My Travelling Companion

On my European travels last year I had a constant companion, yes another other than The Lumberjack. A companion that made me happy and was a true help along the way. A companion of the handmade kind, my CarryAll bag. I made it just before my trip and it occurred to me I never shared it with you.

When I was all done with the making and I looked upon my sweet new rather roomy CarryAll bag, it made me smile from ear to ear. It was all sorts of colorful with sunny details put on and a fine fit over my shoulder.

I used a vintage Japanese tablecloth for the main out side that had been a gift from my mother, it has a nice nubby texture and lovely design. For the rest I rummaged around in my scrap heap.

It has a handy pocket on the back side that kept all of my important papers safe and sound.

It did a bang up job through London and Paris, often put upon by heavy loads, abused by the Underground and escalators, kicked under cafe tables and mistreated in various ways. Though it may have got a little grubby along the way, it never failed me and still made me smile. I received many compliments and a few comments of "Well now, that's an um... interesting bag."

I used fusible fleece for the lining, then quilted it with lines of stitching to give it a bit of structure. And of course extra handy pockets for the inside.

Oh guess what?! You could make one too if you fancy. I used a downloadable pattern by Farbenmix which you can purchase HERE
There are two size variations and all sorts of room for modification and embellishment. I have always been happy with their patterns.

My CarryAll bag was the perfect travelling companion indeed!

The Calico Prairie

Hello.
Fist off, I want to thank you all for the very kind and encouraging comments you left on my last post. You are all so ace! You made me feel better and so grateful to have this lovely community.

I am on the up-swing for certain. We have had a few days of the most glorious weather, and really a little sunshine goes a long way in putting thing to rights. Long days spent in the garden, planting promise and meditating on beauty is most uplifting.

So today I thought it was long over due to talk a little stitching, share a wee bit of the creative mayhem that goes on around these parts. As I said before, there hasn't been a huge amount of craftiness going on here - what with the busy and a little green cottage in a certain amount of upheaval - makes for less making. I am currently working from my sewing machine on a little rolling cart that gets moved about to any (and there isn't really) clutter free corner I can find. Still, a moment here and there some stitchy business can be had.

Sometimes in my creative process I can become a tad fixated, or even obsessed as the case may be. I wake up one morning and there is a little voice in my head that whispers to me saying things like, "Octopus", or "Stripes". So then I get consumed and spend the day thinking about octopuses? - octopi? - octopodes?, or stripes. After thinking and pacing I begin to work and suddenly I have stenciled an octopus on a tea towel, a dress, and a backpack. You get my drift.

Some of these obsessions are short lived, I get my fix and then the next little whispers begin over my morning coffee. Some obsessions last longer. My latest obsession has lasted a couple of months now and it shows little signs of letting up. It is all about Prairie Dresses!

Not to be confused with Little House on the Prairie dresses, but a slightly more modern interpretation of an all purpose Prairie Dress. One that can be worn over pants, layered with T-shirts, or on their own. Made with Calico from my grandmother's fabric stash in funky combinations in various lengths and sleeve types.

It all started with a whisper, a certain Pony Girl, and some of my grandmother's fabrics that had been hanging around waiting for their chance. A bit of thinking and pacing led to a pattern drafting and then to the first of 5 so far.

There have been a couple of pattern tweaks along the way and there may be more to come. I am in love and I just can't stop! I do wonder when the passion for the calico prairie will wane and the next fixation will take over, but in the meantime I'll be picking out the fabric combo for the next one.

And what about you? Do you ever find yourself creatively obsessed? Do tell!

Yukata

Some time ago, my mother sent me a package (as she so sweetly does from time to time) of bits of fabric. This package was a little different from the usual. It contained several pieces of vintage Japanese Yukata cottons.

The word "Yukata" not only refers to the cotton fabric, but it is also the name of the kimono shaped robe worn at home after bath; and as a cool, colorful kimono worn by young women at summer festivals.

Traditional Japanese Indigo - The use of the print patterns cut from tanned paper was devised in the EDO period (1600-1868). First a design was cut onto a print pattern made of tanned paper. The pattern was then placed on a sheet of cotton cloth and a paste of glutinous rice was spread over it. The paste covered the parts of cloth where the patterns were cut out. Once the cloth was dipped in the Japanese indigo dye, the parts not covered with the rice paste were dyed a deep blue. The tanned paper used for making the pattern consists of many layers of Japanese paper, glued together with persimmon tannin.

Traditionally these fabrics were dyed with indigo in deep blues. More recently, other bright and rich colors have been added. Yukata fabric comes in rolls approximately 14" wide and 13 yards long. One roll traditionally makes one Yukata kimono. The process of creating the beautifully hand stenciled and dyed cotton fabric is a complex and disappearing art. Yukata is colorfast, has no right or wrong side (the design is equally vibrant on both sides) and only improves with repeated washings, becoming softer and more comfortable.

These pictures don't do them justice, they are so intricate and vibrant. I am fascinated by the process used in the hand dying and stenciling. All of these pieces range from the 1960s through the 1970s.

This piece is my favorite, isn't it stunning?

I still don't know what I will end up making with these amazing fabrics, I know that one day it will just come to me. I think the last piece may end up stretched on a frame and hung as art, for that is what it is indeed.

These fabrics were purchased from Patricia Belyea at Yukata Craze. You could also do an internet search for Vintage Yukata Fabric if you are interested in purchasing some of this beautiful fabric for yourself! I think it would be wonderful used in quilts.

Thanks mom!

The Once Over

It has been some time since spiffying up the little green cottage has been a priority, but I am beginning to think it is high time that changed.

So today, as the snow turned to slush in a most disappointing turn of events (at least according to Pony Girl), I gave the inside of the cottage a good once over. Looking here and there, with the occasional 'tsk, tsk' and 'oh dear'. Things are indeed looking a bit forelorn 'round these parts.

Gathering up a few bits of fabric, giving them the once over, not yet settling on anything. Still, 'tis nice to contemplate cushions and consider curtains.

Let the spiffying begin!

Have a grand day my friends!

little bits

Little bits of vintage goodness.

This weekend was a wild ride, uppers...downers...turn-arounders. There was a small break in the weather, some troubling news, a baby-sitting swap with the neighbors, a difficult 3rd verse, and a tiny bit of vomit. There was also a 'Mad Men' themed company party for which, I broke out the red lipstick for the first time in years.

When this morning rolled in, it brought fog and a slightly unsettled feeling within me. After school drop off, I bravely faced the grocery market and fulfilled my duty as the keeper of the food. Coming home, I was thinking of some recent inspiration I came across here, and oh my goodness here, and definitely here. It occurred to me that I was in desperate need of some therapy. Fraulein Pfaff was waiting stoically in the studio, knowing I couldn't stay away.

I started gathering up little bits of vintage goodness...some received from lovely blog friends, some from sweet grannies, and some found on treasure hunts. Then it begins to happen, cutting and stitching and all the rest fades away. Yet, all the recent events, the inspiration from here, there, the buffet line at a Mad Men party, my longing for a bit of sunshine, the afternoon adventures of "Fleeto the Rabbit and his Horse with no Name"...all the little bits of life go into the dress I'm making.

By the time I have clipped my last thread, the sun is out, it's time for school pick up and I feel much better.

And now it's time to introduce you to a little something that Pony Girl calls, 'Rock N' Roll Modeling'!

Oh Yeah!

and check out her very first pair of Doc Martins, picked up for a song at the local thrift...with super cool miss matched laces, sweet!

Sundry

First, I have to thank all of you lovelies for the sweet comments and all the encouragement you left for me on my last post. I feel so immensely grateful to have such wonderful readers with such kind hearts. You make me feel as though I could do anything!

As I mentioned, my stitching has slowed to an almost standstill. I do have one little bit of making to show. A pair of dungarees for Pony Girl. Made from the Farbenmix pattern, Berit. I love this pattern as they go together quickly and have a bit of interest to the piecing. I kept this pair on the simple side - since the denim I used was of heavy weight and too much embellishing would have made them even heavier.

I tried to get the girl to model them for pictures because they are much more charming that way, instead of laying on the table all flat and kidless. She would have none of it though.

In other stitch related news; I received the sweetest bundle from Denise of A Bun Can Dance. We had a little scrap swap between ourselves and across an ocean. What a wonderful package arrived at my door, with some special vintage pieces to boot! The lovely fabrics have me pondering and wanting to sew.


And now in completely unrelated but noteworthy news...
A little while ago I received an email from Sandy of Sandy and the 1000 Paper Cranes. Sandy is on a mission! To fold 1000 paper cranes, to write affirming, positive words on their wings, and release them into the world for people to find.
This is a pretty great idea so I thought I would spread the word. If you want to read about her project click here. You too can join in by making your own cranes and setting them free. How awesome is that?

Well, that's it for today. Have a swell one!

Scrap Iron

Someone gave me a bag of mostly vintage fabric scraps, how nice! They had been in their mother's damp basement for years and smelled so very musty, less nice. After two very sound washing/drying cycles with extra vinegar in the rinse, much better indeed. Now that they were fresh and clean, there was just the massive tangle of threads and wrinkled up balls to contend with.

I spent a very meditative evening with my steam iron and at least a hundred lovely scraps...

...all the time imagining their possibility.

I'm A Winner!

I've been meaning to post about what a winner I am for a bit now and I'm finally getting 'round to it. These days it seems that I am so far behind, that I have actually gotten ahead of myself. I have also been speaking in nonsense for days now.

So right, I recently won a giveaway over at Fox's Lane of a beautiful bundle of vintage sheet pieces! Aren't they lovely? Thank you Kate! Now I get to make something sweet with them.

Wait, there's more! One of my favorite blog sites is The Yard Art Game, I always get a much needed chuckle when I visit. Well, recently there was a giveaway and I won! I know, I know, I'm on a roll! I won this super duper cool solar powered Glow Stick! Check it out.

It charges during the day and then at night it puts on a little light show, and changes colors!!! I am way more enchanted by it than is perhaps "normal" but, I just can't help it. I am very entertained by such things plus, I am now prepared for my very own backyard eco-friendly RAVE.

Look at the colors!
It also does green but, I didn't capture that on film.

Right now it is placed next to the chicken coop so that the chooks have their very own nightly light show, maybe I should pipe in some Pink Floyd so that they can have the full experience.

Thank you to my generous gifters, you have made my days (and nights) a little sweeter.

As for you dear readers, I think that you are winners too! Have a grand weekend and I shall return with stories of stitchery and perhaps even pie!

It's A Hook Book!

I didn't mean to go a-disappearing there, life sometimes just rolls along at it's own speed and I roll with it. In fact, this month of January might just be a little sparse on the blog front, for I am more than ever, a woman pressed for time. I haven't been able to keep up with my blog visiting either but, I know that you are all such a lovely lot that you will find it in your hearts to cut me a little slack, yes?

For today, I thought I would share a little post holiday present that I made for my own self. It's a hook book!

One of those, "I must have it right now!" kind of projects. It came to me as I was working on a little crochet somethin' somethin', watching the cat batting about my I hook and all my stitch markers fell to the floor, scattering to the far corners of 'Neverfind'.

So, away I went down to my basement corner (which now, thanks to the engineer, is no longer a threat of frostbite to a body) and started pulling a few recycled and vintage bits from the various cupboards. I threw it together in a relatively short time, and whilst I am unnerved by the dubious yellow parts, I think it will be of great service.

There is a zipper pocket to keep my stitch markers and yarn needles from making a break for it. Enough nooks and crannies for a family of hooks, even a little pocket for notes. There's a flap to keep slippery hook folk from sliding out willy nilly. There are a couple of kinks to work out before I call it a smashing success, next time I will include a place to keep a wee pair of snips. Oh I do believe there will be a few of these in my future.

Until next we meet my dears, I hope you have found your 2010 legs and are dancing into the new year.

Mama Needs a Brand New Bag

Do you see this beautiful piece of vintage fabric? Gorgeous isn't it? It's not quite a barkcloth, but similar. This is from my mother's collection, in absolute pristine condition. The story goes like this; my mother entrusted this fabric to my care in order that I should make her a bag. Once the commission was complete, I was to keep some of this beauty stuff for myself, very generous thanks mom. I believe the bargain was struck well over a year ago and still, no bag. Oh woe indeed, I am a neglectful daughter of the most confounding sort. Considering that my mother (who reads this blog regularly - Hi Mom!) has been contributing to my fabric collection on a regular basis for years. She has nearly single handedly supplied me with a vintage fabric stash that is the envy of all my chums.

I'm not quite sure what the hold up has been. Of course I want it to be perfect, of course I don't want to mess up her 'favorite piece of fabric ever', and well...to be completely honest, sometimes I am easily distracted.

So, this is my current mission; to create a bag of the loveliest kind. A bag worthy of this stellar fabric and of my stellar Mom. I think I can, I think I can...
Thank you mom for being so terribly patient and for enabling my fabric addiction. I love you lots!