cutting floor necklaces

After a couple of days break, due to the overwhelming cramming of crafting for the festival, I have re-emerged from underneath a pile of fabric and creative goo.

I'm back. The love says I am hitting on everything lately, and while I try not to brag on myself, I think he may be right.

I had a day off on wednesday and I didn't really feel like doing anything. The weather was rainy, my dishes were dirty, the pup needed a bath. But all I really wanted to do was watch an entirely too depressing movie and craft something.

So with windows open, kitten purring by my head, I grabbed my scrap fabric basket and went to work watching revolutionary road and making these snazzy new necklaces. Its a fashion trend, I am sure. I love them, anyway.

P.S. Don't watch Revolutionary Road if you are even slightly contemplating the direction of your life. It will make you want to die. Just sayin'.

Saturday Static (on Sunday)

louis capwell

Saturday Static is a day late this week due to my being at a festival this weekend (post to come soon!) It was a two day adventure, but today got rained out for the most part. ah, shucks.

But here is what I'm obsessed with at the moment:

1. I have a feeling that this store is going to get a lot of my paycheck. sigh. I love the way Ornamentea is just set up. And the fact that when I look at it, I'm just inspired to go do something. Anything really. My first purchase with be the Amazing Glaze. Yep, yep, yep.

2. I made this Tomato Tart when The Love and his mother came to lunch last month. And I think I may have made it forty times since then. Its the absolute perfect meal. Tasty, pretty, makes your house smell like you have a perfectly warm Italian grandmother. Oh, and its easy. The lady at Ezrapoundcake makes me laugh all the time too. Her sarcasm and love of food is just the tits.

3. I need a pair of red boots for the fall. I think I would wear them with everything I owned. No matter if they matched or not. I'm kind of excited about boot season. I really want these boots from the Toast catalog. I can't afford them. but I want them.

4. I'm a little in love with Laura Normandin. Her designs and creations at Wren Handmade make me want to go dress shopping with her, bake her cookies and live in the sunlight. She's just really fabulous. You should love her too.

5. I'm back on screen printing my own fabric. happiness. Its time for my mesh. WHO KNEW ORIENTAL TRADING CARRIED ART SUPPLIES??? gotta love crafty on the cheap.

The Wrist Pincushion

I've been obsessing over wrist pincushions for some time now. It brings up visions of being a "real" sewist. My hair in a ponytail, threads stuck to my shirt, scissors in hand, and....

whaa.....

no pins in my mouth!
Hark! Such a dream.

I'll be rolling a pin head around in my mouth and realize how unsafe that is. And wonder why I can't just put them in the pincushion. And the answer I usually come up with is because every time I move to a new spot, the pincushion doesn't follow me. So, here is the answer. A pincushion that I wear.
C'mon! Isn't it almost as cute as a fashion accessory as it is a practical tool? I barely want to take it off when I leave the house.

I looked around for different ideas for this one. But I found an odd similarity in most of them. When using a wrist pincushion, what stops you from pushing the pins in too far and poking your wrist to bits? Most would say just pay attention. But, I mean, we've all been in craftzoneland. Who pays attention? So, I decided to cut a square of mat board and fuse it to the bottom square of fabric, and voila! A pin stopper for sure. No pricked wrists.

The Scarf Obsession.

A lot of my childhood was spent visiting my great grandmother in a place filled with proper southern ladies. They had tea. They talked....gossiped, though none of them would ever fess up to it.

In her bedroom in her beautiful house in the middle of a cornfield there was an armoire. A big beautiful mirror she always hung her pink straw hat on. In the middle was a mirror bottomed tray that kept her beautiful bottles of perfume.

The treasure however was in the bottom two drawers. That's where she kept her scarves. Glorious colors and patterns of scarves. My cousins and I would put together beautiful gowns and Sunday outfits by safety pinning scarves together, only to make the rest of the family suffer through a fashion show at the end of dinner. It is my single favorite memory of being a kid in that house. Well, maybe a close second to her to die for cheese cake that tasted like a cream cheese cloud.

That's what started my scarf obsession. It has continued into my adulthood which is evident by the stacks of scarves in my closet. I've passed that obsession onto my five year old niece. She popped out of her front door the other day in an outfit that can only be contrived in a five year old's head. And simply stated, "Aunt Laura wears scarves, I can too!"

Today I made a fabric scarf I woke up thinking about. I'm going to make a million more. I kind of dig it. Go, Me.

Saturday Static

Saturday Static will be a list of things that are keeping me awake at night. Not just things crafty. But just things that make me tick.

On with it.

1. BIAS TAPE MAKERS! Oh, manna from heaven. I'm innocently watching a pbs quilting show, and what! In half a minute, there are yards and yards of lovely bias tape. My life has officially changed. Here is a great tutorial by Nicole Mallalieu of You Sew, Girl! You can buy a bias tape maker for next to nothing. And you will be addicted. Just don't say I didn't warn you.
2. Speaking of addicted. I can't stop staring at this etsy shop. Mountain of the Dragon, I love you. (and your pretty shop header.) Thank you for filling my boredom with dreams of swimming in a sea of fabric.
3. Hugh Laurie as Mr. Palmer. Watching it makes me laugh hysterically. And then fall in love.
4. Wet Plate Collodion Photography. Fascinating! Robert Szabo seems to be a real character. I want to hang out with him.
5. I'm planning a trip. Who knew something like this existed. A convention. for hobos. And its serious stuff. You need to read what the new king of the hobos had to say. He'd make a good politician.

The World of Linen.

I made something out of linen for the first time today. I was trying to explain using really good linen to my best friend. He understood.

It's like using roseart crayons because they are cheap and they work and you are just coloring someone else's picture in. But then, on your 8th birthday your favorite aunt buys you a real drawing pad and your first box of 96 crayons with the sharpener in the back.

Yeah, its exactly like that.

Putting the rotary cutter down on that first cut was like cutting butter. And then the sewing machine. Oh! the sewing machine...

You lay the foot down on that first line of stitches and you fall in love. I'm in love.

This is my first linen tote. And I'm super happy.