[Sarvi]

A spot for chatting about other creative pursuits! What are your favorites? Knitting, weaving, baking, photography?

[Liesl Gibson]

Great idea, Sarvi! I used to do a lot of jewelry making and knitting. My grandma just gave me her floor loom, but I’ll need a larger apartment or studio in order to use it. Plus a lot more time.

[Jane]

In addition to sewing, I decorate cakes. I like sewing much better because you can abandon a project mid-way and come back to it. Can’t really do that with a cake. I have done a few wedding cakes and several birthday cakes. I really enjoy baking and if I ever have a windfall of money come my way I would love to open a children’s book store / coffee shop / bakery. It would be all of my favorite things in one place. I wonder how I could incorporate sewing in there. 😉

I wish I had time to try other things. Jewelry making intrigues me. I tried knitting but wasn’t any good. I see a lot of things on Pinterest that look fun to try there just isn’t enough time in the day.

Jane

[Maggie]

I crochet, but I don’t love crocheted sweaters. I find them either somewhat stiff or overly lacey. It is a nice hobby because it is portable. Sewing can only be done in my sewing room. (Although ripping out seams is portable. Guess how I know. 🙂 )

I like to garden. We have a backyard that is about 45′ square with three levels. We fit in a lot of stuff in that space–flowers, fruit, vines and play areas. The birds and squirrels get most of the fruit (blueberries, pears,etc) but we enjoy growing things.

[juliamom2009]

Ok, Jane, I’ll open my fabric shop/sewing studio/childrens sewing lesson place right next door to your bookstore/coffee shop/bakery…..that would combine all my favorite things in life!

I’ll let you know if I win the lottery, and we can start it up!

My other hobby is photography. My primary subject was sports – mainly basketball. I took photos of my son’s basketball teams for years and will be photographing his college team next year. I already have my 3 year old in basketball and have already had my camera at her “practice”! She also takes dance, so before her recital, I’m going to try to get up to speed on the subject of stage performance photography.

[dkbnyc]

I don’t really have any other creative pursuits. Started sewing when I was about 8, which is more than 30 years ago 😉 it’s my first love. I work full time and have two young daughters so I Barely have time to fit in my sewing. When I was a kid I did a little embroidery, but was never very good and some cross stitch. In high school and college I did some painting/ drawing, but that too has fallen by the wayside.

[wendy]

I’ve just started learning traditional silversmithing with a jeweler friend, and am loving it. The detail involved is really appealing to me, as is the small scale of it. I think it will be a long term love affair. In the past I’ve been an avid knitter but now I find it painfully slow compared to sewing. Although I still hoard yarn.

For the longest time my true love was woodworking, but that was more or less put on hold after I had my daughter. I’ve been thinking about it lately, though, and it’s only a matter of time before I get back into it.

Gardening and tending chickens are a hobby that I share with my partner and daughter, so I’m not as obsessive about them as I am about the rest. It’s nice to have those hobbies that everyone is enthusiastic about as well as personal, obsession driven ones.

[Pink Zipper]

I have taught myself, thanks to the internet,to crochet in the last few months. Am loving it. I have also recently rediscovered embroidery which I am enjoying also. I am finding, like you Maggie, that the portability is such a draw card. I often have a little project my bag just in case.

I do love reading and a very large stack of books next to my bed, but get to bed most nights and barely get more than a page read.

[needlewoman]

OH yes, I can relate to the falling asleep with book in hand – seems to get worse as I get older. My other favourite occupation is cross stitch, and quilting. I like cooking too, and have certainly admired the pictures of wonderfully decorated cakes that forum members have shared. My grandmother taught me to crochet when I was small, and I made a big rug before my teens. I’ve been slowly moving towards reteaching myself – inspired by all the cool magazines on crochet out there. Didn’t know you could learn via the Net. Jane and an Julia, l’ll happily work at your shops, and read books to children for coffee, and fabric at discounted prices. F

[Justine J]

Baking and gardening 🙂 reading – always!

Janice and Jane – I’ve long toyed with the idea of a bookshop/coffee shop/florist – and now I too would need to add sewing/fabric in there somehow!

[Masha Richart]

My main other hobby is music. I play piano, some guitar, sing, songwrite and teach/have taught piano and toddler music classes. I don’t have much time for the actual performing these days, though.

Aside from that I love to knit and bake. More recently I’ve taken up photography (spurred almost entirely by wanting to be able to take lovely pictures of my children … and my projects. Added gardening to the list a couple months ago.

I have too many hobbies. I guess it is good because I am never bored.

[Robin]

Pre Child hobbies: Sailing (oh how I miss that one), cycling, hand embroidery, crocheting, and knitting. I’ve dabbled in lots of fiber arts. I’ve done some fused glass and glass bead making too. Since having Sophie I’ve added quilting and sewing. Reading and movies are slowly finding a way back into my life. Rob and I used to go to concerts and plays too. We’re going to add camping back into the mix this summer.

If it’s all right with the shop keepers, I’d like to add my embroidery / button / ice cream store.

[cybele727]

Pre children: singing. Once the youngest gets a touch older (a year or two) I will go back to it. It is such a time commitment, and at inconvenient times with small children. Plus, I need some lessons to adjust to my post pregnancy voice, which has had some changes.

I am working on twisting a friend’s arm to start an a capella octet for Renaissance music.

[Masha Richart]

Ooh, cybele, an a capella octet sounds lovely. I love small ensemble singing.

[Nicole]

I shall come and sit in your shop, drink your coffee, eat cake, read books and listen to the singing while I plan my next sewing project!

Bliss.

~Nicole~