I do love my irises!
The bright blue ones might even have been the color inspiration for this new top, made from a rayon shawl with fringes:
So cool and comfy for summer!
Forgive the messy studio: I have several projects underway, including a wedding quilt and the dress I plan to wear to that same wedding, not to mention repair/alteration projects for my clients.
Making dresses for two friends after I showed off the one I made for me. So comfy and flowy!
I really like the ruffly little collar, made from an irregular strip of the fabric’s selvedge.
These two are for one friend. The white dress has shorter sleeves, but is longer, so it can be layered. Both have inseam pockets, at the wearer’s request. The coral dress has a three-layered ruffle, which I managed to sew to the wrong side on my first try!
Ignore the mess on my layout table. The green and yellow fabric with dragonflies is an old tablecloth I cut into strips to make a bathroom rug (still in progress).
Good activities for the very snowy weather we’re having. (Not my house.)
A time to just appreciate where I live here in western Massachusetts.
/ˌserənˈdipədē/
noun: the occurrence and development of events by chance in a happy or beneficial way. “a fortunate stroke of serendipity”
Russ always asks why I need so many fabrics. Here’s why—two fabrics (the Ikat and the embroidered handkerchief) found the same day at my favorite shop, Swanson’s Fabrics in downtown Turners Falls, MA. (How can you not love $5/yd for ALL fabrics, plus thread, notions, and sewing/embroidery supplies super cheap? Check it out: swansonsfabrics.com)
Plus a couple of yards of a fabric found months ago (I love the texture).
Boom! Serendipity! The color matching cannot be denied.
Haven’t yet decided what I’ll make of this, but I could envision a jacket or tunic with color blocking and the handkerchief placed at a focal point; maybe on the back.
Then, a friend and I visited the open studios event at the Arts and Industry Building (aka The Brushworks) in Florence, MA. This place is HUGE, with all kinds of artists and craftsmen, from painters and printers to potters, weavers and fiber artists of all kinds. We spent a few happy hours exploring and talking to lots of other artists. I spotted these fimo clay buttons that an artist was selling very inexpensively, because she wasn’t pursuing that line of creativity anymore. I grabbed these, and my friend bought everything else she had!
Again, not sure where these will be used, but I’m sure going to be glad I have them when just the right combination of fabrics comes along!
I’m still organizing my workspace and catching up on projects with some very patient customers who waited for me to come back from our long trip across the United States, but keep an eye on this blog for new creations soon.