Home | Dustyoldhouse

Living and Creating in a Dusty Century-Old House without central heat or air conditioning has its challenges.

First are the dust and cobwebs -- almost impossible to keep up with. But then who wants to when you can Create instead.

Also, there is the lack of temperature control -- cold in the winter and very hot in the summer. What do you expect in North Central Texas?

I am a confessed Serial Crafter. Currently my interests are confined to making handmade books and reacquiring my long dormant sewing skills. But this can change with little or no notice.

So, if you've found this site, follow along with me as I develop both it and my creative skills. And remember to get creative!

Catching Up

My last post was 30 Jan 2026. Today is 4 April 2026. That's quite a while but not much has really happened. I did complete my two favorite rope bowls. Number 28 number 29 I did not win anything in the dye and knot challenge in the FB rope bowl group I belong to. No surprise as I am still very new at this and was up against people who have created well over 100 bowls to my 30. I did discover that I don't really like dying rope and I'm not super crazy about knots on the bowls

Apr 42 min read

Rope and Thread Creations

The last 10 days have been eventful. The unusual (for this area) Winter storm is just about done, and things are getting back to our version of normal. Meanwhile, I've been sewing. I've been playing with thread color and decorative stitches on the sewing machine. The white with green thread is the largest of the recent bowls and may be my favorite. I love its simplicity. These two have a lot in common and are more dramatic than their green cousin. About the same size but a bi

Jan 302 min read

Dyeing Rope Bowls

... a how NOT to guide. (LOL) I am participating in a rope bowl challenge in a FaceBook group. The challenge requires dyeing either the rope before sewing or the completed project. I chose the later and chose to coffee dye the bowl. Here's what I did. Boil water with a large amount of salt. Salt is a fixative for the dye. Place three large handfuls of instant coffee and one large handful of salt in an 8-inch baking pan. Add the boiling water to the baking pan sufficient to fi

Jan 192 min read

Suki's Bowl

Had a request for a bowl with the constraint that it not be in Fall colors. This is the result. My largest and I think my best bowl to date. Now to ship.... Then I made a bowl just for me. A chance to use some of those decorative stitches on the sewing machine. Not a large bowl. Hope you enjoy. dks, 13 Jan 2026

Jan 131 min read

By Request

Had someone request that I make a purple bowl for holding dog treats. Took 2 tries but here it is. This is also a challenge entry for a FaceBook group I belong to. It is 6.5 inches at the base; 9.25 inches across at the top; 3.5 inches tall. The knot is called a Pippa or Teardrop knot. (I need to practice my knots!) The exterior color comes from a spray-on dye I found on Amazon. I hope it is purple enough. The dye I used for the purple bowls. The interior of the bowl stitched

Jan 111 min read