This is my entry for Oct/Nov Whiplash (process category). It's a brooch made from felt. Can you tell what I've embroidered on it? If you crochet I bet you recognise the first couple of rounds of the granny square. Do you?

Inspiration comes out of the blue sometimes. I knew I wanted to make something with embroidery for this theme, so I was playing around, sketching some bracelets in my sketchbook, but nothing seemed to catch my fancy. Then later I was drawing some crochet diagrams and I suddenly realised how pretty the shapes were and it suddenly hit me that I'd embroider a crochet diagram on a brooch.

It was quite fiddly to make. It kept getting wonky, but I finally got it all lined up right. It's made with a single strand of embroidery floss. Other than the fiddly-ness of it, it is quite simple to make. Embroider the diagram on one square of felt, attach the pin on the other square, sew together (right sides facing each other) and turn. Stitch the opening and that's it.

I like the symmetry of crochet diagrams. And the simplicity - even if they look difficult at first. Of course, before I actually knew how to crochet the symbols made no sense to me whatsoever. Now I actually prefer the diagrams to a written pattern. Once you get it, it just makes sense, I think. Plus with different names for the same thing in US and UK crochet, the diagram is easier. Of course it definitely helps when you get your hands on a Japanese crochet book as well!

Making this brooch my mind wandered and I was thinking about a lot of rather disparate things. Like how these diagrams remind me of geometry and mathematics which, although I'm not very good at either, I find absolutely fascinating. The diagrams are universal too, like mathematics. Once you get it, you can read them all. And make something. Maybe they should have put a granny square diagram on the Voyager 1 disc. Wouldn't that be cool?

I like the abstraction of the diagram. To the uninitiated it could be anything; random shapes, a tiny tile or whatever. But some might recognise it and then it will probably say: here's someone who can crochet. That's what I'd like to think anyway...

The brooch also made me think of my grandmothers. Especially my paternal grandmother (farmor). I knew her the longest, so I grew up watching her sewing, making lace, embroidering and of course crocheting. I really wish I'd found my crafty side sooner so I could have shared it with farmor. And just imagine all the things I could have learnt from her.

I recently discovered that my maternal grandmother (mormor) also was a crocheter - and who knows what else? I think I have to ask my mum about that... I think mormor was very creative too. I particularly remember how she used to cut sandwiches into triangles and squares and then make ships or faces from those shapes.

So crochet reminds me of both my grandmothers. And of my mum as well, although she only has the most basic knowledge of crochet - for once there's something crafty where I'm the know it all! ;-)

Right, I hope you enjoyed my brooch - and my little meandering post... :-)

Labels: embroidery, whiplash

Nevermind the model, it was the best I could get with such short notice. ;-) And sorry about the picture quality, but what can you do when you only have west facing windows, eh?

I don't know where the idea came from exactly, but I lay in bed one evening, unable to sleep, and the idea for this apron popped into my head. I call it the kamikaze apron because the simple idea turned out to be quite difficult to turn into reality!

The amount of seems I've had to rip; it's not even funny! But I persisted and I'm quite happy with the result. However, the tutorial I had planned on making for it... well, it will have to wait, because I'm not even sure myself how I managed to put it together in the end!

I am going to do a tutorial, though, so I can make another apron, without all the flaws of this one. Ha! However, as I understand it, flaws can be zakka, so I guess it's mission complete. This apron seemed simple enough, but it wasn't. I kinda like that. Difficult seems simple and simple seems difficult...

Anyway, the thing about this apron is that you're supposed to tie it at the front, so there are openings to pull the tie through. Why this is a good idea, I don't know. But that's ok. One half of the apron is a teatowel for drying your hands. It can be un-buttoned in the middle so it's twice the size. The other side of the apron is a large pocket made from linen.

The teatowel buttoned with a juniper button.

Top of the pocket. You may just be able to see the green leaves stitched at the edge.


Whiplash project

Labels: aprons, sewing, whiplash

I keep forgetting to show and tell about this here wee quilt I made the other day. I had very big plans for it, but ended up doing something simple. Which probably isn't such a bad idea when you've never made a quilt before!


I intentionally used yellow and black/white because those are colours I normally (subconsciously) avoid. So I figured, since I was already doing something new, I might as well push myself colour wise.

And I'm actually surprised that I really like it - the colours, I mean. Maybe those colours aren't so 'scary' after all! Or possibly it helps that they are combined with the pink flowers. And all together they are the "1987 Spring Fling" quilt.

More quilts in my future, I think.

Whiplash category: project. And there's supposed to be a button here, but for some reason it doesn't show up!

Labels: quilt, sewing, whiplash