Tree Pendants

My de-cluttering project is yielding some interesting treasures. I’m finding all kinds of things I’d forgotten about over the years. These tree pendants were an experiment in abstract art that never made it to a vending table.

So, I asked a friend who is attending an event in August if he could try to sell them for me. They need to find a good home and not be hidden away in a drawer, forgotten and lost. I hope they bring joy to their new owners.

I wonder what other treasures I will find along the way? The quest continues...

Knitting Needles Galore

Imagine, if you are able, the most avid knitter you can picture in your mind. She would be someone whose life revolves around knitting every single day. Her social life and relationships are only intrusions into her knitting time. Do you have that image in your mind?

Would even such a dedicated knitter require the number of knitting needles that I found in my house today? It took me over an hour to sort and match these things, carefully holding each set together with dental elastics at both ends.

And this is not all of them! I have sixteen singles without mates, several sets of double pointed needles (different sizes) and three circular needles. And I have not done any knitting for years. I seriously need to downsize a lot of them. It’s a bit ridiculous to hang onto so many, right?

EDIT: I forgot to mention the half dozen crochet hooks I found. And I cannot even crochet!

Forgotten Souls

Have you ever come across old photos in family albums, or in antique stores, and wondered who they are? The photo below was found in a box of old photos from my grandmother.

On the front, it is dated August 1959 (that is when it was printed) but on the back in pencil it says ‘Mr. & Mrs. Smith, May 1942’. I have no idea who they are or how they fit into our family story. And the only person left that I thought might know does not. I wish there was a way to find out. It is sad that they are forgotten souls who may have played a pivotal part in my family history. But I may never uncover their identities or stories.

The next photo, I found in the most unlikely place; in a book purchased at a thrift store. It appears to be a picture of a grandfather, father and two sons. My guess it is from the 1940s. Perhaps that is a photo taken before those young men went off to war. It makes me wonder if they ever came back or if they were casualties of a horrific conflict.

And this photo which may have been the only one they had is lost to the family forever, as I have no way to identify or trace them. But let's take a moment to look at their faces and remember there is a story behind them. Even if we don't know their names, they were important.

Tablet Weaving

For many years, I attended events across southern and south-western Ontario with a medieval re-enactment group. I met a lot of wonderful people and learned a lot along the way. One of those skills was tablet weaving. I purchased an inkle loom, eventually a second smaller one also, and started making braided trim. I even sold some on Etsy and at events where my SO at the time was a vendor.

I’m no longer physically able to attend events like that and my craft interests have moved to other areas. I have not picked up the looms for many, many years now. It is time to find someone to pass them on to, along with the massive stash of crochet cotton I purchased to use with them.

Sometimes de-cluttering is easier than at other times. This is a tough one for me as I really enjoyed tablet weaving. Realistically though, I cannot see myself picking up the craft again, so there is no longer a reason to hold onto the inkle looms. I will find them a good home.

Attachments and More

My new/old vintage sewing machine came with several attachments. The largest one I knew was a ruffler (used to create perfectly spaced pleats and gathers) as my mother had one just like it for her machine. The other ones we had to do some research on. The attachment with the long arms is for doing pin tucks (narrow, stitched folds of fabric primarily used as a decorative detail to add texture, structure, or subtle volume to clothing). Two are for doing different types of hems, and for the life of me I cannot remember what the other one is for. To be honest, I’ll likely not use any of them, but it is nice to have them.

See a photo below of the machine the first time I opened the wooden carrier. On the left front side, you can see that one of the supports holding the machine level needed to be glued back in. That was easy enough to do as it was free floating in the bottom of the case. There was a piece of fabric wrapped around the neck with pins in it (mostly rusty). Apparently, this was a common practice back then to do that. The small, locked box on the right side of the carrier is where the attachments were found.

The wooden carrier is in rough shape with lots of dents and scratches. It might be nice to get it sanded and refinished at some point but that’s not a priority right now. There will be some re-wiring required down the road also. One of the cords has some electrical tape wrapped around it but is safe to operate at this time. I will have to find a permanent place to set it up though as it is a VERY heavy all metal machine, not something I want to be moving around a lot.