Don’t call me a “bag lady” like its a bad thing…

Because I seem to be experiencing a slight creative block at the moment, I thought I’d post today about a little collection I have. Unlike most things people collect that cost an arm and a leg, this collection is free!

You don’t really think I collect string do you? …..String?? Nah.

Nothing racy or sweet.

Fancy? Me??? Well, maybe just a little. But remember what I said ~~ FREE! {Um…kinda}. My friends MacKenzie and Childs are in on the action.

Give up already? Here’s one last clue. My prized, limited edition Tony Bennett, circa 2008. Tony has a special place in my heart. I coveted him from afar until I convinced my poor daughter to saunter into Bloomies and beg for him. They took pity and gave her two and she didn’t have to purchase a thing!

Tony deserves a place all to himself {please don’t tell him it’s in the powder room!}. But his friends Manolo, Louis, Yves, Chloe, Kate and Stella?

They joined forces and formed an awesome border around the ceiling in my sewing studio! Every time I sew, I enjoy these little works of art. What a conversation piece ~ not that I really converse with anybody in my studio, but they’d make a fun addition to a laundry room, framed in a mudroom, office or yes, even a bit of inspiration in the powder room. You likely have saved a bag or two over the years but it’s easy to find them listed on eBay too.

All this talk got me to thinking. I’ll bet just about everyone collects something. And I’ll bet just about everyone enjoys sharing said collection which got me to thinking a Public Display of Collection with a Mr McLinky link-up just might be the thing to get your collection obsession out of the closet. Perhaps bi-weekly or monthly? I’m still working out the details so leave me some comments!

The lights are on at the Barn….but who’s minding the store?

I’m still here! Just working on a project which I will hopefully reveal within the next couple of days. In the meantime, I’d love to know what you think of this

It’s in the new Pottery Barn catalog and is called the Wakefield Chandelier. For a mere $299 (plus shipping), you can hang all your paper scraps above your dining room table!

SAY WHAT??? The first thing I thought of…fire hazard. Then I thought about my dinner guests enjoying the sumptuous spread I whipped up while attempting to read my latest VISA bill…nothing says fancy dining like litter. As a matter of fact, PB will send you their litter if you don’t have enough of your own {it comes with preprinted ivory cards with phrases like cheers and bon appétit}!

Oh PB…why can’t you just stick with a quality eight-arm chandy and call it good?

Quick Rolled Totes ~ Good for you and easy to make!

A while back I was reading a blog post that caught my attention. Mostly because of the faux-Burberry fabric used (I had some and had been searching for more). Once I looked closely at the project, I realized it wasn’t one of those cutesy totes one can find all over blogland. This was a grown-up tote, made with silk no less! Imagine being able to keep a full-sized tote neatly stored in your purse or backpack in case of a shopping emergency! Not to mention the number of paper and/or plastic bags that you can leave right at the store for someone else to recycle!

Here’s a link to the post that inspired me.  I’d like to thank Lindsay T for granting me permission to share my version of her project with you.

Here’s my finished project.

Not another tote, you say? You already have a million of ‘em taking up space in your closet? Well, that’s the beauty of this tote. It takes up so little space you hardly know it’s there. Here it is in its’ natural habitat.

Now if you don’t agree that this just may be the coolest tote EVER, stop reading RIGHT NOW. I’ll save my tutorial for someone who appreciates a potent totable!

…..Just kidding……

If you’re still with me, your patience will be rewarded with a project that will be the hit of your next day of  shopping with the girls. They’ll be “oohing” and “aahing” and commending you for your cleverness and creativity. {You’re such a show off!}

Here’s what you’ll need to get started:

1.  A silk or polyester taffeta in two coordinating colors/prints. It’s really important to use a very lightweight fabric for the tote so that it rolls up properly and taffeta has just the right amount of body for this project.

My taffeta stash. Can you tell the Calico Corners outlet store used to be 15 minutes away?

1/2 yard (outer fabric):  Cut one 39″ wide x 15″ tall rectangle {TOTE} and one 6″ wide x 12″ tall rectangle {INNER POCKET}

1/2 yard (lining fabric):  Cut one 39″ wide x 15″ tall rectangle {TOTE LINING},  two 7″ wide  x 13″ tall rectangles (OUTER POCKETS}, and one 10″ x 10″ square {CARRYING BAG}.

2.  Nylon webbing. I like really long straps that will fit comfortably over a winter coat, so I used two 32″ long pieces. If you prefer shorter straps, make them the length most comfortable for you.

3. Some sort of cording, ribbon or tie that you can use to cinch the carrying bag. I used some gold cord, the stretchy kind that is used for decoration on a giftbox. Use whatever you have on hand but if you use a wider cording you’ll need to adjust for that when making the bag casing.

ALL SEAMS ARE 1/2″

Starting with the pockets, fold in half right sides together and stitch three sides leaving a small opening to turn. Because silk tends to ravel, this ensures you don’t have any raw edges inside the pockets.

Clip the corners, turn the pockets right sides out and press ensuring the area left unstitched for turning is evenly enclosed.

Fold {TOTE} rectangle in half right sides together {RST} to measure 19.5″ wide by 15″ tall. Stitch side seam only. Mark the side opposite the seam side with pins at 19 1/2″ so you can properly center the pocket on the unseamed side of the tote.

Turn right side out and press seam flat placing iron inside.

Center finished {OUTER POCKET} over stitched side seam with the folded over edge on top and up 5″ from the bottom raw edge. Pin. Stitch pocket to tote approximately 1/8″ from the edges leaving top open. Repeat the process adding the second {OUTER POCKET} centering over the marked center point.

Stitch the side seam on the {TOTE LINING} the same as for the {TOTE} above. Center the interior pocket on one layer of the {TOTE LINING} down 3″ from the top raw edge (the center point is at 9 1/2″). On the inner pocket, I did a little personalization with my monogram. Stitch as above close to edge of pocket leaving the upper edge unsewn.

Seam both {TOTE} and {TOTE LINING} bottoms. Measure 1 3/4″ on each corner for both pieces and mark a stitching line to make a boxed corner. Stitch.

Clip excess fabric.

Place the {TOTE} inside {TOTE LINING} RST matching side seams.

Place handles between two layers 5″ from outer edges and pin in place. Stitch around top edge leaving 4″ unsewn for turning. Turn right side out and press top edge . Top stitch upper edge about 1/2″ from to top of the tote. That’s it for the tote!

To make the carrying case, serge all unfinished edges on the 10″ x 10″ square. Fold in half and pin at 1 1/4″ down from the top and at 1 3/4″ from the top (to leave room to put the cording through).

Sew side seam starting and stopping at the pins near the top. Stitch bottom seam. Press 1″ around the top edge to make the casing. Stitch close to edge. Insert cording and you’re done!

Thanks, Lindsay T, for the inspiration!

Oh two things. First, this tote won’t be something you can just throw into the washer so I don’t recommend using it for food or things that might leak or stain. And second, I’ve said this before…I absolutely love my worktable and use it all the time. Please ignore the icky ironing stains…

In it to win it!

Photo Courtesy of Glamour.com

Congratulations to lucky guesser Heather who picked the number 50! See, I told you there were a lot of pillows on that bed. In addition to Heather, Mary Ruth also won for linking this giveaway to her blog. Both of these ladies have great blogs you must check out. Ladies, my people will be in touch with your people for the particulars….

Tomorrow I’m putting together a project that is sure to be a great girlfriend gift! Stop by for a TOTEally awesome tute!

It’s a Pillow Plight!

I believe in the past I’ve blogged about my affinity for pillow-making, which you can witness in the sidebar pictures. In a fierce spurt of sewing energy a while back, I constructed dozens of them and stored them for posterity (or emergency gifts). Well, posterity has taken over the closet in my guest bedroom, and frankly I’m tired of fighting with them to get the suitcases in and out. I need the space, pillows, and I won’t tolerate your languishing around the guest room anymore!

To the winner who can guess the number of pillows I have assembled on the guest room (king-sized) bed, I shall dispatch a new pillow to take up residence in your, well, residence. I’ve given you a couple of different vantage points, but beyond that no clues. I mean really. How many pillows can a king-sized bed hold (a LOT)? Should there not be a winner with the exact number, I’ll take the closest number that does not exceed the exact number.

And since I’m feeling especially generous today, I’ll pick a second winner from those that mention this giveaway on their blog and link their blog to this post (be sure to mention that you’re linking with your guess).

And when you win, you’ll get to pick out your pillow.

You have until 8:00 PM (ET), Wednesday, October 21, 2009 to submit your guess. Please be sure you include your email or alternative way to contact you.

Here are some close-ups of some of the pillows that may be included in the pile…or multiples thereof.

London and Paris and Rome! Oh my!

I’ve returned from my whirlwind trip! I saw many new things.

But mostly OLD things…

All the while, keeping an eye out for inspiring decorating elements.

For some reason, I was fixated on the intricate designs of doors in Europe. I was curious about what was behind such works of art, but had to be satisfied with using my imagination to conjure up images of the people that might have walked through them.

But after three long weeks, there was only ONE door I really wanted to see.

Dorothy had it all figured out.

Be sure to stop by Hooked on Houses for the last Hooked on Fridays post!

Oh, the places you’ll go!

I’ll be leaving soon. A wonderful vacation to rejuvenate the spirit. I’m looking forward to sleeping here …

On my journey, I hope to happen upon some of this…

Most certainly I’ll have to bring home a little of this….

Of course, my trip would not be complete without this…

I’ll take in a LOT of this ….

Less of this than I’d like …. new diet, ugh!

But, lots of this ….

And I’d never forgive myself if I didn’t remember my friends with some of this ….

Or perhaps, one of these…

But most of all, I get to spend time with these folks… my family.

Au revoir all! See you in October!

Pull up a chair!

What do you do when you own the perfect chair, but it’s not covered in the perfect fabric? Make sure your supervisor approves the job first.

Rrrrrriiiiiippppp the chair apart but take care to remember how to put it back together….

Dig out every last one of those blasted staples …

Don’t quit in the middle or you won’t remember how to put it back together!

After two days, some extra muscle and some relatively minor skirmishes, I finally have the perfect chair covered in the perfect fabric! Now, if I just had a matching ottoman….

Making old new again. A drapery redo.

Now that I’ve had the time to enjoy my new/old draperies, I’ve begun to forget how much work they were to reconstruct. To recap, I had eight individual silk panels I’d purchased at Target several years ago. They were no longer needed in their original location and I knew they would work perfectly in my new dining room. The problem? They were 16″ too short, they were rod pockets and they were individual panels.  The solution? Find a way to extend them, convert them to pinch-pleats and join the panels. Obviously, the length was something that couldn’t be worked around but converting them to pinch-pleats and joining the panels was something I wanted to do to make them as close to custom as possible.

Here’s what I started with. A beautiful, tone on tone cream stripe. I located a complimentary fabric with a slight texture to add to the bottom.

First, I had to remove all  bottom hems (both face fabric and lining).

Since I had two windows that required a pair of draperies on each side, I needed to fuse two panels into one, generating four double-width panels. I went the easy (rather than removing the side seams) and serged the widths together, trimming the side hems off completely as I serged. I separated the draperies from the lining and concealed the serged seam by working from the back of the panels.

Next, I needed to stitch on the extension of the face fabric and the lining too. I pressed until I felt like I was in a steam shower ensuring all prior hemlines disappeared and the join line was nice and flat.

I replaced the bead weights to keep them hanging nicely.

Now comes the least favorite part. Hand hems. Uggh. Here’s when I wish I had a blind-hemmer!

The lining hem is done by machine.

Now on to the side hems at the lower edge only. Since they had previously been machine stitched (custom specifies using a blind-hemmer or hand stitching side hems), I continued the previous stitchline, incorporating the new lining and face fabric extensions.

I didn’t photograph the hand-pleating process, but it’s seems to me the most complex (and dreaded) portion of drapery making. Here are the finished pleats. Whew! I did not add buckram to these panels giving them a softer look.

Lots more pressing and finally adding the 3/8″ black grossgrain which served two purposes. To conceal the join line and add a bit of sophistication to the panels. I used a commercial fabric glue. Quick and easy (and totally legal in the eyes of the drapery making police)!

I added the pleat hooks and hand formed the pleats. It’s a good idea to tie the pleats and allow them to remain tied for several days. This process is similar to pressing the pleats in place and will give the panels a great look once the unveiling takes place!

A quick look at the bottom…

See how nicely they remembered where the pleats were supposed to be?

Aren’t you proud of me? No profanity was used in the making of this blog post! Believe me, it would have been easier to start the draperies from scratch, and I could give a million reasons why I would never take on a project like this again, but I was able to save lots of cash, reuse something that would have garnered merely pennies at a garage sale, and give some of my skills a real workout. Overall, I think they turned out great!

Interested in trying your hand at drapery making (or remaking)? I recommend these books to get your feet wet:

The Encyclopedia of Curtains by Merrick & Day

Sunset’s Curtains, Draperies & Shades

The Complete Book of Curtains and Drapes by Lady Caroline Wrey

Oh and for the ultimate book on drapery design inspiration, be sure to check out The Design Directory of Window Treatments by Jackie Von Tobel. There’s nothing like it out there, and by like it I mean the thing is worth it’s weight in gold (it weighs a ton!).

Also, Jackie’s BRAND NEW (I haven’t even received my copy yet!) The Design Directory of Bedding is not to be missed if you’re a home sewing freak like me!

Off to put my feet up …

A friend indeed!

My friend Sue, over at Rue Mouffetard, provided great encouragement throughout the dining room redo project. Even when going through the drapery remake (which you haven’t heard about yet, but will soon), she made sure I stayed on task and finished what I had started. She was such a good friend that she knew my ironstone collection wouldn’t be complete without her contribution. She searched high and low…

Then one day, upon my doorstep appeared a huge box. Instantly, I got an email telling me to Open it! OPEN IT!

See those two lovely octagon-ally shaped pieces? The ones that stand right up and say, “Hey, I came all the way from Atlanta! Look at me!” Well, they’re now basking in the sun of the dining room window. Standing proud and doing their job. Making sure all the other plates do their job.

See how nicely they fit in? I’d say the dining room wouldn’t have been complete without their addition. And I’d like to thank Sue from the bottom of my heart. You certainly shouldn’t have. But I’m so very glad you did!