March has been a month full of creativity and steady progress! I’ve been enjoying a relaxed approach to my crafts, spending time on a variety of projects without pressure to finish everything at once. From quilting and knitting to embroidery, spinning, and more, it’s been wonderful to see each project grow a little every day as well as finishing some along the way.
Here’s a look at what I’ve been working on this month and the small but satisfying steps I’ve taken across my crafting journey.
My Progress Keeper keeps me moving on all my crafts - well most of them. I can clearly see where I need to dedicate some extra time!
I love I can add notes to this (there are a heap of asterix out of sight at the bottom of the page explaining some entries) and notes across the last weekend of March reminds me I did little crafting because of a birthday weekend with family staying.
Quilting:
This month’s quilting focus included the Cherry Blossom BOW block and my handmade journal cover. The Cherry Blossom block explores delicate appliqué and soft color placement with additional painting, hand embroidery, and beading in the mix. You can read more about the process and inspiration behind it here: Cherry Blossom Applique Block and the pattern you can find here: Cherry Blossom Block pattern
My journal cover is part of my ongoing effort to document my creative year and I'm enjoying using it as I add entries in. There are a few additions I'd like to add but that probably won't come until next month. You can read the full blog post I wrote about its construction here: A Handmade Journal Cover - Useful, Personal, and Creative All At Once
Spinning:
On the wheel, I’ve been working with a striking red/pink and black roving, currently spinning the second bobbin in preparation for plying.
I also plied last month’s pink and brown spin, which has created a beautifully blended yarn with subtle color variation.
Cross Stitch:
Progress continues steadily on both my Temperature Bottles with March completed and the Seasonal piece. I'm enjoying watching the temperature project changing color as we head into autumn.
Knitting:
It’s been a productive knitting month for me with three finished projects: the Selene Shawl, the Nip Slip socks (both test knits), and a Rico Baby Jersey are all off the needles. Each offered something different in technique and style.
I’ve also cast on a new project, Baystone, which I’m looking forward to working on. This jersey holding fingering wool and mohair together to knit, is one I've been eager to start since it was released late last year.
Embroidery:
My stitch book has grown with the addition of two new panels, each featuring newly learned stitches. As I work on new stitches, my mind is evolving with ideas of how to include these panels with other embroidery samples to create the final stitch book.
I’ve also completed the charming Egg House. This was very addictive. Starting from a kit, I literally ditched all the contents other than the back and a few of the embroidery threads, and used my own supplies. I added in a gusset with the intention of making it stand out from the wall when hung and added some creative embroidery to decorate it. I captured a photo from both the front and side to highlight the detail and dimension.
Crochet:
Although last month I declared my crochet blanket complete, I decided I needed to embroider the year and degrees to my blanket for reference in years to come. One side had the year with the highest degree 35+ (we actually had up to 39 one day) and the other side has the year with the lowest (-3 when I was visiting down south). This is on the border and I've included all the different colors between the two.
With that now completed, I’m now ready to start something new and am considering what my next crochet project will be.
Diamond Art:
There has been much progress in this area recently as my daughter came for a visit and with the busyness of the weekend, we needed something a little more meditative in the evenings.
Painting:
Painting has taken a quieter role this month, though I’m still exploring ideas and techniques with fabric painting. Unfortunately, my painted picture has made less progress than I'd prefer, but it has made some so all is good.
I'd love to hear what craft progress you made last month.... or perhaps ideas for the coming months. Happy Crafting!
