Flippie Time

A friend of ours up at the river did me a favor and painted some lettering on a sign and we decided to barter our talents.   In exchange for her painting I embroidered some flip flops on a pair of her shorts and matching jacket.   This is what they look like.   It was a fun project for me and I hope she likes them.

I put small flips on the left side of her lapel and a clothesline of flips on each jacket cuff.

And to tie it all together, the shorts now have flips on each leg at the side vent.  

As I was embroidering the cuffs, I realized that because of the curve of the design, it would lend itself to being sewn on a visor.   Hmmmmm......maybe next time.   If you'd like to see the designs up close just "double click" with your mouse.

Flipping "Out",
Debbie

Ostrich, anyone?

I know, it's been a while since I've posted.....we always seem to have something going on here at our house.   My husband had a close medical scare and that has thrown our lives into a different (healthier? tee-hee) direction.   Maybe now we can get our lives back to normal, whatever that is.

Recently, our oldest son, Jarrad, bought a '78 Volkswagon van and is in the middle of restoring it.  The engine/mechanical work is pretty much finished, and now he gets to play with the cosmetic work.   That's where I came in......well, that's where I got dragged in....you could say.   He asked if I could help him reupholster the car seats.   Ummmmm......I guess so.....ummmm, never did that before but we can try.

Off we go to Joann's Fabrics where he had seen this...
Yup, fake ostrich.   Pretty convincing, too!   So he picked out a companion fabric and we estimated our yardage, had it cut and drove home.   Yikes!  Now I have to DO something with this fabric.  Ok, breathe.  

He had already torn apart the seat covers so I could use them as a pattern.   Man, were they ever disgustingly filthy dirty.   I had grit all over my kitchen and dining room, but they worked pretty well as a pattern for the new covers.  

With just a little trial and error the new covers came together fairly easily.....surprisingly......amazingly....guess that wasn't so bad after all....  And, of course, thank goodness that Jarrad can take anything apart and put it back together again like he was simply making a piece of toast.  He man-handled the metal attachments for the seats and before I knew it, they were transformed into something pretty darned nice!

And here are the front seats installed.  Not too shabby, even if I do say so myself.   Now, if he could just put in some door side panels.  Giggle....

The kids even like riding back here.....they seem to have already claimed their space in the van.

Pretty danged fancy, if you ask me.....just another weekend at the Roberts' house.   Oh, well, Jarrad is really "stoked" as he likes to say. As every mom knows, when your kids are happy, mama is happy, right?

The End,
Mama

Basket Making 101

 Soooooooooo, I went to the river this past weekend and took my friend, Susan Marie with me.   She wanted to teach me how to make baskets.  Ok...........so she and Billy, the helper dude, trudged off and easily found grapevine growing in a palm tree, cut a huge swath of it off and dragged it back to our deck.   Then, he went off and came back with what looked like a 50 gallon trough that had been used to feed goats and we proceeded to soak the vines after we cleaned all the leaves off of them.

 Susan twisted the largest sections into circles to serve as the handles and the perimeter for our baskets.   She brought handspun yarns, raffia and tools to use so our hands wouldn't get so tired.   Check out the baskets in the background that she made in the past using the same techniques she was teaching me.  

 Here she is hard at work trying to get finished before we had to leave Monday.    It surprised me how many hours go into making something that looks so simple and primitive.   I kept picturing women over the millenia using indiginous materials to make these highly functional items for their homes.   What a cool skill to learn!

Whew!   Susan finished hers and helped me to get mine completed just before we had to pack up and leave.    Thanks, Susan, for another fun, crafty, girls weekend at the river.    Oh, yeah, and we ate really well, too!    Lots of grilling, baking, and creating went on in the kitchen......3 meals a day!

Ready to make another one,
Debbie

Check out "Home"

I've added a new website to my blog list on the right hand side of my blog and thought you might like to check it out.   My oldest son, Jarrad, has started to pursue his love of woodworking in earnest and you can view samples of his work on his site.  Or you can log onto http://sullivanandsonswoodworking.com/ and view his website.   He can build anything.........seriously......he's amazing.   The clock above is just one sample of the gorgeous projects he crafts.  He made this detailed clock for my husband and I for Christmas and we love it!

Hope you enjoy his work,
Debbie

More T-shirt Quilts

 Quilts, quilts and more quilts!   I love making quilts, or have you already figured that out?  This one is for a sweet little girl whose parents participate in marathons.  I tried to incorporate as much pink in it as I could.

 So, I used pink quilting thread and sewed varying wiggly lines for the quilting lines and embroidered her name on the front in pink.  

Every once in a while I included a little flower in the stitching.   Isn't the binding fun?   Black, white, lime, pink, chartreuse and soft teal stripes helped to pull all the colors of the t-shirts together.   This quilt was a pleasure to make and the shy smile on the little girl's face when I placed it in her arms made all the work worthwhile.

Have t-shirts, will quilt,
Debbie

Pin Cushion, Anyone?

Ok, how cute is this pin cushion?   I just love making these!   The base is a painted clay bottom used for outdoor planters.   I could make a dozen of these in different colors.   The idea came from The Quilt Shop of DeLand and they're made using yo-yo's for the "cushion" and the lime green topper.   The leaves are large circles folded in quarters and hand sewn at the raw edge and gathered up to form a leaf.  Everything gets glued to the base and it's done!

Of course, I always have to add a few doo-dads to make it PFT style...like the stacked buttons and the orange yarn tied at the top.    The more of these I make the crazier the add-ons become.....fake flowers and all kinds of decorative pins add flair. 

Good to be back,

Debbie

You Need a Ta-Ta Tote

Yes, you do!   It's a bra purse, only more like an evening bag.  They're cute, really!   Now before you get too weirded out on me let's take a look at some and you can decide for yourself.

As you may recall, the Jan. 14th blog was about the "C" cup bra purses and showed you some of the details that go into making them.   Well, it takes about 8 hours to design and sew one.   I started getting a little weary of the lengthy process and was looking for more instant gratification.(Like that's a surprise to anyone who knows me!)  One day I picked up an "A" cup bra so I could experiment with it, and boy, did I ever have fun.  

The more I looked at the bra the more I realized it, too, could be a bra purse.....just more of an evening bag because it would be much smaller than the original bra purse.  After tinkering with the design for a few days the "Ta-Ta" tote was born.  

Ta-Ta totes still have the gorgeous dangly fringe hanging down and are embellished with Swarovsky crystals like her big sister, the Bra Purse.   But there is no base or drawstring bag on the Ta-Ta Tote and its smaller size makes it perfect for holding your keys, cell phone, lipstick and credit card while out on the town for the evening.  

 I like to use as much of the original bra as possible in each design, so I came up with the idea of using the hook and eye closure as the way to hold the purse closed.   Then I decided to emphasize the closure with huge Swarovsky's.....remember, when it comes to embellishments I always say more is better!

 How do you like this zebra number?   It's one of my favorites.

And believe it or not, the pink closure and metal strap pieces were already on the bra.   I think I might faint!    Black and white and hot pink.........be still my heart. 

So, as you start thinking about what to wear for Valentine's Day and your date with your special someone, don't forget about the accessories.  Think about it, you need a bra purse to complete your outfit!  Simply contact me at 727-348-4013 and I'll "hook" (get it?  bra hook?  Ok, ok, I'll stop it now.) you up.

Ta-Ta for now, (sorry, I couldn't help myself)

Debbie