My History with Crafts

  Hello there blogger world.  I'm Taylor.  I'm starting this blog as my new crafting blog, to share projects I've been working on, tips and tricks for anyone wanting to get started in any type of crafts and also to help get my name out there.

  Here's a little background on me.  I am currently 19 years old, I have been dabbling seriously in the crafting world since I was about 4 or 5 when my Nana taught my sister and I how to hand sew little sleeping bags for our doll houses.  As I grew older, and discovered all the types of crafting there was in the world, it became clear to me that I wanted to grow up to be someone who made things for others.  I got my first sewing machine when I was 8 years old and never looked back.  It was one of those little play machines that did a straight and zigzag stitch and lasted maybe 6 months.

Probably looked something like this.  I don't remember the exact brand my first one was.

  I remember my first project was a pillow case for my little brother which evolved into a vest that later was added to a quilt in my 4th grade class.   A lot of the things that got me interested in crafts in general were things I learned from my Nana.  She taught me how to knit (for the first time when I was 5 which I forgot a few weeks later and again when I was probably about 9)  I was so proud of myself when I was able to knit a washcloth but didn't know how to finish it, my first finishing job was threading the yarn through all the loops and tying it off, usually what you do with 3 stitches not 25.  She also taught me and my sister how to sew a pattern for the first time when we were around the same age, we started by making a shirt that was to go with a shirt for a sophisticated little outfit,  needless to say it didn't get very far, I still have the shirt in my stash of fabrics, waiting to be completed.  We had only gotten as far as cutting the pattern out (and learning how to do that as well as pinning and cutting it from the fabric), sewing the darts and some seams, but never finishing the armholes or the hem.  At that point I was hooked.  I was sent home that day with her old sewing machine, an old Kenmore, the ones that weigh about 30lbs, fully metal and super loud.  I used this machine until it died, I got a good 2-3 years use out of it, even when it got stuck in zigzag mode.

Not a photo of my actual machine, same model though.

After this machine I got another Kenmore for Christmas in 8th grade.  This one had multiple stitches and an automatic buttonhole maker.  I was delighted.  also at the fact that it had purple buttons and knobs.  It had to go in for repairs twice since the timing kept going out, very frustrating when you're working on clothes.  One day the timing went out again, I didn't want to keep spending money to repair it and I didn't have the heart to throw it away though so I kept it in the back of my closet for a couple years,  I pulled it out a few months ago to it happily working again.

Excuse the mess

This one was eventually replaced my my Pfaff Variamatic 6085, an old German machine that my Nana bought me secondhand for a competition in high school.  This one works like a charm, it didn't have the automatic button hole maker like the Kenmore did but after working with the button hole system on this machine the automatic one makes me a little angry.  I haven't had any problems with this machine since I got it in 2009.

 

  Enough about the sewing machines though.  I barely mentioned the rest of my craft obsessions.  I have a storage bin full of yarn, and a tool box stuffed with straight needles, metal and wood DPNs and an assortment of crochet hooks.  I also learned a whole bunch of techniques, like colouring fashion drawings (the right way), a little beading, painting, macrame, a little embroidery, some jewelery making, and a whole lot more that I would like to share.

  If you ever met me and saw my room you'd think I was a little crazy.  I have at least 7 storage bins full of fabric and a dresser full with another 2 laundry baskets full of scraps on top.  4 mannequins (2 adjustable and top body that I got for free from The Bay.  There's patterns everywhere and my own personal iron and board that I got as gifts.  You don't meet too many 17 year olds happy to get an ironing board for christmas. 

I think that's all I have for my history of crafts, I'm currently working on my first tutorial for my blog.   To those who care to join me, Enjoy :)