i am Jennifer Casa, a mama + [home + maker].
JCasa *handmade is my personal blog.
:
thank you for visiting.
our twin little ones keep me on my toes - it is the best kind of busy i can possibly imagine. if ever i have a spare moment or two, i enjoy making things by hand. what is created is often inspired by our children and our daily adventures, enjoying every speck of life while it lasts.
below are answers to some frequently asked questions.
as more arise, i'll add them to the FAQs - thanks for your interest.
how did your blog come to be? my blog is a scrapbook of sorts. in the early summer of 2005, when my girls were still babies, i participated in an online course about integrating technology into the classroom. it was through that experience that i was introduced to the world of blogging and found myself drawn to the growing online crafting community. and so, as these things go, i began writing knit, mama. knit! and eventually transitioned to this space. the journey of JCasa *handmade - with every step (and occasional mis-step) - has allowed me to reconnect with my creative soul, and that is priceless. i am thankful for the opportunity to share bits and pieces with you, and to continually be inspired by everyone i meet along the way.
long have you been knitting? i actually learned to knit 20+ years ago while i was an exchange student to Germany in high school. my host mother - who spoke no English - taught me to knit while we watched James Bond movies. many of the girls knit in class, which was fantastically wild to me at the time and i am sure made knitting even more alluring. i continued to knit, albeit at a snail's pace, over the years, but it was more of a seasonal activity when the air got nippy and all. ever since the birth of my daughters 4+ years ago, knitting has become more of a steady thing with me - no matter what the season.
what kind of sewing machine do you use? i have a Bernina activa 230, which i affectionately refer to as swiss miss. i use it for everything from quilting, sewing garments for my kiddos and sewing on paper - with different needles, of course.
how do you get the cozy, wrinkled look of some of your quilts? without exception, i always prewash fabric. i use cotton batting and when it is finished, it is washed in warm water and tossed in a warm dryer. you do have to allow for shrinkage with cotton - because the fabrics are prewashed but the batting is new, the fabrics are locked in a certain position with the quilting stitches and when the batting shrinks up in the wash, you get that cozy, crinkly, quilty look.
what kind of camera do you use? i use a Nikon D40 with two lenses, the Nikkor 18-55mm zoom lens that came with the kit, and a Nikkor VR 55-200mm zoom. it has been a great introduction to digital SLR cameras for me. i also have a Flip and an iPhone 3GS.
do you sell your work? my patterns/tutorials are always available in my shop. i also occasionally have some goodies for sale - check it out.
may i link to your blog? of course! links to my blog are truly appreciated.
if you would like to link to one of my patterns/tutorials, please link to related posts and not to the PDFs themselves. also, i kindly request that you do not use any content or images without my expressed written permission. send me a quick email and i will get back to you as soon as is possible.
would you link to my blog? i have a blogroll of "lovely links" and also a few "super great" links on my main page. both are frequently updated as to what i am currently reading, or is of particular interest to me at any given moment. exchanging links is not something i make a practice of, however i do link to related and inspirational posts/blogs in my own writing.
may i sell items i have made using your patterns/tutorials? i spend a great deal of time and energy creating my patterns/tutorials both for sale and also as freebies here on my blog. this is something i enjoy doing. unless specified in writing, my patterns/tutorials are for personal/non-commercial use only and are not intended to be used to make items for sale. that said, i encourage you to use what you learn from these techniques and work on developing and creating your own unique designs, which you could then put out there for sale as your own work. we all have our influences and inspirations, and it is what we each bring to the table and how we do so that enables us as individuals to carve out something as uniquely our own.
may i teach a class using one of your patterns/tutorials? i will consider this on a case-by-case basis. please contact me with a specific query and i will get back to you in a timely manner.
i think i've found a mistake in one of your patterns/tutorials - what do i do? please send any errata to me straight away and i will get on it. corrections will be posted on an errata page on my blog.
do you sell advertising space on your blog? no.
how can i contact you?
email me :: jchandmade [AT] yahoo [DOT] com
or, you can get in touch with me via surface mail ::
JCasa *handmade
PO Box 23625
Chagrin Falls, Ohio 44023 USA
