Warning! Long Post

I have SO much to share!  So, sit back and enjoy reading my book...I mean blog!

In my last post, I told you that my daughter and I would be traveling to the UK.
It was a special trip, and I'm so thankful we were able to go.
So here are some highlights:

When we arrived, Ireland was having their worst snowstorm since 1982.

Our first day of touring had to be cancelled.  Our guide took on a walk of the town,

and I'm actually glad we had the day to "chill" (no pun intended) because I

was worn out from traveling.

This is a seat cushion in St Patrick's cathedral in Dublin.  Several of the seats had these,

and I had to take a picture.  I thought this was sweet.

This is St Patrick's cathedral and the floor is like a quilt.

This is my daughter.  She LOVES birds.  THIS was the

highlight of her trip...holding this beauty.

LOOK AT THOSE TALONS!  Those massive feet were soft as velvet.

And the eyes...absolutely gorgeous.

The highlight for me...Liberty of London!!

Beautiful fabrics...

Fun surprises...

Lovely displays...

A crochet class in progress...

A few finds I brought home.

These came home with me.

(the fabric, not the birds)

Wouldn't these be fun to make??   Aubry???

These are some books we found at a museum in Ireland.  The one I want to share about is the 

one on the bottom.  It was put together by the equivalent of our home extension offices.

The photography was one of the main reasons I bought it.

It is filled with traditional Irish crafts and such...many I already know how to do,

but the novelty of this book was so precious, I had to bring it home with me.

I had a very busy, hectic March.  It was all good, but busy.

Aubry and I had planned to go on a sewing retreat last weekend, but our Whisper kitty

became very sick and I truly thought we were going to lose him.  He's still on the mind, but

seems to be doing better.  But because of him being sick, we didn't go on retreat.

Instead, we "played" at home. 

The following pictures are the projects I've completed in the past couple of weeks. 

Enjoy!

This top pictured above is from one of my Liberty fabrics I found in London.

This is a "jumper" that can be worn 2 ways. 

I was inspired by something I had seen on Pinterest.

This was a batik remnant I found a few months back on a "road trip" with 

some friends of mine.  I've worn it and love it.

This is that same pattern.  Again, was inspired by something I saw on Pinterest.

A close-up of the embroidery work I did.

This is  another Liberty fabric.

It's hard to see, but I added a tiny lace detail and some pintucks.

I have used this little jacket/shrug pattern so many times over the past year.

When I found this lavender lace, I knew I wanted to make this jacket, but

whenever I went to make it I would chicken out.  I don't know why except that

it was one of those times when I was afraid I would regret cutting up fabric.

But I resorted to the "Project Runway" way of thinking of "go with your gut".

This was what I thought of when I first saw the fabric, so this is what I made.

I like it, but I used a grayish lining and it changes how the lace looks.

I still think I'll wear it a lot though.  If not, I can take it apart, remove the 

lining, and just let it be lace...

Who am I kidding?  I will never do that.  It is what it is at this point.

HA HA

Now...

When I got back from the UK, I decided it was time to purge my closet, 

and purge I did.  I got rid of a lot of stuff.

I got rid of my black sandals.  I'd had them for years, and it was just time.

SO...I needed another pair of black sandals.

I went to my favorite shoe store and unbeknownst to me, they were having a 

BOGO 1/2 sale...EVEN ON THE CLEARANCE RACKS!

Well, I found a pair of black sandals...

and a few other goodies.  he he  It was time for some updating. 

These were all on clearance.

So...happy spring, y'all!

I have a couple more projects in the works...

come back soon.

Tired of the Rain

The Farmer's Almanac predicted a wetter than usual winter for my area.

They weren't kidding.

The sad thing is that even with all this rainy weather keeping me indoors,

I've not been making many things lately.

I have been doing some things, just not sewing much.

A few years ago, a friend sent me this cool stuff

made from Indian sarees.

The color is hard to see on this screen, but it's sort of a burnt purple.

I love it.

I've used it for a couple of jewelry pieces.

I made a tassel necklace that you can see in the background,

and also used it to wrap 

memory wire for this bracelet.

Last year I went to Stampaway in Cincinnati, and there was a booth

there that sells all kinds of cool metal pieces and such.

They had a bracelet made from these cool things.

(I think I may have posted a picture of it a few months back). 

I came home and made one for myself, but I don't

wear bracelets that much.

So...

I made a necklace!

I made the other two pieces a while back.

I love how they layer!

It goes back to that collage look that I love so much.

Here's a closer view.

This is another piece that's been coming together in my head for a bit.

I finally took the time to put it together.

I wish I could remember where I got this old hinge.

But isn't this fun?!?!

The "original" piece is a leather tag

that I found in the notions section.

I painted over it with some very old dye...

I like the patina, but I'm not sure what I was expecting.

This was a fun project...and a quick one.

This is a project in the works.  I took a small canvas (2"x3") that I found

at Hobby Lobby.  I cut strips of paper and wove them together.

I used Modge Podge to glue it down and then over the top too.

This will be a necklace when I'm finished.

I'll try to remember to show you the completed project in my next post.

Now...

in my last post I think I remember saying I would be showing you some pants.

I was going to show you 2 pairs, but I only got a picture of one pair.

These pants are from Marcy Tilton's Vogue 8499.

I found a light weight denim to use for these.

I took inspiration from Tina Givens and added

fabric collages all around.

This pattern is super easy to make.  The back part of the waist is

elastic so they're easy to fit.  I've worn these a couple of times and get 

compliments on them.  The legs are full, but they are meant to be.

I think they're fun.

This is a picture I took of our sweet Whisper kitty last night.

This is one of the best cats ever.

He is my daughter's constant companion.

He's a very loving boy.

So thankful he's part of our family.

My daughter and I will be traveling to the British Isles in the next couple of weeks.

I'm sure I'll have lots to show and tell when I get home.

Until then...

Maybe I won't float away in all this rain.

Maybe it's just a warm up for Ireland.

And 2018 begins!!! (with a bang...)

Yes, the year began with a real bang...

I was car number 3.

I'm thankful that no one was in the passenger seat.

That door caved in to the point I wasn't able to open my glove box.

The car is in the shop and I hope to have it back before the week is out.

And then there's this....

Beautiful snow!

We don't get much of the "white stuff" here in TN so when we do,

it's a big deal.

The birds are hard to see, but there was a ton of female cardinals about.

And did you know...

... chickens do not like snow?

At least ours don't. 

These poor babies have been cooped up all week.  They would not

take one step out into the snow.  They were glad to see the snow melt.

We keep a heat lamp on them so they have a toasty place to stay.

Okay...enough of all that...

Upcycle Project!

I ran to Goodwill a few weeks ago and found this suede skirt.

It was 1/2 price so I only plaid $2 for it I think.

I knew I wanted to make a bag of some sort, so I scouted out

the purse section for a bag with good handles.

The bag was $6 if I remember correctly.

The skirt was lined so I decided to use the lining for the bag's interior.

I used a pattern I'd been wanting to try.

McCall's 7334 is the one I used.

I used a fusible fabric stiffener to help the suede hold it's shape.

Here's the end product:

Not to shabby, huh?

And a project I promised to share:

I had finished the top, but wanted to wait until I had the embroidery work finished before I shared this with you.  I told you it would be worth the wait.  I hope I didn't disappoint.

These photos don't show the colors very well, but at least you can see the 

hand work.  I'm pleased with how it turned out.

This was a Tina Givens pattern that I tweaked.

And finally...This is a Marcy Tilton dress I made.

The pattern is Vogue 9112.

I am petite...coming in at just under 5'.

This pattern didn't have provisions for shortening, but

I knew it would be too long if I didn't alter it some how.

I ended up lining the pattern pieces up at the waistline.

I drew a line across each piece with pencil.

I used that as my altering point hoping it would work.

I think I shortened it by about 3 inches,

and I only made that one alteration.

It did make the side panel piece look weird

as I cut it out.  I was concerned about

getting things going together correctly,

but I think it turned out just right.

And it has pockets too!!

This pattern may look intimidating, but I can assure you it was not too complicated.

I wouldn't recommend it as a beginner project, but for those who've been constructing

garments for a while, this one is fun to put together.

The fabric is cotton.  I'm a cotton gal.  I knew the collar would show

the wrong side of the fabric.  I didn't want the wrong side to show, so I 

sewed a facing on this piece and it works fine.

What do you think?

I encourage you to broaden your horizons in 2018.

Try something new.

Work on a project that challenges you.

Always move forward in your abilities.

I find it rewarding, and I think you will too.

See you soon!

I have 2 pairs of pants to share with you next round.