Vintage Refreshed!

I'm expanding my horizons a bit.....past recycled wool sweaters. This week I picked up some vintage beige doilies (lace) at our local thrift store for 50 cents each. They had hearts in the design and I was thinkin' Valentine's Day. :) So, I put a couple of them in a red dye pot, and voila.....Vintage Refreshed! An entire new look.

I then got the idea to purchase old hand embroidered tablecloths, the forgotten orphans, because they have holes in them or huge stains. My thought is to iron on some Wonder Under, cut out the precioius embroidery, and then applique that on to trivets, recycled wool pillows, etc. I'll let you know how it turns out as project idea comes to fruition. Give me a week or so....smile.

This next week I start volunteer teaching a Fiber Arts class to 2nd-6th graders at a local school. It will meet one hour a week for the entire semester and we'll be doing a sampler of the following projects: KoolAid dye, drop spinning, lap weaving, straw weaving, knitting, kumihimo, silk painting, spool knitting and more. I am also "vintage" and I always feel "refreshed" when teaching fiber arts to little ones. :)

EnJOY your weekend!

A Glimpse at Projects in Progress....and Completed!

I truly feel like a little bit of me is knit or stitched into each project. Adrianna and I spend a minimum of 15 hours on EACH item, and most items have 20 to 30 hours of handwork. Since these hours are invested over multiple days, it's almost like having a baby born each time a project is completed. (LOL...without the pain of childbirth, but the pride and love of a new creation.) Fellow fiber arts enthusiasts will know what I'm trying to say. :)

Sometimes we transition from one project to another, then back again. I treasure the time spent with Adrianna, choosing the "just right" yarn and buttons, and our chats as we stitch by the fire in the evenings.

We made our first fingerless gloves this past week and have just listed them on our Etsy shop. We also finished up two cashmere scarves. Oh...My...Goodness! The incredible softness and luxury of these scarves. Adrianna said she would just "pet" it all day.

Now on to leg warmers. I'm starting this afternoon on a yummy blue lambswool pair. I believe I'll start with some handstitching embellishment with handspun, hand dyed yarn....