Simple Tools

What tools (other than the necessary ones) do you love? I set out to choose one from each of sewing, crochet, and embroidery, but couldn't get down to just a single sewing tool. Here is my selection:



The tan flower-shaped item is a bit of rubber for pulling needles. This one was sold as an embroidery aid, but you could make your own by cutting down a jar opener. It's the pulling counterpart to the push of a thimble, giving you better grip on a needle so you don't have to pinch as hard, and therefore don't get as much hand fatigue.

The light blue item is a stuffing tool. My crochet is mostly amigurumi, small stuffed items, and pushing fiberfill into thin features or through small openings can be difficult. The forked end is not large, but it's enough to catch the fiberfill a lot more effectively than, say, the back end of a crochet hook. You can buy stuffing tools, but this one is a large plastic yarn needle with the end of the eye clipped off and the resulting tines sanded smooth. I just discovered it could probably be used as a ribbon rose making tool as well.

The stuffing tool is leaning on a seam ripper, which clearly has seen a lot of battle. I included this because in addition to undoing stitching, I use the seam ripper to cut slits in fabric where the length of the slit is crucial, such as in buttonholes. You can put the point down through one end and back up through the other before doing any of the slicing, so you can't accidentally cut too far (and you're assisted in not going off course, too).

Finally, I included a seam gauge. When I make alterations I use this as my memory for non-round measurements, and if I have to iron a small turn-up on some fabric I use it to measure, turn, and hold the fabric down in one move. The iron can go right over it!



What tools would you choose?

Upcoming Events

We've wanted since the beginning to be a source for upcoming event and class announcements, and there is no time like the present to dive into that. If you know of something coming up in the next few months that I'm missing, please announce it in the comments!

The topics below are: Yarn donation and sale to benefit COVER (White River Yarns), yarn swap (Upper Valley Knitting Guild), and upcoming classes (Upper Valley Sew-Op, AVA, League of NH Craftsmen). And don't forget about the fiddlehead craft challenge here on the blog.

---

Re-Cover Store Fund Raiser, White River Yarns
Unwanted yarn, needles, notions, and bags will be collected April 15-May 15.
A yarn sale to benefit COVER will be held May 31, 8-2, at the Hotel Coolidge.
For more details see White River Yarns' webpage.

WR Yarns' latest newsletter also had summer hours, reduced from the winter and to take effect Memorial Day. We have updated the directory page.

Annual yarn swap, Upper Valley Knitting Guild
The UV Knitting Guild meetings are the 2nd Wednesday of each month, 7-9 PM at the Norwich Library. The May meeting, May 14th, will include their annual yarn (et cetera) swap: yarn, needles, books, and accessories. Bring the materials for that sweater you aren't going to get around to and pass them along to someone who will. To get on the newsletter list contact Phebe Whitworth, phebewhitworth at comcast dot net.

---

Upcoming Classes

These are current to the best of my knowledge, but may change without notice, so always phone. (All classes below require registration in advance, anyway.)

AVA Gallery is offering a fabric doll making course for children age 5-8, July 21-25, 1-4 PM. AVA children's classes have separate enrollment pages for members and nonmembers, so for more information and registration visit the member listing or the nonmember listing (both for multiple offerings, so you'll have to scroll).

League of NH Craftsmen, adults:

• Beginning Tatting, Wednesdays June 4-25, 6-9 PM
• Suminigashi (marbled dye technique), Saturday August 9, 2-5 PM

See the mixed media class page for more details and registration.

League of NH Craftsmen, children and teens:

• Project Runway summer camp for ages 10-12, July 7-11, 1-4 PM
• Cloaks and Shawls (and armor) summer camp for ages 8-10, July 21-25, 9 AM-noon
• The Wonderful World of Color Captured on Fabric summer camp for ages 8-10, July 28-August 1, 1-4 PM
• Transforming (t-shirts into other items) summer camp; ages 8-12: August 4-8, 1-4 PM; ages 8-10: August 18-22, 9 AM-noon

See the summer camp section of the children's classes page for more details and registration.

Upper Valley Sew-Op:

• Learn to Crochet via Granny Squares, April 21, 5:30-7:30 PM
• Pants to Shorts, April 26, 10 AM-noon
• Girl's Smocked Sundress (adult class for child clothing), May 3, 10 AM-noon
• Basic Sewing, May 5, 5:30-7:30 PM
• Reversible Sundress (adult class for child clothing), May 17, 10 AM-noon
• Pajama Pants (adult class for clothing of size desired), June 2, 5:30-7:30 PM

For more information and to register, visit the Co-Op's calendar page. Payment for classes is currently only accepted at the class itself, via check or cash.

The Sew-op also has Open Hours, free drop-in sessions where someone is on hand who knows the Sew-op's materials and equipment and can help with projects. These are generally Mondays 5:30-7:30 PM when there is no class scheduled, Saturday 10 AM-noon when there is no class scheduled, and Wednesday 1-3 PM, but check the calendar -- in particular, the Sew-op is closed Memorial Day weekend and will be reducing its hours in July and August.

A visit to the League of NH Craftsmen

The League of New Hampshire Craftsmen was begun in 1932; the Hanover League, one of eight retail and three educational locations throughout the state, was established in 1940. It has been in its present location on Lebanon Street since 1959.



I wanted to feature them because, although their classes skew strongly toward the non-fibrous, they have fiber craft classes unlike those you can take anywhere else in the Upper Valley. They have offered classes in upholstery, felt sculpture, kumihimo (Japanese braiding), and tatting (lace making), as well as in sewing, needlepoint, and repurposing clothing. They plan to offer classes in a variety of dye-resist techniques and other surface embellishments.



Additionally, some of their non-fiber classes may be of interest to fiber crafters: basket weaving and suminigashi (a marbled dye technique) are taught with pine needles or reeds in the former case and paper in the latter case, but weaving can certainly be done with cord and suminigashi can be applied to properly treated fabric, as shown below.



You'll find the fiber class offerings for adults in the Other Media section of their catalog. As a sample, May holds a reed basket class, June has beginning tatting, and August has a suminigashi class. They will have children's sewing camps in July and August, for ages 8-12, wherein students make capes and shawls, redesign clothing into high fashion, or transform t-shirts into a variety of other items. Those are listed in the Children's Studio section. Private group classes and birthday parties may also be arranged, where, for example, the partygoers decorate t-shirts with monoprinting. You can also learn about future class offerings via their mailing list, which you can add yourself to by calling or emailing (603-643-5384; craftstudies at craftstudies.org).



The classes are held in a room off the second floor of the gallery with a wall of windows (the first classroom picture was taken with window light only) and plenty of hanging lights. If you come at the right time you'll see Trixie the golden retriever, there on the floor.

Anyone can enroll in classes or become a supporting member of the League. Tuition discounts are offered to members and to those who sign up at least three weeks in advance of the class. The registration form has their full payment and cancellation policy.



Juried membership, which permits display and sale of crafts in the League's galleries and craft fairs, has two restrictions: the crafter must live in NH or within 10 miles of the border (as the crow flies; Quebec is included) and meet League-set standards of technical expertise and creativity.



I've opened and closed with photos of the gallery because it has some lovely sewn, knitted, embroidered, and felted goods. The gallery's usual hours end at 5:00, but occasionally it stays open later for an artist reception, of which the next is Friday, May 16 from 5 to 7 PM.

---

Make your own visit!

League of NH Craftsmen
The Hanover League Gallery
13 Lebanon Street
Hanover, NH 03755

Gallery 603-643-5050
Craft Studies 603-643-5384
http://www.craftstudies.org/

Hours: 10 AM to 5 PM Monday through Saturday
11 AM to 4 PM Sundays in December

UV Craft Challenge 1

photo credit: LexnGer via photopin cc

Welcome to the UV Craft Challenge. We were inspired by Just Crafty Enough's Iron Craft challenges to create our own. Here at Upper Valley Fiber Crafts we'll be hosting a monthly challenge for anyone to join in. Sometimes there will be a theme and sometimes there will be a specific craft. We'll post our own interpretations of the challenge here at the blog and at the end of the month we'll have a round-up for you to show off your project.

So let's get started! April's UV Craft Challenge theme is fiddleheads. Fiddlehead ferns are a big Upper Valley tradition. One of the first signs of spring is seeing fiddleheads in the grocery stores and on restaurant menus. I'm not a fan of eating them, but I like the classic spiral shape and the fresh green color.

The spiral shape of a fiddlehead is an easy place to start for inspiration. Here's a coiled coaster project from Two Shades of Pink. And here's one made from denim scraps. Here's a pillow cover with spirals made from tee shirts.

The Koru is a Maori symbol inspired by the spiral of the New Zealand Silverback fern.

Here's a beautiful mitten pattern from Hello Yarn called the Fiddlehead.

I can't find the original image on the blog, but here is a pin of a stunning quilt with fiddleheads. I could see an embroidery piece being inspired by this.

We'll be posting our own ideas for this challenge. Post a comment if you will be following this challenge. I can't wait to see what you come up with.