Inspiration - The Purl Bee

So it's a bit late and I can't get my Stash Less post finished by the morning. Too many thoughts that I want to capture properly y'know? So I thought I would show you one of my latest finished objects and at the same time pay homage to the institution that is The Purl Bee. The Purl Bee is the blog run alongside the gorgeous shop Purl Soho in New York. Over the last year or so I have mentioned many projects from the Purl Bee in passing, but I have never actually done a post on the blog as a whole - crazy talk as it is one of my favourite blogs! So today I wanted to highly recommend you have a look through their archives if you are looking for inspiration over the Christmas period.

Most of their patterns are free, nearly every single one is gorgeous. Their instructions are fantastic and the women that come up with the projects are incredibly clever. The Purl Bee does simple beauty - just how I like it. They epitomise Point 3 on The Craft Sessions Manifesto  - Beautiful things can be made with very simple techniques and skills. Nearly every project is simple in it's design and execution, and they don't often use complicated techniques. Most of their projects could be done by an advanced beginner and often they are suitable for absolute beginners. Simple beauty over and over again!

My first version of the Embroidered Denim Jumper from her 5yo birthday!

This week it was my middle girl child's 7th birthday and she asked me for another version of her birthday dress from two years ago - "It's so comfy mama!" It is gorgeous free pattern called The Embroidered Denim Jumper. I love this pattern. So simply constructed. The yoke is super fun and the dress comes together quickly. It also has a beautiful shape and is very comfortable. 

The only issue I had is that the first version had a super wide neck, and while it still fits, it was super annoying t. This time around I printed out the neck template but then made it smaller about 1/2" the whole way around. This worked much better. It is still a big open neck, just not falling off her shoulders the whole time. I have included some dodgy iPhone photos we took at her birthday lunch the other day. She wasn't into me taking photos on her birthday - fair enough! 

I also altered the dimensions a little to give a proper gathered skirt all the way around and I think I make the top section a couple of inches longer. If you can sew a straight line you can sew this dress! What I particularly love about this project is you can really just embrace the wonk. Wonky lines of stitching in this look gorgeous. It adds to its simple charm.

Other patterns I have made using their projects; I showed you my versions of the City Gym Shorts a few weeks ago. I have also made their absolutely gorgeous Herringbone Cowl. My version is shown below. Sadly it has gone to the world's lost property bin so I need to knit up another at some stage. I just need to move on from the heartbreak first. 

I've made stunning dolls, and rabbits and owls and baby pants and totes and …..many other things that I don't have photos for because I get them done and ship them out. The Purl Bee is my go to for gift making ideas -  and the perfect site to visit the week before Christmas! Last minute gift ideas abound.

My little boy is about to make pillow cases for his sisters for Christmas using their pillowcases for every bed pattern. A simple project that the girls will love. 

Get to it tigers! I'd love to hear about your favourite Purl Bee patterns. 

Felicia 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

I Made This - Christine Chitnis

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.

Today's I Made This is by Christine Chitnis, a writer and photographer from Providence in the US. I was lucky enough to befriend this ace woman at Squam last year through my gorgeous friend Kellen. Sitting in our cabin in the evening, and watching the care and patience with which Christine knits, was truly inspiring. I often find myself trying to race through my knitting to get something finished - but she seemed to be content to quietly and carefully knit*. I learnt something in that moment. 

I suppose I am a long-time crafter.  My love of making dates back to my youth when I first learned to sew from my mom.  I would piece together wonky doll quilts and over-sized fleece pajama pants.  I hated measuring and cutting straight lines, but loved zipping along on the sewing machines.  I have the same habits today, and my imperfect quilts still make my mom laugh.  To me, they're perfectly imperfect, just the way I like it.  I decided in middle school that I wanted to learn to knit, and since my mother didn't know how, she signed me up for lessons at the knitting shop in our small town.  I spent hours there after school, knitting with and learning from a circle of older women.  Looking back, I can't help but wonder how they viewed the awkward pre-teen in their midst.

Once I reached high school, I was fully entrenched in sports, music and academics, and for the time being, my love of crafting took a backseat.  Busy high school years led into college, where I juggled nanny work with a full time student schedule and various clubs and activities.  After college I started working straight away, six days a week in the non-profit sector, as well as evenings waitressing.  I was busy. 

Until I wasn't.

At 24, I married and moved away from my friends, my beloved city of Chicago and my work to be with my husband at his new job.  As a newlywed in a brand new town, I didn't have a clue as to what to do with myself.  I have never been good at down time, but I felt it would be a mistake to rush into the next job, not knowing what I really wanted to do with my life.  Around that time, seven years ago, blogs were becoming a "thing" and I thought I would start one, and use it to improve my writing, if nothing else.  Little did I know it would completely change my life, give me a new career as an author and photographer, and reintroduce me to my love of crafting and making. 

Inspired by all the projects I saw out there in the blog world, I returned to my needles and relearned the art of knitting, sharing all my beginner project on my blog and feeding off the positive reinforcement.  I bought a used sewing machine and began quilting again, working my way up to garment making as my skills improved.  I had my first baby, then 20 months later, my second.  Knitting and sewing, photographing and writing became a life line, a way to infuse the daily drudgery with windows of creativity and joy.  I love my kids dearly, but life as a young mom can suck you dry.

My youngest is now 2, and my oldest started preschool this year.  Our lives are hitting a nice pace, and I continue carving out time for my craft, finding ways to fit it in between the endless loads of laundry and dinner preparations, the book deadlines and bedtime routines.  Now that I have relearned the necessary skills, I am shifting my focus to creating garments that I actually want to wear.  Garments that fit my life and style. 

That meant taking a hard look at my style, and what I like, and this is what I found: I am a tomboy at heart, most comfortable in a worn pair of jeans and t-shirt, or simple sweater.  I love a pop of color, and a fun detail, but ease is key.  I'm becoming better at gauge and fit, though I still have much to learn and I'm the laziest gauge-er you've ever met.  My favorite sweater thus far is my Antler.  It is perfection, it really is.  Well except for that small hole where I might have dropped a stitch, and the way it's a bit short under the arms.  Perfectly imperfect, just the way I like it, and just the way it'll always be.

* As evidenced in her lovely quilted vest.

Around the Traps - Baby Sweaters

It's baby season around here (not for me) which means baby knitting. Nothing more fun that that. So I thought I would do a little roundup of some of my favourite/new go-to patterns for baby knitting.

Starting with the sweater in the photos. It comes from the book Lullaby Knits. While I wouldn't say this book was for beginners (as the gauge information tends to be fairly confusing which could lead to some wacky results) I do think this sweater and others in the book are gorgeous! This sweater ranks as one of my favourite baby knits ever.

Cabled Cardy from Lullaby Knits

Other new/exciting to me baby patterns are:

The whole range from Paelas - which is a collaboration between three women in Norway. Check out their individual instagram feeds which you can find from their About page. So beautiful. I am particularly taken by the Flash top and know I need one for one of my girls.

The I've-never-made-it-but-always-meant-to Baby Fairisle Cardigan from Purl Soho. I saw a version of this a little while ago that I can't get out of my head. I was thinking that maybe I should make a version with the scraps of my colourwork cardy - just need to find a mother that doesn't mind semi-scratchy wool for her small person. 

The Pebble Vest by Nikol Lohr - possibly the most practically useful baby knit ever. I finally got around to putting the buttons on one I made ages ago and sent it along to a baby this week. 

Silver Fox by Lisa Chemery - I love the fit on this little cardy and the icord edging. I might take out a few of the details when I made it to make it a smidge simpler.

Another similar pattern is super sweet Eole by the lovely Nadia of IttyBitty. I saw one of these in real life of Amy of Sunspun's little girl recently. So gorgeous! 

I'm still totally obsessed by this bonnet here (which I have made a few times) and this cardy here. Classic knits that are super fun to knit - I will be making them again. 

And while I could keep going I'm going to stop soon - but what list would be complete without the Immie Tee by Carrie Bostick Hoge and Clara by Karin Vestergaard Methiesen

Alrighty….stopping now. Tell me your favourites. I would love some new ideas!

Felicia x

"You're so talented" and other malignant myths.

There were many things that spurred me on to create The Craft Sessions, but one of the biggest drivers was hearing the words "You're so talented" when someone saw something I had made. Now before I sound totally ungrateful, I know that the person saying "you're so talented" to me, is trying to be kind and complimentary. But the way the statement is often used implies that the crafter in question, in this case me, has a special quality that means that I can make beautiful things due to the magic of talent.

Talented is a quality that you either have or you don't, because talent isn't something that one works towards, is it? Talent creates a divide between those that make things, and those that wish they could. The concept of "you're so talented" really bugs me - really really bugs me - because I think that the idea of people being "talented" is so deflating and discouraging to so many people. AND for what we do - which is craft for joy - talent has nothing to do with it.

So bear with me while I explain why I have such an issue, and why I think that talent is totally irrelevant. 

So let's say we are runner's rather than crafters. Most of us runners are simply looking to put on our sneakers and go out for a run around the block. We aren't concerned too much about our speed or the finesse with which we run. We just want the exercise and the joy of running. Obviously this joy only happens once you get past the initial six week hump, which in crafting equates to the "learning to sew/knit/quilt" hump. As we get better we might want to improve our technique, so we might start reading the odd article about footstrike, or maybe join a running club. We may want to start challenging ourselves to get fitter and improve our speed, so that we get a bit more enjoyment out of it.  But - and here is the key - we aren't trying to become Olympic athletes - we are just trying to go for a run. Now, if you were wanting to be an Olympic athlete, you probably need some natural born talent. All we are looking to do is run around the block (enjoy making some stuff), and maybe eventually do a fun-run here and there. Talent is not necessary. Practice is.

It goes without saying that the internet has been a total game changer where craft is concerned. It has given us access to techniques and skills that previously existed in silos of local knowledge. We have been able to learn to craft (in my case knitting) without having someone teach us in person. But the biggest thing it has done is inspire us. There are so many amazing (talented? ;)) people making so many beautiful things. However, there is a dark side to all the inspirational joy we get from looking at what others make. The prevalence of beautiful pictures without context, can sometimes have the opposite effect on us, leading us to make less not more, as we struggle with the idea of being less "X" than someone else. Questions arise; "How do they make something so beautiful", "Look at their gorgeous finishing", "Look at their perfect topstitching", "How do they make so many things, when I can't find the time to do one?". And those questions can stifle us, deflate us and ultimately lead us to not make. 

These contrasting feelings of inspiration and deflation can coexist. I wrote on Wednesday about the uber-inspiring Gee's Bend book, which on the one hand floors me and encourages me, but on the other hand deflates me with feelings of "there is no way I could ever make something that beautiful". I think I said to something to Anna over coffee this week about a quilter in the book being "genius". She gently (mockingly?) reminded me that I had just been talking about writing this blog post. Whoops.

A reality check is needed. The quilts are in the book because they are so clever. The pictures people post on the internet get posted because the person is proud of their work and they are pretty. People don't tend to put sub-standard quilts in books, nor do they post sub-standard work on the internet. They often don't talk about the ten/twenty/thirty quilts they made before they made the one in the book. I don't often post pictures of the many ugly jumpers I made before I made a pretty one. Or if I do, I post it in it's best light. 

Practice.

I strive for The Craft Sessions to be a place where we find balance in this. Yes - I post pictures of the pretty but I try to temper it with reality. Like that the buttonholes on the birthday dress are sewn all the way through the bib of the dress. Or that I ripped the yoke of the colourwork jumper out six times before I got it to something approximating wearable. Yes - I want you to find inspiration in the things I post - but I also want to talk about the reality. I want you to feel encouraged rather than discouraged by what you see here. I hope I've found some balance.

One final thing; Yes - there are talented people. But for most of us "talented" doesn't actually matter, and it dismisses the largest factor that affects a person's ability to make the things they want to make, and that is practice. Practice and practice and experience and making mistakes. 

This post is me setting the scene for a brand new blog series we have starting soon. It's all about the journey. I can't wait to share it with you. You're going to love it.

As always - I love hearing your thoughts...

Felicia x