3 crafty tips my grandma taught me

When I was little, I got to spend a lot of time with Nanny, my grandma. Most of our time was spent in the kitchen, where she taught me things like, "always use your finger to scrape out all of the egg white from the shell." But we also did some knitting and sewing, and she got me started in my stitching. Obviously, I was a bit older than I am in the photo above, but this pic has such a nice "awwwww..." factor to it, right?

Today, I pass along three things I learned from Nanny:



Keep the back neat.

We've all heard this, but it's a good one. I'm not sure if Nanny would approve of this back. I use back stitch a lot, which results is a not-so-tidy appearance, plus this one will be hidden when it's all finished (it's the last pattern for Summer Stitching Club!). But keeping the back looking nice is still a good habit to form. I continue to work on this.



Don't turn the scissors.

Nanny told me this one when I was cutting something...the right way! Here's the idea: you keep your scissors facing the same direction the whole time you're cutting something out, and you move the paper as you are cutting.




Curves and straight lines work the same, and it works best on paper and felt, when you're holding what you're cutting. Just turn and rotate the paper or felt with your non-dominant hand.



Twist a knot.

This last one is great for tying a larger knot for hand sewing. Tying a single, standard knot will result in a knot that pulls through most fabric weaves. You need something bigger, and this does that.

Lick your finger. (yes, it's gross, but it works...) Wrap the end of your thread around your index finger one time.




Roll your thumb across your finger so the wrapped thread twists together.



Use your middle finger, or more precisely, your middle finger nail, to slide the twist toward the end of the thread, forming a knot.



See? A nice chunky knot. Sometimes if you work too close to the end, it may not catch, but once you've done it a few times, this will become your go-to knot tying method!

Oh how I miss my Nanny. I'm sure there are so many things that I never got to learn from her, and I wish I could show her the new tips and tricks I've learned along the way. Most of all, I miss her sweet spirit. Thanks for letting me pass these things on to you!