Safety Pin Bracelet

Miss E has been in a crafty mood lately.  A friend of hers was sporting a safety pin bracelet at school, so of course, just like any 4th grader, she wanted one too.  So off we went to the fabric store to purchase a large bag of safety pins and some stretchy fishing-line type of stuff.  Fortunately Miss E has a rather large bead collection (thank you yard sales!!!) so we did not need to purchase any additional findings in the bead department.

Each safety pin was beaded individually... kind of like the friendship pins of the 80's that we all wore on our shoes so it looked like beaded tassels flopping along as we walked.  But this version has the pins strung on the stretchy line with a spacer bead between each beaded safety pin.  

The results are rather spectacular and it took about an hour to put the whole thing together.  

Leotard Production for my Twirler

I thought I had posted these pics earlier this year, but apparently not.  Miss E is a baton twirler... or just "Twirler" but NOT "baton-er".  We had fun making her a competition leotard this spring.  I drafted a pattern just for her because what McCalls, Simplicity, et al had to offer was not usable even with your imagination.

Prototype and skirt layers

Final Leotard

Unfortunately due to the "Great Hard Drive Over-write of May '11"  I have lost some of the pictures of Miss E wearing it.

I need to enlarge the pattern slightly and make her a new one for this year.

Where have I been lately?  We have had a home repair project going on in the basement studio.  A few weeks ago, we noticed the wall mount bookshelves learning scarily away from the wall.  Upon closer inspection, we realized that the bookshelf was taking the dry wall with it.  It was not too bad so we didn't take immediate action.  However a week later there was a loud pop, some serious leaning, and a frantic unloading of the bookshelf.  I had to hold it against the wall and hand books to the kids.  They stacked the books all over the studio.

The white patch is where the hole was

The contents of bookshelves taking up my
new worktable space and the floor
and every other horizontal space

I have been working in piles and piles for a couple of weeks.  The semester started at the University, and I have a brand new freelance client.  The good news is that I could find my text books.  The bad news is that I cannot find an apparel industry reference book... and still can't.

Primed

Painted

 We decided to change the wall from its green to the same color as the rest of the studio.  We needed to bounce more light around.

New book shelf for the bottom and reinstalling the old shelving

We had several hundred pounds of books on the wall mount shelving.  Books are like an addiction for us.  I love books!  So we replaced the bottom couple of selves with a separate book case from IKEA that will hold the heaviest books.  Everything is back in place, but I need to take a picture of the final result.  

And did I mention that the spouse broke a florescent tube light bulb in the middle of all the this?  In the laundry room too!  The one room that is used daily in this house. That was a mess that took a whole day to clean up... as well as a lengthly trip to Home Depot to purchase plastic tube covers for all tubes in the light fixtures so this mess doesn't happen again.

I really want to work on some fun projects now.

Grace Kelly Barbies!!!

Mattel has done Grace Kelly as a Barbie Doll! Grace Kelly is such a style icon. The dolls come with three highly recognizable and significant outfits.

Grace Kelly Barbies



I need to do some more research on her clothing. Her style was never over-the-top. She always looked so elegant. The blue on this dress is amazing!



Being the sucker for vintage sparkly jewelry that I am, I love her accessories in this picture.

Sorel Fall 2011

You have GOT to watch the videos for Sorel's Fall 2011 Ad campaign. Amazing!

Sorel Fall 2011




Makes me want to decorate something.....

Knitting Socks

I love to knit socks, but haven't done any knitting of socks for a few years. Miss E outgrew the last pair I made for her and Mister e has been wearing them. So I dug out this luscious melon-pink sock yarn that I bought when Miss E's feet were much smaller. There was enough yarn to make two socks when she was 2 or 3 years old. Now she is almost 9, so we had to improvise hence the large red toes.



I was working on the second sock outside and thought the yarn colors looked lovely with the potted plants.



The quality of work on these socks is rough to say the least. Good thing I was using up yarn and not using some fancy new purchase. I need to practice, and maybe try another sock pattern. This one wound up being too chunky looking... or maybe my tension is too loose. Will have to get back to you on this.

Issuu Test

Open publication - Free publishing

Look at this cool thing from Issuu? I used a .pdf from Debbie Stoller as the test material... but it's so cool!!!!

Very cool Vimeo video

Look at this amazing video!

MOVE from Rick Mereki on Vimeo.

Click through to the other two: EAT and LEARN. So inspiring.

Table Blueness

The table is installed!



I think the top needs one more coat for 100% coverage, but it is beautiful!



We used it last night for dinner. I can't wait to put a vintage tablecloth on it and set up my outdoor office for an afternoon. Much better than the basement.

Fabric Goodies and Backyard Progress

A few weeks ago, I scored these two pieces of vintage fabric at the Portland Antique Expo:






They are each 4 yards in length... very narrow, less than 36"wide and never been used. The brown one has a fade line down the middle, but I think I can cut around it. The print quality is very high and they feel super soft after I washed them.

I am please to report that I no longer have a motorcycle parked on my patio! The screen behind the fireplace is also finished.



We still need to seal the screen, but the weather hasn't been really reliable. The white column propped against the fire place will go into the flower bed behind the wicker settee and will someday have a fabulous birdhouse perched on top.

And!!! the table has legs!!!



I sanded, primed and put on the first coat of paint today. Tomorrow I'll add the second coat and take pictures. It's been three years coming on this table, and I'm in the home stretch. I will post more pics on the cozy patio once the table is in place.

What have I been doing for the past 2-1/2 months?

My blog has been rather quiet.... really quiet actually. I was away for 7 weeks in Idaho teaching at the University of Idaho and doing some other things. I returned to Portland to discover that although my vegetables had not grown much, the weeds REALLY had grown. So for the past two weeks, I have been alternating weeding/gardening with housecleaning.

To sum up, here is a list (with visuals) of what I've been up to:

1. New nightshirt for the spouse
This was one of my first projects of the summer.




2. My students made the front page of the local paper with their designs for the local roller derby team.
Here is a link to the article:
Daily News Roller Derby Article on the UI's Facebook Page



3. Did some yard work, garden rototilling and landscaping for the parents.
My sister and I put in a new flower bed for Mom and Dad's anniversary, as well as doing some plant moving and tree trimming. I am still sore from this.

4. Went to Las Vegas for 5 days with the spouse for our Lucky 13 Anniversary.
We were lucky and had beautiful weather and good shopping, but the slot machines were NOT aligned with this luck. Here are some beautifully inspiring pics from the casinos and shops:









My new super, favorite brand:AllSaints Spitalsfield






5. Acquired my great-grandmother's Davis New Vertical Feed Sewing Machine
It has been sitting dormant for 20 plus years... but Dad put a few drops of oil on it and the treadle worked, and it sewed! This is a needle-fed machine (no feed dogs). It has all the attachments, now I need to locate a manual (the mice ate the one with the machine) and spend some time practicing. As it does not require electricity, my sister pointed out that I can sew outside!






6. And I got a motorcycle for my birthday



Now I need to pass the written test, get my permit, ride for a bit, and pass that on-bike test and get my endorsement.

Very Cool Recycled Wear

Take a look at this incredible range of recycled clothing:

Designer Turns Trash into High Fashion



Amazing talent and such inspiration.

My poor blog!!!

I didn't realize that it has been a month.... yes, a MONTH since my last post! This is mostly due to the incredible amount of rain in Portland that has prevented us from continuing work on the fence project.
Here is its current status:



Last Saturday was very sunny, so I sped out to IKEA and purchased the chaise lounges before they were sold out. Mister e and I were able to use them for about an hour and then it was back into rain.

I was gone for a week at the University of Idaho helping the students put on their first ever fashion show:
UI Clothing, Textiles, and Design Fashion Show
The students did an amazing job! We are already debriefing and planning for next year. Get your tickets early if you want to come. We sold out this year.

On another note.... the Royal Wedding is tomorrow!!!
Kate Middleton has a lovely sense of style:



I am curious to see her influence on the masses... and to see what her gown looks like, of course.

The fence continues....

As is typical in Portland, it rained off and on all last week while we were working on the fence. This is what it looked like after we had all our work clothes, coats, and rubber boots on.


Not terribly inviting, but we persevered. We set the posts with concrete. These will support a screen of narrow boards running horizontally. This screen will serve as a backdrop to the fireplace as well as a privacy screen.



Is it level? Why, yes it is!!! because we are that good!


View from the front.


And there was a lot of mud to navigate. Very slippery stuff.


Don't set your box of fencing nails in the rain puddles on the fence. The box literally came apart in 30 seconds. We had to switch to a plastic mixing bowl.


Then we took a break while the concrete set up and went Glow-in-the-Dark Miniature Golfing!



We also did a little shopping too. How about these lovelies at Kate Spade?





Makes me think of spring.... I can't wait for some warmer, drier weather.