Sweat Shop Specials

I have been especially blessed this past month to create window treatments for friends and therefore less time to piddle on the pc.  It’s catch up time here and I’ll give you a little sneak peek into my projects.

This  one was an oriental theme.  The obi idea took shape and there was the most luscious silk chinese toile and red silk to work with ……. yummy stuff!

My friend has a tassel fetish that we often joke about, but her tassels were perfect to finish off these panels and the rod.

Then there is the guest room.  I love these inverted pleats to give fullness without gathers and ruffles.

These panels were hung from amber glass knobs and were perfect for this room full of antiques.  A few more adjustments to flatten the rod of sheers will be the final touch.

There are two more windows to take pics of and I’ll get them posted soon.  The Sweet One will get a new room ensemble and redo in her little room right after Christmas.  WooHoo, another sewing project!

Today, I’ll take some pics of the Christmas décor around the house and share AsAp. 

Spread some smiles around this HOLYday season. 

More stitchin projects

I took a break from sewing to sew.  That just sounds warped!  But, that is the state of things.....warped. 

The deadline for the Sweet One's Easter dress is drawing near.

This year called for something simple and sweet.  I opted for a yellow satin with a chiffon overlay.  She has a darling little cotton sweater with crochet blooms that will coordinate beautifully. 

I worked up the little flower with a scrap of the chiffon cut on the bias and ran a gathering stitch and curled it up into a little bloom and laid it over the same in the yellow satin which didn't show itself from this angle.

 The hem was done with another bias strip just ruffled up.  It worked great for me and covered the not so perfect rolled hem.  I dread rolled hems on chiffon so why is it that is what I chose?!!...Another warped moment to say the least.  A simple solution and just the right touch for the Sweet One's dress. 

Now for the perfect shoe.  That may not be so easy.

Another project recently completed.....

A friend commissioned these for her business and they turned out so cute. 

 They have appliques on the front and rear pocket. 

Then we have coordinating fun bags.  These are the perfect size to sling over your shoulder and tote your necessities of the moment.  The interior size is also perfect to carry baby items.  Throw in a couple of diapers, wipees and a sippie cup and you are good to go.

Each bag has an exterior pocket for your cell phone or just your 'pocket' change. 

haha, I couldn't resist it, so sorry.

All bags are lined from repurposed fabrics, so each creation is unique. 

If you're lucky to be in Phoenix, AZ check out "GIrlS NiGHt OUt" at the Pointe Hilton Tapatio Resort 2pm -9pm on Saturday.  You can snag some cool fashion items from the Cracker Jack Gals booth. 

Tell em..Terri sent ya!

I don't know if that will get you any extra points, but they'll enjoy knowing where their FREE advertising dollars are going.

I'll post more pics of current projects very soon, so y'all come back!

Silver and other wild things

It is looking like a zoo of wild animal prints everywhere in the sweatshop! A friend ordered these cute little pillows for a show in Amarillo. They say Dear Santa and have a pocket to stash a letter to Santa.
And if cheetah isn't your cat's meow....here is some zebra. These would be so cute tucked into the tree at Christmas. They could hold $$$ or gift cards also. If you are thinking you need one, check things out with Missy at Redford Ranch Style. She is setting up a booth for a Christmas show and then the World Ranch Rodeo Finals in Amarillo. Her shop in Benjamin has tons of cute items. If you are ever through that part of Texas, just stop in and browse all her goodies.

For the garage sale fun in my life...this is only a very small portion of a terrific haul I made recently. I am such a sucker for silver and then if you throw in some cobalt blue...SOLD!!! I also scored on a box full of vintage aprons. They are presently in the wash and I'll share them a bit later. They sooooo do not appreciate being photographed all wet and drippy!

There were also sack fulls of vintage kitchen items, dishes, holiday decor.....Hmmmm. I think I need to keep unpacking and taking some more pics to share.

Fluff (almost) under control

I've been away too long y'all. Been missing blogland and have a lot to catch up on. To get you up to speed on the sweatshop adventures.....

If you remember, I've been swallowed up with chiffon and ruffles. Then, I was drowning in the next layer of ruffles.......

and the trail of fabric left from my machine and trailed all around the room. And that was for just one skirt!!

And then....TA DA!...I can finally put in on Ms. Manni for adjustments. She was thrilled with the fit. Of course, it is so completely adjustable to her many sizes with just the tie of a bow.

Now, to finish 4 more of these and then a flower girl skirt in a different color combo. Adorable.

I did take out one evening to put together a couple of outfits for the dear grand-daughter. I love the little sundresses that criss-cross in the back. This one I made reversible with the pink eyelet and reverse to satin. haha. Maybe not the most practical, but it is what I had in my stash. After all we are way out in the middle of no- where land and I never start these projects until LATE at night. LOL!

The eyelet reverses to the satin on the other side and of course the satin 'ruffle-butt' panties. The style that only wee babies and toddlers can wear with any fashion sense at all!

I put together her Easter dress. I fell in love with this plaid taffeta. The colors were so fresh and spring-like. I embroidered the diagonals and added the daisies to the bodice.

Sorry for the washed out pic...I didn't take time for photoshop fixes.

I added an attached petticoat of a fresh lime green organza. I left the little ruffles off these panties, since of course this is a more grown up girly ensemble. I am eager to see her model this one....via digipic, of course.

I also have a couple of pics of the Prom gals. I will share those tomorrow....For now, I must crash before I burn.

Check, Check,check-check

Hi y'all, allow me to introduce myself...it has been a few days since my last post. The whirlwind of busy stuff is settling, so here is the low down. It started here when I just wanted a little redo....Okay...a huge redo in my workroom. Cabinets on one side of the room are now on the other side and what was up, is now down. It's amazing, but all this stuff finally found a home and only a few things are still in limbo. Then I spy this little cabinet of baskets which I have used forever and have completely overlooked for a redo. Sometimes, we just get so used to seeing the same ole thing and forget to give it a new look. Well, whip out those paints and brushes and ignore the huge mess in my workroom. I just move to the dining room table where tranquility reigns!

A couple of coats of paint later and it already looks better! I have always intended to sew up some little liners for the baskets. Perhaps I'll get that done now. Now, that's done and I get back to my workroom disaster. It is still being fine-tuned and I will post a pic of the finished room in a few days. Then, it will be time to paint all the walls in that room and I can just do it all over again. So, perhaps this is only a practice for having an organized space.

While the workroom is getting settled back into place, a few projects are collecting on my calendar. We begin with a cowboy bedroll for the little tikes. These are so cute and I hope to have a professional photo of this soon in an authentic setting.
Then throw in some sequins and rhinestones needing a re-make. This one is on the table now and will have a lace up back instead of a zipper.

This purse came together with some pieces of fabric that I love. When they don't fit anywhere in your home decor...Just make a purse gals!
A couple of things escaped the camera lense and have been delivered. I just love to make a big ole check mark on my to-do list when a job is DONE!!! Yeah! As fast as I get to check them off, I acquire another 'to-do'. I love it that friends call me for work to be done and all the people they refer my direction. I send a big THANKS to all of you. I really appreciate your confidence. Well, it's back to my sweatshop workroom so I can make another big ole check mark!!

at my fingertips

Welcome to all Y'all who've come to visit a spell. I hope you are all on board with decluttering your life with Sarah @ Thrifty Decor Chick. I know I can sure use some motivation. It seems the more I try to get it all together, I look around and it has all escaped!

This drawer is my 'go to' drawer when I am in a sewing frenzy. I had used these little drawer dividers in my kitchen first. Well, that seemed like a good idea in theory, but it didn't work in the everyday life. They stayed stacked up in some dark corner for a long time. Then they were rescued and put to good use. This is really what they were meant for....the sewing drawer! I used some of that rubber texture shelf liner under these little dividers to keep everything from sliding.
They have worked really hard for me here also. I don't like to waste time searching for a particular color of thread and I sorted them by color groups. Yes, yes, I know some of you are saying that is a bit OCD, but trust me....it has saved me tons of time and frustration!

I also have several older spools of thread that just made the above drawer get all out of wack. This older jar is perfect for older spools. Before you think I've gone OCD AGAIN, there was a really good reason the spools are stacked. I had thrown them in there and had about 8 spools left out in the cold. Sooooo.....I dump them all out and start over....stacking them. I was wanting them to fit in one jar. As you can see, there are still a couple of lonely gals waiting to get inside. There may be another jar that needs to be filled when I gather some more of these little spools I spied in yet another drawer.
You get a glimpse of just a small bit of my laces. I had a lot of these old wooden spools lying around for years. One evening was spent wrapping about a dozen of these spools with my pieces of lacey goodness. Having all these items around are good to inspire creativity and I get to use some of my favorite things.