For My Girls

Now this is the last dress (the Brown) that I made with re-purposed Tee Shirts.  I had about six Tee Shirts of different colors.  I wanted to re purpose these fabrics.  I had a great deal of fun and I think the girls will like them.
It is a lot of fun to make clothes for girls. 

My "Puff Chair"

I like the comfort of my "Puff Chair".  It is very comfortable.  But, after about two years I get tired of the fabric and the fabric gets tired of me (it shows wear).   Now here is the hard part, finding the right fabric to cover the original cushions.  I bought this fabric several years ago, I bought about two other fabrics for the same purpose also.  I bought fabric for my future "re-fabricing". Then I brought it home and spread it on the chair and leave it there for about a day.  Fortunately I get to purchase these choices at FIDM because each choice has to be 3 yards of 60" wide fabric.  It gets to be pricey if I purchased anywhere else.

This is the fabric that won the contest.  It is a cotton with a diagonal thread running through every 1/4".  It doesn't hold a wrinkle and is very comfortable.  The other fabrics will go to GoodWill.  It is hard to hold onto a large bulk of fabric.

I sewed the new fabric onto the original cushion cover.  I also put an additional piece of foam into to two parts of the chair.


I made the foot stool first.  I made it first to see if I liked the finished looks.  I did enjoy how it looked and then tackled the chair.

Making the cover is a small job compared to stuffing the cushion into the cover.  The last time I did this it took me about 1 hour to stuff the foam into the cushion.  I was sweating and calling to the sewing gods to help me.  I won a favor because when I made a workout cushion for a friend, the man at the shop told me of a trick.  I asked him for a tip and he told me to cover the foam in a plastic bag.  Well, I used the large garbage bag and the cushions went in so much faster.


P.S.  The cats took ownership of the chair before I could even try it out!

Revue and Renew Viewpoints

When I made this purse I had the concept of wearing a fancy purse on one's waist.  That way dancing would be worry free.  There would be no clutching a purse in your hand or leaving at the table (if anyone would do that) or leaving your purse with a friend.  I spent a lot of time on the internet trying to find the right belt.  I was never pleased with the belts that I found.  By the time that I received the first acceptable belt, it was a cotton belt.  I had four other belts sitting on my desk.  Well,  after the purse was in another hands (I should say waist?), I became very dissatisfied with the purse and started the process of finding a belt that would please me.
Now, I am pleased.  The belt is a Lizard Skin belt and the light glancing off the belt picks up the light glancing off the Green Malachite and African Jade.
It is now a cohesive whole in my mind.
I just thought I would share this.

Weekend Beach or Shopping Bags

I think that I have re-discovered my love of quilting. I look at Sew Me Something Good frequently and this lady is a master quilter, plus she seems to have fun doing it. Since I started sewing I would save my large scrapes. This was probably a hang over from making doll clothes. But then my Grandmother gave me a roll of batting (batting is used between the pieced top layer and the bottom layer, then one sews or tacks the 3 layers together), which confirmed that one day I would make a quilt. I made my first quilt when I was about 25. It was a baby quilt for a friend. I used my batting. The roll got smaller and smaller. At some point I realized that one does not have to have a batting filler. I have used flannel sheets, lightweight blankets and heavy knit cotton. Now, I know that there are many choices of batting but I always prefer to use what is at hand. But since the roll cotton batting is long gone. my next quilt will probably have to have "store bought" batting.
I was inspired to make these bags because of the Ghana nightgown that I just made. As I said before, I can't throw away usable scraps. I went through my Trader Joe bags (where I store my scraps -very high tech!) and came up with the rest of the pieces.
I lined the bags with fabric that looks like old maps. It is very light and detailed in color. What is intriguing about the print is that it show islands and land masses that do not exist.
I did enjoy this exercise and the re-awakening desire for quilt making.

Wishes Do Come True

I have wanted a power sewing machine since Design School. I had no idea that I would ever get one. But a friend of mine (whose mother sewed for the movie industry) had this machine and even though there was a sentimental need to keep it, the desire for more room in his studio won out. It weighs a lot but my son helped by going with me and loading it onto the truck and then bringing it into my house.
It was taken apart to make it lighter. Now my project for this week is to put it together and then christen it by sewing something and getting used to the speed. It will take the long seams so fast that I will have to keep my out of the way.
Just remember, if you have a desire and you hold it lightly......maybe you'll get it!

I Hope That This Will be a Teenage Dream

This is for a young girl just becoming a "Teenager" (she is my Great grand niece). Her birthday is this Friday. The fabric was given to me and it is an Acrylic with silver metallic threads. I used a top gathered piece which layers over the body of the skirt and underneath there is a skirt of silver lame'. My camera will not pick up the beauty of the lame'. I put in a pocket instead of a zipper and I think that that makes it more interesting. To finish the edges, I used black gros grain.
One of the things I experienced was how heat sensitive that the fabric is. Initially, as I was ironing out the wrinkles, I practically melted the fabric. The iron was on the "silk" setting. Fortunately it was at the beginning of the cut!
This is a close up of the fabric. I like the fabric. My main concern is, will she?

Annie is Coming!

Annie is coming at the end of the week. Lucy thinks the world of Annie. I thought it would be fun to make "matching" pajamas. I made Lucy's first and she got hers when she was here this last weekend. he didn't want to take it off!
Now Annie is coming and they will both be "twins".
The fabric was purchased at FIDM. It is the same fabric as "wife beater" undershirts. It is very light and both girls have a very high thermostat and keeping them covered at night is difficult. With this fabric, they will be comfortable.
I did have immense amount of pleasure sewing the pajamas. It is wonderful to have two little girls to sew for!
The pattern for the top was from one my Darling Niece had come up with and the bottoms are from a suggestion that I saw here.
I like to decorate my darling Chester if he decides that he has to sleep on my cutting table.
Now, my next project is for my nephew's daughter. I have something very special planned. And best of all, it should fun for me .

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.

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.

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.

Two Down,One More to Go

These are for my little girls. These two are competitive and I must do the same for each one, other wise hard feelings occur. But each is such a dear that I never have a problem making something special for them. The next stocking is for my grandson and his is going to be harder. He is crazy about Legos but his father wants his son's stocking to transcend time and he will still use it when he becomes an adult. My sister had a stocking made for my son when he was two. And every year he uses it. He wants the same for his son. So, I am still working out the design of it. But I still have a few more days.

My New "PassWord" Binder

This is my very small binder that I use for my password holder. It is about four years old or I should say since I bought it. I think that it is far older than that because the plastic has begun to tear. I put duck tape on the binder but it sure made it look ugly. And I don't like to look at things that I can do something about.


And this is what I did. I covered it with a sample fabric and the decorations are excess in my Sewing Box. I did put a magnetic snap on it because with the duct tape drew it open slightly.

Now, I can look at my little book and be pleased with it.

Exercise in Accuracy

I am going to baby shower tomorrow. I have not been to a baby shower since the baby shower for my grandson Hollis, which was about seven years ago. I was fully immersed in my work and couldn't put my time to making something to commemorate his arrival. So, when this shower came along, I have asked myself repeatedly why I am going to this effort. For my ego defense, I must say that I really enjoy making quilts for babies. It seems to be like an insurance policy for the future of civilization, a testament of my confidence that "we" will survive.
I did haul out all the saved scraps of my life. As you can see I am very attracted to red. I enjoyed making this and it went fast enough (about 3 days). I find that I take a long time to make anything, but I limited the complexity allowed me to speed sew.
The baby will be named Chloe, may she live long and happy.

The Joys of Life

I made this little pocket bag for my daughter-in-law. I love the transfer paper. It seems to be transferring me into something else. The top photo is of my grandchildren. The photo was taken about three years ago.
Now this photo is of my son about 35 years ago. But as my daughter-in-law said "All of my honeys".
Since I made it, I got to choose the photos.
This is my favorite photos of the children. They were watching a video on the computer. This photo tells so much about each child. Lucy with so much poise and then there is little Hollis not knowing what to think and on the verge of terror.
And here is my son. I did cut the top of his head off but I caught his enthusiasm and his great sense of life's joys. This would be right after Christmas because this is the hobby horse that my father had made for him.
I am enjoying making this little purses. Now, I get to make a very special one for my Darling Niece. It will be a secret, so don't tell!

Fun on the Homestead

I have been having fun with the fabric transfer paper. I thought I would expand my pleasure and make this little bag for a friend who's daughter had a baby. I met this lovely lady through my Darling Niece. She is my Darling Niece's mother-in-law. She will like the thought and I hope she uses it for a while. But babies change so fast that in three months it won't look a bit like this day old infant.
The fabric is silk inside and out. The flowers are linen and the is a touch of Agate and Amber as a zipper pull.

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.

NightGown For Me or Thee In Two Hours

My Darling Niece inspired me to make this, as she makes these gowns for her daughter all the time. The pattern is very easy to make.
I made this for my Darling Granddaughter last Saturday in two hours. They both (I have two - one of each) came over for the day and night. While they wee here, I showed some sampling of fabrics to sweet Lucy. After a very some deliberation, this fabric was chosen. It was "designer fabric" that I bought at FIDM. There was only 1 1/2 yards (60 inches wide) but with this length, I was able to make a nightgown for a child.
This is how anyone can make this in a very short time:

I will use Lucy's measurements for example.

Measure chest : 28" and
add 1/3 more making it 40 inches for the width of nightgown pattern.
Length to ankle: 38" , measure from the knob on neck to ankle, this allows for a 2" hem.
Upper arm circumference: 8" , this is the dimension for width across the top A to B.
Shoulder to inner armpit: 8"

The sleeve measurement from A to B is the measurement of arm circumference: 8"
The angle measurement is 30 degrees. This measurement can just be eyeballed but I did but the 30 degree angle from my layout board.

Since it does not need very exact cutting, I folded the fabric into four layers and cut it out super fast.

I matched the B to C points. Then sewed the sides. On the left side, I sewed down to the knee. Leaving it un-sewed, allowing for running away from her brother or for elegant walking.

I turned the sleeve and neckline under to create a channel for 1/4" elastic.

Then, I used iron on "Magic Tape" to do the hem. It went very fast and as a result, I still had the time to make dinner.
Funny thing about children, there is never, never time off.

My Tutor

I think that I mentioned that I changed computers (sort of like converting to another religion). I got a Mac computer. And I do not really know how to use it properly. So, I now have tutors. I have my darling niece and on the very high order of tutors, I hired Lucy! She really knows more about Macs than I do!
Both children were over this weekend and the first person to use my computer was Lucy and then Hollis.
I look at the photo and I see little cat prints on the wall beneath the window, the Oatmeal box I used to bead my "reticule" and too many monitors for computer. What does one do with outmoded monitors? They still work and I should go on "freebies" on Craig's List. There is another item to put on my long, long list.
That nightgown is three years old. I bought a remnant and since her father has a black and white cat, I made this small piece of material work for a nightgown. She won't give it away and I have made more nightgowns since this one. She knows what she likes!

Talk About Fun!

I have not had this kind of fun since I was 9 years old. Truly, I had forgotten how much fun it was to make doll clothes. This is like taking time out of life. It is like sinking into a hot tub with a good book. I had so much fun.
Since I am always at a loss what to do for my sweet granddaughter, I rely on her mother. On Saturday my daughter-in-law told me that Lucy had been asking her to make doll clothes for her precious baby doll. My daughter-in-law is Always extremely busy, between work and home life, she had no spare time to do this. I gladly accepted the request.
When my sister and I were tweenies ( eight years and ten years), there was a very popular doll called a Vogue Doll. It was not a storybook doll and it wasn't a baby doll. It was some where in between. It came with a dress and that's it. We decided that we would make more clothes. We would go up to Sprouse-Ritz (a five and dime store) and ask the lady to cut four inches of this fabric and four inches of another fabric. When I think of the patience that woman had with two young girls, I am grateful and try to pass that patience on. I learned so much about sewing from making doll clothes and gradually moved on to clothes for me. So, I forgot the fun and freedom of making these small bits of cloth into little dresses.
Lucy will now have a few changes and night wear for her favorite doll. And I had fun doing it, which is the absolute bonus of it all.
I wish you all the fun I had with the doll clothes in your labors to give the best.
Merry Christmas

I Give Thanks

My project for the Thanksgiving Day weekend was to finish this purse. Well, I fell short. This is not completed but almost.......
I still have to put in the blue Velvet and blue Satin lining and put the decoration on the flap. I have this lovely white and black Jade carving that really is very special. But I wanted to show that I have been working. Working and listening to books on tape.