A Blouse for Lucy

I am going to send Hollis' jacket to him. But remembering when I was a child, I couldn't send something to Hollis without sending something to Lucy.
This little blouse is made from scraps. I was given a lot of fabric that I still have not re-cycled to someone else. This Blouse is a composite of three fabrics. The pieces were all to small for any purpose. I measured it all out and found that twisting this way and that, I could come up with a whole blouse. The Geraniums were cut from a small piece but the colors were so harmonious that I had to include them. I wasn't sure that Lucy could pull this over her head, so I put in a short zipper.
I sure hope that she will like it.

The Trial

I belong to a dog club. We will be having an obedience trial in August and you all welcome to come. We are a small club, so we all do what we can to make the trial successful. It is American Kennel Club sanctioned trial so we have to perform in a certain manner. But one of the ways that the event become our own is that we have a raffle. This year I decided to donate a purse.
I have been worrying about this for months. I went this way and then had to change course.
I have come to the end of the mental road and now must proceed in this physical world. I am going to make a tote. In photo you will see the fabric and also you will see photos. I am going to transfer the images to fabric and then adorn the sides of the tote. These photos are Keeshonds that belong to an extremely lovely club member and the tote will go to her after the trial. I am going to say at the raffle table (with a placard) that this tote is an example of what a person will get if they are the winning ticket. And yes, their dog would be on the tote. Essentially, I will make two totes. During the nights, when I am beating myself up, I tell myself that this is for a good cause. I now have all the needed pieces and I can proceed.
May I have a little drum roll.............

Hollis is Ready for Fall

I could tell that Hollis felt a twinge when I made a nightgown for Lucy. I asked him if he wanted me to make him another jacket. Rather begrudgingly said yes. I got the point. When I went to FIDM, I found this very soft corduroy. I wanted to use my resources, rather than buy quilting for the lining. So I quilted the lining with a Snuggley that I had never used. It was a fun challenge.

It worked out fine.
The lining of the "hoodie" was from my stash. It was a fuzzy fabric that I had made an outfit for my Mother. That makes that fabric about 20 years old. I did purchase the "hoodie" string.

Now it is ready to be presented to Hollis.

I have been working on this for a while. I wanted to integrate these three elements. When I get a problem (or situation as I have been to to think of it!), I mull it over. Sometimes the thinking part can take days and in this case, it was days and night (as in dreams). I try not to go forward until I have a clear idea of the path. With these three elements, decorated and painted leather, the handwoven wool from Colombia and the Boucle', it took a long time to gel. But what I hadn't figured out was how to get the structure on the inside of the purse. That is just as important as the decorative items. If you don't get the structure, then it will not wear well. This purse was taken apart a number of times. I needed to make sure the handles wouldn't pull out. I had to extend the handles on the inside to go all the way around so it would not pull away. Then I needed to put stiffening on the bottom of the bag. Let me just say that the inside is even more vitally important than the outside. The outside can always be glamoured up but the inside needs to "hold up". Especially if this is to be a tote.
The origin of the parts: The leather Cats (which is on both sides) came from a purse made in India. I salvaged the good parts. The Colombian handwoven Wool came from Colombia via my Uncle 30 years ago. And the Boucle' I purchased at FIDM about 5 years ago.
This all proves that I am not a "hoarder". I ended up using the lovely fabrics. Eventually!

Close of the sweet cats:

I have been working on this for a while. I wanted to intergrate these three elements. When I get a problem (or situation as I have been to to think of it!), I mull it over. Sometimes the thinking part can take days and in this case, it was days and night (as in dreams). I try not to go forward until I have a clear idea of the path. With these three elements, decorated and painted leather, the handwoven wool from Colombia and the Boucle', it took a long time to gel. But what I hadn't figured out was how to get the structure on the inside of the purse. That is just as important as the decorative items. If you don't get the structure, then it will not wear well. This purse was taken apart a number of times. I needed to make sure the handles wouldn't pull out. I had to extend the handles on the inside to go all the way around so it would not pull away. Then I needed to put stiffening on the bottom of the bag. Let me just say that the inside is even more vitally important than the outside. The outside can always be glamoured up but the inside needs to "hold up". Especially if this is to be a tote.

Sheba of Gardena

She always takes all the credit!

The Hoodie

The last time that my grandchildren were here, I made a nightgown for Lucy. I had a lot of fun doing it and the reception of it was terrific. Lucy loved it. It was at this time, I realized that I hadn't made anything for Hollis in a long time. And I certainly didn't want him to think I played favorites.
The clue for me was he was wearing a jacket of Lucy's. I asked him if he wanted me to make him his own jacket. And of course, he said yes.
When I went to FIDM last weekend I found this really wonderful corduroy. It was very soft and supple. but it wouldn't be warm enough for winter. I needed to insulate it for him.
When I make anything I like to challenge myself, so I will have fun making it. This time I said to myself "See if you can make this jacket without buying anything". The lining for the "hoodie" is a beige fabric from years ago, which is like velvet but an acrylic. I am making the insulated lining with a Snuggley that was given to me and the pumpkin lining fabric was in my "stores". I am quilting the two together. The separating zipper is from "stores".
I had the pattern from when I made Lucy a jacket.
If I didn't do the quilting for the lining, the project would be a lot shorter in time.

But I wouldn't have enjoyed myself as much as I am now!

How About "SonwBlind" ?

This is Sweetie Pie "Penelope". She was crashing a photo session. She Always gets her way.

The Magical Kingdom -

This is a brass sculpture, one of a grouping of foxes at play in the park that is in the enclosure at the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising. There are many sculptures and works of art that inspire the students and the families that come to the park.
I couldn't get a better grouping of the "Fox Family at Play" (my title). The ground has little hills in order to segregate the areas.
The College works with the fashion industry. This includes donations of last years fabrics and of course interns. The college also has a scholarship store for the students who subsidized their tuition. Students work in the store and also get a better price for whatever they buy. That is how it should be. I have seen students come into the store to get fabrics for their projects and stop and pick up some piece of clothing as well.
The funny part for me (when I am talking with these students that work in the store) is remembering how I was once a design student in San Francisco.
This is the clothing side of the store. Many years ago the store was just one long room with the fabric in the back of the store. Sometimes, I think that it was more exciting that way. The workers would haul out boxes of fabric and before it could reach the tables or racks, people would be grabbing the good stuff. But now the students of the merchandising part of the school get a hand in how the store is run.
Now, this is what I go to the store for, rolls and rolls of fabric. 60" wide, $ 1.00 a yard. Yes, I did say $ 1.00 a yard. Yeah! ! If you want to try a idea out and it doesn't work out as you would have wanted, no big deal. Throw it away. You only lost maybe $ 3.00. And you had the wonderful experience of working out an idea. Profit both ways.
I don't always find anything that starts my heart to sing but that is also part of the treasure hunt feeling that carries me down there. There are times that I want to drown myself in the beauty that I bring home. But there are other times when it is just so so.
These are the notions. In order not to miss anything that will be useful now or at a later date, every card has to be appraised.
Now this is one of the tricks. Always wear a watch. Time has a habit of escaping notice. The parking meters go for $3.00 and hour. And they only take quarters or smaller. If your wallet carries 12 quarters it weighs a ton. I have never had that much foresight to have that many quarters and there isn't a place around to make change. Be prepared to dash in with all your clear thinking and be able to run when the meter goes off. They ticket on Saturdays. I can testify to that.
But, what fun!

These will soon be on my table. I can't believe that I will have tomatoes. What with dogs and birds, I gave up trying to have home grown tomatoes. This year, I had a friend make a raise bed. I filled it with dirt and mulch, just to see if I could have some tomatoes. I plead with the Garden God, Please! And this year it looks good. Now, I have plans for doing it better next year. I think a soaker hose will be in order. And I will investigate a better drop cloth to cut down on the weeds. I have been feeding the plants but I should actually put the plan on a calendar and not go by my gut.
I am so excited!

The New Clutch

This little clutch is silk in a out. The pocket is a blend of the inside fabric and the outside. I found that I could do the hand sewing by pulling threads from the remnant pieces. That way it would match the exact color of the fabric. With each clutch I try to expand my experimentation. I enjoyed using the thread from the fabric.
This little gem measure 12" W x 6 1/2" H.

Hippie Bag Completed

Well, and taking a deep breath, I say I finished this "Hippie Bag". Deep sigh. It took me a long time with a lot of other ideas and jobs getting in the way. Hand sewing is not the fun that it looks like on someone else. I tend to get impatient and think ahead to much. There is very little machine sewing on this bag. I had to make sure that the stitches were small and uniform and to use thread that had polyester in it, so in later years the thread wouldn't deteriorate. I listened to books on tape while I sewed. That helped to take my mind off my impatience and was fun as well.
This purse is all silk scrapes from other purses that I have made. I do not throw usable pieces of silk away. After all, a small piece of silk could be a very nice accent for something in the future. Then, time passes and I had a small box of "scrapes", hence the "Hippie Bag". When I got to the finish line, I realized that since it was a "Hippie Bag", I needed a small bag for important things. That is why I made the "stash bag". At this point, it will have to be for cosmetics.
Both sides have a pocket for sunglasses and cell phone. Plus there are three pockets on the inside of the bag. That way, keys will come immediately to hand.
I found in my boxes all the little extra beads and butterflies to adorn my purse. There are bone butterflies, Amber and small Coral beads.
I had the most fun at the very end by sewing on the beads. It always seems so satisfying to put the finishing touches on a major effort such as this.