Check-In Post November 16th 2020

[badly_knitted]

Hello to all members, and welcome to our regular daily check-in post. Just leave a comment below to let us know how your current projects are progressing, or even if they're not.

Checking in is NOT compulsory, check in as often or as seldom as you want, this community isn't about pressure it's about encouragement, motivation, and support. Crafting is meant to be fun, and what's more fun than sharing achievements and seeing the wonderful things everyone else is creating?

There may also occasionally be questions, but again you don't have to answer them, they're just a way of getting to know each other a bit better.


Today's Question: What was the first thing you remember making?


If anyone has any questions of their own about the community, or suggestions for tags, questions to be asked on the check-in posts, or if anyone is interested in playing check-in host for a week here on the community, which would entail putting up the daily check-in posts and responding to comments, go to the Questions & Suggestions post and leave a comment.

I now declare this Check-In OPEN!

Comments

[badly_knitted]

My first memory of making something was helping my mum with something we called Frizzles, out contribution for the school fair. Basically, they were half of the cardboard tube from inside a toilet roll, covered in felt, with a felt base shaped so they had feet, and fur fabric on the top for hair. I remember we gave them silly expressions, using felt again for eyes and mouth. They sold really well, but it was back in the 60s, I'm not sure they'd be so popular now!

Managed 18 rows and the first side of the neck shaping on the front on my lacy summer top. Hopefully I should have the whole top finished in a couple of weeks *fingers crossed. Still haven't finished the sewing up on my red sweater due to poor light and headaches. I'll get there, perhaps if we get a bit of sunlight instead of grey skies...

[but_can_i_be_trusted]

Oh, gee. I'm not even sure.

I remember helping Mom and Grandma with Christmas cookies when I was really small. And I remember fingerpainting (and hating it) when I was in kindergarten.

[badly_knitted]

I must have DONE finger painting, but I don't remember. I kind of remember painting with a brush at school, but not what I was painting. I have some of my artwork from infant's school (what you'd call kindergarten), crayon drawings, and something with coloured tissue paper stuck on it, mum saved them, but I don't remember doing them.

Aw, baking with Mom and Grandma must have been fun!

[but_can_i_be_trusted]

Grandma was...not a fun person. But one of my few good memories revolving around her would have to be her teaching me to bake.

[badly_knitted]

I can relate. My gran was very strict and didn't like my mom. I don't actually have any good memories of her. She was my dad's mom.

You've got a great mom though!

[but_can_i_be_trusted]

I agree! Mom's tremendous! :D

[smallhobbit]

I can remember sewing my cookery apron at school - we had to make them in needlework one year, ready for cookery the following year. It took me two terms, when everyone else only took one term!

I've just knitted the rib for the second sleeve of my granddaughter's jumper. I've also realised I did 6 rows rib instead of 4 for the first sleeve, but it's too late now, so I've done 6 again. I don't think it'll make much difference.

[badly_knitted]

You sound like me! We had to make cookery aprons in needlework too, but every time I touched a sewing machine it stopped working so it took me forever to get mine done. I don't remember for sure, it was a long time ago, but it's possible mum had to finish mine at home just to get it done.

Two extra rib rows shouldn't make any difference at all. I often do extra rib on sleeves for myself anyway, and it doesn't affect the pattern, but then I have slightly longer than average and also very thin arms, and I like a good rib to keep my wrists snug. At least you realised in time to make both sleeves match!

[nagi_schwarz]

I think the first thing I ever made was wooden clothes pin Christmas soldiers as a Christmas tree decoration? I am quite sure my mother did most of the work but it’s an early memory.

Yesterday during D&D I finished a wing! Now I have to see about braving the second wing, which I must make in reverse...

[badly_knitted]

I seem to remember something with clothes peg dollies, but not soldiers. Did you keep any?

Ah, reversing the pattern, tricky! I'm sure you can do it though!

[nagi_schwarz]

We moved so many times when I was a kid I don't know if the soldiers survived the move, but maybe my mother has some? I'll have to ask her.

Thank you! We shall see if I can...

[badly_knitted]

You never know, some might have avoided being lost!

Good luck!

[m_findlow]

Still nothing to report today, lol. But I did go to the "actual" office. So weird after so long but the train was empty as was most of the office, just a pain wearing masks when you leave your own little office all the time. But hey, I got to use my one hand sewn mask, so that's craft! It was still hot to wear but looked nicer than black ones or disposables, since I used old patchwork fabrics.
I think my first proper craft was probably quilling. We saw it at the first craft show we ever went to and mum bought me a starter kit and a book of quilling designs which I still have. After that I remember being twelve and at a shop on holidays on the Gold Coast where we discovered rubber stamping (yes, a whole wondrous shop dedicated just to rubber stamping! Those were the days!). I was amazed at the magic of embossing powder and we bought so much stuff there, back when it was super expensive. Still have all that too, the stamps and all the little ink pads in every possible shade, and a heat gun we bought at the hardware store for melting the embossing powder. After twenty five years they're still wet, too, almost as good as the day we bought them. The multicolour pads were the best with all the different strips together so you could use one stamp but have it look like it changed colour on the paper.
I really want to get all of that stuff out again and play with it. Sigh... So little time!

[but_can_i_be_trusted]

Mom used to visit a few rubber-stamping shops in San Luis, Salinas, and Cambria in my college days. The ones in San Luis and Cambria are still there, though I can't imagine they do very good business lately.

[badly_knitted]

Yay for wearing your hand made mask! Eve though it w because you had to go out. (My masks have been a folded piece of fabric and two rubber bands but I got a couple of washable masks today).

I've never done quilling, although my aunt did some. I do however have lots of rubber stamps and ink pads, and yes, some of them are the kind with lots of colours in one pad. I'd love to get them out again but like you, no time right now. Hopefully there will come a time when both of us can have fun with our stamps. I've got a lot of the clear ones and the perspex blocks they cling to so they're easier to position, as well as the traditional kind.

Never used embossing powder either but it's another thing I'd love to try.

[froodle]

I'd not heard of embossing powder or rubber stamping as a craft activity until this moment, and it sounds INCREDIBLE.

[badly_knitted]

Does require a fair amount of kit though, but the stamped pictures can then be coloured in, which is relaxing. I haven't tried embossing powders, that's a little more complicated, heating them up.

[froodle]

I remember making little dolls out of white kneesocks for the body/legs (no arms, I guess?), thick brightly coloured wool hair (bright blue was my favourite), and eyes that were buttons from a collection my Nan gave me (many of which were Pat Butcher style paste jewels, and therefore part of a priceless horde to child me)

[badly_knitted]

Button boxes are treasure troves!