Wednesday, February 23, 2011

Day into Night

Day int Night

Saturday, February 19, 2011

Getting the Hang of "Funk"


I have thought a lot about that skirt that I made for Lucy and have not been pleased with the memory. So, I gave myself permission to make another. And this is the result. I am much happier with this one. I imposed the same parameters on myself as the last one. I had to have all the parts in my stores. I now think that the first skirt was just practice.

Monday, February 14, 2011

Shabby Chic and Little Terror


A few weeks ago I was told that Lucy, my grand daughter, wanted a funky skirt. Since I don't know what "funky" is to an eight year old, I just went my merry way. I think this would be more of "shabby chic" but it was definitely fun to make. The fabric is what I had in my stores. The print is what I found on one of my dog walks. I especially like the fabric and then the other fabric I think I have had for 10 years or more. If you look closely, you can see that there are color changes. That is why I used this fabric. Do the color changes qualify as "Funky"?
I also put on sequins. I had never done that before and it is tedious and time consuming. But for my Grand daughter, of course it was nothing, I did it cheerfully.

This is the back and you can see the fading better. I do hope that she like it and it won't go to the back of the closet.
This is my little Terror, Chester, sitting among my WIP. He is a very beguiling cat. However, he likes his treats. At night, if I don't make sure that the cupboard in securely closed, he gets up on the counter and works on the door till it opens. Then he pulls out his bag of treats and drags it into the living room. There he chews and tears the bag open and eats every morsel. All of the bag is there or on the rug, so he doesn't swallow any of the plastic.
Oh, I do love my little Terror.

Wednesday, February 9, 2011

Reverse ShopLifting

Now I must give credit where credit is due, and this idea came from my Darling Niece. I was given a box of fabric and included in this box was a lot of trim. I don not use trim in my sewing and when I do, I prefer to find my own. These pieces are lovely and I do like bright objects but I just don't feel that it goes with what I create. So, I offered the trim to my Niece. She told me she wouldn't use it either. Then we were discussing what could be done with all of it and I said that I could give it to FIDM downtown. Then she said, "Just put it in your bag and while you are there, pull it out and leave it on a shelf. Sort of like Reverse Shoplifting!"
I just might do it.

Monday, February 7, 2011

Sweet Lauren


A fellow blogger and cat lover recently lost a most beloved cat. She made a beautiful tribute to this lovely, and loved cat. The pictures that were posted show the sweet nature that the cat possessed. And, maybe because Lauren was a "Black and White" , I felt it most deeply. My sweet Roxanna has been gone for two years and I still feel it deeply.
As a tribute to this wonderful cat, Mendofleur made sachets for the Doctor and his staff. And very wonderfully, I received one also. From one cat lover to another, I am very touched. It is very beautiful and the Lavender smells wonderful. I will treasure this sachet and think of Lauren as well as my Beautiful Roxanna.

Friday, February 4, 2011

What Do You Think About Donegal Tweed?


What do you think of Donegal Tweed? I am greatly drawn to it. It seems to combined rustic weaving and elegance. I can just imagine some woman spinning the wool and see a scrap of colored thread and she grabs it and includes it in the thread. I love the beauty and the economy.

This purse is Navy Blue Donegal Tweed and is lined with Sky Blue Raw Silk. It has a Flex Frame as a closure.

I put two large Chinese coins to insure Good Luck. Rather appropriate for Chinese New Year.

I just might keep this one for myself.

Tuesday, February 1, 2011

The Raw Silk "Took Forever" Purse

Here it is. The fabric is raw,raw silk. I have never seen anything like this silk. It barely retains its woven shape and had to be handled very carefully. I received this fabric as a gift and I wanted to give it the respect that it deserves, so it took a long time to figure out how to handle it. At first, I wove narrow silk scarves through the fabric. I was very pleased with the effect. But then the supplier ran out of the scarves and I had to pull every tedious scarf out. Then I decided that satin cording would work. I kept running out of the cording because I knotted it and had no idea of how much cording I would need. The average amount turned out to be 4 yards. Hard to believe, huh? And the average time to do one row of cording was four hours. I used a crochet hook to pull it through the fabric.

It went quick quickly after the knotting was done. It has a flex frame closer and a braided fabric handle. I used navy blue satin for the lining.
I did find that photographing was difficult. The subtle colors of the fabric do not show up. The basic color is a dark gray with blue in it and the there is pink and black.
Now, I get to change gears and make something else. Oh happy day!