From Erica Wilson's 1982 "Needlework to Wear" book:


This project is called the "popcorn pullover." See how cute she looks in it? With those hunched shoulders (or are those shoulder pads) and hands jammed into her pockets? She lit out for the dressing room at a dead run the second that picture was snapped. Much as I love Erica Wilson... (shudders).

From the same book, fun with stud setters:



caption: "Make a wrapped and studded BROW BAND and abeautifully decorated SWEAT SHIRTS with the help of a stud setter."

...but what possessed her to put a LACE COLLAR on a sweatshirt? Oh, wait. It was the 80s. Nevermind.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v436/Cordelia_naismith/mooninitepillow001.jpg

I just finished this today-- a late Christmas present for a friend, and my first-ever attempt at patchwork piecing (which is way more fun than I thought it would be-- maybe next time I'll try it with triangles!). I stenciled Igniknot and Err, so...  simple project, but so very gratifying.  

Look what I made! (dances happy dance around her sewing machine).

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v436/Cordelia_naismith/kanzashipinstripebag003.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v436/Cordelia_naismith/kanzashipinstripebag005.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v436/Cordelia_naismith/kanzashipinstripebag002.jpg

I drafted the pattern from a bag somebody gave me last year (but which I never use, because it is too floppy), and used the fabulous kanzashi tutorials by Beastbunny http://www.craftster.org/forum/index.php?topic=24944.0 and spillyjane http://www.craftster.org/forum/index.php?board=14;topic=25125.5

Now all I need is a good tutorial on attaching linings neatly...

I hate lavender, but somebody gave me a lavender dresser for free. So I painted the front with this orange sunburst so it wouldn't be so very lavender. I like it much better now  

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v436/Cordelia_naismith/smdresser.jpg

So, here's what I do to my jeans when they start to go soft around the knee. It keeps them from ripping for a while longer-- especially if I remember to use fusible interfacing on the backside. And the needleweaving hides the light spot where a hole was about to open up. : )
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v436/Cordelia_naismith/Needleweavingsm.jpg

So, I freehanded the pattern onto my jeans with a silver gel pen, which almost rubbed off before I was finished sewing, but was better than the regular ballpoint pens I usually use (which don't always wash out after). Anybody here know how to fix snagged threads-- like those ones where one out of six strands sticks way out?

I am working on a pattern that calls for taped seams. I have no idea how to do these-- it seems to involve basting bias tape(?) onto the seam allowance before sewing the seam.... anybody here have any experience with them?

this is fair game, since there's a whole health and beauty section here... 

I'm a sucker for experimenting with skin-care products, and had run across some references to coconut oil and turmeric having antibiotic/antifungal properties. Since I had both of these things in my cabinets, I had to try it out. So  I mixed up a paste of turmeric and coconut oil and slathered it on my feet and lower legs before bed one night.

Sadly, I missed the memo about turmeric also being used as a yellow dye. Despite several attempts to wash it off, my feet and fingernails remained a violent shade of yellow for days. And the stuff does not wash out of fabric. Ever. Casualties: One set of sheets, two pairs of socks, one set of pajamas, three t-shirts and one pair of jeans.

On the plus side, I haven't been bothered by athlete's foot since....
Here's my beautiful canary toes after it had a couple of days to wear off:

I'm finished! Yay! I can't believe I never worked on canvas before, it is so much easier than denim! Anyway, here's my Virgo. Anybody else done yet?

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v436/Cordelia_naismith/svirgo.jpg

I have till now had really good results stenciling on t-shirts with screenprinting textile paint.  But I've tried out a couple of fairly large stencils and they look nice, but are very uncomfortable to wear, like having a sheet of vinyl stuck to my back...  Is there a fabric paint or a stenciling method out there that won't do this?

Woohoo! finally I did a stencil that turned out ok! The Sophia Loren stencil was so great I had to try making one of my own. Of course, I may have got a little carried away with it and am probably now the owner of the world's only Thoreau pajamas. Whatever.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v436/Cordelia_naismith/stencilthoreau.jpg

So anyway, I would normally have gone for the cheapest materials possible (i.e. the cardboard inserts from a pack of t-shirts), but I wanted to be able to use it again, so I found these sheets of plastic for $2/ea in the quilting section of Jo-Ann's that work great for stencils.