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9.08.2010

#30 A Creative Surge...

More like a creative serge! On my Babylock serger that is...

My vitamins and supplements must be kicking in, because I'm feeling energetic, enthusiastic and inspired again. I've started sewing again and am determined to whip up some clothes that speak more to who I am and the image I wish to present. I'm bored with most off-the-rack clothes in department stores, but give me the racks of clothes at a thrift store and I'm in seventh heaven! Especially when it's a thrift store that has "Everything 50% Off" days. I don't see clothes at thrift stores, I just see lots and lots of  fabric on hangers - all arranged by color! - and my creative juices start flowing!

Today was one of those 50% Off days, and I was able to swoop up 4 knit tops, three silk shirts, an intricately appliqued skirt, a two-piece pants/long vest outfit, and a shetland wool sweater all for $11.00! All but the sweater went directly into the washer and dryer when I got home - yup -even the silk! I love doing that because then I know I can wash any of the things I make and they'll be fine. It also gives the fabrics a wonderfully soft hand.

Transforming the sweater is the first project I've completed. It was a simple matter of serging all the edges, and shortening the sweater a bit in the process. The serging, and the zigzag stitching I did on top of that, created a soft lettuce edge that I like. The edge is kind of rough and crude just the way I wanted it to be - not slick and finely "finished". (I used black thread - I'm using black thread on just about everything I'm making lately and it's creating a nice relationship between the pieces.) I used the cut-off bottom edge of the sweater to make a large pin that I embellished with a piece of silk and the covered buttons from one of the silk shirts - a really vibrant fuchsia silk that I love with the grey. I added a piece of black wool over one side to complete it.


The black wool makes a kind of hood effect over the pin...

I'm so excited about being able to spend the whole day in the studio tomorrow! No appointments! No interruptions! Just a whole day to be creative...doesn't get much better!

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