Upcycled Fabric Flower Garland

 

Because I enjoy the outcome so much, here's last week's secret sewing project in it's final form—a floral garland! If all goes well, by which I mean if the weather is nice and lovely enough to have the ceremony outside, this will adorn the trees that provide a little archway right behind where we'll say our vows. I made the garland about 20 feet long to try to make sure that it's long enough, and I have little wooden clothespins to attach it to the branches (so it doesn't fall down mid-ceremony!). I'm hoping that this provides a small touch of handmade to the garden where we're getting married, and makes a nice frame behind where we'll be standing. 

I'm going to bring this to our rehearsal with me the day before the wedding to try it out and if it doesn't work, no big thing—I used fabric scraps and leftover twine, so it was free to make and we'll just use it at the potluck party the day after the ceremony!

Pop over to ReadyMade on Wednesday to see the full tutorial on how to make one of these yourself.

Photo Friday: Kris Freeman

 

I'm sure I've mentioned it in the past, but I spent a lot of time at the Jersey shore while I was growing up (and still, to this day, as my parents live there now). And ferris wheels were always one of my favorite rides, along with the swings. I love the mood and color in this photo from Kris Freeman of Shenandoah county, Virginia because it makes me remember the slightly dazed feeling that sweeps over you when you're lost in a ride. 

I hope you each have a bit of that magical feeling this weekend and that you take a peek at some of the other lovely prints in Kris's shop—her floral shots like this one are downright swoony.

Secret Wedding Stitchery

 

I am not going to tell you what these are for because I am wishing very hard that they become the thing for the wedding that I am imagining is so lovely in my head (see, I didn't even give you a hint!) and I don't want to risk overselling it until I know whether it will work out or not.

I have pretty much always known that I enjoy keeping my hands busy, but I must say that working on wedding projects that are completely not mandatory is helping me to stay sane through the keeping-track-of-details business of the wedding (less than a month to go!). By which I mean that by doing these fabric flowers, and things like the stitched placecards, I feel like I am helping to make the wedding feel more like me. More like us. Because I'd be making something anyway, so why not make things that are useful for the wedding?

And yes, I am aware that this is my own particular brand of crazy, but I swear to you that sewing a few of these at night makes me feel completely sane and grounded. So I'm going with it!

I actually don't have many projects left (I'm saving a few for when my entourage gets to town the last week of June- get excited friends and family), so this secret stitchery feels more like a bonus. Fingers crossed that it works out!

Q&A with Kat of We Can Re-do It

As someone who does a lot of fly-by-the-seat-of-my-pants crafting, I am always impressed by someone who can think their projects through from start to finish—especially when it involves repurposing materials. Case in point, Kat, who's new site We Can Re-do It is filled with awesome ways to turn things you already have into things you will love even more. Here's a bit from Kat on what she does and why she does it.

What inspires you to make new things from discarded ones?

Moving to New York eight years ago, I was confronted with refuse in a way that was far more abrasive than I’d experience anywhere else I’ve lived. Some days the trash is literally spilling out of the garbage cans and out on to the street. This constant reminder of how much we all consume and discard took me from feeling that recycling/repurposing is a good thing we all should do to viewing it as absolute necessity.

How would you describe your style?

Maybe because my style varies pretty wildly, I don’t view it in any real specifics. I'm interested in using my clothes to express something personal so I focus on that and stay away from thinking in terms of whether something looks good or bad. What that expression happens to be changes from day to day, but it regularly involves a lot of layered prints and old boots.

Do you have a favorite type of project?

Years of working as an accessories designer has given me a natural proclivity toward the ones involving shoes, bags and jewelry. I love them, but the most fun has really come from working on projects that are totally foreign to me. Feeling free to experiment with new techniques and objects was one of the primary reasons for my starting this blog. Because all the projects come from second hand and discarded materials, the costs are super low (I've yet to make anything for the blog that has even added up to $10). Not worrying about screwing up the “good stuff” affords me the bravery to try everything I can think of, and if goes awry, that’s fine. Crafting gone bad is usually pretty fun, and if not at least funny.

Why is making things important to you and what do you think it adds to your life?

I stay super excited about what I’ll be working on next and the new things I want to try out. At some point this general feeling of optimism and always having something to look forward to just sort of spilled over in to rest my life. It’s been a surprising but lovely contagion. The other reason would be that I love seeing what I'm able to create with my own hands.

Where do you live and do you think that being there has influenced your style?

I live in Brooklyn, NY. I think city living has mostly affected my style in terms of it becoming WAY more utilitarian. Being responsible for getting myself from place to place and and with everything I need in tow has forced me to view what I choose to wear and carry around very differently than when I owned a car. In addition to how they look, I judge my clothes and accessories by what they’re able to provide for me. Having to think in these terms has caused a major shift in how I now define beauty, and I think it's for the better.

Simple DIY Stitched Placecards

 

While I've been saying over and over that we're doing everything that we can to keep our wedding plans simple, I do believe quite strongly that when we decide to include an element, we should do it in a way that we love. Case in point, placecards. We need them for the small family/close friends dinner that we're having after our ceremony and since the restaurant has a very strong sense of self in terms of decor, I knew that they couldn't be too much of one thing or another. And, I didn't want them to seem out of place since my personal style and the general style of the wedding is a little softer than the style of the restaurant (which I am otherwise entirely fine with!).

So after seeing this template from Martha Stewart for escort cards, and batting around a few ideas with my friends at Ephemera, I decided to make them a little subtle, a little pretty, and filled with elements I love—stitching and lovely fabric. 

I picked up basic white placecards from Michael's and a 3/4 inch circle punch. I punched out circles on the left side of the front of the card, then used embroidery floss (left over from my sister's dress) to stitch on a square of fabric to the card. The back side of the cards definitely says "handmade" but I sort of love that. There are two colorways—the one shown here is for guests having the fish, and there's a rosier pink version for guests having the beef, which I hope will be helpful to the wait staff. I'm hoping that my good friend Katherine, who has the loveliest handwriting, will take care of writing the names when she gets here during the week before our wedding.

They were incredibly easy to put together in just a few hours on the porch over the weekend and I just love the way that they turned out. Plus, it's a small way to carry the theme of hand stitching through to another aspect of the wedding.

In Leiu of Engagement Photos...

  

It never really occurred to me to have engagement photos taken even though I certainly understand the appeal of having nice non-wedding clothing pictures of ourselves. Luckily, we are included in a story on new homeowners in the very new issue of ReadyMade, which meant that we sort of wound up with some engagement photos anyway! (Nice job perk, right?)

Each of the 7 homeowners in the story has a house project featured (ours is the new flooring that you can see in the stairway) and even though I work for the magazine, and have worked on stories like these for years and years, it was an entirely different experience to be in front of the camera. The photographer, John Frances Peters, made it really easy to relax and I think we did pretty well despite it being our first time. I figure that it was good practice for the wedding, and it's a cool way for family and friend who are coming to the wedding in about a month (!) to get a little preview of our house.

To read the story and to see more pictures of our place, click here. And while you're over there, take a look at the homes of my good friends Virginia and Bethany, who are also included in the story.

Bridal Shower by the Beach

  

 This past weekend was filled to the brim with love, laughter, and a very real feeling that our wedding is finally, really getting close. It started with dinner with friends on Friday, then we headed south to my parents house at the Jersey shore for my shower, where the weather was a perfect 76 and sunny.

 My mom and sister did an incredible job of planning the day and they included some of my favorite things like embroidery/quilting—we all stitched quotes that will be put together into a quilt for me (well for Josh and I, but I say me because it's very pink, which we know I love!)—the most amazing scrapbook (which I'll tell you about in a separate post because it deserves it!), and an impressive spread of food. I thoroughly enjoyed the afternoon hours when we sat around and sewed because I got to share something that I love so deeply (stitching) with many of the most important women in my life. And I'll have their work, and a reminder of that day, in my house for years and years to come.

 

 The favors were salt water taffy from Shrivers, a treat that I've been eating and enjoying for my entire life. They are a boardwalk staple in our town! I very much enjoy the use of glassine bags and doilies!

 

 My mom went out of her way to make me gluten free versions of all of the food she made, which meant that I got my very own gf lemon curd cupcakes, which were heavenly. They were made in the style of my grandmother, with little "hats" on top (little cones cut out of the top of the cupcake, the space filled with lemon curd, then the cut out piece put back on top), which made me very happy.

My parents went over to my aunt and uncles for dinner, leaving just the younger ladies, so we spent the evening with antics at the beach, enjoying s'mores in a fire pit that my friends drove down from ny, and many many rounds of raucous laughter. It was a total joy. Oh! And, I got to see my sister modeling the dress that I embroidered for her and it fits her perfectly. So hooray all around!