Combining My Crafty Worlds!

Since I started the eWoodStory collaborative business with my husband, I have been branching out into doing some embroidery, knitting, weaving, cross stitch, and felting -in order to showcase what can be done with our Stitchable Pendants. So more and more I am combining different crafts, and I find myself loving them all. I like to combine techniques, so I don't have to choose between them! 

However, designing in crochet is my first love, and I try to incorporate crochet as much as I can into eWoodstory pieces. The kits we offer are for crochet jewelry with wooden elements, and we encourage all kinds of  crafts to be used to create pieces for Stitchable Pendants. Crochet Motifs really look lovely stitched in! 

I was thrilled to come across the motif pictured in the "Olive" pendant above. Some of you may recognize it... it is from the Tinker's Toolbelt I designed for Interweave Crochet Accessories 2014 issue. I originally submitted the design as a necklace pattern, and the motifs were smaller, because I used a finer weight thread. This past weekend I came across one of the original motifs, and I was thrilled to discover that it exactly fits into the pendant. It was really perfect because of its size, shape, and the fact that it is two of the same motif stitched together, so it looks nice on both sides! As you know, I always love to use things that I create in multiple ways, and this motif is right at home in the pendant!

I always save leftover crocheted pieces from samples. Using what you already have, encourages you to be the most creative that you can be!

Tinker's Toolbelt, photo by F + W Media

Painting on Crochet Workshop!

This week I had the pleasure to teach a crochet workshop to members of the Kuwait Textile Arts Association, along with some avid crocheters in Kuwait. They crocheted a specially designed motif, then they learned how to paint on crochet and how to stitch their motifs into one of our Stitchable Pendants. 

I really enjoyed going through the whole process with them from crocheting, to blocking, to painting, and then finishing. One lady painted her motif to match the blouse she was wearing and was able to wear hers right away!

It was great to see how each person put their own personality into their motifs. Each one is unique, different, and beautiful! 

There were moments during the workshop that you could hear a pin drop! They really got into their work. It was so wonderful to see! I hope this is the first of a many workshops I will teach at the beautiful Sadu House in Kuwait.

One especially creative attendee, crocheted a pendant out of the wooden piece I had used to wind yarn around for the kits!

Here are some of the completed pendants from the workshop. See the unique personality in each!

Community Involvement Through Fiber Arts!

Photo by @brisstyle and @myauntyanna

Through new contacts and projects I have been working on so far this year, my interest in the importance of getting the community involved in the fiber arts has grown tremendously. When people get to work with their hands and see the magic of what you can do with yarn, there is a true excitement which will hopefully stay with them and encourage them to do more with fiber!

I am always on the lookout for new ways to engage the community, and Instagram is my favorite place to be inspired! You can find me there as @stitchstorycrochet or @ewoodstory. I follow lots of interesting people, if you want to be inspired by them as well! I was so excited to find this jumbo spool knitter on the accounts of @brisstyle and @myauntyanna of Australia. Isn't it absolutely fabulous! I want to make one and take it with me every time I go to the park. I just need to think of an amazing use for the large knitted tubes that would be created!

I could really see people getting interested and wanting to have a go! 

I would love to know if you have any community fiber projects or things like this going on in your part of the world, leave a comment below and tell me about it! :-)

Photo by @brisstyle and @myauntyanna

Photo by @brisstyle and @myauntyanna