Rachel Beckman » Weaver & Textile Designer

Yo-Yo Quilt Project Preview

The Project

A separate blog for the project is on its way!

Fabric Covered Buttons

I am so excited to share this new product in my Etsy Shop! Each fabric covered button uses a remnant of my digitally printed fabric, both from my Circus series and my rug prints.

Each aluminum button is backed with a wire shank and is safe to throw in the washer or take to the dry cleaner. I’ll be making a lot more soon, so keep your eyes peeled!

Now on Pinterest

If any of my readers are on Pinterest, please feel free to follow me and let me know if I should follow you too! (Click on the picture above to see my pin boards!) And don’t be shy- if you see something on my site or my Etsy that you like, feel free to pin away!

Whimseybox Craft- Leather Bracelet

In my last post you saw the little bit of leather bundled up with my Whimseybox spoils, and I decided to take the afternoon to whip up a quick, simple, self closing bracelet. I wound up with a cute, versatile accessory using only a few things from my tool-kit.

Four strand braid.

Ends and closure secured by wrapping and weaving thread around the leather. The loop is just tight enough to ensure the bracelet won’t slip off, but it’s easy enough to put on by myself.

Leather, linen, and wax linen thread.

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Add a little charm…

I had a little late night inspiration after I completed the bracelet earlier today. I bought this little turtle in a boardwalk bead store many years ago. I think he is well suited to top off this project, don’t you think?

Whimseybox

If you follow me on Twitter, then you know that I’ve been very excited about Whimseybox for some time now. If you haven’t heard, Whimseybox is a fairly new subscription craft supply service. For $15 a month, the fine folks who thought up this brilliant idea will put together a box containing small samples of a variety of craft-goodness and mail it to your door. Whimseybox encourages sharing of project ideas through their website and blog, pooling from user submissions and craft projects across the web.

I’m so excited about my February box! Between my full time job at the library and my weaving business and my determination to do everything, I can get a little overwhelmed.  And when that happens, well, I have a tendency to shut down. Sometimes it’s good to just curl up with a book for a day, or eight, but finding the balance between that kind of relaxation and the relaxation that comes from making can be difficult.  I’m sure I’m not alone in this.

I am hoping that Whimseybox will help bring some balance to my life. By doing smaller, more quickly completed projects, I will seek to challenge myself and have fun. These are materials I would never pick up on my own; I buy yarn, I weave, I paint, I draw, I sew. Glitter? Leather cord? So out of my norm, but I already have a million project ideas running through my head. (Like using that fabric to make yo-yos for my collaborative quilt project? You betcha!) Things to do to wind down on the weekdays after work, or to take a break from the loom. Ways to always have my hands busy. More making, less internet!

So far, I’m killing it in 2012, but I know there’s a lot more I could be doing. Like finally using my serger to do some good.

Baby steps!