Wordless Work in Progress

Working for Christmas.

Handmade Gifts

I intend to work on the quilt Saturday, so I thought I would show a few of the 'smelts' that have been given to us over the years. I don't think I'll be taking any pictures because I want to get a lot of progress on the quilt. I haven't worked on it this week. For any new readers, a 'smelt' is a gift that was handmade and given for Christmas in the McGuire tradition. The word was lifted from Victoria Jackson and Paul Simon's Saturday Night Live Christmas on a Deserted Island skit.

Here is a chair that Dave made for Mr. GAIN. It folds up quite a clever fashion. Made of 1 x 1's. Very impressive because he had to travel from North Carolina to Iowa with it, or assemble it once he arrived here. Either way, long-distance gifts require extra brain work -- whether you are giving a gift that someone has to haul back home or hauling a gift to give (assembling, pre-assembling, purchasing material upon arrival, etc.). You have to stretch your creativity to ensure a good idea for packing.



Here is a pen and pencil holder that Jeff made for me. Soldered copper pipes. It originally had "an apple for the teacher" on the front since I'm a homeschool teacher. It was formed with copper wire and you can still see the little dot of solder from where it was attached. I added a piece of sticker-ized felt to the bottom so it wouldn't scratch the counter and added a bean to each tube so the pens wouldn't stick to the felt. We use it all the time. I don't think it will wear out.

We also have a few lamps in the house. I've made a lamp to give away. They are pretty quick and easy to make. The ones that were given to us have a branch for the vertical post with a pipe for the horizontal arm. One is de-barked and the other is not. I couldn't get a good photo of either the floor lamp or the tabletop lamp because we have too much stuff in the way to get a clear shot. Yes, we have junk to get rid of. A lot of junk.


Lastly, we have a snowman. Donna and her husband recycled some boards from a fence to make a snowman for every family. Ours has gotten some wear since we received him. His hat has no brim left. But his scarf is still there and all of the buttons, too. A little chalk embellishment on the hat never hurt a snowman, either.

We have gotten a lot more handmade goods through smelting than I've shown here -- an apron for the barbecue, a genuine cork board, and embellished flowerpots and photo frames are four items that I can think of right now. They are such a part of our every day lives that I have difficulty separating them from our conventional useful things. Now that I think about it, I feel wrong to not treasure the handmade more, since they were made with thought of the recipient. I'll be considering this as I pass the weekend.

receiving smelts

I am trying to get a good picture of the "smelted gift" that I received. Perhaps tomorrow will bring nice lighting through the window.

Smelting, cont'd.

Tonight, we revealed our smelts. For Scott, a magazine rack. I cut and glued 80 pieces of corrugated cardboard to make it.

For Lisa, Mr. GAIN made a backpack. We had some upholstery fabric left from gift that G of GAIN made in 2007. The children all did a nice job making gifts for their cousins. G made a necklace and matching earrings, N made a bottle cap belt, A made a pop can tab belt, and I of GAIN painted two boxes filled with a wee girl and candy. And everyone got a quilled snowflake ornament.

The cheese ball was a success. N of GAIN and I used organic garlic from Turtle Farm and chives from our garden.

Smelting

G of GAIN has honored the Blue Man Group through a gingerbread homage.

N of GAIN and I made a cheeseball from scratch after wanting to make cheese for over a year. It got rave reviews.

The next picture is the wrist warmers (see the previous post) on a model, the younger brother of the gifted. Definitely longer when worn by a younger person. I can always add length.

The last picture is special because it shows that no late night smelting occurred, which is probably a first. See all the light coming through the window? After this many years, we may be getting close to semi-pro smelting status. I didn't even have to help Mr. GAIN with the sewing machine, except to thread the needle.

Smelting, cont'd.

A belt and a batch of cookies.

Smelting, cont'd.

To paraphrase (without a transcript) the lovely Victoria Jackson in the classic SNL Christmas skit, "Remember that one time when I was gone for four days in the woods?...Well, I found some copper-bearing ore and I smelted it and cut these gears (for a watch)...."

I pat myself on the back. I have never done sleeves before, and the angel is the largest thing I have ever cut on the jigsaw. My oldest was impressed with my wood cutting skills. She also wants a copy of one of my cookbooks once she leaves the house, which I thought was sweet.

Sawdust, anyone?

Gifts for Christmas -- building blocks (hat tip to my older son for doing half of the work) and a draft stopper made from an old pair of jeans. The jeans had a hole in one knee, so I cut out the good leg and added length with a small remnant (of the many in the drawer). I used my commercial draft stopper as a guideline. It's filled with wood chip animal bedding, except in the ends and the center, where I used a small double bag of play sand. Spare clothesline makes a handle to hang it from the door knob when not in use.

Recent Smelt Activity

Best of all, in my inbox, a notice that the new issue of knitty is ready!

Recent Smelt Activity

With dh Mr. GAIN's family, there are so many of us that everyone exchanges names. Additionally, there is a spending limit on either the gift or the ingredients of the gifts. There used to be a condition that the gift had to be handmade. That stressed people out (think of a really competitive talent show), so handmade is optional these days but not for the people in my house. No one really wants to quit crafting.

In honor of the Victoria Jackson-Paul Simon SNL Desert Island Skit from 1987, we call the handmade Christmas process 'smelting' and the gifts are 'smelts.' As a materials scientist and engineer, I fully know what smelting really is, which makes the process all the more humorous to me. As a 'smelter,' I identify myself as the Victoria Jackson character. The smelting bar is very high.

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Extending the hat

The godson's hat was lengthened this weekend -- the white, cream, and brown stripes at the bottom make an additional 3" of hat than what he had. It fits me now, so it should work for him. Extending his sister's hat is next.

The 'smelting' for Christmas gifts is progressing, but waiting for materials can be hard. "I" of GAIN will be using a few fabric scraps. "A" of GAIN has her 'up-cycling' materials and is waiting for me to take her shopping for supplies. The boys and I will be 'up-cycling' some things that people usually throw away. Upcycling trash coincides nicely with our usual Christmas gift-making. I can post those items after they've been given.

Since our Metro Waste Authority (MWA) class, we've been earnest in our efforts to "reduce."
Reducing is the biggest concern that MWA has. Reusing and recycling are nice, but there is honestly a limited amount of room in a landfill. We hope to visit the site next year when my youngest turns 9, the minimum age allowed. (Why? We don't know. Ames didn't have the age restriction ten years ago. Another why question: Why are there only two plants in America that turn their trash into fuel/electricity?)

If you have large single layer corrugated cardboard boxes, call me. I am in need.

Smelting, cont'd.

The finished sweater and some scarves -- Mr. GAIN's cousin was a knit-a-holic for a while, and produced scarves and soap socks, complete with soap, for all her cousins and cousins-in-law this year. She kicked some serious smelting butt and made us proud.