Happy 17th Birthday Ryan!

Some special orders are more fun than others....

...and this was a fun one!

A skirt for Cora to match her cute new shoes! My AZ Craftster friends helped me choose the ideal fabrics. I hope it fits!

The Ruby Slouch

Presenting.... The Ruby Slouch! I have been working on this design for a while. It's kind of tricky, but I like the way it turned out. This one is for me.

Retreat in the Pines

I spent Friday and Saturday with my girlfriends in Prescott. Even though it was only about a 2-hour drive you can see that it is quite different from the Scottsdale desert where I live. Linda's log cabin is beautiful and the pines are fragrant and refreshing. I'm on the far left, then there's Judy, Karen, Mary, Gail, Mandy, Sherrie, Debbie, Star, Linda and Wanda.

AZ Craftsters Meet Again...

...and I forgot to take photos! Oh well.

We started the day at Gracie's Thrift in Tempe. It seemed like a good idea since everything was 50% off. Well guess what? Everyone else in town seemed to have the same idea! The store opened at 9:00. Apparently there was a line outside and everything. We arrived at 10:00. I immediately headed toward the neckties. I was VERY selective - only choosing clean, nice beautiful pink, purple and paisley ties...and a couple of others... Ummmm okay I found a total of 23 ties for 50 cents each. Not the best price but certainly a good price for a choice selection of ties. I also got a pair of natural-colored jeans for a "super-secret" project.

Chris found some great stuff - a wool sweater for felting, a knife rack and a teapot in a pattern that she collects! Carole found some vintage sewing goodies, and our new friend Kathleen found some clothes for her daughter and a bunch of vintage crafting books. We had to wait in a very long line to check out so it's a good thing we had each other to keep company.

Afterward, Denise met us at SAS Fabrics. I have a "Special Order" for a gypsy skirt for my friend Cora. She wants it to match her new VERY CUTE shoes. I brought one of the shoes into the fabric store and the girls helped me to find just the right fabrics. I hope Cora likes our choices.

Carole had to leave, but the rest of us went to lunch at Haji Baba. Naturally I had never been there or to ANY Middle Eastern restaurant....unless you count Greek. I had no idea what anything would taste like so I just ordered a "Combination Plate." Everything was scrumptious!

Ryan and Dan

This is my son, Dan and his sweetheart, Ryan. Dan is the middle of my five children. He's a senior in high school. Don't they look happy?

Always Sewing!

I liked the size and shape of the necktie schoolbag so I used the same pattern to make another bag from a vintage crazy quilt top. (Please note that this was an UNFINISHED quilt top - I don't cut up perfectly good quilts.) Anyway, it turned out pretty well....

So I made another....
Am I obsessed?

Check this out!

Purses made from zippers!

Look at my Counter!

It's closing in on 50,000 hits! It seems like I should celebrate or something...

Scarfles Go To Summer Camp!

Every year I send my friend Cassie a camp Care package. This year I thought she would have fun with a box of scarfles and other skirts to share with her cabin. Do you think they had fun? Cassie is the one in the rainbow skirt.

Carly's Adventurous Artwork

I've just added a link to Carly's blog. She is a mixed media artist working as a teacher in London. Be sure to check out the links to her artwork. It's fabulous.

Carly Makes a Tote

Carly was back again to finish her tote bag and just to generally hang out with Kaitlin and I! Didn't the tote turn out great?

Carly makes a necktie skirt

Hi this is Carly! Desperate to learn how to sew before I begin teaching textiles in a secondary school in London, Laura came to the rescue. She has offered to give me a few sewing lesson while I'm home for the summer. Today we made a necktie skirt! Very cute and I'm sure the kids in London are going to have as much fun with this as I have. I can't wait to learn more!
Please check out my blog.

Tutorial for Necktie Schoolbag!

I made a couple of adjustments in the schoolbag. It's a little smaller - five ties across instead of six. I worked very hard on this tutorial yesterday. Give it a try!

Back to School

I set out to design an alternative to the messenger bag. Lifting the flap every time I want to open the bag is a little tiresome. Also, when the bag is really stuffed it just doesn't look right. I wanted a BIG bag - big enough for schoolbooks, but easy to open and close. So, here is my first effort. What do you think?

Is it Fall Yet?

Inspired by my young students I have been making necktie skirts for girls! They are MUCH faster - requiring only 7, 8 or 9 ties. What a breeze. Here is my lovely long-legged niece Alex modeling. Doesn't she look great?

Zipper Pouches!

I've discoverd that a great way to use up scraps or to practice a new technique is to make a zipper pouch! The top one is made from necktie scraps, the next is ribbon scraps.


Here are the backs.


The daisy pouch features a ton of freestyle machine embroidery. I know it's hard to see in the photo. Do you recognize the last one? It's the first project from my bag of vintage trims!


Here is the lining on the daisy pouch. Cute?

March of the Penguins

I try to keep my blog crafty and not all over the place but I have to tell you that I have a new favorite movie! March of the Penguins! It is completely fascinating. There is no way you could watch this movie and not believe that there is a Divine Creator who has perfectly designed each species.

Kelly in a Gypsy Skirt

This is my oldest son's sweetheart - Kelly. Doesn't she look great in the gypsy skirt?

Vintage Trim Bounty

A trip to the local antique mall turned up this bag of vintage trims for $10.00.
Here's what's inside....
Here's a close-up of the small stuff.

What will this become?
Stay tuned....