A picture is worth a thousand words...

...or my new favorite thing to do, covering unsuspecting little lampshades in vintage fabric.

E-Z Self-Fabric Buttons

 In progress: McCall 6256

The kit for the self-fabric buttons is so cute. On the front it makes the claim - make them round or flat. When you turn the card over to get the instructions the flat version is made by smashing them flat. copyright 1957 by E-Z Buckle, Inc. 

Finished: Covered lampshade with granny chic crochet edging.

the instructions for crochet edgings can be found here

the covered lampshade tutorial I used  

More Linda Permann

I am making trim from the Crochet Adorned book. The is about the fifth or sixth time I've used instruction from this book. If you don't own it already -  I recommend it highly. This trim is going on the bottom of a lampshade that I covered using instruction found on pinterest.

Simplicity 5877

 Shirtwaist dress with notched collar, set-in sleeves, bodice front button closing and side zipper.

Fabric used: Vintage cotton found at a yard sale

I would grade this as an intermediate  pattern. There is a fiddly step with the side zipper set into the pleats, and on the other side it has a side seam pocket. Mostly straightforward and the only change I made was to shorten the sleeve length. The fit was great on the first try, I will make this one again.

photo taken in just a sweater at the end of January

it's insanely warm for this time of year in Colorado

and no snow??

 

Working on...

a banner made of vintage fabric

Speakers, Sofa Cushions, and Emily Chalmers

 It's been awhile, so I will try as best I can to remember the speaker conversation. Pretty sure it went something like this.

"Honey, do you remember me talking about how since high school I've wanted to own a quality set of speakers? You know the kind I mean - blow the roof off your house speakers." Then he is getting a call and has to get off the phone.

Then I get the second phone call. "Johnny was at a yard sale when he saw these speakers. He actually drove off and left them there. I told him to go back as fast as he could and get them." 

I remember having a fairly lengthy convo about said speakers, but I'm thinking you get the picture.

It's to hard to type inflection so you'll have to trust me when I tell you I recognized right away that I was being entreated. I do remember the punchline he said, "Did I mention that they are kind of big?"

Now I've widened my shot to include the speakers. Not only are they kinda big, they are kinda black, and sitting in the living room, that prior to their arrival didn't have a speck of black in the decor, at least not on purpose. So now I have a serious problem. These speakers are a force to be reckoned with. My first thought was making a big slip cover to camouflage them. Then I remembered the photos of the Emily Chalmers loft and her use of black as an anchor, or point of interest, in an otherwise white space. Viola. Decoration born of desperation my friends.

Oh by the way, he redeemed himself when he came home after the living room re-do and said, 

"I like it, it's very Anthropologie."

Curtain Skirts Re-visited

skirts made with vintage drapery fabric