Burlap On Stage

Burlap is back.

I got my inspiration from

Poppy Kosh

Manila Extract

and                           here

 I printed my own burlap coffee bag look by pulling up a graphic on the computer and printing it onto burlap. It's important to make sure all of the edges are taped down to avoid the ravels from the burlap yucking up the printer.

When was the last time you saw thread for 59cents? I took a chance using it.  By the way, it was a new spool that had never been opened. I thought it might be rotten after having it for so long but  it worked out fine.

I ironed interfacing to the backs of all pieces
to give it some body.

I fused lace onto the two pockets so that they'd be easily seen inside the purse. I sewed one pocket on the front and back inside.

 

This is the part I was reluctant about.  I've only set grommets once and it was so long ago, I needed a refresher so I contacted YouTube. I don't know what I'd do without it. As stated before, no fabric stores so I got the grommets from Harbor Freight.     

                                                                                            

Decided to make a purse charm

Also, I made a slide to go on the bag closing.

Ta Da ! All done.

Overall, This project was more trouble than it was worth. But, it was also a great learning experience.
THAT'S IT***

Dyeing PantyHose With Kool-Aid

At some time during your youth  I'm sure you've been chided by an elder saying;

" So if Sally jumps off of a roof, you'll jump off too?"

Just another way of saying, "Don't do everything you see someone else doing."

Some of us listen and some of us...tread carefully.
I got the idea of dyeing pantyhose from If You Give A Girl A Needle.  Her instructions were great and I did not follow them to the letter. 

• She urged getting pantyhose that don't have a lot of different fibers. Hers had nylon.

• Slowly stir the mixture  (hose and  Kool Aid) the entire time.

Another site encouraged wetting the hose thoroughly before putting into the color bath so that the color would be evenly distributed. I decided to take that advice.

Here's a brand new pair of unopened pantyhose. I have no idea of what the fiber content is.I wanted purple hose so I bought one packet of grape Kool Aid.

It was difficult to see the purple liquid due to the steam rising.

Red + blue= purple. I see blue.

Something is amiss.

Close up of the results. Do you see purple? I don't. Splotches of red and some unknown color.

There you have it. The results of dyeing pantyhose with Kool Aid.
 Let's Review
1.One good thing about this is that I used an old pair of pantyhose. The package you saw at the top was not opened, harmed or maimed in any way.
2. I used only one packet of Kool Aid . Two or three might have helped making it more concentrated.
3.I did not stir continuously as instructed in If You Give A Girl A Needle's (IYGAGAN) instructions. I sat down and watched The Price Is Right. Then I remembered the panty hose, went back to the stove and began to stir.
4. I saturated the pantyhose before putting them in the grape bath. This was not a part of IYGAGAN instructions.

Though this was a FAIL, I will be trying this again.

THAT'S IT***

Neighborhood Farmers Markets

I tip my hat to East Lake United Methodist Church. They gave me my first chance at being a vendor for my crafted goods.

But not only that, it has stayed in a changing neighborhood when many others would have sold or abandoned the church. Their motto being, In the Neighborhood for Good.I spoke with one of the members who was wearing a shirt with this very motto on the pocket.

There aren't nearly as many vendors as there once were. Some of that can be attributed to the numerous pop up farmers markets that are in various communities now. At the time I was a vendor there were few fresh vegetable markets in the area  that offered fresh food at reasonable prices.

This is a very large church building with a very small congregation. They also have a 2nd hand store inside and they sell hot lunches everyday. They seem to get a large crowd for the lunches.

The church is beautiful inside and I'm sure it is expensive to maintain such a large structure. But, they've been holding on.

One of the members told me that the bell tower doesn't hold a bell and never did. The bell tower is now a cell tower rented to Verizon. Like he said, "you've got to pay the bills."

P.S. You may have noticed that the text is larger. It seemed to small and not dark enough in my last posts.

THAT'S IT 

Seeing and Being ...The Finale

 update of    Seeing and Being Can Be Different
Soooo, I couldn't wait six months. The brown bag kept staring me in the face every time I opened the closet.

I decided to try to see how far I could go before I knew it was a total failure.

Decided I'd add a flap to fold it over and close by buttoning with some huge white buttons I'd found at the dollar store years ago. 
DILEMMA: Should I line the flap with pleather or the lining fabric I'd chosen?

For the lining, I chose this sheer, raveling, animal print fabric which was in my stash. It was totally inappropriate but since I was on the highway to disaster I continued on. 

Sewing the lining to the purse.

Sewing the sides together careful to not sew the closing flap. 

                                                                                                      Sewing the bottom of the lining closed. 

About to turn  the lining inside out and top stitch.

AT THIS POINT... actually long before I got here, I knew this project had flat lined.

The top stitching resulted in puckering and crooked stitches.

I threw it in the garbage
     and while I was at it,

I threw away the animal print also. There's nothing I can use it for.

*******On to the next project********

It's burlap.

THAT'S IT ***