In this week's Youtube video, I am sharing some ideas for using those long, thin scraps that can be difficult to use. It's hard to know what to do with them because they aren't the most useful shapes and sizes but hopefully you will find some of these ideas useful. I enjoyed making yarn from them and crocheting some coasters, as well as wrapping my embroidery hoop to make it look pretty. Thank you so much for watching, see you soon!

Aside from sewing, another craft I really love is crochet and I have been doing  quite a bit recently. I have a couple of blanket projects in the middle of, but I started a new one too! The pattern is for crochet hexagon blocks and they have flowers in the middle! So right up my street that is for sure. I saw the pattern in a book called Cute and Easy Crochet with Flowers by Nicki Trench, a book I have had for many years. I have a lot of her books and I really like her style. I actually learnt to crochet from one of her early books and I am still working on a project from it to this day! It will all get finished one day I am sure.

I am using a different yarn to what the pattern suggested so it is working up smaller than it should but I don't mind that. I am using Sheepjes Softfun which is cotton and acrylic DK and it's lovely to work with. I think the cold weather we have been experiencing lately has drawn me back to crochet. It's nice to work with something warm and cosy, knowing that it is slowly growing into a lovely blanket. I am using lots of pastel shades which is making think of warmer, brighter days. Do you crochet? I would love to know. 
Whilst I love working on my sewing designs and Youtube videos, I have realised over the last few weeks that it is really important for my well being that I still work on projects that are just for fun and not for a pattern or tutorial. When I am working on my own designs, I have to think about how it will translate into a pattern for others to follow. I need to take careful notes to document my process as well as precise measurements and not to mention filming myself sewing. I love doing all of that but it isn't as relaxing as just creating. So it has been really nice to work on some crochet and I have also been working on a new block of the month kit I have subscribed to, but I will show you that next time. I am hoping that if I can get some balance between projects for 'work' and projects for 'fun', I won't get burnt out so quickly and I will keep my mojo going for longer, we will see!
Take care, thank you for reading and happy crafting,
​Emma

One thing I love is working with scraps, especially if they are tiny! It feels so good to make something useful from fabric that would otherwise be thrown away. I don't actually throw any scraps away anymore. I tend to use scraps in my projects more than new fabric! But in my most recent video on Youtube, I challenged myself to use as many small scraps as I could and this is what I came up with. I hope you enjoy it and I hope you make one too!