Wow, I can't believe it's been 3 months since my last post, but I have been busy, with both art and sewing. I'm going to go in reverse a bit and show my latest one first because she was so much fun! My sis-in-law gave me a doll she picked up in the thrift store just because she wanted to see if I would draw it....so I did. She is "Fancy Nancy," a cloth Madame Alexander doll. I did her in ink and colored pencil in about an 8 x 11 size.
Isn't she just lovable, crazy fun?
Next up...mushrooms!
Next up...mushrooms!
Just some pretty tangled flowers.
A new little girl is coming into our extended family soon and I've been busy making gifts for her. The first is a bunch of burp cloths made from prefold diapers and flannel prints. These are very practical, absorbent and nice looking. Easy, easy project.
These sweet little kimono-style jackets were made from fleece and cotton. I made the white one in 0-3 mos. sized for this fall, and the grey one is 9-12 mos., hopefully for next spring. These were easy and fun to make. I also made a few simple receiving blankets large enough for swaddling.
Yesterday I completed a pair of "pocket pants" for a three-year-old boy. When we find out if these are the right fit, I've got a couple more ready to cut and sew for him. These should be great fun for him to wear, as that age child loves to collect small objects and keep them in their pockets. Mom and his nana will just have to be vigilant about checking them before doing the laundry, LOL!
I have also made several decorative pillows for my daughter's sofa, but haven't been on the ball enough to get photos of any of them.
I've done lots of other art work, as well, but not planning to show all of it here. I've also been getting into sewing with linen, lately, and I am really enjoying that process. The fabric is a joy to work with and I'm working on a wardrobe of Mori-style clothes. I'm not strict in the sense of it all having to be dark, or all-natural fabrics, though I do prefer that. I'm making some crinkle gauze, batiked print skirts and now I'm working on recycling an old men's shirt into something feminine and lovely to go with them. I also had to make a linen half slip to wear under the crinkle gauze skirts for some more opacity, but still keeping the breezy cool feel. I wasn't able to find the right size half slip locally and I didn't really want nylon for summer anyway. The linen is perfect for this!
I have learned how to "hemstitch" and have done 7 lovely linen handkerchiefs using this heirloom technique. I haven't photo'd any of these linen projects yet, but will get to that soon and do a separate post for them. BTW, I get almost all of my linen from www.fabric-store.com. I have been totally pleased with the consistent quality of their fabrics. They have something on sale nearly every day and I signed up for emails, so when what I like is on sale, that's when I buy. Occasionally I can find some 100% linen or a nice linen-cotton mix at my local Hancocks and that has been a good buy, also. I do not buy the linen/acrylic blend; it just isn't appropriate for what I'm doing at this time. 'Bye for now....keep enjoying the summer!
I've done lots of other art work, as well, but not planning to show all of it here. I've also been getting into sewing with linen, lately, and I am really enjoying that process. The fabric is a joy to work with and I'm working on a wardrobe of Mori-style clothes. I'm not strict in the sense of it all having to be dark, or all-natural fabrics, though I do prefer that. I'm making some crinkle gauze, batiked print skirts and now I'm working on recycling an old men's shirt into something feminine and lovely to go with them. I also had to make a linen half slip to wear under the crinkle gauze skirts for some more opacity, but still keeping the breezy cool feel. I wasn't able to find the right size half slip locally and I didn't really want nylon for summer anyway. The linen is perfect for this!
I have learned how to "hemstitch" and have done 7 lovely linen handkerchiefs using this heirloom technique. I haven't photo'd any of these linen projects yet, but will get to that soon and do a separate post for them. BTW, I get almost all of my linen from www.fabric-store.com. I have been totally pleased with the consistent quality of their fabrics. They have something on sale nearly every day and I signed up for emails, so when what I like is on sale, that's when I buy. Occasionally I can find some 100% linen or a nice linen-cotton mix at my local Hancocks and that has been a good buy, also. I do not buy the linen/acrylic blend; it just isn't appropriate for what I'm doing at this time. 'Bye for now....keep enjoying the summer!