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Those are them! The book is called “Craft Challenge: Dozens of Ways to Repurpose a Pillowcase”. They sent me a copy, which I received on Friday, and I couldn’t believe it. SO excited! I had no idea it was going to be on the cover. I was happy dancin’ all over the place. It was just the boost I needed. Things have been kind of stressful, the economy is hitting home and I’m getting that crazy look that means I’m wondering which of the cats we’d eat first, if it came to that. (Yes, I’m given to mild hysterics when it comes to finances. Chi-Chi, I’m looking at you, butterball.)

Mmmmm, tasty!

I had noticed a surge in sales in the shop a couple of weeks ago, and it turns out that’s when the book was released. They put the shop address in my designer profile paragraph and people have been coming by, it’s been so great!

This book is really beautiful and there are some great ideas and patterns. And I’m not just saying that because I’m in there. I have a major vintage fabric fetish and that includes linens and pillowcases. The photography is really gorgeous and they really do justice to all the colorful embroidered pillowcases featured in the book. Honest and true, if I didn’t have a pattern in it and had just seen it in a store, I’d totally buy it. If you’re looking for some fun ways to use old pillowcases or just regular fabric, check it out!

 

In other goings-on, I recently got some amazing fabric designed by Project Runway winner, Jay McCarroll. I love this stuff. Between the colors, the crazy creatures and the fact that they’re easy to mix-n-match, it’s like he made them just for me! Thank you, Jay! Let me know if I can make you a beer can outfit or something in return for your kindness.

 

   

And look at these little pink ants wandering around on some logs. And wee shroomies. Awwww . . .

 

 

I couldn’t wait to start playing with it and came up with my first batch of little snap wallets. They’re the perfect size for credit cards, business cards, or even knitting notions. I’m working on some iPhone sized ones. Since I don’t have an iPhone, I need to make one out of foam core first. I know, it’s sad.

Here are a few of the wallets. I’m really happy with them. They’re available in the Bags and Pouches section of Etsy shop. If you see some fabrics that you’d like to mix and match in my shop, let me know and I’ll whip up a custom one for you!

 

 

 

 

And here are some I made using some cute vintage fabric.

 

 

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Today I’m going to share a bit of my fabric stash. It’s like my coming out party! I recently got a few new pieces that I can’t wait to play with!

 

 

Can you stand it? Mice-A-Roni fabric! I mentioned briefly in the last post, it’s from the 70’s and based on those Wacky Packages I love so well. I think this will end up as zippered pouches.

The pink fabric with chocolate apples may end up being iPhone cozies. I need to work out a pattern, but what could be a cuter cozy?

The big-headed kitten flannel is super soft, though I’m not really sure what it’s going to become. I’m a little hesitant to make a baby blanket out of it with all the crazy new CPSIA laws coming around the bend. It’s causing a lot of kerfuffle among crafters and small businesses that make handmade kids’ toys and clothes. New requirements for testing materials are really cost-prohibitive and could put a lot of people out of business. Hopefully an equiable resolution will be found that can keep kids safe and allow small businesses to carry on.

And here are more big-headed creatures. I don’t know what it is about the big heads. Honestly, if there were live creature with noggins of this magnitude, they’d probably be pretty frightening. And they would most assuredly be falling down all over the place. That little bluebird would never make it off the gound.

The pink polka-dotted fabric is pantsuit polyester all the way. I need to figure out a way to use it so it can best fulfill its kitsch potential. Kitschtential?

I also got this amazing piece of vintage Waverly Glosheen fabric called “Forest Friends”. Waverly Glosheen is one of my favorite vintage fabrics. The colors are always vibrant, the images are bright and fun, and the fabric itself if a joy to sew with. It’s a thick, rich cotton that takes stitches like a dream. They always look straight and perfect.

 

 

This image shows about 2 feet of the pattern that probably takes up about a yard. I only have a little over a yard, so it’s not going to be cut. This one is bound for a frame so I can hang it and enjoy it all the time.

Here are some details closer up. You can click the photos for a larger version. This piece is one of three “prize” bits of fabric I have. I’ll show you the other two sometime soon!

 

 

And check out this vintage ribbon trim. I’m going to make plain, solid zippered pouches with a strip of this ribbon along the bottom. Simple and cute, kind of outside of my somewhat chaotic norm. I think the lining will be red with white polka dots.

 

And last but not least – zippers! I always get the mystery assorted packs from Zipperstop because I can’t commit to specific colors. Something always ends up matching something, so it always works out. I love the candy-like quality of all the colors together.

 

Apparently I’m not the only one who finds them irresistible. These were only out for maybe 20 seconds before Dot took a liking to the green ones.

She’s nothing if not reliable. Oh, Dot. It’s a good thing you’re adorable.
 

 

Check it out, I changed my blog header! I’m kind of giving the place a little facelift and a new focus. It’s languished for too long, and I’ve let it fall out of my routine.

As you can see, the new header doesn’t have knitting in it. It’s just got a generally crafty feel, and so do I. It also has Chloe’s tail in it. That wasn’t the original intent, but it made it’s way in there while I was photographing the fabric and embroidery and it was too cute to crop out.

I’m still a knitter, but I’m also a crocheter, a sewist, an embroidered, a cross-stitcher, a . . . whatever you call someone who cuts out bits of paper and sticks them to other bits of paper. I just like making stuff. So from now on, that’s what I’m going to blog about. Making stuff, or just doing stuff.

For instance, did you know that I do custom embroidery for Madewell? It’s a hip new offshoot of J.Crew. I like the clothes a lot. The do the skinny jean thing, so those are hopeless for me, but the tops, sweaters and scarves are great! I’m starting to amass a large collection of their scarves.

Every once in a while, I go in and embroider things onto jeans that people purchase. It started when my friend Julie of Subversive Cross Stitch asked me to represent her during the grand opening of the Soho store. Here’s the sign I cross-stitched for the event:

 

It was huge, like 18” or 22” or so.

Since then, I’ve switched to embroidering because dayum, cross-stitching takes too long. I’ve been doing it at the Natick Collection store and should be there sometime in February. I’ll let y’all know next time!

I also just joined Caro’s 365 Self-Portrait project on Flickr. Here’s my page. I’m up to day four and so far, so good. Here was today’s:

 

That dealie on my noggin is a vintage quilt bag that I just made. I need to add the drawstring, but it came out really well.

 

I’ve also been putting a lot of work into my shops. I decided to use both the Big Cartel one and the Etsy shop. Big Cartel limits you to 100 items, and baby doll, I’ve got way more than that left over from Bazaar Bizarre. As much as I don’t want to blog constantly about the shops, they are kind of a big deal to me. I’m trying to keep up with the bills so my husband doesn’t have to go back to work. At least not for a while. He took a year off to focus on his artwork and he also does the cooking and laundry. His year is almost up, but he’s actually a good cook and I’ve forgotten how to do laundry . . .

I’ll only post about that when there are updates so you don’t get shop overload. I do have some great fabrics to blog about. I just got some from the 70s with a Wacky Packages print. It’s Mice-a-Roni! Tell me, who doesn’t need a Mice-a-Roni pouch? No one. No one doesn’t need that.

It’s going to be a great year!

 

I’ve been a whirling dervish of craftiness lately. It’s Bazaar Bizarre season once again and this year, I’m splitting a table with Miss Splityarn! I couldn’t be more delighted to be in such good company. She’s really going to class up my act, I think. Make me look good, y’know? Last year, my table was a little . . . over the top? I covered the table with a crazy piece of bright red “kittens knocking over Christmas ornaments” fabric, a bright blue metallic tree, and had all manner of random wares to sell. Keychains, baby dresses, photo albums. And probably a bunch of stuff I’ve totally forgotten about. (The keychains are staying.)

But this year, I’ve edited a lot out and am pretty happy with the results. I just love making things. I can’t help it. And I can’t stop. The last thing I labored lovingly over were these fabric-covered magnets. I’m still testing the hold of the adhesive magnet backings. They’re hanging on a magnetic board and once in a while I pull them on and off and slide them around to test the stickability. So far, so good!

 

 

These are my new favorites! The backings are clay poker chips from the 1940’s or 50’s (maybe earlier). They’re actually breakable if you drop them from high enough. Ask me how I know. And the images are from a bunch of insane romance comics from the 50’s and 60’s.

Yes. I cut them up. All of the magnets, buttons and keychains I make using vintage images actually use the vintage images. I try my best to use damaged books and magazines and trust me when I tell you that society is actually better off without these particular comic books. They make the Lifetime Channel look like The Ayn Rand/Gloria Steinem Memorial Theater Company. The men are strong and often heartless cads. The women go between gazing lovingly at them, weeping about them, and snarling at one another for stealing them away. Occasionally they smile at the thought of one of them before he did her wrong because she was being inattentive. Yeah. But darn if they don’t make amazing magnets!

And here is the packaging I came up with for this year. Last year, none of my products looked very cohesive or put together, but I think these really make it look like a “line” rather than a bunch of odds and ends. These are some of my favorites. The illustrated food is from an old cookbook and amazingly, the doll bits came from a variety of sources. The tweetheart bird fabric is from a vintage remnant. 

  

 

I dug deep into my fabric stash and pulled out some of my favorite vintage pieces to make pouches and wristlets. As it turns out, I have a lot of prancing deer fabric. I only used two styles, so there will be more to come once the Bazaar is over. I’ll tell you about my new online shop further on down in this post.

 

 

This little project bag is also making me very happy. It’s made from an unfinished 1940s quilt top. I think that whoever started it would be happy to know it’s going to be used and loved by (hopefully) a number of people. All of them are a little different and they’re all lined with vintage fabric, as well.

 

 

 

And finally, something I’ve designed and redesigned countelss times is finally ready for it’s closeup. I call them Wallflower Pendants. They’re made from vintage Bakelite poker chips and mid-century wallpaper samples. The bails and clasps are sterling silver. I looove the clasp, no pinchy thing, just an elegant, curvy hook.

 

I’ve been wearing mine a lot. Here’s what they look like on. Do you know how hard it is to look casual when taking a picture of yourself? But I eventually managed. Sort of. My head looks rather giant, eh?  

 

So hopefully my paranoid fear that no one will buy a single thing will not come true. Someone is going to have to want those cupie doll pins, at least . . .

And finally, I have been slowly weaning myself off Etsy and started my own little shop on Big Cartel. I have a number of reasons for leaving Etsy and I’m excited to start anew. You can find it here, if you’d care to. I just added something extra special a few minutes ago, too. Ok, scratch that, I’m back at Etsy and dumped my Big Cartel shop. Heh. Bags made by my mom! Hers are the ones with her name, Stella, in the title. She’s my crafty inspiration, I spent my entire childhood watching her make all kinds of amazing things and at the moment, she and I are both on a big sewing kick. Here are a couple of my favorites. I think these would be great holiday gifts. How about something from my mom to yours?

 

 

 

In the final installment of “As the Drag Queen Turns”, I have video of Shelby’s performances. I had to fumble around with the YouTube, but I finally got it working. (I’m not a kid any more and my techno-savvy pretty much ended with the VCR, so now every time I have to figure out how to work some new thing, I end up clenching my fist and telling it to get the hell off my lawn.)

So follow this link to four videos: the Swimsuit Competition (if you only watch one, watch this one. You will be astounded.), the Talent Competition, the Evening Gown Competition (featuring my beer can dress!), and the Awards Ceremony. We missed the actual crowning because we ere too busy jumping around, but you do get to see all the other contestants.

And if you’d like to see more bits of the event, others have posted some videos. Check out the Opening Montage where you can see the contestants before, during and after their transformations. And Oh. Mah. God. Miss Tara Ligament’s talent performance (she was a really amped up cheerleader with amazing legs. Go ahead, you’ll see.).

We had such a blast while we were visiting Stacy (that’s my friend who played Shelby Free). His friend, George, threw a party before the pageant and we met the most amazing bunch of people, it really was like walking into a whole new family of friends. We loved it so well that we’ll be back next year! Wooooo!

Thank you from the bottom of my heart to everyone who sent donations and well-wishes to Stacy and Aid for AIDS. It means so much. With your help, Stacy raised over $8,500 – the most money that any contestant has ever raised. In all, the pageant raised over $350,000 for a worthy cause. Feels good, don’t it?

 

The winner of the 2008 Best in Drag show is . . . SHELBY FREEEEEEE!!!!! How cool is that? I’ll tell you. Totally and completely. It is totally and completely cool. Stacy did such a great job as Shelby, he had the audience whoopin’ and a-hollarin’ from the moment he showed up with his mobile outhouse in the swimsuit competition. You have to have some kind of “reveal” for the swimsuit, so Shelby had a foam outhouse with handles inside so he could carry it walk out on stage in it. Then out he popped in a jewel-encrusted Budweiser bathing suit and a wig all wrapped up in Bud cans instead of curlers. The toilet paper stuck to his shoe was sublime.

I’ll have more pictures later, and hopefully the video came out ok, but I just wanted to pop in to announce the good news. Here are a few pics for now.

The event began with the comedy stylings of the hilarious Kathy Griffin, this was the best I could do with onstage photos. Much was made of her grand opening and everyone enjoyed her jokes, too. (LOTS of jokes about “openings” at a drag pageant, as it turns out.)

 

 

I tried to get a photo with Shelby onstage after the show while she was in her throne, but I was too late and we got shuffled out. Here we are in chaos (you can see guys taking the throne away in the back):

 

 

And here we are right where Shelby feels most at home. In a dark alley behind the building. Also, how much do you love the gal on the right? She looks just like my Marie Osmond doll from way back when!

 

 

And don’t forget, just because the pageant is over doesn’t mean it’s too late to donate! Check out Shelby’s website and give what you can! Also, Stacy has had an amazingly tough week. As if it’s not scary enough to have to perform in front of thousands of people, his mom passed away last week after a grueliing battle with cancer. His commitment to this cause is a testament to his heart and his cojones. Even if you can’t send him a donation, send some love his way. His email is on the main page of his website, I know he’d love to hear from everyone who’s been moved or amused or touched by his most unusual brand of community service.

 

 

 

 

 

It is my distinct pleasure to present to you a Crocheted Beer Can Gown in it’s entirety. (You’re really going to want to click these photos for a better look.)

It’s taken a lot of work, a few band-aids and dozens of cans, but I am finally finished! And I couldn’t be more pleased with the results. It really does look just as it did in my head.

I’m going to start with the one detail shot I have, because once you see the photos of the dress actually being modeled, you’re not going care about the details. Trust me. So this is the skirt. I sewed on some opalescent pilettes and they really sparkle like crazy when the dress moves. It was time-consuming, but I’m glad I went ahead and did it.

 

I’ve already sent the dress off to Shelby and she’ll be adding even more sparkly bits to the top portion. She has some little crystal things left over from another outfit, so I gave her free reign to further bedazzle the gown.

And here is my adorable mother-on-law, Barbara, sewing a band of red, white and blue sequins onto the inside of the skirt. It really needed something extra in there and it added just enough pizzazz.

 

Ok, so now here is where things get really good. I wanted to show you the whole dress, but the dress form just wasn’t doing it justice. I needed a model. Now, I would have been glad to do it, but seeing as how my trunk has it’s fair share of junk. There’s no way I’m getting into that thing without getting sliced in half. While it would have made cool photos, I think the internet has plenty of that sort of thing on it already.

So what’s a girl to do? Well, my mother-in-law was in town, but she’s very short and little and would have been drowning in the dress. There was only one choice.

Jon had to do it. Ok, this was the plan all along, but he doesn’t need to know that. Shhhhhh . . . .

Now, I don’t know if it’s because we’re die-hard Project Runway fans (have I mentioned that we’re both hoping like crazy that Chris March will be at the pageant? Oh my god, we’d both be giggling like schoolgirls.) but Jon really got into the photo session. He was nervous at first, but then turned all RuPaul and was hitting poses left and right. But he did keep hid tube socks and shorts on. Let’s not get crazy, here.

 

 

 

And there you go. An evening gown that has champagne taste on a beer budget. Cheap champagne, but champagne nonetheless.

And there you go. An evening gown that has champagne taste on a beer budget. Cheap champagne, but champagne nonetheless.And there you go. An evening gown that has champagne taste on a beer budget. Cheap champagne, but champagne nonetheless.This dress is a memorial of sorts. When Stacy (Shelby Free’s real name) contacted me out of the blue to create the dress (he found my by googling “crocheted beer cans”. Ha!), it didn’t take much for me to say yes. Partly it just seemed like a fun project and a good challenge. But it’s also for a great cause. A couple of years before I met Jon, his brother, Tim, died of AIDS. I never got to meet him, but he’s still included in family dinner conversation and provides lot of laughter as people reminisce about his past exploits (truth be told, he was a bit of a red-headed devil in his younger years) and wonder what he’d think about various things going on in their lives. I do feel a deep affection for Tim because I’ve gotten to know him from the fond and often hilarious memories of those who loved him, and I think he would have gotten a huge kick out of this dress and the pageant.

If you haven’t already, please check out Shelby Free’s website, read Stacy’s story about why he’s doing the pageant and if you feel moved to do so, please donate. Just navigate your way to Shelby’s donation page from his main page and make sure you put “Shelby Free” in the company name field on the donation form so Stacy can keep track of the donations he’s collected. So far, he’s raised $7,000!

Give until it’s glamorous, people!!

 

Ze top, she eez done! Voila! (Click peectures for zee big)

With the lining in and the back laced up, the shape has really come together. If you compare the front and side to the last update, it’s a lot smoother.

 

 

And here is why the shaping works! I am so happy with the way the back came out, it looks exactly like I imagined! And yes, those are the tabs from the cans acting as corset loops. Shelby is a svelte lass, so I’m assuming that the last row of cans is not even going to need the loops and will end up being seamed together.

 

 

And here is the inside. I lined it with a soft cotton t-shirt and sewed the bra right in. The boobs aren’t sewn in, I figured we should keep those free and easy until the end. I used a zig zag stitch and it’s a little wonky since it’s hand-sewn. But it serves the purpose.

 

 

I realized that the top was going to be a little tricky to get on since it’s backless and all, so I ended up leaving the bra strap attached. That way, Shelby can hook it on while one of her minions laces her up. I’m going to sew in little pockets to the lining so she can tuck them in when the dress is on.

 

 

I’m all set to send it off to Shelby in California so she can try it on. Once we’ve got the fit right, I’ll know how big to make the skirt. The skirt will actually be a lot faster since there isn’t a whole lot of shaping. And although it’s floor length in the back, it’s really short in the front, so that’s half to work! Good thing Shelby dresses like a floozy!

 

Don’t forget to give whatever you can on the “Donations” page of Shelby’s website. All donations go to Aid for AIDS, whose mission it is to provide financial assistance for necessities of life to adults and children living below the poverty-line with HIV/AIDS, primarily in Los Angeles County. Be sure to include Shelby’s name on your donation as requested on the Donations page.

 

Oh, and before I sign off, I would like to address some rumors that have been flying around on the internet. It’s very painful to talk about, but I feel like I must set the record straight in order to preserve my reputation. I have been accused of using unethical practices in the making of this gown and I would like to take this opportunity to say that in no way have I ever utilized child labor. Ever.

 

Well, maybe just that once.

 

 

After doing some research, I was shocked to learn that Stitchy McYarnpants does not appear on the list of fashion designers allowed to use the term “Haute Couture” in an official sense. I guess it’s my own fault for embracing Freedom Fries. C’est la guerre du mode.

So I have coined a new term and will heretofore be known as the preeminent fashion designer in the Haute Canture movement. In order to keep the fashion pure, I’ve had to put a few rules in place to keep out the riff raff.

-Design made-to-order for private clients, with one or more fittings.

-Have a workspace cleared in the living room that employs at least four cats in order to provide full cat-hair cover.

-Must present a garment to a contestant in a prestigious Drag Queen beauty pageant. The garment must use acrylic yarn already in the designer’s stash so that the only cost incurred is for beer.

With Haute Canture behind her, Shelby is going to be the most stunning Beauty Queen to ever wear a pile of recyclables.

Shelby Free is her name, being cheap and easy is her game. But we all know that you’re not cheap and easy. Well, not cheap, anyway. So please give whatever you can on the “Donations” page of Shelby’s website. All donations go to Aid for AIDS, whose mission it is to provide financial assistance for necessities of life to adults and children living below the poverty-line with HIV/AIDS, primarily in Los Angeles County. Be sure to include Shelby’s name on your donation as requested on the Donations page.

Go ahead, I’ll wait while you make your donation.

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Hooray! Thanks for your generosity! And now, on to the dress (as always, click for big):

Here is the front, in all its canny glory. The white tank top is actually going to become the lining for the top. I’m going to sew it just below the edge around the neck, arms and bottom. All of the squared-off parts will be filled in with crochet, and then I’ll crochet another row all around the neck and arms to smooth everything out.

 

These cans will most assuredly NOT make Shelby’s but look big.

 

 

Here’s a closeup of the front. I’m crazy about the bows! I think they add just the right touch.

 

And here is the back. It’s going to lace up so the fit can be adjusted. I’m going to cut the tank top and bra to sew them in, so this is going to be a saucy little number all nakedy in the back. I’m thinking of adding a nice big butt bow at the bottom of the lacing. I love butt bows!