Creative Space~Recycled Wool

 I've made a little more time for creativity this past month, which has refreshed my soul. I'll share my modest creations here as I have found the internet to be a wonderful community of sharing creators and I have been inspired in my own creative endeavors by what others have shared. That I may help to inspire one other person...

First, a casual portrait of my trusted sewing machine, a gift to me from Dear Husband on Valentine's day 31 years ago, and the machine is another 20 or so years older than that! He bought the used machine for $200 in our first year of marriage, a financial sacrifice for two students both working part-time. I continue telling him that it is the most thoughtful gift he has given me.

After the all the kids left after the holidays, I ventured into my cluttered, dusty, sewing space seeking inspiration. I found a somewhat forgotten plastic tub of ribbings cut from the wool sweaters I've felted over the years, and decided to turn them into a blanket. This project was a true use-what-you-have endeavor, as I used all the ribbings in this box, no matter the color. A few had to be trimmed and pieced a bit, but for the most part I just grouped them together by width and started sewing them into strips.

I love the way it turned out. It is a heavy blanket and will be perfect for our cold winter months--next year!

I pieced the blanket by zig-zagging the edges of the wool ribbings, which have been butted up against each other. I used lighter, finer ribbed ribbings for the binding pieces. And it true use-up-the-scraps-style, I used up all the lingering lengths of threads on my bobbins. This is about as random and free I've been with a project and I enjoyed it. 

It's found a home for now on one the beds in a spare bedroom.

A couple of good friends had birthdays this month, and so I sewed up a couple cashmere scarfs, using colors that they like to wear. 

The scarves are double sided, pieced using the same zig-zagging of butted edges that I used for the blankets. I zig-zagged the two scarf pieces together by putting the wrong sides together and topstitching with a slightly smaller zig-zag stitch. Finally, I trimmed the edges with pinking shears. The scarves are oh-so-soft and warm.