On the Silk Road

As a child, I was an outdoor kid. I loved to be outside roller skating, or exploring with my two older brothers, catching the cicadas, or chasing down horned toads. When I wasn't outside, I was making things...doll clothes, shoe box houses for my troll dolls, or drawing. I didn't really have the patience to sit with a book, which made book reports for school especially painful. When I was in junior high, I read a book about the adventures of Marco Polo. I couldn't put it down. I loved the stories of adventure and travel.
It instilled in my a love of adventure...... as long as there isn't too much danger involved.

On Friday I delivered a slipcover job to a home in beautiful Carmel, so while I was in the area, I decided to travel East about 10 miles to Carmel Valley. I had heard stories and had to see for myself. I have heard over and over again about a wonderful store called Tancredi and Morgen. I found it with the help of some kind locals. It consists of  two beautiful little shops. While I was there, the woman who was working in one of the shops reminded me that there is a men's wear outlet (Robert Talbott) in Carmel Valley Village that sells remnants from the tie factory in Monterey. I got so excited. I had read about this place in a small magazine article about a crafter who uses silk tie remnants, and had heard it mentioned at a local fabric store. (Was I eaves dropping? I don't remember.) Again, since this is a Valley with a Village where the businesses don't have giant signs, I had to ask for help in finding it. I came out of the store with an armload of  remnants of tie silks and Egyptian cotton shirt fabrics. The woman who runs the shop let me bring my camera in and take some pictures.

 

While I was looking for the tie store, I found a church run thrift store that closed five minutes before I got there, so I'm pretty sure I will be traveling the "silk road" again soon.

Spring.....What I Like About You

What's not to like about spring, except for crazy out of control weather. One of my favorite things about spring is the return of flea markets and antique fairs. Our winter was almost spring like with an absence of needed rain, which allowed the flea market to continue, but generally speaking.....

This is a slipcover I just finished for a couple of talented ladies who are always finding neglected but beautiful pieces of furniture and transforming them. This will be taken to a local antique fair in a month or so. I think they have plans for the legs, maybe some white paint.

Here is a close-up of the fabric. We used a bedspread with seashells. So cute.

And of course, I love flowers, and I like finding unusual vases. I couldn't resist this little, vase within a vase, vase.

Hope the weather is being kind to you!

Tea and Crafts

We drank tea, we ate button cookies, we crafted! Ali brought lots of buttons (more than these pictured) and helped us put them together in beautiful ways to make magnets and other things. ( I'm sorry that I didn't get a picture.)

 I was impressed with the creativity in the flower making. Tracy was cutting leaves from a piece of a wool skirt and used an existing dart in the center of a leaf. A couple of people used plaid in their flower or layered it on a leaf. Everyone seamed to enjoy diving into the process. I sure had a good time. 

Crafternoon Tea

I have a friend who makes the cutest jewelry. You can see what she does by visiting her etsy shop, Button Willow Jewelry. Not long ago she asked if I would do a "craft night" with her. I was thrilled. I have wanted to do something like that for a while, and sometimes we need someone to help us move our ideas out of the thought bubble and into reality. It is actually going to be a "Craft Afternoon / Afternoon Tea". I am so excited about it. We are going to make wool flowers, and some simple earrings.

Some little sample flowers I have been working on.

 

I am using this book as a reference. It is a great little book.

The gallery of flowers is awesome. I do wish the instructions were a little more detailed. When I was learning to sew many many many years ago, I followed the pictures on the sewing patterns more than the written instructions. Now I am a little more patient, and do read the directions, but this book has mostly the written kind in a separate section from the gallery of photos, and might be challenging for a beginner.

Max is sad about his lack of apposable thumbs. No crafting for him. 

If you are a local friend and want to come, you are invited, just let me know you are coming. (This Saturday,

4/14 at 2:00 pm)

Inspiration

My daughter gave me this book for Christmas.

It is page after page of deliciousness!

 

Just the inspiration I needed for this drawing:

New Bunnies

Just listed two new bunnies in my etsy shop. Each bunny seems to have its own personality. This bunny was made from a piece of brown vintage chenille that I bought on ebay. Yes I said brown. Rare, she said. After I sewed the bunny together, before I stuffed it, I noticed that the brown fabric was fading in the sun. I mean really fading, so I decided to just bleach the bunny and extra fabric and it came out pale yellow.

 

 This Brown bunny is made from scraps from a slipcover. ( Making the bunny was more fun than making the slipcover.)

Speaking of Quilts...

I'm trying my hardest not to start any more quilts until I finish the previously mentioned ones, but I'm confessing my temptation to you. I have Nancy J. Martin's Perpetual Calendar of 365 Quilt Blocks and the last few days have been hard for me because March has these cute blocks:

I love anything that has to do with tea, or teacups, or tea parties and I can just picture this tea pot made from some pretty vintage floral, or even a vintage tablecloth.

Or this tea cup with some embroidery on it.

A creamer!

And sugar bowl. Can't you imagine a whole tea party quilt with pretty china plates and cupcakes and all sorts of things!?  I'm trying to put it out of my mind for now. Maybe I will just do a little sketch, that's all, just one little sketch. One little sketch won't hurt will it?