Last week I posted about how once you realize you are overwhelmed, there are some steps that you can take to get back to a good place. And once you are in a good place, the doors will open up for you to really focus on what’s important. I took my own advice. After a lot of soul searching and talking it out with Jason and other people around town I made some hard decisions. Decisions that will lead to a life changing project. Decisions that will help me to bring into life a project I’ve been dreaming of since I was a kid…. a collaborative local art group. Here are the first set of steps I took:

First I decided to stop hosting the thrift kitchen blog. I love the project and concept, but going into it, I thought I would have 2 co-authors and that just didn’t work out because of life and all that jazz. So I’m going to absorb it into the kro studio blog. I’m thinking a “Thursday in the Thrift Kitchen” kind of post once a week would be a good healthy pace – starting up next month. And then I’ve also decided to stop hosting the local chapter of the sewing rebellion. We (the whole group) decided this for many reasons, but one of the big ones is that we are wanting to do so much more than just sew. And then I as the host wanted to use the full range of my skill sets – sewing is honestly not my strongest skill set. And by “stop” hosting the sewing rebellion, I have opened the way and time for a new organization entirely: ames c.art!

Ames C.art stands for ames collaborative art. The whole idea of it is the facilitation of collaboration between all media and art in order to infuse the community with creativity through public projects – be they workshops, lectures, or on the street art. Ames Collaborative Art. Encouraging the growth, sharing, collaboration of ames area artists and creative do gooders.
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I am not sure if you have seen my previous reviews for Su’s Zine Telaic Fantasy, but if you haven’t you can see them here (TF1) and here (TF2). And I’m happy to say that you can now get Telaic Fantasy #3 in the shop now! At a mere $15 too! I can not believe how amazing this collection of work is. She puts so much work into each one. Make sure to check out the back issues too – combined shipping is cheaper I’m sure (just saying…. something to think about).

“I received my issue in the mail right before I left out of town and still took the time to read through the whole thing – it was a nice pause in the craziness leading up to the trip. I love the DIY Weaving Club member ship card! I love that I’m member like #2 too, it makes me feel super fancy and special ;)

“I have finally finished re-formatting Telaic Fantasy 3 to the larger size, which now includes gummed & photocopiable labels for the D.I.Y. postcard loom (as per attached PDF).”

“I’ve also just finished putting together a ‘Leftover Lavender’ mini-zine.  The zine is printed on recycled paper embedded with lavender flowers, and includes lots of ideas for what you can do with your, well, leftover lavender.  The cross stitch chart is hidden on the inside of the zine.” (that is so neat! ~ I love lavender so this is just perfect for me)

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“(here are) some other re-purposed projects I’ve blogged about recently:

French knitting (using various stationery & miscellany):
http://tanglecrafts.wordpress.com/2009/05/24/potentially-useful-stuff/
Business cards (using discarded packaging):
http://tanglecrafts.wordpress.com/2009/05/23/getting-back-to-business-cards/
Stamp carving (using mousemat, eraser, & cork):
http://tanglecrafts.wordpress.com/2009/04/20/the-bumblebee-flies-anyway/
http://tanglecrafts.wordpress.com/2009/04/21/stamp-carving-experiment-2/
http://tanglecrafts.wordpress.com/2009/05/07/stamp-carving-experiment-3/

“I will be doing more weaving stuff in the near-ish future, but I have lots of other things all competing for my attention, too – you know how it is!

“Hope one or more of these projects is of use to you!  Let me know if you need any more info on anything I’ve mentioned.  I hope these projects will help make your life a little easier while you are ‘on the road’.

“Have a wonderful time;

Su”

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Oh my goodness Su, all these projects have been wonderful! I can not thank you enough for keeping Craft Leftovers going while I was away. I only hope that some day I can return the favor!

Happy crafting everyone! Have a great weekend!
Kristin

Hi all! I am about to embark on the adventure of a life time! Onward to the Maker’s Faire. I have so many exciting things to tell you about.

First off, about my part at the Maker’s Faire. I am co-hosting a workshop/demo booth with the founder of the Sewing Rebellion. Craft Leftovers and the Sewing Rebellion Unite!

We will have instruction sets, supplies, and sewing machines on hand so you make, mend, or alter a project – so if you have some clothes that need mending or fixing, just bring them along with you and we will get them all fixed up.

From Craft Leftovers:

Pencil Clutch
Reusable Tea Bags
Cloth Napkins – not yet published
Maker’s Apron
Mending on the Go

From the Sewing Rebellion:

Button Instructions
Rolled Hem Instructions
Penny Pincher Zippered Pouch
East German Market Bag
Table Cloth Circle Skirt

And we will also be doing demos just about every hour! A few select projects from the list + Mending 101! Learn to patch up, stitch up, sew on, darn, and fix your clothes, bags, accessories, and more!

And, because I am so happy to meet you, I will be giving away issues of the June issue of Craft Leftovers Monthly! I made 100 for each day! And if you can not make by in time for that, don’t despair! I have made up a ton of Mending on the GO mini zines to give away too!

That’s what we were assembling all day Sunday and Monday :)

Plus on Saturday and Sunday at 5:30pm, we will be doing out demos on the Craft Stage! Mending 101 comes to you!

Participating in this great event is so exciting! I can’t wait to get there. And even more I can’t wait for the time after the faire. I’ve extended my stay until June 10th! Mostly I’m going to wander around, putz, knit, draw, take loads of pictures. And meet up with new friends and old, family and readers!

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Now, some fun other things for while I’m away.

Firstly: On the blog

I’m going to be taking a ton of photos and will post them each day or so (not all, but a select few). + I’m going to be going to some great thrift shops and meeting some fun crafty people so I’ll make sure to tell you all about that too.

And I’m looking so guest bloggers, so if you want to send me an idea on a post that you want to write up, or a project you’ve done and we can post it while I’m away.

Second: In the shop

I have decided to leave all my shops open and for anyone who orders while I’m away, they will be refunded 15% of their total order or get free shipping (whichever gives you the better deal). The only stipulations are that you have to place your order AND pay between May 28th and June 10th. All orders will be sent out on Friday, June 13th. So this goes not just for Craft Leftovers, but Green Prairie Fibers and Kro Studio too!

Third: Craft Leftovers Monthly!

The July issue will be going on sale June 15th, shortly after I return. So make sure to keep a head’s up for it :)

And Forth and Fifth: The Mailing List and Archive

Good news! The mailing list is back up and running! Hooray! You can sign up again in the side bar, easy peasy. And the archive is completely updated! All the patterns, how-to’s, and tutorials are all current and up to date. So make sure to go take a browse though.

And I think that is all the main points! I have a pattern rerelease scheduled for Friday so that will come up on it’s own. No post tomorrow. I’ll post about the maker’s faire on Saturday and Sunday and then after that it will be a little random until I get back. The first offical post when I get back will be on Monday, June 15th. It will give me a little time to get orders sent out, Craft Leftovers Monthly set up for the shop, and get some good sleep :)

Have a great night and see some of you soon!
Kristin Roach

I think at one point or another we have all come across project baskets like this and have been saddened about thier disrepair. How to fix them back up again. I’ll walk you through how I fixed up my own and the pattern for remaking your own. There will also be some ideas on how to remake your own basket: How to deconstruct the fabric and make a pattern from it.

I don’t know if any of you remember from awhile ago when I posted about my Knitting Basket and how it’s broken down and I want to fix it. Well, I’ve finally got around to it and thank you so much for all your suggestions!

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“Crap!” And there goes my button. Now only if I had a little pocket kit to carry in my bag so I could quickly attach it before it goes missing. And what about those times you snag your favorite skirt while on vacation? What’s one to do? Well, mending on the go maybe isn’t ideal, but with this little kit you sure can make it a lot easier. Everything right where it needs to be just when you need it. Even some fabric for patches in a pinch and replacement buttons when you can’t find the one you’ve lost.

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Jennifer of The Fairy Mum was kind enough to send me a link to her blog post about making Lainie’s Tote for her own kiddos! (I love seeing finished projects for the pattern I put out there and how people alter them, it makes me so happy!)

I can’t grab her photo, so you just have to go check it out on her blog.

Here is the original Lainie’s Tote (made for Lainie) and the original pattern post.You can download the pattern there.

She said, “they were such fun to make (in the original pattern), and then it was fun to switch it up a bit – I made it smaller and added a second pocket, sized just right to hold their leapster and cartridges. My older daughter saw and was so excited – I can’t wait to give them on Easter!

I’ve been busy this week, making little totes left and right. Thanks so much for sharing such a clear pattern – so enjoyed making it.”

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Oh and the project I’m working on in the last post was the How To:: Quilling Leaves tutorial that you can check out (it’s archived in the how to section). And thank you so much for all your nice comments on last night’s post. I wasn’t sure how it would go over since it’s not the normal Craft Leftovers content/style. So thank you! Keep it coming. Your feedback is great and will help me to write future posts on the same topic.

Thanks Jennifer! And thank you to all of you!

Happy Crafting and see you later today!

I updated two patterns this week, the H2O Crocheted Slinger and the Pin Tin Canny! The H2O slinger is a great pattern to make for the spring – just in time for all those long walks you are promising yourself you will take. And the Pin Tin Canny is just the thing to tidy up your studio – a great pencil holder!

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Download the H2O Slinger Here (pdf). See the original post here.

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Download the PinTin Canny Pattern Here (pdf). See the original post here.

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I’m happy to report that all server mix ups have been fixed up on both Craft Leftovers and Kro Studio Blog! Hooray to that!

I’m going to try to list a couple things in Green Prairie Fibers, work on the CL shop inventory, and then work on some paintings. I’m feeling in the mood to post something tomorrow, but we will see how it goes. I might see you tomorrow, I might not. I might just get sucked into the studio and i would not mind that at all!

Have a great night and happy crafting!
Kristin

I’m facing giving my knitting basket a face lift. Very similar to the story here on Vintage Knitting, my basket is old and broken down and it doesn’t stand up (I have it propped open between the couch and the side table, nice right?). But I really like it. It was my grandma’s. I want to keep it around a few years longer.
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I’ve been working this afternoon on a project I’m doing with some kiddos as part of the Spring Break Art Camp. I’ll be working with kids 5 and up so it has to be easy, solid, and the flexibility to be more complex.
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