As a long time crafter - so much to do and so little time! Crochet; Aran, lace and Fair Isle knitter; Patchworker; Quilter; Spinner, hand and machine embroiderer... plus making and learning many itty bitty crafts. I love traditional crafts, and the seasons tend to drive me (mainly to distraction) towards making. At the moment, autumn beckons so it is either picking up the proddy to make a rag rug but then the braided crochet rug also leaps up to meet my eager hands. Of course, the half completed Aran jumper is shaking the needles at me. The sewing machine needs oiling and cleaning, and the Lendrum spinning wheel seems to be following me everywhere. Or, that is what it seems like, as I keep tripping over it when I am looking through my various "stash" to start working on again. But currently making crochet flowers for Yarndale at Skipton.
Who would have thought that growing up in a family of makers would eventually lead to a Blog. Well, not just yet, but I will crack on with it to try and make it interesting and helpful for all users and crafters of my persuasion - so to speak.
Where to being with the story? My earliest memory - apart from falling off a 3-wheel trike and putting my lower teeth through my lip (scar still visible when you know where to look) - was standing treadling at a Singer sewing machine which was housed in its own decorative table. My mother - learning from her mother and grandmother - loved hand and machine sewing. I remember that I used to hem unbleached, cotton flannelette for bed sheets. I had to stand and treadle as I was too small to sit. I also learned to oil and clean the Singer, as well as how to fit the real rubber treadle band when it became loose with wear and kept falling off until my father, a mechanical engineer repaired or replaced it.
Speaking of mechanical. I have recently purchased a Bernina 730 Record of vintage era. It had one previous owner who was a member of the Embroidery Guild for many years and who, sadly, passed away long before I could meet her. I feel as though this sewing machine and I were predestined to meet as I had been looking for something like this for quite some time. Back to the mechanical part. I lifted the "lid" and just gazed in awe at the workings on this beautiful piece of machinery. It got even better when a Bernina service engineer said that if I had this affinity, then there was no reason why he could not help me to service the machine over the telephone - which we did. Amazing! I can even tension the bobbin case with the shuttle race - but then the service engineer was talking to me at every step.
Back to the original story of how I now find myself with too much to do and too little time. It has compounded now that I am also learning how to blog. (Just lost a bid on Ebay because of this! **@!!). My great-grandmother (Sarah Anne) used to sit tatting with me. My grandmother always had knitting or crochet on the go, or hand or machine sewing on another Singer (but this one was a portable, hand wheel model). In fact, she made her own pinnies, and with pockets large enough to hold hook, needles and yarn, so that she could do a quick few rows whilst waiting for water to boil. I can still see this vision. My grandfather was a hobby carpenter. My aunt loved colour knitting. In all, I never really stood a chance of having idle hands. And it gets worse... I also love baking.
I think I am about to run out of page, but will learn how to put pictures of my work alongside my story. Thank you for reading and, please, let me know if I can help you along the way if you are having a problem with a pattern.
No comments:
Post a Comment