Three Months?

Yes, it has been three months since I was able to post on my beloved blog! Honestly, most people haven't even noticed or cared, but it is something that grates on my nerves in a big way. I started out great this year and kept it going for about 6 months. That's longer than most New Year's Resolutions.

But now we're approaching the end of the year. And the beginning of a new one. Christmas is always busy for me, but especially since going back to work and trying to finish up my final quilt. Yes, I said that too. My final quilt.

I was so excited to get it finished and out of the way! I could finally say, "I am done," and not have another bag full of t-shirts waiting for me to cut, starch, cut again, plan, sew, sash, quilt, and bind. No more worries about what the final product will look like, if I messed something up, if I couldn't find 100 t-shirts into a quilt designed for 20, and time for other pursuits. I can knit and crochet, craft and bake, clean house, shower, exercise, and live without guilt about what I SHOULD be doing in the sewing room.

And I'm also on to new pursuits. I'm hoping to have some exciting information to share in the next few months. One thing that has changed drastically since September is that I am now home educating 3 of my 5 children. This changed a lot of things for me, and one of those is that I will be returning to full time mom and business owner. I'm eager to return to what I do best: teaching. So after the first week in January my life will once again turn course. It's exciting, and a bit scary, and a little sad. I'll miss the munchkins at the art center. Kids really have a way of getting in and burying themselves in my heart. I'll go back to visit, but I'll also have more time for my own children, which always take precedence.

I also have another blog. This one will go along with the home education AND art. I have a passion for creating, as you may or may not be able to tell. This blog helps me to plan and show what we can do to integrate art and education. It is www.littlelyonshomeschool.com. I hope you'll take a look at it! Even if not for a homeschool, it is still going to be filled with crafty ideas and some art journal pages!

So what are the plans for Eclectic Technique? I'm going to continue with what I started at the beginning of the year. I will focus on completing and continuing with featured days. Maybe not one every day as in the beginning, but at least 3 a week.

What were your favorites? What did you like best? To get an idea, please use the page tabs up top and tell me what you would like to see in the future or continued from the past.

I will also be designing my own patterns and hoping to do something even more exciting. I can't reveal it yet until all is finalized, but once it is, I'll let you know!

Crafty Monday: A Crafting Challenge!

**I am updating the challenge so that we can take responses and sign ups until April 28, 2014. The projects will be due by May 16th but can be turned in earlier than that. If you plan to join, please fill in the form below! 

Yes, it is Monday. No, I didn't post anything last week. Yes, I have been very, very busy with kids and quilts. I've come to the conclusion that I will most likely be taking a bit of time off so that I can concentrate on getting my two quilts done in time for my clients - as that is what is the most important aspect of what I do! As for the block of the month and the sewing skill builder, those will hopefully make an appearance this week. I'm sorry for the delay!

But I thought I would sit down here for a bit and send out a challenge! Today as I was searching for some spices to make my slow cooker roast beef for some quesadillas tonight, I realized that my spice cabinet is a disaster. I had just returned from grocery shopping, couldn't find what I needed, didn't want to run out again, and just KNEW that my cumin was somewhere up there in that jumbled up mess. I've been wanting to redo my spices and get them organized for a long time. So I pulled them all out of the cupboard (found what I needed) and decided to do a search for spice organization.

I got a lot of really cool stuff, and of course Pinterest is always awesome, but all of it required that I either order something or run out and buy stuff. Neither of which I really wanted to do. Then I put my mind to work. I needed something to put them in on the door. That was most important. Most are already in jars and containers, and I don't show off the inside of my cupboards very often, so I wasn't concerned with aesthetics.

After a search around the house, my eyes landed on a discarded soon-to-be-recycled cereal box. Were my eyes deceiving me? Was that box the perfect size for a spice jar, yet not so wide that it wouldn't fit inside my cabinet door? Yes, it was perfect!

So I cut down the box, experimented with covering it in both fabric and spray paint (so far going with the fabric), and stapled it to the inside of the door. Voila! Yes, I will do a better tutorial on it on Friday, but guess what! I had made something from found objects in my home that served a much better use than landfill, uh...filler.

Cereal Box Spice storage in fabric

So here is my challenge to you:

Make something useful using discarded and found objects around your house! For this week's challenge (which I hope to have more soon!) it needs to be something to help you get organized. The only rules are that 90% of your item must be made from recycled or on-hand products. Anything from your craft room, tool shed, recycle bin, etc. You get it. No cheating and saying you didn't buy something when you did! Not that I think you will, but hey, gotta throw that out there.

All challenges MUST be submitted to the Flikr group by Sunday, April 13 and a description of your project including the items you used, what it is used for, and how you did it submitted to me at freckledotsquilts (at) gmail (dot) com. Please see above for deadlines and sign ups. You will still need to submit pictures to the Flikr group. Please use the form below to sign up. Then we'll vote on our favorites. The winner will have their project featured on this blog as a tutorial! If you have a handmade store online, this is also great for exposure!

Saturday Musings: Fostering Creativity

My home is a plethora of papers, writing utensils, paints, and all manner of art mediums. We have sculpted clay pots sitting on mantels, hand drawn cards on the walls and refrigerators, and various paintings and drawings just about anywhere you look. We're not art collectors, though. We're parents.

Our kitchen table was purchased used and fairly unmarred two years ago. Now it has permanent marker, pen, paint, and scratches all over it. It very nearly matches the table in the play room that is MEANT for art work.

We have a keyboard, drums, electric and acoustic guitars, and violins. At some point during the evening you'll hear someone singing and playing one or more of these instruments. And they are playing very well (unless it's me on the violin).

One twin working macrame

Another twin working on a song mashup

On any given weekend you'll look around and someone is knitting. Or sewing. Or listening to music and pursuing some form of art. Sound like a mad house? Yes and no.
We encourage our kids to be creative. If they express an interest in some form of art we let them follow it with everything they've got. Yes, there's usually some mess and we have to clean it up, but it's so worth it. Clay stuck in the carpets or in the cracks of the rolling pin is not unusual.

So why doesn't this bother me? Other than the fact that my husband and I both love and participate in many different art forms, we're also preparing our kids for a future with much success. I'm not talking about grades (even though they're all A students) or a singing career. I'm talking about an ability few will have and which many high-level employers look for: Creativity.

Schools in general have put less and less emphasis on being creative and more and more on passing the tests. Sure, math is important. But what about the ability to think outside the box? The desire to do and create what no one has done before?

In a society that values intelligence and ingenuity, we're stifling natural curiosity and free-thinking with prescribed roles and standards. I wonder what would've happened if someone had told the first caveman that fire was a stupid idea and he (or she) had listened to them. If that same cave person had instead taken a test on the origin of his most recent meal, would we all still be living in caves, eating raw meat, and freezing?

Google offices are set up like playrooms, solely with the intent of inspiring creativity and thought. Why should my house be any different? Did I mention my kids are 'A' students? During their toddler years and for 4 years of school, we home educated them. My twins went to pre-k and my son went from kindergarten to second grade in public school. During a parent teacher conference for my girls, the teacher expressed her awe and amazement over the scissor cutting exercise my girls had done. "How did you teach them to do this?" She asked. My response, "They've been cutting paper and using safety scissors since they were big enough to hold them. We've always encouraged creativity."

In kindergarten, my son's teacher told me AND him that he "would NEVER be able to do math well." Yes. Kindergarten. Einstein's dad was also told his son would need remediation.

Now I'm not saying my kids are going to be recognized as the smartest people on earth. Or that clay will help you mold your child's mind to that of a great architect. But people that are not afraid to go after their ideas or think creatively are the ones that will bring us alternative fuel sources and solutions to make life better. They're the ones that can end wars without bloodshed and incite movement and will in the hearts of others. Let your kids paint. Let them create. Let them make a mess and clean it up.  Let them become the hope for the future.

Encouraging and fostering creativity is just as important as winning the next little league game or passing the big test. Perhaps more so.

Check out these links for further information and study.

http://www.parents.com/kids/development/thrive-in-2025/inspire-creativity/?page=1
http://www.babyzone.com/kids/preparing-for-preschool/inspiring-creativity_73550?page=3
http://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED312835 

Sewing on Thursday: An armrest sling for crafty projects

I have a mess in my living room. It's not from the kids, or the dogs, or even the husband. It's me. All mine. It's globbed up in piles in various areas. I have organizers and bags filled to the brim with tools and accessories, yet none of them seem to be able to give me the rapid availability I require for my projects? It's a conglomeration of yarn, threads, sewing needles, knitting needles, crochet hooks, patterns, scissors, stitch markers, and coffee cups.

Try as I might to keep it tidy, I get back in there at the end of the day and start working on my projects. Before long, everything is right back out again. After 2 days, I've given up trying to put it away when I'm finished with it, because rarely is there a point where I say, "Ok, I'm done for the night." Nope. What usually happens is that I work up until I send the kids to bed around 8. Then we go in, read or tell stories, say goodnight prayers, and drift off to sleep. Yes, me included sometimes. They're just so warm and snuggly. It's difficult.

I want all of my tools right where I can easily grab them, without having to undo an organizer roll or search through the bag at my feet. They need to be ready instantly and be able to drop right back into place. So I created: The Armrest Project Organizer

Materials:

Approximately 2 yards of top fabric for sling top and pockets
1 yard muslin or backing fabric
lightweight interfacing
thread
ruler

First things first, measure your couch. I went from outside in, first measuring the drop on the outside of the arm, then the top of the armrest, the drop inside the armrest, and across the bottom of the couch under the cushion.

Also measure the distance front to back for the depth you want.

My measurements were 10" outside drop, 8" top of armrest, 13" inside drop, and 21" across the bottom. The width was 18" across. Add 1/2" to all of your measurements. I'll be referring to my measurements throughout, but please substitute your own measurements for mine. 

Cut from top fabric

1-18.5" x 21.5" (bottom)

1 - 18.5" x 13.5" (inside drop)
2 - 18.5" x 8.5" (top of arm/pocket)
2 - 18.5" x 10.5" (outside drop/pocket)
1 - 18.5" x 5.5" (pocket)

Cut from muslin or backing fabric

1-18.5" x 21.5" 

1 - 18.5" x 13.5"
1 - 18.5" x 8.5"
1 - 18.5" x 10.5"

Cut from interfacing for pockets

1 - 18.5" x 8.5"
1 - 18.5" x 10.5"
1 - 18.5" x 5.5"

1. Using 1/4" seams, match the sections to each other, right sides facing. Outside arm to top of arm, top of arm to inside arm, and inside arm to bottom. You'll have one long piece of fabric x the width you chose. Iron all seams open. 
   
   
   
   
2. Do the same with the muslin or backing fabric. I chose to cut these in sections so that they would hang better on the couch. You could also do one very long piece of each fabric if you choose.
3. Iron on interfacing to the 3 pocket sections. Turn the top edge of each pocket under 1/4" and stitch down to create a narrow hem. 
4. To do the pockets, decide how many sections you'd like. You'll only be able to section one of the pockets in this, and I chose to do the middle pocket. I made one 6" section and three 4" sections. I matched the edges of the bottom and sides to the longer (10") inside section and sewed straight lines from the top of the middle pocket to the base, then sewed a 1/4" seam around the sides and bottom. 
   
5. Layer the bottom pocket to the other two pockets and sew around all three thicknesses. 
6. Match the main fabric to the muslin, right sides together, lining up seams and edges, and sew 1/4" seam all around, leaving an opening for turning. 
   
7. Clip the corners and turn the piece right side out. Iron flat and top stitch around seam allowances. 
8. Attach to armrest by laying long piece under cushion and over the top of the armrest. 
   

TADA! You now have a beautiful, one-of-a-kind armrest project sling. You can use this for any type of craft such as knitting, crochet, needlepoint and much more. You can also use it as a handy remote control holder or a candy bar stasher. I hope you had fun with this and as always, if you make one, please post it to our Flickr group!