Over Quilting?

Craftsy.com is a wonderful website for quilting patterns as well as tutorials, yet I've noticed a trend among quite a few of the patterns. Over quilting. I know, I know, there is no such thing as over quilting. Well, all of my creative flow stems from the river known as Nana. She was born during the 1930's and believes that simpler is always better.

A setting mat with a leaf stitch

Ok, I used a decorative stitch from my sewing machine that I have dubbed the "leaf stitch". I went all across the border, from corner to corner, as well as down the middle from the top and across the middle. I used a lavender thread and it looks kind of pretty in my eyes. Now, I will show you a picture of a quilt I love to look at, but feel it was over quilted.

Named the Fishy Baby Quilt

As you can see, the quilting has taken away from the actual quilt.You can not see what the material is without really looking at it, all you can see is a bunch of circles. Maybe this was the creators intentions, if so my apologies for using your creation as part of my example. I just don't see the point of going through all the trouble of cutting and sewing all these pieces together just to cover them up with SO MUCH STITCHING.

Maybe I'm just in a sour mood about my painfully obvious beginner status on quilting, but it just bothered me a bit to see so much clutter on a quilt. I'm like my Nana, the simpler the better. Rather a clean quilt that a busy one.

As always, your thoughts and comments are welcomed and even encouraged. Happy Crafting!

Sweetie Spring Purses

Instructions found here! :)

Excuse my poor flower, It was redone after this picture was taken

The above pictures are from a crochet along found on Google+, It was so east to work up being that it is worked up of only double crochets, but the real fun came from the folding! I sewed the ends together to make 2 pockets. Great for those smaller girls in your life.

This adorable red bag is made simply by making a granny square and then double crocheting a border.

Crochet it as big as you wish, fold it in half and single crochet up the sides. Once you reach the end of one side, continue making single crochets for your handle. Attach to the other side and sew in your seams once completed.

Sew in your lining once you're done and you have an instant purse for your little one. :)

This one is by far my favorite. It is made the same way as the red bag with 2 differences.

#1 When double crocheting your border, chain a few stitches for your button hole

#2 Attach a button to the opposite side of your button hole.

It couldn't be simpler. :)

As always, I look forward to reading your comments and feedback is always welcome on my posts!

Happy crocheting!

Ponderings On Crochet Hooks

Size H/ 5.00 mm

I bet you've never given much thought to crochet hooks. They serve their purpose in our crafts, and as long as our gauge swatch comes out the way we want what difference does it make really? 

I was one of those people until about a month ago....

After an extended stay at my grandmother's house, or Nana as we like to call her, I got into a conversation with her about a project I was working on. Once the conversation got well into way, she started reminiscing on her days as a crochet-er. My project was quickly forgotten as I listened with appreciation to the stories she had to tell. It was towards the end that she paused, asked if I'd like to see what she meant about my crochet hook being my downfall, and proceed to make her way to her bedroom. After what seemed like an eternity, she emerged.

In her hand was a small package containing crochet hooks from different countries and were all different sizes. She shuffled through them until she came upon the hook in debate. It looked like any other hook I had seen, except that the head had a deeper and narrower valley than what I had grown accustomed to. We finished our conversation and she gave me a challenge: Finish 2 projects, one from each hook, and then give my honest opinion about the hooks. I couldn't resist. :)

The sun was created from my Nana's hook, the sad excuse for an owl was from mine.

I set off with 2 patterns, different in difficulty, but equal in time consumption. The hook I was used to using was great. There was no more complaint than my usual, my stitches were sometimes to tight and others to loose, I sometimes pulled up my loop through a strand of the yarn instead of the complete stitch, etc. I was quite pleased with my new little toy. Onward to hook two!

Hook 2 was my Nana's from 50 years ago. We have no idea who the manufacturer is, only the size and that it was made in the USA. I will admit that I was apprehensive at first, but I had been crocheting for almost 6 years and working up things that my Nana could only look at with envy. Surely my hook would win. Oh how wrong I was. Her hook glided through the stitches, never tangled or stripped my yarn, and during the few times that my stitches were to tight, the head was at a perfect angle to glide through those tighter stitches. My hook died a horrible death that day.

I've tried several other projects with my own hooks, and am still reminded of the gentle glide of my Nana's hooks. Those hooks glided through my stitches like a warm knife through butter. My opinion has changed, as well as my desperate pleas to win those hooks from my Nana. :) If any of you happen to come by these older crochet hooks, my advice to you would be to snatch them up at whatever price is being offered for them!