A Wild and Crazy Week---

well, more busy than wild and crazy, but the result is I haven't done much of anything on all the projects I have lying around. After spending Sunday afternoon sorting through everything, seeing what's been done, what needs to be done, what materials I have on hand to work with, I haven't gotten much more done. I did get some photographs, and have edited most of them, so I'm almost ready to list some non-jewelry items on Etsy. But I need a few more pictures and the time to get it listed. Hopefully this weekend I can get everything together so I can list them next week.

There is good news - I sold another item on Etsy------and it was to someone in Memphis!! That is really fun to sell locally, plus I delivered it to her and got to meet one of my customers. Really nice! Funny thing is, the item had expired, so I quickly renewed it earlier in the week - just to keep things active. Well, it sold! I guess it does work to keep listing things, even if they aren't selling. The irony is I had always loved this particular item, and kept debating whether to remove it and wear it myself. It has been listed for quite a while, and I was about to decide that I'm the only person who likes my work! Well, someone else does as well, so that's great confidence booster for me. I keep telling myself it is all about finding the right market - so I'll keep working at it!

Remaking Shoes - Part 2

Finding shoes that fit my feet is hard. I take at least a size 9, and I need a wide width. When I find a pair that I like and that fit well, I try to do everything I can to wear them until they can no longer be repaired.I bought this pair of platform sandals and wore them a couple of times. I loved them, but while walking into work one day, I noticed that the left shoe was rubbing my foot. On closer look, I discovered this: See how the brown plastic ring has broken off - I have no idea when this happened, but it made them very painful to wear.  When I limped home that evening, I took them off and realized that either I find the missing piece and try gluing it back on, or I'd have to remake them somehow. I could not wear them again that way. And so they sat for weeks. I was upset that they weren't wearable, and since I had worn them several times AND thrown away the receipt, I couldn't take them back. 

Finally, I decided to do something, anything, to be able to wear them again. 

I examined them and realized that the plastic ring was really just decoration. It was not needed to hold the pieces together. I could remove it with no effect on the shoes.

Taking out my trusty hammer and a scrap piece of wood, I removed the offending plastic ring. I will add that I tried using a pair of pliers to snap the ring first, but it would not break. I wouldn't even chip off. I have no idea why the ring broke in the first place, but I needed the hammer and several hard whacks to break them off. And now, the shoes look like this: And note that not all clothing remakes make use of sewing supplies. My tool of choice here was a hammer! And here is a detail of the left shoe: There is a hole through there that I can put something else - I've thought about wrapping a piece of ribbon and gluing it in place. 

Before you give up on a piece of clothing or an accessory, take a good look at it and see if it can be remade. It is exciting to put them back in your wardrobe when you thought they were ruined.

Today's Tip - Sewing Pattern Storage

The more I create and make things, the more I find a way of doing something that makes it easier. So, to hopefully make life easier for everyone else, here is a tip for today.

Storing sewing pattern:

For years I've tried to find the best way to store my sewing patterns, especially after they've been used - have you ever tried to put one back into its envelope??

My latest solution, which I love, is to put the pattern pieces and instructions into a plastic bag with a zipper top. Yes, it is plastic which has a host of environmental issues attached to it, but it is easy to see through and there is even the handy section on the bag for labeling. Here I write the pattern company name and the pattern number. I store these in boxes in numeric order.

So how do I find a particular type of pattern? I store the pattern envelopes in clear sleeves that I keep in a binder. Yes, more plastic, but it protects the paper and will let me flip through the notebook to find what I need. A quick look at the back can give me more information about the pattern to let me know if it might work.

One day, when I get some spare time (Yeah, right!), I want to photograph all the pattern envelopes and store them on a USB drive, so I can have visual access to all the patterns I have without having to carry them around with me.

Hope this helps someone else get a bit more organized!

Organization

Simple changes to thrifted clothes can give them new life. Replacing buttons is an easy way to get a different look that you like.

This tweed jacket was a recent thrift find. It is black, white, and aquamarine tweed. The buttons that came on the blazer were aquamarine and silver. They are lovely but not what I wanted on there. 

 Here is a picture of the jacket before:

 Here is a detail of one of the original buttons.

I love the buttons, just not on the blazer. So I decided to replace them with black buttons that I had in my button stash.

Here's how the jacket ooks with the new buttons.

And a close-up of one of the new buttons.

I did have a challenge. The jacket had three buttons and 3 buttonholes. I only had two black buttons that would fit. After trying it on, I decided that 1) if I didn't button the jacket, which I probably would not, the top button and buttonhole would be hidden under the lapel, 2) if I did button it, I didn't want it buttoned up as high as the top button anyway. I went with the two buttons and decided if I want a third, I'll need to thrift three matching buttons to replace them. 

And the buttons that came with the jacket? They went into my button stash to be used on something else. They may be used on a dress or jacket, or I may make some jewelry with them. 

What item(s) of clothing do you have that could be updated with a change of buttons to make them fit your current style and give them new life?