“Have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful.” ― William Morris.
I love the word ‘nesting’ and all the imagery that comes with it. I picture bird’s nests that I’ve seen, how I’ve observed the careful way the materials are woven together to create a home, often lined with feathers to create a cozy spot for nurturing. I remember each of the homes I’ve lived in and the little ways I’ve tried to make the space comfortable and welcoming for family and friends.
The quote from William Morris (above) is one that I’ve been using lately to inform my choices when it comes to what objects to add to my home. One of the things I’ve most enjoyed about moving to a home that is a bit of a clean slate has been creating useful things. I promised myself that I would do my best this year to not buy anything that I could make myself of find second-hand. I was loaned a sewing machine and gifted a couple bags of scrap materials to get me started. Other bits I’ve found on my visits to the op-shop / thrift store, like a lovely floral sheet, thick towels and wool blanket. I’ve been happily creating, delving into the depths of my Pinterest boards for the all inspiration I had saved for just a time as this.
First off the mark was a set of coasters. I think I’ll eventually fancy them up with a bit of embroidery but for now they are doing their job in a serviceable way.
I stitched strips of this cute bunny material together to make two larger pieces, in order to make this bowl cozy.
I’m also trying to make things that can be re-used, replacing as many disposables as possible, so these “un-paper towels” have found a home in one of my kitchen drawers. They are towelling on one side and plain cotton on the other and they’ve already proved their use in cleaning up spills! In reality they are just fancy cleaning rags but sometimes I think we’re more likely to use things that we look at, feel good about and give a clever name.
Cocktail sized serviettes were next, they are great for popping into a handbag or lunch bag for when we’re on the go.
Finally, with all this stitching happening, I realized I needed a pincushion. I was inspired by this particular fabric scrap, it reminded of some funky succulent pincushion tutorials I had tucked away. I stuffed it with tiny scraps of fabric and glued it straight to the top of the little pot. The pot is filled with pebbles for extra stability. I don’t have my embroidery cottons with me, so I sewed the little white spikes out of dental floss. The flowers on top were from another scrap and are the perfect accent for the top of my cactus!
I find great satisfaction in collecting ideas and then using what I have to make something of my own. Are you a maker? What have you created lately? If you’d like to make any of the things I’ve shown above, here are some links to get you started:
Fabric Coasters: A Quick and Easy Sewing Project
https://joybileefarm.com/paper-towels/
https://abeautifulmess.com/2015/07/cactus-pincushion-diy.html
Two Sparrows for a Penny 