My Spring Sweater

This spring has been so beautiful.  I don’t know if it is because of the winter we endured or the warm weather so early on but the flowering trees, shrubs and flowers seem more spectacular this year.  This sweater, which I have dubbed my spring sweater because I typically wear it only in the springtime and often as a sort of declaration that spring has arrived, began its life as a store-bought cotton sweater.  I used Evy Hawkins’ Applied Flowers to create the flower blossoms and leaves out of silk organza.  I then used additional elements from her designs to stitch the stems and attach the flowers and leaves to the sweater.  The “grass” is constructed from Lion Brand Fun Fur which I wrapped around a U-shaped piece of wire and stitched down the middle, creating a fringe that I then sewed onto the sweater. 

I will admit this sweater took a very long time to create.  It consists of twenty flowers.  Four are made up of three layers of petals; the other sixteen are two layers for a total of forty-four individual flowers that had to be stitched out.  There are also twenty-four leaves.  I made this sweater to wear one year at Martha Pullen’s School of Art Fashion.  People stopped me in the halls on the day I wore it.  It has continued to be a real attention grabber (too much so at times!)  It does make me happy, though, and I always feel like winter is over when I pull this one from my closet.  I think I’ll wear it tomorrow.

Bag of the Week 14

Applied Flower Tote

I created this tote bag using Evy Hawkins’ Applied Flowers designs.  I stitched the blooms (32 in all) on cotton home dec fabric.  I then beaded the centers and attached them to the tote bag which I created without a pattern.  The bag is lined and the looped closure fastens around the top center flower.

Next week I will feature a garment I made with these same blooms.  It’s a totally different look.  Tune in.

Oatmeal Raspberry Bars

I first had these luscious treats at my friend Lisa’s house last summer.  They were unbelievably bakery fresh-tasting so I was thrilled when she told me they were homemade.  She shared the recipe with me and now, I am sharing it with you.

These are simple to make with supplies you probably have on hand (except perhaps the raspberry jam).  Today I made the crumb portion by hand (literally) but would like to try it in a food processor next time.  There is nothing tricky about the process but here are a few thoughts I will throw out there:

• If you use unsalted butter increase the salt (to at least ¼ teaspoon).  The crust should have a slightly salty taste.
• Don’t skip the part about lining the pan with parchment/foil.  This step makes it SO much easier to remove the bars from the pan before cutting.
• I like to use Polaner Fruit Spread (seedless raspberry) instead of traditional jam.  This makes for a less sweet bar which I prefer.  For those with sweet teeth, use regular jam and, if you want to gild the lily, drizzle the cooled bars with melted white chocolate.
• You can double the ingredients and bake in a 9”x13” baking pan.

These bars don’t photograph very well but they sure taste great.  Enjoy!

Bag of the Week 13

Here Comes the Easter Bunny

This week’s bag celebrates spring and our upcoming holiday of Easter.  The Zippered Bunny Purse  comes from Reen at Embroidery Garden.  It is created entirely in the embroidery hoop including the application of the zipper. 

I used white shearling for the base of the bunny and pink satin for the lining of the ears.  The remainder of the design was stitched with thread including the quilted area on the ears.  A twisted cord strap and pink gingham bow were added.  I’ve made this bag several times as gifts for little girls.

Arts and Crafts

One of my favorite things to do these days is to sit at the kitchen table with my budding artist (BA) and create together.  Before he started preschool last September he was not too interested in arts and crafts but now he leaps at the chance to do “a project” (the title they use for their daily craft project at school).  I’ve learned that he is a master when it comes to applying stickers, and every so often I will get out the supplies to make cards.  We did this for Valentine’s Day and I was amazed at what he created.

This week, during his spring break, we made several different types of cards:  one get well card for my dad who is in the hospital, some long overdue thank you cards for Christmas gifts and some Easter cards.  I usually do the writing or stamping and then hand over the card to BA to put his own personal mark on the card with his stickers.  I TRY to limit the amount of guidance I give because left to himself he will usually create something much better than I would have.  Here are the results of our time spent together.