Another Take on the Tie Pillow

Well, I've been making tie pillows for years now, but recently a client requested something a little different.   Here's what I came up with for her.  

The pillow is comprised of 4 "string" blocks using random widths of ties laid on a 45 degree angle.  When placed together they form a wonky block set "on point".   There were 4 special ties from her dad's travels to the Far East while in the military and those were used in the center as a focal point.

Then I stitched all the tie labels together to form four equal lengths and placed them around the perimeter of the pillow, one strip on each of the four sides.

Simple top stitching holds them all in place and keeps them tidy.   Finally, dark grey and black ties were cut into strips and joined together to cover welting.  Now, on to the back.   It's always an issue of what technique to use to close up a pillow.   Should I invisibly sew a zipper into a side seam, make flaps that overlap and close with a button and buttonhole, or place a zipper 1/3 of the way down from the top inserted into 2 pieces of fabric?  

Since my client wanted to use her dad's sweater on the back, I discovered that by utilizing the ribbed waistband of the sweater, I could eliminate a buttonhole or other form of closure, which would be difficult on such a stretchy knit.  The overlap method worked great and stays in place because of the tension the ribbing causes against the down pillow insert.

Pretty cool, huh?    Especially when you consider this is what I started with..............a pile of ties.....and a sweater.

I love what I do for work!
Just sayin',
Debbie

Church Ladies

A few months ago I met the quilt group ladies at our church.   Our church is large enough to have a dedicated room just for the sewing girls!   There are machines of all varieties which have been donated by church members over the years and the walls are lined with shelving that has all the cotton fabric folded and neatly separated by color family.  

We make quilts for various charities in the community and there is a never ending list of those in need who would like some of our quilts.   Since we make quilts from whatever fabric is given to us, we must get creative pulling the colors together to make the quilts pleasant.   One day when I first came to group, one of the ladies was commenting about how difficult it was to blend anything with a piece of fabric laying on the table.   Well, I just love a challenge!   After picking thru the shelves for a while, I felt that I had a large enough stack of fabrics that would work with the "offensive" material so I headed for home to play.

Here's what I put together:

All the fabrics were first cut into 2-1/2" & 3" strips of varying lengths.The 2-1/2" strips were sewn randomly together to create one mega-long strip and then I repeated with the 3" strips.   Next, they were all cut into 54" long strips and placed side by side, sometimes inserting a narrower strip in between the wider 3" strips so that there were varying widths and colors.  When I was pleased with the arrangement all the strips were then joined one to another until the quilt top was all together.   Add batting, backing, machine quilt it and put on the binding and you're done.  Pretty easy!  
Give it a try it sometime?
Debbie

Finished Product

Yes, I know, I keep forgetting to put the "after" pics on the blog.   So, here is the pic of the basket I made when Susan Marie was up at the river with me.   I was pretty excited about how it turned out.  Pretty cool making something functional out of things found in the woods.  Making this basket gave me a new appreciation for how much time and effort goes into making baskets with a really tight weave, since this one took me two days labor.   Susan helped me so much or I wouldn't have finished it by myself.

Fumble Thumbs,
Debbie

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

Tick Tock, Tick Tock....

Yes, I'm still waiting, not so patiently, for my camera to be repaired.   I didn't realize how often I pick it up to capture a spontaneous image in the lens.   Yikes, it feels like my life is on hold.   Sigh...so as I wait for the camera guru to finish up, here are some more "oldies but goodies" photos from my archive.  

If you "double click" with your mouse on the images, you will get a closer look at the quilt.   This quilt was made for a client who brought her niece's t-shirts from various stage shows and asked that they be turned into a memory quilt for her.   The shirts were simply cut into the same size rectangles and sashed with black fabric.  

 The horizontal sashing in between the rows was machine quilted in handwriting listing the names of famous theaters on Broadway in N.Y.C.   Can you see the writing in white thread?

Then, find of all finds!    I came across this orchestra fabric and used it horizontally for the top and bottom borders and finished the quilt off with black fabric that had musical notes and scales in white.

I struggled to think of an interesting way to create a quilt label for the back of the quilt until I hit upon the idea of duplicating a Playbill like the ones handed out at Broadway shows, only with the quilt recipients own special information on it.  I simply sewed together yellow, black and white fabrics and imprinted the wording from my computer printer directly onto the fabrics. 

Theme completed!

Still waiting,

Debbie

Past Designs: Bra Purses

I had the best of intentions when I started this blog a couple of weeks ago.  You know, post a new entry every day or at least every other day.   And then my camera died!   Yikes!   So now I'm awaiting a shutter repair and hope that there is nothing else wrong wih it.   In the meantime, I thought I may as well post some of my pics of past designs.

I began making bra purses a few years ago and after much trial and error I finally came up with a way to make them look an act like a "real" purse, with a bottom so they would sit up nice on a counter and be fully functional so you could really use it as a purse.   When you put 2 "C" cups of a bra together, they form a gap at the top that just didn't look right to me.   So I puttered around with a few ideas and came up with the design you see here.....a drawstring pouch that is attached inside the bra cups.  

Well, I couldn't just stop with a drawstring bag, I needed to embellish all the little details to really put these little bags over the top.   That is what lead me to the Swarovsky crystals.   Oh, mercy!  I was having way too much fun now.  A few on the ribbon that holds the drawstring in place and many more on the exterior of the bag itself.   

Sometimes I used the bra straps themselves as the carrying handle and sometimes I found lucite handles that seemed more appropriate for that particular purse.  Then I got a little carried away with beaded fringes for the bottoms.   Oh, did I ever get carried away!  

Crystals, fringe, fabrics, more and more bras.....this was becoming a bit of an obsession.  As a matter of fact, I still have an enormous bin of bras in every color of the rainbow, just in case I need to make another purse.

Not to mention the fuzzy, feathery, fluffy stuff I used to adorn the heavy ceramic weights that held down the bottom of the drawstrings. 

My stash of bra purse "makings" had definitely taken over a good portion of my studio but it sure was fun!   So if you're ever in the mood for a fun conversation starter at your next dinner out on the town, just give me a call and we'll design one together for you to have as your very own.

No camera, but lots of bras,

Debbie

Welcome to my Studio

Studio:  a fun, fanciful title for the repurposed bedroom I use for my sewing.   Yea, nothing fancy here, but it functions pretty well for me.  So check it out....

Color, color everywhere.  I am obsessed with color, I love color, I dream in color.  These are just some of the almost 400 embroidery threads that I use when embroidering designs on my Viking sewing machine.  Aren't they luscious?  Also, 3 of my favorite "sewing" candle houses (part of the Blue Sky collection by Heather Goldminc)  are right where I can see them as I sew.
 These threads are used for garment sewing.

 And buttons, they're pretty important, too.  Here are just a few jars in my collection; some are vintage, some are new, and some are just funky.

 I like to surround myself with all my favorite things while I work and this seasonal candle holder is one of my favorites.   It's another Heather Goldminc piece.

Here's another one entitled The Thirsty Flamingo.

 This is where the real work happens, two sewing machines surrounded by loads of natural light.  

 Of course there has to be room for reference books and patterns stored in the drawers below.   Every little nook and cranny in this room has to be efficiently organized.

Thank goodness for the computer armoire, desk and my little tv that keeps me company.  Hope you enjoyed the tour.  It's a space that makes me happy and always puts a smile on my face when I'm in there.

Time to get back to work,

Debbie