Maker Stash-Down 2024 ~ January

Welcome to the Maker Stash-Down 2024! Do you like to make? Do you have an awesome maker “collection”? This could be the challenge for you! The aim is to use all those wonderful maker supplies to actually make things. Read on to find out all the details!

It’s been 3 years since I did this challenge. I started it as a way to work through all the maker supplies, UFOs, and WIPs I’d accumulated over the years. It was also a way to meet other makers and see all of their awesome makes. Here’s how it went in previous years:

• Maker Finish-Along in 2019
• Maker Stash-Down 2020
• Maker Stash-Down 2021

This year will be fairly similar, but I’m determined to really keep up with my goals. I noticed looking back on the previous posts, there’s still lots of things that just did not get done. It’s okay, cause it’s a new year and a new chance for more making! Here’s a breakdown of how to participate in the challenge:

• I’ll be posting monthly blog posts with my goals for the month and finishes from the previous month. You can share your goals and finishes in the Teadoddles Makers Facebook group.
• Share your goals and finishes each month to be put in a drawing for a $20 Amazon gift card. This will be a random draw from the people that participate.
• Since this is a Maker Stash-Down all crafts are included! If you made it, it counts. If you have questions about posting something, just let me know.

So, that’s basically what’s happening each month. Pretty awesome, right? I’m so excited to see everyone’s goals and makes! : D

Now, let’s take a look at what my goals are for January!

End of Year Things

At the end of the year I have about 3 weeks off, one which falls in the first week of January. That’s because I teach at a college and it’s a break between semesters. I used the first 2 weeks off to spend lots of time with friends and family. The last week I spent finishing some small things to get a head start on the stash-down. Here are a few things I finally finished – yay!

First up is a an Annie’s Creative Woman Kit-of-the-Month-Club finish – floral hoop art. I had a few of these lingering from testing out the subscription.

I’ll be putting this aside to use for my spring decorating. Then next finish is another kit – felted pumpkins.

And finally is a little crocheted bird from a Crochet Now! magazine. This was a kit that came with the magazine which was a gift from a subscriber. Just had to add the beak and legs to finish it.

The legs on this just make me laugh! I did follow the instructions but they seem silly compared to the rest of the bird.

January Goals

I’m really excited to see how much I finish this month! I started out small just to see how the month goes. I feel in years past I put too much on my list. Probably because I went through all my stuff first and wanted to finish it all. I’m trying to be a little more realistic this year! Here’s my list of goals for the year:

• Complete 2 garments each month – I have for the longest time wanted to move toward a more handmade wardrobe. It has been sporadic at best and I’m determined this is the year to correct that!
• .Work through my unfinished quilts – I have a ton of flimsy quilt tops, blocks, and pieces cut out for quilts. I want to make progress on finishing these this year. I will pick one to work on each month, but some may take more than one month to complete.
• 3 crocheted/knit hats per month – I usually donate these to the local clothing charity.
• Learn to knit socks – This is the year!
• One dishcloth/washcloth each week – these will keep me up on my Christmas gifts and lighten my cotton yarn stash.
• Paint/draw each month – I want to learn more about painting with different mediums
• Do a DIY project each month – I love making things from random objects and I have a ton of those laying around just waiting to be something new!
• Work through my crochet/knit WIPs – I’m gonna try to not start new things until I finish some of these! Unless it’s a one skein project, cause I have lots of single skeins I need to work through.

These are basic maker goals for the year. Here’s what I’ve pulled to work on this month…

Sewing

I’ve only picked one garment to finish this month even though my goal is two. Once I see how this one goes, I’ll pick the second one. This is the SUE Blouse from DG Patterns {now called the Sue Woven Top}. Look for a video this month about working with this type of fabric – crinkle challis.

I picked this mini “love” quilt to finish this month. It should be a quick finish since I even have the binding ready. It will be perfect for my February mantel shelf!

I also pulled out this mini charm pack to make a pillow cover. These mini charm packs make about a 12″ square, so they’re also perfect for quilt blocks.

Yarny Stuff

This sweater has been lingering around for years. I saw pictures of it in my 2021 stash-down – wow! All I have to do to finish it, is crochet the cowl neck. This is the Fallow Fawn Sweater pattern from Hopeful Honey. I combined Caron Simply Tweed in gray with a baby alpaca lace. Checkout my video about combining yarns right here.

I was really hoping to finish this before Christmas, but I got side tracked. This is the Maestrale shawl by Crafting Tales. The yarn is hand dyed from two different dyers, but I lost the labels – ugh!

Another one I wanted done for Christmas. At least it will be done for this Christmas! I have a ton of these and I hope to get one a month done. You can find them in various places around the web, but I think they are mostly not being produced any more.

This is a funky cardigan I started with my stash of Stitchbird by Lion Brand {out of production}. As I’m typing this, I realized I don’t remember what pattern I was using!! Hopefully I’ll figure it out so I can finish it and not have to rip it out.

Finally, this would be my first hat of the month. I just need to tie off the top and weave in ends. The pattern is the Bulky Hat pattern from the Underground Crafter and a skein of Shimmerie by Lion Brand. I think I can get one more hat out of this skein.

Lastly in the yarny stuff list is the single skein I picked for the month. I think I can get a narrow scarf out of this to wear for Valentine’s Day.

DIY and Arty Things

I found a random January art prompt online to use for inspiration for my daily sketches. These watercolor pencils from Arteza have been lingering in my stash waiting to be used. I’m enjoying the learning!

I ordered the 12 day and 24 day advent calendars from Arteza this year. They came with lots of goodies and I’m going to use the leftover boxes for an altered art project this month.

These are the goodies I got in each box – 12 day on the left and 24 day on the right.

January Wrap Up

This is a list of what I plan on finishing this month. There may be some other things snuck in there, depending on how the month goes. I do plan on doing more blog posts and videos this year. Here’s what I have planned for this month so far:

• Seat Belt Cover tutorial video – Click here for the original post to see what it’s about.
• Altered advent calendar boxes blog post
• Working with Chambliss fabric tutorial video
• Valentine sewing blog post
• Maker Friday videos – these will have things like favorite tools, tips, and maker motivation

I’m looking forward to lightening the load and really getting some making done this year. I hope y’all will join the Maker Stash-Down and have fun connecting with other makers in the group. It’s really fun to see what everyone’s making and you never know what you might see. All makers are welcome so, if you know a maker, invite them to join in the fun!