Our Lake Life: Cushions, tables and WIND...Oh, MY!

Our Lake Life: Cushions, tables and WIND...Oh, MY!: A gorgeous day on the lake! Well, after a rainy weekend mostly spent working indoors on a few odds and ends, we finally put Firefly back...

Rainy Saturday Project

I woke up to heavy rain yesterday and thought to myself- Yay, I can get some sewing done!  Usually in the spring, if it is good weather, I would feel obligated to do outside things but since it was raining I couldn't feel guilty about sewing indoors.  I had these bags planned for a while and they were ready for the machine.

I've mentioned that I love to recycle...these re-usable bags sport a recycle motif on the fabric and the interior of the bags were previously a garment bag that had ripped at the top and was not longer useful as such.

Happy National Quilting Day! (3rd Saturday in March)

I love shopping at second-hand stores, garage sales, flea markets, thrift stores, ect--

anywhere I can find a bargain.  

I found this jewel at Flashbacks RetroShop in Mountain Home.

It was on the floor near some of the handmade hippy dresses.  I thought it was a dress that had fallen off the rack but when I picked it up I realized that it was an almost complete queen size quilt top that had been beautifully hand stitched.  Price $10.

I got started on finishing it right away!

For some reason light blue was not an option easily found in a queen flat sheet so I bought one in white and hand dyed it.  As I was stuffing the sheet into the sink with the dye water I accidentally hit the stopper and before I was able to get the whole sheet wet the sink was empty.  I was able to make due and turns out I liked the results.  It looks like clouds (almost tie-dyed look).  I suppose it fits with the fact that I bought the top at a hippy shop. 

Its a perfect spring quilt for our little cabin in Gainesville, MO.

Strumstick Gig Bags

As if Strumsticks aren't cool enough, I had to go and make them even cooler!

Just a plain ole gig bag made of ripstop nylon was not going to do for ours.

Here is what I came up with:

He looks happy with his new gig bag.
He says he can't wait til next Hootin' and Hollerin'
to show it off!

A Season of Bags

I like to make handmade gifts for Christmas.  This year I made everyone at work a carry-all bag.  I picked two complementary fabrics and created what you see here.  I think the design turned out to be a real winner.  

Oliver's Open House! New Scarves!

I love a challenge, especially when it's to find a new purpose for something old.  When My friend Sherry at Oliver's Antiques in Jacksonville, AR asked me if I could do something with a box full of crocheted flowers her mother-in-law had made years ago I was very excited!  The flowers had been done from scraps and hardly any of them matched.  So the challenge began...

I had been working with Granny squares for a quilt and realized these were a perfect center-piece for a square, but then what?

I found two that matched and so my first Oliver Scarf was born...

I very much enjoy finding the perfect yarn to compliment the flowers.