a warm week whilst in winter

it has been a beautiful warm sunny week, despite the tornado warnings about 35 miles away. we went for a walk and felt the warm sun and winds collide. the energy was high. the clouds puffed up and and hurried along their way. thankfully, the turbulent weather never amounted to anything and it was a great show to see.

............here is a funny totally unrelated pic from the Loki Festival last October outside of Asheville, NC. It was a few weeks before Halloween, so some people dressed up. My leg warmers and skirt are by yours truly And the patchy apron top is by my buddy Becca. She used her mom's fly sewing machine to stitch on Widespread Panic on the front ~ so cute!. ..................... i have been busy developing patterns for some warm weather clothing. i don't know what all of you crafty mamas use for pattern paper, but in the past i have use newspaper. i really enjoyed using the line of symmetry between the large pages and the fact that i was reusing an other product. then one day i thought back to my childhood artistic days. my mom used to buy big rolls of butcher paper and we (four siblings total) would roll it out and go to town with markers and crayons. i found an unbleached version of this, a roll of unprinted newspaper. its a good weight paper, not so tissue like, and i can use whatever type of writing utensil successfully. sometimes i use pencils, crayons, markers, and pens one the paper.

when i mark on fabric i often use a sharpened piece of ivory soap. if i have a tiny area i will use the old fashioned tracing paper and a little wheel, but i hate use them for some reason...i like to have my heavy weight more durable mineral specimens, rocks, or crystals out when i am cutting fabric as well. they not only help me feel grounded, but they also help me weight fabric for optimum pinning accuracy. :) i use stainless steel shears and a rotary cutting wheel and mat for all of my cutting.
in terms of pattern storage my methods are all over the map.sometimes i roll of the pattern pieces all together and use a fabric scrap to tie it up. i know it sounds silly, but i like the tribal scroll feel of it. i also have quite a few patterns paper clipped together that are snuggling in the top of a bankers box. i have not pictured this because its a mess, believe me. i don't know why i set my self up for a scramble, my brain has a love-hate relationship with organization.

heather of magnolia skies has inspired me to get more organized. i picked up some zippered plastic bags for my vintage patterns to prevent any more damage or wear to the outer envelopes. i also plan on making little tags for the scrolls to be identifiable when they are all stacked up.

this week i dove into the stretchy polyester fabrics. i think so long as a garment has enough drape, polyester can be totally functional and comfortable. i can't resist them as a fabric; the stretch, the drape, the slinkly feel of the fabric...... here is a sneak peak of an item coming to an etsy shop near you ...........

in preparation for my art show in april, miguel and i are designing upcycled/recycled market bags. we initially collaborated on holiday gifts for the family. i rescued a large canvas umbrella shade from a broken umbrella. with a cut here and a stitch there and a paint paint paint unveils a sturdy unique canvas shopping bag and with a square bottom. miguel hand painted each one on one side with fabric grade paints in browns and greens. he even made the gift tags for them with some of my vintage ribbons....and here they are......

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The bags were a big hit and really fun to make. we cut out the main pieces for a bunch of market bags, but this time in different colors from my stash. Miguel developed the pattern for a wine bottle bag. These will probably have only one strap across the top. i can't wait to see how these turn out, i have a feeling they are going to be a big hit.

i have a few other crafty plans outside of the polyester relm this week. in fact, i plan on cutting into yet another coveted vintage piece of fabric. {what a rush, right?} here is a sneak preview of the fabric. please try not to drool on your keyboards.... ;)

tomorrow night i will shakin and bee boppin to keller williams in good ol' huntsville. its not often that we get good live music locally, so i've gotta enjoy it.
much love everyone!
~Banana