soozphotoz

the alchemy of fiber

the alchemy of fiber

start with a plant
or an animal
cotton or wool

add a vision
a need
or whimsy

stir with needles
and maybe thread

each gives a part of itself
to become something new

perhaps not iron
into gold

but to do all of this
in one's red flannel pajamas
seems nothing short of
magic

Christmas Quilt

With Sara's party dress completed (phew!), I can resume work on my mother's Christmas quilt.

pins & needles

 

A pincushion made from the scraps of one of my grandmother's quilts...I needed another pincushion and making it took less time than buying one. And let's face it, I thrive on making stuff.

The first step is admitting you have a problem

I admit it. I have somehow become addicted to Project Runway. And to Tim Gunn (those of you that really know me are saying to yourselves - NOT Again?!) I adore the way he says "Talk to me." Men don't often say that (not straight men anyway); most often they are thinking to themselves "please STOP talking to me."

I've never fancied myself to be a designer but I do periodically delve into not-so-haute fashion and sewing. And now, thanks to Project Runway and my too many vacations over the summer, I am sewing again. With a vengeance (okay, I'm buying fabric with a vengeance, but the sewing really is following!)

During these sporadic bouts of domestication in my newly transformed Sewing Room, I listen to playlists in iTunes. Here is a sample of my latest:

Heavenly Day - Patty Griffin
There's a Hole in the Sky - Gary Jules
Homemade Hurricanes - Amplifico
Tree Hugger - Kimya Dawson
Many the Miles - Sara Bareilles
Easy as the Rain - The Little Willies
I Don't Ever Give Up - Patty Griffin (kinda like my Theme Song)
What If We Went to Italy - Mary Chapin Carpenter
The Puppy Song - Harry Nilsson
It's Amazing - Jem
Everybody Loves a Lover - Doris Day (yeah, I know, but I can't help that one any more than I can help being addicted to Project Runway)

Martha on Steroids

Reusable gift bags and homemade tags

Move over, Martha! I've been up since 4:30 AM sewing my little heart out! I decided to go Green this year for wrapping gifts and made reusable fabric gift bags...which, incidentally, I will retrieve from my immediate family so that I don't have to do much for next several years except swaddle the gift in tissue paper and plunk it into the bag.

These bags are not only Green but soooooooooo easy to make! The fabric was inexpensive to start and then 50% off at JoAnns....the grosgrain ribbon was 60% off and the labor was, well, free since I didn't charge myself my normal going rate. I sewed the ribbon to the side seam of the bag so that they couldn't be misplaced. Should you make your own fabric giftbags, be sure to leave a wide hem (3-4 inches) at the top since the inside shows a bit.

With some of the extra fabric I also made temporary pillow covers. Basically they are just like the bags except sans la ribbon. Where the two wide hems come together I simply held the pillow cover closed by sewing white buttons along the side. When the holidays are over, I can just remove the buttons and Voila! my original pillow is beneath.

I didn't photograph the sofa and chair pillows but I did take a photo of one of the pages in Robert Sabuda's wonderful pop-up book entitled Winter Tale (you can see the cover of the book in the bottom photo):

A page from Winter Tale...the lights on the house even light and twinkle!

A few goody bags from Santa arrived early this year (that is to say, I usually don't even start wrapping my gifts until Christmas Eve).

Well, now I'm off to bake cookies! What's Martha got that I haven't (aside from jail time and an army of servants to do her bidding)....on second thought, think I'll snag a nap first :-) More Christmas to come...

Real Busy

Redwork self portrait

If idle hands are the Devil's Playground, then what are busy hands? God's School? Either way, my hands have been Real Busy...sewing in some way or other...embroidery, quilting, and tote-bagging. I haven't used the real camera in quite some time (photo above: cell phone shot). Now that the weather is finally more Autumn-like, perhaps the leaves will begin giving me a reason to wander out with the camera. But in the duration, there are cute little sock and glove animals to progenerate!

None of this makes for very exciting blog material, but, hey, ya gotta go with what ya got :-)

Sew Much to Do

This uber-cool book arrived on Monday (not magically--I ordered it from Amazon) and all I want to do is stay home and SEW...not that I don't love my job but, well, no need for further explanation. (That Sheryl Crow song All I Want to Do Is Have Some Fun seems to be my theme song lately :-)

I plan to rush home right after school and finish a simple tote that I started based on the book. I'm using Amy Butler fabric from her Lotus collection...yummy colors! If a nap doesn't overtake me, I'll post a photo tomorrow.

Happy Birthday Sara!

I met Sara for brunch today to wish her a Happy Birthday and deliver her Bday present...a one-of-a-kind bag that I made from denim skirt. Some of the vintage fabrics that I used to embellish the purse were purchased last November in a Paris flea market.  I'm thrilled to say that she really loves the gift!

The purse front (duh).

The pockets can hold a cell phone, keys, etc....think I'll make one for me too.

The inside heart is from a quilt that my Grandma made...it's falling apart so I have decided to recycle the "good parts."  (for those of you gasping in horror...I have several of her quilts and I think she'd be happy to know little bits of one of them are being appreciated by family)