In 2013 I made my first world map quilt.  In fact, it was my first quilt.  Ever.  And it was just for my own personal use.  I didn’t make it with any intentions to monetize from it.  But it started to get quite a bit of attention, and I started to receive requests for commissioned world quilts.  Maybe there was something there?  So I opened up my little quilt shop.  And for the next couple of years I hustled at my sewing machine to bring world quilts to your homes.  I loved quilting.  I loved my design.  What I didn’t anticipate was the feeling of dread when I sat at my sewing machine.  Sewing had always been my escape from the world – my happy place.  But suddenly I was making the same quilt, over and over and over again.  I lost my love of it all, and I couldn’t seem to be motivated.  I stopped blogging, stopped ‘gramming, and, quite honestly, stopped making.  In that time I experienced an exhausting pregnancy and allowed myself a leisurely maternity leave.  But when it came down to it, I couldn’t bring myself to get back to work.  So I made a rug, instead.  And it was that rug that woke me.  For the first time in a long time, I remembered the joy of making.  I never lost my love of it, afterall.  I was just approaching it all wrong.  I was no longer doing it for myself, I was doing it for everyone else.  And where’s the fun in that?

So what does all of this mean for Yellow Spool?

It means I will no longer be keeping my shop stocked with quilted product.  While there might be an occasional item listed here or there, I will, for the most part, stop selling my handmade items.  I didn’t come to this decision lightly, but there is a lightness to it now that the decision is made.

It means that later this week I will be holding one final sale at lower prices than ever.  In an effort to clear out my limited stock, I will be offering everything at an insane discount, just in time for the holidays.  Newsletter subscribers will get a full 24 HOURS of early access to the sale, plus an exclusive discount code.  If you aren’t already signed up for the newsletter, do that now.

It means that the World Map Quilt pattern that I have been promising is finally making it’s debut. The fact that I am no longer making my own world product has made it easier for me to justify selling the pattern (for personal use only).

It means that I will be focusing my efforts on ecourses and patterns. Did you know that my bachelor’s degree is in FCS Education? I have a passion for teaching, and I am excited to start utilizing my education further.

I’m still here, working harder than ever.  And I am thrilled with this new direction that Yellow Spool is moving in.

Recently, I found myself walking out of a mom + pop rug gallery with this amazing pillow cover.  It was an impulse buy, which is something that is fundamentally not “intentional”.  I try to avoid impulse purchases, but the owners of this rug store were so helpful in offering me information about our oriental rug, and this was, quite literally, the least I could do to help support their business. 

When I got home I folded the pillow cover up next to my sewing machine, awaiting the day when I find the time to make a pillow insert sized just right for this large cover.  But the fact of the matter was, I didn’t want to wait to enjoy my new pillow.  And I really didn’t want to purchase the materials to make it. And, when a person is motivated enough, they tend to find solutions.

See, we have these two spare pillows stored under our bed for when we have guests stay the night.  The pillows are old and shapeless, so we offer our nicer pillows to our guests, and Rauland and I use these during their stay with us.  They’ve seen better days.  But it is the very lifelessness of these particular pillows that makes them so easy to stuff together into my new decorative pillow cover.

Honestly, at first, I thought this solution was a long shot.  But you never know until you try.  As it turns out, they fit perfectly, and it’s impressively comfortable.  Not only did this idea save me from a purchase + project, but best of all, it provided a sneaky storage space for those seldom-used pillows. Beautiful and practical.  The best of both worlds.

I don’t tell you this under the assumption that you, too, will find a large pillow cover, and that you, too, happen to have old pillows laying around waiting to be put to use.  I know that that’s far-reaching.  I tell you this to emphasize that part of living intentionally is finding the right solutions for your particular living space.  Before you purchase anything, try to think about what you already have that can work for your needs.

Trust me, it is incredibly satisfying.

For the last seven years, our family has hopped around twelve times.  Twelve.  We were moving every six months or so, and when your life is that transitional, you don’t exactly let yourself root in anywhere and make meaningful connections with people.  I was getting by on friendly smiles and small talk, essentially, for years.  That is, until this last move,  This time, we knew we’d be staying put for two years.  For the first time since college, I allowed myself to get to know people – to be vulnerable.  I invested myself into new relationships, and let me tell you, it’s been good for the soul.  It has felt real.  Raw, even.

One of these new, deep-rooted friendships had been on my mind a lot.  She was going through some difficult circumstances, and even amongst her own pressures, she was making time for me, and for my children.  She’s a good egg, this one.

Sometimes there’s just no better way to express your gratitude for a person than to put pen to paper and tell them in a note.  And even then, sometimes words come up short.  When this happens, you make a simple basket to hold said note, as a gesture of thoughtfulness and hope that they understand what you’re trying to say.  

I recently shared with you how to make your own rope using fabric remnants, and today I will be showing you how to use that rope to make a basket (or a coaster/hot pad/rug, whatever).

1. Start by coiling the end of the rope until there is about a 2″ diameter, and pin through all the layers of the coil. Sew a large X across the coil, to hold it in place.  This will just make the beginning of the process a bit easier to sew in the next step.

2. Set your sewing machine to a zigzag stitch.  With the tail of your coil coming down from the right (pictured above) begin sewing the coil together. 

If you are using handmade rope, it might have a bit of stretch to it.  In order to keep the basket flat, you will want to twist the rope tighter, if possible, as you sew.  This won’t be applicable with store-bought rope. 

3. When the base of the basket is the size you’d like, tilt the entire base onto its side and continue sewing in the same way.  This will form a lip and begin the sides of the basket. 

4. When the basket is as tall as you’d like it, tuck the rope tail into the basket and sew back and forth over the end a few times.  Cut off the excess rope. 

Steps 1 & 2 can be used to make coasters, hot, pads, or even a rug.  If you run out of rope, you can always twist more onto the end as you go.

Who doesn’t love a great basket? And they make for lovely gift baskets, too!

It’s been much too long since I’ve added a tutorial to the Yellow Spool blog!  This is one that I’ve been meaning to share for a long time.  Rope making.  It’s such a useful skill to have, whether you want to make rope for a project, or you need to make rope in an emergency, this is the way to go! There’s no need to buy any materials, because it’s no-sew, and can be made with scrap fabric, or even your tattered old clothes!

Start by cutting your material into strips.  For this rope, I used 1″ strips, but you can make it smaller or larger.  Experiment!  Tie your first two fabric strips together to begin.

In order to get the rope to stay twisted together, you need to twist each strip in one direction, and then twist them together in the opposite direction.  I like to twist my individual strips to the right, and then twist them together right-over-left.  You may find it more comfortable to twist in the opposite direction (twist strips left, twist together left-over-right).  Be sure to twist tightly, to make the rope as strong as possible!

When you near the end of one of your strips, you will need to join a new piece.  To do this, start by cutting a small vertical slit into the ends of each strip of fabric.  Pull the new strip (in this case, the orange), through the original strip (the mint color).

Then pull the other end of the new strip through itself, creating a loop.

Carefully pull from both ends of the joint, and you can continue to twist your rope as usual.

See how clean and strong that “seam” is? All that’s left is to turn on Netflix, grab a snack, and keep twisting!

It’s a common misconception that little people require big things in big quantities. The truth is, children don’t need very much at all to be happy.

Italian photographer, Gabriele Galimberti, traveled the globe photographing children with their most prized possessions for his project, Toy Stories. As far as I can tell, the photo series wasn’t intended to make any statements, but he did comment that, “the richest children were more possessive. At the beginning, they wouldn’t want me to touch their toys, and I would need more time before they would let me play with them… In poor countries, it was much easier. Even if they only had two or three toys, they didn’t really care. In Africa, the kids would mostly play with their friends outside.”

I’m not suggesting we inflict a povertous lifestyle on our children, but is there something to the idea of encouraging our children to have less?

When I was pregnant with my oldest daughter I started a new job working as a nanny.  The family that I worked for had five lovely children, ages 1-8.  In their basement they had a playroom with three walls of floor-to-ceiling shelving, filled to the fullest with toys.  At first glace, it looked like a child’s dream.  Every toy imaginable.  But I quickly realized that that toy room was anything but fun for them.  It caused massive amounts of contention, as the kids still faught over one thing in a room full of options.  Cleaning up their toys was practically impossible.  Keeping up with the mess in that one room alone would have been a full time job, and because of the layout of the storage system and quantity of toys, it was unrealistic to expect the kids to clean up after themselves unassisted.

Sometimes with children (and adults), it can be overwhelming to have too many options.  This applies to a lot of areas of child-rearing, but I would like to focus in on toys for now.  Sure, when my kids go to someone’s home with more toys, they basically die of happiness.  But that is just a novelty.  Eventually, the toys become old news.  Why else would we constantly be buying more?

My strategy here is to keep a general stock of the staples for them.  Toys that encourage them to use their imagination.  Toys that are timeless and sturdy.

All three of my kids share a small room, so we’ve turned the coat closet under the stairs into a “clubhouse” for them, and it hosts all of their toys (with exception of a basket of stuffed animals that we keep in their bedroom).  As you can see in the photo above, it’s a pretty manageable collection of just their favorite things.

This is what works for us, but I’m curious: what works for you?  Do you have children?  What have you done to keep the stuff at bay?

A lot has changed since I last posted on this blog, nearly two years ago.  I know it seems that I only write when “a lot has changed”, it’s a bit of a theme around here.  The truth is, I’ve been finding myself these last few years.  I’ve dabbled in running a shop, tried to get on the social media bandwagon, and had a baby.  In all the madness, I made a decision to let my blog sit on the shelf for a while.  I thought that I was over the writing thing.  It turns out, I’m not.  I have felt a small void these last few years without this place to share about my thoughts and interests.  I started this site as an outlet, afterall.  I guess what I’m saying, is that I’m pulling this here blog out of retirement, so I can write about what matters to me, and I’ll be kicking it off with a new series.

Over the last few years, I’ve been learning about how to better take care of my family, considering their futures, and the effect I have on that here and now.  I’ve been simplifying the way that I run my household and my business, to try to make better time for both.

And do you know what I’ve learned? There is absolutely no way to do everything I want exactly the way that I want to do it.  I can read all of the books in the world, browse the web for the dreamiest of things and places, and make list after list after list.  But the truth is, I don’t think I will ever be 100% of the person I want to be.  It’s a journey.  Which is why I’ve decidedly named this new series becoming intentional.

What to expect? A slew of thoughts and projects about simplifying, decluttering our space and our lives, sustainability, and a smattering of responsible projects in the mix (like the reusable totes pictured above).

It feels good to be back, friends.

I picked up a bag of scrap leather a while ago, and have just been sitting on it, trying to figure out what to do with it.  What do you make with leather odds and ends?

A wallet for Raul?  But it was too thick to fold/close.

A mouse pad?  It was an odd-shaped scrap, so it wouldn’t quite work :(

A world pillow?  Because how rad would that be.  But can you quilt with leather?  Shrug.

Sooooooo, finally I just decided the leather was better chopped into 1/2″ strips for some experimenting, that just sitting dormant in the closet.

I decided to try a map, but had to improvise a bit.

I can’t even begin to express how excited I was when I was putting this together, row by row, and realized it was WORKING!

Awesome, right?  So I’m giving one away over on instagram.  This giveaway is a little bit different.  Rather than entering yourself to win, you can enter your friends to win!  Someone who you love and admire.  Someone who you think deserves a win.

TO ENTER:

Leave a comment on my giveaway post, tagging a friend, and telling them how they make the world a better place.  That’s it.

But I’m not here to talk about selfies, I’m here to talk about makeup.  Or the lack thereof.

When I turned fourteen I was allowed to start wearing makeup.  I have three older sisters, and most of my friends had been wearing makeup for years, so I felt ready for this step up in my life.  I started with the basics (most likely green sparkly eyeshadow, clunky mascara, and bright blush, am I right?!), and would bring a little with me to school for some fine-tuning throughout the day.  After about a week or two I realized a few things:

1. I felt like I couldn’t touch my face or I’d smudge my masterpiece  2. I was waking up really early to put it on  3. I didn’t necessarily feel any different about myself, with or without the makeup

So, I stopped.  Just like that.  I traded in my makeup for a little more sleep, and the freedom to rub my itchy eyes whenever I please.  I have seasonal allergies, so that’s a biggie, for me.

To be completely honest, I never even noticed.  I’d just get up and go.  Until one day, in tenth grade.  I was in class, and we were having an emotional lesson, I wish I could remember the topic, but basically, every girl in the room, myself included, was sobbing.  As I looked around with my wet eyes, I noticed that all the other girls kept wiping the mascara from under their eyes, without much success.  That was the first time I really realized how freeing it was to have a naked face.  Life was just… simple.

Years later, when Rauland and I were newly dating, we were cuddled up on the couch (aaaaw) when he sat up, looked me square in the face, squinted his eyes, and then asked, “Do you wear makeup?”  I was completely taken off guard, and felt little self-conscious, because I never thought about it.  When I answered “no” he smiled, relaxed back into the couch, and whispered, “that’s really cute”.  And that’s when I knew we were meant to be together.  Okay, not really, but I was glad he appreciated that little part of me.

With the exception of a little bit on my wedding day, I haven’t worn makeup since I was fourteen years old.  Not because I was just born with it.  Because I’m pretty plain Jane.  Not because I have any opposition to makeup, the makeup industry, or the beautiful women who wear it.  Because I don’t.  At all.  I choose not to wear makeup because I’m comfortable and happy without it.  And basically, just because I’m lazy.

I have freckles.  Not the cute, bold kind; the kind that give an uneven skin tone.  But every once in a while someone notices them, like, someone who I’ve been friends with a long time, and they have one of those “how did I never notice that” moments, which just makes me smile.

I have dark circles under my eyes that make me look tired all the time.  But I got those from my gorgeous grandmother.

I have crows feet.  But they’re my smile lines.  I expect a whole lot more wrinkles in my future, and the truth is, I don’t want to be young forever. I want to live a good, long, happy life.

I barely have eyebrows.  But at least I don’t have to pluck them!

I have little eyes and blonde lashes.  But they’re MY little eyes and blonde lashes.

“Women are beautiful. They only think they need makeup.”

-Rauland (my stud of a husband)

I used to spend a lot more time here, on the ol’ blog.  I could spend hours and hours giving it facelifts: pinning and tucking the sidebars, the fonts, the archives.  In search of my own style, I’d peruse other blogs and websites to try to mimic this or that element of their space.  Then, after all the time I put into it, I’d get bored of my design, and start over.  Ridiculous.

And that’s not even the most of it, I also spent who-knows-many-hours, working on free tutorials and e-courses over the last year and a half.  Projects that I didn’t need to do, but thought readers might like.

I had people visiting, commenting, pinning, and even recreating my projects.  I loved that!  But it just wasn’t my thing.  Most of what I made, I didn’t keep, and one day I realized, if I don’t care about this stuff, why would anyone else?  So I decided to start honing my energy into something that meant something to me, and I did a little spring cleaning in my life, and on my blog.  I’m sure you noticed (if you still even read this blog) that I traded in my crafting shoes for entrepreneurial ones.  This space shifted gears from Yellow Spool: one of thousands of sewing tutorial sites, to Yellow Spool: quilted maps.

I found something that made my heart sing!  I moved this blog from the homepage, to an archive page, making room for a new shop.  I decluttered the face of my webspace, omitting gadgets and frills for whitespace and simple functionality.  I stopped worrying about whether or not people liked the content of the blog, and starting focusing on whether or not I like the overall content of my LIFE.  I took control to do what I want to do, and you know what?  It feels awesome.

I think the most valuable outcome from all of this, however, is the whitespace I’ve been able to introduce into my real life.

DON’T STEAL TIME; MAKE TIME.

So, I don’t know if that’s a real quote or if I made it up, but it’s true, either way.  I used to steal time for this blog.  I would steal it from my kids, every time I told them “five more minutes, I’m almost done, and then I’ll come play”.  I would steal time from my husband when I sat at the computer editing photos at night instead of turning my chair around to have a real conversation with him.  I think the biggest change in my life the past few months is that I’ve promised to make time, rather than steal it.  I have set up “work hours” for myself that I really try to stick to.  This means I wake up really early every morning so I can work for a few hours before my kids wake up, and  I work through their napping hours.  If I’m not “on the clock” I try not to think about Yellow Spool, so I can enjoy my little cutie pies.  And man, are they worth it!

Inspired by a cabin eagle detail, this pillow is in a league of it’s own.  I mean, really, isn’t it lovely?!  Head over to Gentri’s blog to enter to win!

photos via: gentri lee