Hoarding or Collecting

Our obsessions generate a lot of stuff. For me it is skeins of yarn, stacks of fabric, spools of thread, rolls of trim, jars of buttons, patterns, books, etc… Fellow crafters might call this a stash.  When I’m honest with myself, I’m not so certain. Is it a stash, is it hoarding or maybe, could it possibly be elevated to a collection?

And exactly how do you draw the lines between any of these terms?

A stash seems simple. Having a supply on hand in case you run out. Enough yarn to make a quick gift or pair of socks on a sick day without going on a search for a “good” yarn. A stash is easy to justify and if small enough may not require a justification. I realize it is a current knitting trend to push the limits of what can be considered a stash.

Both hoarding and collecting mean acquiring more than you will likely use. Maybe hoarders imagine they will use what they obtain and collectors actually try not to. In that case, I’m somewhere in the middle.

Maybe hoarders cannot organize their loot and collectors relish the organizing and displaying. In that case, I am the latter. I love arranging my buttons, trims and fabrics almost as much as I do eventually using them.

For the most part, I am inspired by my stuff. I love piecing together the components of a project—the trim, the buttons, the lining, the threads. Each selection propels me into a deeper trance with the project. 

But I only feel inspired when I have the time to sew or knit. When I don’t and I see all of my fabric and yarn, I just feel deprived of time--the one thing that cannot be hoarded, collected or stashed.

A few of my favorite cutting tools

After years of sewing I have developed a pretty good relationship with my tools. I know what I need when I need it. I try not to be lazy when a particular something is not in reach, or even downstairs. The right gadget makes a huge difference to both my mood and the finished product.

Scissors, probably the most important sewing tool. A lot of sewing is cutting. Cutting fabric, threads, seams, patterns... Here are four of the five cutting tools I cannot live without for cutting on a small scale (I am saving a discussion of rotary cutters for a different time);

a. My itty bitty Gingher scissors. 4 inches long. Bought about a decade ago from Farmhouse Fabrics. Yes, I paid a bit for these little bitty scissors. Ten years later, they are still sharp and still so essential, so essential I wish I had a second pair. They are easy to lose. I use them to snip threads and thread. Not such an exciting task, made fun and accurate with these scissors. 

b. A basic X-Acto blade. I prefer this to the traditional seam ripper. You have to be accurate with the tip, change it often, but if you catch the right thread, ripping a seam can be much cleaner and quicker.

c. Heavy sharp pinking shears. These are not an expensive variety. I bought them on Amazon and don't advise spending a lot on pinking shears because they eventually dull and cannot be sharpened, so you will need a new pair. I finish most seams with my serger. But when it is impossible, due to the size or the curve. I will use these. The heft helps cut through several layers when you need to cut over a cross seam.

d. A medium weight sewing scissors. These Westcott ones came from Fabric.com. The larger ones are great, but not for sewing small.

The Beauty of 100% Pure Wool Felt

A good doll should be sturdy but cuddly, in addition, to being pretty or cute, of course.  But pretty and cute wears thin if the doll can’t withstand the test of love and time. That is why I sew my dolls from 100% wool felt.

Although a lot of people are sewing children’s toys, ornaments and wearable art with felt, the most are sewn with a felt blend—a blend of felt and rayon. Felts with 20 to 35 percent wool are perfect for these projects and easy to find in a wide variety of colors. A number of sellers on Etsy offer and the Internet offer wool felt blends.  Wool Felt Central is a great place to start.

However, for the dolls I cannot use the blend. Wool felt blends stretch more easily and the doll would not hold its shape while stuffing. I tend to stuff most of their body parts tightly and the blend could start to pull and rip at the seams. After being packed with wool stuffing, the doll’s body and limbs are closed with ladder stitch which involves a lot of yanking with sturdy upholstery thread. I am not sure the blend would hold up to the pulling and yanking and sometimes, redoing, and more pulling and yanking.

Felt on the Fly's swatch cards.

Which brings me to another important quality of 100% wool felt.  It is forgiving. I can sew on a set of eyes and after a day of living with a doll’s face realize the eyes are not quite right.  The stitching for the eyes can be undone, the eyes moved, the small holes fill in and the new face beams.

Pure wool felt will not pill. As it ages it does get a soft even downy halo, and for me this seems a bit like children’s skin.

For cleaning, I recommend periodically running a lint roller over your doll. If she gets a spill on her then the dry cleaner, Woolite or a Tide Pen will work..

Felt comes in different weights, the most common being 1mm thick and 3mm thick.  The 3mm is too thick for sewing dolls.

Pure wool felt is not inexpensive. It averages $60 a yard, but I think worth it. You just need layout thoughtfullyand cut carefully.

I have some wonderful sources for pure wool felt.

Purl Soho offers Woolfilz Felt from Holland in large squares, yardage and color coordinated bundles.

A Childs’s Dream also offers a similar pure wool felt from Holland.

Weir Crafts offers both 1mm and 3mm as well as felt blends.

On Etsy I have been buying felt from:

Felt on the Fly

My Button Obsession

I have a small obsession...buttons. Small buttons. The more the better. I started collecting small buttons before eBay and Etsy were around to offer "lots" of small buttons. And as eBay and Etsy came into existence, my obsession was just further enabled. 

What exactly is it about buttons? I like just the right amount of realistic detail on my dolls' clothes. Too much is "twee", too little is "blah". The right buttons on a doll cardigan or shoes makes it feel finished. Or if it doesn't, there is still the possibility of playing with the  color of thread used to sew the button on. Perle cotton of course.  

But buttons can turn a plain grey cardigan into classic vintage, or classic modern, or girly, or rustic. If you don't like the look, you only need to change that last step, the buttons.

Part of my button collection.