Appliquéd vest

My latest creative venture is using a discontinued drapery swatch 

with fabulous embroidery to embellish a simple vest.

I especially like the layout on the back!

I carefully cut out all the beautiful embroidery 

and laid it out on the vest

then hand stitched it in place before sewing all the pieces down.

A little creative fun at the cottage studio today.

Grateful to have it featured in the latest issue of 

Altered Couture Magazine.

Embellishing my boots

with a sparkly anklet,

just because I can.

Made with bits found scattered about the messy studio,

 a length of gold chain,

a scrap of thin brown sable ribbon

and black satin cording.

I used a small gold tone safety pin to attach the pieces together

and then did a simple braid

and used the safety pin to attach the other end.

Then I did a little hand sewing to secure everything.

Just thought I'd share the silliness and crafty fun!

French Ribbon Roses

Playing with ribbons to create roses and leaves

Paris Scarf

It had been a long anticipated rendezvous with my lover in Paris,

and it was after enjoying a lovely meal while strolling Rue Saint-Louise,

a charming street lined with adorable boutiques one more tempting than the next

that I discovered the shop with an amazing array of scarves.

Altering Paris fashion seems crazy,

yet I found myself adding bits of vintage lace to the raw edges

of this sweet little scarf upon my return home.

It is an all-time favorite that I wear most often and of course

it carries treasured memories as it was a gift from my lover

during our adventure in Paris together.

Sweet heart graphics

Roxy Tee shirt found at T.J. Maxx yesterday with this cool graphic design

printed on the front

but looking like an unfinished pencil drawing without color,

finds its way home with me and ....

I pull out my fabric paints for a pick-me-up,

filling in the background to pop the design,

because I really need another painting project !

Knowing I would most likely be wearing it with jeans

I chose deep blue and began painting in the bottom of the heart design,

and taking creative license, chose to eliminate a few extra flowers

and web designs by painting the dark blue right over top of them.

Then I lightened the blue shade as I worked my way up the design

ending with a beautiful turquoise color at the top.

Sweet! & Valentine's Day is less than a month away!

Simple Scarf

While viewing Ralph Lauren's fashion week photos

of ready-to-wear for the spring 2012 collection

showing a myriad of beautiful neck scarfs in pastel colors

including peach and baby blue along with flowy chiffon skirts in sherbet-florals,

worn with cashmere sweaters in sunny yellow and apple green.

I'm inspired to take a look through my current collection of scarfs

to see what I have that may emulate the same look.

I find this little number in the same genre

and discover this variegated eyelash thread in a similar colorway.

I can't seem to resist adding a bit of embellishment to give it some texture

using the variegated eyelash thread.

With super easy basting stitches added

this simple scarf can easily transform any ordinary outfit

into something special!

Grateful to have it included in Somerset Life Magazine 

and 

Creative Living Ideas magazine!

Embellishing with Crochet

I totally surprised myself...

I would never have guessed I would take up crocheting.

This is the story of how it came to be...

I found a dusty pink crochet-look sweater, and loving the color, classic styling, and under $25.00 price, had to have it.

Later in the day I popped into Michael's to purchase small alphabet stamps for another project swirling in my imagination. Unfortunately they didn't have any BUT I did meet the helpful and talented Diana sitting at the front of the store demoing a little green yarn crochet flower....that she gifted to me, thank you Diana!

On my way back into town I stop at Big Lots for baby oil, cotton balls, and various sundries and spy this ball of yarn in their craft section. I love the color, do not knit or crochet but feel compelled to purchase it! Really it is all of a dollar and upon returning back to the cottage and unpack, happily realize it blends beautifully with the color of my new sweater!

I pilfer through a vintage sewing basket full of odds and ends remembering seeing a crochet hook in it, and much later that evening, while curled up on the sofa in the sitting room watching the latest episode of Downton Abbey, I attempt to mimic what Diana had been demoing. After several attempts on the sleeve I finally find my rhythm, pull out the practice yarn after jotting down the algorithm that seems to work.

Not being familiar with crochet terms yet it is a bit vague but doable and I begin with the sleeves, and then tackle the long shawl collar the next evening.

There are certainly a few glitches as I struggled with the yarn that had 3 different type threads in it, but I am pleased with the overall look and especially love how the scallop edge adds to its femininity.

I highly recommend

Trying something new!

.

It's all in the details

I spied the tunic length Zone Bleue design

in a charming little clothing boutique

on Forest Avenue in Laguna Beach named Duet

that specializes in unique and often hand made pieces

from all over the world.

I was drawn to the feminine ruched collar

and asymmetrical design.

.

It fit beautifully,

but the color of the top was not flattering for my skin tone,

it being a grey/beige hue

There was enough cotton in the fabric contents

that I believed it could be dyed to a warm beige color.

Upon returning home with the new acquisition

I filled the kitchen sink with warm water

to wet the entire garment

then drained most of the water and added in the contents

of a pot of coffee that had been sitting for half of the day.

I let it soak for about 15 minutes before gently rinsing

and hanging the garment to dry,

fortunately the color came out exactly as envisioned.

As I was pressing the piece I wondered why

the designer had chosen to leave so much of

the over lock stitching exposed on the edges

of the ruffles.

Was it a conscious decision to meet a certain price point?

Maybe I've been watching too much of the show "All on the line"

on the Sundance channel with Joe Zee.

Either way, in my world I couldn't seem to let this charming

design just be as it was created,

something inside me causes me to tweak it and make it my own.

Possibly it is the possessing of a cachet of delicate delights

needing to be seen and not tucked away any longer.

I felt it needed a little more and began foraging through my

cluttered studio to find the perfect vintage laces and trims to add

to the top covering the exposed seam edges.

I chose to also dye the lace pieces selected

for embellishing in coffee

before attaching them to the garment

and pieced several laces

together for additional detail

on the diagonal seam of the back of the tunic.

The lace you see at the collar of this sweet piece

was originally going to be an underskirt on the garment

but after pinning it in place

I realized it was adding too much bulk along the bottom

and found instead the lace was the perfect embellishment

to add along the bottom of the ruched collar

and included it on the sweet tie at the collar

and then recreating the tie into a rosette.

supplies needed...

miscellaneous laces and trims
needles, scissors, thread, sewing machine optional
pot of coffee
a creative imagination...

Straw bags and summer fun

.

On a recent trip to Kauai

I snapped these photos of a few of the lovely embellished straw bags

showcased in the charming shops.

.

My luggage already being at its weight limit

and having several straw bags at home

I resisted the temptation.

I promise myself I will embellish my own,

with all the bits of fabrics, trims and buttons spread through out the studio,

hopefully before summer is over !

70's inspired vintage top

I stopped by the Nordy's in Fashion Island to peruse & shop.

It's there I discovered this 70's inspired vintage looking blouse,

and as a seamstress was most impressed with all the details,

especially with the price being under $40.00 !

I loved all the tiny french tucks in the front and the beautifully

embellished lace on the 3/4 sleeves and hem.

I wondered why there was no detail at the collar.

Did the designer chose to leave it plain on purpose

or was it a conscious decision to meet a certain price point ?

Maybe I've been watching too much of the show

"All on the Line " on the Sundance channel.

Either way, in my world I felt it needed a little something more.

Upon arriving home with my treasured new purchase

I began foraging through my cluttered studio for that special something.

As it turned out an old tablecloth being discarded by a friend

who no longer found it beautiful or useful was the perfect piece.

Though the delicate linen fabric center had worn thin

and was torn, fortunately most of the wide lace edging was still intact.

I carefully removed it and then reattached it

along the collar line of my

new acquisition to give it that extra detail I had envisioned !

Someone many years ago

spent to a lot of time creating this beautiful lace edging.

I am thrilled to give it a whole new life!

photo credits Stampington & co.

featured in Belle Armoire summer 2011

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