Festival Fun

last week, we ventured eastward for SmileFest. we had never been to virginia. after seeing the country side with my own eyes, i can see why early american settlers called it home.

the festival & campground was nestled in the valley of pilot mountain. cool mountain top air breezed through blazing sunshine all weekend long.

the music was top notch and super diverse. i hooped myself dizzy.

meeting and jiving with the fellow creative peoples made my heart sing, too.

i met the amazing team of East Coast Rocks.

these virginia fellas have their stuff together in a big way. they have amazing varieties of gems and wire wrapped jewelry. i especially liked watching them interact with their booth visitors. they were really awesome at connecting and sharing. J & K even had little free-bee rocks for the half pints. it melted me heart! they graciously gifted us this beautiful speciman of apophyllite & stilbite

i also met april, a potter out of Chattanooga:: Muddy Hands, Happy Hearts

april’s work is so unique and full of light. her glaze work emulates life, movement, and emotion all at the same time. i fixed up a little something for her at the fest and she traded me one of her signature “butt ugly” mugs. i really really love the booty tattoo.

vending my first legit festival felt really good.

i learned so much about where i want my creative energies to go.

there are big things coming for me. i can feel it.

Sew Growth

i recently reviewed my friend erin’s sewing book stripped down patchwork.

with it, i learned a stellar sewing technique.

:: Seminole patchwork ::

it looks like i stitched all those pretty diamonds shapes individually, but i didn’t.  i got those shapes by cutting at an angle, and sewing together again.

 i did all this with my serger, because i ‘m efficient like that.

i top stitched each seam line for pizazz & strength.

i framed the patchwork out with solid fabric for more durability.

after all, this piece work is going to get lots of action; it’s a pocket!

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being a tactile learner, erin’s book was perfect for me.

*thank you for the inspiration, erin.*

i’m gonna run with this.

last dance

last chance for loooove.

my entire stock is coming on the road with me.

now is the time to grab up what’s left in my etsy shop.

you don’t want to miss out on my little collection of hand dyed hemp & organic cotton organic skirts or this amazing pippy inspired dress.

~boogie down!

Book LOVE: Stripped Down Patchwork

tricky sewing rocks my world. it saves time & lets you shine.

i am honored to be stop #8 on erin gilday’s blog tour!

do you guys know of this amazing lady from the patchwork underground?

erin is a seriously creative woman and one of the most knowledgeable stitchers out there.  she & her partner even converted a school bus into their home a few years ago. gah, i could just gush about her greatness all day.

erin’s first book was recently published. if you sew at all, this is the book for you.

naturally, erin shares the origins of the seminole patchwork technique.

when i think of patchwork, i envision little house on the prairie style mamas tending to their gardens & hand stitching by candle light. when in fact, the seminole patchwork method was created by the native american seminole tribe of florida in the late 1800s while hiding out in the swamp lands.

this is one of the reasons i love erin. she always digs up the history, origins, and culturally bound reasons why people make stuff. she genuinely wants you to understand the process, get up inside that craft, and make it your own.

my favorite project is this snazzy wrist cuff.
it is the perfect way to use the scrappy bits you just can’t seem to toss.

this zippered clutch is a great way to feature those vintage trims & rick racks your granny left you. don’t worry, erin has included a quick & fearless zipper installation as well.

 

this book is a steal at less than $20. the pattern pieces for all 12 projects are included, as well. erin seals the deal with her witty and real world sewing tips throughout each of the step by step directions.

now go get tricky, too!!!

::: here are all the other erin lovers involved in this sweet blog tour :::

Leisure Arts Blog – http://leisureartsblog.blogspot.com – Monday, May 16

StitchBlog – http://www.quiltingdaily.com/blogs/stitch/home.aspx –
Tuesday, May 17

Craftzine – http://craftzine.com/ – Wednesday, May 18

Craftypod – http://www.craftypod.com/ – Thursday, May 19

Whipup.net – http://www.whipup.net/ – Friday, May 20

Burdastyle – http://www.burdastyle.com/ – Saturday, May 21

Pink Pinguin – http://ayumills.blogspot.com/ –  Sunday, May 22

A Green Banana – https://agreenbanana.wordpress.com/ – Monday, May 23

I Think Sew – http://xstreetgirl.blogspot.com/ – Tuesday, May 24

Happy Zombie – http://thehappyzombie.com/ – Wednesday, May 25

A Mountain Hearth – http://mountainhearth.blogspot.com/ – Thursday, May 26

Sew News – http://www.sewnews.com/blogs/sewing/ – Friday, May 27

Pat Sloan’s Blog – http://patsloan.typepad.com/ – Saturday, May 28

hugs!

no public nudity

sometimes, the biggest selling point for clothing is being able to try it on.

though, i may be a fuzzy, long haired, two dog, lettuce eating hippie, i don’t like to get naked in front of strangers.  call me crazy, but i’ve never had that desire under any influence.

with the help of sewing expert, friend, and mentor, sandie of flutterbybutterfly.net, i built this awesomely spacious fitting room.

don’t expect this to be a fancy tutorial, because i don’t get down like that.

details : two hoops of irrigation tubing, lots of fabric with a casing sewn at the top & bottom, rope*, & a hook. * i used salvaged fitted bed sheet elastic for the spokes to make it resilient to all the movement.

all you do is lift the bottom hoop & step inside.

please share this idea with your friends!

grateful focus

lately, a whirl wind of sewing and planning has been accompanied by a tumultuous tornado spree across the state of alabama.

here’s how our yard ended up.

we are extremely thankful to have only had this happen.

my first real festival vending spot is less than a month away.

when i received my acceptance letter, my heart jumped into my throat for a couple of days. this is it, a real test of my passion and discipline for what i want to DO for a living.  i’ve had plenty of practice vending parking lots & a few camp grounds, but never a LEGIT jury voted booth. you can imagine my anxious joy

needless to say, i’ve been working myself ragged. taking breaks is not something i remember to do.

que the no sewing craft time.

wanting to incorporate part of the fallen trees into my work, i taught myself how to weave with a branch loom. i have finally found validation for sorting & saving the tiniest fabric scraps.

this weaving test drive yielded a sweet trivet. next up, a rug.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

all of my inventory is coming with us, until then i have a few things left in my etsy shop for you.

pippy comes full circle

I watched the Pippy Longstocking series often as a little girl.  I admired her adventures and apathy to what everyone else thought of her. She followed her heart and made me dream big.

I have come to realize I am very much like my childhood idol.  Dashing off to the next concert, forest, or city with my wolf pack makes me happy. Creating beauty in my own way pushes me to grow my business and passion. Laughter and chaos fuels my inner muse.

Thanks Pippy.

This little collection is a tribute to my favorite ginger snap.

agreenbanana

new things in bloom

i am anxiously awaiting the response for my first music festival vending spot. i can’t tell you how nervous and excited i am right now. just. a. few. more. days.

keeping myself busy isn’t hard though. some how i managed to photo shoot half of what i have to share this week.  oodles of hand dyed eco & repurposed fabrics are poppin’ off.

here’s a little picture parade of new pieces avaible in my etsy shop

there’s more to come tomorrow!

agreenbanana

AntiFashion Show

I stepped away from this blog to refocus.

I have made a solid commitment to grow outside of my shy quiet studio and into my amazing community of creative people. It’s not easy being brave and putting yourself out there, but it definitely gets easier.

If you follow me on facebook, you’ve heard about the Lowe Mill here in Huntsville. It is a textile factory that has been transformed into an artist co-op. It has changed this community and how it interacts with art.

There is a vintage clothing shop, Karma Rags, within the Mill run by Cheryl. She has an amazing eye and gravitational pull on the sweetest vintage & ‘like new’ duds. Cheryl is one of my biggest cheerleaders and I can’t thank her enough for all of her encouragement and kind words.

This year was the third annual AntiFashion show. It was sponsored & organized by Karma Rags as a fundraiser for the Mill.

AntiFashion means making your own way with adornment.

We saw mouthwatering, eye popping sequined evening wear, throw back zuit suits and everything fabulous in between. Besides vintage wares, there were also LOTS of local makers & designers showcasing some of their designs and skills. Materials of all these designs included a dress made from the pages of a book, dumpster found fabric, hand dyed hemp & organic cotton, bubble wrap, and of course duct tape!

………………………………………………………………………

Here is a sampling of what I showed.

We started the night off with a hoop dance performance by our local Hooping Gueru & my fellow maker.

Crisha & Amber wore my flowy fluttery pixie skirts.

Alyson wore my newest design made from T shirts. In the background, you can see Amber wearing a skirt that is made from shirt sleeves.

Katie & Rachel embodied psychedelic swirling dervishes in these pretty dresses.

All but the bodice fabrics in this dress were gifted to me by patrons of the Lowe Mill.

Amber & Katie boogied down in my hand dyed hemp/organic cotton jersey skirts. They are also wearing my newest hip bag design. Trust me, you’ll want one once I tell you more about them later.

Alyson & I wore these vintage fabric frocks. Can you tell I studied dance for 10 years? haha Look at that turn out.

We were blessed, and had a live band play throughout the fashion show. So dope.

~~~~

Despite a little nervousness, I was pretty proud of myself.

it’s my party, i can dye if i want to

“worth it”

mighty ambitious

dying ten pounds of fabric

eco rainbow love

flora
1. bog, 2. kelp, 3. petrified, 4. marsh

minerals

1. <a href=”http://flickr.com/photos/45414252@N08/5414279139/”>bog</a&gt;, 2. <a href=”http://flickr.com/photos/45414252@N08/5414278711/”>kelp</a&gt;, 3. <a href=”http://flickr.com/photos/45414252@N08/5414278249/”>petrified</a&gt;, 4. <a href=”http://flickr.com/photos/45414252@N08/5414277645/”>marsh</a&gt;

1. amethyst, 2. kunzite, 3. tourmaline, 4. auquamarine

1. amethyst, 2. kunzite, 3. tourmaline, 4. aquamarine