Tag : fabric

62 posts

201311/19

T Tuesday: Something’s brewing edition

T stands for Tuesday rolls around more quickly each week it seems. Think it’s possible that our hostess Elizabeth is speeding up time? Yeah…probably not happening.

This week my Tea is not for drinking… I’m just dye-ing to show you what I’m doing. *teeheehee*

My supplies are simple…old package of 6 tea bags that I’d never drink. Scraps of linens, lace and ribbon. Glass bowl. Boiling water. And time.

Bubble, bubble toil and trouble. And now we wait…

I’m heading for a brisk morning walk with a friend.

What are you doing today?

Blog

fabric, lace, ribbon, scraps, T Tuesday, tea dye

11 Comments

halleday

201311/10

I’m still here…

Just had to get that out there. I haven’t been around to visit hardly any of my regular haunts online. I was gone quite a bit this week though so we’ll go with that. :)When I’m home, this seems to be my point of view. Not that I’m complaining. I’ve got orders for many of my sewn items which is fantastic!

Late last evening I got a phone call from a friend asking if I’d be a part of a boutique style show right after Thanksgiving. Oh yeah…I’m in!

Today I’m really stepping up my production line. I hate to call it that since each item is one of a kind but I do work on several at the same time…production line style. Mr. G likes to tease me when I’m ironing seams…since I almost never iron our clothing.

I feel like I’m honestly making a good dent in my fabric stash. I’m sure “Grandma” Livingston would be happy to know her fabrics are continuing to be put to good even 30 years later. I love mixing the old with the new for completely unique patchwork.

Upcycling linens

It has taken me quite some time to bring myself to cut into these beautifully stitched linens even though they were all either stained, ripped or tattered in some way. When I finally decided what they could become, I held my breath and took the first slice.

The process was very similar to the first time I ripped into a book or tore a photograph. Once you get the first one over with…the next come easier.

Now I have a few beautiful tissue cases all ready to go for gifts or my etsy store.

Of course, I still love patchwork… I think I could stitch patchwork all day and never get sick of it…as long as there is no pattern I have to follow. I hate patterns. Saying that makes me wonder why I bought a pattern for a shirt the other day. Yeah, I know…what was I thinking?
I blame Pinterest. I saw this really cool make-over of a regular t-shirt into something stylish and girlie. We’ll see if I follow through on that one. Wish me luck!

Blog

fabric, pathcwork, sewing, upcycling, vintage linens

3 Comments

halleday

201310/06

Upcycling projects

We all know how to recycle and I’m sure most do it daily. Newspapers, cardboard, glass and plastic are all readily recyclable in most cities, at least across the USA.

This is wonderful! But I’ve been really focused on upcycling lately. Finding a new use for something that would ordinarily be tossed out. Wine corks, bottle caps, worn out clothing, stained linens, broken plates…you get the idea.I showed a sneak peek of these a while ago. I made a wine cork tree last year but this time I decided to change things a bit. I used a Champagne cork cut in half for the trunk. I think they turned out really cute.

I’ve also been using some scraps from previous projects such as the denim remaining after completing a quilt or two. As well as the remainder of the dress shirts that I made wine bottle gift bags from.

In addition I’ve been making a bunch more cards. I’ll show more of these last two projects at a later date. The cards have much less upcycling in it’s truest sense but I am still attempting to include elements that might otherwise be considered unusable such as tiny scraps of fabric and yarn. As well as photo trimmings. I have a cigar box full of photo trimmings…they have such vibrant colors that it’s a shame to toss them out.

It doesn’t have to be Earth Day to be a little “green”. Do a little more every day to be kind to our planet. Last time I checked…it’s the only one we have. :)

Blog

buttons, fabric, photo, recycling, scraps, sewing, upcycling, yarn

5 Comments

halleday

201309/23

T-shirt scarf

You may recall that I showed this sneak peek of a project that looked pretty much like a pile of rags. Well…not quite.

I was inspired by a friend who sent me a link to this upcycled t-shirt scarf after making one for her daughter. It’s a quick and simple no-sew project.

The boy had just outgrown yet another shirt, so it was perfect timing.

The shirt I used had seams on both sides. The tutorial didn’t allow for this. I decided to take extra bits of shirt and tie a knot to cover each seam that was exposed.

Next time I’ll use an adult size shirt to make the loops longer that way it won’t be as tight when doubled up.

Blog

fabric, recycling, upcycling

2 Comments

halleday

201305/06

Retreat weekend

You never know what you’re going to get in Minnesota.

Little J and I traveled 2.5 hours north to a camp for a weekend of Mother Daughter quality time. The lake was still iced over when we got there. It was cold and drizzling but we decided to make the best of it…even horseback riding in the rain. We wore several layers of coats, topped with rain-gear, hats and gloves.

There were 14 in our group all sharing our cabin which incidentally had no bathroom but at least it had a furnace!! It was wonderful getting to know this group of women more over the weekend. All of our daughters got to know each other and fostered some new friendships.

There were over 400 women and girls at the camp!! I’ve never been a part of anything like this before. So much fun. I can only imagine that it would have been exponentially more fun if the weather was better and Little J had been feeling better. But she was a trooper and didn’t whine or complain or beg to go home. We had ridden with a friend so leaving would have been a major issue.

We did lots of crafting… Fabric headband