Self Sabotage

Believe that you were given wings for a purpose

They call it self sabotage. It's the identifying phrase for all the little things we do in life to hurt ourselves, or ruin what feel we have that is going well in our lives.

For instance:
-Things going too well in that relationship? Let's throw in a curve that will take it off that track and put you back on the track that's rocky and hard and much much more comfortable.
-That new school really working out for you? How about you let yourself sleep through your classes a few times until you decide the teachers must be disappointed in you, or you missed too much and so you quit.
-Have you almost reached your goal weight by eating right and working out regularly for months? Why not decide to make candy for your kid's teacher gifts this Christmas? And oh, incidentally, take a break from working out at the same time. Just a little break that turns into two years.
-Perhaps you did a painting, pounded out a few essays, or wrote some music that you thought was really good and honestly you can't figure out how something that good could have been your work. You decide you could never do anything that good again and so you don't even try.
-Maybe you write someone who has complimented your work an e-mail and actually put yourself down in it so that they end up questioning their own judgement, after all you just did.
- Maybe you write a blog post from the heart and get a whole bunch of wonderful new followers and then "oops" you're too busy to blog for the next two weeks. (And think maybe they'll have forgotten you. Maybe they'll decide you're not worth it.) Maybe what you're really trying to tell them is that you don't think you're worth it.


Self sabotage is your reaction to the belief that people have what you perceive to be too much of a good opinion of you. Self sabotage means that you do everything you can possibly do to prove to them you're not worth it. And that in that one little phrase is where all of these stupid decisions come from. YOU believe that you're not as sweet or talented or wise as you might have fooled them into believing. You may listen to others opinion of you and think, "that's not me- if they really truly knew me they wouldn't think so well of me." All because you don't think you're worth it. Or worth anything really.

All messed up still, but with the form of something beautiful

But then you start to question yourself, you realize what you've been doing unconsciously and you say it out loud, "I'm not worth it, really I'm not". And you're alone and you realize that you're saying it to God. You're not worth whatever good He's lavished on you. Whatever blessings He's bestowed. Really, if he knew you. Really knew you. Then a little voice answers from inside of you. You are Worth that much to me. You've been covered by My Son and when I look at you I see the person I created. The person unharmed, unblemished... beautiful, and filled with potential that only I can imagine because I instilled it in you.

 That my sisters, is the truth. For both me and you. WE ARE WORTH IT TO HIM. Broken as we are, He will pick us up and use us in ways we never imagined. It's so hard to live that life, so hard to accept a gift that you feel is so undeserved. It's something I struggle with all the time. And I think it might help to share that struggle a little more with you. Because I believe that it's not just me who has a pattern of self-sabotage, if you truly look at your life, you'll see why you might have lost that job, why you're not a great success at keeping friends, why you let your dream slip away right as you had reached out to grasp it.

But then, recognizing it, you have to stop. You have to put into place safeguards. Before you send off that questionable e-mail, let a friend or spouse read it first. Before you decide to quit school, see if there isn't some way you can start fresh where you're at. If that relationship that was good, headed south, then pack a bag and follow it. Don't act on the imagined, make sure that what you perceive to be true really truly is. If you have a certain habit of procrastinating then make yourself a schedule with little mini deadlines to keep. You know you. You know what you do. You can stop doing whatever it is that you do- Because of Him. And you can begin afresh today. Or maybe tomorrow. Tonight you're going to polish off that cake, take a bubble bath, and then snuggle into bed with a good book, committed to beginning again tomorrow.

And then you do.

Twenty Reasons to Come Out of Your Artistic Closet

I am so grateful to everyone who commented on yesterday's post. I was so excited to read your reaction and felt so glad that the post encouraged you. It got me thinking though about what's happened to me since I took the step of claiming to be an artist. Yeah, it's easier to fill in the job title blank on a form but what else? 

Here's a list some of the unforeseen advantages I've found...

1. If you show up at 8 a.m. to drop off your child no one questions the gesso smear you  have on your forehead. Unfortunately, no one will even mention it and you'll not discover it until you look in the mirror later in the day. That's IF you look in the mirror later in the day.

2.You get to dress "expressively" and can wear mismatched clothes and pig tails and no one will suspect that it's just because you forgot to do laundry and hadn't taken a shower yet that day.

3. If you dress that way two days in a row, it's still ok.

4. Art supplies are now "tax deductible expenses" as are art conferences, and CONFERENCE WEAR!

5. Your husband will pause before throwing away some old canning jar lids and take them to you to see if you want them. When you say "yes" he'll say "i thought so, they're metal".

6. Your friends and family will give you  things like old carpenter's rulers, corks, old trays, and tins full of shell buttons because they know you're obsessed with these and will think they're the best gifts ever.

7. Now that you're openly an artist you feel the responsibility to openly support other artists (my justification for buying LOTS of cool jewelry).

8. You get to let your artistic personality in all it's quirkiness, forgetfulness, flakiness, and passion show through. People will understand that it's all because you're an artist.

9. If you're tired and staring blankly at the wall as someone's talking to you they assume you're envisioning a new work of art.

10. You can justify a subscription to that super cool art magazine as "market research".

11. You can wrap a present in kraft paper and yarn and people will know it's from you (handy when you forgot a tag).

12. Your husband is now eligible to join the "i married an artist" support group. You are now eligible for the "I'm an artist who married an engineer" support group. That's if you can get in. 

13. People at the post office, or grocery store, or anywhere you frequent will talk art to you as a matter of course because they know you'll understand them.

14. When asked to explain a design decision you can just say it "felt right" as way of an explanation and people will let it go at that.

15. You get business cards that say "artist" under your name

16. You get to make cool pairings like chicken wire and pearls.

17. If called upon to do a last minute school project on a Sunday night you don't sweat it because one trip to your studio and you'll have everything you need.

18. You can doodle on everything, put flowers in your macaroni dish, and do all kinds of little random things for the sake of beauty and it's understood and even appreciated.

19. When asked to volunteer you're usually given something artistic to do.

20. You and others like you will gravitate to each other and then you can do fun things like have coffee and talk for half an hour about the relative properties of different adhesives.

I could go on but I would LOVE to see what unforeseen advantages you may have found, once people know you're an artist. So please leave a comment and thank you!!!

Why You Should Believe You are an Artist: Even if You Don't Make Art

When I was 17 I had a boyfriend who said, "You're not a real artist. Real artists are like (so and so friend of his) who makes stuff up out of his head. You just copy something you see." And yes, I did. I would paint from nature, or do my pastel drawings outside, on site. So there really was nothing I could say about that. The boyfriend meant a lot to me so I believed him. Sad as that now seems. I decided that no, I wasn't an artist. I just liked to draw and make pretty things.

Last week I was teaching a class and I heard the women saying that same thing. They sculpted with metal clay, they did jewelry and were taking mixed media classes. But they called themselves crafters. They knew real artists, and that was not what they were. I felt so sad. Then something someone else said triggered the same thought and I had to share it with you. 

So here is today's message. YOU ARE AN ARTIST!!! You may call yourself a crafter, and a craft is maybe what you feel you are creating. Maybe you don't feel you're an artist because you may be contrasting yourself with someone who is a fine artist. You may work with Sculpey instead of clay. You may love to sew, instead of creating paintings. But you are still an artist. An artist is not defined by the medium or the product, but by so many other little things. You see, I've come to realize over the years that to be an artist does not have to mean that you sell your work. It does not mean that you work with fine art materials and shop at fine art supply stores, or create art that is ultra realistic, it does not even have to mean you can draw. We put up such barriers to our own happiness. We want to be artists, we hope to one day be artists, all the while not understanding that we already are artists.

I believe that the term "artist" is not a job title but a personality type. You are an artist for example, if you love beauty. If you seek to surround yourself with it, and glory in it. You're an artist if you appreciate design. If you notice the light on the leaves outside your window at a particular time of day. If you feel energized and alive after learning some new way to create. If you HAVE to create. If you are unhappy if you don't create. 

You may recognize all or only a few of these descriptions in your own personality. BUT if you do, then I believe really and truly in my heart of hearts that you are already an artist. I'll agree that artist's are born not made. But that does not mean that you ooze talent your whole life. It may not even mean that you work with art materials. It is your personality. It is in your blood. You couldn't stop yourself from creating if you tried. Odds are that if you look at your life you'll see that you find a way to be creative in all sorts of areas of your life. It may be in what you choose do as volunteer work. Or how you decorate your home. Or how you dress or cook or craft. But to create, to make beautiful or interesting everything you touch, that is something a true artist does. Not because they went to school for it, but because they simply have to.

It really wouldn't be a big deal what we call ourselves except that we make judgements about ourselves based upon that. You would sign up for that art retreat but you're sure that only real artists go and you would stick out. Or you would spend the money for that amazing sounding class but you really can't justify spending any more money on something that is really just a  hobby. You would take a room in the house for yourself and your art, but that would seem to much like carving out your own little studio space and you don't feel it's justified. Do you see how you demean yourself? That is why it's dangerous to deny your Artist self. God has made you unique, He has put that creator element of Himself in you, and you refuse to acknowledge it. He may have caused that opportunity to go to that art retreat to open itself up to you, purely for your own joy. But you refuse to embrace the gift that it is because you can't acknowledge that you are already an artist and have been since the day you were born.

So please, think about this. And next time you feel the urge to claim not to be an artist-Don't. If you don't know what kind of artist you are, because you do a little of everything, say you're a mixed media artist. But if you say you're not an artist, you'll believe it. We listen to what we tell ourselves, as do others. So say it to yourself, if no one else. "I am an artist." And believe it- You are.

Fall is here and so is the new issue of Cloth Paper Scissors Gifts!!!

On news stands now!

Earlier this week I received a package with my very own copy of CPS's Gifts issue. I LOVE this magazine. I bought it last year in mid November and wanted to make everything in it. I did have a bit of a late start and I'm not sure that I had the time to make anything at all. THIS year, I vow, will be different. There is almost three full months until Christmas and I am so excited to be able to try some of the fabulous lovely gift ideas in the magazine. For instance, there is an article about making little gift bags with contact paper and scraps. They are SO cute! Then Jen Cushman's resin tags caught my eye. I love combining vintage with anything so these completely call out to me (it's a little voice that says "make me- make me"). Then the ornaments from the black and white challenge. The little birdhouse is Jen Crotty's from An Altered Life. So SO cute! There is also this amazing wire and fabric wreath that I think everyone should try (of course, I may be a little prejudiced it being mine). Ok, I was trying to be funny there.  As for me, I'm hoping to get the one that's pictured back in the next month or so. That way I can feel like I have a head start and can check "make a wreath" off of my Christmas to do list.That also frees me up to make some of the other lovelies in this magazine.

My hand stitched wire and fabric wreath

Seriously, we all feel that last minute pinch towards Christmas when we realize that we no longer have the time to make the sweet handmade gifts we wanted to. We end up settling for something that's not quite as nice, and probably found at Target, when it would've been so much more rewarding to give something we invested a bit of time and heart into creating. So my suggestion to myself this year is START EARLY. Make a list now of people you feel would appreciate something handmade. Count up the number of tags you'd like to have made, spend a Saturday morning making a slew of gift bags to have on hand. Try to work out how many gifts for co-workers, friends, and teachers you'd like to have ready. Then break up the tasks you need to accomplish to make that many. Think through the supplies you need so that when you go shopping you only have to do it once. (I'm constantly making last minute emergency runs to Michael's or JoAnn's to get the one or two things I forgot I needed for something). Those are just a few ideas that I think I'll use to help organize my efforts this year.

The wreath I made is actually made from fragments of recipes, music pages, old fabrics and paintings of mine. I wanted the wreath to represent the traditions of my family growing up as well as the one's that I want to include now. Handmade is one of those traditions, both new and old in a way. These are the memories that I want to give to my son for his own. I'd like to know what traditions do you keep? Is handmade a part of that?

A little of this and a little of that....

My Teaching Schedule and Keeping Those Boats Afloat

My schedule, like yours, has been hectic lately. I say yes to things and then wonder later, when stretched for time, why on earth I did. But as soon as one of those "yes's" happen I'm so very very glad I did.

One of those things is teaching. I am always always glad when I get to teach something. It's always a huge amount of prep and means being somewhere not only on time, but ahead of time. It also means a chance to share something I love and it totally floats my boat. To encourage others, to inspire them, and to be that bit of God given synchronicity they sometimes need to jump start their creative lives. It's one of those things that you do that always seems to bless you more than anyone else present. New ideas, new friends, new conversations and sparks- all those things happen in the middle of a class setting. It just thrills me.

But add the teaching, to publishing deadlines, school volunteer activities, bible study and the like I've been having trouble keeping my boats afloat. Lots of important stuff and sometimes I wonder if I should be saying "yes" to so much. The teaching however, seems so right. So important, and I love it so much. So to that I will say "yes" any chance I get.

 Maybe because I've made that commitment, some special teaching opportunities have come my way lately and cool as they are, I want to share them with you. First, I'll be teaching this October at the Creat-a-thon at Art 2 Heart. This is a special non profit shop near where I live that donates it's proceeds to help missions. I just had the opportunity to meet with one of it's participants and am IN LOVE with the enthusiasm that they bring to this mission. Each year they have a Creat-a-thon where creative people get together and craft the night away making unique handmade goods to sell in the shop. I'll be teaching one of my projects. But they're going to have a huge variety of stations, everything from cards, to serving ware will be created. I've just heard a quick overview of where their money and products go and I have to tell you it's impressive. Medical missions, rescue missions, gospel missions... I am SO SO excited to hook up with this group.

I'm also going to be teaching in Houston, TX Nov. 2-4th at the Int'l Quilt Expo. I'll be participating in Make It University which is a Cloth Paper Scissors/Quilting Arts sponsored series of classes being offered during the Quilt Expo. If you've been thinking of attending I'd LOVE to see you!

I'll also be teaching at ART is... YOU in Petaluma, California next September. I can not WAIT to experience this amazing art event. I love the thought of meeting more of you, getting to play with you, and sharing this experience with you. So although it's a year out, if you've ever thought of attending one of those big art retreats that everyone raves about.. DO THIS ONE! It would be so much fun!

So check out the links, and just think about attending one of these wonderful events. I would love to meet you and I know we'd have a fabulous, amazing, write home about it, kind of time together. Thanks!!!

A Vintage Book Baby Shower

Last weekend I hosted a vintage themed library shower for my sister in law. It was an absolutely beautiful September day in Minnesota. Positively idyllic. They're having a baby girl so we had a rather strong pink theme, and I got a little cutesy with some of the details.The shower gave me the opportunity to indulge in my love for vintage, for books, and for flowers. Here are some of the pics and details....

Decorations

We had the party in my backyard in a tent a friend loaned me. It was about the size of a carport and fit 3 5' round tables perfectly. We rented the chairs and tables from a local party store. I used natural materials from around our yard to decorate the tent poles and interior. We had grapevine, dried hydrangeas, and these annoying little trees that keep growing like weeds. So I cleaned up the yard a bit AND decorated the tent at the same time. BONUS! I also had a partial roll of white tulle ribbon, a large roll of vintage pink and white ribbon, and a lot of bits of vintage lace fabrics that my mom had scavenged for me. These I just hung everywhere to soften the interior of the tent. The absolute perfect finishing touch for the tent was the banner over the entrance. Etsy artist, The Mad Stamper makes these gorgeous banners for weddings, birthdays, and baby showers.

 The tables were covered with white table cloths layered, with vintage floral table cloths over the top. We used mis-matched plates and silverware, and the centerpiece of each table was the floral arrangement. I made three small bouquets of sunflowers, mums, roses, hydrangea, sedum, salal, and leucadendron. The vases had a illustrated sheet torn from a children's book and secured with string. Each was sitting on a pretty green and floral tray I picked up at the Junk Bonanza the week before. The apples on each tray (seen in the first pic shown) were put there just before the party by my cousin's almost three year old little boy. He picked them off the tree- how cute is that?

Party Favors

At the far end of the tent I had a huge arrangement set on a little white draped card table. It stopped the eye and made a visual end to the tent. It also worked great as a table to set the going away party favors, individually wrapped cake pops shaped like baby rattles. I have to say I'm starting to get a little addicted to making cake pops- they're just SO CUTE! I even made gluten free cakepops shaped like footballs for the boys watching football during the party. My son LOVES them. 

 When the guests arrived at the party I had them go through the house and onto the deck before heading down to the tent. The front walk of my house, the deck, and the grass all had rose petals scattered. On the deck I had my little antique patio table set up with an arrangement, and handmade fabric corsages; one for each guest. I think I told you a few posts ago I was dyeing vintage fabrics and trims. I pinned each corsage to a piece of vintage children's book paper to keep the library theme going. The Mama to be got her own very special badge and her very own pillowcase draped chair. She looked beautiful!

 

Food

The party was mid afternoon so we served a light luncheon of salads, little open faced cucumber sandwiches, caramel toffee scones, raspberry tarts, and cake balls. For drinks we had a bowl of punch and one of cider. We had planned on tea but it was such a warm day we didn't bother with hot drinks. We ate after the guests arrived, opened presents, and then served chocolate mousse in little glass trifle and cognac dishes my mother and I had been picking up at thrift shops all summer. I honestly didn't think anyone would finish theirs after everything else but most everyone took one. They looked so pretty I don't think they could refuse. Plus, my mom does make a mean chocolate mousse. :) The refreshments were served on these sweet little pedestal plates my mom makes from beautiful old dishes and sells in her etsy shop. We stacked them for a gorgeous vintage look. To pull the library theme in one more time I scattered more vintage children's book paper on the serving table.

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I know this was a HUGE post but I really appreciated finding information on other websites about baby showers and thought I'd do a really thorough post with lots and lots of details for anyone else who might want to plan their own vintage style event. I hope you enjoyed the pics! 

Photo credits: Janel Zappe

 

My Painted Tree Tee: Altered T-shirt Challenge Results!!

After

Wow- I have SO much to tell all of you about The Creative Connection Event I attended last week. I swear I could do a week's worth of blog posts just about what I heard, saw, and learned.

Those are coming- first however, I'm going to let myself process all of a little more and then I'll be able to share intelligently (or at least that's the hope). In the meantime, I'll captivate you with my little altered t-shirt. Well, maybe not captivate you, but I bet you'll like it. Remember the idea was just to take a plain ol' t-shirt and just do something to change
(alter) it. I was playing with my bleach pen at first but then decided I wanted to see what would happen if I took some of the
techniques I use most in my art to alter the t-shirt. So that is what I did.

 * Shelley of Single Stone Studios and I are linking our t-shirt results and want to see yours too! Check out the links at the bottom of this article for more info!!! *

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Before

How to Make Your Own Painted Tree T-shirt

Tools and Materials

t-shirt

piece of cardboard to put into t-shirt to seperate layers

paints (acrylic or fabric)

paintbrush or two

palette or craft sheet

variety of printed fabric scraps

embroidery floss and needle

small scissor

liquid stitch fabric glue

clear letter stamps

inkpad (either fabric ink or Staz-on)

1. First thing I did was paint directly on the shirt. To do this I had a piece of cardboard that I stuck into the t-shirt and then pulling the front slightly taut I clipped the two sides of the t-shirt to the board with clothespins. Then I was able to paint directly on the shirt. I wanted to try using acyrilcs. I have a friend who swears they're no different then fabric paints so I thought I go with what I have and not go buy a bunch of fabric paints for this project.

2.After I painted the tree shape I added some blues to the background in a sort of cross hatch pattern.

3.Then, I cut out some leaf shapes from different printed green fabrics I had. I varied my sizes a bit.

4. Using embroidery floss and a needle, I straight stitched around the leaves.Knot and trim loose threads close.

5. Adhere leaves to tee with liquid stitch fabric glue. This glue is washable until it has dried. (Washable meaning that you can wash it off, after it has dried it is permanent.) Make sure you apply the glue evenly and to all edges.You may want to use a tooth pick or palette knife to smooth it around, I found I could do this just fine with the nozzle of the glue. *

 6. Using clear acrylic stamps and an ink pad stamp I stamped my phrases on the shirt. Then, to embellish the words a bit I used my rubber brush to create little stitch marks around the words. Just ink the tip a bit and press- it's SO easy!

7. Final step! Allow t-shirt to dry and then wash cold on gentle by itself OR you can handwash the first time to check to see if it loses color or frays. I think it'll be fine but it's always good to do this as you don't want to accidentally color the rest of your clothes. Planned alteration is good, unplanned alteration is a fact of life in my home, but YOU can avoid it with a little carefulness. :)

And that, my friends, was all I did. Not hard, a little bit of time, but very very easy. And I feel like I'm wearing one of my mini art quilts which is pretty fun.

 

NOW- head on over to Shelley's blog and add your OWN creation. I'm on my way there now but here's the link. Thanks for viewing and happy Altering!!!!! 

* My usual is to iron my fabric to heat n bond prior to cutting out the shapes. With the paper backing of the heat in bond still attached, I'll cut out my shapes. This way if I want to sketch out my shapes on the paper as a pattern I can. Usually I just free cut however. Peel away the backing, and then straight stitch around the leaves. Finally, to adhere, you just iron leaves in place on shirt. This eliminates the possibility of the fabric fraying in the wash. This time I thought I'd experiment with adhesives a bit which is why I used the liquid stitch. It seems to have worked great thus far.

 

Altered T-shirt Challenge!

 I've found that challenges are a great way to unstick me and get me to try new things. I'm always glad I did!

So feeling in  need of a challenge, I'm gonna do another, and This time, for this challenge, I'd like you to join me. Shelley, from Single Stone Studios, (who's much more technically savvy then myself) has a video or two on her blog telling you a little more about it. Please hop on over and check it out.

 Here's a quick peek at something I've been playing with....

It's easy because basically, there are no rules. Just alter a shirt. Use anything and everything you want. Shelley's been experimenting with some of the new Martha Stewart paint and I've been playing with bleach pens and the same stencils. But this is just the start... The only thing I would suggest is TRY SOMETHING NEW!!!! There are so many ways to do this, here are a few ideas to get you thinking...


-write on the shirt with a fabric marker
-try this watermarking technique with glue and dye
-drip dye
-try using a transfer
-use a stamp
-paint on your shirt
-add trim or notions
-make it vintage-y
-make it punk
-graphitti it
-add raw edge appliques
-or try reverse appliques
-cut it up and resemble it into jewelry
-bead it

Seriously, this is just scratching the surface of what you can do with this surface. So pull out those plain, solid color tees and PLAY!

Now here's the rest of the details:
On September 21st we're going to set up a link party and would LOVE to have you join us. We want to see what YOU do! So show us your favorite recreation and we'll show you ours-I can't wait!

Handmade Embellishments 101: Altered Clothespins

I've noticed that it's stash busting week over at interweave- noticed because each of their daily e-mails has mentioned stashes. Little projects seem to be the best way to bust your stash. And things like the little embellishment at left is a good example. It's little, it's cute, it uses lots and lots of bits of materials.It can be an embellishment to add to your next mixed media piece or add a pin back to it and you've got a lovely, one of a kind brooch. Of course, as a brooch you might want to ditch the clothespins. I like clothespins however, and if I were to make this into a larger mixed media work I would definitely keep the clothespins.   

To make your own artsy clothespins all you need is a few clothespins, some permanent ink, and stamps. And who can't scrounge those from somewhere around their stash? Ok, so maybe not all who are reading happen to have clothespins, or permanent ink, or stamps so if not, they are very very easy to procure. Actually, your local Michael's or JoAnn can be a one stop shop. The clothespins hide in the wooden cut out aisle, the ink and stamps can be found in scrapbooking. It really is the little details that I love to indulge myself in when I'm creating a work of mixed media. And it's so easy to make a bunch up and then they'll be ready for your next burst of inspiration. Have fun!

All the necessary materials

All it takes.... :)

My Altered (Bed) Skirt

After

On Wednesday this week I decided to register for The Creative Connection event that's being held here in a week's time. I've hemmed and hawed about it since March. I wanted to go but couldn't really see the expense after my jaunt to CHA in July. But God made a way on Tuesday so my husband said to go ahead. I registered for two days and am taking a class by the Crafty Chica about setting up an online classroom. That sounds cool. I'm also registered for Tracy Bautista's Making a Living as an Artist class. Those were the two classes that really hooked me. Because they were on two seperate days I (oh,no) had to register for two days which left me with two afternoon slots open for classes.(hee. hee). SO I get to justify another one of Kaari Meng's amazing classes and a class by Princess Lazertron. It really would have been too hard to go and not take ANY of the amazing handmade classes. So it worked out well in that respect.

Before

I'm excited (whoo-hoo),  but then I started to think about what to wear. Now I have some really nice clothes from when I attended last year, and I have my super cute doily dress but a girl wants something new when she goes to one of these things. So I got creative and spying a big ol' fitted sheet that I'd just torn into strips to dye I got an idea. It was right then that my husband called and asked what I was doing. "I'm wrapping a torn bedskirt around my waist to see if I can make a skirt from it" seemed a little risky to share.So I tried to get off with a "trying to figure out what to wear next week to the conference." But I think I must have sounded a little evasive as he immediately asked a follow up question.

So I told him. After a moment of silence he said we could probably afford to get me something new from an actual store- I didn't have to make a skirt from an old bed sheet. But by now the idea had taken root and I had images of skirts by gibbous fashions and Ruth Rae's poetry pinafores dancing around my head- inspiration had struck. So obsessively I sewed last night and this morning till it's almost finished. It's all hand stitched and uses only fabrics that I had on hand, most had been given me. I dyed them all using the blue one step dye by tulip diluted with water in a plastic container. So take a look and see what you think- thanks :).
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My Altered (Bed) Skirt

Tools and Materials
Scissors
Needle
Embroidery floss or thread
Part of the side of an old fitted bed sheet (enough to wrap around your waist), dyed
Variety of other fabrics (tarlatans, old curtains, muslin canvas, tulles or organzas layer well),  dyed
Ink and ink pads (optional)
Handful of old buttons



Step One: Before stitching the ends of the skirt strip together I added an additional strip of the sheet fabric to the bottom of my skirt base to lengthen it a bit. To do this I just straight stitched it through the overlapping fabrics. Then, overlap the two side edges about 1 1/2" and then stitch a double line of straight stitches down the length of the skirt. The skirt is already gathered at the top bc we're using the gathered side of the strip as our waistband.

Step Two: Free cut out the scallops and fringe for the bottom of the skirt of canvas. Stitch below the seam that joins your two lengths of fabric.
Step Three: Cut strips of a contrasting fabric and straight stitch on either side of center seam to form panels. Add tall thin strips of tarlatan on either side of these panels.
Step Four: You can leave your skirt as is, but I wanted it to look a little more artsy so I added two pockets assymetrically placed on either side of the center seam.
Step Five: Add buttons to the center seam and then add trims and buttons to the rest of the skirt as desired.
Step Six: At any time you may decide to add some stamped images or text. I used a roller stamp with a cursive font wherever I wanted a little more detail.