ANOTHER NEW FOCUS

I decided at the age of 67 that I would finally try my life-long desire: painting -- art-type painting. Acrylics. So far on wood.  Coastal birds have been my focus.  Happy with what I've done so far. Here's a few.

CHANGE OF FOCUS

I'm doing very little sewing these days. No bags. Just a few pillows with a coastal vibe.

I am on to a new adventure. Furniture refinish-refurbish-rebuild-newbuild. Exciting. Been doing this for about a year and a half now, but sadly have not been writing about it, except on Facebook.

Here's some of my favorites.

BAGS AND MORE

Still working hard in the Studio.  I'm on fire!

First a little opera bag, Just Enuf, in a blue on blue stripe upholstery fabric. 

Next some travel tissue holders. Made some out of cottony fabrics and then, after one of those light-bulb moments, from t-shirts with lettering. So fun.

I had some wonderful fabric with boots printed on it that I used with some denim to make a large bag. I call it Boot Scootin'. It, of course, has roomy pockets inside. 

I found a really pretty jacket at a church garage sale last weekend, fully embroidered denim with an embroidered trim. It became a really cute bag.

I've purchased three vintage double knits. Really wild prints. I mean, wild. I bought them to make some funky, retro bags. Made my first one, complete with tassel fringe and a big denim bow. Can you say Boho Retro.

UNLEASHED

Still busy in the studio. My new bag is called "Unleashed".  It's a maroon bag with colorful stripes of gold, hot pink and green. These stripes are made from webbing.  Webbing that was originally pet leashes, hence the name. They had printing on one side which didn't show from the other, so I used them to jazz up my bag. I sewed two of them together to make the strap.  Clever, yes? Yes.  Waste not, want not, and I want not to waste.

CHRISTMAS PREP

I've been busy, busy, busy. First, busy getting my latest handbags listed in my Artfire shop. It's a time-consuming chore. Pictures to take. Descriptions to write. Then putting it all together in the shop listings.  Done, done, and done.

Also, busy getting ready for Christmas art fair season. My first show is St Christopher on October 19. Then November 16 in Friendswood in the park. And I'm awaiting news from Mary Queen in Friendswood. Application and check are in. Now just to wait and see if the committee chooses me to join them this year.

My latest creations, Christmas gift bags. Green canvas bags with Christmas appliques, some including a little burlap.

Speaking of burlap, I've also created a few burlap gift bags with appliques.









But my favorite is a burlap gift bag I made and adorned with lace and a few other pretties. Mixed media, romantic.

BUSINESS ROMANCE

The hits just keep coming. I'm still creating here in Oak Cloister Studio and my latest creation took on a surprising twist in the process.  I made a basic ploomer (bloomers + purse = ploomer). I used a pair of slacks from a man's suit.  Once I sewed up the basic ploomer from the slacks, it was blah. I tried using a tie as a belt with a decorative flair, but it didn't do anything for me. So I said, "What if ...  So many things happen when I get into What-If mode. So many happy things. So, I What-Iffed my way to some gorgeous crocheted lace. Beyond gorgeous. It's stunning. I rescued it from a linen piece that was beyond repair, horribly stained. The crochet trim was, however, in wonderful shape.  And here's the result. I even constructed a little flower to top it all off. I'm loving it.

STILL ROLLING ALONG

I'm still creating. Tried something really different this time. Mixed media of sorts. Man's suit coat + decorative handkerchief + another man's suit + thread painting + raw edges + geometric = the new bag.










Of course it includes lots of pockets on the inside. Also, a wide tab Velcro closure.