Tag Archives: vintage fabric

Jun4

SNEAK PREVIEW

Posted on June 4, 2014 by Anny

Here is a SNEAK PREVIEW of the THIRTEEN new bags I have been frantically creating for ARTWALK GALVESTON, Saturday, June 7th! I am honored, once again, to be Tina’s on the Strand Featured Artist. Galveston galleries and boutiques put their best foot forward for this event all day long starting around 10 a.m., but the most fun happens from 6 to 9 p.m. when patrons wander from gallery to gallery sipping wine, shopping, and socializing. (Makes a great “girls’ night out!”) I will be presenting all day and evening and the theme will be ST. TROPEZ BOUND, thus the French flair to all the following bags. Drum roll please…

PARTY ON THE YACHT!

BEACH BOUND

SUMMER SOIREE

DANCING ON WATER

MONET’S GARDEN

MAKING WAVES

DREAMING OF PARIS

RENDEZVOUS IN ST. TROPEZ

NIGHTFALL IN ST. TROPEZ

PARIS FLING!

SUNSHINE DANCE!

LADIES’ NIGHT

(Backside of Ladies’ Night)

PARIS FLEA MARKET

And now for something completely different…As you probably noticed,the latter two bags, although charmingly springy, are a total departure from the laminated breezy, beachy vibe. They were created from 100% vintage materials. The outer bag was fashioned from a chenille bed covering from the fifties and the blush floral chintz was a vintage remnant from a friend. To be true to the 100% vintage, I did not add the usual interfacing between layers, nor did I add a magnetic snap. The antique dice button on Ladies Night, which is Bakelite, serves as the closure, along with the loop made from antique velvet French ribbon. Why did I title the bag “Ladies’ Night?” Can’t you just picture the ladylike hands wearing those proper little gloves gently tossing the dice onto the casino table in Monte Carlo on the French Riviera? Oh, yes, we’re still on the French theme! 🙂 Inside I fashioned a pocket from a removed chair covering from a Paris flea market. The floral embellishing came from the millinery section of a department store that closed in the sixties. An unopened box was found in the back room containing the post WWII “Made in Japan” delicate flowers. I’ve tucked inside the glove the little fifties style original brochure that came with the pair describing care, etc., and inside the pocket is the original button card from Costumakers (25 cents!)

I’m really looking forward to Saturday and hope to see many friends there. But I’m REALLY excited to present the summer line so that I may start my fall/winter line! You know, when I used to teach, I would be worn out by May and looking forward to summer. But at the same time, I would be anticipating fall, and my head would already be filled with ideas for my new students! Well, some things never change–my head is spinning with fall/winter ideas and I’m ready to open that armoire containing my lush chenilles, faux fur, leather, and warm fabrics in rich darker hues. Aren’t I lucky that I LOVE my work?!!! 🙂

Feb10

What do you get with Dismal Weather?

Posted on February 10, 2014 by Anny

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What do you get with dismal weather? Eight purses! Seriously, I can’t remember the last time I enjoyed sunshine, so I’ve been stitching up a storm! Temperature down=production up! Here are six that I haven’t shared with you…

Madison’s birthday was last month and she (like her Granny Anny) loves all things British. I had seen an Indygo Junction pattern for a British flag pillow at Quilt Festival. Madison’s room decor, however, wears teal and many other colors other than red, white and blue. Aha! I shall convert the pillow pattern to a bag! Using Amy Barickman’s new Crossroads Denim (which is softly washed and available in many colors), I stitched the front and back following pillow directions, then added a gusset, handles, and lining of navy ticking to create this patriotic bag. BTW, the front and back consist of layering red, white, and navy, stitching along pattern lines, then cutting through either one or two layers to expose the red and white and allow the edges to be rough and free. Love this textured effect! I’ve always been a huge fan of Amy Barickman!

Not wanting to leave Europe I guess, my next two bags were fashioned from what I call my Paris fabrics. Ooh La La by Jo Moulton for Wilmington and Salon de The’ Paris by Holly Holderman for Lake House Dry Goods. Two Anny bags, one with a fabric handle and one with a purchased clear bamboo textured handle.

DANCING IN PARIS

LA BOUTIQUE DE FLEURS

Since a bit of the luscious Downton Abbey fabric, licensed to Andover Fabrics, was spotted still lounging in a corner of my sewing cabinet, I decided to give it a whirl in a completely different pattern. I harkened back to a Pink Sand Beach pattern called the Manhattan Bag, which allowed the various Downton fabrics to piece together in a lovely flow. This time the gusset featured the castle fabric. The handle was purchased. I replaced a jewel on the flower with a crown charm, and the necklace type embellishment on the front was a reclaimed charming but broken bracelet. Since this style has a wide bottom and the castle was a light colored fabric, it was the perfect time to try something new–purse feet!

DOWNRIGHT DOWNTON

Mardi Gras celebrations in Galveston are huge–second only to New Orleans. So my next bag (an altered Amy Butler design) presented with deep purple velvet handles. The look was completed with dangling jewel plum beads and a lush blue violet flower. Did you know that Pantone’s Color of the Year 2014 is Radiant Orchid? The perfect title for a bag fit for a Mardi Gras Ball!

RADIANT ORCHID

The sixth bag was created from a deep desire for sunshine. I chose the most spring/summer fabrics available and fashioned a bag I call Gardens of Paris. The blue floral is a heavy linen, surrounded by a buttery loop fringe and dazzling golden beads. I love this gypsy style, which is a modified Cindy Taylor Oates pattern.

GARDENS OF PARIS

Am I gathering fabrics, trims, and patterns for bag number seven? Tempting… But I’m taking a break to “sharpen my saw” as they say. More tutorials are calling my name, as well as books, patterns, and gorgeous ribbon (some vintage) for crafting fabric flowers. As Jimmy Fallon would say, “Thank you, Dismal Weather, for enticing me to sew!”

Nov3

QUILTERS’ PARADISE

Posted on November 3, 2013 by Anny

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It is back to reality for me. From Wednesday to Saturday Nannette and I were in P-A-R-A-D-I-S-E! 2013 International Quilt Festival, Houston, Texas. This gallery of pics will give you an idea of our many ventures. Let’s start here:

OPEN! OPEN! OPEN!
Quilters flocking to the door.

An overall view from the Window Up Above (Wasn’t that a Mickey Gilley song?)

Let’s go shopping:

Nannette and I with Kaffe Fassett and his new book,
QUILT GRANDEUR.

KAFFE FASSETT and LIZA PRIOR LUCY

If Kaffe Fassett doesn’t ring a bell with you, you are probably not a quilter and that’s okay. Just letting you know that he is the author of numerous quilting books and known all over the world for his brilliant color combinations and designs. I so love to use his fabric in my bags. And, oh my, he admired my bag. MY BAG! I can die happy now…

My new favorite booth: ADORNit. www.adornit.com These gals (mother and two daughters) have developed an amazingly strong presence in the fabric, pattern, and quilting world. You go, Ladies!

ADORNit.

Snazzy contemporary fabric and a pattern book (plus some charm squares) were scored at ADORNit. If you sew, plan to visit soon for inspiration.

You can always catch demos at the show. Check out this lady’s sewing machine…

Gelaskin for Sewing Machines?!

This next mother/daughter duo is a booth Nannette and I always take time to visit. Brilliant colors and designs are offered on a number of projects like chair covers, floor mats, travel mugs, mirrors, lamps, shades, clocks and clipboards. Did I say quilts? And more. Dianne Springer finds ways to artistically apply scraps on anything–even mailboxes! Don’t stand still too long–she may find a way to Scrap-o-Late you!!

www.quiltinacup.com

You’ve heard me mention FRAMES. Yes, I succumbed to one of my favorite booths, Mica’s Room. On Halloween, no less. My friends here entice me (doesn’t take much) to buy frames, patterns, clasps and fabric. This year I’m trying coin purses. They do have frames. But isn’t that a great way to practice?

My friends from Mica’s Room.

This year I purchased antique ribbons, lace, and vintage buttons and fabric at booths featuring embellishments. Many more booths featured bags, bag patterns and hardware this year. Right up my alley! You know I was crossing my fingers for colored denim and I hit the jackpot. Thanks to designer Amy Barickman, Crossroads Denim will allow me to fashion totes, slings, and clutches from a softly laundered denim in shades of orange, navy, blues, greens, and neutrals. I’m so excited!

Some ladies at the show try their hand at longarm quilting.

Longarm quilting booth.

It seems as though Nannette ran up a huge total at Quilts By The Bay.

Oops! Thankfully, that was just a mistake, but maybe it’s time to turn from shopping to quilts. Hello–it is a Quilt Show!

The Best of Show Winner is …

Close Up

Meet the Artist

There were contemporary, traditional, charitable, whimsical, biographical, autobiographical, military and art quilts. A sampling:

Sparkles covered all the flowers on this quilt.

Yes, Jack Nicholson. The artist said she was studying expression and emotions. 🙂

This year $102,800 cash awards were given (and the prizes also include airfare to and hotel accommodations for Quilt Festival.) See all the winning quilts at www.quilts.org.

There were classes offered at Craftsy:

Craftsy University

A Craftsy Class.

Many specialties were offered in the upstairs classrooms (Nannette and I enjoyed one) and even classes offered right on the main floor amongst the booths.

For breaks and a chance to catch a breeze in our fabulous fall weather, attendees are welcome to stroll on the balcony. When you’re in the midst of shopping and viewing, it seems the world is removed (happily so) but it’s occasionally beneficial to let your brain experience the connection of a view of downtown.

Often we run into old friends that we usually see at retreats. This year we had fun meeting old friends in the crowded aisles, trying to catch up on the run, waving, and signaling to meet up later. Fortunately, I noticed Jo Packham in the Food Court, having just had two classes with the Where Women Create panel, and she joined Nannette and I for a fun and relaxing late lunch. We solved most of the world’s problems and then it was back to shopping. 🙂

At the end of the day, we welcome this sight:

“Come into the light, Carol Ann…” It’s the corridor that links the George R. Brown Convention Center to the Hilton Hotel. Oh, yes. That walkway reminds us that Starbucks is not a food group. Without even depositing our treasures in our room, we head for the lovely restaurant where the food is actually quite good. After dinner, drinks, and dessert, we drag our loot up to the room and share our awesome treasures. We always vow to get plenty of sleep, but how do you do that when there is just so much to share?? And no sleeping in the next day because, hey, we need to find that fabric we glimpsed yesterday and hope it’s still there!

This year we took a class and it was titled, “Crafting an Ideal Day.” It basically involved time management and we learned a lot from the facilitator and the participants. Everyone seemed to have the same problem–not enough time to sew. We lamented this and brainstormed solutions. The main idea that Nannette and I took away from the class was this: Get 20 minutes in your sewing area everyday. This will lead to more, and if it doesn’t on any given day, at least you will have been twenty minutes productive. Naturally, we left the show this year pledging to gift ourselves those twenty minutes. And it may not happen everyday, but, well, it’s a start. So here I go… I’ll bet I could get a small purse cut out in the next twenty minutes. 🙂 How do you get YOUR twenty minutes in?

Oct30

THE SUCCESS OF PASSION

Posted on October 30, 2013 by Anny

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I had the great privilege to take two classes at Quilt Market–The Success of Passion and How to Let People Know Who You Are. Both classes were led by Jo Packham, hosting a panel of exceptionally talented and creative ladies who shared how their passion led to successful businesses and how they stay ahead of the game in this media driven world. Jo Packham created the fabulous magazine, Where Women Create–Inspiring Work Spaces of Extraordinary Women. www.wherewomencreate.com. This led to Where Women Create-Business and Where Women Cook. If you haven’t had the pleasure of perusing these publications, you are in for a treat. Get a cup of coffee, ease into a cozy chair, and prepare to be inspired.

Speaking of inspiration, the classes were followed by the actual Quilt Market where companies like Westminster Fabrics, Moda, Anna Griffin and countless booths offer patterns, fabric, notions, books, machines, and all the latest items available for quilting, sewing, bag making, and embroidery. Here is just a sample of booths at the Market. Pure eye candy!

Marcia of Abbey Lane Quilts displays a pillow that I bought the pattern and fabric for last year, and a new bag pattern that I can’t wait to sew!

ABBEY LANE QUILTS BOOTH

If you quilt, I know you’ll recognize this sweet lady–Eleanor Burns! Check out her new book, Quilts from El’s Kitchen. www.quiltinaday.com. Savor fresh new quilt blocks along with recipes for tasty treats.

ELEANOR BURNS

I had a great time shopping as a “business owner” and chose new patterns for my bags, along with handles, and yes, FRAMES! No, I’m not really a masochist. I’m just determined to conquer those challenging glueing and stitching frames. Checking out those tutorials on frames, I discovered that it’s not just me. Usually in tutorials, the instructor seems to breeze through, finishing with “And there you have your beautiful project! Wasn’t that easy?” However, I noticed that the frame tutorials used words like “Now here’s the tricky part…” and, “You may have to practice and redo a few times…” I didn’t hear any actual curse words but you know you can edit those videos. 🙂

So between classes on Friday and Sunday, friends joined Rick and I in partaking of German beer and scrumptious homemade apple, cherry, and cheese strudel at the local Octoberfest. Perfectly gorgeous weather as well!

OKTOBERFEST TUNES

Yes, I did manage to sew one bag this weekend. A Victorian drawstring bag that’s appropriate for evening, or festivals like our upcoming Dickens on the Strand here in Galveston.

And now I must go pack, for my sister and I will be checking into the Hilton tomorrow that connects to the convention center for the International Quilt Festival, the largest quilt festival in the world, and the largest convention annually for the City of Houston. This year, as well as continual shopping and viewing the lovely quilts, we’re taking a class–something along the lines of “How to Make Time to Sew.” 🙂 So what am I looking for that I couldn’t find at Quilt Market? Well…fabric. The fabric companies that I mentioned above sell to shop owners who buy wholesale bolts at a time. But Festival is for the individual quilter (at retail prices.) So now I’ll have the opportunity to buy just enough fabric for my purses. I’m looking for spring/summer fabrics like cotton, laminates, vintage fabrics, and hopefully, colored denim. Each year Nannette and I treasure this time together where we shop, eat, giggle, and gab until the wee hours. We’ll be there until Saturday, in the room that we had to reserve at this same time last year, since rooms sell out immediately. Go Quilters! Support the Economy, right?

Next week I’ll share our pics and bargains scored at the International Quilt Festival. Join us!

Oct22

FRIGHTENED OF FRAMES!

Posted on October 22, 2013 by Anny

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Whew! Having finished Artwalk, I have been concentrating on donation commitments made some time ago. The first was a fashion show benefitting women’s scholarships, the challenge being that the donations were to be refashioned from a thrift store. Let me just say that I now have infinite admiration for those of you who do this regularly and well, especially those ladies at Refashion Runway. If you haven’t checked out this blog, Renegade Seamstress, it is similar to Project Runway with weekly challenges, the difference being the projects start with a thrift store or cast off item.

This was a very difficult task for me because, in dismantling the canvas bag purchased from Salvation Army, I had a hard time deciding what to keep. With an armoire full of beautiful fabrics and trims, it is a challenge to use any of the old item. On this particular purse I managed to reclaim the animal print fabric for use on the interior. Knowing that the bag was to be used in a Holiday Fashion Show, I chose to take the fancy route.

BEFORE

AFTER

I know, I know…nothing like the original except inside. This is not my strong suit. Maybe it just takes practice and willpower not to use all new materials. Of “Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle,” I guess I “reduced” more than I “reused!) 🙂

The next project was for a Breast Cancer Auction. A CraftApple pattern was chosen to create this handy little bag:

Anxious to try some new patterns, (the clutches are Ali Foster designs) I’ve ventured into small purses this week. Here are a few:

This floral bag was attached to the frame with E6000. The fabric (both interior and exterior) was quilted from a beautiful Hoffman fabric from my stash. It felt good to get the old walking shoe back on Betsy again!

This last bag “gave me fits!” as they used to say in Indiana. I need to watch a tutorial (OH NO!) on using purse frames, both glueing and stitching. The quilted floral bag above was glued and turned out well. But with this last bag, I redid the stitching two or three times and it’s just okay, in my opinion. (Notice you’re not viewing the interior.) 🙂 The reason I didn’t give up on this bag is because the flower, fashioned from that vintage ruched ribbon, actually looked like I intended and I learned to make upholstery leaves! Yea! AND, they had already been sewn down (sturdily) before arriving at the last step–THE FRAME–yikes!

Yes, I am now Frightened of Frames! (A Halloween movie?) So, I’m off to find a Frame Tutorial! 🙂 (I’m not kidding…) Any recommendations?

Oct3

Sleep? What sleep?

Posted on October 3, 2013 by Anny

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Imagine my surprise to find I’d been nominated for the Good Neighbor Blog Award! Katherine from Pillows A-La-Mode (an awesome site) requested nominations for someone in the blogging world that you would most want to live next door to! The winner was a fabulous blogger, Crafty Staci, that you will certainly enjoy reading. And to the person(s) who nominated me, I send my deepest gratitude! I consider myself fairly new to blogging and as they say in Hollywood, “It’s an honor just to be nominated.” Amen to that! Just for being nominated, I get to display a Good Neighbor Award button on my blog, and you will be seeing that just as soon as I learn how to display it. 🙂 Yep, I still have lots to learn about blogging, my friend. So in this world of widgets, buttons, and stats, please just bear with me!

This is Wednesday night and Saturday is my trunk show at Tina’s for Artwalk Galveston. As noted in my last blog, I thought my fall collection was finished. 🙂 Oh, silly me! They had requested 15 bags and I had 16 bags. But when I mentioned that there was not an Anny Bag in the collection, I could read the disappointment in their faces. While I consider the Anny Bag as something more suited to a Spring/Summer collection, apparently the customers have been requesting the Anny Bag, so… In the last four days, I have designed four Anny Bags! Sleep? What sleep? I needed to find fall/winter type fabric that would also be able to drape for those ruffles. I am pleased to say that without shopping, I managed to come up with the fabrics and trims I needed. (That should tell you something about my stash. Shh! ) Anyway, today I planned to make the tags (see previous blog) but after lunch, Tina’s called. The newspaper needed a photo preview of my presentation by day’s end. Whaaaat?? I know NOTHING about photo shoots. So you should have seen me schlepping bags and lamps all over the house trying to figure out what to do next. Too much light! Too little light! Too many bags! Too few bags! Too much background distraction! I was mainly working with two coat racks. After taking about 30 pics, I decided less is more, and since they just wanted a sneak preview, here is the photo that will be published:

Bag #16 is a pattern I designed called the Jenny Bag. (Publishing it is on my “to do” list.) 🙂 Here it is, fashioned from that sumptuous copper velvety fabric from Cowgirls and Lace, and the Roma Deco upholstery fabric I picked up in L.A. in silver and gold tones. Embellished with four glass beaded tassels, and a beaded golden applique, I’m not sure what to name it. Any suggestions?

So…the four Anny Bags. The first is created mostly from velvet and a leopard faux fur. (Can you tell I relish that copper fabric?) I had purchased the leopard flower but added a brooch from my stash from Trims on Wheels for the center. This whole bag is so velvety smooth I could just eat it up!

THE FANCY ANNY

The Western Anny was fashioned from faux leathers and a furry leopard print. Yes, I had these western looking leather straps in my stash from Cindy’s Button Company. The fringe completes the western look. Would you believe the beautiful dangle on the front was from a broken necklace? Don’t you just love repurposing!! Yeehaw!

THE WESTERN ANNY

The Autumn Anny (sorry about the pic lighting) is actually made of gold, tan, deep red, and rich chocolate brown floral linens. The linens were purchased from various sources but worked well together. The trim features alternating glass gold beads and silky tassels. The tan leather strap was another past purchase from Cindy’s Button Company. There is a gold brooch flower pendant that I’m making into a removable pin that has the same beads as the trim but it isn’t in this picture because I haven’t quite finished it. Last minute idea. Yikes!

THE AUTUMN ANNY

I had fun choosing fabric for the Denim Anny. After pairing two shades of denim with a blue leopard, I spotted a feathery trim from Mood Fabrics. Perfect! But, I’ve also been saving this sequined/beaded applique in shades of blue that I discovered last summer at the Pasadena Flea Market in L.A. where a lady was selling vintage fabric items. It made the perfect focal point! I wanted to leave the edges on the denim ruffles raw. If I tried to hem them, they wouldn’t drape, plus I just think it works as a fun denim look. After washing, they came out nicely frayed, so I sewed an invisible row of stitching just above the fraying to lock it in. I honestly don’t remember where I scored the handle fabric. It was funky and totally matched the style of the denim look but the back was a little wonky looking. The fix? Take a navy webbing from my stash and sew the two strips back to back. Voila! Handles! Dang! My Job Is Fun!!!

THE DENIM ANNY

So, I now have one day left to make five tags, which normally I can finish two per day. Okay then… It’s all a learning experience right? Everything needs to be turned in Friday for readying the display and pricing. Think I’m going to have to shift some priorities tomorrow…

But Hallelujah! On Friday morning, Jen, Madison and Gracie arrive and I will be basking in goodness and laughter and fun! They are my good luck charms for a Successful Artwalk Show! Hope to see you there!

Jan31

The Apron Challenge

Posted on January 31, 2012 by Anny

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Anny "APRON" Bag

Back in November I was given a bag full of vintage or semi-vintage aprons by the owner of a wonderful architectural antique store in Austin called Revival. Having seen the Anny Bag, she wondered if perhaps a bag could be created from those aprons. This project, which I started after the holidays, proved to be quite the challenge! First of all, these were random aprons and there needed to be a common thread (so to speak 🙂 ) I eventually decided to add a fabric of coordinating color but it couldn’t be anything contemporary. Aha! A lightweight light blue denim from my stash. I chose three print aprons that had similar blue shades that looked very vintage. Alternating these for the ruffles, I allowed the edges of the denim to fray. The band was from the same denim. Now realizing that a purchased handle would not look right on this bag, I came up with an idea. I took three of the apron ties and braided them for each handle. Then the handles were attached using vintage buttons from my grandma’s button box. Thanks, Grandma! Yesterday, I handed over the bag and the remaining aprons to the shop owner and she was mighty pleased. Will it sell? Stay tuned!

Dec27

Post Holiday and Off to NYC

Posted on December 27, 2011 by Anny

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The Holidays were an awesome time to be back in touch with family and friends! So many parties here in Galveston and in Austin and LaGrange. And our home had the privilege of being on the Historic District Christmas Homes Tour. It was an honor and great fun but we started gathering decorations and planning in October. I’ve had such a joyful season but January will see a return to designing and sewing. Yea!

Why January, you ask? Because, between now and January, my daughter and I are enjoying a trip to New York City! I plan to keep my eyes open for vintage finds to incorporate into my bags. Just last week I purchased turn-of-the-century gold floral fabric from Robyn Pandolph’s beautiful shop and can’t wait to use it. I was also given a bag full of vintage aprons and my head is spinning with ideas. My son actually visited a quilt shop in Austin so his gift to me included some new Amy Butler fabric and a laminated that will be perfect for a spring bag! Go Eric!

Sewing is a creative outlet for young people as well and I intend to pass down the skills I’ve learned to my granddaughters. They each received a sewing machine for Christmas and were sewing as I left for home. My heart is happy!

Off to the sewing room I go now, for I’m finishing a bag to wear in the Big Apple.

It's Sew Anny!

Do what makes your heart sing! A blog about Sewing and Traveling

Tag Archives: vintage fabric

SNEAK PREVIEW

What do you get with Dismal Weather?

QUILTERS’ PARADISE

THE SUCCESS OF PASSION

FRIGHTENED OF FRAMES!

Sleep? What sleep?

The Apron Challenge

Post Holiday and Off to NYC

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