Recently I just completed a long running blanket restoration project, and was reminded that exactly(!) one year ago, I had mentioned the blankie in an interview. Back then I was asked to participate in a Q&A for crafters project and submitted my answers but the interview never got published. I thought I might as well post it up here since I’d already taken the effort to write it and since it captures a version of me at that slice in time. Also it would tie in nicely with the now completed blankie that I’ll talk more about below.
13 Mar 2024
THE INTERVIEW
First of all, what’s your name, where are you writing from (place, country), and where are you online? Do share your instagram handle, website, whatever links you want/have to share!
hello! my name is dot ng, from Singapore. my ig handle is @launshae 🙂
What is your craft or crafts of choice?
i love making art, crochet, sewing, upcycling, and am now learning to knit.
What room does it have in your life (I mean, what do you do with it: is it a hobby? Is it part of your work life and how?)
i will talk about knitting for now since it is the craft i am spending the most time on at the moment. it is a hobby, a challenge and a life opener for me. before this i tried learning to knit briefly a couple of times, but quickly gave it up and returned to crochet which was familiar to me and a medium i could rely on to fulfil my ideas. but learning to knit again now makes me feel like a beginner in a new world. trying new things makes me feel liberated and more creative.
And what room would you like it to have? You’re happy with it being a hobby, are you trying or is it already something else, or are you turning it into a business and would love it to be your full-time job? Or is it already and when and how did you take the leap?
i would like it to remain as a hobby so i can be more free to create. but you never know! maybe i can sell something one day since i can’t possibly make endless things for myself.
Depending on your answer, tell us about the biggest challenges, joys and surprises you’ve had so far that you’d like to share.
for me in my limited crafting journey thus far, knitting has required the finest hand movement control. i am amazed by how there can be an infinite number of ways to manoeuvre your hands and fingers to make a stitch and move the yarn across the needles. since there are so many ways, it is a mystery to discover which way works best for you. i struggled a lot to learn just the basic stitches, and finally when things seemed to click i was ready to shed tears of joy.
Tell us also what your crafting work looks like. Do you sell your makes and where, teach, write…?
i mostly post my work on instagram and when i experiment with crafty techniques i try to share my findings with fellow crafters. perhaps in an egoistic way i see this as my tiny contribution to the world. also i was never into videos and reels but recently i’ve really enjoyed creating some short and simple videos, which can be about telling a story or showing a process. creating videos is a whole other art form in itself that brings me much creative satisfaction.
How did you start on your craft of choice?
i had this impression that knitting can achieve some cool effects that crochet cannot? i suppose each craft has its own specialties and limitations. i went into a long phase of packing our home and when i came out of that perhaps my mind was cleansed, i felt less attached to familiar crafts and more open to learning something new. so i started properly learning to knit about a month ago, i was inspired to do so especially when i picked up a book from the library called “You will be able to knit by the end of this book”. after reading all about the theory i tried practicing some stitches while also watching youtube knitting videos to get a better understanding.
And what makes you stick to it? What does it bring you?
for now i’m sticking to knitting in the hope that i will become at least somewhat proficient in it. my partner said it is because i can’t stand the feeling that i have not mastered the thing i am trying to learn. sometimes i do wonder what is the point of learning something new like knitting, is it useful or meaningful? for now i choose to believe that it is, as it allows a growth of my self, and who knows what will come out of all these different learnings in the future?
What other craft(s) would you like to learn or try?
there is so much more i would love to try such as yarn dyeing and woodworking but some of these will take considerable space and investment and are not quite as practical for me. that said there could be other ways to experience more artforms, for instance my partner and i recently attended a risograph workshop which was a great eye opening experience.
What projects do you enjoy making the most?
i think projects that involve upcycling, because there is the additional satisfaction of seeing scraps being used up, and the creative challenge of working within the limitations.
And what’s your favourite make of all times (if you could choose one)? Do show and tell!
wow that’s a really hard one! hmm i think i will go with the zero waste dress i sewed with Nani Iro fabric scraps. i bought a mix bag of fabric scraps where each piece was a different shape and size. through sheer luck i managed to use almost all of it to join into one big rectangle cloth, which was then recut into a dress using a zero waste pattern. the Nani Iro fabric meant a lot to me as we bought it from their studio in Japan just before they shut down, and seeing it all come together was special.
Speak a little (or a lot) about how other people, close or not so close, respond to your making. Understanding, admiring, curious, confused, annoyed?
i believe that on my ig account, most of the people who followed me did so during the phase when i was doing more crochet. since i’ve added other crafts and art forms to the mix, i imagine some might feel that my posts are no longer interesting or relevant to them. it is a personal struggle that bearing this in mind, i should continue to be true to myself, to adventure forth in whatever direction i gravitate towards. i am grateful to anyone who still resonates with my work and appreciates diversity in their feed like i do.
What would you like people to know about the power of handmaking?
i would like people to know that we are fundamentally animals and we are not just about our brains! making things with our bodies and our hands can be highly satisfying. i think hand making also gives time and space for us to slow down and contemplate, to be more present and grounded, and to become a fuller version of ourselves.
Share some maker or makers whose work you like to follow.
i love the colour and creativity of knitwear designer @katiejonesknit, the zero waste sewing patterns of @birgittahelmersson, the fabric designs of @atelier_to_naniiro_textile, as well as countless other talented upcylers and sustainability champions that are too many to name.
What’s your favourite setting to craft in? Music, podcasts, sofa, garden, coffee/tea…?
i love listening to audiobooks! my most recent books were A psalm for the wild built, Speaker for the dead, and Pachinko. audiobooks in the background are great is as long as what i’m working is simple and repetitive such as sewing in ends. otherwise i can’t multi task, i can barely even talk when stitching!
What are your biggest sources of inspiration when you decide what to make?
I think inspiration comes from everywhere, contemporary culture and often the materials themselves. for example a bunch of scrap fabric calls to me to join them together to form a new wearable garment. new gifted yarn plus a new book on crochet prompted me to make an outfit inspired by the joys, beauty and ideas contained in both the yarn and the book.
What are you making right now?
i am about to start on a humble knitted coaster for our kitchen counter top. it will be my first knitted project!
Do you have any news or projects in the works you want to share?
Not really anything share-worthy but I do have another WIP which is an old tattered patchwork blanket that i am restoring and hopefully transforming into a new life.
Where can we follow you? And what are the best ways to support your making?
instagram is great, i’m most active there, thank you!
What question did I miss that you’d like to answer? And do answer, please! 😀
is privilege an issue when it comes to craft? i recognise that i am in a privileged position to be able to pursue my interests in crafts. not everyone has the same amount of time and health for it, a safe and stable socio-political environment, as well as access to the skills and materials needed. i don’t have any concrete answers to this inequality but my hope is that through the creativity, resourcefulness and kindness of crafters, we can support each other in any small way, so that as many people as possible can benefit from the joys and gifts of crafting, and that such support can be passed on to those who need it most. i write this as a reminder to myself.
13 Mar 2025
BLANKIE IS BIRTHED
By coincidence, exactly a year later, I complete the restoration of said “old tattered patchwork blanket”. It had taken me more than a year since I started in 2023, I think the then me would be happy with how it turned out!
The blanket was originally peachy pink but had faded over the decades. Back then i had chosen the fabric and arranged the placement, while my mum kindly sewed it together. We both used it over the years and it was getting very brittle and tattered.
To try to restore it, I first removed the backing, then cleaned up all the loose thread bunched up inside.
Next i pressed a lightweight cotton iron-on interfacing to the back of the entire patchwork top to give it strength. I didn’t take photos of that ironing process but I think it’s visible from this photo how the fabric now looks more substantial. Because of the seam allowances, the fabric thickness was uneven and a lot more effort had to be put into pressing the recessed areas to properly attach to the interfacing.
I sewed on some patches to the especially weak squares mostly around the edges, so they would be sandwiched both from the front and back.
Then added a border all around to make the blanket bigger, using fabric I already had.
Next i wanted to bring back some colour and interest to the faded interior by adding flower appliques. I made some doodles and digital mockups, took awhile to think about how many petals the flowers should have, and whether they should be solid colours or with prints. Eventually I settled on 5 petals, and used a vector program to draw the design, then printed it, and joined the pages together to piece the template.
To make the appliques, I sewed the fabric and a thin iron-on interfacing together, slashed that open, and flipped it inside out.
The last step was finishing it off with bias binding mainly cos it looked cute! I tried using the bias binding foot in an attempt to master it, but ended up unpicking so much that I wonder if I’ll ever use it again.
I had planned to add a backing but as this was meant to be a thin blankie and was getting too thick, I decided to leave it as it is, with the iron on interfacing as the inner layer. Another advantage to a single layer is that it’ll be much easier to mend again when the time for that comes! Testing the thickness here lol:
In the completed photos you might see that the texture looks puckered. I think that’s because after washing, the interfacing separated from the fabric in a random bubble-like way. I liked the texture as it reminded me of something like double gauze or seersucker, so I left it as it was rather than pressing it neatly.
The project was rather challenging for me, mostly due to the fact that I was working on a large scale which made every step feel more tedious and difficult. I have learnt huge respect for quilters! Now i just love how the blankie brightens up and adds texture the room, i hope we’ll get to enjoy it for many years to come 🙂
