katerinabead!

I got the bestest-smelling prezzie today! Hee, I loooove the fish card! I'm going to do something with it--probably a collage--and the beautiful paper as well, which I managed to unwrap without tearing.

Also, you know what an inveterate re-purposer I am... The fabric of the sachet is soooo gorgeous, and the sachet itself is large enough... I'm going to make probably three smaller sachets from the contents; for them I'll use up fabric bits to small to be "useful", but too pretty to throw away. To the larger sachet fabric I'll add a lining--either chocolate brown, gold, or brilliant blue satin to match the book bindings--and a matching braided satin cord drawstring, to make a bag for my favorite tarot deck. That way it won't shine its beauty away in a drawer, and I can think of you every time I use it.

See what a good gifter you are? You've given me the components for at least five projects--you STAR! Thank you, and Happy Merry to you!


Actually, I've been stuck on getting to the sewing machine. I have several bags cut out, already matched with linings, and haven't been able to generate enough interest-ambition-initiative to actually start putting them together. I try to use up scrap fabric, but occasionally I'll buy remnants, or even cloth off the bolt if it's very special. 1/4 yard will give me six bags or more, and I try to keep enough lining fabric and cording, bought whenever I can find them on sale, on hand in enough colors that I can match a background color. I love picking out a shout of accent color with a lining and drawstring that match, rather than matching the predominant colors in a print. Textured linings are fun, too, when I can afford them. A woven-dot (foulard? matelesse? what is the fabric with a woven-in figure or pattern?) red synthetic silk has lined purple fabric with red-blue-green-gold foil stars, with a red-blue-green braid cord. I used the same red-dot lining and multicolor cording for the purple-red-green pyramids on a cream background, and the gold-edged multicolor dragonflies on blue. I've made several of each and given them away. But I have more of each fabric, plus other fabrics the red-dot lining would be perfect for, and I've just about run out of the red-dot silk. I found it at the ancient fabric warehouse where my mom bought the fabrics she used to sew my high school wardrobe, and they don't have the red silk any more. Who knows how long the fabric had been there? I have no idea I'll ever find it anywhere else.

I found a crushed burgundy satin on the remnant table at JoAnn, and used it to line bags I made from upholstery chenille in pale lemon, apple green, and crimson. I used it for several heavyweight cotton prints, and a patchwork one of dusty-rose chiffon velvet I salvaged from an old jacket my mom had made me. But now except for tiny scraps, it's all gone, too. Crepe-backed satin in silver and gold have been marvelous to handle as linings, but the stuff is prohibitively expensive. However, after trying to work with sheath lining, cheap, but oh-so-slippery, especially when trying to mate 7 x 9 inch pieces of lining and shell fabric, having the slippery sheath lining slide out from under the needle for the eventieth time is No Fun. So I'll actually pay more for the lining fabric to get easier to use texture.

And then there's the set of sofa cushions, which I've already cut pieces for from blue, red, gold and green cotton-blend with a metallic shimmer in each, plus a textural smorgasbord of small pieces of upholstery tapestries, velvets and chenilles to incorporate into each cushion. And somehow, I can't seem to get inspired. Urgh. Maybe now that the outside decorations are up and what's getting wrapped is wrapped, I can get to the machine this week.

Meanwhile, for those interested, here are a few of the bags I've done. Oh, plus one lazy three-leggity beastie basking above the rad. The black bag is lined with egg-yolk yellow satin to match the cording. I don't think you can see it well in the photo. The cranes fabric could have been lined and corded in chocolate to match the shading on the wings, or black, or gold, as there are metallic gold dots sprinkled overall. But the cranes themselves have caps of red feathers, so the red-dot silk, red cord, and red topstitching are a little unexpected, and really pop against the almost all-browns print.

katerinabead!

I got the bestest-smelling prezzie today! Hee, I loooove the fish card! I'm going to do something with it--probably a collage--and the beautiful paper as well, which I managed to unwrap without tearing.

Also, you know what an inveterate re-purposer I am... The fabric of the sachet is soooo gorgeous, and the sachet itself is large enough... I'm going to make probably three smaller sachets from the contents; for them I'll use up fabric bits to small to be "useful", but too pretty to throw away. To the larger sachet fabric I'll add a lining--either chocolate brown, gold, or brilliant blue satin to match the book bindings--and a matching braided satin cord drawstring, to make a bag for my favorite tarot deck. That way it won't shine its beauty away in a drawer, and I can think of you every time I use it.

See what a good gifter you are? You've given me the components for at least five projects--you STAR! Thank you, and Happy Merry to you!


Actually, I've been stuck on getting to the sewing machine. I have several bags cut out, already matched with linings, and haven't been able to generate enough interest-ambition-initiative to actually start putting them together. I try to use up scrap fabric, but occasionally I'll buy remnants, or even cloth off the bolt if it's very special. 1/4 yard will give me six bags or more, and I try to keep enough lining fabric and cording, bought whenever I can find them on sale, on hand in enough colors that I can match a background color. I love picking out a shout of accent color with a lining and drawstring that match, rather than matching the predominant colors in a print. Textured linings are fun, too, when I can afford them. A woven-dot (foulard? matelesse? what is the fabric with a woven-in figure or pattern?) red synthetic silk has lined purple fabric with red-blue-green-gold foil stars, with a red-blue-green braid cord. I used the same red-dot lining and multicolor cording for the purple-red-green pyramids on a cream background, and the gold-edged multicolor dragonflies on blue. I've made several of each and given them away. But I have more of each fabric, plus other fabrics the red-dot lining would be perfect for, and I've just about run out of the red-dot silk. I found it at the ancient fabric warehouse where my mom bought the fabrics she used to sew my high school wardrobe, and they don't have the red silk any more. Who knows how long the fabric had been there? I have no idea I'll ever find it anywhere else.

I found a crushed burgundy satin on the remnant table at JoAnn, and used it to line bags I made from upholstery chenille in pale lemon, apple green, and crimson. I used it for several heavyweight cotton prints, and a patchwork one of dusty-rose chiffon velvet I salvaged from an old jacket my mom had made me. But now except for tiny scraps, it's all gone, too. Crepe-backed satin in silver and gold have been marvelous to handle as linings, but the stuff is prohibitively expensive. However, after trying to work with sheath lining, cheap, but oh-so-slippery, especially when trying to mate 7 x 9 inch pieces of lining and shell fabric, having the slippery sheath lining slide out from under the needle for the eventieth time is No Fun. So I'll actually pay more for the lining fabric to get easier to use texture.

And then there's the set of sofa cushions, which I've already cut pieces for from blue, red, gold and green cotton-blend with a metallic shimmer in each, plus a textural smorgasbord of small pieces of upholstery tapestries, velvets and chenilles to incorporate into each cushion. And somehow, I can't seem to get inspired. Urgh. Maybe now that the outside decorations are up and what's getting wrapped is wrapped, I can get to the machine this week.

Meanwhile, for those interested, here are a few of the bags I've done. Oh, plus one lazy three-leggity beastie basking above the rad. The black bag is lined with egg-yolk yellow satin to match the cording. I don't think you can see it well in the photo. The cranes fabric could have been lined and corded in chocolate to match the shading on the wings, or black, or gold, as there are metallic gold dots sprinkled overall. But the cranes themselves have caps of red feathers, so the red-dot silk, red cord, and red topstitching are a little unexpected, and really pop against the almost all-browns print.