Dress Up 2011...July!

Welcome to July's Dress Up!  Please add your link to your below!  Also, please leave me a comment!  I can't wait to see all your wonderful Folk Art inspired dresses!



Tootles!

July's Dress Up Theme Is...

In celebration of Independence Day, July's Dress Up theme is Folk Art!  According to Wikipedia : "Folk art encompasses art produced from an indigenous culture or by peasants or other laboring tradespeople."

Basically, this means that Folk Art is different than Fine Art because it is (and was) made for utilitarian purposes rather than "just to look at."  Wikipedia also says, "Folk art expresses cultural identity by conveying shared community values and aesthetics. It encompasses a range of utilitarian and decorative media, including cloth, wood, paper, clay, metal and more. If traditional materials are inaccessible, new materials are often substituted, resulting in contemporary expressions of traditional folk art forms. Folk art reflects traditional art forms of diverse community groups — ethnic, tribal, religious, occupational, geographical, age- or gender-based — who identify with each other and society at large. Folk artists traditionally learn skills and techniques through apprenticeships in informal community settings, though they may also be formally educated." Folk Art exists in all cultures, but I typically think Americana when I think Folk.  I guess that's because I am an American.  Here are some examples of Folk Art:

The first example is obviously a portrait painting.  The second is a quilt top made during the U.S. Civil War, and the third example is stitch needlework.  I chose this theme to celebrate the American holiday, which is Monday, July 4.  This doesn't, however, mean you must complete your dress with Americana in mind.  You may use whatever Folk Art is indigenous to your neck of the woods...Brazil, South Africa, Canada, etc.!  If you want to base your design on American Folk, you can find a lot of examples at the American Folk Art Museum.

I can't wait to see all the dresses! Don't fret if you haven't finished your June dress (or even May's ), just click the months and link up. I'll post the Simply Linked tool this Friday!

  

A Summer Knitted Scarf

I hate unpacking!  I've spent my evening unpacking from my vacation.  Three loads of laundry later, I'm writing this post.  My vacation was great.  It wasn't, however, low-key as originally planned.  We were on the go nearly the entire trip!  It was a lot of fun, but now I'm afraid I need another vacation just to recuperate from this one!  

I had planned to get in some sewing on my vacation and even brought my sewing machine with me.  Alas, I didn't get much done other than these few bag pieces, which I pieced and machine "free" embroidered.

I will use each piece as the "fronts" of zippy bags.  I didn't get the bags themselves completed, but plan on working on them, and others, as soon as I get my trip "stuff" organized and put away.  I did accomplish one goal on the trip.....I finished knitting the scarf I started months ago!  I worked on this scarf almost every time I rode in the car and finished it during the ride home yesterday.  Here are a few more views.

I still can't remember the name of this lace stitch, but it was pretty easy...just time consuming.  I wrote a post detailing the pattern and the yarn I used in March.  I think it turned out really pretty and the organic yarn is scrumptious.  I am also really pleased that I actually finished this project.  Here's a secret....I am notorious for not completing knitting projects I start!  Don't tell.

The dryer is buzzing, time to put another load in.  Keep in touch...I will be posting the details for July's Dress Up.  Here's a hint:  Think 4th of July!  Oh, and I will post some more vacation pictures...one of them may even involve me and a hula hoop!

Tootles!

A Giant Rooster? Oh Yeah!

Last year's first vacation post photo was of an Elvis impersonator.  This year...it's a giant rooster!  Welcome to Branson, Missouri!

We went horsebacking riding yesterday.  It was awesome.  Charlotte's horse was named, Abby.  Mine was called, Rebel and my husband had, "Arnold."  The ride was terrific.  The trail was rugged, but the horses knew what and where they were going.  We walked along a stream..and crossed it.  Rebel even trotted a bit.  Perfect.

After the ride, my husband dropped me off at a huge quilt/fabric shop.  I was in heaven.  I bought a book about embroidery and one on painting on fabric.  I also bought some really cool fabric.  What made it even cooler, was that it was on sale!

  After the quilt shop, a giant flea market!  I didn't buy anything here, but did find a few interesting pieces.

Bird Vase

Tea Brewer (that's what the tag said)

Sewing Basket

Just because.

The pool is calling, too!  Tootles for now!

Embroidery: Hand vs Free Motion Machine

I am officially on vacation again!  Pretty cool getting to be on vacation for two weeks then go to work for a week and then get to be on vacation again for a week!  I plan on soaking up the sun, spending a lot of time at the pool, thrift and antique mall shopping, and sewing!  I am taking my sewing machine on vacation!  Weird?  Maybe, but I want to continue working on "stuff" for my soon to be opened Etsy shop!  

I've been making more embellished image transfer bags like this one:

  

A little wrinkly, but I hope you can see the hand embroidery I did in order to embellish the ladies.  Speaking of embroidery, I've been experimenting a bit with free motion machine embroidery.  Here is one bag I completed:

  

There will be plenty of internet access during this vacation, so I hope to post great photos of my travels and whatever cool stuff I come across!

In the meantime, I hope you all have a fantastic Father's Day!  

Tootles!

Fabulous Flea Market Finds

My vacation/stay-cation ends tonight.  Boo.  A few more hours and then it's back to work.  Yuk.  I have had a very nice time these past two weeks.  I have camped, canoed, eaten s'mores, and swam.  I've gotten tan and a few bug bites.  I've also gotten to hang out with my family and I've loved that!  I also got to sneak into a few of my favorite flea markets and junk shops.  That's where I found the Singer Sewing Machine Book.

This book was copyrighted in 1954, but I believe it was given as a gift to "Eleanor" in 1957 because of the inscription:  

I just love finding old handwritten notes.  It's so personal, isn't it?  Besides this awesome book, I also came across some pretty cool purses:

This was my favorite:

And look at these shoes!

Were ladies' feet smaller years ago?  It seems like vintage shoes are all so small!  Hmm.

While this vacation is almost over, I have another week scheduled the week after Father's Day.  So, I guess I shouldn't complain too much!

Tootles!

Summer Pretties

So I'm still on vacation; or should I say, stay-cation.  No primitive campsites, no pristine river water, no bugs and unfortunately, no room service.  I'm actually enjoying my time at home with my littlest daughter.  We've been hanging out at our neighborhood pool and playing on our trampoline.  Okay, she's been playing on the trampoline.  We even braved the heat and visited the zoo!  It was so hot and we walked our feet off, but we got to see a few of her favorite animals, including all sorts of different monkeys and even a few lions!

Her favorite animal is the cheetah, but for some unknown reason, they weren't out, so the next best animal was the leopard.  If you look hard, you can see him lying down under that tree.  She drew her interpretation of the leopard after we got home.  Did you know that leopards have brown spots within their black spots and cheetahs just have black spots?  Now you know!

In this, my last week of my stay-cation, I've made a few summer pretties for my youngest.  I made a simple halter using McCall's Easy Stitch and Save #5562.  Note to self:  Remember you hate doing ruffles.  Pick another view next time.  

  

I made View B, the ruffled top.  It turned out pretty cute, but the ruffle was a pain.  I figured making the ruffle would be less of a pain than sewing the bias tape on the bottom for View C.  I may have chosen unwisely.  Anyway, it's done and Charlotte loves it!

I've also made this halter type dress during my time off.  She actually wore this dress on the zoo trip, which was perfect since it was so hot.  I made two of these dresses.  One for Charlotte and the other for her friend, Halle.  They were little twins at the zoo!  

I hear the pool calling!  Tootles friends!