Sewing on the Porch

Porching

My plan for the week in the mountains was to spend time working on the projects I never seem to focus on here at home.  Surprise – I didn’t focus any better away from day to day distractions -  I found numerous other distractions!  I did, however, make a new purse, draft and sew a flip doll, stitch a couple rejected prototypes, and mark pieces for three flower bags.  It was blissful sitting on the porch in the shade with cool breezes flowing past.

In cruising the mountain thrift stores I found a pair of black jeans on discount for $1.50, and a black twill belt for $1.00.  Cut off the jeans for capris and use the pants bottoms and belt, along with some blackberry fabric I brought with me, to make a berry bag!  Its a bit bigger than the small purse I’d been carrying that wasn’t big enough for my camera, yet smaller than the more formal pocketbook I use in the winter.  Just right!

As a parked at the third thrift market in Franklin, I found myself right in front of a quilt store!!  Found a 30’s reproduction fat quarter in a pink/peach color with kittens and puppies on it, which became the dress for a newly designed flip doll.  Worked on the doll at the Rickman Store market Friday afternoon (see Dan Springs blog – link on sidebar), finished it at the Bryson City market Saturday morning, and it promptly sold!  So no photo – sorry.

Keep sewing!

Lily Bug

Here we go!

Kitty Eyes

Talk to me

Whiskers!

Now that big brother is in school, its Lily-time! She, her mom, and I made the tour last week of thrift shops, looking for a raincoat and Halloween costumes. With the serendipity of that pursuit, Lily found this pink kitty, with its own string of pearls. Fortunately the only remnant of its sound capability was an exhausted battery, so the kitten is very inoffensive. The absence of claws and sharp kitten teeth, which her other feline Geo has in abundance, were additional selling points. For 53 cents, Lily was thrilled!

We were looking for a Cinderella costume, or supplies to construct one, but no deals. However, in an example of thrift store ‘roll with it’, mom Julia did find an excellent lady bug outfit! So watch for the little red Lily bug next month!

Fall Finds

Pickin’s Getting Thin

New Clothes

Two New Skirts!

We made a trip to the garden yesterday where everything was heavy with dew. Rain over the last week or so has resulted in a spurt of growth, and more peppers. Tomatoes are about done, as are the zinnias. My favorite gardener kindly took a photo of me in my new duds with zinnias, but the battery on the camera was going and the photo was garbled, giving the dreaded ‘picture error’. Oh well. So instead you get separate pix of the produce and wardrobe updates!

I’m off the the South of the James Market tomorrow, with new hat and matching green skirt!

Estate and Yard Sale Finds

Shadow Box of Favorite Things

Madeline and her Book

Turtle Mola

Thursday’s the day I start checking the paper for weekend estate and yard sales.  No estate sales listed today – probably because of the holiday.  But looks like we’ll have a bumper crop of yard sales.  Shown above are some of my recent finds: a shadow box for 50 cents, Madeline doll for $1, Madeline the book for $2, and an authentic Mola for $1.  Madeline has a soft fleece coat that I thought Lily might like, but so far not much interest.  Maybe in a year or two!  The shadow box holds some of my favorite things, and gets them above the clutter of the studio.  The turtle mola reminds me of the textile sessions I taught with my sister for her high school art students in 2005 and 2006, and may do again at some point.  Next time I’ll have an actual example, to go with the arpillera! (see May 24, 2007 post in old blog: http://blog.360.yahoo.com/blog-e16WqawyerLl0CTvMULLhebXn..iOlCF4n8-?cq=1&l=56&u=60&mx=342&lmt=5)