handmade solar eclipse christmas ornamenthandmade solar eclipse christmas ornament

…it made such a big impression on me, I’ve been thinking about it ever since. Every year I like to add new ornaments to my tree at Christmas celebrating special places or experiences, so I started thinking about how I wanted to represent the eclipse…this is what I came up with in the end. Hand-embroidery, needleturn appliqué, and beading on reclaimed fabric; the hanger is two different yarns that I twined together — the color of the sky in totality, plus a little sparkle 😉

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This is possibly the most specialized garment I own now??

I have Raynaud’s, a circulatory condition that affects my fingers when it’s cold. Last winter I had a hard time reading in bed at night (it’s Maine, lol). Since winter is approaching again, I thought about how to solve this problem and this is what I came up with: a pair of thermal gloves with the right hand modified to allow me to turn pages without sacrificing necessary protection from the cold. I’m not totally done with them (I’d like to make them less pink and more rainbow) but they’re functionally ready to go and they worked really well in a test run!

Here’s how the glove looked originally:

 

 

 

 

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detail of damaged knit hoodiedetail of hoodie mend in progressdetail of hoodie mend in progressdetail of hoodie mend in progress

I’m finally beginning a major mending project on this beloved hoodie I’ve been wearing for ~20 years. The fabric has become transparent in many places, the zipper is broken, the grommets are tearing away… I’m not only looking forward to being able to put this piece back in my regular rotation, but excited about the process of caring for it through extensive repair!

Here’s a before/after showing what a huge difference the new flannel lining is making:

It’s pretty significant! Obviously it will also be much warmer. This is a great project to sit and do on the couch watching a tv show too. I’m putting the lining in piece by piece, which is a little finicky, but once basted it goes much faster. I decided to do all the non-structural stitching intuitively, changing techniques based on my mood or what shapes it feels like my fingers want to stitch right now.

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From this horrendous mess…

and this nonfunctional lunchbox…

to this well-stocked, organized mending kit! It’s amazing how much more pleasant my supplies are to use when I’m actually able to find what I’m looking for. Not pictured: my darning egg, currently in use 🙂

This soft handle is stuffed with tiny scraps of fabric, yarn, and sewing thread — I love finding ways to reuse materials that would normally be thrown away! It’s a huge upgrade from the plastic manufactured handle, which I couldn’t even fit my hand in. 

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grapevines soaking in bathtubdog smelling grapevine wreathgrapevine wreaths in progress

My front door looks so naked! Trevor and I made a wreath for the holidays, but its best days are long behind it now, and I want some color for springtime! Luckily we still had a ton of grapevine cuttings from last fall — I decided to soak them and see how many wreath forms I can get out of them. The first bathtub batch yielded a wreath and a half. (Not bad!) I’ve still got plenty more to soak but also I’m having fun thinking about how to style them. I’m thinking moss? Stay tuned…

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detail of mixed-media valentine pennant bannerdetail of mixed-media valentine pennant bannerdetail of mixed-media valentine pennant bannerdetail of mixed-media valentine pennant banner

I finished this one-of-a-kind, glammed-up Valentines garland halfway through the day today so…I’m gonna leave it up for a while! ❤️ It was a really fun way to use up a bunch of tiny treasures and scraps of materials I’d been saving — ribbons, beads, rhinestones, tassels, dollar store ponies, cell phone charms, aluminum foil, broken earrings, etc etc etc. The finished piece includes weaving, embroidery, appliqué, and collage, among other techniques.

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A friend of mine is starting a group for artists and crafters to meet up (virtually!) and work on projects together, so I made this little cover image for the group! I’m really looking forward to these hangouts, especially since I haven’t been able to visit friends in so long. I need that creative companionship!!

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