Witch Costumes

*Note to readers* I started this post 2 years ago.  I am publishing it today to get it out there.  I might come back and finish it or I may just move on....


We were given two tickets to the last Harry Potter movie for opening day.  Of course we HAAAAD to dress up. 

I spent the most time on the vest, maybe 6 hours.  I wanted to keep the cost to nothing so I used fabric I had on hand.  If I had the time and means I would have done the green, crushed velvet hat and robe Professor McGonongall wears.

Bean Cages

Continuing with the re-use of political signs . . .

I needed bean cages.  I took the wire stakes from the political signs and turned them into spider webs!

We have very little means and I've already spent too much making my garden this year.  I told myself that I wan't going to spend another penny on the garden and anything I needed now had to be created by us.  The wire stakes weren't much help as they are so I needed to do some sort of net thing, but it needed to be fancier than just string them together.

I've made a few dream catchers in my day and knew that would make some pretty fancy bean cages.  I took a spool of kite string and went to work. 

The garden should be a lot more mature now but I had a rabbit that kept every tasty plant mowed down until about two weeks ago.  I have had to re-plant most of it.  What happened to the giant french lop bunny?  Well after weeks and weeks of building and re-building his enclosure; feeding him every scrap of vegetable matter in my kitchen; and sacrificing my first garden at my new home to Severus Snape Rabbit . . . It all proved too much for him.  He is now happily destroying God's vegetable garden in the sky.

The Aprons

These were another gift from mom.  She bought the pattern from a cute, little mom-and-pop quilt shop somewhere and the fabric to match. 

They were soooo much fun to make and look great on the kids.

I hope to sell them all on http://www.etsy.com/shop/brendasharpe?ref=pr_shop_more or I'll give them as gifts this Christmas and for birthday's next year.

Serenity's First Sewing Lesson

My daughter has giant windows in her bedroom.  For 10 months now she has been asking, and needing, window coverings. 

She picked the fabric and did all the work herself.

There was enough

 fabric left over that

she could make a

matching pillow. 

I must say that she was an amazing student.  She was very patient with her teacher's anxiety.  All I saw were those 11 year-old fingers next to a fast moving needle, yikes! 

I will always cherish this day.  She is a natural and will go on to make many things now, but I was able to be her teacher just like my mom was my teacher.









 Priceless.

The Wedding Dress

A dear friend called and asked if I would make her daughter's wedding dress.  They paid me, She wanted to pay more, but . . . 

The honor is mine.

I'm only sorry she was stuck with an amateur like me.

She deserves a professional.

They came to my house with a drawing and a dream, literally.  In October the bride had a dream of her wedding.  When she woke up she sketched the dress.  A few months later she meets the man destined to be hers and I get to make the dress her subconscious designed. 

The satin is slightly textured.  The “right side” of the fabric is shiny.  She chose the matt “wrong side”.  It was perfect.

The folded ribbon was made just for the dress.  The skirt was a lengthened version of the skirt in the pattern (she wanted the fun, full skirt rather than the A-line of the original drawing).  The bodice was pretty much custom made.  The sleeves (“capped please”) were tricky but I made it work after a couple of tries. The zipper was done 4 times before I had to say “that is the best I can do.”

The simplicity of the dress dictated the sash.  She is a vibrant girl who has chosen a bright, multicolored theme for her wedding.  The beautiful blue lace will compliment the yellow converse she will be wearing on her feet.

I had so much fun making the garter.  I wanted to make the bow out of the lace but it wouldn’t lay right.  I made a strip of the lace for color and made the bow out of some pretty ribbon I always have on hand.  Again, the theme here was simple, but beautiful.

Her Bridals were taken recently  by a very talented photographer.  Her website is http://www.ashleymcfarlanephotography.blogspot.com/.  As it turns out, her photographer is someone I did sewing for also.  She had 3 flower girl dresses made, 2 bridesmaid dresses altered, wedding dress hemmed, and a pair of trousers turned into shorts for the little nephew.  She hired a professional to make matching ties for all the men.  It was a fun and beautiful wedding.  The following photograph was taken by Ashley.  I only take credit for sewing the dress.  The majesty of the picture is all the bride and photographer.

If I had it to do over. 

I would have bought the dress form at the very beginning rather than at the end; it would have helped with the sleeves.  Thankfully I now have it for future commissions. 

There is a seam down the front of the skirt.  I will forever regret that.

The Fire Pit

We bought our home at the beginning of the fall so we had an entire winter to ponder the spring and summer in our back yard.  I decided the first priority, and the center piece of our back yard, would be a fire pit for tin foil dinners and just gathering family close. 

Once the ground thawed out I dug the pit and started hauling rocks off the mountain.  The rocks all had a layer of dew on them so the colors popped out at you.  I picked each rock for its color first, then for its flat face and shape. 

Once the temperatures stayed above freezing at night I poured the based and had everyone put their hands in.  I should have done their feet.  I know it's hokey, but I'm creating this home for my kids and their kids so the more personal the better. 

After that, any day that it didn't rain I was out gluing stone together for the walls.  I had to redo some of the mortor because I either got it too runny or too dry.  It really needs to be like peanut butter or it doesn't work. 

The pit only cost me $8.00 to make.  I can't calculate the time because I worked on it 15 minutes here, an hour there over the course of 2 months.  I didn't want it to look like a $300 fire pit from Home Depot becuase then it looses some of it's home-made, country cottage charm.  Wait till you see the porch swing that will go in by it... in a couple of years.

If I could do it again

I would do the stone work in one Saturday using cement rather than mortor.

My Rugs

Reflections on my mother

My mom loves to go into fabric stores.  Not the big national chains; she likes the little mom and pop shops.  The only drawback is that mom feels she has to buy something every time she visits one of these shops.  She thinks that by buying something she is saying “thank you” to the owners for their cute shop and to support their business at the same time.  The only exception is when they have perfumed their shop with candles or oils, then she walks right out. 

What does all this have to do with rugs?  EVERYTHING!  My mom bought a rug loom at one of these cute little shops.  We were visiting one summer and she asked me to finish up a rug she started (and by started I mean barely started).  I read the instruction and had the 18X30” rug done in no time.  It turned out pretty cute. 

This is the one I made after we got home and ended up bending the loom so bad that it is pretty much worthless.  I have the instructions to make a new loom but I found something better.  This rug is several years old and has been very abused.  Now it is in my laundry room.

I love sarongs.  I wear them all summer long.  I love all the colors, patterns and fabrics.  They wear out after a summer or two but I can’t throw them away!  While looking through my fabric stashes for my next project, I happened upon my collection of sarongs.  PERFECT!  So many great summers made into one rug.  I decided to crochet strips of the sarongs together.  It made a great, thick, floppy rug.  I’m having a hard time finding a home for it in my house, but I love it!!  Okay, okay, it wasn’t my favorite rug.

 I decided to commit to braided rugs.  The country feel appeals to me on so many levels.  I made this large circle.  It has become my dog’s “spot” in front of the door.  She has to sit and stay on that rug anytime there is action at the door.  Cute little 40lb puppy thinks everyone comes to see her.

When it was done I put it on Etsy to see if anyone would buy it.  By some miracle a woman from Pennsylvania saw it and asked if I could make one out of baling twine; the stuff they tie bales of hay with (I had to Google it to make sure I knew what she was asking for).  She bought one from the Amish and after 20 years it finally disintegrated.  I jumped at the chance and charged her $125.  It turned out so amazing.  The mat took a good 100 hours to make and my hands were crippled for a couple of weeks but I will make another one or five.

 I’m writing all this because I just finished my latest rug.  Isn’t it pretty.