Making the Cut...or Not

A couple weeks ago I saw a Facebook post from online retailer ModCloth regarding a contest they were hosting called "Making the Cut". They were asking designers to submit up to five patterns, and the lucky winner would have their design printed on fabric, which would be made into a dress to be sold on their site. I thought creating some prints that would fit with the retro ModCloth aesthetic would be a fun challenge, so I put together some mockups. Then, just before uploading my entries, I read through the legalese (which admittedly I should have done before investing the time!). Basically the small print claimed ModCloth would obtain sole ownership of all submitted designs, not just the winning pattern. Thus, not wanting to relinquish all rights to patterns I could otherwise use, I decided not to enter. But I love the mockups, so I thought I'd share them anyway.

TBT: '80s Pillow to Your Heart

These fancy little pillows are courtesy of a 1984 issue of the German magazine Brigitte. Many are made with satin, and most are very '80s, but the one in the top row covered in color-collaged buttons is amazing! Translated, the intro text reads:

A small soft feather pillows heart's there to buy, the right heart to envelope you handle work itself: an endearing, perhaps eloquent gift or even a piece of jewelry for your home. Where are the pillows and how to sew the sleeves, standing on the side 278.

Click on the image for a larger picture.

Translated captions under each heart, top to bottom, left to right: Goodnight Heart, Heart Full of Buttons, Heart for Green; Heart with Handkerchief, Heart of Glass, Kind Regards, Heart Wishes, Right in the Heart; Heart for Animals, Fragrant Heart, Braided Heart, Heart of the Funfair, and Heart Lady.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Playin' with the Queen of Hearts

This week I made my first little Flipagram animation for my Instagram feed, showing the designs in my new Queen of Hearts collection. I'm trying to focus for awhile on making smaller prints, which I'm hoping could be useful for a larger variety of projects. Let me know what you think! The collection is available on fabric, wallpaper, decals and gift wrap from Spoonflower, and totes, pillows, cards, and iPhone cases in my Society6 shop. (By the way, I can see this Flipagram thing becoming an addiction!)

TBT: Spring Craft Show Ideas from...1977

Yes, a few weeks ago was a banner day of thrift scores in the magazine category. Lots of "great ideas" to be found and recycled from days...decades...gone by. Here for your consideration are some bizarre (and some pretty cool) bazaar makes from the Spring 1977 issue of McCall's Needlework & Crafts.

Left page, clockwise from top right corner: felt collage on burlap; place cards made from paper, empty eggs, glue and pipe cleaners; bun warmer hen and chicken egg cozies; and felt babushka egg holder ("After Easter, she'll hold napkins, sewing items." Right page: appliqued house quilt, framed in calico!

Left page: fruit and vegetable pillows; embroidered placemat with appliqued calico text. Right page: "Mary had a little lamb" plushes with their own appliqued calico barn tote; and two fun totes made from recycled children's overalls!

Left page: crocheted long-legged rabbit; crocheted "mouselets"; and no-bake clay pet plaques. Right page: crocheted snake, monkeys, and clown, with a clown appliqué pillow.

And then there's this...

I saw one of these in the case at a thrift store several years ago and I still get a tear in my eye because I didn't buy it, even as a gag gift for my sister. Of course, who knows what sort of bacteria were living in the hair, but still... What a conversation piece! And since I didn't buy her, it will forever by this Decorator's Dream.

Alphabet 100 Exercise: A

About a month ago I blogged about a fun hand-drawn lettering project I had found that was created by Christopher Rouleau. My plan is to do a capital letter every two weeks, which means I should be done with all 26 letters by the end of 2014. Here is my completed sheet for the letter A.

If you'd like to do your own, you can download a blank project sheet from Christopher's website. Now on to the letter B...

TBT: Creepy Crafty Characters

Check out these "Masquerade Heads" featured on the cover of one of my recent thrift store finds: "Aunt Jane's Sewing Circle" magazine (November 1974).

Made by layering 5 to 7 layers of toilet paper and spray starch over a huge, blown-up balloon, they're like a creepy version of the "New Zoo Revue" characters. And they look like they'd be heavy and uncomfortable, too, but I may try the technique this fall to make a domed R2-D2 head for my son's Halloween costume.

The remaining crafts featured in the magazine are not as interesting as the typography and layout. Check out these two pieces of title art: first, writer Joan's tiny beehive-coiffed head floating in space...

...and then Mary Jane, whose paste-up head makes her look more like Liberace tickling those loom fibers.

A perfect 1974 craft specimen!

TBT: Beautiful 1948 Cotton Fabric Ad

In the box of presents my parents mailed for Christmas, my mom included this amazing ad for Ely & Walker Quadriga cotton fabric from a 1948 issue of "Better Homes & Gardens". Putting a different print in each state is such a fun idea! Have you ever seen a quilt made in the shape of the U.S.? Could be a fun project!