CRAFT BOOK CHALLENGE

another day another project

Ramona and I are big collectors of craft books - we love em. Between us we own a couple of hundred spanning a good seventy years of publishing. But we have discovered over the years that while we like collecting them, and flicking through them for "inspiration" we rarely get around to actually making any of the projects contained therein. And we think we might not be alone in this. Given that we've dubbed 2012 as the year of up-skilling we have come up with yet another hair-brained scheme (see jam sessions) to get us using our libraries for more than a housework diversion! 

We've decided to call it the CRAFT BOOK CHALLENGE.

The rules: 

1. pick a a book from your library at the start of each month (you can only use this book once)

2. identify your chosen project from said selection and publish the pattern/instructions (copyright permitting)

3. get crafting, you have one month to complete your project.
4. post your completed craft work along with review at the end of the month.
5. repeat.

We're going to have a red hot go at this one, and no doubt the results will vary between wildly successful and hilariously dire. If anyone else out there feels like having a crack at this, either each month or on a more random basis let us know! 

To be frank I got bugger all made last year as I was knocked up and nauseous for the first half of the year and then off my head with exhaustion and a baby for the second half of the year, so I will be happy to just get anything made. I have a few projects in mind though - macrame hangers (on top of the to do list for the past five years) single bed quilts for the boys and the big brother little brother mice above, and then of course there's my wish to make the ultimate linen smock dress for me to team with my jeans and sandals because it's going to be all about Scando style comfort this me year.

I'd also like to revisit some forgotten skills like cuttlefish silver casting, pinch pot ceramics and wood carving but given the workload I'm already facing this year don't be surprised if we end up with origami and spray painted pasta collage... BECK

My focus last year was very much on wood and paper. 2012 will see me determined to dust off the sewing machine, whip out the knitting needles and sort out the embroidery thread. It's back to textile based craft in my house for a while. I'm hankering for hanks, fat quarters, mitered corners and bias binding. The bottom book in that pile is a relatively new one for me and I bought it on a whim because I liked the styling. The images below are the four projects in the book I'd realty like to tackle.

I've been meaning to make a round pillow for Thom for ages but I still haven't been able to find an insert. The plastic bag holder is an absolute must as we have a stack of them shoved under the sink. The wire coat hanger covers are pure practicality. I share a tiny wardrobe with my beloved and it's in total disarray. one of the biggest problems is that we have wide hangers that take up far too much space. I'm not normally a fan of wire hangers but  I think with added padding and pretty fabric (colour coded perhaps?) . The peg bag is also a must because at the moment I have them in an ice cream container, very tacky. RAMONA


WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO MAKE?