Stitch 'n Dish

Category: Sewing

  • Unintended consequences

    Unintended consequences

    If ALL of us do a little, (supporting our local fabric and yarn shops) is not a hard task. It just takes each of us remembering to think of our local fabric and yarn shops, and give them some of our time, attention and (of course), money!

  • A question of value

    A question of value

    While browsing social media over the weekend, I came across an ad for a Coach handbag. It piqued my interest because it looked very much like a crocheted bag. I became curious about the price of it, due to recent conversations around the VALUE of handmade items, specifically crocheted ones. The bag, pictured here, is…

  • A birthday day out

    A birthday day out

    This week was my birthday, and I decided to take the day off and just do things I wanted to do with no time pressure or deadlines. I started the day out to breakfast with my parents, which is always nice. It was a rainy day around here so a day spent traveling to stores…

  • Anti-AI purists

    Anti-AI purists

    I once again stumbled into a hotbed of controversy on a Reddit thread that seems to encourage this kind of thing (r/BitchEatingCrafters). Today’s issue seemed to be the use of AI in crafting and art. While I can relate to the irritation around people trying to sell AI-generated patterns (awful, we can all agree), and…

  • Remembering Joann (and feeling nostalgic)

    Remembering Joann (and feeling nostalgic)

    Last week I found myself wandering aimlessly in a local Michaels store. It is the store in my area that has a pretty decent fabric inventory and sewing support, but I found myself uninspired, unmotivated, and frankly – unhappy. A couple days later I was feeling some sort of “inspiration” (urge?) to craft-shop and thought…

  • Two great reads

    Two great reads

    I just finished reading “The Sewing Machine” and found it to be a delightful story on its own, but especially for those of us who sew. My daughter gave me the book for Mother’s Day this year, and said that she hoped I would like it as much as the last book she got me:…

  • A good time to be kind

    A good time to be kind

    … as we navigate these and other challenges, it’s going to be increasingly important to be kind to each other; to have patience with those around us and to always take a step back (and a deep breath) when we want to complain about what WE want or what WE didn’t get. It’s not all…

  • A new bag pattern

    A new bag pattern

    I haven’t sewed for a little while and frankly, I was missing it. I think the last time I sewed was back in March when my sister and I attended a Quilt Retreat. I had favorited a cute pattern on Etsy for a yarn bag, and yesterday, knowing I had several fabric options in my…

  • I built a light box

    I built a light box

    Sometimes, we discount experiences, places, and even people, because of how they look at first glance. We sometimes judge things as “less than” because of that first impression, but we should take care to remember that beautiful end results can come from some pretty humble beginnings.

  • My fiber refuge

    My fiber refuge

    The news cycle lately isn’t very comforting to anyone, but I am feeling a particularly angst-ridden as a Veteran, because I can feel – in the depths of my being – the great terror being experienced by families across this country (USA) who are impacted by the reality of a troop deployment into a war…