A Day-Maker

Check out this teaser announcement that showed up in my email inbox...

????? Hmmm....????? What could it be?

And then I saw these pictures and I knew!!


I think Jamie and her Mom decided a Pants Pants Revolution was needed in their house! Jamie is the sister of one of Jack's school friends.

Jamie, I think your jeans turned out Awesome...You must be a very fun, cool kid. That's just obvious. Check out the sunshine , the flowers and the peace signs.

And is that a dragonfly AND a butterfly I see?

And Mom, I think you're Awesome too to help your daughter make her jeans. Bravo !

And thank you so much for sending me the pics of the ? ? Mystery Cool Fabric Project ? ?

The announcement sign was just as cool as the jeans!

And just in case someone else out there has been inspired by Jamie...And decides that they need a Pants Pants Revolution in their house...

Here's a copy of the invitation for you to use...

And one idea for how to write the invitation...

And thanks to Jamie and her Mom -- You have absolutely Made my Day!

P.S. You can see all the Pants Pants Revolution posts by clicking here.

In the Mail...

Look what arrived on my porch! It's from French General which means it's my Pants Pants Revolution prize!


To my delight, there was an autographed copy of Kaari Meng's new book, Home Sewn. I had forgotten that, in addition to a $100 gift certificate, I was also receiving a copy of this book.

And a beautifully presented book it is. The binding for this book is one of my favorites. A hard linen-like cover enclosing a spiral so the book can lie flat open but looks great on a shelf as well.


I loved that Kaari wrote a note of congratulations on the inside -- it adds to our memory in such a nice way.

And, I took it upon myself to briefly peruse this book on your behalf. It's full of over 25 sewing patterns for linens for your home. Home Sewn is a very good title since I cannot think of another item that I would sew for my house that wasn't included as a pattern in this book. Kaari starts out with a chapter discussing antique french linens, their types and their care. To be honest, I didn't know so much about hemp, linen and nettle as fibers and I found this section really educational.

As for the projects, there is everything from bedding, to bathroom linens, to floor poufs, you name it! What I liked, was that the patterns are basic and provide the perfect canvas for hand embroidery and embellishment.

I loved the scallops on this table cloth and ottoman cover...


And how can I not love this notions keeper? The picture alone is adorable!


I can't wait to see what the girls will want to make. I thought this market bag was adorable...But I liked the idea of pillowcases as well -- I think they'd use them more. Of course, I'll have to wait to hear what they say...


Patterns for three lavender stuffed hearts are also included. And what a delight to receive this one made by Kaari herself using antique french linen collection and included in the box that held my pants.


The smell of lavender coming from the box -- the entire presentation -- was a beautiful conclusion to such a fun chapter in our lives.

Pants Pants Revolution is up for the vote...

Remember, Pants Pants Revolution?


Well, the whole impetus to PPR was to send it in to a sewing stash contest at French General. The idea was to get your stash out of your closets and drawers and use it for something where you could see your stash all the time. You can see Kaari Meng's post about the entries here and you can view all of the entries submitted here. Also, if you feel so inclined, vote for the entry you like best. And, no worries, I'm totally OK if you don't pick mine. I've already received my reward. And, if you get a minute, take a peek at French General's site. There are many wonderful notions to use in your project there!

Stay tuned tomorrow because I have a really fabulous give away to announce from that wonderful vintage notions store I've told you about...you won't want to miss it!!

PPR -- The Finale

Finally! Yesterday we had our Pants Pants Revolution revelation...


Let me tell you, it was so nice to finally see them on their bodies after spending so much time on them.


They were a big hit -- and I think their parents were the most surprised to find out that it was the girls themselves who had cut out their own fabrics and designed their own jeans.


You should have seen their chests puff out with pride; that was the best part for me.


I struggled with the photos because of the bright sun, ice on the ground and inside light...


This is the littlest one, Meghan. She loves the camera so I have a million pictures of her.


She went and grabbed this little stool, sat down, lifted her chin, smiled and said, "OK, I'm ready." Cracked me up.


It's no wonder that one of the fabrics she picked out for jeans, was El Diablito


And this is Katie, the quiet one who doesn't smile too much. She and the Mona Lisa have a lot in common.


She did want you to see her favorite part of her pants though...


And just so you didn't think he wasn't around for this whole thing, Jack jumped in for his cameo appearance...


So today, I think I'm gonna rest. And take down the Christmas tree and the train --


Yes, it's true. My secret's out. I still haven't taken down my Christmas decorations. But if I had taken them down, then the kids wouldn't have enjoyed the train so much. That's the story I'm sticking with...


If you're interested, there are more pics here on Flickr. Have a beautiful day!

Creative Jean-ius

I've got two more pairs of pants to finish for our PPR Party tomorrow!


I'm taking a quick break to show you some highlights of the girls' designs.


As I've sewn each one, I can really see how each of the girls' personalities have come through.


Like Moe, for instance,


Moe is ten years old and our budding author.


Moe understands the power of words.


And then there's Shannon. Shannon didn't seem constrained and was able to think outside the box. This "measuring tape" was in a straight line and Shannon chose to "bend" it -- to great effect, I think.

She also took this "zipper" and made a little three dimensional "brooch" with fabric scraps -- too cute!


But, I'll never forget how we all couldn't stop giggling when Shannon decided to put fireworks on the back of her pants -- you know, like, coming out of her butt.... *giggle


This has been such a fun project, but if I ever want to create NINE of something again-- shoot me. Production is not my thing. But visions of tomorrow keep me charging forward...


Speaking of vision, I'm beginning to have vision problems...


I'm seeing Peace Signs everywhere I look...



Peace out!

Sparkling Eiffel Tower

I'm sorry. I just can't think of the Eiffel Tower as anything other than a *Sparkling* Eiffel Tower. Ever since my trip to Paris with my sister in 2006, I have never forgotten the outright jubilation and excitement I felt when she and I witnessed this.



But here, You've got to watch it. Maybe it will make you smile after yesterday's Black Monday news...



Did it work? It works for me. It's just a beautiful sight.

That being said, I had to add sparkle to the Eiffel tower on my pants before sending them off.


Remember, I'm entering Pants Pants Revolution into the sewing stash contest hosted by Kaari Meng of French General? Ahh...French General...the Eiffel tower -- Maybe we'll have a French lunch...a bit of cheese, a great baguette and perhaps a sip of wine...


OK, I'm back. Back to sewing up the last details on these pants before I ship them off today. Hope I can get to the post office...We're having a bit of a snowstorm.


You may remember this Sparkling Eiffel Tower that I made for my sister last Christmas to commemorate our trip. Though the picture doesn't show it very well, each of the intersections of metal thread is covered with a crystal rose montee which makes the whole thing -- you guessed it -- *sparkle* !


And how about this post about the Timmy Woods Eiffel Tower purse that made it's debut in the movie Sex and the City?

And, on the topic of Eiffel Towers, I have to share this fabulous ornament from my extremely-talented-crazy-quilter friend, Irene Leizer. She made this for an ornament contest we had in our Embroiderers' Guild. She and I both made Eiffel Towers that year, go figure...


Check out the Chanel sweater, the champagne bottle and grapes, the painting by Toulouse Lautrec, the little parfum bottle!! Total French Fabulosity!

Au Revoir!

Belting it Out

While I was having my first cup of tea this morning, I read the daily page in my Awe-Manac.

Today I was delighted to see that my "Daily Soul Vitamin" was from Virginia Woolf --

"Arrange whatever pieces come your way."

Huh. I had stayed up a little late last night to pick up my sewing room (aka dining room) and had collected quite a little bin of scraps that I ended up not using on my jeans.


And I had just been thinking how my pants for Pants Pants Revolution really needed a belt to tie the whole thing together. All I needed was a push from Virginia Woolf and I was off and running with my project for the day.

So I sewed the pieces together in a big long strip 45" long by at least 3" wide.


I trimmed down the strip to 3", folded it to the center, and pressed it.


I used a black/white houndstooth plaid as the back, found a great rhinestone buckle out of my stash, added some machine embroidery and a little pleat to the end and -- Voila!!


I had whipped out this cute little number for my pants. Ooooh baby...


Now I'm thinking I might be in trouble. Those nine nieces are all going to want a belt and I'm having enough trouble finishing up all the pants...

So, remember, arrange whatever pieces come your way. Thank you Ms. Woolf.

Jeans -- Sneak Peek

Not much time to post today but I wanted to share a few peeks at my jeans. They should be finished soon!