THE MAKING OF A BASKET/BOWL

Fold the rope to the left and zigzag down the center with a wide zigzag stitch

keep turning the rope counter clock wise slowly, all the while zigzagging catching both sides of the rope. Sewing on a cotton clothes line produces a lot of lint, these baskets/bowls use a lot of thread…

so I cleaned my machine every bobbin change and oiled the machine every two bobbin changes. Use a big needle or a jean needle if you have one avaiable. Get into the rhythm and it will become meditative before you know it.

Make a flat disk to what size you wish, then…

push down in the center

raising the side up about 45 degrees

each round raise the side a little higher to build the side walls.

keep going round and round…raising the side

when you have the height wanted

and if you choose to have a handle,

back stitch where you want to start your handle and cut the threads

make a loop the size wanted then start stitching on the other side,( see picture 3rd one down),  remember to back stitch! go around and add another width to the handle. Add as many widths as you like or have rope to use, don’t waste any.

see below how it all come together ;-)

I had a little bit of line left, so got a little creative.

every bowl/basket will be different if you let the moment do all the creativity.

inside my completed bowl

 Using my bowl for storing loose makeup containers.

that’s pretty much it….let your creativity go wild. These are fast and it feels great to finish something useful all in an hour to a couple of hours.

Don’t forget to put on a corny movie, one you have seen a hundred times so you do not actual have to watch the movie.

Have fun, and be sure to share what you create!

THE MAKING OF CLOTHES LINE BOWLS

sewing clothes lines round and round is equivalent to meditating, no it is a form of meditation. i start with no more than a couple of inches and sew till i feel like stopping or run out of rope and it matters not which one happens first. every design starts out with “i wonder what shape this will take on”. the excitement is watching the entire project come together, knowing at the end it will be the perfect completed object, beautiful and useful.

tomorrow, i promise , i will put a few how too’s on the blog to get you started. be careful though, and know how addictive this kind of sewing is…you have been forewarned .  

BOWLS---FLOWERS---YARN

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I’m trying not to come home from work and  just sit and do nothing!  I could so easily stare at the TV or take a nap, I have a hard time finding any energy after working at a computer all day.  BUT I want to get some fun things done! So today I came home and took a clothes line and bada bang - bada boom, I turned that plain ole’ clothes line into a very useful bowl, to hold some beautiful skeins of yarn.

And let me say, that this project met my need to “just run it through”.  Meaning I find it relaxing as well as comforting to run fabric through a sewing machine…weird I know, but true.  90 minutes of running a clothes line through my sewing machine was pure ZEN.

I am sure I will be purchasing more clothes lines, so if you are needing to replace yours, better get to the shops before me……I see Christmas, Birthdays, friendship gifts………

Spring is really trying to bloom forth here, I like a slow spring with cool temps and plenty of rain. 

And it’s proving to be a Spring that meets all my expectations. JOY JOY JOY.

The flowers pictured here are in my yard, as pretty as they are, my spring garden needs attention.

Oh, the plans I have when I retire. I lay in bed just dreaming of all the fun garden projects….

Soon, so very soon!

I have a full weekend planned, planting some of the garden, more clothes line sewing and on Sunday making pillows from an old worn out quilt. Of course some needed house duties will be sprinkled in-between my need to create enjoyable “things”.

Enjoy your weekend

SPRINGING AROUND HERE

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what’s not done-is planting these cold crops

or my flower seeds!

all because of….

this. A much welcome spring rain/snow mix storm.

i’m hoping that before monday a break in this spring strom

i can get a few wee minutes in the yard!

no complaining though, how we need this moisture!

on to some sewing!

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Nothing shouts Spring like the daffodil…..yellow of course!