Unusual Valance

I made a valance for my dining room, I ended up switching the curtain to the front "parlor" which meant I had to cut it in half and add 5" to each side. The fabrics were remnants on the decorator fabric table at Hancock's. The print was Asian, so I decide to create a shape that matched the print. I put a penny in the corners for a weight to hold the curtains shape better. I put tassels on fabric covered buttons for a little added decoration. I hand sewed the lining to the curtain, (not fun).
It was a fairly cheap project and sure beats the department store price. For the most part I'd say that it is more economical to sew decorative items. Not always, though. My best friend is a fan of hot glue. That girl can take rubber bands and fabrics and make a terrific valance. Thank God for creativity, you need some when you don't have an abundance of money.

Pillow case dress

A pillow case dress of course is nothing new. Folded, unused sat two antique pillow cases that I made into dresses. I encased the front and back in elastic. I made bias tape with the pieces cut off of one end of the pillow case. It was very easy. Since I had two, I also made one for my niece, Leia.

By the way, there are some really beautiful antique pillow cases on ebay. I love that they were trimmed in crochet and hand embroidered. What a lovely way to recycle someone else's hard work. I wonder who the person was who made these pillow cases and what she would think of this dress.

I have always loved wandering through antique shops and thinking about who owned a certain item and what their life was like. Some beds so grand with gorgeous linen bedding, I wonder what the estates were like. Beautiful handkerchiefs in the hands of young or old and did they cry into them or were they used as a southern lady's statement of class. Golden perfume bottles etched with flowers sitting upon a mirrored dresser, on whose neck did the traces of scent fall? Was their no family who desired the possessions or was it too "old-fashioned" for their taste? Funny how the eye of one person catches an item that becomes an object of desire and anothers eye passes quickly by noticing nothing.

Wall Mural

I have been super busy. I haven't had time to sew the past few weeks. So I thought I'd post a picture of a mural I painted at my house in Suffolk, Virginia. I fell in love with the wisteria that laid so beautifully on the trees in Spring. Their smell can be overwhelming, but the colors are absolutely stunning. I love lavender anyway.

I had been dreaming of some beautiful southern estate on the water where two people share a magnificent view of the sun sparkling across the water. Two lovers share a warm evening together. Pushing her in the swing that is under the willow, she bites her bottom lip. He slides his hands around her waist and kisses her on the cheek. The ducks and ducklings waddling around the lake edge, draw the eye to the blooming daffodils. Warm light, and music calls from the inside the home. Food, laughter, and dancing creates an atmosphere of familiarity. Crickets are busy sending their evening message. Two girls are running across the bridge chasing the neighbors dog. AHHHH, the imagination is a spectacular place to live.