Spring Purses

I have taken a few months off from the blog.  I haven’t been too crafty since breaking my tailbone on New Year’s Eve.  Readers of this blog know that there is not a good story to go with that little accident.  I have a brand new pair of glasses to make sure I don’t fall again….


I have been wearing glasses for almost 30 years, just now they include ahem, bifocals....

Recently, I was cleaning out my sewing and crafting space and I came across a number of WIPs (Works in Progress).  I have a few crafts to complete – a poster with some Jason Mraz lyrics, and some Easter decorations.  I have too much crocheting to complete – there is a wrap for me, a blanket for my good friend who just had a baby (maybe I will complete it before her son turns a year!!) and a blanket for my niece.  That blanket needs at least 18 roses on it and they are going to take a while.

On the sewing pile, there are the two black to grey ribbon skirts, a ruffle blanket, curtains for my living room and two spring purses.  The purses were embarrassing, they are almost done and I can’t remember why I did not finish them.

When catching up on projects, it’s so satisfying to have some easy wins so the purses where the first things I completed. 



Here is a close up of the fabric.  So pretty.

This blue purse is a from a pattern found on the pattern pile website and I can't seem to locate the link.  The purse was almost done, it needed a good iron, installation of the snaps and to sew the lining in.  I think it took me an hour. 

The second purse was something I just made up, my own design.  As someone who admits to reading a lot of blogs, I am sure I just made this pattern up from some purse I had seen on any number of blogs.

It has wooden handles and a floral lining.  I think the outer part of this purse is boring and I may add some fabric flowers to brighten it up.  Its spring so why not have some fun!


A nice purse to go with bright summer clothes.



This is the inside of the beige purse

I guess next up will be the ribbon skirts, or maybe a summer dress or that red wool skirt…..sigh.

Let me know if you like the purses.

I'm sharing here:
http://www.sewcando.com/

http://www.niftythriftythings.com/link-parties/

http://www.thegirlcreative.com/link-party-diy-inspired-no-44/

Live High,

Heather

A Line Skirts - New Addiction

 

Remember this fabric?

I needed to do something with this fabric because we had bought it with the intention of using it for the lining of Jennines book bag.  When that did not work out what was a sewing addict friend to do?

We surfed blog land until I found these wicked cool skirts.  I could see Jennine in it instantly.

While we did not follow the blog examples exactly, I created a lovely little A line skirt for her for summer days.  There were some problems with the waist band.  Some one may or may not have sewn it up side down.  (DUH) but after at least one sleepless night, the skirt was completed and looks good as long as you do not stare too long at the waist band.

I did save some of the print to be used at a later date as an accent bit for a brown linen A line skirt. 

What do you think of this fabric?

There was a mere metre left of this and I had to have it.

In the mean time I discovered this fabric and it turned into a rather nice little skirt.  See the waistband?  Sewed it correctly. 

I know right?!!  Jennine HATES it when I make her pose.

I found this other skirt that I am pretty sure is up soon for Jennine.  Yeah I got issues....

 

Live High,

Heather

Made by Me May

Occasional readers of this blog will have noticed that I sew...a bit...okay, a lot. 

It has been alleged that I have a problem:

Busted!! Caught in the act at Fabric Land.

Not true!  Sewing presents a challenge and it is a nice change of pace in my busy life.

Made by  Me May has become an annual tradition in blog land.  Bloggers take a pledge to wear things that they have sewn themselves.  It can be once a week, a few times a week or if you are that good, every day.

Zoe, of So Zo What Do You Know, blog has hosted a "Made by Me May" for a few years now.  Readers of her blog take a pledge to wear more of the items that they have made for the month of May.  Most people document what they have made and link up to the site for the month. 



The skirt I debuted at an event last summer.

I have never taken part in this event before.  This year I am!  Typically, most of my sewing, crocheting focuses on summer wear - skirts are easy to make, tops that slip over the head, no darts, no buttons.  I have been working on summer clothes for a while (probably why spring was so late! Blame me!)  I have made a pledge on Zoe's blog to wear something made by me at least twice a week during the month of May.  I think I have enough items in my closet to make it. 

As part of the Made by Me pledge, bloggers are encouraged to post their outfits regularly to their blog.  This event is the brain child of Zoe, a UK based blogger and sewist extrodinaire.  Click on her name to visit her site.

Expect more frequent posts and please cross your fingers that the weather here in southern Ontario gets warmer as most of my made by me clothes are for warmer temperatures.

Until then,

Live High,

Heather

Heather in Pleather

The awesome people I work with got me a fabric land gift card for an unspecified birthday recently. It was burning a hole in my pocket.  

 

The second I had a moment alone, I wandered into Fabricland alone to stock up on some new stuff for my stash and new projects.  I had it in my head I wanted some pleather for a purse pattern I found here.  Lucky me, I found some kick ass pleather on sale and got enough for mistakes and a skirt.  Unfortunately in my fabric-crazed state, I did not notice that a piece of the pleather in the middle of the cut had a nice huge permanent purple marker swipe on it.  I am lucky to have enough still for the purse and the skirt.  Here is the fabric.  Nice right?! 

This is some killer pleather - no animals were harmed in the sewing of this skirt!

I have cut out both the skirt and the purse but have been waylaid by the purse becasue I cannot find the right handles to complete it.  I am heading to Toronto for a few days next week and will take a brief detour to the garment district to try to locate the right handles.  I have been able to find them on Ebay and will pick them up on line if I have too.  I am itchy to get the purse completed - like right now - so fingers crossed that I find those handles next week.

 

I was able to pick up a bunch of fabrics with my gift card (thanks guys!!) and here are some of the other fabrics I purchased, some grey wool for another purse, navy blue wool for a skirt and some pink fabric that may not be in the photo but will be in a future blog and will be a basic top for wearing under suit jackets at work.

I found working with the pleather to be much easier than I had imagined.  I am not sure that I will wear the skirt too often.  It is fun to make it and it brightened up a cold dark winter.

 

 

I will keep you posted on the future sewing projects.  I have recently located some new sewing blogs that have been around the web for a while.  I am, ahem, slightly over 40 and finding blogs that speak to this confusing fashion time is a huge relief!  Today I'm linking here.

 

Until then,

 

Live High,

Heather 

Turning a beautiful scrap into a magnificient masterpiece

Blogger Note: This is a guest blog written by my husband, Ian McMillan. We both were a part of this story but he beat me to the computer to write it.

Heather

A few weeks ago I walked into Value Village with my wife Heather. I know there’s a large segment of men out there who would rather die than follow their wives into a thrift store but I cannot claim to be part of that group. It’s a guilty pleasure we both share.

This is the quilt unfinished.

When we entered the thrift shop Heather went left to the sewing area while I ventured to the right to stake out the book section. Her little world and my little world, close but forever apart. Maybe that’s why we’ve been able to stick it out together for more than 25 years. That or we’re both hooked on uncovering rare treasures. We’ve both walked out of the place with some great deals before.

On this occasion though there weren’t many books I was interested in so I went with Heather as she did her rounds. I wasn’t paying a lot of attention (looking through fabric makes my eyes glaze over) when Heather stopped dead in her tracks and pulled out something that looked like a colourful sheet.  Read about us stumbling upon it in the original post.

“Is this what I think it is?” she said.

“What do you think it is?”I replied.

“The start of a quilt.”

No longer zoned out I took a closer look at the fabric. It was indeed the start of a quilt. Actually it was the start of two quilts as there was another one right beside the first one. But why were these two unfinished quilts sitting in a thrift store? Quilters DO NOT discard these intricate tapestries because it takes an unbelievable amount of time, effort, money and skill to assemble those things. I know this because my mother is a quilter. They’re a dedicated group and they take a lot of pride in their work.

The first thought that came to me was morbid. No quilter would set aside an unfinished quilt as beautiful as these two appeared. They would have to die before they let something like this get carted off to a thrift store. So in my mind that’s what happened. The quilter died before she could finish her project (I say she because I have never met a man who quilts). After the funeral her kids cleaned out her house and upon coming to her sewing room took everything in there and gave it to charity. 

My mother’s reaction upon seeing the two partially completed quilts was much the same as Heather’s but it ramped up a notch when she saw the stitching. The woman who started these two quilts was very good at her craft as the stitching used was very complex requiring a lot of skill and patience. My mother poured over the details of these quilts in much the same manner an army general would pour over his battlefield plans. When she looked up she nodded her head in approval. Heather had stumbled upon a rare find. She had hit the ‘quilting’ jackpot and it only cost her $8.

Heather’s not a quilter though so she was left with only one choice – she asked my mom if she would finish the quilts for her. You could see the excitement in her eyes as my mother happily agreed. Would it be a lot of work? Count on it. But when you’re as passionate about something as my mother is with quilting it’s not looked upon as work. It’s looked upon as fun. That’s why people who discover their passions in life are so happy. They’re having fun and isn’t that a large part about what life is all about? I think so.

Last weekend Heather woke up with this uncanny feeling that she wanted to visit with my mother. She didn’t know why, just said we had to go over for a visit. As we were getting into the car to go over my cellphone rang. It was my mom and she wanted us to come over as soon as we could because she had something to show us.

When we got there my mom happily brought out one of the two quilts we’d left her weeks ago. It was beautiful. She had taken the beginning of something special and completed it in only a way a ‘Quilting Sister’ could (that’s what mom calls her colleagues). Somewhere in heaven an angel was smiling as she gazed down at a project completed. A beautiful scrap was turned into a magnificent masterpiece.

This is the quilt finished.

Ribbon Skirt Reveal!

I had promised a reveal of the ribbon skirt....duh duh daaaaa!!!!

DONE!!  Please ignore the fluffy hair, I could not get out the flat iron

What do you think of the colours?  The photo needs some photo shop, it is not so washed out.

 

 

So are you going to make one for yourself?  Here are the instructions at Goodbye Valentino -

 

http://goodbyevalentino.com/ribbon-skirt-tutorial/

 

Send Sarah a note that I sent you and share your completed skirts with her!

 

Live High,

 

Heather



Ribbon Skirt Heaven

Goodbye Valentino is a wonderful blog.  She has recently held her first sew a long.  For those of us sewing addicts out there, we could not help ourselves and had to jump on that bandwagon.

A ribbon skirt sew a long was too tempting to pass up.  I dragged Ian with me to fabric stores and Michaels in search of the perfect colour combination.  Unfortunately, none could be found locally so I had to order them on line here.

I was able to purchase four coordinating colours in the nicest quality of gross-grain ribbon I have ever seen.  I know it will stand up to the likes of me in a skirt!

Pretty Right?!

I purchased some good quality cotton to serve as the base and got started.

Here is the progress so far in my new sewing room!

It takes careful planning and pinning to make sure the skirt ends up straight. 

This phase of the project is the devil in the details part.  I don't like details but I have to make sure I measure and pin just right so that when I sew the two sides together, my skirt matches up perfectly.  Although, if was a bit wonky, it would suit me some would say...

 

 

Keep checking back to see the progress.

 

 

Live High,

 

Heather

Little Skirt and Dress

A good friend got married recently and I was determined to make a nice dress to wear to the wedding.  I was desperate for some inspiration for fabric, I already had a pattern.

Here was the pattern:

I could not find any sort of inspiration for the fabric.  I zipped into the fabric store one afternoon to have a look when as I was walking up I saw a Judy with an awesome dress.  I thought, geez that looks like my dress pattern.  I quickened my step and found that yes it was my dress!  A quick slip through the door and asked for the fabric.  I got a bit extra for mistakes.  The pattern was so easy that I had enough extra to make a nice skirt.

Here are the finished products!

Do you love it! I found a wicked Kate Spade purse to match.

See how I match the picture?  Didn't plan that!

I have an event in September and I plan on making another dress for the fall.


Live High,

Heather

 

I did NOT make this

Beautiful!

Ian recently informed me that Stephen King has written a sequel to The Shining.  I admit, that book scared the daylights out of me.  We thought that we should probably re-read the book again before getting the sequel.

Well, there was no way I was going to pay full price for a thirty year old book.  So it was off to scour the second hand stores for one and two, to see what else they had in store.

I have a running list of things I am always looking for - wool, embroidery hoops, cashmere sweaters....

But not this.  Never this. 

I love quilts but I have a Mother in law who is an awesome quilter and I happen to have a key to her home;  I could get my hands on some lovely quilts whenever I want!  There are a number of lovely quilts on our beds hand made by Ian's mom.

I was looking through the bed sheets for unique sheets for any number of re-purpose plans I have rambling through my head when I spotted this unfinished quilt top. 

This quilt topper knocked me off my feet.  I love batik.  I scanned it and it was a complete quilt front. 

And it broke my heart. 

There I was in the second hand store, crying in the sheet aisle.  All I could think was this quilt front was lovingly made but not completed.  Why?  What happened to its maker?  I know sewers and we are obsessed.  I fear quilters are worse.  It seemed unlikely that a dedicated quilter would just give up and donate such a beautiful piece of work incomplete.

Like a lost puppy, this quilt cover was immediately mine.  No matter the cost.  What was the cost?  Oh my goodness, they were selling it for $2.99!!  If the obligation to adopt this cover and complete it was there, it was overwhelming now.  The fabric alone was worth more than that.  But I felt obliged to take this top and make it a complete quilt. 

The drive home, I carried this quilt top in my arms like a precious vase.  I also have no clue about quilting.  I am even allergic to straight lines....

We go grocery shopping every Sunday morning just the two of us.  I am going to ask Ian to take me to his parents so I can show his mom.  (And see if I can sell her on completing this project for me - I feel so strongly it needs to be done)

I will let you know how it turns out.

Live High,

Heather

I'm sharing here:
http://www.flamingotoes.com/
http://sewlicioushomedecor.com/saturday-show-licious-craft-showcase-44/

Pillow Case Dress Bandwagon

Usually on Fridays of long weekends, I try to have some time for myself.  I get work done, print off next week's schedule, tidy my desk.  Then, I meet Ian for lunch as has been our practise for at least ten years and after that, an hour or two all to myself for some thrift shopping or time unsupervised in a fabric shop.

Here is what I found:

Some new, some from the scrape pile, I am partial to the blue pattern one

I am addicted to any sort of pattern.  The louder the better.

I have a friend who needs some easy access dresses for her daughter.  She thought the pillow case dress all over blog land would be perfect.  Have you seen them?

I found two red gingham pillow cases that I had to have, one for Bronwyn and one for my friends daughter.


Here they are cut up and ready to be made into dresses and ruffles.

I could not find other vintage pillow cases, I was lucky to locate two vintage sheets that will make a few dresses.  AND Ruffles.  LOTS of Ruffles.

I went home and washed the dust out the fabric, sifted through my fabric supplies and found coordinating fabrics for ruffles and bias tape for the arm holes.  Mine pillow case dresses were made with out the elastic in the front, that way they will not be tight to the chest.

I hit the fabric store for some ribbon ties.

Here they are done!

Never ending slip cover

I am done my chair cover!!  Yeah!!!

It has not been difficult, just time consuming.  My sewing machine sits in the corner of the basement and that is where the family congregates and I feel guilty sewing when they are all watching tv.

I finally worked on the next steps - sew the zipper in, sew the pompoms to the bottom, a little pressing and then it is done.  Instead of a simple row of pompoms, I added a patterned ruffle (flounce?!) to the bottom.  Free fabric, free chair, I can change it when I like for a little cost. I am so excited to finish this and move on to other sewing projects.

After that, all I have to do is keep the kids paws off it until I can create a cover for the couch and other chair destined for the living room.

Do you like it?

Live High

Heather