diy
Do it Yourself; Tips and ideas for DIY projects to create your next family heirloom, personalize your photo album and more.
A Labor & Legacy of Love: Restoring My Grandmother's Blanket
Growing up, one of the most precious items in my house was a pair of scissors with an orange handle and a small pink ribbon tied to one side to make sure it never got lost. A pair of sewing scissors, reserved for the most important projects - a red skirt for my chorus concerts, a fresh design for a summer camp t-shirt, a homemade Dalmatian Halloween costume crafted from white pajamas and black felt. What I didn't know then was that these scissors represented generations of craftsmanship by my mother's family; my great-grandfather was a tailor by trade, and my grandmother, my Oma, still tells me stories of the clothes she made for herself, my mother and my aunts when they grew up and when it was cheaper to buy fabric and patterns than clothes at the store.
By Rachel Salvati5 years ago in Families
Crafting Together
One of my hobbies is genealogy. Actually, it is family history, there is a difference. Genealogy tells names and dates, and locations lived. Family history is so much more. Family history contains stories; how history influenced the family and the family possibly influenced history. The family history puts everything into perspective, such as why this item or that item is such a family treasure. Crafts are like that, they tell stories. What craft is chosen, the patterns used, the materials used all speak to a time, place, and story. Why was a paint by number chosen, other than color by number, other than doing freehand, quilting, embroidery, or other sewing practice all speak of choices, incomes, and locations? The skills needed to do the various crafts, who taught the skill and was this the first person in the family to do this craft. For instance, quilting. Today, it is considered an art or hobby but, in the past, it was a means to survival. Today, one can go into Facebook Market and find antique quilts being sold for a pittance, yet in the past, they meant warmth on a cold night or a special wedding present from a friend, grandmother, mother, aunt, or a fun quilting bee done by a group making this special quilt. People still seem to like the patterns from the past such as Lonestar, Drunkard’s path, or a simple patchwork but not the actual antique quilt. They buy imitations at Walmart, Kohls, Amazon, etc... They lose the history, the stories, and the love in the stitches.
By Shelley Clagg5 years ago in Families
Corey's Wish
One of my earliest memories is watching my Grandmother as she would knit. It amazed me that she could watch TV, carry on a conversation and barely glance down at the mounds of yarn in her lap. My Mother was almost as good as Grandma. It was in their blood. Their DNA for working with needles and string somehow morphed down to me in a slightly different way. I was fascinated by my Mother's sewing machine. I remember that it was a New Home and it was new to Mom. She had made my sister and I some matching dresses, other than that, I rarely remember seeing her sew. I begged my Mom to show me how to sew. But she said it was not a toy and it cost far too much money for me to play with it. She also didn't have the time to show me. The machine was kept in our finished basement and I would sneak down there and would attempt to sew anything I could put under the needle. Unfortunately I was very young, maybe 6 or possibly 7. Without having the good fortune of actually watching the machine in use, I broke it! (More than once!) At first Mom thought she had a lemon machine. But when she discovered that I had been breaking it, she was furious with me! After a few repair bills, she finally agreed to let me learn! She enrolled me in 4H. They taught me how to make an apron - of course! My next project was a pair of pj's which I hand embroidered a design on the front. There was no stopping me at that point. Throughout school I sewed for my entire family. I would make material out of scraps, sewing it together until it was large enough to make something. It really didn't matter fi there was enough to make an item, I just enjoyed sewing it all together! I made stuffed toys and clothes for my much younger brothers, a leisure suit for my Dad, all my own clothes and clothes for my sister. I even remember making my brother who was a year younger than me a pair of bib overalls in the 70's! My favorite machine to sew on was my Grandmother's treadle. Sewing and exercise all in one! My most loved class in my senior year was a 2 hour a day block, Clothing Services. That was decades ago!
By Pamela Hansen5 years ago in Families
The Beauty of Creation
Paint is my medium of choice. I’ve always been a painter. My mother taught me how when I was too little to appreciate it. I didn’t know how blessed I was to learn how to create at such a young age, have it ingrained in me, so that I could carry it with me the rest of my life. I appreciate it now.
By Sophie Huntington5 years ago in Families
Nostalgia
Happiness Challenge Growing up in rural Minnesota, the only children to play with were my siblings. There was one older and one younger brother and me, the only girl. As kids, we would play baseball, (yes, with only three people), build forts or go on bike rides. We pretended stories such as cowboys and Indians and pirate wars while throwing dirt clods for ammunition. But I was a girl and being a girl does not always mean tomboy exploits.
By Lori Rieman5 years ago in Families
Crafternoons with Meme
As an adult, I dream of having spare time for creating. I love all things arty and crafty. My favourite problem is having too many hobbies and not enough hours in the day to enjoy them all. Once I slip into creative flow, I forget about eating, and most other responsibilities. I get captivated in the process of experimenting, exploring, making, and seeing progress.
By Amy Austin5 years ago in Families
Remembering Dad
“No, that’s an adjustable wrench; I asked for the adjustable pipe wrench. Try again. It has a red handle.” I go back to the toolbox and pull out a large and a small adjustable pipe wrench and hold them out for my dad to choose from. Lesson learned at age 7. Over time, I picked up the names and uses for all the tools in the box. You see, my dad was a developer and home builder, and we lived on a farm. So, there was always something to be built or fixed. Helping him taught me the joy of building stuff and the importance of having the right tool for the job at hand.
By Diane Isler5 years ago in Families
re.making textiles
Fabric and fibers have always been my best method of communication. My grandmother and I had a fraught relationship. I felt that she was harsh and brash, and I was sensitive and easily hurt. We struggled to communicate with each other, but eventually we figured out how to speak through crafts and textiles. She perpetually had a project in her hands, be it a sweater she was knitting as a gift, or a cross-stitch she had been working on for months, or a latch hook pillow she was finishing off for a grandchild. Her hands were always busy making something. Her sewing box was the stuff of wonders, with a variety of scissors each devoted to their own craft and threads perfectly organized by color. And I found curiosity and joy in watching her make. So, despite our differences, working on a project together was one place in which our relationship was easy and exciting. She taught me to knit, crochet, hand sew, embroider, latch hook, and needlepoint, but really what she taught me, was a love for fiber arts and a way to communicate with her and others. She would set me off with new project and I would sit on the floor working away in my little “factory” for hours, my parents amazed by my sudden devotion to a new craft. Years passed, the craft might change, but fibers and fabrics remained.
By Samantha Ives5 years ago in Families
