Category Archives: Making

National Granny Square Day

creativity, Making,

Simply Crochet Magazine sponsors National Granny Square Day, celebrated on August 15 each year. It recognizes one of the basics of crocheting: the humble but infinitely customizable granny square. The goal of the day is to have crocheters submit pictures of individual squares that Simply Crochet pulls together into a virtual blanket.

I have been working on a project that uses granny square to mimic quilt blocks. I used the holiday as an excuse to sew together my first block:

crocheted quilt square

Here is the square I am going to submit to the virtual blanket. It is a traditional granny square and made with special yarn that creates the rounds of colors without having to change colors. I was skeptical, but it worked fairly well.

traditional crocheted granny square in blue colors with a white border

Happy National Granny Square Day!

Work in Progress

art, Making, ,

I love working with paper in all different ways from bookmaking to collage to 3D constructions. Today, I worked with Sarah Trebilcock’s tutorial for making a 3D pop up floating butterfly card. It is for my mother’s 91st birthday at the end of the month.

I am using my Sissix cutter to create the butterflies. The cutter is one of my favorite tools: portable, desktop size, and manual. No software or bluetooth required like the electronic cutter I have. Compact, portable and reliable.

I need to make a few more butterflies, connect the mechanism to the card and decorate the front. But I think it is time to call it a day. When I get tired, I tend to make mistakes and get sloppier than usual. A couple more hours tomorrow, and it will be done. Meanwhile, here’s my current progress:

A 3D sculpture of butterflies made from paper

Productive Chaos

art, Making, Photography

I am participating in Blaugust 2026 and determined to post every day even if it is past my bedtime.

I spend a good part of most days in my studio making some kind of art or craft. For the past few days, I have been working on a flip book. When I start a project, my workspace is open and clean, but over time, the materials and tools related to the project begin to pile up. I call it productive chaos because I generally know where everything: there really is some method to the madness. I have been working in the studio for several years now and each time I do a reorganization, I get more organized. Tools I use regularly are within arms’ reach; current paper choices get stacked nearby.

This book is mostly done so the papers and tools have been tucked away once again. I just have to decide what to add to the back. Then I plan to do a video walkthrough, something I have not attempted before. All thanks to Blaugust 2026!

A messy desktop with paper, punches and pens

Grumpy Old Lady, Part 2

Making, Media, Television, thinking out loud,

I have been binge watching Maine Cabin Masters. I love the series with its fun ideas for refurbishing old camps and captivating panoramas of Maine along with glimpses of loons and beavers. There are great family stories, too, that come along with the camps, many of which are at least a hundred years old.

But, the main sponsor is a new series called Home Sweet Rome. The series features a young woman, pre-teenish?, whose father marries an Italian woman and moves her to Rome with him. Turns out Francesca is a pop star. In the promo, the narrator is excited and says, “Maybe someday I can be a pop star!”

Obviously, women can be anything they want, including a pop star. I support her dreams. But, my grumpy old lady voice is commenting in the background every time I hear the advertisement. Why couldn’t Francesca be a brain surgeon? Or a human rights attorney (think Amal Clooney)?

I am not so old that I cannot remember being her age, but I have also been a lifelong nerd. My dream job in 6th grade was to be President. Oh! Maybe the father could marry an Italian politician! Turns out there a few women moving into leadership in the country.

I am also not so obtuse to understand that I am clearly NOT the primary audience for this show. It is a bit odd, in this day and age of algorithms, that it is being pushed during a home improvement series.

I know, I know, before I judge, I should watch an episode or two. Maybe the pop star, giggly tone is masking a stronger social message? Kind of like Teen Vogue? Or a couple of recent Instagram posts where a woman starts talking about arranging flowers or making bouillabaisse, then after a moment says, “Ok, now that the men are gone, we need to talk about bringing down the patriarchy.”

I can certainly recommend the cabin masters series as easy watching but also fascinating from a maker perspective. The team works through design and implementation in unpredictable building and natural settings, often using repurposed materials and drawing on local Maine builders and artisans. They must, of course, consider functionality and safety but also focus on creating beautiful, customized living spaces.