Since I haven’t found a “craft store” I like to think it adds to my creativity but in reality it only adds to my efforts to procrastinate crafts. Bwahaha!
I have finally run out of excuses though. I have found the necessary supplies to hang our world map tapestry and the urge to nest has overruled any ounce of procrastination left.
I found the thread, pins and needle at a mom and pop shop on our soi one evening while walking around with Jay. I literally said, “Ah-Ha!” when I found them. I pricked my fingers numerous times with the ultra-flexible needle (needles do not need to be THAT flexible) but I survived. Our tapestry survived as well and the pictures below catalogue the tapestries journey from throw blanket to wall mountable glory.
Our journey began with measurements, division and marking.
Luckily, I brought some fabric from home. It’s 50 states fabric so I felt cutting a strip of it to make fabric hooks for the back of the tapestry was appropriate. Got to keep with the geography theme.
I am pinning and it’s not just on Pinterest! Little Thai Ru was there for moral support as the real Ru would have of course laid on any work I was doing on the floor as well. The joy of having a cat :]
These are the “fancy pins” that I bought from the mom and pop shop on our soi. They are “Woman Brand” which I thought would be hard to manage but they were pretty docile.
Once pinning was done at the appropriate measurements it was time to sew. Sewing by hand is a lot less glamorous than the period films would have you think. Another way life is not like the movies.
3M hooks have become my best friends since we have concrete walls. I pressed each of these little suckers as close as I could to the wall for 30 seconds because I follow packaging instructions like a good little nerd.
BEFORE the wall was clothed. So naked (pronounced “neck-ed” in the Texan dialect).
AFTER with Angels singing. Wall you got some nice swag!
Running off the fumes of the tapestry project I took on making our desk area more presentable and less dorm-room-esque. I do not want to invest in any kinds of frames as we plan to make our teaching abroad a career. Frames = glass which glass = breakable so, I had a small challenge in looking into alternative ways to “frame” pictures.
The wall above our work station is half glass and half magnetic board. It was good thinking by the contractor and thus I felt it was a good idea to take advantage of the pro’s of our desk space. Project Drawn on Frames Initiate!
“Wyteboard Marker.” I would have bought this brand even if it wasn’t the best brand all for the grandeur of it’s spelling.
BEFORE the “wyteboard” marker met the “whiteboard.”
AFTER the “wyteboard” marker drew frames around the photos.
Up close and personal look at the squiggly lines. I very obviously did not use a ruler but I quite prefer the imperfection.
After such a crafting streak I can now officially proclaim the start of a craft drawer!
Bum bum buuuuuuum! T’is a start to something magical! I even stowed away my clippings of sewing machines :] Got to keep the dream alive!
Since taking the show on the road I have learned that you can not assumed you can find anything just anywhere in Bangkok. I have managed to find basic crafting supplies but it will take time to accumulate. I can’t rush around looking because I have no idea where to begin. It will be a search that will ride shotgun as Jay and I wonder around different parts of Bangkok. Hopefully, I will have many more “Ah-Ha!” moments as I stumble across better needles, a better selection of thread and *fingers crossed* fabric.
**UPDATE**In the major department stores I have found sewing machines (Ah-Ha!) and large selections of yarn (aww, poo). Knitting is the thing to do in Thailand but it is kind of like making flip flops in Siberia in my mind. I don’t knit so I shouldn’t criticize but really….knitting in this humidity and heat?! THERE IS NO WINTER IN BANGKOK!