Tuesday, December 15, 2020

Truthful Tuesday

 

Back at the end of the summer, my mom came to hang out while I rode one day so we could see each other outdoors safely. And she brought me a little bag full of old needlepoint belts that were mostly finished but none of them had been made into belts. She and I had both started doing them when I was in high school and traveling to indoors in the fall. We got our first ones at Harrisburg one year, and I think must have gotten new ones there each year. I'm actually glad none of them had been finished because back then I wore a size 24 breeches and clearly, those belts would no longer fit me. But since they weren't finished off, I found out they can just make the leather parts longer so they'll work for me now. Some of the canvases weren't cut though, so I am able to make the needlepoint section the correct size for me now. Most of them I'm not that in love with and probably won't bother finishing. (It's around $100 per belt to finish them so that could get expensive!) There are just a couple I want done. My most favorite one though, is one that wasn't cut, so I've been slowly working on it the last few weeks. 

My confession though, is that I never actually finished this belt back when I started it. I have no idea why. It was about 90% finished so I have no clue why I would have abandoned it so close to the end. I'm glad I didn't since I can make it in my size now, but still. I'm surprised by that. I'm not one to leave things half finished. It's kind of been bugging me.

Confession number two is that since I started working on this one, I've been really into it and just ordered another canvas for when this one is complete. The new one is candy bar wrappers. Ha! I usually do horsey themed ones. Though aside from this one with the crops my other favorite was soda labels. It's super vintage because none of the soda logos are the same anymore. My plan is to send this crop belt and the soda one off for finishing. And then we'll see if any of the others get done. The others are a few horse show scenes and one purple one with horse heads. The saddest one though? I DID have one belt that was sent off for finishing years ago. It was horse butts, and I had customized it some by making some appy and pinto butts. I loaned it to one of the little kids at a show one day and never got it back. Not gonna lie, I'm still a little bitter about it. Though obviously, it wouldn't fit anymore anyway. I'm trying to find the canvas though, so maybe I can make a new one.

Have you made any of these belts? Or other crafty things lately?

10 comments:

  1. I'd never seen anything like this before, how cool! The extent of my crafting lately was cutting/sanding/staining some leftover cedar for a shelf to hang necklaces on, and then watching my husband create a plant shelf out of scrap wood. I wish I had the attention span for fine work like this though!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hey, I don't cut wood, so that's definitely something!
      These are actually pretty easy. The pattern (or whatever) is painted on the canvas, so you just have to stitch over it. It's like paint by number!

      Delete
  2. I think it would be really fun to do a needlepoint belt, definitely on my list. Those kits are expensive though and I feel like never quite what I want. I guess ideally it would be custom - I bet there is someone who does that lol.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, they're usually around $100, but I have found that some Etsy artists sell them cheaper. Most of them don't sell them as kits though, so then you have to buy yarn. I'm sure you can get them customized through Etsy at least!

      Delete
  3. How cute!! Looking forward to seeing the finished belt! ;-) I'm notorious for starting craft stuff, getting bored and then not finishing it. In fact, my family still nags me about a cardinal cross stitch kit I started when I was 14 or so. Lol I don't have the heart to tell them I chucked it when I moved 8 years ago. I should see if I can find a similar one online and give it as an Xmas present next year...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. That would be hilarious! You should totally do that!

      Delete
  4. that looks really great! i've never tried anything like that but it seems like such a good idea!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks! Yeah, it's pretty mindless, so kind of a nice way to relax at night.

      Delete
  5. I have never heard of such a thing but what a great project.

    ReplyDelete