Coronavirus Crafting

[Becky]

I realize this forum has been pretty inactive, but maybe people are crafting away in self-isolation? So- what are you working on? Making medical masks? Extra PJs for working at home? Let’s share!
 

Personally, my craft is quilting and I have finished one large UFO that was in progress for about 3 years, made a t-shirt quilt, and just started a baby quilt for a friend with a grandbaby on the way. 

[Karma]

Pics please @Becky! 
 

I’m not crafty, but I’m working on doing a history of my mother in laws life.  Every day I’m emailing her a question and she’s sending back her thoughts.  I’ve promised to put it together and into a photobook for her when it’s done.

[fraurosena]

Thanks for starting this thread @Becky. Have you got pics to share of your quilt?

My current crafting hobby is making fairy  and witch houses from cardboard and/or clay.

@Alisamer, I promised to post pics of my fairy-crafts, so here you go:

Spoiler

 

Edited March 25, 2020 by fraurosena
resizing images and placing them under spoiler; posting differences phone/laptop

[Becky]

@Karma, what a beautiful project, you must be close to your MIL. My MIL died in 2001, I wish we had something like this from her.

@fraurosena, those are charming and amazing!  Just - wow!
 

Pics of my quilts to come, I will have to figure out how to put them under spoiler tags!

[fraurosena]

40 minutes ago, Becky said:

@Karma, what a beautiful project, you must be close to your MIL. My MIL died in 2001, I wish we had something like this from her.

@fraurosena, those are charming and amazing!  Just - wow!
 

Pics of my quilts to come, I will have to figure out how to put them under spoiler tags!

Placing pics under spoilers is easy. Simply upload your pics, open a spoiler and click and drag the pics into it -- on a laptop that is. It's rather more difficult on a phone. Which is why I uploaded them on my phone and put them under a spoiler on my laptop (editing my post).

 

Edited March 25, 2020 by fraurosena

[Karma]

They are simply amazing @fraurosena!  You’ve inspired me to revamp my rather overgrown fairy garden for when my little nieces (5,7 and 8 years old) can visit my garden again. 

I’m  looking forward to your pics @Becky.  My MIL has been in my life since I met my husband  36 years ago.  She’s 85 this year.  I’ve been trying to get her to talk more about her life for years, so social isolation is my chance!

Edited March 25, 2020 by Karma
Added detail

[Alisamer]

@fraurosena Those are amazing! 

So apparently my business is "essential"... but there's almost nothing to do, and our hours are cut in half. The boss is going to furlough half the staff, and I think I'm going to take that option so I can apply for unemployment. If the current plan going through congress gets approved I may actually make more sitting home than working! 

In any case, I told the boss - I want to do what's best for the company, but a few weeks at home alone with no expectations sounds like heaven. 

So hopefully, I'll spend the first several days doing a major clean/declutter/organization of the house, and then crafts! I've got vague plans, we'll see if any of them work out. I do want to do some watercolor painting and I have some vintage doll clothes I recently picked up that need some repair/adjusting. 

Before the world caught fire I bought a Blythe doll to customize, so most of the clothes will be for her. I have the blanks to make her eye chips, too.

[Kailash]

Great thread!! I’m planning on making a pattern for masks today and may make a practice one or two. I’m not sure if I have interfacing. 
Not crafting, but I’m also planning on starting some seeds indoors today. Tomatoes and lavender. I’m so excited to start gardening again. 

[Xan]

7 minutes ago, Kailash said:

Great thread!! I’m planning on making a pattern for masks today and may make a practice one or two. I’m not sure if I have interfacing. 
Not crafting, but I’m also planning on starting some seeds indoors today. Tomatoes and lavender. I’m so excited to start gardening again. 

There are a bunch of free mask pattern online.  Here's one:

Spoiler

https://sarahmaker.com/how-to-sew-a-surgical-face-mask-for-hospitals-free-pattern/

I've read that, if you leave a pocket open in the mask, you can put in a non-woven insert to help protect the wearer.  Some people are cutting up extra, unused furnace filters or vacuum bags.  I'm planning to try it using the furnace filter insert.  Another site said that even toilet tissue or facial tissue would help as a filter for the mask.  If you don't have enough elastic, you can always make ties like the old surgical masks used to have.

[Kailash]

@Xan I saved a pattern for masks on Pinterest. It’s a video showing step by step directions. Thank you so much for sharing another pattern and the above information. ?

[Becky]

T-shirt quilt.  It has no batting, I backed it with polar fleece and stitched in the ditch around the squares to  hold it all together.  The shirts are happy memories and the quilt is super cozy!  

Spoiler

 

3-year project.  I constructed this one as a leader-ender project, sewing the blocks together instead of using scraps to start and end lines of stitching in other projects.  Pattern is Patches and Pinwheels from Bonnie Hunter.  It has loads of fun fabrics, all scraps from other quilts and projects.  The backing is a fun panel.  It took me forever to machine quilt this monster - that is a king-size bed it is on,  

Spoiler

Spoiler

Edit: hey, the spoilers work!  Thank you, @fraurosena! 

Also: blessings on you who are making medical masks.  ❤️

Edited March 25, 2020 by Becky

[fraurosena]

54 minutes ago, Becky said:

T-shirt quilt.  It has no batting, I backed it with polar fleece and stitched in the ditch around the squares to  hold it all together.  The shirts are happy memories and the quilt is super cozy!  

  Hide contents

 

3-year project.  I constructed this one as a leader-ender project, sewing the blocks together instead of using scraps to start and end lines of stitching in other projects.  Pattern is Patches and Pinwheels from Bonnie Hunter.  It has loads of fun fabrics, all scraps from other quilts and projects.  The backing is a fun panel.  It took me forever to machine quilt this monster - that is a king-size bed it is on,  

  Hide contents

  Hide contents

Edit: hey, the spoilers work!  Thank you, @fraurosena! 

Also: blessings on you who are making medical masks.  ❤️

Wow, those are awesome! They look so comfortable too.  I could never make anything as good as that. My sewing skills are less than stellar, shall we say... 

Also: adding my blessings to those of you making medical masks. You guys rock!

Edited March 25, 2020 by fraurosena

[Karma]

They’re great @Becky 

[nausicaa]

Bought this cross stitch kit and so far have cross stitched a cloud and a half and some of the dark grey trim on one of the trees (about three hours of work...). I need to wait on a cross stitch hoop I ordered before I can do much more, but I'd forgotten how addictive this is. 

Spoiler

 

I also have two baby bibs that I've had pinned and ready to be sewn for an embarrassing number of months. Just need to sit down and do it. 

Edited March 26, 2020 by nausicaa

[Becky]

@nausicaa, that is so pretty!  I haven't done cross stitch in years, but I recently bought a kit because I love the image and have a great place to hang it.  Like I need another project!  LOL? 

[moreorlessnu]

You may have inspired me to pick up my cross stitch that I haven't had the time to stitch in years. 

[albireo]

I've also picked up an old cross stitch project! ❤️ I can't do three hours straight because my neck gets sore, but this dog photo pattern I found on Etsy will get done eventually! Hah!

[PennySycamore]

I was going to start knitting this dishcloth (house based an a quilt block) for my daughter except I can't find that book of patterns.  I'm going to try to order it from Joann tomorrow.

ETA:  JoAnn is donating free fabric to those crafters who are making masks.  This might be helpful for some of you.

Edited March 27, 2020 by PennySycamore

[Kailash]

@Xan any tips for doing the pleats on the masks? I cannot seem to understand them. I have watched several different videos but I can’t get mine to lay flat. I’m so frustrated. 

[clueliss]

Free Joanna Basford coloring

https://www.johannabasford.com/happyplace/

[Xan]

3 hours ago, Kailash said:

@Xan any tips for doing the pleats on the masks? I cannot seem to understand them. I have watched several different videos but I can’t get mine to lay flat. I’m so frustrated. 

I don't think it matters much if they lay flat.  As long as you have them pinned down when you sew the sides, it will be fine.  I top-stitched the sides of the mask I'm practicing on.  You want them to open up anyway so there's room in the mask around your mouth.

[Becky]

Are you guys finding hospitals willing to take these homemade masks?  I've made a couple dozen and passed them to some hospital workers I know - mostly office staff who have to be on site, not actual medical staff.  Any hospitals or clinics I call are not taking the cloth masks at all yet.  Maybe our state just isn't in that desperate shape yet, our cases are climbing but we are not a "hotspot."

By the way, while making masks I discovered you can sew a short length of floral wire into the top and get a better fit around the nose.  I push it up through the hole after turning right side out, all the way up to lie flat against the top seam, and then stitch around it to make a little pocket to keep it in place before adding the pleats and topstitching all around.  

[Xan]

2 hours ago, Becky said:

Are you guys finding hospitals willing to take these homemade masks?  I've made a couple dozen and passed them to some hospital workers I know - mostly office staff who have to be on site, not actual medical staff.  Any hospitals or clinics I call are not taking the cloth masks at all yet.  Maybe our state just isn't in that desperate shape yet, our cases are climbing but we are not a "hotspot."

By the way, while making masks I discovered you can sew a short length of floral wire into the top and get a better fit around the nose.  I push it up through the hole after turning right side out, all the way up to lie flat against the top seam, and then stitch around it to make a little pocket to keep it in place before adding the pleats and topstitching all around.  

My sister is a physical therapist so I've just been giving them to her and her co-workers.  So far, our hospitals hasn't asked for homemade masks.

[Kailash]

@Becky I’m making them for a relative who works for the US Postal Service. They sort the mail in a warehouse and work closely with many other people. They have not been given any protective gear and there are no safety measures taking place. ?

[Becky]

@Kailash, I did not think about postal workers! I guess I thought they would protect as a matter of course, particularly after the anthrax in the mail a few years back. It is really terrible that they have no protective gear!