Not the weirdest place I've found my tools, but the most shocking at the time. In Grade 9 I won a school sewing award and the prize was a new pair of sewing scissors with my name engraved on the side. The next morning I was looking for them to open the package to test them out. "Mom, have you seen my new scissors?" "No!" "Dad, have you seem my new scissors?" "Yeah, they're in the kitchen. I was trying them out. Don't worry, it was just on paper"
Oh no 😳....my family was trained from childhood that this was a huge NO. Particularly after my brother destroyed a pair of Mum's shears cutting a lamp cord (while it was plugged in...I'm seeing parallels to the Addams family and my own...)
I really like "pancraftual!" I am pan and do too many crafts, so it makes sense. I've sewed and crocheted since around 7, and taught myself to knit at 17. I can also embroider, do calligraphy, quill, make props, make jewelry, etc. Basically, if there's a craft out there, I know how to do it. This also means that I have a LOT of stuff. The comment about the stash exectutor is something I've never thought about, but it makes sense, especially if you're a generational crafter. You may have family heirlooms, be they tools or finished items, that you want passed on to someone, and without guidelines, most people aren't going to look at a craft stash and see that. A friend's grandmother died about three years ago and left behind a stash of primarily sewing supplies (she used to be a tailor.) Unfortunately, no one in her family sewed anymore, beyond putting a button back on. My friend gave the stash to me because she knew I could use it, and I am incredibly grateful. I used so much thread making masks! Some fabrics were just too old and some of the crochet thread had to be tossed due to mouse poop, but there were some beautiful things in there. One of my favourites was an assortment of antique/vintage crochet hooks! I grew up using them and new ones have such a shallow hook that the yarn often slides out and it is so frustrating! It may not have been exactly what she wanted for her stash, but I'm very grateful to her and my friend for passing things along. (I turned a curtain from this stash into a dress and floored her whole family because they'd hated the fabric as a curtain, but it made a very nice dress.) As for my own stash, well, at one point I DID have a fair amount of disposable income, as well as no concept of how long it would take to use the things I already had. I would regularly buy pretty things to add to the stash and had to keep buying plastic bins for storage. I looked at it one day and suddenly realized just how much I had. This was made even worse by the fact that I have both a yarn stash and a fabric stash, people have given me things for both, and it's impossible to use things as quickly as they can be bought. Except for accessories or tools (knitting needles, thread, etc.) I've had a near-complete purchasing ban for a few years and I'm slowly making progress. Things can get so quickly out of hand.
I’ve just learned to crochet, and I find it’s a great change from quilting - I mostly do hand appliqué, so the lighting has to be just right, I can’t be too tired or too caffeinated, etc. With crochet I can chat while I’m working, I don’t need to be in a space lit like I’m guiding in planes, and I don’t have to be in the full bloom of rosy health. I think it’s good for both our bodies and our minds to have hobbies with different levels of intensity. ❤️
A cherished Dutch embroidery cross stitch needle that I had lost in the backyard in the grass turned up again months later when I searched for it again! I nearly cried. It was jjust the right length and pointiness
Generalists of the crafts unite! The fine line you have to tread between useful stash and burdensome hoard is a fine one, especially when you inherit someone else's stash/es. Trouble is, when you've got the hang of a couple of soft crafts, it's all too easy to slip into the hard crafts like woodwork and metalwork and oh boy, the fancy tools and pretty gadgets and things people are throwing away that are perfectly good that you definitely need... truly sound advice in this video, and I hope you're feeling well again soon.
I have learned that labeled clear plastic bins work the best for me. I absolutely adore those Pinterest worthy craft spaces with color coordinated boxes and cute jars but they quickly devolve into chaos. So instead of the neo-Victorian space of my dreams my space looks like the stockroom in a repair shop. I save my decorating for the rest of the house. As a person who leans toward introversion I like activity based socializing. I used to belong to a group who got together to knit or crochet hats to give to kids having chemo. I am looking to see if something like that exists in my new town.
Wow. That’s me, a multicrafter 😂 Agreed with all of your tips! Honestly, I love knowing a bit of everything. When my kid wants something obscure for a costume or wants to design and make her own toy, I can figure out how to do it and usually even have the ingredients! Makes me feel like supermum… if only for a moment!
hahaha yes! I got the multicraftualism from the women in my family too. I still get mushy when I see old chairs because I remember when my granny taught me decorative caning. So far I have tried cross stitch, embroidery, knitting, punch needling, sewing, latch hooking and simple bead jewelry. The one that I always come back to is crotchet. The bead work classes sounds super fun and your mum sounds like a lovely person. I like the idea of taking up a craft when you get into a new community. I need to find a hobby/ craft circle.
I find that most crafty folk venture into more than one avenue of the craft world. Which is awesome, imo. It makes separate groups come together to create a Stay-Puft size amalgamation of craft love. And what could be better than that? :)
Bathroom is probably the "weirdest" place. Its the only room in the house I can use the dremel indoors during the winter, thus various supplies have ended up in there as well.
it is sunday evening, (9:53 in germany), i have been binge watching your videos all day today (yes. all day) and slowly but steadily knitting away on a sweater from 100% new wool (it´s so new, it smells like sheep and lanolin and has grassy bits in it, so yeah, it is chap and scratchy and feels a bit like a thin rope you would use to wrap a parcel with but, alas, it´s warm and my first sweater in 35 years so.. i do the thing! today is my 61st birthday an i am doing the thing.) and i am loving every one of your videos. your wit and wisdom, your thirst for the history and stories behind things, your personality, your projects, the way you embrace hiccups and setbacks, your occasional rants.... you are a gem. so, if you were wondering who booped the button on all the old stuff, i confess. boop! thank you for sharing.
I went through a crochet lace binge and usually worked watching the TV. The pesky tiny hooks occasionally worked their way into the cushions, only to later be found by sitting on them.
This was a fantastic video with some really great advice and experiences. It sent me down a rabbit hole of memories, so enjoy the following if you'd like. tldr: my nan had a massive stash that is still surfacing from the family 20+ years later. The too long: My nan was a crafter, from sewing, knitting, crochet and I honestly don't know what else as I was only 9 when she passed. She spent a number of years volunteering at a second hand store, which meant access to many supplies. She had a large room for her craft, technically a bedroom but was quite large in my memory. It was furnished with a giant table that ran through the centre of the room with storage underneath (I now suspect pop made it for her as the garage was his domain with all sorts of machinery for wood and metal craft), plus a built in wardrobe and several chests around. I only have hazy memories of it, as the grandkids weren't really allowed in there (large family meant easier to restrict than supervise access). But what I do remember is when she passed, and her kids stepped up to help clear up the house to make pop's life easier for managing solo, it took a full week for two or three of the aunts to work through just her sewing room. They each took some things for themselves (mum got her sewing machine, which I've recently managed to date back to 1959~!) but even then so so much went to thrift store or even tip because of the sheer volume. An aunt recently also sent me a book that was nan's called The Complete Encyclopedia of Needlework, printed in 1975, which I found some excellent patterns which I believe were the ones nan used to knit a blanket I had as a child. She also told me she has an older print, which is undated but had a piece of paper saying nan's great aunt "brought from England 1913" (we're in Australia). It was so very cool to uncover, and so interesting that of all the cousins, I'm the only one that has really taken the crafting bug so far, despite being the youngest and didn't get much time with nan even before she passed. Sewing is definitely my current focus at the minute, but most of my 20s was in crochet, and dabbling in drawing, clay, painting and more through teens. If anyone's read this far, thanks for following my rambling. ^^;
I don't have a weird place story, but a weird story regarding my tools. I live in a very old cottage in the middle of the woods with no neighbours, it's at least 310 years old, even if some things in it places it in the medieval region of time. The house is built partially on an medieval ruin and on top of a viking age longhouse. There are numerous graves and ruins surrounding it from the bronze age and forward (just setting the scene). When I moved in 10 years ago I didn't have much money to spend on tools. One day I was embroidering with my only needle, so I was very careful not to lose it. Time came to swap the yarn, so I placed the needle on the table in front of me, turned around and picked up the new yarn, cut a piece and when I was gabbing the needle, it was nowhere to be found. I looked everywhere for several minutes. One of my dogs signaled that she needed to go out, so I gave up and let her out into the garden and sat down on the steps. A rug was drying on the railing and something caught my eye, it was my needle, standing straight up out of the rug. The hairs on my body all stood up. This isn't the only time these things happen, whomever/whatever I'm sharing this cottage with are partial to needles, crochet needles, scissors and pens, I'm always out of them. I often get them back, but some things (even big things) go missing forever. The latest were a few days ago, when my wallet went missing. I got it back yesterday, in the place where I left it.
I'm really glad that I found your channel! I'm a young knitter and I've been gifted all my grandma's old needles and yarn because she can't quite do it anymore. I started with crochet but I'm interested in getting more into knitting. Your tips are really helpful!! ❤❤
This has made me think. I never thought about having a Stash Executor before. Heck, I haven't even thought about my final wishes about anything. I think I know who I'd want to be my stash executor. One of my niblings is a crafter as is one of their is learning how to sew. Most of my stuff is sewing related, but I also do beading, knitting, embroidery and a few others I can't remember. And right my craft area (otherwise know as the living room) is so unorganized I can barely find anything. I think I need to invest in a few more bins... or shelves... or.. or.. or.. Now if I can just get rid of the procrastination monster.
Thank you for this. I also have multicraft hobbies. The weirdest place I've found my bits were crochet hooks in the bathroom. As in, I slipped them in my hair. So obviously I have to brush my teeth and hair so I have to pull the hook out to brush my hair. Then I tear the place apart looking for my favorite 4.5mm Clover Soft Touch. And I have a neat little line of hooks on the bathroom shelf. Thank you for this!
I'm so glad I found your channel! As a Gen Z it's hard to find good traditional crafting videos with a voice like yours😊 I just finished watching an antique chrochet video and I didn't even realize when it went to your knitting video because I was just enjoying listening
Very cool thoughts and ideas, as I look around at all the plastic bins in my tiny house full of so many craft supplies. I remember a few years ago being a member of a group that donated beading supplies to other members. I don't remember what it was called, but basically anyone who had an overabundance of supplies would offer the extras and members of the group could request said items. Usually the receiver would pay for shipping. I also have that craft ADD I suppose. I never met a craft I didn't love. I do struggle with the tatting shuttles, but can easily tatt with a needle. I find wooden knitting needles easier to use than metal or milk. Yes there is a textile made from something pertaining to milk, that is hard enough to be a knitting needle. IMHO some brands have stopped people from continuing to learn a craft they would have loved, so if you are interested... don't give up. Trying different tools is a great way to keep at it.
I'm glad you've found tools that work for you! I think I've tried casein (milk) needles, but I still prefer my Addis 😁 I have a tatting needle set in my drawer, but once I got coordinated with the shuttles, I figured the needles would just be a good backup 😃
I am learning shuttle tat. I have a really hard time waiting in lines and need to fidget and I think fidget toys are not useful (for me). I figure that I could use tat in line and not be so "bouncy". I don't even care if my stitches are correct right now as I figure that will come with time. Your tat is gorgeous!
Thank you for shering your thoughts on this. I was surely not expecting, that you will talk about dying and community or frendship in crafting, but it surely was interesting and in a way the sharing part felt christmasy.
I hate to say it, but I've had a year where 'buy more stitch markers' feels like a very weak tip. 😉 I'm hoping to get at least a little cozy Christmas flavour on the channel before the season's over! 😁
I don’t think I have found any crafting supplies in weird places. Is that weird? I also didn’t think that the video was aimed at somebody like me, because I only paint and sew and crotchet and I recently tried nalbinding and… ok, you got me . 😱 I loved your advice about the quality of tools in knitting. I know how important good tools are but somehow never thought they might make such a big difference in knitting. Would love to hear a sequel about time managing multi crafts.
Sometimes the lesser quality tools work well (found a hat Mum was working on using those old grey circular needles, and they totally make sense with her yarn choice - and I use cheap plastic shuttles as my 'off' shuttle for tatting) but sometimes good quality makes a huge difference! I'll see what I can do about a management video when I can get my own stuff managed😁
VERY good video, M'Lady! And it included a couple things I'd not thought of: Stash Executor and organization by craft. I know that latter point might seem odd but when you told how your Mum organized...and how you do....I can see both points. I shall need to ponder these. I figure my BFF-Sister-From-Another-Mister shall get almost everything I own, craft wise. However, you've caused me to think about which of my 7 children will get my mother-in-law's treadle sewing machine. I'm about to teach myself to use it and I'd like whomever gets it to do the same. Hmmm....might start training now to see who has the knack. 🤔 And yes, I'll be sharing this with the aforementioned BFF-Sister-From-Another-Mister: the only other person who will appreciate or need such wise counsel. Blessings to you, M'Lady!
Oh my, in describing your mother, you are describing me. The strangest place I found something I needed was “right where I put it” only problem….I put it where I would Be able to find it except I forgot that special place. You see on my birthday, 2022 I was hiking right after a little rain & slipped & fell off a cliff. I sustained a concussion, broke 3 ribs and severely fractured my spine. I’m still in recovery (9 months on) so have had plenty of time for crafting mostly in bed. I have recently been able to use my sewing machine again (my 1st love) & was able to finish an amazing “suitcase” out of recycled denim that I totally customised as a sewing suitcase with pockets, elastic loops and all sorts of bells & whistles to basically have a little portable sewing room. So after 2 hours of digging through my sewing room, getting a lot of decluttering & organising done, I suddenly remembered that I had put that item I was looking for in that special denim suitcase which for the time being sits on the foot of my bed. They say it can take a year or longer to recover from a concussion. Some of the ways to compensate are to write important things down however you then have to remember where you put the notes you wrote down. Side note: I don’t think I mentioned that on my birthday, I was out in the bush in New Zealand camping. It was my 64th birthday. Because of the accident I had to retire early. My lovely husband (he’s younger than me, my toy bot, lovingly stated that now that I’m retired that I should pick one craft/hobby and get rid of all the other stuff. Bwaaahaa haa (did I mention how much it hurt, and still does, to laugh?) my hobbies include sewing, crochet, quilting, painting, drawing, making junk journals, crochet, knitting, camping, & crafting while camping (the reason for the suitcase) spinning, knitting, embroidery, and much more. It probably would have been easier to state what I do. I don’t do plastic canvas stuff or crochet flooffy toilet paper covers. As I’ve been getting better, I’ve managed getting my camp site set up and broken down (practice in the front yard) 2 times now with each time getting a little easier and less painful which gives me hope that I will be able to go camping again and use my awesome suitcase. I camp alone with just my dog it’s my special place & time.
Wishing you a speedy recovery...it should never hurt to laugh, and I want you to laugh as much as you want, as hard as you please for a very long time to come 😃
All wonderful tips. I have finally made room in my crafting space to move around so the great re-organization will begin. After Christmas. Too much baking/fabric star making to do in the meantime. Thanks again for a lovely video. Glad you got over the plague and are feeling better.
I shall do a better job on letting family and friends know what i like and want :o I usually tell my husband "oh I don't need anything I have plenty of yarn and things" but then I get upset when i do not get anything but honestly in the moment I cannot think of anything that I need!!! Since I am thinking of trying tatting I might just add a bunch of that stuff to my wishlist.
As the child of two multicrafters, I know what you are saying about being a 'craft executor'. I was lucky that my mom and I's taste is similar enough that I just folded her yarns into my own stash with only a detour to be photographed and weighed for Ravelry. But my son and daughter in law would have no idea on my stuff. I only hope that my granddaughter stays interested.
I just need to get my own stuff organized so I can fold in Mum's stuff. She had a lot more time to accumulate stuff than I have...if your granddaughter keeps up with things,she'll have quite the legacy with 2 previous generations worth of stash /supplies 😁
I can't use long straight needles either. My noodle wrists are too weak for them. Thankfully mom introduced me to knitting and circular needles at the same time. As for finding things in weird places - both my husband and father win there. Under the car seat crochet hooks for the former and in the fridge tools for the later. I haven't reached that level yet, despite having craft supplies all over the house. I consider my spinning wheel as a lovely decoration in the living room. I spin while walking when on longer walks or while I'm waiting for family members to finish shopping. That tends to get attention and conversations. I much prefer a bottom whirl drop spindle for this.
@@MaireColclough I learned to spin specifically with that intention, mostly while walking to and from work. This was after a long time of walking while reading. 40 minute walks were a good incentive.
I think the weirdest place I've found craft things was some double pointed knitting needles (like size 1) tucked in with my fine liner pens... And my clothing drawers. I'm still missing one from that set. 😂
Well I definitely have craft ADD. I’m also finally being tested for it irl though sometimes I feel like I’m too old to bother. But really I haven’t met a craft I didn’t like! I’ve been working on organizing the last little while. And making sure that there’s a central place for each item. I’ve even been culling a few things. I was never lucky enough to find partners in crime, I mean crafting. Though I do have a few knitting or spinning friends around. Though I guess I’m still working on that. Telling family and friends about my addiction has got me bits of stashes as people purge. Of course it might be time for me to learn to say no! I think I now have 5 button stashes! I’d never thought of naming a stash executor but it sounds like a good idea.
It sounds like you're already working on getting everything together! Though I shudder to think what 5 button stashes look like...that sounds like a treasure trove and a logistical nightmare at the same time 😁
I organized my button stash by colour - white, wood/brown, green/blue, purple/red, black, metal/enamel. That way I have a fighting chance of finding sets. At the moment they are in zip lock bags that sit in the drawer of my Grannies Bertha Washington sewing cabinet. Your worth the neurological testing. Annoying though it may be... end of speech. Hey - surprising news in time for Christmas. I won a Foundations Revealed scholarship! - Cathy (&, accidently, Steve), Ottawa/Bytown/Pimisi
@@stevezytveld6585 hey Cathy congratulations!! And a great early present! I’m sure you will learn lots of fun things. One of the stashes is colour coded. There’s a small stash that is in sets which is nice but it’s heavy on the 80’s. The rest is a bit of jumble. And thanks for the speech. I was feeling sorry for myself.
I've done that too! Not been vibes, but an aloe that busted out and flopped over. Now I wonder how many folks lose their crafting cotton to the potting shed? 😉
Really nice video. Funny, I do have my fabrics, and notions in plastic or cardboard boxes. I do find it easier this way. I didn't think about a craft curator for after me, I would have to think about it.
Sounds like you're most of the way there (though I definitely recommend substituting plastic boxes for the cardboard...I've seen what water damage can do! 🙂
This is a very useful video, thank you so much. You've raised some excellent points to think about, especially with the "what to do with the stash when I'm dead" one. I look at my stashes and will admit that most of them are out of control and need better organizing - or labeling at the very least. I also need to find people who share my crafting interests. There is one group I used to belong to that concentrates on spinning/weaving/knitting and that's great, but it'd be nice to find a group where there are a range of non-fibre crafts practiced. I've belonged to such a group and it was great.
Stash is definitely something that requires ongoing management...right now I'm looking at my machines and tools with the same critical eye. Between spinning wheels, sewing machines and handcraft tools...I'm hopeful my wrangler will know what to do with it all! Hoping you find a group that suits you...it really helps 😃
Always great to see a video by you! Lots of good tips and things to think about in this one. I need to watch twice. 🤗💗 Since I'm working on drapery at the present I love yours! ❤ And yes that red plastic knitting needle behind you reminds me of my Grama 💟 whom I learned to knit from by watching over her left shoulder. She was right handed and I left. What a blessing 🙏 that your Mum was so organized with her bins and containers!
Thank you! I'm so glad you were able to pick up knitting from your Grama...we have a lefty in the family and the right-handed "default" always makes things more of a challenge. 🙂
What will happen to my looms and wheel is something that does prey on my mind. I have heard of a place in Oregon that will rehome your fiber tools, but I don't know much else about it, other than that it exists.
Weirdest place? Probably the spare tire space in a car I had. My now ex was not supportive of stash enhancement. He is an Ex. Favorite stash wrangler device are cookie tins for current cross stitch or embroidery project. Makeup bags for notions. (I stopped wearing the stuff during the last 2 years.) Current crafts. Knitting, crochet, tatting, spinning, weaving, sewing, drawing, painting, embroidery and cross-stitch, paper piecing. Crafts I had to drop due to age... Remodeling, woodworking and pyrography... sighs. I gave those toys/tools away.
Makeup bags make fantastic notion & project bags! I think I've repurposed two makeup bags and a pencil case in just the same way. And it sounds like you have a lot on your plate without the woodworking etc...💕
Wonderful advice. I need to start with the culling! I should send you some of my tatting cotton- you need a lot more! It was nice to hear someone using the correct tatting terms and not calling it crochet! I also am into machine crafts, especially embroidery and I just acquired an antique singer knitting machine (my hands won’t let me knit for longer than 30 minutes at a time).
Hooray for knitting machines! I'm saving my money for a circular sock machine - probably the 3D printed kind rather than metal, but it still counts 😁 Maybe someday I'll find a straight knitting machine to bust out some sweater panels. When it comes to tatting...I'm a fan. I've fallen in love with Handy Hands tatting thread, and I've even bought cordonnet off eBay 😁 So even some pointers for good, inexpensive thread sources would be fantastic (not a fan of using crochet cotton for tatting....I find it's difficult to un-knot if I mess up) 😉
@@MaireColclough unfortunately when ppl hear that you tat they give you their deceased grandmother's closet of crochet cotton. Once I get the standard gauge knitting machine going I hope to use up that crochet cotton.
Great video. Thank you. I'm a multi crafter of the fibre variety. Crochet, weaving of several kinds, sewing, embroidery etc. If it involves a fibre I can generally cause chaos with it. Currently missing a sewing pattern with I am sure was in the pattern crate. I have found a ball of yarn in the bathroom before now. Just the yarn, no hooks, needles or anything else. Really strange as my yarn crate is under a rigid heddle loom, an inkle loom, several boxes and a dead laptop. my fabric stash is 2 large crates and 2x 6 foot long shelves. threads and other supplies are in plastic draws near my 2 sewing machines (1 antique hand crank that does get used) and my serger for ease of getting to. I did notice your Hobgoblin Ruby tin in the background 🍻
Yup! We got the Husbeast a special treat via a via the Hobgoblin, and I got the tin in trade. I'm not sorry 😁 I love that there was a dead laptop amongst the weaving detritus....sounds like a modern crafter to me 😁
@@MaireColclough They cut the same. It was to keep a hulking troll and little goblins from cutting wire or trying to play hair dresser. Now my scissors are tucked away in a nice warm drawer.
Only this morning I was trying to trim a rough nail edge with my fabric shears which were on my bedside table. I assume my nail file is in my sewing stash?
I have a tendency to sleep walk. I've been known to carry on full and apparently, comprehensive conversations both in person and over the phone. I've driven in my sleep (yeah, no bueno). I've walked two miles in my sleep when while I'm awake I can barely go ¼ a mile w/o pain hitting me (yes I was in a shit ton of pain that left me bed bound for 2 days). I cook in my sleep (whatever was cooked may or may not be edible for consumption by any living being). I also tend to put random shit in even more random places. As I knit, I have knitted (badly) in my sleep. And, I have placed knitting projects in places that are unfathomable to my brain when awake. I've found projects in the fridge, freezer, washer, dryer, toilet (that project got thrown out and the needles bathed in bleach), bathtub and in nearly every accessible cupboard, closet and drawer in my house.
You have my sympathies...I've been acquainted with a couple of somnambulists over the years and while the stories can be funny later, at the time...not so much. 🫂
@@MaireColclough most definitely some sleep walking incidents are pretty funny after the fact, but, some of them are down right scary. Driving or cooking incidents when sound asleep are things that I have had to take extreme measures so that I don't end up repeating them just because of the sheer danger they pose to not only myself but other people. So far, I haven't had any more of these happen but, I have done other strange crap while asleep with the most recent being completely rearranging EVERYTHING in my kitchen. The following ended up being hell as I then needed to put everything back to where the stuff actually belonged. That was a long day of work to do on top of my "awake brain" trying to figure out why my "asleep brain" thought rearranging the kitchen was a smart thing to do along with what the hell it was thinking...... those questions still haven't been answered..... 😂
I feel so seen by this video. My storage problems were exacerabated last year with the forest fire evacuation alerts. I now also have a special plastic bin with my most precious supplies. Which must.be.put.back.after.use. To add to that I inherited my mum's sewing supplies. Did I need them? No. But there are some real treasures in her things. It is one thing I am the only daughter to have shared with her. I see a pretty container of long, straight knitting needles beside you. Is your grandmother giving you a look from afar? Antique pattern library is fantastic for old crochet patterns. Really good step by step instructions. I have a tatting shuttle from a friend's mum's supplies so that is my next new craft. Would love to make my friend something. I got a ton of old style acrylic yarn from...somewhere. Hated it. But a local high school kid was asking for acrylic for a charity hat making project so I was happy to pass it on. Nevermind the moths. Its the dust possibility that freaks me out.
Plastic bins are great for emergency situations. Mum switched from cardboard boxes to Rubbermaid after our basement flooded. Granted...those bins can get heavy 😁 My straight needles are a combination of my resources, and a collection from the Husbeast's family. Once I track down Mum's, they'll join the canisters. Granny would probably be surprised at the depth of my knitting supply hoard 😁
I have a weakness for scissors…especially embroidery scissors…the last time I organized my craft materials I discovered that I owned 4 nice fabric shears, a set of pinking shears, 2 pair paper scissors, metal scissors, 1 super fancy pair of embroidery scissors, 27 regular embroidery scissors, 2 pairs of utility scissors, 2 kitchen scissors, and a pair of decoy scissors of each style (because my siblings are terrible people who have been known to use my beloved scissors on human hair, pet hair, paper, tin foil, meat, plastic sheets, leather…anything you can imagine so I leave scissors I don’t care about out for them to find) which is probably more scissors than any crafter needs…so I am currently attempting NOT to buy more scissors-also, I think I need to let my craft friends know we are in a “craft coven”
As a huge Addi Turbo fan... have you tried the Chiaogoo red lace needles? They may have replaced my Addis (well, not replaced but fill in the spots for sizes I didnt have)
I was So Close to getting myself organized. I have under-desk storage drawers to keep the studio table clear. And I purged, sorted and then shelved the rest of the stuff into a metal garage shelf. Which promptly folded itself in two about a day later. Now we're stuck in the cycle of waiting for the every two week large garbage disposal that all apartment dwellers live with to dispose of the thing; with a minimum amount of time where the table goes unused because of the Piles of Stuff sitting on it while we shop for a sturdier bookcase. Le sigh. First world problems. Some of my tools, like the chisels, I've used for over 40 years. There's nothing quite like having a tool that fits your hand. Centralized storage is the only way for me not to reach into a drawer and not come away with a hand stuck full of pins and blades. I firmly believe that the Grannies shared sewing patterns on the regular. I've been working on getting the God-kids into sewing for the past two years... with mixed results. This past summer I built up a wardrobe worth of patterns from the 30's, 40's & 50's. Those are patterns I look forward to sharing. My Mum was a quilter, knitter, weaver, spinner and general purpose sewer. Translation - emptying out the fun was... an experience. Designate a stash executor... Aye. - Cathy (&, accidently, Steve), Ottawa/Bytown/Pimisi
The Grannies definitely traded. Our at least let folks copy the patterns. I found a few crochet patterns Mum copied from Granny(now safely tucked away in case I want to crochet specific items). Your hobbies are legion, and I despair the poor soul who wanders unwittingly into your stabby pointy lair 😁
@@MaireColclough On the upside of the stabby-pointy lair - it's never hard to find a letter opener... I figure swapping/copying patterns would have been essential in places like Port Arthur (now Thunderbay). There is only so much the local shop can handle and the Eaton's catalogue would only get you so far. The copy of the pattern from your Granny's collection must be amazing. Well done. Sewing and leatherwork are the big space eaters in ze home. The sketching / painting / drawing and (these days restricted to polymer clay - I miss stone...) sculpture largely fit into drawers. Now if only I could find a stable bookcase at a decent price in the next 2 weeks... Our landlord is cracking down because we've become "that building" on the street of condos. We used to be prime for the garbage pickers. To the point where neighbours were caught dragging their couch to drop off at our building on garbage night. Le sigh.
@@stevezytveld6585 have you checked IKEA for shelving? They had a good sturdy set of Garage shelving that was actually quite attractive and reasonably priced that we were looking into for storage purposes...think it was the Bror system. 🙂
@@MaireColclough I'll check Ikea again, thanks for the reminder. I'm cautious of their shelving just because I've had to rebuild it so much over the years. I've been thinking, maybe, of a china cabinet (a Small one). They're basically a 5 shelve bookcase with doors. It's just a matter of finding on on The Kijiji (or anything else that fits the basic definition).
i am living with glitches and gaping holes in my memory thanks the ongoing effects of covid, so there is ZERO logic as to where stuff ends up when i am having one of my epic brain-farts. luckily my crafting supplies were (mostly) organized before that started, but my newfound hyper-forgetfulness tends to include putting stuff away in strange new places and forgetting having done so, so i fully expect crafty bits to turn up in odd places in the years to come.
I've had a terrible memory for many years due to depression (thankfully it is improving as I recover), and one of the things I found helpful was carrying my current craft around in a work bag. Everything goes back into the work bag, even if I put it down for just a moment. Usually I keep it in my lap as I'm working so that it's never, ever easier for my tired mind to (mis)place things on the nearest flat surface. Adding a pincushion in there has almost completely eliminated the spontaneous generation of pins and needles from my clothes. Now if I lose anything it will certainly be the whole work bag, but that's larger than a pin so it's not as difficult to hunt down.
If you go down near the bottom of the description, there's a link to a list of my social media stuff. It's listed in there. I've never claimed to be good at the social media thing 😉
I'm in this picture and I don't like it-- Seriously though, finding tools that are ergonomic for you is a gamechanger. Also, quality. I would go so far as to say: especially if you have any kind of dexterity or fatigue issues, don't get the cheapest tools when trying out a craft. Get at least decent quality. If you have friends who do it, ask if you can borrow from them to avoid a steep price if you're not sure you'll stick with it, but it's so much easier to figure things out if you're not fighting your own tools and potentially your body at the same time.
Sorry if my voice sounds a little rough...I'm recovering from the 'rona and sipping all the lemon-honey tea I can 💕
I hope you feel better soon! Happy yuletide season
Get better soon.
@@BookCat18 Thank you! Working on it 😁
@@robintheparttimesewer6798 Thank you! The tea helps a lot 💕
Oh no! I hope you fully recover, and soon!
Not the weirdest place I've found my tools, but the most shocking at the time. In Grade 9 I won a school sewing award and the prize was a new pair of sewing scissors with my name engraved on the side. The next morning I was looking for them to open the package to test them out. "Mom, have you seen my new scissors?" "No!" "Dad, have you seem my new scissors?" "Yeah, they're in the kitchen. I was trying them out. Don't worry, it was just on paper"
😩😩😩😩
Oh no 😳....my family was trained from childhood that this was a huge NO. Particularly after my brother destroyed a pair of Mum's shears cutting a lamp cord (while it was plugged in...I'm seeing parallels to the Addams family and my own...)
Dad clearly wasn't trained properly. Hopefully you educated him kindly.
…was he joking? Please say he was joking 😯
@@fearlessknits1 He was not joking
Organizing my stash is a never ending project it feels like.
Oh that's a mood and a half, right there. 💕
I really like "pancraftual!" I am pan and do too many crafts, so it makes sense. I've sewed and crocheted since around 7, and taught myself to knit at 17. I can also embroider, do calligraphy, quill, make props, make jewelry, etc. Basically, if there's a craft out there, I know how to do it. This also means that I have a LOT of stuff.
The comment about the stash exectutor is something I've never thought about, but it makes sense, especially if you're a generational crafter. You may have family heirlooms, be they tools or finished items, that you want passed on to someone, and without guidelines, most people aren't going to look at a craft stash and see that. A friend's grandmother died about three years ago and left behind a stash of primarily sewing supplies (she used to be a tailor.) Unfortunately, no one in her family sewed anymore, beyond putting a button back on. My friend gave the stash to me because she knew I could use it, and I am incredibly grateful. I used so much thread making masks! Some fabrics were just too old and some of the crochet thread had to be tossed due to mouse poop, but there were some beautiful things in there. One of my favourites was an assortment of antique/vintage crochet hooks! I grew up using them and new ones have such a shallow hook that the yarn often slides out and it is so frustrating! It may not have been exactly what she wanted for her stash, but I'm very grateful to her and my friend for passing things along. (I turned a curtain from this stash into a dress and floored her whole family because they'd hated the fabric as a curtain, but it made a very nice dress.)
As for my own stash, well, at one point I DID have a fair amount of disposable income, as well as no concept of how long it would take to use the things I already had. I would regularly buy pretty things to add to the stash and had to keep buying plastic bins for storage. I looked at it one day and suddenly realized just how much I had. This was made even worse by the fact that I have both a yarn stash and a fabric stash, people have given me things for both, and it's impossible to use things as quickly as they can be bought. Except for accessories or tools (knitting needles, thread, etc.) I've had a near-complete purchasing ban for a few years and I'm slowly making progress. Things can get so quickly out of hand.
I’ve just learned to crochet, and I find it’s a great change from quilting - I mostly do hand appliqué, so the lighting has to be just right, I can’t be too tired or too caffeinated, etc. With crochet I can chat while I’m working, I don’t need to be in a space lit like I’m guiding in planes, and I don’t have to be in the full bloom of rosy health. I think it’s good for both our bodies and our minds to have hobbies with different levels of intensity. ❤️
Crochet is definitely more forgiving....and portable. Having a variety of crafts to work on is always a good thing, in my books 😃
A cherished Dutch embroidery cross stitch needle that I had lost in the backyard in the grass turned up again months later when I searched for it again! I nearly cried. It was jjust the right length and pointiness
Generalists of the crafts unite! The fine line you have to tread between useful stash and burdensome hoard is a fine one, especially when you inherit someone else's stash/es. Trouble is, when you've got the hang of a couple of soft crafts, it's all too easy to slip into the hard crafts like woodwork and metalwork and oh boy, the fancy tools and pretty gadgets and things people are throwing away that are perfectly good that you definitely need... truly sound advice in this video, and I hope you're feeling well again soon.
Working on it!
And isn't it amazing how crafts get compared to other recreational pursuits? Hard crafts....soft crafts....gateway crafts? 😉
@@MaireColclough and the real hard stuff: edible crafts. There's no going back from the first successful loaf of bread.
@@noexpensespentstudios too true. Also: home-made pizza dough.
I have learned that labeled clear plastic bins work the best for me. I absolutely adore those Pinterest worthy craft spaces with color coordinated boxes and cute jars but they quickly devolve into chaos.
So instead of the neo-Victorian space of my dreams my space looks like the stockroom in a repair shop. I save my decorating for the rest of the house.
As a person who leans toward introversion I like activity based socializing. I used to belong to a group who got together to knit or crochet hats to give to kids having chemo. I am looking to see if something like that exists in my new town.
I love circular needles for crafting on train journeys, far less threatening than double pointers. 😅
Wow. That’s me, a multicrafter 😂 Agreed with all of your tips! Honestly, I love knowing a bit of everything. When my kid wants something obscure for a costume or wants to design and make her own toy, I can figure out how to do it and usually even have the ingredients! Makes me feel like supermum… if only for a moment!
hahaha yes! I got the multicraftualism from the women in my family too. I still get mushy when I see old chairs because I remember when my granny taught me decorative caning. So far I have tried cross stitch, embroidery, knitting, punch needling, sewing, latch hooking and simple bead jewelry. The one that I always come back to is crotchet. The bead work classes sounds super fun and your mum sounds like a lovely person. I like the idea of taking up a craft when you get into a new community. I need to find a hobby/ craft circle.
I find that most crafty folk venture into more than one avenue of the craft world. Which is awesome, imo. It makes separate groups come together to create a Stay-Puft size amalgamation of craft love. And what could be better than that? :)
Just don't cross the streams 😉
Bathroom is probably the "weirdest" place. Its the only room in the house I can use the dremel indoors during the winter, thus various supplies have ended up in there as well.
I don't know why, exactly, but tools just seem to gravitate to bathrooms. 😁
it is sunday evening, (9:53 in germany), i have been binge watching your videos all day today (yes. all day) and slowly but steadily knitting away on a sweater from 100% new wool (it´s so new, it smells like sheep and lanolin and has grassy bits in it, so yeah, it is chap and scratchy and feels a bit like a thin rope you would use to wrap a parcel with but, alas, it´s warm and my first sweater in 35 years so.. i do the thing! today is my 61st birthday an i am doing the thing.) and i am loving every one of your videos. your wit and wisdom, your thirst for the history and stories behind things, your personality, your projects, the way you embrace hiccups and setbacks, your occasional rants.... you are a gem. so, if you were wondering who booped the button on all the old stuff, i confess. boop! thank you for sharing.
I went through a crochet lace binge and usually worked watching the TV. The pesky tiny hooks occasionally worked their way into the cushions, only to later be found by sitting on them.
Oh goodness...I don't think I've lost a hook to the sofa, but I've definitely lost a needle or two...I'm not sure which alarms me more 😁
This was a fantastic video with some really great advice and experiences. It sent me down a rabbit hole of memories, so enjoy the following if you'd like. tldr: my nan had a massive stash that is still surfacing from the family 20+ years later. The too long:
My nan was a crafter, from sewing, knitting, crochet and I honestly don't know what else as I was only 9 when she passed. She spent a number of years volunteering at a second hand store, which meant access to many supplies. She had a large room for her craft, technically a bedroom but was quite large in my memory. It was furnished with a giant table that ran through the centre of the room with storage underneath (I now suspect pop made it for her as the garage was his domain with all sorts of machinery for wood and metal craft), plus a built in wardrobe and several chests around. I only have hazy memories of it, as the grandkids weren't really allowed in there (large family meant easier to restrict than supervise access). But what I do remember is when she passed, and her kids stepped up to help clear up the house to make pop's life easier for managing solo, it took a full week for two or three of the aunts to work through just her sewing room. They each took some things for themselves (mum got her sewing machine, which I've recently managed to date back to 1959~!) but even then so so much went to thrift store or even tip because of the sheer volume. An aunt recently also sent me a book that was nan's called The Complete Encyclopedia of Needlework, printed in 1975, which I found some excellent patterns which I believe were the ones nan used to knit a blanket I had as a child. She also told me she has an older print, which is undated but had a piece of paper saying nan's great aunt "brought from England 1913" (we're in Australia). It was so very cool to uncover, and so interesting that of all the cousins, I'm the only one that has really taken the crafting bug so far, despite being the youngest and didn't get much time with nan even before she passed. Sewing is definitely my current focus at the minute, but most of my 20s was in crochet, and dabbling in drawing, clay, painting and more through teens. If anyone's read this far, thanks for following my rambling. ^^;
Sounds like you have a rich crafting history to draw from, and it's so cool that those books are re-surfacing just as you need them! 😃
I don't have a weird place story, but a weird story regarding my tools.
I live in a very old cottage in the middle of the woods with no neighbours, it's at least 310 years old, even if some things in it places it in the medieval region of time. The house is built partially on an medieval ruin and on top of a viking age longhouse. There are numerous graves and ruins surrounding it from the bronze age and forward (just setting the scene).
When I moved in 10 years ago I didn't have much money to spend on tools. One day I was embroidering with my only needle, so I was very careful not to lose it. Time came to swap the yarn, so I placed the needle on the table in front of me, turned around and picked up the new yarn, cut a piece and when I was gabbing the needle, it was nowhere to be found. I looked everywhere for several minutes. One of my dogs signaled that she needed to go out, so I gave up and let her out into the garden and sat down on the steps. A rug was drying on the railing and something caught my eye, it was my needle, standing straight up out of the rug. The hairs on my body all stood up.
This isn't the only time these things happen, whomever/whatever I'm sharing this cottage with are partial to needles, crochet needles, scissors and pens, I'm always out of them. I often get them back, but some things (even big things) go missing forever. The latest were a few days ago, when my wallet went missing. I got it back yesterday, in the place where I left it.
I'm glad your housemate reruns your supplies, at least! Hopefully they didn't use your wallet for more than a paperweight 😉
I'm really glad that I found your channel! I'm a young knitter and I've been gifted all my grandma's old needles and yarn because she can't quite do it anymore. I started with crochet but I'm interested in getting more into knitting. Your tips are really helpful!! ❤❤
This has made me think. I never thought about having a Stash Executor before. Heck, I haven't even thought about my final wishes about anything. I think I know who I'd want to be my stash executor. One of my niblings is a crafter as is one of their is learning how to sew. Most of my stuff is sewing related, but I also do beading, knitting, embroidery and a few others I can't remember. And right my craft area (otherwise know as the living room) is so unorganized I can barely find anything. I think I need to invest in a few more bins... or shelves... or.. or.. or.. Now if I can just get rid of the procrastination monster.
The procrastination monster is strong, but you can do it! I'm currently trying to swamp out my own sandcrawler. Results vary 😉
Thank you for this. I also have multicraft hobbies. The weirdest place I've found my bits were crochet hooks in the bathroom. As in, I slipped them in my hair. So obviously I have to brush my teeth and hair so I have to pull the hook out to brush my hair. Then I tear the place apart looking for my favorite 4.5mm Clover Soft Touch. And I have a neat little line of hooks on the bathroom shelf. Thank you for this!
I bought hair forks so I'd stop using chopsticks and crafting supplies. The bonus is that they grip the hair a lot better 😉
I'm so glad I found your channel! As a Gen Z it's hard to find good traditional crafting videos with a voice like yours😊 I just finished watching an antique chrochet video and I didn't even realize when it went to your knitting video because I was just enjoying listening
Very cool thoughts and ideas, as I look around at all the plastic bins in my tiny house full of so many craft supplies. I remember a few years ago being a member of a group that donated beading supplies to other members. I don't remember what it was called, but basically anyone who had an overabundance of supplies would offer the extras and members of the group could request said items. Usually the receiver would pay for shipping.
I also have that craft ADD I suppose. I never met a craft I didn't love. I do struggle with the tatting shuttles, but can easily tatt with a needle. I find wooden knitting needles easier to use than metal or milk. Yes there is a textile made from something pertaining to milk, that is hard enough to be a knitting needle. IMHO some brands have stopped people from continuing to learn a craft they would have loved, so if you are interested... don't give up. Trying different tools is a great way to keep at it.
I'm glad you've found tools that work for you! I think I've tried casein (milk) needles, but I still prefer my Addis 😁
I have a tatting needle set in my drawer, but once I got coordinated with the shuttles, I figured the needles would just be a good backup 😃
I am learning shuttle tat. I have a really hard time waiting in lines and need to fidget and I think fidget toys are not useful (for me). I figure that I could use tat in line and not be so "bouncy". I don't even care if my stitches are correct right now as I figure that will come with time. Your tat is gorgeous!
Having a handcraft to distract you is a wonderful idea! I usually have a sock in progress with me, just in case 😃
Thank you for shering your thoughts on this. I was surely not expecting, that you will talk about dying and community or frendship in crafting, but it surely was interesting and in a way the sharing part felt christmasy.
I hate to say it, but I've had a year where 'buy more stitch markers' feels like a very weak tip. 😉
I'm hoping to get at least a little cozy Christmas flavour on the channel before the season's over! 😁
I don’t think I have found any crafting supplies in weird places. Is that weird?
I also didn’t think that the video was aimed at somebody like me, because I only paint and sew and crotchet and I recently tried nalbinding and… ok, you got me . 😱
I loved your advice about the quality of tools in knitting. I know how important good tools are but somehow never thought they might make such a big difference in knitting.
Would love to hear a sequel about time managing multi crafts.
Sometimes the lesser quality tools work well (found a hat Mum was working on using those old grey circular needles, and they totally make sense with her yarn choice - and I use cheap plastic shuttles as my 'off' shuttle for tatting) but sometimes good quality makes a huge difference!
I'll see what I can do about a management video when I can get my own stuff managed😁
Addi Turbo for every thing 🌹
VERY good video, M'Lady! And it included a couple things I'd not thought of: Stash Executor and organization by craft. I know that latter point might seem odd but when you told how your Mum organized...and how you do....I can see both points. I shall need to ponder these. I figure my BFF-Sister-From-Another-Mister shall get almost everything I own, craft wise. However, you've caused me to think about which of my 7 children will get my mother-in-law's treadle sewing machine. I'm about to teach myself to use it and I'd like whomever gets it to do the same. Hmmm....might start training now to see who has the knack. 🤔 And yes, I'll be sharing this with the aforementioned BFF-Sister-From-Another-Mister: the only other person who will appreciate or need such wise counsel. Blessings to you, M'Lady!
Thank you so much! And yes...special equipment requires special training. I'm so glad you have your BFF and lots of kids 😃
Oh my, in describing your mother, you are describing me. The strangest place I found something I needed was “right where I put it” only problem….I put it where I would Be able to find it except I forgot that special place. You see on my birthday, 2022 I was hiking right after a little rain & slipped & fell off a cliff. I sustained a concussion, broke 3 ribs and severely fractured my spine. I’m still in recovery (9 months on) so have had plenty of time for crafting mostly in bed. I have recently been able to use my sewing machine again (my 1st love) & was able to finish an amazing “suitcase” out of recycled denim that I totally customised as a sewing suitcase with pockets, elastic loops and all sorts of bells & whistles to basically have a little portable sewing room.
So after 2 hours of digging through my sewing room, getting a lot of decluttering & organising done, I suddenly remembered that I had put that item I was looking for in that special denim suitcase which for the time being sits on the foot of my bed. They say it can take a year or longer
to recover from a concussion. Some of the ways to compensate are to write important things down however you then have to remember where you put the notes you wrote down.
Side note:
I don’t think I mentioned that on my birthday, I was out in the bush in New Zealand camping. It was my 64th birthday.
Because of the accident I had to retire early. My lovely husband (he’s younger than me, my toy bot, lovingly stated that now that I’m retired that I should pick one craft/hobby and get rid of all the other stuff. Bwaaahaa haa (did I mention how much it hurt, and still does, to laugh?) my hobbies include sewing, crochet, quilting, painting, drawing, making junk journals, crochet, knitting, camping, & crafting while camping (the reason for the suitcase) spinning, knitting, embroidery, and much more. It probably would have been easier to state what I do. I don’t do plastic canvas stuff or crochet flooffy toilet paper covers.
As I’ve been getting better, I’ve managed getting my camp site set up and broken down (practice in the front yard) 2 times now with each time getting a little easier and less painful which gives me hope that I will be able to go camping again and use my awesome suitcase. I camp alone with just my dog it’s my special place & time.
Wishing you a speedy recovery...it should never hurt to laugh, and I want you to laugh as much as you want, as hard as you please for a very long time to come 😃
All wonderful tips. I have finally made room in my crafting space to move around so the great re-organization will begin. After Christmas. Too much baking/fabric star making to do in the meantime. Thanks again for a lovely video. Glad you got over the plague and are feeling better.
Hooray for baking! Also for there being walkable space in the craft room 😁💕
Thanks for another great video, Maire. So many of your tips are gold, especially for the horder crafters like me...
I wouldn't have learned as much as I have without crafters like you, Fanny 💕
I shall do a better job on letting family and friends know what i like and want :o I usually tell my husband "oh I don't need anything I have plenty of yarn and things" but then I get upset when i do not get anything but honestly in the moment I cannot think of anything that I need!!! Since I am thinking of trying tatting I might just add a bunch of that stuff to my wishlist.
Great video! I often find my rubber thimbles under the couch because Hercules makes off with them surreptitiously.
I think Hercules needs some wee faux mousies to chase so he'll leave Mom's thimbles alone 😁
@@MaireColclough He is very hard to dissuade. 😂
@@PocketFullofPoseys I've been getting that impression! 😁
As the child of two multicrafters, I know what you are saying about being a 'craft executor'. I was lucky that my mom and I's taste is similar enough that I just folded her yarns into my own stash with only a detour to be photographed and weighed for Ravelry. But my son and daughter in law would have no idea on my stuff. I only hope that my granddaughter stays interested.
I just need to get my own stuff organized so I can fold in Mum's stuff. She had a lot more time to accumulate stuff than I have...if your granddaughter keeps up with things,she'll have quite the legacy with 2 previous generations worth of stash /supplies 😁
ive been thinking of resorting and actually organising my many crafts. i own like 20 scissors that live everywhere, but i want them all in one spot.
It's always good to know where your scissors are. My favourite embroidery scissors have gone on a walk and I'm hoping I find them soon!
I can't use long straight needles either. My noodle wrists are too weak for them. Thankfully mom introduced me to knitting and circular needles at the same time.
As for finding things in weird places - both my husband and father win there. Under the car seat crochet hooks for the former and in the fridge tools for the later. I haven't reached that level yet, despite having craft supplies all over the house. I consider my spinning wheel as a lovely decoration in the living room.
I spin while walking when on longer walks or while I'm waiting for family members to finish shopping. That tends to get attention and conversations. I much prefer a bottom whirl drop spindle for this.
I admire your ability to drop-spindle your yarn! Particularly on the go... 😳💕
@@MaireColclough I learned to spin specifically with that intention, mostly while walking to and from work. This was after a long time of walking while reading. 40 minute walks were a good incentive.
I think the weirdest place I've found craft things was some double pointed knitting needles (like size 1) tucked in with my fine liner pens... And my clothing drawers. I'm still missing one from that set. 😂
Sounds like your needles were determined to go on an adventure will you, nil you 😉
Well I definitely have craft ADD. I’m also finally being tested for it irl though sometimes I feel like I’m too old to bother. But really I haven’t met a craft I didn’t like!
I’ve been working on organizing the last little while. And making sure that there’s a central place for each item. I’ve even been culling a few things.
I was never lucky enough to find partners in crime, I mean crafting. Though I do have a few knitting or spinning friends around. Though I guess I’m still working on that.
Telling family and friends about my addiction has got me bits of stashes as people purge. Of course it might be time for me to learn to say no! I think I now have 5 button stashes!
I’d never thought of naming a stash executor but it sounds like a good idea.
It sounds like you're already working on getting everything together! Though I shudder to think what 5 button stashes look like...that sounds like a treasure trove and a logistical nightmare at the same time 😁
I organized my button stash by colour - white, wood/brown, green/blue, purple/red, black, metal/enamel. That way I have a fighting chance of finding sets. At the moment they are in zip lock bags that sit in the drawer of my Grannies Bertha Washington sewing cabinet.
Your worth the neurological testing. Annoying though it may be... end of speech.
Hey - surprising news in time for Christmas. I won a Foundations Revealed scholarship!
- Cathy (&, accidently, Steve), Ottawa/Bytown/Pimisi
@@stevezytveld6585 hey Cathy congratulations!! And a great early present! I’m sure you will learn lots of fun things.
One of the stashes is colour coded. There’s a small stash that is in sets which is nice but it’s heavy on the 80’s. The rest is a bit of jumble.
And thanks for the speech. I was feeling sorry for myself.
@@stevezytveld6585 congratulations on the scholarship! 😃
@@MaireColclough Thanks Woman! Just came in this week...
I found cotton yarn out in the greenhouse. I forgot that the previous summer I'd been woefully lacking in twine to tie up some bean vines. *chuckle*
I've done that too! Not been vibes, but an aloe that busted out and flopped over.
Now I wonder how many folks lose their crafting cotton to the potting shed? 😉
Really nice video.
Funny, I do have my fabrics, and notions in plastic or cardboard boxes. I do find it easier this way. I didn't think about a craft curator for after me, I would have to think about it.
Sounds like you're most of the way there (though I definitely recommend substituting plastic boxes for the cardboard...I've seen what water damage can do! 🙂
I used to love to tatt my nanny had a shuttle that was all white and she said it was bone. I loved to use it but not sure it was really bone.
It wouldn't surprise me if it was! I've seen some fantastic items made from antler, which is very similar (now I want an antler shuttle...hm...)
What an interesting video! Thank you for sharing these great ideas. ❤️🇨🇦
Excellent advice. Thank you!
I love the way your mind works! You are very clever.
Thank you! 😊
This is a very useful video, thank you so much. You've raised some excellent points to think about, especially with the "what to do with the stash when I'm dead" one. I look at my stashes and will admit that most of them are out of control and need better organizing - or labeling at the very least. I also need to find people who share my crafting interests. There is one group I used to belong to that concentrates on spinning/weaving/knitting and that's great, but it'd be nice to find a group where there are a range of non-fibre crafts practiced. I've belonged to such a group and it was great.
Stash is definitely something that requires ongoing management...right now I'm looking at my machines and tools with the same critical eye. Between spinning wheels, sewing machines and handcraft tools...I'm hopeful my wrangler will know what to do with it all!
Hoping you find a group that suits you...it really helps 😃
Always great to see a video by you! Lots of good tips and things to think about in this one. I need to watch twice. 🤗💗 Since I'm working on drapery at the present I love yours! ❤ And yes that red plastic knitting needle behind you reminds me of my Grama 💟 whom I learned to knit from by watching over her left shoulder. She was right handed and I left. What a blessing 🙏 that your Mum was so organized with her bins and containers!
Thank you! I'm so glad you were able to pick up knitting from your Grama...we have a lefty in the family and the right-handed "default" always makes things more of a challenge. 🙂
What will happen to my looms and wheel is something that does prey on my mind. I have heard of a place in Oregon that will rehome your fiber tools, but I don't know much else about it, other than that it exists.
Craft coven... LOVE IT ❤️
I rather like it too 😁
Pancraftual! So that's what I've got!
Hey thx for the three new sites for historical patterns as struggled to find them
I'll try to remember to add the addresses to the description when I get home later. Thanks for the reminder! 🙂
Weirdest place? Probably the spare tire space in a car I had. My now ex was not supportive of stash enhancement. He is an Ex.
Favorite stash wrangler device are cookie tins for current cross stitch or embroidery project. Makeup bags for notions. (I stopped wearing the stuff during the last 2 years.)
Current crafts. Knitting, crochet, tatting, spinning, weaving, sewing, drawing, painting, embroidery and cross-stitch, paper piecing.
Crafts I had to drop due to age... Remodeling, woodworking and pyrography... sighs. I gave those toys/tools away.
Makeup bags make fantastic notion & project bags! I think I've repurposed two makeup bags and a pencil case in just the same way.
And it sounds like you have a lot on your plate without the woodworking etc...💕
@@MaireColclough I may have an obsession issue.
Wonderful advice. I need to start with the culling! I should send you some of my tatting cotton- you need a lot more! It was nice to hear someone using the correct tatting terms and not calling it crochet! I also am into machine crafts, especially embroidery and I just acquired an antique singer knitting machine (my hands won’t let me knit for longer than 30 minutes at a time).
Hooray for knitting machines! I'm saving my money for a circular sock machine - probably the 3D printed kind rather than metal, but it still counts 😁 Maybe someday I'll find a straight knitting machine to bust out some sweater panels.
When it comes to tatting...I'm a fan. I've fallen in love with Handy Hands tatting thread, and I've even bought cordonnet off eBay 😁 So even some pointers for good, inexpensive thread sources would be fantastic (not a fan of using crochet cotton for tatting....I find it's difficult to un-knot if I mess up) 😉
@@MaireColclough unfortunately when ppl hear that you tat they give you their deceased grandmother's closet of crochet cotton. Once I get the standard gauge knitting machine going I hope to use up that crochet cotton.
@@nancymoore8949 so true! I have a drawer of crochet cotton looking for a good project that isn't tatting 😁
Bedankt
Liked, shared and subscribed!
Also desperately trying to ignore the urge to learn macrame. I may need an intervention.
Thanks for the video!!!
Thanks for watching, Mads...and Macrame is apparently a slippery slope. You be careful with that craft 😉
Great video. Thank you. I'm a multi crafter of the fibre variety. Crochet, weaving of several kinds, sewing, embroidery etc. If it involves a fibre I can generally cause chaos with it. Currently missing a sewing pattern with I am sure was in the pattern crate. I have found a ball of yarn in the bathroom before now. Just the yarn, no hooks, needles or anything else. Really strange as my yarn crate is under a rigid heddle loom, an inkle loom, several boxes and a dead laptop. my fabric stash is 2 large crates and 2x 6 foot long shelves. threads and other supplies are in plastic draws near my 2 sewing machines (1 antique hand crank that does get used) and my serger for ease of getting to.
I did notice your Hobgoblin Ruby tin in the background 🍻
Yup! We got the Husbeast a special treat via a via the Hobgoblin, and I got the tin in trade. I'm not sorry 😁
I love that there was a dead laptop amongst the weaving detritus....sounds like a modern crafter to me 😁
Tis a decent ale and a good sized tin :)
A dead laptop that has historical craft research on it :D. Thankfully backed up to an external drive.
@@nanettebromley8843 indeed! And I'm glad you have backups of the hard drive! 😅
Glad to see a video. I like some of these ideas!
Thank you! 😃
I used to keep my fabric scissors in my freezer.
I'm curious...do they cut better that way? Or is it to keep them out of reach of those who would use them for nefarious paper-cutting purposes? 🤔
@@MaireColclough They cut the same. It was to keep a hulking troll and little goblins from cutting wire or trying to play hair dresser. Now my scissors are tucked away in a nice warm drawer.
@@kristalburns3490 Nefarious purposes, gotcha! 😁
Only this morning I was trying to trim a rough nail edge with my fabric shears which were on my bedside table. I assume my nail file is in my sewing stash?
I have naphthalene moth balls because the moths got too comfortable. I also use cedar but there's too much wool and I've already lost two sweaters.
Ha ha ha! You make me laugh! I found my crochet needle in my bra ones!
I have a tendency to sleep walk. I've been known to carry on full and apparently, comprehensive conversations both in person and over the phone. I've driven in my sleep (yeah, no bueno). I've walked two miles in my sleep when while I'm awake I can barely go ¼ a mile w/o pain hitting me (yes I was in a shit ton of pain that left me bed bound for 2 days). I cook in my sleep (whatever was cooked may or may not be edible for consumption by any living being). I also tend to put random shit in even more random places.
As I knit, I have knitted (badly) in my sleep. And, I have placed knitting projects in places that are unfathomable to my brain when awake. I've found projects in the fridge, freezer, washer, dryer, toilet (that project got thrown out and the needles bathed in bleach), bathtub and in nearly every accessible cupboard, closet and drawer in my house.
You have my sympathies...I've been acquainted with a couple of somnambulists over the years and while the stories can be funny later, at the time...not so much. 🫂
@@MaireColclough most definitely some sleep walking incidents are pretty funny after the fact, but, some of them are down right scary. Driving or cooking incidents when sound asleep are things that I have had to take extreme measures so that I don't end up repeating them just because of the sheer danger they pose to not only myself but other people. So far, I haven't had any more of these happen but, I have done other strange crap while asleep with the most recent being completely rearranging EVERYTHING in my kitchen. The following ended up being hell as I then needed to put everything back to where the stuff actually belonged. That was a long day of work to do on top of my "awake brain" trying to figure out why my "asleep brain" thought rearranging the kitchen was a smart thing to do along with what the hell it was thinking...... those questions still haven't been answered..... 😂
@@lesliehyde that has to be frustrating...and definitely scary at times!
I can't manage circular needles, can you do a tutorial for us? Please nicely?
Birdy
I feel so seen by this video. My storage problems were exacerabated last year with the forest fire evacuation alerts. I now also have a special plastic bin with my most precious supplies. Which must.be.put.back.after.use. To add to that I inherited my mum's sewing supplies. Did I need them? No. But there are some real treasures in her things. It is one thing I am the only daughter to have shared with her.
I see a pretty container of long, straight knitting needles beside you. Is your grandmother giving you a look from afar?
Antique pattern library is fantastic for old crochet patterns. Really good step by step instructions.
I have a tatting shuttle from a friend's mum's supplies so that is my next new craft. Would love to make my friend something.
I got a ton of old style acrylic yarn from...somewhere. Hated it. But a local high school kid was asking for acrylic for a charity hat making project so I was happy to pass it on.
Nevermind the moths. Its the dust possibility that freaks me out.
Plastic bins are great for emergency situations. Mum switched from cardboard boxes to Rubbermaid after our basement flooded. Granted...those bins can get heavy 😁
My straight needles are a combination of my resources, and a collection from the Husbeast's family. Once I track down Mum's, they'll join the canisters. Granny would probably be surprised at the depth of my knitting supply hoard 😁
I have a weakness for scissors…especially embroidery scissors…the last time I organized my craft materials I discovered that I owned 4 nice fabric shears, a set of pinking shears, 2 pair paper scissors, metal scissors, 1 super fancy pair of embroidery scissors, 27 regular embroidery scissors, 2 pairs of utility scissors, 2 kitchen scissors, and a pair of decoy scissors of each style (because my siblings are terrible people who have been known to use my beloved scissors on human hair, pet hair, paper, tin foil, meat, plastic sheets, leather…anything you can imagine so I leave scissors I don’t care about out for them to find) which is probably more scissors than any crafter needs…so I am currently attempting NOT to buy more scissors-also, I think I need to let my craft friends know we are in a “craft coven”
And here I've been feeling odd about all the pairs of scissors I've been finding in Mum's bins...glad she wasn't alone in her shear obsession 😁
@@MaireColclough I must admit I was shocked at how many I had. (I knew I had a few…but, would have sworn I had less than 20)
"Crafting wasn't going to take over the rest of the house" AHAHAHAH
🤣
As a huge Addi Turbo fan... have you tried the Chiaogoo red lace needles? They may have replaced my Addis (well, not replaced but fill in the spots for sizes I didnt have)
I haven't had the opportunity yet, but I'm on the lookout 🙂
I was So Close to getting myself organized. I have under-desk storage drawers to keep the studio table clear. And I purged, sorted and then shelved the rest of the stuff into a metal garage shelf. Which promptly folded itself in two about a day later. Now we're stuck in the cycle of waiting for the every two week large garbage disposal that all apartment dwellers live with to dispose of the thing; with a minimum amount of time where the table goes unused because of the Piles of Stuff sitting on it while we shop for a sturdier bookcase. Le sigh. First world problems.
Some of my tools, like the chisels, I've used for over 40 years. There's nothing quite like having a tool that fits your hand. Centralized storage is the only way for me not to reach into a drawer and not come away with a hand stuck full of pins and blades.
I firmly believe that the Grannies shared sewing patterns on the regular. I've been working on getting the God-kids into sewing for the past two years... with mixed results. This past summer I built up a wardrobe worth of patterns from the 30's, 40's & 50's. Those are patterns I look forward to sharing.
My Mum was a quilter, knitter, weaver, spinner and general purpose sewer. Translation - emptying out the fun was... an experience. Designate a stash executor... Aye.
- Cathy (&, accidently, Steve), Ottawa/Bytown/Pimisi
The Grannies definitely traded. Our at least let folks copy the patterns. I found a few crochet patterns Mum copied from Granny(now safely tucked away in case I want to crochet specific items).
Your hobbies are legion, and I despair the poor soul who wanders unwittingly into your stabby pointy lair 😁
@@MaireColclough On the upside of the stabby-pointy lair - it's never hard to find a letter opener...
I figure swapping/copying patterns would have been essential in places like Port Arthur (now Thunderbay). There is only so much the local shop can handle and the Eaton's catalogue would only get you so far.
The copy of the pattern from your Granny's collection must be amazing. Well done.
Sewing and leatherwork are the big space eaters in ze home. The sketching / painting / drawing and (these days restricted to polymer clay - I miss stone...) sculpture largely fit into drawers.
Now if only I could find a stable bookcase at a decent price in the next 2 weeks... Our landlord is cracking down because we've become "that building" on the street of condos. We used to be prime for the garbage pickers. To the point where neighbours were caught dragging their couch to drop off at our building on garbage night. Le sigh.
@@stevezytveld6585 have you checked IKEA for shelving? They had a good sturdy set of Garage shelving that was actually quite attractive and reasonably priced that we were looking into for storage purposes...think it was the Bror system. 🙂
@@MaireColclough I'll check Ikea again, thanks for the reminder. I'm cautious of their shelving just because I've had to rebuild it so much over the years.
I've been thinking, maybe, of a china cabinet (a Small one). They're basically a 5 shelve bookcase with doors. It's just a matter of finding on on The Kijiji (or anything else that fits the basic definition).
@@stevezytveld6585 Keep an eye out for estate sales and antique fairs/malls. Look for the stuff you can refinish yourself 😉
\(^-^)/ (throwing virtual confetti your way)
Thank you! I'm reminded of Carrie Fisher and her glitter 😁
i am living with glitches and gaping holes in my memory thanks the ongoing effects of covid, so there is ZERO logic as to where stuff ends up when i am having one of my epic brain-farts. luckily my crafting supplies were (mostly) organized before that started, but my newfound hyper-forgetfulness tends to include putting stuff away in strange new places and forgetting having done so, so i fully expect crafty bits to turn up in odd places in the years to come.
I sympathize. COVID is a pain in the whatsits. Hoping there's some relief for your brain fog before someone sits on something super-pointy!
I've had a terrible memory for many years due to depression (thankfully it is improving as I recover), and one of the things I found helpful was carrying my current craft around in a work bag. Everything goes back into the work bag, even if I put it down for just a moment. Usually I keep it in my lap as I'm working so that it's never, ever easier for my tired mind to (mis)place things on the nearest flat surface. Adding a pincushion in there has almost completely eliminated the spontaneous generation of pins and needles from my clothes. Now if I lose anything it will certainly be the whole work bag, but that's larger than a pin so it's not as difficult to hunt down.
Have I missed the link to the discord you mentioned, somehow?
If you go down near the bottom of the description, there's a link to a list of my social media stuff. It's listed in there.
I've never claimed to be good at the social media thing 😉
@@MaireColclough ta muchly!
I'm in this picture and I don't like it--
Seriously though, finding tools that are ergonomic for you is a gamechanger. Also, quality. I would go so far as to say: especially if you have any kind of dexterity or fatigue issues, don't get the cheapest tools when trying out a craft. Get at least decent quality. If you have friends who do it, ask if you can borrow from them to avoid a steep price if you're not sure you'll stick with it, but it's so much easier to figure things out if you're not fighting your own tools and potentially your body at the same time.
Borrowing from friends is always a good place to start! 🙂
I can't find the discord! Let me be your friend!!
I have added a link specific to the Discord in the "Mentioned" section of the video description 😃
Did your mother pass away? Is that why you have your mother’s bins? I hadn’t heard anything.
Mum passed this past February. She's very much missed....and her craft storage was vast 😉
@@MaireColclough I'm so sorry for your loss!
I have my knitting needles in assorted scotch tins, mostly Glenfiddich!
Not pictured was the Bowmore can the "Bone Dust" needles were originally stored in 😁
I’ll drink to that! ;-)
@@sarahrosen4985 🤣