Do you know a person who is talented with a

Do you know a person who is talented with a thread and needle? My sister-in-law is able to make anything with her sewing machine and knitting needles. When her son was in high school she volunteered to make many of the costumes for the community plays that were put on in conjunction with the high school. She sewed wonderful costumes for Beauty and the Beast as well as Aladdin. She is very creative in figuring out how to create the costumes without patterns. The school, especially the drama teacher is very appreciative of the time that she puts into the productions.

Last fall she started on a new project. She is making totes using felted purse patterns. When she completed the first one and took it to work she promptly had seven people place orders for them. She has found several different felted purse patterns and each one has turned out great. The surprising thing is that she did not knit prior to making her first purse. She watched a DVD on basic knitting. Included with the DVD were several different projects including felted purse patterns. She had seen felted purses, totes and backpacks at a craft fair and thought they were so neat that she wanted to make one. This kind of talent is so foreign to me. It takes me quite a while to master very basic stitches. I cannot see myself watching a thirty minute DVD and two days later producing a handbag that anyone would want to carry.

I can see why my sister-in-law wanted to learn how to make the bags. The patterns that can be created are wonderful and there are so many different varieties of yarns available today. Once she had mastered her knitting techniques she branched out into mittens that could be used as a liner for inside of leather choppers and also socks. The socks and mittens are especially nice for winter activities like snowshoeing or ice fishing. The process of felting makes the weave very tight so that no air can get in. When using wool thread that mitten and socks are very warm. Wool is a great material to use for socks and mittens because it keeps the skin warm even if it gets wet. Felting is done by wetting as item after it is finished and then drying it. The shrinking that occurs in this process tightens the weave of the knit creating a very dense fabric. She has used some great color combinations to make each purse unique. She was talking about making several for Christmas gifts, I hope that I will be on her list of who to give one to.