Getting Pinterest Crafts Done!

If you're like most people, you're enamored with Pinterest and have pinned every cute little craft and DIY you see. If you're like me, you've pinned lots of magazine photos and thought to yourself, "Hey, I could do that!" HerKentucky even has our own collaborative Crafts board!

Have you done any of those projects?

If you have, then you're awesome. If you haven't, then it seems like you aren't alone.

Last month, my sister came up with the brilliant idea of having a monthly Pinterest Craft-a-Long. She corralled me, our mom, our cousin and her daughter for the inaugural event. We each emailed craft pins to the group and decided on one to make. My cousin, Kim, hosted the event for October and we got our paint, cut and glue on! (Well, they did. I ended up having to work. Boo.)

The group each made this project:

 

Source: itsdoable.squarespace.com via Kim on Pinterest

I was at my cousin's house over the weekend and was excited to see her creation. It looked pretty awesome, and she reported that they had a lot of fun!

We're already planning our November Pinterest Craft-a-Long and trying to round up ideas on what to make. This project is getting my vote:

Source: adiamondinthestuff.blogspot.com via Kim on Pinterest

Have you tried a Craft-a-Long for those undone Pinterest pins? If you were going to do it, what's the first item you'd make from your boards?

Pink Ribbon T-Shirt Quilt

This is what a square will look like.

I've always wanted to make a t-shirt quilt. For years, I've saved quilts from ball games, sorority dances, and charity events. I've matched them to the perfect fabrics and I've made diagrams of their placement. And then, every time, I stopped.

As y'all well know by now, I come from a quilt family. I can distinguish a nine patch from a Log Cabin or an Ohio Star from a mile away. I've learned the appliqué stitch. I can iron like a boss. The thing is, I just can't cut straight. Turns out, that's a big problem when you're making a quilt.

This October, I'm getting past all that. I'm making a throw-sized quilt to commemorate many years' worth of breast cancer charity runs. This cause hits really close to home for my beau and me, and we've always made an effort to support breast cancer research charities. Needless to say, we have a lot of pink ribbon t-shirts sitting around the house. A quilt is a perfect keepsake to help us remember all the fundraisers we've participated in over the years.

My basic pattern.  I'll keep y'all posted.

My grandmother helped me create a pattern for my quilt. We cut nine t-shirts into 15" squares. Each square will be framed by a 2" wide green and pink border. These squares will be sewn together and framed by a 2" wide contrasting border, then quilted.

Since I've cut up over a decade's worth of fundraising commitment to use as quilt squares, I'll need to participate in a few new races and earn some new shirts. Fortunately, there are plenty of opportunities to raise money for breast cancer research in the Bluegrass State this year!

This part scares me far more than running a 5K!

Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure

Lexington (5K) -- Saturday, October 6, Downtown 9 AM

Ashland (4K) -- Saturday, October 13, Central Park, 9AM

Louisville (5K and 10K) -- Saturday, October 13, Iroquois Park 9AM

American Cancer Society Making Strides Race

Lexington -- Sunday, October 28

Louisville -- Sunday, October 28

Ashland -- Sunday, October 28

The Sky Scarf - September 2012

What was it Robert Burns wrote about "the best laid schemes of mice and men...?" I think that it was something about how everything can go crazy in a short time! September was that time for me! I would suspect that, with back-to-school routines ramping up in so many families, I am not alone.

My Husband and I started the month of September in Costa Rica under beautiful, bright blue skies. Everything there, from the palm fronds to the butterflies to the fruits, was brilliantly colored. I diligently took pictures that included the sky so that I would remember the shade for The Sky Scarf.

When we returned, my situation at work got a little crazy and the first rows of my Sky Scarf never got started. 

However, I've kept notes each day on the shade of my sky. Being the super nerd that I am, I've organized them on a special Google Calendar!

I bought my yarn before our trip, and I love all the shades I found. 

Things look promising for this Sunday to be my "catch up on September's rows" day.

How are your sky scarves coming along?

The HerKentucky Sky Scarf Challenge

Early last year, I taught myself to knit. This was attempt number eleventy billion to learn. I'm not sure what made it happen, but one day, the actions associated with knit one, purl two just clicked in my brain and off I went with the clicking and clacking of needles never far behind me. Then came summer. Hot, hot, hot summertime. Who wants to think about woolen hats and scarves when your brain melts just stepping outside? Not me.

With our recent cooler temperatures and nights of sleeping with the windows open, I've been thinking more and more about picking up my needles again. The imminent football season is also good impetus to start pinning new projects to my Ravelry to-make list and my Pinterest knitting board. Nothing helps you feel better about being lazy and watching a whole day (or a whole weekend) of football than having a newly-knitted scarf or two to show for it!

This week, I happened across a pin on the HerKentucky Craft Ideas Pinterest board. (If you aren't following us over there, you really should! These women have good taste!) That pin led me to a post on whipup.net (one of my favorite craft sites) by Lea Redmond and her idea for Conceptual Knitting - a Sky Scarf. The basic premise is this - you observe the sky each day, then choose a yarn to match the color of your sky, and knit one row each day. At the end of one year, you'll have a pretty amazing scarf with a cool story behind it.

Source: whipup.net via Her on Pinterest

I like this idea because it ties two of my goals for life into one thing - 1) to live, observe and document my life in interesting ways and 2) to craft and create beautiful things that are useful.

The HerKentucky Sky Scarf Challenge

The challenge couldn't be simpler! Today, I'd like to challenge you to gather up your favorite blue, gray, and white yarns. Beginning September 1, knit one row of a scarf based on what the sky looks like that day - where you are. Monthly, I'll share my progress with you here on the blog. Please share your progress with us, too - via Facebook, Twitter or in the comments of each month's Sky Scarf post!

 What's that? You don't know how to knit?

If I can learn, you can, I promise. I taught myself with some good diagrams and by watching Youtube videos. I suggest that you find a friend/aunt/grandmother who knits and ask them to show you. I was mystified by someone else trying to teach me, but you may learn that way in two shakes. We're all different, and that's the best!

 Variations on a Theme

As I read the comments on the original whipup entry, I saw lots of variations on the Sky Scarf idea. Some people thought that observing the sky at sunrise or sunset could produce interesting results. Some people might like the idea of assigning a color to each mood and producing a row a day based on how they feel on that particular day. Of course, Heather and I brainstormed that we could make a scarf that corresponds with the UK basketball season – five rows of blue for a win, five rows of white for a loss. Everyone wants a solid blue scarf, right?

Join Us!

Mention in the comments if you'd like to accept this challenge. Then, go forth and buy yarn!

Here are some of our favorite local knitting shops:

• With Ewe In Mind - 800 Jefferson Street, Paducah, Kentucky
• ReBelle - 225 Rosemont Garden, Lexington, Kentucky
• The Woolery - 315 St. Clair, Frankfort, Kentucky (with an amazing online shop)

HerKentucky Business: Rebirth Recycling

Tina Rodgers is a mom, a musician and a small business owner. We're pleased to feature her in today's HerKentucky Business feature. Tina's designs are funky, chic and ecologically responsible. Check out her online shop or make a trip to downtown Frankfort to see her designs in person!

Location:

online: http://rebirthrecycling.etsy.com 

my shop is located at 235 West Main Street Frankfort, Ky.

When did you start your small business? 

October 2010

What are your specialties?  

I take discarded textiles/materials and "upcycle"/ rework them into new fashions predominantly women's wrap skirts and dresses.

Have you had formal training in your craft, are you self-taught? 

I am self taught.  "Necessity is the mother of invention."

From where does your inspiration come? 

I have always been resourceful and feel that we can take whatever is in front of us and create something new.  My first skirt came after my dad's passing... I took some shirts  that we hadn't donated and didn't want to just have in the back of the closet...from those shirts I made a skirt.  It was very cathartic and became a living tribute/keepsake.  From that experience my clothing has evolved into what it is today.

What is your favorite part of owning a small craft business in Kentucky?

I love the freedom to take what others don't want and designing a new life for it.  I also enjoy meeting so many wonderful people.  In my online shop I have sold nationally/ internationally and forged some great friendships through these exchanges. Locally, I have met people in my own town that I might never have met otherwise and have enjoyed getting to know them immensely.  The friendships and feeling of that old world ethic that the customer/client is valued above all else is also a great source of fondness for me.

What makes your products unique? 

I think my product is unique in that I am an intuitive designer.  My degree is in Music.  When you are trained in something it can be hard to maintain a passion overtime.  You censor yourself and don't venture into trusting your instincts completely.  With my designs of a resourceful nature, the intuitive process of meeting someone and custom making a skirt or dress for them creates new textures and color schemes I would never have thought of on my own...it is a "living" process..wearable art.  Each is unique like a fingerprint although my structures are of a simple, minimalist nature.

I love Tina's work and intend to stop by her shop soon. In the meantime, I've been perusing her Etsy collection and picked some definite favorites (UK themed, of course)! I was also happy to learn that Tina loves doing custom work and offers all sizes. 

Quilts Galore

Since Sarah shared with us why Paducah is known as Quilt City with the AQS Quilt Show in town and Cincinnati recently hosted the International Quilt Festival, I thought it a perfect time to share some of our favorite quilts.

Heather’s grandmother appears to be a prolific quilter – mastering all the traditional patchwork and applique styles.

She also throws in some great modern prints, too, with this patchwork quilt. I’m not sure who likes it more – Heather with her love of Lilly P or Max!

Emily loves quilts for the same reasons I do – each quilt is a labor of love. Quilters often quilt because they love the process, but every quilter I know loves to make quilts for others – almost meditating over the recipient while making the gift.

With this in mind, Emily decided to learn to quilt. She found a local quilter on Etsy and asked for lessons. This is a great way to learn a new craft.

While Emily quickly found out that quilting isn’t always great for those with ever-changing attention spans, she did make two awesome quilts!

One for her father with an Asian influence, and a great patchwork quilt made from some modern Amy Butler fabric (an icon in the modern quilting world!).

My beloved aunt, Carol, helped teach me to quilt when I decided to do a class project on quilting. When she passed away, I inherited her amazing machine, and my love for modern-style quilting really blossomed. I love to use modern fabrics in conjunction with more traditional patterns and also to try to come up with new designs.

I’ve found that baby blankets are just about the perfect size – not so big I get tired of them and not so small that they aren’t functional. Plus, I love giving handmade baby gifts! Who doesn’t want a quilt to snuggle under?

If I could just find the time to make a quilt for myself!

Kentucky Crafted: The Market

We are thrilled to welcome Lydia Powell to the HerKentucky Team.  A Transylvania alumna (and Sarah and my Phi Mu sorority sister!), Lydia crunches numbers by day and indulges her many creative urges in her downtime.  Lydia., a Frankfort native, is a devoted Kentucky Wildcats fan, a quilter, a runner, and a photographer.  And did I mention that she made her own wedding dress? 

Lydia will be writing the new HerKentucky Crafts column, which spotlights her own crafty interests, tutorials and more!  -- HCW

How many of you have a DIY or craft-related board on Pinterest? Is it full of awesome crafty goodness that you hope to replicate or draw inspiration from for your next bridal shower or gift-giving opportunity?

If you are anything like me, you pin and pin and pin ideas for home decor that you love. You know it would be fun and more economical to make it yourself, right? How often do we ever put those grand pinboards into action, though? I've always been a crafter, but I rarely find time to make every project that is in my head. A lot of times, I have to turn to the professionals.

Of course, almost everyone is aware of Etsy as a great alternative when you just haven't found the time to make that chevron-striped throw pillow for your front porch swing. Etsy is a great handmade marketplace. While the site does have some location-specific searches so that you can support local artists and makers, I've got an even better option for you. This weekend, in Lexington Kentucky, the Kentucky Arts Council will host the 30th annual Kentucky Crafted: The Market event.

On Saturday and Sunday, March 3rd and 4th, at the Lexington Convention Center you can browse through the award-winning market for Kentucky art, craft, music, books, foods and more.

Kentucky artisans are known the world over for their exquisite traditional crafts and Appalachian art but you might be surprised at the contemporary art and design going on within the Commonwealth's borders. Very often, I think Kentucky residents take for granted the beautiful art available to them. The quilts on our beds or the basket we throw our car keys in were gifts from talented aunts or grandmothers. Each of us likely knows someone who is a maker of traditional crafts. Perhaps we are makers ourselves. This market really celebrates that strong tradition that goes back centuries in Kentucky's history but is so very alive and thriving today.

Tickets for the market are $10 for one day or $15 for two while children under 15 enjoy free admission. Children and adults, alike, will enjoy hands-on opportunities to create at booths sponsored by area institutions like the Living Arts & Science Center and The Carnegie Center for Living and Learning. Additionally, workshops are held throughout the weekend to provide more in-depth discussions of Kentucky art and craft.

What I am most looking forward to, though, are the retail booths. Shell-Bee’s Homemade Gourmet Sea Salts & Spices is a booth I am definitely marking to visit (you can preview the market program). I could do all my shopping for upcoming birthdays with some key purchases of pottery, jewelry and handmade baskets. With more than 200 exhibitors, I'm pretty sure I could easily find everything I wanted and more I didn't even know I wanted! The Boone Creek Creamery's handmade artisan cheeses, alone, could keep me happy for hours.

Supporting local artists is important. The Kentucky Crafted Market is an excellent place to do that!