DON'T QUIT CRAFTING

 Sunday, September 13, 2026 7:06:10 PM

The purpose of this blog is not to educate but to encourage beginners to keep going. After decades of sewing and creating, I realize that I am not bad at what I do. What I make is not perfect but I have clothes in my closet that I made over 10 years ago that I still wear and, people ask me to make things for them. 

I am developing confidence in my skills because I stopped listening to people who don’t know me and judge what I do based on a idea of what talent looks like. Years ago my aunt, a graduate of a school of design in New York and an excellent seamstress, stopped mentoring me because she said I did not need help, she knows me and has seen my work. 

OOPS!  THE TOP: The collar is noot properly aligned and the VINTAGE pattern does not fit me because patterns were different back then. THE SKIRT: perfectly made but I lost weight (inches)  and it is s pencil skirt! 

I have learned, over the decades of garment sewing, hand and machine embroidery, knitting, crocheting, and quilting  that improvement comes with doing it again and again and again.  Your first is not your worst, your worst was undone and done again; in sewing we use seam rippers, with crocheting and knitting we undo the stitch, other projects we discard and do it again.I keep my “oops” in remembrance of what not to do again. 

I have improved over time by continuing to sew, hand and machine embroider, knit, crochet, and quilt. My resources are: YouTube videos, reading books, and not by joining social media groups. Over the years I have discovered what I like to do and what I don’t want to do. I have learned that there are other individuals like me who don’t like to do what is trending but do need to know the basic skills associated with the craft; it is what artist do. 

 How other people do things can, for people like me, be distracting and discouraging. I resist kits as a practice, even when I purchased an embroidery kit it was for the pattern already on the fabric. You may like buying the quilt kits that have everything on it, buy it because you like it not because this is what everyone is doing. 

 My SUGGESTION to anyone who wants to: sew, embroider, knit, crochet, quilt, garden or quilt, start small and low cost. Every activity I do can get very expensive; a long arm (for quilters) can cost over ten thousand dollars but you can use your sewing machine or buy a mini long-arm for around $300. I used my vintage Singer 301A to quilt a king size quilt! I received my Cricket Maker as a gift, I purchased quite a bit of my supplies from the Dollar Tree but I purchased the Press at a place where the supplies are sold. In the beginning buy what you need when you need it, AND RESEARCH YOUR OPTIONS before you buy!

Seek the feed of back from are honest supporters of your life and the things you do, Avoid the social media haters, those are the people who post less than encouraging critique as if they are giving an honest review.  Upon successful completion of each project, be your own reviewer. Make note of what you could have done better, celebrate that which you did as expected. If you enjoyed the activity do it again DON’T GIVE UP, unless you decide you just didn’t enjoy “it” like you thought you would, which is why I suggest you start small and low cost. 

I am getting better because I am making more and I am getting faster.  If I could just find time to practice my lyre!

WRITTEN by Marsha L Floyd

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

        

I love making prsonalized carry-all bags! Not only does this one have an external pocket but there are a few inside this line bag as well!

WHAT AM I REALLY DOING?

 

This is what a section of the floor looks like in my Sewing Room. 
I am choosing the fabric colors for 2 of the 5 upcoming SEWING projects. 

                                                Yes, it is a HOT MESS!  It will not stay that way.

Sunday, June 28, 2026

The books I own and YouTube are my primary sources of information as guidance for what I do: grow, sew (by hand and machine), knit, crochet, embroider (by hand and machine), garden and cook. A century ago, many women possessed these skills, they were handed down from generation to generation; not any more. Not having a friend or someone who I can seek an opinion of when I get stuck can be discouraging.

How many women do the things I do solo? I suspect many.

I have a lot of failures, when I cook, in my sewing projects and especially in my garden.  My failures are learning lessons, life lessons. 

In addition to making things, I created this blog to share my experiences. I have been blogging for over ten years. In that time, I have earned less than twenty dollars.   I considered shutting down because of the lack of subscribers and ad-based income. I did not start this blog, or any of my other blogs, to make money. 

I never wanted to write a “how to” blog, there are enough of those out there. And then it occurred to me: I need to share my journey of making stuff. This is why I write about the things I do.

This blog is my “What I do” journal. Yes, I would love to make money writing but, right now it is not monetized. I would love to post weekly but I work and craft and I am a homemaker.  What I would like for you to do, Dear Reader, is to  SUBSCRIBE, comment and share.

Wednesday, September 2, 2026

Today, I edited this post. Like many crafters, not the ones you see on social media, life happens. I am trying to edit before I post and it has taken me this long to do just that. 

Let’s talk! 

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

Marsha L Floyd

 

QUILTING NOTES: What I have learned and Making my first hand made quilt

 

Making a quilt is not that hard it just takes a lot of time, patience and the ability to disregard other people’s opinions.

I am in the process of making a quilt for my daughter, in shades of yellow, by hand not the sewing machine. I officially started the project around June 29, 2026, my daughter bought the fabric in 2020. I started the preparation work in 2020. I cut the two solid yellow fabric pieces in 4x4 squares and the white and yellow print fabric in 5x5 squares, clearly, I was not thinking when I did it.  Since 2020 life happened and I did not continue working on that quilt but I have made at least 4 quilts since then.  In June, I decided I would make The Yellow Quilt, as I call it, by hand.

I have made over 10 quilts in the past nine years and the recipients have not complained. With my first quilt I tried using a pattern, it was a pattern with a twist! As I begin making a quilt I have no idea what it is going to look like until I start sewing the squares together; I do have something in the back of my mind that might match the drawings of what I want it to look like. The quilts I make are not perfectly made but they are made with perfect love. 

I have read books, watched videos and joined social media groups to improve my skills. In the nine years I have been making quilts and the decades of me sewing I have come to the conclusion: In order to be successful at what I do, all I need to know is the foundational principles of sewing. 

The principles:

 A Quilt is 3 layers: fabric, insulation and, another layer of fabric. 

Quilting is the process of sewing the 3 layers together. 

What is unique about quilting is the top layer. It could be one solid piece of fabric but historically it has been scraps of fabric pieced together to make the quilt top. 

My understanding, over the years quilters have discovered how to take the fabric they had and place it in such a way that it created designs.  Today we have quilt kits and precut fabric which makes it easier and faster to make a quilt, that is not what I want to do.

A quilt kit to me is like going to a restaurant that serves foods to customers in which the establishments food items are delivered already portioned; all the cook has to do is open the package and heat it and serve it, no real culinary skills are necessary. The purpose of eating out is the individual not having to prepare, cook or clean in order to have a meal. Buying a quilt kit or using pattern created by someone else results in a quilt being made faster; that is not what I do.

I have spent quite a bit of money purchasing the tools I need to quilt and wasted a few dollars purchasing what “they” said I should have.  I have wasted money on thread because “they” said a particular brand was the best, only to learn that the brand cost a few dollars more but did not work any better than the brand I had been using for decades. I did not buy the $50 plus pair of scissors because the $15 scissors I had purchased 30 years ago were still working well.  I did not buy the new computerized sewing machine because the Singer 301A, that only goes forward and backward, works better than “their” over priced machines.  

I remind myself frequently: my great grandmother and my grandmother made quilts and they did not have all of these modern tools. They made beautiful quilts out of scraps! 

Buy a quilt kit if you want. I would suggest you not take any short cuts for your first quilt, make a lap quilt, using 3 to 4 colors, purchase the binding or don’t bind it.  Once you get your first quilt under your belt then you can move forward if you decide you like it.

I write all of this just to say: You can make a quilt if you have: fabric, needle, thread, batting and patience. 

Written by Marsha L Floyd

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

FIBERS Natural versus Man-made

I sew more than knit or crochet but I do knit and crochet. I  prefer natural fibers but I  do use man-made fibers. Selling items made with natural fibers cost more.

I found this video, a must share.  https://youtu.be/z5VWgFz8j5Q?is=lQzT_nOU7ytNJ60c

QUALITY COST! And important YouTube video on pricing your product!

 

 I do sell my products but I do not advertise because they are one of a kind items and most  people do not want to pay what they are worth. I currently am commissioned to produce 2 quilts in addition to one I am working on for personal use. I am completing a carry-all bag with a request for one when i have time. I have one pair of pants cut out and ready to sew for someone. These projects will take me into 2027. Last month I gave away two mint plants. Last week I shipped off 6 bars of soap 

For most people buying products at the store is cheaper,  Many people sell their products cheaper but then again, many sellers have more than one of the item, If you purchase a quilt, a carry-all bag, a pouch, or even  a rag doll  they are different. 

This video is an overview on why the cost! And the prices she quotes are not 2026. 

Please like, comment and share this video after you watch it.

GROWING, SEWING, KINTTING, CROCHETING, EMBROIDERING AND COOKING - SOLO

 

I don't wear make-up or wigs any more
but I sill have this sewing machine!

Sunday, June 28, 2026

I have books and YouTube as my primary sources of information and I do know people who do what I do: grow, sew (by hand and machine), knit, crochet, embroider (by hand and machine), garden and cook. A century ago many women possessed these skills, not any more. Not having a craft partner or someone who can help you when you get stuck can be discouraging.

How many women do the things I do solo? I suspect many.

I have a lot of failures, in my garden, in my sewing projects and especially with cooking. I see them as learning lessons, I began seeing myself as self-taught. I realized I also had to be self-motivated.

In addition to making things I created this blog to share my experiences, so far I have failed at that. This morning, I was considering shutting this blog down; if it doesn’t make sense to me it can’t make sense to other people.

I never wanted to write a “how to” blog, there are enough of those out there. And then it occurred to me: I need to share my journey of making stuff.

My desire is that I will have comments in this post of other solo makers. Unlike, YouTube, Facebook groups and the other social media sites that I am not a part of, this blog is not dependent on algorithms, just people sharing and talking.

NOTE:  I will proceed using an unedited journal format because, I have 3 other blogs and I am in the middle of finishing up a carry-all bag, starting a hand sewn quilt, designing a family tree quilt, thinking about making a quilt, gardening, and taking classes for the upcoming tax season in addition to house chores!

Let’s talk!
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

Marsha L Floyd

 Yes, I have a cricket maker!😊

 

 

BOOK THOUGHTS: THE STITCHES OF CREATIVE EMBROIDERY

 

THE STITCHES OF CREATIVE EMBROIDERY by Jacquelin Enthoven was published in 1964 which is why you may not be able to find a copy of it. I purchased my copy from Ebay.

I purchased this book on hand embroidery stitches because when I purchased a sampler book there were no instructions on how to do many of the stitches.  I could not find them, based on the name the image was listed under thus YouTube and Google did not help, nor did the newer books I owned have these stitches listed. I have since purchased at least 3 other classic books on embroidery stitches to which THE STITCHES OF CREATIVE EMBROIDERY is the best purchase yet.

This book is not a “how to” with detailed instructions on how to do each stitch but an overview of various stitches. Though it only has 2 pages (front and back} of pictures in color, this was a luxury in publication during that time, the black and white pictures are worth the price. According to the partially age book cover, this book cost $7.95! Based on the table of contents, see above image, and the 210 pages less the Index of stitches, it is apparent to me that this book is more for information and inspiration and not “how to”.

I appreciate the samplers presented; this book is full of samplers.

I purchased this book for $21.86 USD, it was worth it. I am convinced, if you are going to really become a hand embroidery sewist it is important to explore what they once did years ago. I do own an embroidery machine and I will use it for various projects BUT my desire is to create unique embroidered items that require the nuances attributed to hand embroidery. I have no desire to seek the status of the artisans that created the work seen in museums but I would like to be as good as some of the young sewist that have samplers presented in the videos I have viewed and the classic books I have read. 

I cannot say I will not purchase any other books on hand embroidery but if I don’t I am really glad I purchased this one.

WRITTEN by Marsha L Floyd

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.