Most crafters have stashes of supplies squirreled away somewhere in their homes. I’m no exception. In a previous blog (Throwback Crochet, August, 2020), I posted about making a doily out of vintage crochet thread I had scored at a garage sale. I couldn’t resist. It was a huge box chock full of thread, marked at a ridiculously low price. When I see items like these at sales, it stirs my reverence for the vintage supplies and the makers who came before me. The problem is that a few years later, I still have most of the thread in my basement. Over the winter, I started using up some of it by making crocheted wine coasters. They were cute, but a flop on Etsy. So I brainstormed, and settled on a few things. These are not all completely original ideas. Some of them are spinoffs of items I had seen somewhere on the web. Here is what I’ve come up with so far:
My goal in the last few years has been to create items from materials I already have or used items. I’ve been trying to re-use and buy from yard sales and thrift stores. So, I challenged myself to use up thread with a minimum purchase of new items. The first good example is covered glass yogurt jars, old candle jars and bottles. At first, it seemed daunting to keep a line of thread straight around the jar, but I soon came up with a method to cover them fairly neatly. They turned out better than I had thought, and it felt great to find a use for those cute little yogurt containers. You might guess the brand from the shape. I um, “occasionally” treat myself to that delicious full-fat french yogurt.
Of course, I needed to crochet doilies. First I made a floral rectangular one with variegated pink thread. Then, I made a few small round doilies before the crochet mandala craze hit the internet. My version is much simpler, and I just call them framed doilies. They are crocheted right to the vintage embroidery hoops I found at sales. Again, it was great fun to liven up an old, unattractive metal hoop with some pretty thread! The patterns are adapted from Crocheting Doilies, Edited by Rita Weiss, 1976.
Next, I had a couple of plant markers I hadn’t used in my yard. How to use crochet thread to adorn them perplexed me at first, but then I thought about just handwriting in chain stitch. Voila, positive messages for plants.
Lastly, I recycled one of those old-timey cedar souvenir boxes. Wooden boxes and containers are my favorite used items to buy. Most of the time, I paint them to bring them back to life. But in the spirit of using up the thread, I painted the box and added a crocheted flower and stem. Sanding brought the yummy cedar scent back again.
I’ve had great fun making a dent in the stash, but I’ll still be working on it for a while. I guess I didn’t realize how much thread I bought. I’m always looking for ideas if you have any.
These items will be on sale in my Etsy shop, CiasGarden. The charity I’ve chosen to support with these new items is World Central Kitchen. Their mission is noble, and their response to a crisis is amazing. Please read more at: https://https://wck.org.
Cia's Garden Shed 