Lace Love!!!!

So are you dying to know what the lace "teaser" was all about in my last post? Well, even if you aren't dying to know, I am dying to show you! (I've been having a hard time finding all of the photos I took though--time to organize the computer!). I gotta say, I love the way this project turned out!

It all started when Jenny and Michelle found the following Christmas word blocks at Costco:

Wanna guess how much they were? $3. Count 'em. Three DOLLARS! The set comes with 9 blocks of varied sizes painted red and green with a cream letter on the front and the back so you can mix and match them to create several Christmas words.

I can't even tell you how excited we were about these things, especially considering Christmas is my FAVORITE holiday ever!

And since Michelle and Jenny are smart, they thought we should get some extras to paint later for other holidays. You already saw my version for St. Patty's Day, though I didn't use these specific blocks, but what I didn't tell you is that I was too chicken to paint over the whole block and make new letters at first... so for V-day, I totally cheated! And I did it by once again trusting in my strengths--and using textiles!

I picked out the letters for LOVE and taped off the portions I didn't want to paint over:

Then I painted around the edges with brown so they would just be a simple brown and red background,

but when the brown clashed with my wood furniture, that's when the actual inspiration hit and I pulled out a lace curtain I got from the thrift store and cut off a chunk:

I tried using it as a stencil first, painting on top of it with cream, but the paint seeped through the fabric as well, so instead of a pretty negative impression of the lace, I got a splotchy mess where the paint seeped through. Gross... that just looks like I don't know how to paint smoothly. I was looking more for visual texture than physical texture, so I painted brown back over it and thought some more about how to make it work. And that's when the card-making attempts of my past came back to me--I needed to use the fabric as a STAMP, not a STENCIL!

 (applying the "ink" on top of plastic to protect the table--I just cut open a garbage bag)

 Placing the stamp!

After a little trial and error, I found my hands got "inked" too much when I tried to apply the "stamp" without a buffer, and then the cream paint left on my hands would get in the holes of the lace that were supposed to stay clean...and brown. So I would position the lace lightly where I wanted it and then put a tissue on top, and then pressed down. Granted, I still got some paint on my hands as it seeped through the tissue,

and I had to use a new tissue each time I "stamped" to keep from more smudges, but it still protected the little holes in the lace from my dirty hands!

I also learned I needed to paint the piece of lace in between each "stamping" to make sure the design looks the same on each block, especially since the tissues dried out the paint faster than normal application would. In these two blocks, you can see I didn't have as much paint on one as the other.

I fixed that later, I promise!

 I was going to put a different holiday on the back and just flip them around when seasons changed, but I liked the lace design so much that I decided I wanted these letters displayed on the coffee table, so I painted the back too. I just love how antique and detailed the lace design makes them look while still being so easy and casual since nothing is exact or geometric. I am definitely going to use this lace method more often!

So next time you want to do something impressive without actually having artistic skill, take a page from my book and grab some thrifted lace for a stamp! Leave a comment and let me know what you would use it for!

Happy Day of the Saint P!

I'm not sure why. It's not like we did much more than wearing green and pinching each other growing up, but I love holidays, and for some reason, this year I got really gung ho for Saint Patrick's Day. And since there are several fabric related bits, I wanted to share it with you!

Craft projects tend to scare me sometimes (I'm a seamstress, not a crafter--despite being related, knowing about one doesn't necessarily mean you can do the other well, and I'm an apparel seamstress, so even curtains intimidate me!) but my friend Jenny is super clever with crafts and has been trying to ease me into some fun holiday decor ideas:

I added some of her scrapbook paper to leftover blocks from a Christmas project (told you I wasn't crafty~I only got as far as painting these ones, but at least I made one stack into a mini-tree! Luckily, green worked for my purposes). We mod-podged cut-out letters (cut by a Cricut machine) on the front,

and since it's on my coffee table, I decided to put letters on the back as well!

(Pardon the lighting--I never get home in time to use the natural light!)

We painted these pots together, using glass and tile medium, to create the perfect pot o' gold, and dumped some dollar store pirate treasure inside for bling! (Scroll down to see where I placed it in my room)

I found the cutest St Patty's Day Subway art on eighteen25 and painted my dollar store frame to match it. Add a plant and a super cute wooden Shamrock from JoAnns and you've got a vignette ($3 since I had a half off coupon! It's really a door hanging type, but I tied a wooden block behind it to act as an easel--kinda proud that I thought of that!)

And, the pièce de résistance... a fabric rainbow!

I have so much fabric that an entire wardrobe is dedicated to it--this used to be clothing storage, but when we moved and got a tiny bit more closet space, my husband said I could commandeer the wardrobe, and that I did!


Among all of those items, I didn't really have the pretty purple or orange I was hoping for, so I just raided my closet for those. You'll notice the purple is a shimmery skirt, and the orange is a sweater that is actually one of my favorites for fall. Obviously I went for texture and sheen as a priority in all of my fabric choices here!


I started with a base shape (re-using some pumpkins from fall decor stacked in a triangle--I love it when I can use something for more than one season!) and figured tape would hold it together pretty well...NOPE!


I was frustrated and sticky before it occurred to me to use my strengths--I work with fabric all the time. I know how to deal with fabric. Tape is NOT the way to deal with fabric--pins are!




Once I got that through my thick skull, it was cake! I literally felt like I was draping a dress on a mannequin, which made way more sense to my sewing brain, especially considering my recent projects :)

No sense in cutting the fabric when I still want to make other things out of it--I just wrapped it all around the base and covered the back with the extra red fabric. Ain't it pretty?

I made a "cloud" out of some white knit fabric, and placed my Pot o' Gold at the end of the rainbow!

(Note, the quote in the frame right above says "Nothing is as Obnoxious as Other People's Luck" by F. Scott Fitzgerald--I got the PDF from Less Cake, More Frosting)


Oh, and I just couldn't resist this St Patty's Day trick!

When a LCMF mentioned dropping some food coloring in the toilet and telling her kids the Leprechaun must have used it, the hubby and I decided we had to find some excuse to do this to Chance and  Jenny! We left them this surprise last night, but still haven't heard anything from them, so we're a bit nervous that they are planning something in revenge! Oh, my! I feel so trick-sy today, so this little Leprechaun may just see how her co-workers react as well! Leave a comment and let me know what tricks are up your sleeve for today!


P.S. I've also been working on another fabric related craft project, and I made sure to take pictures for a tutorial because I am SO in love with it that I want you to try it too! Here's your clue:

Check back soon for the reveal!






Update: I'm linking up! Check out these fabulous blogs and their linky parties!

http://thriftydecorating-nikkiw.blogspot.com/

http://funkypolkadotgiraffe.blogspot.com/2011/03/too-cute-tuesday-linky-par-tay-22.html

Ratatouille Sewing Mantra

I'm enough of a nerd to admit that I get inspiration from Disney movies all the time, even though they are designed to teach kids to build character, not folks in their 20s (but if you think about it, most people in their 20s still have a lot of character building needed!) One such inspiration comes from the movie Ratatouille. The famous chef Gusteau is always saying "Anyone can cook" and that attitude has always been one that I implemented for sewing--anyone can sew, but WAY too many folks think it's intimidating! Don't get me wrong. It take time and skill to fit and finish things properly, and there are many advanced techniques in addition to the simple ones, but I find that people are much more capable than they think they are, if and when they take the time to learn it!

I am, therefore, quite emphatic that everyone can and should learn to sew (and, trust me, there are plenty of simple projects one can do before things advanced techniques even need to be addressed). So I teach/lead a sewing group for several ladies in my church, and I never get over how great it feels to be empowering people with a new skill that is in our day becoming more and more rare! One of my friends came to my house with two skirts she planned on paying me to alter for her daughter, and we were able to not only fix them herself, but then coach her other daughter through making a three teired skirt without a pattern. Another friend came with 4 pair of pants more than 4 inches too long on average and hemmed all of them within the day, and I'm pretty sure the only help I gave was on pinning them at the proper length.

Since I loved doing that so much, I thought it would be fun to do a tutorial/explanation on here every once in a while, especially if I can remember to take pictures of the process! Recently, a friend needed some ties shortened because loved them but they were always too long.

There are several ways I could shorten them, but it's always a good rule of thumb to replace edges (usually hems) with whatever was there to begin with, so I didn't want to just chop off the extra length in a straight line and call it good.

After measuring (and pinning, so you don't lose your measurements!), de-construction is the first step of most projects, so I unstitched the back side to investigate how these ties were put together.

Since they each had a small lining (the dark material) holding the point of the tie in place, I removed the lining from each to use as my guide for cutting a new point, leaving just enough room for the fold and seam allowance, and then top-stitched the lining back into place on the newly created point.

Since I didn't get pictures of that process and can't show you, I won't go into detail on it, but my tip of the day comes with the top-stitching, which can be useful for many other projects.

When top-stitching, you can either choose a contrasting color to draw attention to the stitching as a design aspect (fun with decorative stitching) or try to match your thread exactly with your fabric. I wanted to blend in with the fabric of the ties, but didn't want to see bright pink thread next to the dark lining either, so the way to win on both sides is the thread the top of the machine with the coordinating color for the fabric, and then thread the bobbin (underneath) with the coordinating color for the lining. Since the machine loops the top thread through the bottom thread but actually keeps each thread on it's own side, you will only see the thread that matches! The stitching in the picture to the right is more prominent, so you can see what I'm talking about, and 90% of the time, you can't see the threads at all!

After completing the top-stitching, I just folded the ties back to the center and hand-stitched down the middle, hiding the threads inside, so now the only stitching showing is the coordinating threads! Now you have a basic understanding of a pretty rare alteration! These techniques can be used in a variety of other projects, so whether you are just starting to learn or have been sewing for years, this technique will come in handy soon! Leave a comment and tell me what you want to use it on, or what else you want to learn!

Back from Outer Space

Despite what my lack of recent posts might indicate, I did not indeed fall off the face of the earth (I'm still trying to figure out exactly how to, tho--I'll get back to you on that) But I confess that the holidays were so busy and so fun that I completely forgot my blogging goals! But my sewing wasn't dormant, and the new year gives fresh reason to share some of my projects!

After several casual ideas in the fall, I decided I needed to step up my game in designing, and my office does a fairly formal affair for the holidays each year, so I wanted to design a holiday cocktail dress. Of course, I didn't have a chance to start it until the day before, and with a baby shower planned for a friend on the same day, I ended up not being able to complete it, but I took some pictures of the process, and hopefully you can give me some good input to make it even better in time for Valentines Day or just next year!


I've always loved the asymmetrical necklines and sleeves, but as modesty is a big deal maker for me, I can't really wear the strap on one side and nothing on the other, so I tried vamping up the concept by including a long triangle sleeve on one side (to be open in the front to the elbow, almost in the fly-away style that you might see on a fairy costume, and then taper downward) and a cap sleeve on the other shoulder. I also love architectural details like pleating and rouching, so I created a pleated empire bodice and balanced it out on the bottom with a left to right swish of the same pleating and left the rest of the skirt simple to reduce distractions from the top. It was the first time I've designed by draping on the mannequin itself instead of sketching it (and I'm not a very good artist either), so it was really fun and exciting to do! Now I want to hear your opinion on it--thumbs up or down?

Flashback Fridays ~ Melissa Hill Moss Wedding Dress

I wish I could put all of my past projects online, but on top of forgetting to take pictures of oh so many projects that are now in other people's hands (don't worry, I've definitely kicked myself in the pants about that a time or two!) there really just isn't enough time in any week to make a post that long, and ya'll wouldn't have time to read it all either! So, as a good compromise between the side of me that wants to document almost everything and the side of me that just doesn't have time to, my amazing sister suggested doing a Flashback Friday now and then to highlight a memory--I meant to mostly use it for my personal blog, but it is absolutely needed here as well!

So I'm going to start with my most recent big project--the wedding dress for Melissa Hill Moss! When she came to me, she'd gotten a beautiful beaded wedding gown from David's Bridal, but it had no sleeves! With a little ingenuity and episodes of "Lost" to keep my company, I knew I could give her a beautiful solution.


We wanted to make sure she felt beautiful and confident but we didn't want her to have to wear a shawl all night long, so I designed a collar and sleeves to work into the top of the bodice, with a square neck in front to frame her lovely face and a v-neck in back to draw the eye down to the beautiful train.




The train of the dress was super long, but it had a gorgeous beaded design, so I wanted to accent it as much as possible while making it more maneuverable for her. With a simple hook and eye strategically placed at the top of the design, she had a new bustle to hustle in!






We also didn't want it to look like the sleeves were an afterthought, so after giving her a nice collar and sleeves, I used some extra beaded panels on the sleeves, tying it in with the bodice, and hand beaded the collar edges for a sophisticated flair.

Leave a comment and tell me what you think of it!

70% Comfort, 30% Fashion

(BTW, I'm sorry that I haven't posted for 2 weeks! I'm still trying to get a routine down for this and have recently been without a home computer, but I really hope to post 1 or 2 times a week from here on out, and I even thinking I should do a monthly surprise, so don't give up on me yet--if you keep checking back, I promise you will be rewarded!)

We all have a few ugly things
for comfort's sake!

I was chatting with my friend the other day about the delicate balance between comfort and fashion, and when I was mourning the rain on the drive into work, I was reminded of the same conversation. Thinking about what was most important to me when I dressed each day, I had stated that I was 70% comfort oriented and 30% fashion oriented--and she was shocked! See, I often covet after or design pretty dresses, and I'm constantly musing on the positive effect of a well-put together look, so she understandably thought that fashion was a high priority for me, but I never think it's appropriate to be miserable in an outfit just for the sake of looking good! Fashion can never trump comfort for me (one of my favorite things about both fashion and photography is helping a person feel comfortable in their own skin), but sometimes comfort is a bully and edges fashion right out of play! Most of us would rather wrap ourselves up in baggy sweaters all winter than freeze while looking great (which is of course my greatest concern as weather changes!)

One of my main problems is with the nature of a dress itself. Many good things can be said about a good pair of pants, but nothing really makes me feel pretty like a dress does. A dress often flatters a figure better, makes a girl feel more confident and generally makes everything a bit more classy, even in the casual styles, but they also very often literally leave you cold--as in drafts on the legs and little to no comfort or warmth in the most appropriate shoes, and considering most offices are air conditioned beyond anybody's comfort level, this is really a year round issue! And what about the outfits that are warm enough, but never seem to be long enough?

So what really makes the best outfits? The perfect marriage of the two! You'll rarely see me wear something that would rock the runway, but I feel pretty nice in a flowey dress and deceptively warm tights, or, as winter approaches, a thick dress accented with a colorful scarf and boots. What's your favorite solution to make you feel comfortably fashionable? Leave me a comment!

(Dress pictures from Grosgrain Fabulous and Kim Grey)