you CAN sew with heels on!

do you ever feel the need to dress up at home, just 'cause? like putting on red lipstick at home, just for yourself to see? well, that's how i discovered that yes, you can sew with $1 garage sale heels on. actually, that may be the only time i out them on, as I don't know if i can walk far in them!

moving on.... i am trying to push/challenge my creative self, taking "upcycling" to new levels.
since i have taught myself to sew the last few years, that has been the main focus of my creativity, and i am loving it! much to my husband's chagrin i'm sure, i can't stop collectin fabric; old sheets, pillowcases, scraps from garage sales, thrift stores, friends closets, i can't stop!

i am trying to find a good way to use old record albums. i have all my old albums, punk frm my high school days, even muppet movie albums from my 6th birthday! but i need to find a new thing to do with the flasdance lp with a warp in the vinyl (how i wish i could still listen to it!). i have been thinking tops for bar stools, or small tables, coasters made from the cover, etc.

how do you remember when your library items are due? i have been making magnet reminders for library receipts... using a clothespin, magnet, tin can lid and magazine collage.

bracelet cuffs from cut up tp rolls, with fabric and buttons....

cut up plastic bags turned into a sewn flower and glued to a hairclip.

my latest sewing projects: t-shirt aprons (idea from a great t-shirt repurpose book)

and a pillowcase dress with alphabet stamps!

Stilts by the Sea

Pedro and I will appear on stilts again at the SLO Symphony's POPS by the sea, on Sunday September 5 in Avila Beach. This year's musical theme is FIESTA!!!! Musica latina para toda la familia. Check out www.slosymphony.com for more information.

Upcycling fabric in the Libraries

I have done a couple of Library workshops in the past couple of weeks- Nipomo and Santa Margarita. I am happy to say that both were very successfull I think. They were both fabric based.

In Nipomo I had no idea how many kids I would have or how old- and, having decided that paint was perhaps too messy for library carpet, I followed my natural interest in fabric. Tibetan prayer flags was my inspiration, so I cut 30 8x8" sqaures out of 3 pillowcases and then sewed a long string out of the scraps. I talked to the kids about the prayer flags and the meanings of the colors. We called these ones Wish Flags. Most of the kids were too young to do a fabric collage based on a theme, so I just let them have fun cutting and gluing the fabric. Afterwards I sewed them together and they will hang at the library for a while before the kids take them home. In Santa Margarita there were sign ups and I knew they were older kids, so we did an upcycle workshop, turning tshirts into book bags. Despite most of the youngsters forgetting to bring their tshirts ( I had xtras!) it all turned out. Most had a chance to try using the sewing machine, some for the first time. The project can be as simple or complicated as you want. Basically:

1. Cut off arms and neck of tshirt.

2. Turn inside out and sew along bottom. Voila!!

You can embellish as much as you want. A fun idea is to sew on one or both of the sleeves as a pocket....

The librarians were wonderful, and I am so grateful to have the opportunity to work in these spaces!