Trying to Do the Impossible

It’s good to dream. It’s good to have goals in life. It’s also important to be realistic. Remember those resolutions we made in the New Year? How’s it been going? We spoke about Organising Craft Supplies in that post. We’ve also spoken about your Stashes, and what can be done with them. I think both of those resolutions can be achieved. But this time we are talking about something that I personally think is an impossible dream – only buying something new to replace something that has been used.

When I put together the Crafting Resolutions, I really didn’t think this one would fly. But like I said, it’s good to dream. Why don’t I think it is possible? There are many reasons, and here are some.

Crafting is a creative pursuit, and the things you work on are to a certain extent dictated by how you are feeling at the time, and you can’t simply force yourself to only work on things for which you have all the components already. If you really want to make that bag made out of recycled denim that you saw on Pinterest, you will not be happy making the baby bibs for which you already have everything you need. In fact, you won’t be happy until you’ve been to the charity shop, sourced those denim jeans, then been to the craft shop to get the matching thread, and while you are at it, bought some bling to jazz up the bag, and added to your collection of buttons with some that called to you while you were looking for the bling.

Made with leftover wool scraps

Trying to force yourself to work on things you don’t want to work on will only end in tears. I swear my sewing machine knows, and that is when the thread gets all knotted up under the bobbin, the needle breaks, and it starts making weird noises.

Another reason I think the “nothing new” resolution won’t work is because there are new things coming out all the time, and if you only buy to replace things used, you will never get a chance to try these new things. Taking this to the extreme, if we only ever replaced existing, we would all be sewing by hand as we wouldn’t have sewing machines! Yes, that is way too extreme. But everyone knows that trying new things is essential for our mental health, and we would all be bored, doing the same old thing.

If I only ever bought to replace, I would never have discovered the pleasure and meditation of doing cross-stitch. I would never have learned that I really don’t like scrapbooking. And I wouldn’t have the choices I do now to satisfy my crafting cravings – what do I feel like doing today?

My current “lust after” item

So I suppose the main aim is to not just buy things without really thinking about it. I think this resolution should be re-worded. Instead of “Only buy something new to replace something that has been used”, maybe it should be “Only buy something new when you need it, or really, really, really want it, and have already checked that you don’t already have it".

I can live with that. Can you?

The Stash, the Stash, and nothing but the Stash!

This time I’m all about Using Up Your Stash. I personally do not know any crafter who doesn’t have a Stash. In fact, most serious crafters have more than one Stash. There are Stashes of yarn, paper, fabric, trims, embellishments, buttons, cottons, embroidery floss, bindings, elastics, zippers, safety eyes…I could go on. And that’s just the Stashes of consumables. It’s also not unheard of to have Stashes of equipment – stamps, crochet hooks, knitting needles, patterns, cutting mats, even sewing machines!

Having an Equipment Stash isn’t (usually) such a big problem, unless you are a compulsive equipment buyer – and then possibly therapy is the answer. Or at least try to limit yourself to equipment for crafts you are already addicted to – DO NOT UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES buy equipment for a new craft until you are absolutely certain you will have the time and the space to actually store and USE this equipment.

As for Consumables Stashes, the first thing I must say is don’t be embarrassed about your Stashes. Every crafter has one. They are an essential part of being a crafter. But if they aren’t kept under control, they can grow so they start to take over the house. To stop this from happening, every now and then you must actually use something from the Stash.

I believe it will never be possible to live without a Stash. I also believe it will never be possible to ONLY use things from the Stash. Crafting isn’t (or shouldn’t be) something you do because you have to, it is something you do because you want to. As a result of that, the projects you work on are the ones you feel like working on, that make you happy. So if you can’t find something in your stash that will make you happy to use it, there is no point in forcing it – it will not end well.

But the important thing is that at least you try. At least look at what you have in your Stash before you rush off to buy something new. You can even think of it as shopping – at a craft shop that is so close you can even walk to it! Maybe you have even forgotten some of the things you have in your Stash, so when you are on the hunt for a new project, pull all those items in your Stash out of their hidey-holes and have a good look at them. You might even fall in love with something all over again!

If you don’t find the perfect thing in your Stash, have a think about shopping someone else’s Stash. This will take some planning, and things could get ugly, but it might be worth a try. You will need a group of crafters you know reasonably well who have similar taste and shopping habits. Everyone sorts through their stash for the things they can live without. Organise a time and place (perhaps the home of the person with the biggest stash?). Then go for it!

There are a couple of tricky things to deal with here. Firstly, don’t expect to get things for free. Just because something is in a Stash and can be lived without by the Stash’s owner doesn’t mean it doesn’t have value, so be prepared to “pay” for things. The reason I say “pay” is you could decide to part with hard-earned cash, or negotiate a swap for something from your own Stash, or a combination of both.

An organised Stash - something to aspire to!

This leads on to the second tricky thing – everyone will need to have a good idea of what they are prepared to pay for things in someone else’s Stash, and what they are prepared to accept for things in their own Stash. Do think about this beforehand, do your homework, but also be prepared to be flexible, and perhaps negotiate, so that everyone is happy.

The most important thing is that everyone has FUN! Even if no Stash items change hands, it can be fun just looking at someone else’s Stash.

In summary:
1. Love your Stashes!
2. Shop your Stashes first, before you head off to any other shops,
3. Try shopping the Stashes of a good friend,
4. Have fun!

Crafting New Year Resolutions

It’s that time of year again. How many people make resolutions at New Year, only to find that by one month in, those resolutions, whilst not completely forgotten, are but dim memories? By now, at the end of January, we have a good idea which resolutions have a chance of survival, and which are already dead in the water.

Crafting resolutions can be just as difficult to stick to as losing weight (like suddenly the habits of a lifetime are going to change?), exercising more (that gym membership can be expensive), and eating less chocolate (that was never going to happen!). Here are a few resolutions that you may find familiar.

1. Organise those craft supplies
2. Use up things from the stash
3. Only buy something new to replace something that has been used
4. Learn a new craft
5. Only start a new project when at least one UFO (UnFinished Object) has been finished
6. Buy something that looks great and is made by someone else, instead of thinking "That’s great - I could make that!” and never actually getting around to it

How can we give those resolutions a better chance of success? Let’s have a look at them one by one.

Organising Craft Supplies
You’ve decided you are going to knit that jumper you’ve been meaning to do for years. You have the yarn (from your stash, of course!). You have the needles. You have the pattern. Now all you need is a row counter, because you’ve tried pen and paper and that just doesn’t work for you. You know you have at least 4 of them, because last time you started a knitting project you couldn’t find the ones you inherited from your grandmother so you bought some more. Where, oh where, did you put them? Any of them?

The perfect solution is to build an extension to the house and call it the crafting annexe. Then you could have enough room to carefully stack everything in clear, carefully labelled boxes, or in the specially built cupboards and drawers. Bliss! But somehow I don’t think this is very realistic.

A slightly less perfect solution is to at least try to keep all the like things together. For example, keep all knitting things together, all embroidery things together, all scrapbooking things together, etc, etc. Don’t get too obsessive about it, though, because some supplies cross borders between crafts, and you need to pick just one place to put them. But at least when you go looking for something, if it’s not in the first place you look, it should be in the second.

But the best piece of advice is to try, and I mean really try, to put things away when you have finished with them. A tip that might be worth trying for this is to not just automatically put things back in the place you found them, but in the first place you looked for them. The assumption is that next time you are looking, you will look for it in the same way, and look! There it is in the first place you looked!

So how about giving it a go. Keep crafting though – don’t let organising crafting supplies become your hobby!

Next time we’ll tackle the challenge of using up those things in the stash.

Autumn Colours in Rankin Cottage

Who can believe it’s autumn? Certainly not with the weather we are having, but some of the trees around the town have started to show their autumn colours. And believe it when I say it won’t be long before the slight chill we are feeling in the mornings becomes a serious frost.

Even though we would like to hibernate during the colder months, there is still a lot to do around Bathurst. You only have to look at the Autumn Colours booklet to see that not a single week goes by that doesn’t have something on to keep us all interested.

And here at Rankin Cottage we have joined in the fun. We’ve had our first Autumn Colours event – Learn about Applique – and it was a great success. The people who came along joined in to applique a heart, or a star, or a flower, and made a mug rug (fabric mug coaster). Special mention must go to the 7 year-old boy who had a ball making his applique star mug rug.

Our next event is on 2^nd April, between 11am and 3pm, when we will be demonstrating and teaching crochet. Crochet can be used for so many things, with amigurumi being particularly popular at the moment. You can also make little coats for your coffee mugs, tea cosies, even combine the bunting fad with crochet and make your own crochet bunting! Come along and give it a try.

Then on Saturday 7^th May, again between 11am and 3pm Rankin Cottage Crafts will be demonstrating and teaching knitting, particularly baby items. Don’t those little ones look gorgeous in hand-made clothes? Knitting is also a versatile skill to learn – not just clothes, but also toys, and practical things to use around the house, like dishcloths, can all be made by knitting.

So, don’t start the winter hibernation until you have been out there experiencing Bathurst’s Autumn Colours.

Crafting Etiquette

So you are a crafter, and you think just sitting without something crafty in your hands is a waste of good crafting time. But there is a time and place for everything, and sometimes, doing something crafty isn’t the right thing to do.

Yes, it is definitely OK to craft when
"watching" your family members play cricket!

As an example, knitting or crocheting at a Rankin Cottage Crafts monthly meeting – that’s just fine, and in fact, almost to be expected. Taking your sewing machine with you on a weekend away with your husband (and yes, this is a real example), not so good.

So what are the rules of etiquette for crafting? Let’s take a few situations and see:

Watching TV – but of course you can craft! It shouldn’t even be questioned. If the craft is something you can do without concentrating, then go for it! If you have to look at your work, or the pattern is a bit more complex, make sure what’s on the TV doesn’t also require serious attention. You don’t want to have to re-do the crafting you’ve done, and constant requests for explanations may annoy your TV-watching companion. Just try to keep any knitting needle click-clack to a minimum.

When travelling – as long as you aren’t the driver, I’d say this one is also “of course!” Driving across the Nullarbor Plain, whilst not as boring as some might think, is improved greatly by the opportunity to finish that cross-stitch you’ve been working on for years. The train trip to Sydney is quite a pretty one, but it is mostly the same every time, and you can get that scarf finished, as long as the person in the seat next to you doesn’t hog the elbow room. As for the flight to Melbourne, feel free to crochet to your heart’s content – crochet hooks are allowed on the plane, but knitting needles and scissors are not.

At the movies – maybe not. It’s dark in there, so it would have to be something you definitely don’t need to look at. And with the price of a movie ticket these days, you want to get full value from what you are seeing.

In a meeting – well, it depends. Is the meeting related in any way to craft? If yes, then I’d say crafting would almost be compulsory. If no, again, it depends. Surprisingly, not everyone sees craft as an essential activity, and can view it as an indication that you either aren’t interested in the subject of the meeting, or are just plain rude. So, if the other people in the meeting know about your crafting obsession and are tolerant of it, then maybe it is OK. But generally, I’d say err on the side of caution, and wait until another time to get out your embroidery.

During a meal – generally this one is a no. It’s a definite no if it’s a dinner party – you need your wits about you to keep up with dinner party conversation, and the other guests would almost certainly take offence. Even if the meal is just yourself and a sandwich, it’s better to put down that hand-sewing for the time it takes to eat – don’t want vegemite on your new, handmade bag.

What are your crafting etiquette rules? Have you had any interesting reactions when you’ve been crafting in public? Have you been a part of Knit in Public Day?

Craft as Therapy

Whew! We survived our 30^th birthday celebrations, and are now back crafting as if our lives depended on it. Actually, crafting is what we do best, and whilst we enjoyed our birthday, it’s great to get back to those knitting needles, crochet hooks, embroidery flosses, and the ever-growing stashes of fabric and yarn.

If you ask a crafter what they love about crafting, chances are most of them will mention at some point that it is “like a friend, who you can sit down and spend time with” and “like therapy, where the rest of the world and all its stresses and responsibilities disappear for a while”. Pretty much, we all feel happy when we are crafting.


And here are some of the results of that time spent in “therapy".

This time of year is a great time for crafting – it is cold outside, but the place we go to do our craft is usually nice and cosy. Every now and then, you can emerge from the craft cocoon for a nice cuppa, before heading back there.


We’ve produced any number of scarves, beanies, socks, mittens and bedsocks – not all of them are pink!

We have cardigans, jumpers, and gloves, for all ages.

We have an enormous sense of pride and satisfaction from creating these things that we hope other people will enjoy, almost as much as we enjoyed creating them.

But best of all, we are getting back our sanity, from spending quality time with our “friend” and “therapy”, craft.

Happy Birthday to Us!

It has finally arrived – our 30^th birthday. We’ve been working towards this for many months so it’s wonderful for it to have finally arrived.

During June our celebration includes demonstrations each weekend of various crafts (see our calendar for details of what’s on). We have had a small group of people who have attended these demonstrations, and have had a go themselves! Don’t these ladies look like they are enjoying trying out candlewicking?









We put up a memory board with some of our history on it, and surrounded it with items showing some crafts from years past – remember decorated straw hats, fabric-covered photo albums, and smocking?

And we decorated Rankin Cottage (with a bit of help from long-suffering partners of crafters, and a mystery yarn-bomber) – it scrubs up pretty well for a building that is over 170 years old, and certainly looked cheerful.


Our Big Day, though, was Sunday 14^th June, when we had an afternoon tea after the ceremonial cutting of the birthday cake. Mayor Gary Rush said a few words, and then introduced Rose Bolam, who did us the honour of actually cutting the cake. Rose cut the ribbon to open Rankin Cottage Crafts 30 years ago, and we were very pleased she could be there for our party.

Actually, we had a number of other dignitaries attend – Councillor Monica Morse, who often pops into Rankin Cottage; Betty Ives, a Bathurst Living Legend, and patron of Rankin Cottage Crafts; Jane and Robert Rawlings from the Daffodil Cottage building extension fundraising committee, to whom we made a donation; some past members of Rankin Cottage Crafts; and many of our current members, including Marcia Cubis and Pam Parsons, who were made Life Members on the day.

After the formalities, since the weather was so nice to us, we had our afternoon tea party in the back yard of Rankin Cottage. All in all, it was a lovely day.

Happy Birthday to us!!!

History and Nostalgia

May and June are all about looking back at our history, both as part of the celebrations for Bathurst’s 200 years, and because Rankin Cottage Crafts has been in existence for 30 years – what an achievement for everyone!

We’ve taken the opportunity to get involved as much as possible, and spent an enjoyable, although very cold, couple of days demonstrating heritage crafts as part of the Colonial Fair on both the actual Proclamation Day of 7^th May, and the big affair that took place on the Saturday. Don’t we look the real deal!

Back at the Cottage, we have our usual fireplace display, but this month we are focussing on heritage items – it is amazing what old things people still have. Some customers have had to ask what various things are, but some have been a bit nostalgic, as many can remember things from their own childhoods, or from memories of their grandparents.

Life back then was simpler, but it was also harder. Can you imagine ironing with those old irons that went on the good old combustion stove? I have clear memories of my grandmother using them in her kitchen, and she even ironed the sheets with them!

Here are a few specific items people may remember – the good old party-line telephone, a cast iron meat mincer (be careful not to mince your fingers), a carriage light, a (small) saddle bag, and what good household would be without the louse powder (for the chooks, of course).

Rankin Cottage is very proud to be able to be part of the Bathurst 200 celebrations. We have our very own Living Legend in Betty Ives, who also has her own figure in the Peoplescape installation. Betty’s status will be recognised in July with a tree planted in her name as part of the Bathurst Living Legend celebrations.

In the meantime, here at Rankin Cottage we will be busy preparing for the June celebration of our 30^th birthday. We have demonstrations of various crafts each weekend during the month (see here), and a special birthday party, including afternoon tea and a cake to be cut, on 14^th June – our actual birthday. Everyone is welcome, but please contact Pam Shurmer on 6331 7572 if you will be coming along.

Bathurst 200 and Autumn Colours

Fantastic news! Our 30^th Birthday Celebration has been endorsed as an official Bathurst 200 event! Can you tell we are excited? For details of how we will be celebrating, check out our Birthday page.

But while we are busy behind the scenes getting ready for our big birthday, we are also making sure there are lots of items in Rankin Cottage.

If, like us, you have started to notice that bit of a chill in the air, you would realise that Autumn is upon us. The days might still be warm, but the mornings and evenings are telling us to get ready for the colder weather. We might need a light jacket, or ¾ length sleeved jumper, to keep us warm leading up to winter.





And don’t you love the colours of autumn? We highlight those colours in our crafts – in the tea cosies to keep that teapot warm, and in the egg cosies, to keep those breakfast eggs warm (until we eat them, of course!).

For those who like the soft light of autumn, how about some candles to flicker away on the table?

The variety of crafts here in Rankin Cottage is fantastic!