Pictures and Updates

Well, I know I haven't posted much lately, but I've been working on lots of things - and this post will prove it! :)
I've been wanting to learn to do smocking, but I didn't want to buy a pleater and all the stuff that goes with it. Yesterday a friend from the sewing group I belong to sent me this link http://www.mariegracedesigns.com/marie_grace/2009/03/handpleating-fabric-tutorial.html  and ta da!!!!! I've got my smocking piece started. I did have some iron on dots in my sewing drawer, so I'm starting with those.
I found this white pillowcase with white embroidery at the Salvation Army last time I went, so I cut most of it off and am using the 'pretty part' to make a new lampshade. It's a cheap lamp we got at Walmart, in fact when I took off the old lampshade fabric, there were no support wires holding the round bottom to the round top. I used some grosgrain ribbon to do the trick!

The base of the lamp is purple, but I'm thinking I may be able to spray paint it white. We'll see! now this shade fabric really is white, but it's hard to see 'white on white' so I made it an off white color, so you could see the design.

I'm also working on a doily, made with Aunt Lydia's Bamboo Crochet Thread. I love this thread, it's so soft and just wonderful! I'm about halfway through it

Also trying my hand at crocheting a dress - it's a vintage pattern, and just the cutest little dress. It's from a book called Crochet for Small Fry Dresses put out in 1944 by The Spool Cotton Company.

This is as far as I've gotten on it, it's something I'll work on now and then, no hurry on it. I'm using DMC Cebelia thread 30 wt and I just love working with this thread. It crochets up beautifully.

And I'm also working on making some cloth diapers for Shannon's new baby due in Sept. Pictures of those coming soon - they are so darn cute!! And all the thing now, you know, cheaper, better for the environment and baby's bottom!!!

I've had some awesome thrift shop finds lately.

Got the little candle lamp, it was silver, but I painted it Gold - you can't really tell. Also the little candle holder I found. Then, we had an unfinished little wooden box in the craft cupboard, so I painted it and decorated it and you know what?  It's the perfect size for a book of matches!

The other day at the Salvation Army (same trip when I found the white pillowcase that is turning into a lampshade) I found a few porcelain dolls to add to my collection :) I do love to sew clothes for them. The big question is - WHEN????? lol
Oh, I also found a king size white dust ruffle for our new bed for $5! It's just perfectly, slightly ruffled and plain white. Very shabby chic :)

Now this little lady has been thru some tough times. Her foot has had to be amputated. :( Yes I know it's very sad. It's bandaged up very nicely, I haven't taken the bandage off (maybe it's still healing) but she is a brave little lady and carries on as if nothing was amiss.
It's possible she lost the foot due to frostbite this last winter. We don't really know.

This little one is very quiet and hasn't told me much of her story yet. She seems to be very particular about her dress and keeping her curls in nice shape. I think she'll talk a little more when she gets accustomed to her new home.

This one came with very shabby shoes, I had to glue a sole back on before it could be worn with any kind of dignity. She seems to have a mind of her own. One afternoon, she jumped off the table, fell to the floor. Thankfully there were no major injuries. (or minor for that matter) I think she's unhappy with her dress, but I explained to her that I would make her a new one soon, but first I had to finish the diapers. She gave me the 'sigh' that said, Fine! and I'm sure she rolled her eyes!

I think this little one tried (and failed) to do her own curls. I did fix them and asked her not to mess with her hair anymore. Then I noticed 'someone' had GLUED the ribbon to her hair. Gee, I wonder who 'someone' is - this isn't my first rodeo you know!! Well, it can be fixed. (I think) But she does have lovely leather shoes and beautiful eyelashes.

I know I'll have lots of fun with them, once I finish The Diaper Project :)

The Ever Growing Stash

Now that I am not quilting like I used to, and I'm back into making clothes, I need new fabric. You can very rarely make good garments from quilting fabrics. So, little by little, I order from Fabric Mart , the most evil place EVER in the history of fabric stores. They have awesome sales way too often, they have beautiful fabric at rock bottom prices, why do they torment me this way????

Over the months, I've purchased some beautiful pieces from them, and thought I'd share.

This is my first picture. On the left is a red/cream cotton, I've already got the blouse pattern ready for that one. The one in the middle is a rayon, and I don't know what I'm going to make with that one. Now the piece on the right is a stretch knit, but the stripes go AROUND me.... I don't think that's exactly the look I'm going for. If the use the stripes the other way, there is very little stretch in the knit. I don't know what to do with this piece, but it is a nice cream/black piece.

These two pieces are destined to be a skirt. The solid olive color underneath, of course. The printed piece is a poly chiffon. I'm hoping I'll be able to wear the poly over the cotton. I simply can not wear poly at all, it makes me so hot and I start sweating the moment it enters a room, even if I'm not wearing it! Truly!

T

This is a little hard to see. The piece on the left is light blue, fairly sheer cotton with embroidery on it. The purple piece is a border print, a stretch knit (cotton) that I do not know what I'm going to use it for. A dress most likely. Here's a closeup of the blue fabric.

B

Better? :)

These are my 2 pieces of silk chiffons that will be tops of some kind. Pretty, flowing, feminine. The floral has a sort of gray/blue background, the blue is a tiny bit grayed. Purchased from two different stores at two different times and they seem destined to go thru life together. Maybe not.

A

And my favorite border print of all - this green and brown. This is one edge and on the other side is a wide brown edge. It's cotton, rather heavy for a summer dress. I've had some wild ideas about making a coat with it. A fall/spring kind a of coat, not a warm winter coat. But I don't know. It's one of those fabrics I'm skeert of cuttin'! Well, I'll keep you posted!

Calender in the Making

My friend, blogless Elaine, got me started on making cards, and rubber stamping. My goodness this has been so much fun. I saw a calender project in a magazine, don't remember which, but it gave me the idea to make a calendar with a 'naked' cardboard book I had. It's not finished, but here are a few pages -

This is the cover. This is a picture of my side yard that I did in Black and White, I stamped the date on the side and feel like I can barely see it. But, it's only for me, so who cares? I usually remember the year.

T

The other side of the above page. Elaine also gave me some pages from a hymnal, but I couldn't bring myself to tear them, so I copied the pages, then tore it and made it look a little vintage-y with some brown ink.

This is June with some flourishes and some vintage handwriting behind.

And July with lots of dots to look like fireworks :)

And August with lots of flowers. Elaine sent me the little frames, and I cut out pictures of flowers from a magazine to put inside the frames.

And September. I made a rose from tulle, that you can't see very well, and squashed some ribbons on the side.












And this picture was my project yesterday. I took this flower pic at the St. Louis Zoo a few years ago, finally had it printed into an 8 x 10 size. I had an old nasty frame hanging around. I sanded it, and did few light coats of a cream colored paint and sanded it a little bit again, then I sprayed it with gold spray paint. Added a few black lines and hung it up. I love how it looks :) 

Mystery Shawl Update

Well, I am making progress. I'm not quite finished with Clue 3 yet, and now I have Clue 4 waiting in the wings. Too much pressure!

My new shirt

I may have found a TNT shirt pattern. This is the second top I've made from this pattern, and to make it even better - the pattern was free :) On www.sewingpatterns.com it is Neue Mode J 23005, has all sizes.

A friend had just sent me a book called Fine Embellishing Techniques and I was dying to try some of them. I'd also found a
picture of a top in a fashion magazine that I loved and could use as inspiration. Now the book talked about creating your own trim by unwinding braided trim you already have, which I did. I loved the red - and even tho I didn't use it here, I will use it on another shirt. So, I auditioned a few ideas to see how they looked - (hopefully the pictures will stay where I put them)

Then I had the idea to use some of my heirloom sewing laces, but I did tea dye them -


and I finally settled on this -


I tea dyed the lace, cut off the outside edges and ran some brown floss through the holes. Cut some small brown print bias strips to add, and I also bound the sleeveless with it.

I didn't have enough fabric to make it as long as I wanted it, so I made a brown print cami to go underneath it, with some tea dyed heirloom lace sewn to the bottom. All in all it was very cute! Fit nicely, and I'm pretty happy with it.

From Immodest to Modest in a few easy steps

We got riley a new bathing suit this weekend. She loved the suit, it was so cute on her, but the neckline left much to be desired considering she is 15, just about 16. So... I put my creative hat on and fixed it!
I cut a section out of the back, and used it in the front. I ran a line of slightly gathered elastic down the center of the added on piece, and I think it looks super! You might not ever know it had been altered!

Pictures following, but who knows what order they will end up in, so I've numbered them! :)


















If anybody knows how to straighten out this picture fiasco, PLEASE let me know!!! It's making me crazy! I didn't get a finished AFTER picture but I will and then add it.