My Creative Process

My daughter and I had an interesting conversation a while back.
She asked me how do I see something in my brain before I make it. 
It varies.
Sometimes I see a piece of fabric and I know it needs to be a skirt, or a scarf.
Sometimes I get an idea and it's just a blur or shape.
Other times I want to make something I've seen, but
once I get to working on it, I have my own idea how it should look.
The idea evolves as I work on the project.

When I was a teen, I would go window shopping at the mall
and see things I liked.  Because I am petite, most things in the stores
didn't fit.  That is one reason I learned to sew.  I would draw out
my ideas once I got back to the car and plot out how to make them.

What is your process?  How do you get inspired? 
Do you see it in your mind completed, and
work from there?  

In recent years, I've seen jeans with colorful

patches on them.  I fixed up a pair of jeans for
myself using some spring-looking fabrics, and
every time I wore them, I'd get comments and
compliments.

SO...I wanted to make a pair that have fall colored patches.

I had a hard time finding the right colors, fabrics, and prints.  I could picture it in my mind,

but I would get distracted when I went through my stash.

I would find fabrics that looked nice together, but it 

wasn't quite what I saw in my head.

Finally, I found a mix that worked.

These are the materials:

My car needed new brakes so I took this project to work on while I waited.

I love these colors!

Finished project:

Can't wait to wear them!

Another project was inspired after admiring some clothing designed by Tina Givens.
She has a deconstructed, romantic style that I LOVE.

I started with a main fabric. 
I've had this piece for a couple of years.
I bought it because it "called my name".  I didn't have a clear idea what I
wanted to make; I simply loved the fabric.
I pulled out a couple of scraps to use as patches.
Tina Givens does this on her garments and I just love it.

This is one of those projects I sort of knew what I wanted; the idea was a bit of a blur.

Once I got the main top made, I added the "flair" of patches.

I have a feeling this one will be worn quite a bit this fall and winter.

And lastly today, this is a sweet top I made from fabric I found in Paris...

Ah...Paris...

Yes, I stay occupied with sewing projects.

I have a pile of fabric

I'm trying to work through. 

SO many ideas!!!

Keep an eye on my blog.  You never know what you'll see next.

Crisp, Cool Air

Fall is gracing us with her presence.

The days are cooling down.

The sad part of telling summer goodbye

is closing up the pool.  I enjoy seeing the water outside

my windows, and floating around with family and friends.

BUT fall is my favorite season.  I look forward to pumpkins, colors

of the leaves, wearing layering pieces of the same colors

and scarves.

I recently found a nice knit fabric that is the color of pumpkins.  I used

Katherine Tilton's Butterick pattern 6492.

 Notice the pocket.  Raw edges are left bare. 

I love the arc on the front too.

I look forward to pairing this with skinny jeans, ankle boots, and 

a scarf or necklace.

I've been attempting to straighten up my sewing room.

I'll do a little and get distracted by a project that was buried

under a pile of stuff.

But the good news is I'm actually finishing or doing

some of the projects that were stagnant.

So I'm making progress.

I mentioned in an earlier post that I had a friend visit me this past summer,

and she and I spent one day

playing with dye.  Some of our projects were successes.  Others...not so much.

BUT we had fun and that was the important part.

(When she reads that last line she will crack up because

of a video we watched prior to dying.  The lady on the video

kept saying, "It's a lot of fun," and that became our line

every time we did anything.)

BUT...in my efforts to straighten, I came across my pile of dyed pieces.

Two of the shirts I dyed were a little off, so I dyed them again

in a tea bath. I don't have a picture of the finished product, but I thought

this picture was interesting.

My daughter and her friend have a bit of a fascination with skeletons.

This is one her friend found.

He had a bit of a chill.

So...I made him a little hoodie

with skulls and bones.

Yes, I'm nuts.

That is a 4" separating zipper.

I had another bit of inspiration hit of a boxy top made from 

old T-shirts.  My ideas are usually not concrete until I get them made.

This was one of those projects.  I had to play with 

my materials to get it like it wanted it.

It is a process.  I took a few shots to show my work.

(the phrase "show your work" reminds me of days in math class.)

This is the finished product.

We went to the zoo yesterday with some friends. 

I don't know exactly what these are, but they are

gorgeous. They may inspire a jewelry project...

And one more little tidbit for your funny bone...

 This adorable lemur appears to be

doing yoga.

His legs were straight out in front of him,

his arms and hands facing out,

and a simple twist of the neck.

PRECIOUS!!

Have a great day and look for inspiration to keep your juices flowing.

Trip to Kansas, Eclipse, and Other Goodies

Do I have some fun stuff to post today!!!

I live in Middle TN and you probably heard there was an eclipse this week.

(unless you live under a rock)

My family drove to an area near Sparta TN because the total eclipse lasted 

a minute longer there compared to where we live.

I'm so thankful I was able to see this beautiful happening with my family.

I don't have pictures of the total eclipse, but I do have some to share of events
leading up to the totality.

I am not a fan of the Moon Pie, however, I did eat a few in my youth.

But what's an eclipse without a Moon Pie?

I read a couple of articles about the eclipse and what would be happening during.

One of the things I read was that our shadows would be more crisp.  Also there would be crescent shaped shadows in the trees.  The picture above right looks like a graphite drawing, but that is how the shadow was being cast.  It was all so beautiful.  The shadows of the leaves had scallops and reminded me of lace.

During totality we actually saw a bat flying around!

The weekend before the eclipse, my hubby and I went to Manhattan, KS for a reunion with his Army buddies.  They had been stationed at Ft Riley, and it had been about 30 years since they had seen each other. 
This was where we lived when we were first married. 

We drove by our first apartment, and where we attended worship.  We drove by the McCall's Pattern factory.  I actually toured this facility with some friends when I lived there.

I have a couple of friends that I'm still in touch with there, and I was able to have breakfast with one  and lunch with another.  I felt so loved.  They had such big smiles on there faces and they hugged me tight.  It was so wonderful getting to spend time with them.

Now to my projects from the past couple of weeks.
In my last post I mentioned a project that I hoped to finish and post.
It's taken me more than a couple of days to get it on here, but here it is:

I will be teaching a class this fall at a local fabric shop on how to construct this jacket.  It is a Vogue pattern by Marcy Tilton and I happen to know it has been Vogue's number one selling pattern in recent months. I found the green French terry knit at Hobby Lobby and the gold is from a men's Henley shirt I found at Goodwill.  The contrasting fabrics really show off the side design.
I also used another "recycled" tee for the inside trim.

While I was putting this together, my daughter saw it and had "that look" on her face that said, "I like that...A LOT!"  I asked her if she would like to have it after my class.  It was a definite "YES!"  She doesn't wear many things that I make these days so I was quite thrilled that she liked it so much.  She said it looked "diesel punk" to her.  She has some green camo pants that will be adorable with this jacket.



A couple of weeks ago I told you about my trip to Cincinnati.  There was a lady helping in one of the booths with a darling dress/jumper, and she allowed me to take a picture of it.

This is my version that I put together. 

 

The dress is an Adrienne Vettadini knit dress that I found at
T J Maxx for about $25.  I made the little fabric "plaque" and added the fabric "fringe".














I'll be teaching a couple more classes at the local fabric shop.
One of them is titled "Selvedge Silhouettes".  I've seen all sorts of ideas how people are using selvedges these days.  I will be showing how to piece fabric selvedges together to make a "fabric" that can be cut into a silhouette and used on a quilt block or whatever.

It's a neat idea for moms and grandmothers
to capture memories of their little ones....
or pets.

Last year I taught my first class, and it was demonstrating how to do fabric collage.

For fabric collage, you "fussy cut" all kinds of motifs from different fabrics.

Here are a few samples: (click on the picture to enlarge it and see all the little details)

I'll be teaching this collage class again this fall.
It was a popular class last fall, but not everyone was able to take it.  SO!  It's being offered again!

I just completed the chicken today.  I thought it would be fun to offer another idea for my class.













I thank you for visiting today.  I hope you have a creative and productive weekend.

Stampaway in Cincinnati

Every August I go to Stampaway which is a rubberstamping/scrapbooking convention in Cincinnati.  I go with a couple other ladies and it is always a fun getaway!  

This past weekend was our annual trek. It's amazing how much we see and do in such a short amount of time.

It is our tradition to stop at a Ben Franklin craft store on the way.  I love shopping their fabrics because they have unusual prints that I don't find anywhere else.

This was my haul from this visit:

 Several weeks ago when I went to the Downton Abbey exhibit,

I saw a simple necklace that I thought was so pretty.  

While shopping at Ben Franklin I found some pretty green beads and immediately thought of this necklace.  I bought the 4 packages they had and came home and made my own version.

Once we get to Cincinnati we head to the convention center and shop 'til we drop.

One of the booths I look forward to seeing is called "Arts Desire".  They

have all kinds of charms and ephemera.

They had a bracelet on display this year that called my name (very loudly).  I already love collage type stuff and this falls right into that category.  I bought some of the charms there, but I also used some of the things I already had.  I look forward to wearing this beauty.

I have another sewing project that I'm working on, but it's not ready to be revealed yet.  I hope to have it posted here in the next couple of days.

Keep checking back!  I'm trying to post regularly about my current projects!

This 'N That

Yes, I like to make things...all kinds of things.

I went "junking" with a friend of mine several years ago, and she found

2 huge bags of lace scraps.  She and I both about came undone.

What a treasure!

I took these scraps with me on a sewing retreat. It was my very first

sewing retreat and I didn't really know what to expect.

I took a few clothing projects to work on, but

just in case I ran out of things to do, I took some sewing books

with some fun projects.

One of those books was Sew Pretty Homestyle by "Tilda". 

If you've never 

checked out her books, I highly recommend you do.

They are full of wonderful inspiration.

But back to the lace scraps....

I found an adorable stuffed cat in this book and then inspiration struck!

I traced out the cat onto white muslin.  I placed the lace scraps over the outline, and 

sewed them in place.  I then cut out the cat parts and sewed them together.

This is the end product.  She has a permanent spot in my sewing room.

In May of this year, I had the privilege to travel to Paris.

It was a trip for ladies who love fashion, art, design, and textiles.

Our guides were 2 very special sisters who love Paris.

One of the biggest thrills for me was to shop for fabric.

I found several pieces that were SO pretty, and you will be seeing those 

creations as they happen.

There was one particular piece of fabric that I fell head over heels for.

This is the fabric.

When I got home, I obsessed over what to do with this gorgeous cotton/silk blend.

I fretted and fretted.

I didn't want to make something and then regret it.

It had to be....

a master piece!

But...here's what I finally did with it.

I am so pleased with how it turn out.

I had 2 meters left and I made a large, scrumptious scarf by simply

fraying the edges.

Another project I did this week is this cute little pear pin cushion.

(I found this is one of Tilda's books too.)

I filled this one with crushed up walnut shells.

I read somewhere that they are good to keep pins sharp.  ??

And speaking of pin cushions...

I'd like to conclude today's post by telling you a little about my mother.

My mom was a very practical person.  

She could budget and plan like no one I've ever seen!

Mom made many of my clothes as I was growing up.

It was mostly out of necessity because we didn't have a lot of extra money,

so it was cheaper for her to make things for me and my sister.

As I got older, it was more out of need because I'm very short and I could never

find clothes that fit me.

I learned to sew when I was a teenager.

I was encouraged by Mom to "be unique"...march to my own beat.

Through fashion I was able to do that.

I didn't want to look like everyone else, and because I truly loved sewing,

I was very unique.  I would win contests and it would boost my confidence.

I would go places and people would compliment me on what I was wearing.

When I told them I made it, they would be so impressed.

I received validation through all these experiences, and don't we all need validation!?!

So in honor of my mom,

I am posting a picture of her pin cushion as I found it in her home.

Mom suffers from dementia, and when it became apparent that she could no longer

live on her own, my siblings and I had to do the inevitable of cleaning out her home.

This pin cushion has a special spot on a shelf in my sewing room.

It keeps Mom close, even though in her mind she is very far away.

I'm thankful for my Mom.

She taught me much about sewing, but she also taught me 

much about loving and living.

Thanks, Mom.