Moving!!!

...Well, not the kind I"ve been waiting for.

No, my house hasn't sold, but my blog and I are moving over to somewhere fun.

Hope you will follow me over HERE. I'm not totally finished with my setup, but good things are coming. Lots of projects in the works as it finally gets warmer and I feel mentally defrosted.

Hope to see you!

Karen

More new stuff

I loaded up on pashminas while I was away, and I'm starting on tops--the first one I'm making is a loose-fitting tank top made from this one:



I'm excited about how it's turning out!

Hello again

I've been gone for a little while, because I was away for work and my internet connection was so slow that I ran out of patience trying to upload things.



I'm still unpacking and getting organized, but I did get to finish this bag.

Things in the works:
1. finish bags and scarves for Philly and Baltimore shows this spring
2. start super-secret projects for the 5 people who answered my Facebook thing
3. stare at the 60 pashminas I bought overseas and re-address the Making Pashmina Tops idea
4. do anything to avoid the yardwork that I should be doing.

Looking forward to catching up with what all of you have been up to!

Another Favorite Thing

I worked in Guatemala for a little while and went to the old capital city of Antigua, where there's a shop that sells old, used huipils (a traditional top for women in Guatemala). I bought a few, but could kick myself for not getting more while I was there! Anyway, one I still have around has a really colorful pattern of birds and flowers embroidered on it, and you can tell it's been worn, which makes me like it all the more.



I have it hanging up in my kitchen, since it used to be bright and sunny in there. Unfortunately, since I'm selling the place, I repainted the room in muted colors, so now the huipil looks like it doesn't quite belong, but I still have it up there to cheer me up while the house sits interminably on the market.

I love what La Chapina does with her used huipils, like using them to surround this mirror.



It's cool to find a new use for these things--I have to admit that sometimes I wince as I cut through a brand new pashmina to make a bag from it. It would be easier if it had already outlasted its use!

Shameful!

We recently held a baby shower for two girls on the Baltimore Etsy team who will have babies this spring/summer, and instead of going to their Etsy favorites or mine and getting any number of adorable little handmade baby things for them, I spaced out and waited too long, and was forced to be -- let's call it practical-- and shop at Carter's and H&M for them. I did not represent handmade.

So, while I'm away from my home and my sewing machine these two weeks, I will share some of my own favorite handmade possessions.

I worked in Cairo for a couple of years, and you know I was shopping that bazaar pretty often, but wound up looking a lot more than buying. Among the things I brought back were these hand-sewn pillows. I know they're hand-sewn because the guys were sitting Indian-style sewing them in the dark stalls.



They are made from a combination of cut-outs and appliques that seems very complicated, and one that I'm not eager to try, since I don't like sewing by hand. The pillows are sitting on a old pew we bought and refinished, which was probably the most toxic thing I've ever been involved in! Between the chemicals and the heater/paint remover, I may have lost years off my life, but it turned out gorgeous.

Early Sunday Stash

I'm packing up for a 2-week trip for work. I'll be leaving tonight, but will be online as much as ever, I hope, while I'm away! My Etsy shops are on vacation in the meantime.

So glad I got this in the mail before I left--it's some fun Nelson Mandela fabric from Africa. I think it will make a great bag.



I have a TON of upheaval in my life right now and have some new projects in my head I'd like to share soon--it's another case of crafting being the rock in the middle of the churning, disorienting white water of life. Sorry for the horrible metaphor.

Also, I was totally inspired by a quote I found on Shannon's blog. Get this: "Life isn't about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself". Very cool.

Woven Stuff

I haven't been posting because it's taken a lot of work to get the house and yard ready to be shown again. So much to do and I HATE yardwork.

It made me feel much better to see a package from Easternly Yours in the mail. It was my bag from Thailand. Look how gorgeous:



I love the weave and the colors in this. If you look to the right you will see my 2 helpers, one orange and one showing only his tail.

This bag reminds me of my favorite skirt, from Benetton, which has a similar weave.



My friend Martha is a weaver and has her own loom. It looks very complicated, but I would love to learn to weave.