Selling Crafty Possessions

I have recently been trying to sell off some of my mother's craft books. She passed away in 2016, so it is far overdue, but the emotional labor behind getting rid of such things has been intense. I finally have started by posting some things on a craft website, Ravelry. 

She had so many books of so many different kinds! Embroidery, quilting, knitting, crocheting, mixed media, felting, spinning, cross stitch, the list just goes on and on! She was a life-long lover of all things craft, and it really shows as I work my way through her library. 

I have been fortunate enough to offload some of her cross stitch materials to online acquaintances that I know will love and respect her books and magazines. I sent a huge stack of cross stitch magazines to a friend on the West Coast. I just sent a few books to a friend in Denmark. I hope to pass more along to other craft lovers as it goes. 

Here is a picture of ONE stack of craft books I have gone through so far. There are sooooo many more. 

So, here is my question- do you ever have craft books you want to offload somewhere? What do you do with them? If I can't get them sold online somewhere I will probably give them to Goodwill or a local craft re-store. Any ideas I can get would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks, and happy crafting!

August Wrap-Up

What did I accomplish in August? Honestly, I didn't finish a SINGLE THING. Not my finest craft productivity. But I had good reason- I'm pregnant, and the fatigue was so intense I couldn't bring myself to craft most days. I did work on a long-term WIP, however, and it is almost ready to bind off and be complete. It is my brioche cowl: 

I'm also excited to finish the current towels I have on my loom, plus I've been asked to make some samples for a shape loom shop, so I have my work cut out for me! I'm still going to be crafting slower than normal, (a friend recently told me, "You're crafting constantly when you're making a baby, it's just not on the outside") but I'm hoping to get some things done this month. I'll keep you all posted!

Happy crafting!

What do you craft in the hottest part of the year?

The heat is here! We have had heat advisories in our neck of the woods for the last few days, and we are scheduled to have more in the near future. 

So what should we craft? I can tell you that knitting and crocheting sounds much less appealing to me when it is hot outside. I need small, quick projects that don't require me holding warm materials on my lap! Here are some ideas:

1. Face masks

Yes, I am still making face masks. I work around 250+ people per day, and until my young child can be vaccinated, I will be masking. I've made three masks for my son, two for my spouse, and one for myself so far this month. Sitting at the sewing machine with a small project that doesn't drape onto my lap is no problem in the heat! Here is my preferred mask sewing pattern/tutorial: https://sewingtherapy.net/diy-mask-with-a-replaceable-filter/

2. Shape loom weaving

The shape looms I have been working with are quite small, very portable, and require few supplies, making this an easy project to work on in front of the TV (and under the ceiling fan). I currently have a small pile of looms from Casa Marengo Studio that I am working on weaving up as samples for her. Look at these cute little ornament looms! 

3. Cross stitch

Cross stitch is an excellent idea for this time of year. I prefer to make smaller cross stitch projects anyway, so maybe some ornaments, or cards, or other small seasonal things would work for you. I found quite the collection of free patterns here, and I really enjoy the back-to-school patterns that I found here on that site. Lots of cute teacher gifts!

4. Origami

How about a little paper folding to keep you cool? I loved origami as a child, and I still have fun breaking out the pretty papers once in awhile. I found a bunch of fun tutorials here. The same website (gathered.how) also has other papercrafting tutorials. 

So, what will it be? What craft is going to be doable while staying cool for you in these late summer months? Let me know in the comments, I would love to hear! 

Happy crafting!

July Wrap-Up

 Hello hello! It's been a wonderful summer so far, and as it's wrapping up, it's time to look at what I accomplished in July. Honestly, it wasn't a lot of crafting. It was a lot more resting, relaxing, having fun, and exploring! :-) Just as a summer ought to be. However, I did craft a bit:

I finished this cute cat weaving, which is a portrait of a friend's cat:

I finished up this set of three tapestry weavings, which were little exploration pieces, testing out new-to-me techniques:

I made this macramé paw print, pictured with the cat portraits that I gifted with it:

And, perhaps most impressively, I finished this complicated woven lace wall hanging:

That last one was quite the workout! 

As fall arrives and I get back in the swing of things, I have some different projects on the horizon. I've been asked to make samples for a shape-loom maker, so some weaving is in my future, plus I plan to finish up some works-in-progress. I have a brioche knit cowl, some woven towels, a baby quilt, and some sewn face masks to finish up, and I'm ready to have them done! 

I look forward to getting back into the swing of blogging this fall, and I hope to have many fun projects and tutorials to share. Remember, if you follow me on Twitter (@fuzzydorff), Facebook (@fuzzydorffcreations) or Instagram (fuzzydorffcreations), you'll see much more frequent updates and lots of progress photos. I hope to see you there!

Happy crafting!

June Wrap-Up

It's time for the monthly wrap-up! 

I tucked in the last few ends to finish up this cute knitted gnome that I started working on clear back in December:

I made this cool weaving. It reminds me of stalactites:

I made this weaving of a happy, sleepy cat:

I crocheted this chunky rope basket, perfect for holding craft supplies:

And I also worked on some other weaving projects, but I haven't finished any of them yet. FOs coming soon! 

I hope you're all having a wonderful and safe summer! Happy crafting!

Summer break!

Happy summer, everyone! I have been doing a bit of crafting here and there, but also taking a well-deserved break. I'm not on my computer as much during the summer, so there might be longer breaks between blog posts, but you can ALWAYS catch up on my latest crafty pursuits at the following social media sites:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/fuzzydorffcreations

Twitter: https://twitter.com/fuzzydorff

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fuzzydorffcreations/

Here's my latest post on the above sites: 

Anyway, if you don't see me here for a couple weeks, check me out on social media! Happy summer, and happy crafting!

Fun Summer Kid Crafts

It's that time of year- we have kids to entertain, and we want to craft. Let's combine interests and get some fun kid crafts worked up! Here is a list of some helpful websites I found:

Happiness is Homemade- Here is a list of quick summer crafts, including a cool pool noodle racetrack that I'm going to have to make for my son. 

Hands On As We Grow- This website compiled fun crafts from a bunch of different websites into one fun list, including a bubble snake blower!

Good Housekeeping- This list has a bunch of fun crafts that are a little more involved, like soap making, fabric stamping, and pottery painting, but I'm most excited about the seashell crab magnets.

The Idea Room- This is another list of crafts for older kids. I saw several on here that I'd love to make, but the one that caught my eye as a cool craft for upper-elementary-aged kids was the DIY Kool-Aid lip gloss. 

I Heart Crafty Things- Here is a HUGE list of summer crafts, and right at the top is a bunch of links to tutorials for zoo-themed finger puppets. My kiddo would go crazy for those. 

Projects With Kids- If your kid is into painting, there are a bunch of cool ideas on this site. 

There are many more websites that popped up with my simple Google search, but I think the list above is a good start. :-) 

In my house, fingerpainting is always a beloved activity. This summer I intend to pull some cardboard boxes out of the recycling, open them up flat, and let the kid paint whatever his heart desires all over them. The art work is easy to hang up if you want to display it, or it can be recycled when you're done. It's a win-win!

Happy crafting!