I've been reading a lot of design blogs, and got inspired by these people featured on one of them last week - SunMoonLake quilts. They recycle sweaters into throws. So I thought - how hard can this be?
Examples of blankets they've made:
They sell the larger ones for $900. It's a racket.
I am vaguely OCD. I like organizing things. I like arranging things by type and colour. I like cutting things into strips and sewing them back together. So I set to work. Here's what I produced:
I am embarrassed.
This is a classic example of the Russian phrase "The first crepe came out in a ball."
The phrase literally refers to making crepes in a cast iron skillet - you have to have it at just the right temperature, with just the right amount of butter greasing it. 10 times out of 10, the first crepe you pour into the skillet will absorb the excess grease, and get scrambled and burnt/undercooked.
Things I learned from my weekend of crafting:
1. I will make more of these throws. I like it.
2. They are cashmere. EVERYONE likes cashmere.
3. They are soft and warm. Unless you live in Florida, you can use one.
4. With cost of materials and my time estimated at $25/hr, these should NOT cost $900.
5. I might sell these on Etsy.
6. I am not wild about the patchwork aspect of this particular quilt. I will stick to stripes only.
7. Knits are a bitch to sew.
8. The strips must be completely STRAIGHT, with not even a hint of bias.
9. That last sentence could be misinterpreted.
10. I need to obtain better/more lightweight fabric for backing.
11. I need to cut the strips with a rotary cutter and a crafting ruler. As I do not possess either item, I must make the cuts at work.
12. That whole contrasting stitch thing that the online people used and the design bloggers raved about looks like crap on mine, because my stitches were uneven, since knits are a bitch to sew. I will stick to thread colour that blends with the quilt, thank you. In this case, it should have been pink/mauve of some variety. I only had brown. MUST buy more thread.
13. I watched a whole season of Dexter while working on these. Finally, a way to watch TV and NOT feel like I am wasting time.
1 comment:
Oh my god, knits are ridiculously hard to sew! I applaud you for even trying. I'm really too chicken - especially to put two knits together. I have no idea how to get them not to stretch as they go through the machine. Mmm... it would be nice to have a cashmere throw, though...
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