Flowers and Butterflies

 

I made this summer sundress from pretty butterfly fabric I found on sale at Hancock Fabrics. The buttons are little sunflowers. It fits me, but it feels a bit juvenile for me at my age. I think I need to get over that…what do you think?

Personal expression

"Emergence, the empowered goddess" is one of my art dolls and will be on display at Art & Antiques Studio & Gallery during their “Portrait of a Woman” exhibit May 4 through 30. Come and see!

Tropical Cutie

Repurposed clothing….gotta love it!!!

 I found a flowery print rayon shirt-dress (shown below) in the Bargain Bin (99 cents a pound) at the Goodwill Thrift Store, so it literally cost me less than 99 cents! I took it apart and reconstructed it (above) into this cute 1940’s style dress (or a summery top, for the modest woman!). The green halter straps were made from a silk blouse also found in the Bargain Bin (I’m estimating about 25 cents for this fabric) and the buttons on the back closure were repurposed from the shirt-dress.

I love the Goodwill Thrift Store! I have found the most amazing fabrics there. It’s so much fun to discover sumptuous silks and buttery velvets, beautiful buttons and metallic trims, all at prices I can afford! After taking the garments apart, there usually is not enough yardage for making anything major, but piecing parts together is much of the fun! 

For more photos, see my Craftsy page at  http://www.craftsy.com/user/206787/projects, or my Burda page at http://www.burdastyle.com/profiles/bright-ideas-studio/my_studio

Tots and Peas

Okay, so it’s not fiber art, dolls or sewing, but this first layer of my famous Tater Tot Casserole was just SO ARTSY! Look at those shapes and textures and patterns…I just had to photograph it and share it!

Just so you don’t think I’m totally crazy, here’s the recipe, followed by a photo of the finished casserole on its way to the oven. Try it…you’ll love it!

Bake a bag of Tater Tots or similar potato things.

WHILE THEY ARE BAKING:

 Sauté a chopped onion in some oil.

Add a bag of Boca Burger Crumbles .

Heat and stir until the protein is cooked; set aside.

THEN, layer into a rectangular baking dish:

About half the Tots;

Sprinkle in some cooked peas (as in photo);

Cover it with all the Boca mixture;

Layer on top of that about 6 ounces of shredded cheddar cheese (or cover with cheese slices);

Spread on that a can of cream style corn;

Sprinkle some more cooked peas;

Then top it off with a final layer of the rest of the Tots (see final photo).

Bake at 350 degrees for about ½ hour.

Enjoy! And take pictures if you feel inspired!!

Dryer Lint Two - Now You Can Do It!

One of my colleagues saw my little lint purse and said "You should make a pattern for this."  So I did! I'm just about to publish my first pattern, in PDF and printed format, in which I detail the step-by-step process of turning dryer lint and other fiber scraps) into beautiful fabric and a cute clutch purse. It's coming....watch for it!

Dryer lint fabric....turned it into a purse!

Couldn't let that cute fabric sit idly by, so I made a purse out of it! In addition to putting this up on Etsy, Craftsy and Burda Style, I took it to my meeting of the American Sewing Guild today...the ladies loved it, and encouraged me to make a pattern for it....and I will!

Sew Much Sewing To Do...

I got a lot done this week! Finished this tunic for a sample for my Adult Sewing Class that begins on Tuesday:

and I also made this skirt and vest for a sample for my Kids Sewing Class that begins next week:

and I also made this snappy little purse for my Aunt Carole: