Thursday, January 31, 2013

Thrift finds

More thrift finds from January. These were all found at my favorite thrift store. LOVE the puppy table runner. The teacup will become a pin cushion. The other enmbroidery is in perfect condition and am not sure what I will do with it. So many possibilities.

Tomorrow I am going to make a run up to Elk River and check out a new occassional sale. My MIL and I are looking for a new venue close to home for me.









Wednesday, January 30, 2013

January Thrift Find Favorites

Even though garage sales and estate sale are in-frequent in the harsh months of winter, there are still some to be found...indoor moving or estate sales do happen. And when they do it is pretty much a guarantee that us treasure hunters (many in the throes of withdrawal) will put them at the top of our must-do list. Last week one of my favorite estate sale companies had a sale in their heated building. Needless to say, I was there as soon as I got the boys off to school. I didn't walk away with a lot, but what I did find made me smile.
 
 
 After much researched, I think this is a Russian Kovsh or drinking ladle. I love it and am going to have a hard time parting with it :)! It looks so nice with my other ethnic wood items...

A Lucite dried flower paper weight.
This is currently on my desk but will be gracing my available at my market table this coming market season.
 I also found a great Now We Are Six Winnie the Pooh book and a green vintage tacklebox.


To try to avoid winter withdrawals, I also occasionally visit my favorite thrift stores. A recent visit to my most favoritest yielded lots of lovely finds...
Fabulous enamelware platters featuring cherries and a checkerboard edge.
These will also be finding their way to my market table come market season.

Friday, January 25, 2013

Archer Turkey Feeds Tote

I am having so much fun in my new office/studio! Lots of new things listed on Etsy and Ebay and I even opened a store on my business Facebook page where I will be listing a variety of the handmades you see here. (If you ever see anything that you are interested in buying here just let me know!)

I am also getting quite a bit of sewing done. Yesterday I was able to finish up another bag. This bag was created using a vintage Archer Turkey Feed bag - LOVE the graphic - and a thrifted handmade pillowcase and matching valance (the orange and white gingham). I also dug into my plain feedsack stash to make the backside of the straps, the button loop and the bottom half of the inside pocket.


The feedsack I used for this tote is double-sided which is wonderful because I can get 2 bags from one feedsack. The button is one from my stash. It is a swirly mix of orange and blue and even a hint of green. The perfect button for this bag!



The straps tie at the top so that the wearer can adjust it to where they want it to fall on the body. The inside has pockets on one side (made from a portion of the feedsack) that is divided into 4 compartments.

The next two bags on the cutting table right now. Another feedsack bag featuring  a rooster's head and the word's "Chick Starter" - Love It! The other is a bag made from a linen towel with an image of a London double-decker bus. The top and bottom has the Underground symbol repeated and those will become the straps. It will have a red and white gingham lining as will the rooster bag. I really love gingham!

Thursday, January 24, 2013

A New Bag

It has been awhile since I have made a new bag - well before Christmas if even before Thanksgiving. Yesterday I decided to finally get back in the groove. I gad a bag already partially cut out and during a sleepless night the night before, had planned out the design. I wanted to keep it simple, no doilies or other decorations. I wanted the bag to speak for itself. It was once an old canvas bag. It has some words printed it in black but no graphics. I chose a black and white vintage gingham for the lining, trim on the inside pockets, the button loop and the front of the straps. I took some other canvas I had and turned it into the inside pocket and the back of the straps. The vintage button is from my stash and I covered the button stitching inside with another smaller black button. I am really happy with how it turned out. Today I am working on another bag, this one an Archer turkey feed bag in orange, blue and green with an orange double gingham on the inside.









Wednesday, January 23, 2013

More Hearts!

Here are my newest pin cushions! Two of them are in old heart shaped tart tins. The one with the roses and musical notes once upon a time was an old apron and the other was an old table runner (same runner I used to make one of the heart sachets). The other pincushion I made using a fabulous little Roman style urn I found at a thrift store (The Thrift Cellar in Anoka, MN - great new thrift store open once a month). The fabulous fabric was once upon a time a napkin. I love how they look like they belong together!

Tractor Tracks Dish Rag Knitting Pattern

I tried to come up with a different name but when I look at the pattern this is what I see :). Memories of walking through fields picking rocks as a kid or walking through the fields on the farm where my husband hunts...looking down this is the pattern I see. Good memories...really no better way to name something in the end.

So here it is...my first official knitting pattern:

Size 9 (5.5 mm) needles

Cotton yarn

CO 36 stitches

Knit first 6 rows

All odd rows (right side): K4, P1, K2, P2, K2, P2, K2, P2, K2, P2, K2, P2, K2, P2, K2, P1, K4

All even rows (wrong side): K4, K2, P2, K2, P2, K2, P2, K2, P2, K2, P2, K2, P2, K2, P2, K4

Knit above 2 rows until 1" from desired length.

Knit final 5 rows then cast off on odd (right side) row.

Would love to hear how the pattern works for you if you give it a try.

Please enjoy!






Hearts!

With Valentines Day on the horizon I have been thinking of fun little items to have available in the shops. The last two days my studio has been filled with the lovely fragrance of lavendar as I worked on some little sachets using vintage quilt, embroidery and apron pieces. Great for hanging in a closet or tucking in a drawer. Also working on some heart shaped pin cushions...photos of those to come once they are done.

Coming soon...my very first knitting patterns - a Heart Cowl and the Tractor Ruts Dish Rag (final picture). So excited!







Sunday, January 20, 2013

On The Agenda

This next week is my last week to really work on items in preparation for the Ladies Night Out I will be participating in on Feb. 7 with my friends from Parey Farm and AnnMarie's Crafty Creations.


On the creative agenda for the week are heart shaped lavender sachets made from vintage quilt pieces and vintage embroidery pieces. Also need to finish the infinity scarves...still haven't decided how I want to do that... If time allows I also hope to work on a couple new bags made from old feed sacks. The sale is at a Farm Supply after all :)!

Friday, January 18, 2013

In The Studio

 This past weekend we finally got my new studio to a place where I can work in it! Yeah! I was itching to start sewing again after taking a bit of a break since just before Christmas. I had something new that has been ticking my creative nerves for awhile and wanted to give it a try. I have seen in various places "Infinity Scarves" and I wanted to give them a go. I spent many a sleepless night noodling how I wanted mine to look and how I wanted them to take shape. Did I want them all vintage materials or a combination of both...did I want them to have some form of batting...etc...  So, I dove in. I wanted to make sure that my decision to go with no batting would work (I decided I wanted them to be 3-season scarves - perfect for Spring and Fall days and nights and even cool Summer evenings). I wanted them long enough to be able to go around the neck twice without them being tight. I wanted them to be as much a fashion accessory as a needed item of added warmth. To make sure this would all work I started with a more basic structure.  A lovely piece of vintage retro fabric I have had for quite awhile that I have loved but had yet to find the perfect use for became the main fabric. The backing fabric is a piece of white and gray floral cotton from the Joann remnant bin. I cut them out using as much of the fabric of both pieces as possible, matched right side to right side and sewed them up and down both sides leaving one end open to turn it right side out. Once I had it turned right side out I ironed it up, wrapped it around the mannequin and liked what I saw.


 On to scarf #2 - much more complicated. I had recently visited our LOVELY local quilt shop with a vision in my mind of the scarves I wanted to create. I came out with some lovely fat quarters (thank goodness for a sale on fat quarters that week :)!) I try really hard to not buy a lot of new fabric but sometimes it is really hard :).

Scarf #2 is made up of pieces of the Zen Chic line from Moda. In keeping with my Remnants theme I added in bits of embroidery from a vintage tea towel that had some stains and could no longer be used for it's original purpose. The tea towel colors and theme (an Asian lantern and flowers) could not have been better! After a little futzing with piecing I discovered what worked and what didn't.


Above - futzing.
Below - the (almost) finished product. I LOVE how it turned out.
 

Scarf #3 is slightly different then scarf #2 as there are no triangles. I discovered straight lines work best. The fabric is a bit of new (sorry - I can't remember the name of the line) as well as a bit of stash fabric (the pretty green floral). I had a hard time choosing the right vintage linen but I think I ended up with the right one. It started out as a small round dresser linen and I ended up with the lovely large square, 2 small squares with flowers, and a funky rectangle where I pieced together two swirls. The backing is a dark red cotton that I had in my stash. I think it is perfect for Valentines!



Scarf #4 is made up of fabrics from the Sun Kissed line by Michele D'Amore for Benartex Fabrics. I cosmbined in two different vintage elements in this scarf. I thought that the combination of the fabrics had a "spring snowstorm" feel (a common thing here in the state of Minnesota) so I added in the end of a tea towel that featured a snowflake cutout as well as the crocheted ends from an old table runner that look like round snowflakes or fuzzy dandelion heads. The backing is a great white stash fabric with white "bubbles" all over it.


The vintage crocheted lace from an old table runner.

The end of a vintage tea towel featuring a snowflake.
The last scarf I have been working on is a horse theme. One of my good friends and his partner run a horse farm and their store front is where you can currently find all of my handmade goodies. So, I decided that I had to make some horsey stuff. (I have made a couple small purse pouches and a pin cushion out of the hat fabric as well - photos of those in another post). I had a hard time finding a vintage embroidery to work but I really wanted to keep using vintage elements (which is why the other 4 scarves I have laid out are not ready - no embroideries that work. But I do have something else "vintagey" in mind for those :)...) The embroidery I picked out are black ovals with flowers in colors from the fabrics. The ovals look like either part of a track or a horse shoe (maybe I'm grasping at straws...but I think it works). The backing is a marble stash fabric that I also incorperated in a bit on the front. The scarf is close to done but I so far I only have an "in progress" picture of it...
Each of the scarves also have the first "Remnants By Carrie" brand tags on them. Yeah! So excited that I finally got around to doing this. Now each of the bigger things I make (bags,scarves, etc...) will have a tag.

The final decision for the scarves is how to finish them up. Just sew the two ends together? Put two or three fabric loops or button holes (which I don't know how to do) on one end and buttons on the other so they can have it as a regular scarf or infinity style?) Thoughts? Let me know.

They're For The Dogs

This past summer while working my booth at the Goose Lake Farmer's Market, a conversation sprung up between a couple of customers and I in regards to one of the fabric pouches I make. This particular one was made using a lovely lilac fabric. As we talked I learned that they raised show dogs, Keeshounds to be specific. Lovely, beautiful dogs! The reason for their interest in the lilac pouch was that one of their dog's call names was Lilac and the were hoping the pouch would be the right size to fit her show lead and her prize ribbons. That particular pouch was not the right size but as we talked we decided I should try and make some that would fit both size wise as well fabric wise. A new product line was born! That day she placed orders for 5 "Show Bags" - Malibu, Cedar, Berry, Orchid and Lilac. Specific fabric was searched out if something appropriate wasn't in the stash and pouches were made. They apparently worked great because more were ordered :)! Top Hat And Tails, Seamus, Cubit and Tracker were made and delivered. Yet to come...Max (still searching for fabric with a Roman feel - full name is Maximillian), Ranger (Yukon Denali) and Yoshi (or Stetson). Also, two brace bags (where two dogs are shown together) in blue and green stripes. I am having such fun with these and hope that they may lead to a few more orders from other dog owners who see them at the dog shows. We shall see...

I have no pictures of the first five bags (bad me - will be getting some - maybe even with their dogs :) - how cool would that be!) but here are pics of the last 4 I made.


Tracker's Pouch - made with tracks fabric for the outside and a wildlife print for the inside.
The buttons is a vintage one from my collection.





Seamus's Pouch - featuring a clover fabric for the exterior and a marble like fabric for the interior - both stash fabrics! Finished off with a vintage buttons from my collection 
 





Cubit's Pouch - Cubit themed fabric (found at Joann) and a dog track fabric (found at a specialty quilt shop) with a great cube button from my stash!
 




Top Hat & Tails - My Favorite! Made from a vintage 1930's tuxedo shirt for the outside, bone fabric for the inside
and a great cuff link style button from my stash to finish it off!




A little Christmas gift for my client - a Treat Pouch using leftovers from the Top Hat & Tails pouch and a button from my stash.



(Sorry for the quality of the photos. My new laptop and I are still getting to know each other and I am still looking for a good Photo Editor program. I miss Picnik! Any recommendations?)