Craft Sessions Retreat in 2013 that finally shifted me from wanting to ‘make’ a garment to actually getting down and just doing it! Oh and the exceptionally kind and encouraging words of my mate, a seasoned ‘maker’ who said with gusto and a big cheeky smile ‘yes of course you can do it’.  So, I chose to believe her and thought why not just give it a go.

I chose this wonderfully comfy and simple to make garment for a relative beginner - The Made by Rae Washi Dress that I saw the spunky Georgie Hallam wondering around in at the first retreat.  It wasn’t long before I had my fabric, was fumbling around with the PDF pattern puzzle pieces with a girlfriend and getting busy with my not-so-sharp scissors. I couldn’t believe it even in the midst of making the dress that the bodice fit perfectly and it came together so quickly without assistance from anyone. I love that way the dress gives me a sense of wearing something fitted but also allows my lower half to be totally comfortable.

It is my favourite piece to date as it has given me the confidence to surge forward and make more and more. Yes it is bit of a hack job made with a wonky neck, fraying around the underarms and stiff crafting fabric, being the novice that I am - but there has been much joy from regular wear and positive comments from friends and family that reinforce the lovely feeling of having made something for myself.  

Being a mother of two young children in between careers without a crafting background this dress represents for me exploration, fun and creativity – a sense of achievement. Fearlessly learning to sew has given me an accessible outlet to connect with one of the things I love most – fashion and clothing = lots and lots of joy!

Jenn

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Hi - Felicia here - so I wanted to postscript her post with a little bit about why I think she is so inspiring - and it comes down to her get-it-done attitude. She has been making clothing for not even two years and in that short space of time has made a full size men's jumper, herself a 5ply cardy, many small person carries and numerous frocks…..things many a crafter before her would not have attempted to make, without more experience. I wrote a post really early on on this blog called "Good technique is overrated - discuss" and she is the epitome of that. She didn't get stuck on doing it "right". She just made. And now with each project she gets more skilled and is doing beautiful work all over the place. Which is why I love the photo below so much  - it reminds me of her courage and her determination. She just did it. Didn't worry that it wasn't perfect, wore it proudly and then made another. The other post I wrote that makes me think of her is "The false economy of not making". She practices. She makes me want to be courageous in my craft! Thanks Jenn x

I Made This - Melissa Wastney

I Made This is a weekly blog series that features makers from around the world and aims to talk about the things we are proud of; of the objects we make that have meaning to us and the journey we take to make them.

This week's I Made This is by the lovely Melissa Wastney of Tiny Happy. I've been lucky enough to spend some time with this ace woman when she comes to teach at The Craft Sessions. I'm always inspired by the way she approaches her work, with a freedom and a disregard for the "rules", creating simple beauty time and again. She often reuses fabrics and repurposes things - which she documents in her gorgeous book Sweet and Simple Handmade. 

A page from Sweet and Simple Handmade.

Keira’s green quilt

This is my daughter’s baby blanket. I hesitate to call it a quilt. It’s more of a small patchwork piece, made in the summer of 2005, when I was very pregnant and it was so hot that I drew the curtains in the house during the day and took the occasional cold bath. That was nearly ten years ago, which is hard to believe.

Back then I was doing a lot of knitting; I had a spinning wheel and was experimenting with yarn dyeing too. I had made quite a few baby hats, booties and vests in earthy colours. And I thought that if the baby was a girl, I’d like to call her Fern.

The previous year, Mum had made a very beautiful queen-sized quilt for Tom and I, and she gave me the leftover fabric scraps. My patchwork skills were a bit dodgy, so I just sewed the squares together until I had a cot-sized piece.

A general lack of funds combined with my reluctance to traipse into town with a toddler meant that I had to find an alternative batting to put inside my quilt. I remembered a length of fleece fabric in the wardrobe leftover from an old project, so that’s what I used. To back it I used plain green cotton. I didn’t like my chances of quilting the piece properly so I tied each corner with perle cotton thread.

It was finished just in time for Keira’s arrival (in the end Fern became her middle name).

When I told Felicia about this project at The Craft Sessions this year, I think she was a bit horrified about the fleece layer inside the blanket* (I think Mum was too when I showed her, but she didn’t mention it) and these days I would definitely use cotton or wool batting and a proper quilt binding.

I know that many traditional quilts would have been made with scraps and re-used blankets or coats inside for warmth and weight, and this is what I really like about the quiltmaking as a craft: its humble origins. Warmth, function, a sense of making do.

Keira is very attached to her ‘blankie’ and as a toddler would talk to it and tuck it up in bed like it was one of her soft animals. It’s travelled around the world with us, been dragged along to countless sleepovers and trips, and even though she’s nearly ten she still carefully arranges it on her bed every night, carefully smoothing it over her duvet.

Some of the squares are completely falling apart, allowing the fleecey secret to show through (I used some random bits of silk from a favourite vintage dress amongst the squares without thinking) but I’m so happy that I have this little piece of that summer; that hot, tired, round, heavy waiting time.

Previously in I Made This: Elizabeth Barnett

*Hey - it's Felicia here. Just to set the record straight ;) I wanted to say that I rather impressed that a woman who makes such beautiful things lined her babies quilt with green fleece. Impressed not horrified! x