M. K. Lawrie

2013-02-24

My hand quilting project is coming along slowly. I’m actually using this blanket on my bed right now, and I love the way it is turning out. The stitches almost disappear into the nap of the velour top fabric, so I haven’t used a ruler to mark lines. I love how organic and imperfect the lines of stitches look on the underside of the quilt (pictured).

I sew one or two arms lengths of thread a day. It has made me think about the various cultures that have specific styles of hand stitching that are passed down from mother to daughter.

I started a pinterest board to track my research and gather my thoughts. For now I am calling the pinterest board Textile History. (I don’t think the name is quite right, but it’ll do for now.)

In my research on sashiko I came across Shirahime, a blog about ethical and sustainable fashion. There are so many well written articles. There was a great post about Upcycling, Recycling, and Downcycling. And I’m also obsessed with the articles filed under Traditional Craft Skills.

2013-02-17

I started a new project. I’m sewing an old duvet cover that never wanted to stay in place onto a very warm blanket the sheds a bit.

I started by pinning the blanket into place with safety pins. Now I’m slowly hand quilting the layers together.

I think of the hand stitching as meditation.

2013-02-12

Simple Yoga Mat Sling

I usually do yoga at home. So when I decided to take a yoga class at the gym, I realized I needed a yoga mat sling. You can make this with just a couple of loops of t-shirt yarn.

To connect two t-shirt yarn loops together, follow steps 1 - 4.

1. Lay one loop over the other as pictured.

2. Using the picture as a guide, open up the red loop as shown. Pinch the orange loop where the arrows indicate, and pull the rest of the orange loop through.

3. Pull the loops in opposite directions to tighten the join.

4. A tight smooth join.

To use the loops as a yoga sling, follow steps 5 and 6.

5. Lay one end of the loop over itself as shown in the image, with the end of the loop open. Pick up the yarn where the arrows indicate, and set it back down to the right.

6. Your yarn should look like image 6. Put one end of your rolled up yoga mat through the middle of the hole created. Pull on the strap to tighten down.

Repeat steps 5 and 6 on the other end. Practice putting on the strap a couple times so you can do it by yourself at yoga class.

2013-02-07

Finding the Eco in the Craft: Part 2

Craft and Hobby Association Conference and Trade Show, Winter 2013, Anaheim, CA.

There were just a few more things I wanted to share with you!

Cre8time is a movement dedicated to helping people reclaim their creativity. Maybe just 8 minutes a day, or 8 hours a month. Their website

The Cre8time booth featured the work of several CHA designers in display cases. I really loved these button sculptures by Halina Tepper.

Sierra Hills Stone. When I stepped into the stone filled booth at CHA, it was like a retreat into nature, resident artist Ro RIvas was quietly carving in the corner. Sierra Hills Stone sells sculpture quality stone, carving tools and accessories, and offers classes and workshops in soapstone carving for ages 5 to 55.

Creative Feet had this beautifully decorated sewing machine. I like the idea of giving new life to the tools you have.

In addition to the How to Paint You Sewing Machine DVD, Creative Feet also sells a variety of generic, easy to use sewing machine feet that can do different techniques.

Crafty Cat had a variety of cool tools that help with small detailed work. The Flex-i-File™ Sticky Micro Stix would have been great to use applying the sequins to the skirt I made for Elena of Charity Wings. You can see Lindsay Obermeyer using the Micro Stix in this post at Serendipity.

Last is the Oliso Smart Iron. It is amazing, see for your self:

Here’s a link to the video also.

2013-01-29

Where do you get your protein?: Cooking with white beans

A friend recently told me that she didn’t think she could be a vegetarian because she didn’t like beans. It got me thinking about some of the non-traditional, sneaky ways I cook with beans.

1. Beans as a substitute for fat in baking recipes: Of course I thought I invented this when I started doing this to increase protein in baked goods. But of course the idea isn’t new.

here and here

2. As a substitute for tofu: This works especailly well in recipes that call for soft tofu.

engine2diet blog entry on alternatives to soy

3. In place of some of the flour in baking recipes. This list of healthy substitutes suggests substituting I cup bean puree for 1 cup flour. (They have other great ides too)

4. Bean Milk (In baked goods): A quick recipe kind of like this, but white white bean puree instead of nut butters.

If you are interested in making your own non-dairy milk at home here are more simple recipes

5. Vegan Cream of [Your Favorite Vegetable] Soup: This is not baking, but you wouldn’t know there were any beans in here, so it is still a sneaky use of beans. Take any vegetarian recipe for a cream soup and substitute pureed white beans for the milk or cream.

2013-01-27

Finding the Eco in the Craft: Part 1 Green Products

Craft and Hobby Association Conference and Trade Show, Winter 2013, Anaheim, CA.

I was really excited to see so many green products. The Kunin Group’s eco-friendly felt made from Eco-fi, 100% post-consumer recycled plastic bottles.

These adorable owl smartphone cases by lovahandmade.etsy.com are made with their eco-friendly felt.

Gütermann’s Sew-All Thread rPET is made from 100% Recycled Polyester. One recycled plastic bottle makes ten spools of thread!

Elmer’s new School Glue Naturals is a plant based glue made from 88% natural ingredients. The bottle 25% post consumer content, and the label is printed with soy based inks.

I headed over to the Plaid booth to see Delta Soy Paint, the first TRUE “Green” decorative paint on the market!

I was also excited to find online that they also offer a Soy Stain and Soy Varnish. Both products are low odor, low to no VOC, and clean up with soap and water.

Plaid also has a new Chalkboard Top Coat. The clear chalkboard top coat isn’t a green product, but I’m really excited about how I can use it in up-cycled projects.

Coats and Clark’s new product Phoomph for fabric! is a double sided fabric bonding sheet that creates a new way to craft with fabric. It doesn’t require any ironing. Contains some post consumer recycled material. Check out Coats and Clark for some craft ideas.

2013-01-17

I am back from The Craft & Hobby Association 2013 Winter Conference & Trade Show in Anaheim, CA. This is a final look at the outfit Lindsay Obermeyer and I made for the beautiful Elena of Charity Wings. Lindsay designed the knit top and plans to sell the pattern on her Etsy shop Enjolive.

I really enjoyed the whole process of creating the skirt out of recycled materials. Here is a detail of the skirt.

I was also really excited to be invited to the Lion Brand Yarn fashion show with Vanna White. I really loved the chunky texture and asymmetry in some of the pieces.

2013-01-10

Here is a sneak peak of the outfit I designed with Lindsay Obermeyer for Elena Etcheverry of Charity Wings.

2013-01-05

On the Needles

Or off the needles, really. I was looking for my #7 knitting needles, and found them in use with this scarf, almost finished, but languishing in the ufo (unfinished object) pile. Instead of casting off as the pattern indicates, I decreased the stitches to a point. Then did the same to the cast-on edge.

The pattern is simple and easy to memorize, and was a perfect portable project. It became my train project, I’d knit a few rows while waiting for the train.

Pattern: The Helix Scarf by Stephenie Gaustad

Yarn: Vanna’s Glamour Yarn in Purple Topaz

Raveled here.

2012-12-25

A Painted Christmas Tree

My sister had a great idea for the Christmas tree this year. Instead of buying and decorating a real tree; we painted a Christmas tree together as a family. It was a lot of fun to spend the time together.