As much as I would like all of my sewing time to be artistic and creative, I also have to face the fact that there will always be some practical sewing that needs to be done. I can put it off for extended periods of time, but there comes a time when there is danger of the mending pile toppling over on me while I sit at the sewing machine. So for the last few days, I spent some time patching work pants, mending sweaters, sewing on buttons, and hemming pants. With that pile down to socks that need darning I moved on to some other practical but more fun sewing.I looked through my large collection of vintage children's clothing patterns and found a pattern that would work for making P. some pants. She seems to have trouble with ready made pants. She is tall and thin and can't keep them up.
I cut up an old corduroy skirt and a pair of old corduroy pants and made two pair of pants.
Now I feel free to get back to some creative play in my sewing room.
Artistic Challenges
Artistic challenges are fun. My local quilting group sometimes has challenges where we each make a quilt based on a given idea or technique. I enjoy seeing what different things come out of the base idea. I have found that given a challenge like this I often try new ideas. It could be a new technique, color, material combination or something else. The challenge idea gives me a different place to start and I think about the project in a different way than I usually would. It really helps me grow as a fiber artist.Last year I found the Tie One On challenge hosted by Amy Karol. She has a lot of information on apron history and apron styles on her blog. She cleverly challenges sewers to make an apron based on one of her theme ideas such as "Valentines day," "Rick Rack," or "the pocket." Her latest challenge was "Local Pride." After reading her presentation of the theme I thought about my home town, and state. I thought about what makes it special. Several ideas came to mind, but I settled in on something that my family loves to do every July. We pick blueberries. We go to the local blueberry farm in the early morning and pick berries before it is too hot. We have our buckets strapped around our waists and pick the berries with both hands. We bring them home and eat them by the hands full. We bake blueberry pies, scones, and muffins. We eat them on cereal. We make blueberry shakes. We freeze pounds and pounds of them to eat through the winter.This child's apron is my entry in the "Local Pride" apron challenge:
Very recently I found another challenge site, The Purse Project. Anything you ever wanted to know about bags or purses can be found here! Barb Lawrence challenges her readers to make different kinds of purses, bags, or totes. The most recent challenge here was the amulet bag. This is the bag I submitted.
I have made a number of bags in this style but thought this challenge called for something different. After reading her ideas, and history I decided that my bag needed to be "earthy." I chose earth brown beads with subtle variations as there are on earth and lovely brown perle cotton. The bag is knit with the beads slipped between the stitches as you go. The strap beads include some tubular bone beads.
visualize
Everything starts with the imagination. We usually imagine something before we actually accomplish it. Even Olympic athletes will visualize a winning race or perfect gymnastics sequence before competing.Those of us who create or craft use our imagination quite a bit. We can look at a hank of fine merino wool yarn and imagine a soft, warm, pair of socks with a cable running up the side of the leg. We might look at another hank of yarn and see a gossamer web lace shawl. Some of us may see a pile of fabric scraps and see a lovely apple core charm quilt or a double wedding ring.That is how we can start with an idea and pull together some fabrics like this:
and end up with a project like this.
doll clothes
I remember the excitement at our house when my mother won this doll and extravagant handmade wardrobe. The evening dress has individually sewn rhinestones and came with a white fur stole. She also has a red crinoline under that dress.
Her wardrobe included day outfits and coats and even matching hats and purses.
She has some sporty summer wear and even a swimsuit that somehow did not make it into the photo. Look at that hand embroidery on the blue shift.
She has some casual mix and match separates.
No wardrobe would be complete without undergarments, a nightgown, and bathrobe.
The clothes all have hand finishing and tiny little snaps and buttons. I wonder about the person who made all of these and never saw the children who spent so much time playing with them. I am curious what her group was raising money for and wonder how much they made by raffling the doll and clothes.I may make detailed doll clothes for one of Ps dolls one day (this one is fragile and is for display) but now I am making simple dresses like this:
and this:
Grandmother
My grandmother taught me a lot of needlework crafts. It is because of her that I know how to tat.She encouraged my sisters and me in all things that we did and made. My grandmother was also a master of simple fun. She could entertain my sisters and me all day with a piece of string, a button, and a handkerchief! She knew a lot of tricks. We learned to make a doll from a handkerchief and also the love knot!
She taught us the magic trick of how to cut off our fingers or head with a piece of string. She even taught my son that trick which he performed for his second grade magic show years ago.My grandmother always appreciated the things that we made for her. Even when we were very young and our attempts were not of top quality she always complimented us and said whatever it was that we had made was "the most beautiful she had ever seen." I always loved hearing that. My sisters and I sometimes joked about wanting to be the last to give her a gift because then our gift would be "the most beautiful." I know now that the beauty she saw in all the gifts was not just in the item and how it was made but in the love, thought, and time that went into its creation.When I was young she made these pin cushions for me. I don't think I appreciated them when she gave them to me but now I think they are truly the most beautiful I have ever seen and they are the ones that I use all the time when I am sewing.
The Potting Shed
I love to spend time in The Potting Shed. It is a great little shop in my town full of treasures. It is a shop that sells eclectic items for original gift giving and unique things for your home vintage and new. She has garden items, household items, children's items, kitschy stuff, jewelry, greeting cards and more. My recent finds there include this amazing old handkerchief
and this great old apron.
In addition to my greeting cards, she now has these.
I like to support local businesses and I also like that this one supports local artists.
Aqua and Red
I got this stack of 1950s children's books at a garage sale this spring.
As I looked at them I noticed that they were almost all colored in aqua and red. They looked great together. I really like the deep saturated red with the bright aqua-- so very 1950s.I am also a member of this doll quilt challenge group. Each month there is a different challenge idea. I like these sorts of challenges because sometimes they encourage me to try something new.I got out my bin of scraps and pulled out reds and aquas. I made this:
and then this:
for the doll challenge group. Several years ago a friend who does hand dying gave me some perle cotton thread in these same saturated colors. I used that thread to hand quilt these little quilts.
Most recently I made this quilt from the same bundle of fabric scraps.
Doll quilts are great for trying out ideas.I am finding that my inspiration for projects comes from a variety of sources. It usually comes from something unexpected.
Hearts
Years ago my son found this rock by the barn and gave it to me. And, we found this in our potato harvest this fall.
heart- the center of the total personality, esp. with reference to intuition, feeling, or emotion.I have been inspired to make this little bib.
Adventure
Everything is an adventure when you are two.
Walking in the woods
to see fall leaves.
Sewing with a needle and thread for the first time.
Doing embroidery
like mom.
Two year old adventures are very exciting.
