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Saturday, 24 July 2021

Nifty Things I'm Never Going to Make [Pt 1]

Nifty Things I'm Never Gonna Make by eSheep Designs
Never say never, but, probably never...
When we first entered a lockdown last year, I was determined to mark my time during the pandemic by knocking off one of those "I'm never going to make that" projects just because.

I ended up making a tropical leaf rug. Now permanently laid out on my office floor, it's been a daily reminder of my pandemic challenge ever since.

I like it; I'm glad I made it. It's proof that it's good to challenge yourself to do something out of your comfort zone every now and then.

An unexpected bonus is that it's also been an enormously popular project for others too, in that if you do a search for "DIY tropical leaf rug", someone's pin of my project comes up on the first page of Google results.

That post is regularly one of my two most popular at any given time.

However, with life now slowly returning to normal, I'm back to accumulating a list of projects that I'm really never going to make.




Don't get me wrong.

Like the title of the post says, these are all nifty things and I appreciate the work that goes into making them. In most cases, it's precisely the amount of work required that makes me say no to making them, no matter how nifty they appear.

But because I admire and appreciate the level of creativity that goes into developing, making and ultimately sharing these things, I want to do my part in promoting them.

Today my focus is on Lisa Pay's YouTube channel, Pay it Forward and specifically, her awesome stuffies masquerading as pin cushions.

Pay it Forward Pin Cushions
image courtesy of Lisa Pay...

To say that these are not your run of the mill pin cushions is an understatement. I mean, how cute are these?

Pay it Forward Pin Cushions
image courtesy of Lisa Pay...

May I also add that Lisa's signature detailing — the flower decorations — elevate each of her creations to yet another level of awesomeness.

And of course, you have to give props to any super talented generous individual who comes up with these unique 3D patterns and then shares them for free.
 

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That said, I don't see one of these sitting on my sewing table any time in the future. It's not a need and I'd have to source out the precise materials since I have nothing equivalent on hand.  

Pay it Forward Pin Cushions
image courtesy of Lisa Pay...

But I will say that I really like this retro telephone. (Which is odd, because I dislike telephones in general; hated them from way back, before the age of cell phones. Don't like talking on them and especially don't like being instantly reachable on them.)

Pay it Forward Pin Cushions
image courtesy of Lisa Pay...

For a pin cushion, the telephone is actually quite large. Obviously, getting to a smaller version would make the project extremely fiddly. (But as I've said, these are stuffies masquerading as pin cushions.)

Here's my favourite, the one that I was very tempted to make when I first saw it. 

Pay it Forward Pin Cushions
image courtesy of Lisa Pay...

I mean, why not, right? I just love the details!

Still, in the end, I decided that it's a project to admire and feature rather than make. 


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Here's a shot of several of Lisa's pin cushion projects to give you some idea of scale. (Yep, the camper and the cottage are still two more of her wonderful creations.)

Pay it Forward Pin Cushions
image courtesy of Lisa Pay...

In the interests of avoiding future 404s as much as possible, I'm not going to provide the direct links to these projects. They are easily found by going to YouTube and searching for "Lisa Pay it Forward". You'll see her channel with all three of these pin cushion tutorials uploaded within the past year.

Oh, and here's her latest...

Pay it Forward Seal Pin Cushion
image courtesy of Lisa Pay...

Don't think I wasn't tempted by that one!

Have you come across projects that you admire but will likely never make?

'Til next...

4 comments:

  1. Great post, Rochelle, and a warm-hearted way of reminding many of us that we are not alone in our sewing endeavors. My Pinterest boards and sewing room alone tell me that I won't live long enough to make everything I want to make, let alone the items I simply admire. Lately, I've tried to push my boundaries (as feeble as they are) to make things that have been on my to-do list for a very long time. Completing a few of them gives me great satisfaction and encouragement to knock off one or two more. Not gonna attempt fancy detailed pin cushions, though!

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  2. I love Lisa Pay and her great videos. I made the Kombu purse and it is so cute, but so small so more for a child or a teen to use. I love her boot and telephone pincushions too. I might be making one of those some day, even though I don't need a pincushion, since I have a ton already.

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  3. I actually made her sewing machine one. It was all hand sewn and was fun to do. I appliqued several bits to make it look like an antique singer with the silver plates and badges. The hardest part was sewing fabric to make it look like a needle.

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    Replies
    1. I'm sure finishing that one was a memorable sewing accomplishment. Kudos from me, anyway - it would be something to brag about!

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