Elllllllessssssuuuuuuuu!

Had a tiny purple remnant from the Ernest fabric pile and made a tiny hiney skirt for a Louisiana State University loving little girl. Ernest will be proud, proud I tell ya since his home town is Baton Rouge.

(Yes, I agree the ribbon is too long but the little girl mama will trim it to desired length.)

My mom is right. It is easy, fast and fun to make clothing for those without hips and curves.

UPDATE: I asked Ernest for fabric content for care instructions and he told me it is silk dupioni! How many LSU skirts are silk?

Junque necklace in silver OR Shiny Stuff of the Week 11

Sister RikkiTikkiTavi lurves silver so my first attempt at the junque necklace is for her. All the "People Give Me Stuff" baubles, pieces and parts and shiny stuff came into play and should you find yourself bored, click on the link and see how many parts you can spy from previous postings.

SHINY STUFF ~~ CAW, CAW!

Pearl grey satin ribbon ties at the back. Broken earrings, unpaired earrings, key, button, charms, beads and keychain dangles = FREE necklace.

Thanks, Amy Hanna, for the inspiration!

Take a look at my bathroom "Candle-lier" that I started 8 years ago - gonna start pilfering from it for shiny bits.

Schmatta, the documentary

Saw mention of it on Lindsay T Sews blog, found it on HBO and watched it last weekend. Schmatta: Rags to Riches to Rags documents the history of Manhattan's Garment District and the slow ebb of American-made apparel.
It was very interesting but I found a couple points to be contradictory. Immigrants and the bottom earners of society could find work in the thriving industry. One person noted jobs were done by mostly Jews and Italians and with each wave of immigration, the work force became more diverse. The industry needed controls to protect the safety and rights of workers and the unions answered that call. Over and over, the documentary subjects stated that their grandparents and parents worked in the "rag trade" just looking for a slice of the American dream but complained that the current economy does not allow them the middle class dream of earning enough money for a house, a car and tuition to a nice school for their children. That's the part that tripped me up. One generation comes to America with no education, finds employment at the entry level, seeks and achieves protection through a worker's union but the second and third generations expect to earn enough money to achieve middle to upper middle class levels and they wonder why their union jobs went overseas?
In the book Snobbery: The American Version, author Joseph Epstein explained that most immigrants strived to attain affluence for their future by the Three P's: becoming peddlers in the first generation, plumbers next followed by the third generation reaching the level of physicians. The garment industry workers did not look to the future to realize greater aspirations but instead are unhappy that their children will not be able to find work in their industry.
Agreed: It is sad that only 5% of apparel is manufactured in America and domestic manufacturers cannot compete with low labor rates overseas.
Contrast that with the testimony of one man stating that he is currently collecting $405 per week on unemployment with only 10 remaining weeks of benefits AND he said he didn't mind sharing that before being laid off, he made $3100 per week for 35 hours which brings the question: is an annual salary of $161,200 considered an average level for a skilled worker with no higher learning, diploma or license? There were many factors to led to the loss of American jobs. Unions, profit driven corporations and manufacturers seeking lower costs elsewhere but the ancestors of the garment workers need to look at themselves as well and ask why they relied on one industry to sustain them and their future generations.
Adapt and change are the learning words.

Venetian refashion

Liked these Venetian glass beads but rarely wore the strand because I didn't dig the garish gold accents and red thread knotting. Thinking I would wear it if more "metal neutral" so cut it up, added a few black Venetian glass beads and small bead spacers. It doesn't look that much different in these small pix but trust me, it's better.

Taa daa! New necklace for ~~FREE!

In a bind for twine

Ya know I have a ribbon fetish, right?

One day while picking up something at an electrical supply business, I spied a big roll of waxed twine. What the heck waxed twine has to do with electrical parts I dunno but I snatched it up in my greedy little hands and asked the counter guy "what's this used for?" He didn't know. Okay, how much? He didn't know the item number nor description so after a few minutes of tapping on his computer keys, he became exasperated enough to just shove it toward me and growl "take it". WooHoo, if it is FREE, it's for me!! I thanked him and bolted out of there before he changed his mind.

Waxed twine works for gift wrapping and all kinds of little household uses. Not good for macrame, it's too sticky.

Little did I know that there are fancy baker's twine out there in cool colors. Looka! 240 yards for $15.00 ~ that's .06 a yard!

Oh wait, here's a roll of 3,360 yards of packing twine for $17.40!! Available in red/white or green/white.

I smell another obsession~~~

Covering my hole(s)!

Eons ago, my good buddy Ernest gave me some fabulous high-end fabric used for men's custom suits and jackets and last year, I finally cut it for a winter skirt during Chrysanthemum's and my skirt sewing marathon. After sewing the side seams, I realized there were a few holes in the fabric. The holes didn't look like moth holes but rather clips from careless scissor handling. Foo-ey! I loved the fabric, what to do?

Well, I said it before, I'll say it again, necessity is mother fucker of invention so I snipped some leaf shaped tweed scraps, ironed them on with that WonderUnder fusible web, did fast and sloppy applique stitch around the leaf and embroidered a meandering vine.
I used the same tweed fabric and iron-on petal idea on this little girl skirt.

For the price of FREE, what's not to like about this skirt?

Skirt from scraps

Last May, Chrysanthemum and I did another skirt marathon with summer fabrics. She graciously left behind her fabric scraps and I found there was juuuuuust enough of the sheer paisley print for a shorter skirt for sister RikkiTikkiTavi. Happily, Ernest sent me a box of varied fabrics last month and this cool purple is perfect for an under layer.

Over the weekend, I ignored overdue tasks in the house and used every shortcut I could think of to sew this skirt.

Shortcuts:

• Used RikkiTikkiTavi's favorite skirt as a pattern


• Serged the sheer fabric side seams


• Serged the purple underlay side seams and hem


• Joined sheer and purple layers at the top with foldover elastic


• Straight stitched the purple hem


• DID NOT hem the sheer layer but left the raw and cool looking selvage edge.

Complete and really cute! Another FREE skirt!

Hope to have a photo of Rik in skirt soon.

Rotary cutter and idle hands

Saw this tutorial by ThreadBanger several months ago for a cool fabric tube necklace made by cutting strips from the body of a t-shirt and dang it all if I didn't find a scrap on my cutting table sitting right by the rotary cutter.
After you cut the strips, tug on the fabric and it magically coils into a tube.

Click on the tutorial link above to see an embellished version.

I spy

cats looking at me

Strung and restrung

There is a stack of fabric waiting to be sewn into pillowcases.

Also, a stack of placemats that will be notebook organizers.

Endless piles of fabric for future skirts.

So what did I do last weekend?

Strung some new beads and tore apart other strands to restring for longer length or a different look.

Yay! A craft you can do while watching TV!

Book review

For a state ranked so low in education levels, my left-handed bottom corner of Louisiana has a great public library system. My local branch recently offered a jewelry making class and for the price of ~~FREE~~ the bead choices were pretty good.
Anywho, the class reinvigorated my interest in crafting my very own baubles. The facilitator had new jewelry books on display and I rushed home to reserve as many as possible on the library online system but had no idea that all would be available in 2 days. WooHoo, a stack of books, full of ideas and inspiration!
(Checking out library copies is a great way to find books not available at your local bookstore and then, if you like it, order the book.)

Here are a few cool books you might want to check out:

• Beadalicious by Sonya Nimri
  

25 projects with good instructions and nice explanation of bead choices.

• Bejeweled: beautiful fashion jewelry to make and wear by Claire Aristides
  

Very detailed, fabulous photography and a nice touch, a variation of each featured project.

• Beading with Pearls: beautiful jewelry, simple techniques by Jean Campbell
  

Simply inspiring.

• Make it in minutes: memory jewelry by Liz Eaton

With any degree of imagination, you can adapt these rather pedestrian ideas to something less scrapbook-y and more artsy.

And my two favorites of the stack,

• Stitched jewels by Marthe LeVan

Lots of ideas to tweak and personalize. LOVE the fabric covered button bracelet! Expect to see one on this site in the future.

• Rejuvenated jewels: gorgeous designs with vintage jewelry and beads by Amy Hanna

Ho-ly Mother of Pearl, this is a dangerous book. Kinda like telling crack heads that there are "rocks" to be found in your neighbor's backyard. You'll want to step up your garage/estate sale activity once you see Amy's creations and stash AND beat up anyone else on the same mission. It's gonna get ugly, people. Any chick with even a smidge of girly girl will be enthralled with the treasure trove of jewelry and baubles parts.

Enjoy book shopping!

Hot stuff!

My Internet buddy Shelli of Needle in a Haystack requested testers to try out her new hot pad tutorial posted over at the You Can Make This website. As Shelli stated, most of the hot pads in our kitchens are worn and we don't usually think to buy new ones for ourselves. It is a great project to use your scrap fabric!

If ya already have batting, then all you need is Insul~Bright/Brite insulation. Just looked at the product website and learned you can use it for cooling insulation as well. Note, if you purchase 1/4 yard of batting and Insul-Bright, you will have enough material to make TWO pads.

The 6 layer stack shifted a lot while sewing so will stabilize with lots of pins for my next attempt. After trimming to straighten the shifted layers, my pad was 8" square, still a very generous size and larger than the tired hot pads in my kitchen.

Shelli's instructions had loop made of cut piece of bias tape but I did my own little loop trick. Shelli said she considered the same thing but it couldn't figure out how to explain it. I tried to write my own explanation just now and understand why Shelli just cut the short piece of tape plus her loop looks neat and tidy.
Take a look at my photos if ya wanna try my loop trick. Otherwise, stick to the instructions on the tutorial OR skip the loop entirely if you don't hang hot pads from a hook.

The fabric store lady told me that she was planning to make some hot pads for family Christmas gifts and will use Christmas fabric. Nooooooooooo, I wanted to tell her not to but kept my big trap shut for once. Hot pads are not seasonal and should not look acceptable for only one month out of the year. They should not be on display anyway.

Skitzo Leezra's elegant style quiz:

• Seasonal finger tip towels in fine linen for your powder room? Yes
• Seasonal hot pads? No
• Seasonal tea towels for your kitchen? Only if you swear to use them only for the appropriate season.
• Gifting any of the above to someone less persnickety than me? No, otherwise, you'll visit their house next summer, see their faded Christmas tea towel on the kitchen counter and you'll feel a little sad inside. You've been warned.

Hoarder? Or Not?

I notice that I announce character flaws about myself like calling myself a "control freak" or "anal retentive" or "hoarder" then wonder if I do it to beat others to the punch although I don't really see anything wrong with the first two attributes but dang(!) watching that "Hoarders" series on A&E ~deep breath~~ it gives me the monkey nerves to begin immediately begin clearing stuff to reassure myself that I am NOT a hoarder because those folks are nuts.

NOT my house

Sometimes I think I am sliding into crazy lady territory, accepting all the loot from People Give Me Stuff bounties, stockpiling supplies for future projects and fastidiously ironing vintage trims and ribbon . . . sounds a little obsessive already, right? But the fact is, I enjoy rooting through the stuff, separating the wheat from the chaffe. It may look like a mess for time but while I am greedy with ribbons and notions, I am generous with the things I won't use or don't need. Last night I packed up 3 bags of things for other crafters/sewing chicks with stuff they (hopefully) want. If I thought for a second they were hoarders, the stuff would go to charity thrift stores.


Just because my stuff is organized and labelled doesn't mean it isn't hoarding

I hate waste, I hate when good stuff goes into the trash when it could go to Goodwill so that attitude could be my downhill slide to hoarding but no way do I want to bring it MY house. Someone once said that waste is a lack of creativity and guess that is why I am drawn to alternate use items and art made from found objects. Look at my blog for stuff made with neckties, wine corks, and repurposed things. Yikes, maybe I do have a touch of the hoard.

However, that's why you would want to know me if we were in prison together. I would be that person that knows where to get stuff. My brain stores inventory lists and not just my own, other people's too. My sis mentions that she would like to try a floor steamer? Brother has one. Mom needs to make a "fascinator" for 20's costume party? The supplies are in my craft stash. Friend needs a batch of high school class rings for a Grease skit? Got a dozen or so. Someone needs to borrow a few cake stands for a wedding reception? I know 4 people to ask.


Recently I asked an ice breaker question at a meeting: If you could cast yourself for a television show, which would it be? The answers were very interesting, everything from "Golden Girls" to reality shows to "The Real Housewives of Atlanta".

My revealing answer? "Sanford and Son".

1) I KNOW there is a treasure somewhere in Fred's piles

2) I would like to help Fred organize that mess

Don't you hate it when

babies get stuck in the spider webs?

And yes, here in Louisiana, we have a bigger pest problem with crawfish than spiders.

(Pretty sure I spied this interloper before.)

Almost Halloween

How to watch those sewing shows

Oh Fuh Gawd.

Every single Saturday morning I record and watch sewing shows on television. Our local PBS station airs "Sewing with Nancy (Zieman)" and "Martha's (Pullen) Sewing Room". They no longer air "America Quilts Creatively" and "America Sews" with Sue Hausmann. My friend Elizabeth tried to view them after she purchased her fancy schmancy embroidery machine and decided it wasn't worth sitting through. "How do you watch that? It's horrible!" she asked.


And I'll tell ya how:

• Record ahead of time. Do NOT watch live!
  
• Have your remote control handy
• Fast forward through the countless sponsors
• Fast forward through the theme music
• Shoo all small children from the room because you will curse at some point during the next 25 minutes or at the very minimum, roll your eyes and sigh heavily.
• Fast forward through small talk with guests
• Stop when actual demonstrations begin
• Decide if you will ever need or use that particular demonstration technique. Example: I don't quilt but will use bias tape binding on other projects. Hand embroidery, yes. Ribbon embroidery, no.
• Watch demonstrations you need, fast forward through others. The more you watch, the more you learn how to adapt the techniques to other projects.
• Understand that the entire show is funded by a sewing machine manufacturer and they will demonstrate specific features on the newest/highest priced machines on the market. Features your sewing machine doesn't have.



• Martha Pullen wears the most God-awful homemade crap and repeats the same stoopid shit on every show. If it sparkles, it's "diamonds". She has rhymes for ironing. She loves dupioni silk (She seems to feel that she is the first person to discover the fabric.) Glass heads pins are the only kind she uses. Heirloom sewing is her specialty. Doll clothing, too. You heard me. Dolls! Creeps me out. If you are an old lady sewing tiny heirloom dresses from silk dupioni for a doll - you need some new meds. And her voice goes up, up, up when doll or baby clothing is shown. Your neighbor's dogs will begin barking. Hurry, grab the remote. Fast forward through the antique heirloom apparel demonstration at the end. Same for the viewer letter. There, you have watched exactly 7 minutes of her show.



• Nancy Zieman has an entire empire based on sewing and everything she demonstrates can be purchased. No free downloads on her site, unless it is truly horrible. Nancy opines about "what is hot in fashion" and presents her version of it but I'd bet she's never attended a designer runway show nor picked up a fashion magazine. A sewing convention is probably her only exposure to the outside world. She isn't nearly as corny as Martha, typically dresses better unless it is an embellished jacket. All those sewing ladies love a heinous embellished jacket. If the ugly jacket looks like you would put it on your great grandmother at the nursing home because you're sure the staff wouldn't steal it, these ladies would love it. The older the lady, the shinier the jacket. Fast forward through the introduction, watch the demos and fast forward through to the end. End-of-show Nancy segments included recipes, viewer letters and exercise tips. Cancel.



• Watch anything with Sue Hausmann first to get it out of your way. Make sure you hit that button the very second the show begins to avoid the fake cheerful greeting and smile of the mentally challenged. Fast forward through the chatter. Decide that Sue's jacket is the ugliest of all. She will wear anything a guest brings her. Play your own Saturday morning drinking game and have a sip every time Sue snatches something out of a guest's hands or interrupts. You will be soused in 20 minutes. She is rude, I tell ya! Watch how many times Sue tilts her head back to view out of her bi-focals.

By now, you are wondering WHY the hell I watch these shows and must admit I've learned a few sewing tips and techniques but geez Louise, I had to earn it! Hopefully, a new generation of sewing show ladies are working their way through the ranks and will bring some youth and style to the moth-ball smelling current offerings.

Sewing lesson from Rikki Tikki Tavi

My mom can sew anything and made practically everything for my sis Rikki Tikki Tavi and me. Cute little girl dresses, dance recital costumes, Halloween costumes, cheerleader uniforms, formal gowns, you name it. Suffice to say, Rikki Tikki Tavi and I spent a good deal of our childhood time in fabric stores. I still love a fabric store. Rikki Tikki Tavi, not so much. She gets the monkey nerves, itching and scratching her skin and eyeing the closest exit.

About 10 years ago, I requested and received a sewing machine from my mom as a Christmas gift. Pillows and simple curtains were my goal. I had no idea that I would get past straight lines and box shapes.

So when mom and I discuss sewing techniques in Rikki Tikki Tavi's company, I can sense her disinterest and restlessness. Having enough of our conversation, she finally asked, "What's the big deal? How hard can sewing be? I know how to sew!"

"You do?" I had no idea.

"Sure, I made Barbie clothes. Everything is made the same exact way. Shirts, skirts, pillows. It's easy. Sew, sew, turn inside out." She stared back at us.

Mom agreed. "She's right. That's pretty much it."

Rikki Tikki Tavi shut down the conversation and now when we catch ourselves boring her again, we repeat the mantra.

Sew.

Sew.

Turn inside out.

Regrets

Someone once wisely said that you don't regret what you have bought* but what you haven't bought.
I try to remember that when at estate sales and flea markets because now, with eBay, I find comfort in the knowledge that I can always sell my "mistakes".
But I can't always gain what I never had.

When living in a really cool New Orleans apartment, the landlady let me borrow a large "farm" type table for a party buffet. It fit perfectly in my vintage yellow and black tiled kitchen after the party but the table was painted and chipped "Clinique" green. She wanted $35 for it and I passed because it was the wrong color and did not appreciate "shabby chic" in 1991. It would have looked great in the living room or even bedroom but I was only thinking kitchen at the time. Every single place I lived after that could've used that table and I have been kicking myself ever since.


When I was a newbie to the roadside grab or pseudo dumpster dive, I spied an antique metal sewing machine base on the side of the street.


"Stop, I want that!" I shouted to my boyfriend.

"What do you want with someone else's trash? No way."

I explained to him that those bases are highly collectible and a perfect table base. Convinced, he drove around the block and as we approached the same spot, a wizened old black guy had it on his shoulder, riding away on a bicycle. Those things are heavy! Boyfriend said, "Well, you know you live in a good neighborhood when folks pick up your trash before the dump trucks arrive." I stayed pissed for at least 10 years. Long after I kicked him to the curb.

For the last 7 years or so, I have been on the search for the iconic Emeco 1006 Navy chairs to replace my wiggly and rickety antique dining chairs.

I have 2 vintage models but need 10 more. eBay sometimes offers them but at astronomical prices. Brand new from Emeco: $412 each. They can be spied in every dang commercial and cop show you see on television! (For $1120, you can get the highly polished version.)

Can I even express my adoration when I gaze upon those shiny chairs? When I say I like shiny stuff, don't think cheap glitter or tawdry lame'. NO! Imagine aluminum, stainless steel, sterling silver, chrome, and mercury glass. I long for these chairs like some women long for children.

(Should I regret not purchasing the cheap Kmart knock-off when they were available?)

Good things come to those that wait

Several years ago, I spied a guy carrying a wood table with ecru chipping paint to the curb. Not at all embarrassed, I slammed on the brakes, ran around the truck to lower the tailgate. The guy turned around the look at me like I was crazy. "You are getting rid of this, right?" Yep. Mine now. Two neighbors approached me in the next 2 days when they spied it in my garage. "What are you going to do with that table?" Doggone buzzards, tryin' to get my pickins'! It almost fit in between my bathroom niche. Dad sawed an inch off each side of the top and it looks great. So many folks have asked where I found such a perfect table. One street over and it was free!

Last year, when I helped organize our local museum's "attic sale", I spied a really cool table base made from, you guessed it, an antique sewing machine pedestal. It was topped by a ginormous, heavy and super thick slab of glass. At the end of the day, the director said she would call an early shopper that offered to haul off the glass if no one bought it. What about the base? Did he want that? No. ((swoon)) That is the only thing I wanted. Take it, she said. WoooooHoooooo! Mine now. (It is not in my house yet but I have a home for it, as soon as I re-do my bedroom.)

So, several months ago my sis Rikki Tikki Tavi attended a mutual friend's party and reported that they have "my chairs". Huh? They have the very chairs you keep moaning about. Husband salvaged them from New Orleans office after hurricane Katrina, cleaned them up and brought them home. Wife hates them. Rikki Tikki, being a truly fabulous sister, told them that I would gladly take them off their hands. Wife says she would love to trade my antique wooden chairs for their cold and uncomfortable metal perches. Husband declined.

Still waiting on those or some other chairs to find me. I'm waiting!!

*(Still regret the $290 Donna Karan wrap around skirt that was slit up to there that I wore exactly once.)

What do you regret NOT buying?

My just awards FINALLY arrive

and then I forget to acknowledge!
My sewing buddy Michelle over at Cheap and Picky nominated me for a blog award in JUNE and then I totally blew it by not passing it on.
My bad, Michelle!
I check Michelle's blog every day for amazement of her sewing skills and awesome finishing techniques. She is a sewing machine, I tell ya!
Thanks for the kudos and now I am fulfilling my award duties.
Nominating a few favorite blogs:
A Corgi House LOTS of sewing, a recipe every once in a while and Corgi sightings! Cute puppy photos are worth the price of admission.
Mr Peacock is a fellow lover of plaid, checks and all things tartan, a fashion encyclopedia and a rockin' crafter. I am kind of embarrassed to send him the blog award graphic because it's kind lame and he could design something SO much better.
Posie Gets Cozy has embroidery, baking and oh yeah, semi-regular Corgi features!
Sardana Creations doesn't post often enough for my liking but she is running a business and documenting her new location and orders online.
Nain de Jardin is a French blog with all kinds of little goodies. Click on every freaking link for inspiration and way cool stuff. It doesn't matter if you can read French, you will enjoy the inspiration of beautiful things.

So, here are the rules for accepting the award:

Rules:

1. Accept the award, post it on your blog together with the name of the person who has granted the award, and his or her blog link.


2. Pass the award on to 5 other blogs that you’ve newly discovered. Remember to contact the bloggers to let them know they have been chosen for this award.

I talk a good game but

in the end, I am a wuss.
Back when I didn't know how to sew anything but straight lines, folks were wanting to bring over their pants for hemming. (I still don't hem my own pants because I don't want to "learn" on my stuff and ruin them!) It was easy to tell folks I didn't know how to sew their stuff but meanwhile, I was plying all my friends with my latest sewing projects. Plastic bag dispensers, tote bags, pillows, tissue cozies - you name it.
It finally became clear what that Victorian lady meant when she said ladies shouldn't reveal if they can sew. I get it now. I made the rule that if you want me to sew for you, then be prepared to sit right alongside of me and keep me company. That rule has not been followed and it is all my fault because I have no concept of how long a sewing task will take.
Elizabeth's valances, Kay's curtains and RikkiTikkiTavi's red tulle tutu - my big mouth volunteered to help and then later, sitting all by myself in the Skitzo Leezra Studio, I wonder why I get myself into these messes.
Take a big old gander at the latest mess I landed in. I offered to sew pillowcases for my volunteer organization's committee that provides items to foster children. Easy, right? Fold over one long side, sew 2 seams, fold under and top stitch the open edge.
Prototype delivered. Committee approved. Materials purchased.
Look what I found on my front porch last week.