Bearypatch

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Location: Maine, United States

I am a 40 something year old mother of 2. I have always been interested in crafts since my sister and I spent summer weeks with my Grandmother, who was a very crafty lady, while my mother was in college. I mostly quilt since I seem to have an obsession with owning large quantities of fabric, but at one point or another think I have tried almost every craft out there.

Friday, April 25, 2008

crafting add

I can't think of too many crafts that I haven't tried. I remember when I was a child my mother sending my sister and I outside to pick up pine cones, horse chestnuts and other dried natural products. She would then cut us cardboard donuts and hand us some glue and we would make pine cone wreaths. When my mother went back to college we would spend a week each summer with my grandmother and she would always have a variety of crafting projects set up for us to do. I had a very crafty Girl Scout leader, who is now a fairly well known author, who taught us loads of new crafts. I started sewing my own clothes as a teenager. Since then I've tried knitting, crocheting, basket weaving, stained glass, folk painting, woodworking, stenciling, rug hooking, rug braiding, fabric dying, fabric marbling, wool applique, stitchery, doll making, of course quilting and many more I'm sure I am forgetting right now.
With each craft comes an assortment of equipment. I have so much stash I'm not sure how many lifetimes it will take before it is used. I have a yarn stash that is quite respectable and most sizes of knitting needle to go along with it. I have buckets of paints, unpainted wooden items, 4 sewing machines, scissors, needles, rotary cutters, cutting mats, scrap booking supplies, embroidery floss, buttons, battings, interfacings and so on according to pattern.
My friend April has decided that what I have is crafting ADD. She can recognize this condition because she suffers from it as well. This affliction is characterized by the inability to finish anything crafty. To get excited about new projects when you have multiple projects in various stages of completion. To purchase more unneeded supplies whenever you find something that strikes your fancy. And finally, the unreasonable desire to purchase more equipment to start yet another craft....
This is my latest desire. Growing up there was a woman in our town who made the most beautiful overshot coverlets, place mats and towels. I have 3 sets of her place mats that have been given to me over the years. I have always wanted to be able to make those. April started weaving a couple of years ago on a tabletop rigid heddle loom. I expressed to her my desire to learn overshot weaving so she graciously found this loom for me on craigslist. We went and looked at it a little over a week ago. It's a really good deal. I hadn't actually been shopping for a loom, but I wanted it. I wanted it very badly. Hmmmmm.. lets see. Son in college, bad economy, 2 houses because we haven't been able to sell our old one, a job that takes about 10 hours out of each day, gas way over $3.00, more to make than I will ever have time for and I can't stop obsessing about this loom. Maybe I need a support group for crafting ADD sufferers. "My name is Tami and I have crafting ADD."

Saturday, April 12, 2008

quiltathon??

I had wanted to do JudyL's quiltathon this weekend, but there is too much else to do. We went to the lumber yard this morning for DH to pick up the {{fingers crossed}} last pieces of trim for the apartment. He had some specialty pieces that he had to mill out so we stayed home where his tools are. While he was playing in his workshop I spent some time trying to find our house. We haven't been home for any length of time for over 6 weeks now and my house looked like someone had picked it up and shook it. It is slightly better now and I have a couple of meals made ahead for this week. We are going up tomorrow to put in the trim, touch up paint in some places and show potential renters.
Thank you for all your comments on geothermal heating. I have talked to a few people who have installed it and everyone seems really happy. I've done a lot of online research and it really looks like a great option. I have started looking for contractors to get system designs and estimates. I'm really excited about the possibility of getting off fossil fuel for heat.

Tuesday, April 01, 2008

it's not getting hot in here

We are going to need to replace our furnace soon and I am starting to research a more environmentally friendly method of heating. Does anyone have a geothermal heating system? Do you like it? All of my research so far makes it sound really good. Anyone out there with any experience with this type of heating I would love to hear from you.