My Next Project

I'm down to two UFOs.  My next project is going to use what I started for one of them, but not in the way I intended.  My new plan has three ingredients:

Ingredient Number One

Ingredient Number Two

Ingredient Number Three

Oh yeah - and there's a secret ingredient I'm trying for the first time.

Making It Mine - Retro Lamp

Today I'm starting a new series called "Making It Mine".  The idea is I start with an old item I buy, then I change it somehow to put my own mark on it.   In this episode, we'll see what I do to a lamp I bought last month from a thrift store, sold without a shade.   In My Next Project, I gave you a peek at the lamp, trim, and fabric.  Now we'll see how they all came together.

The lamp was fine; all I needed to do was buy a shade.  Or so I thought.  I hauled that lamp to a bunch of stores, with no luck.  Being an old lamp, it needed a shade with the hardware at the top.  All the pretty shades had dropped hardware.  The only ones I could find with hardware at the top were cream colored.  That would have worked technically, but not emotionally, for me.  

I lucked out at JoAnn Fabrics where I found the perfect lampshade:  hardware on the top, correct size, and designed to be recovered with cool fabric. 

The first step is to remove the paper covering from the lampshade and use it as a template to cut out the fabric.  I realized there would be a curve, so I was careful to buy fabric with an overall, random pattern.  I knew that if I bought something directional (like a stripe or zigzag), that it would only line up on one side - the other sides would be off-kilter.

 

So far, so good.  I couldn't remember if the paper overlapped itself, so I cut a little extra at the back edges to make sure I had an overlap.  Turns out I didn't need to do that.

The adhesive on the lampshade had me worried.  I didn't want the fabric to flop down and get caught where I didn't want it to go.  So I pinned it back so that I could concentrate on just one section.

This is how I did the first side.  I laid the lamp on the template paper, so it wouldn't stick to my work table.  You can see the top edge of the lamp at the bottom of the photograph.  That's because the lampshade had a pitch to it, where the bottom was a bigger diameter than the top.  By placing it like this, I could easily see the entire side, because the slope was towards me, instead of away from me.

Line up the top and bottom edges of the fabric with the edges of the lampshade.  Being a square lampshade, there were distinct corners to match up which made it easy.  Then just apply a little pressure with your hand to smooth it into place.

To do the other sides, just rotate the lampshade so you have the next "blank" side facing up, unpin the next section of fabric, line it up, and press into place.

I used Aleene's Tacky Glue to secure the overlapped edge.  Then you see that green trim in the upper right corner, laying on my work table?  I used more of Aleene's glue to attach that trim to the top and bottom edges of the shade.  I don't have a picture of that step.  Just be sure that you start and stop where your fabric overlaps, so all your raw edges are on the same side.

And here's something else I learned after I was all done and turned the lamp on:  The shade itself has overlapped edges.  I didn't notice that, so my fabric overlapping is on a different side than the shade's overlapping edges.  Now when I turn on my light, I see a vertical strip on two sides.  Drat.

So here's my retro lamp.  It's really, really tall - nearly 34 inches.  The lamp base has an Art Deco vibe to me.  The lines look like the top of the Chrysler Building, as well as its elevator doors.  The lampshade fabric looks more like the 1960s, but that's OK with me.  I like both eras.

Not Just Another Pretty Face

PIGIPEDIA
Not all breeds of pigs are born with curly tails.  But if they are, and they're scared or not feeling well, their tail may straighten out.

Thursday is Purse Day - Guitar Pick Purse

I made Guitar Pick Purse in March, 2007.  It's not a real guitar pick - it's metal with some kind of oxidizing paint.   I bought it at a bead store in Milwaukee over ten years ago.  

 This shows you the scale (no pun intended).

It sure has a guitar pick attraction, though.

Looking at the back, you can see the body of the purse is plaid.  It's actually a ribbon, with wire edges which gives added structure and oomph to hold all those beads in the tassels.

These teeny purses are so much fun to make.  I've been purging and rearranging my sewing room for the past week.  Going through my ribbon box, most of it was no longer appealing to me and has to go, but I found one spool I still love.  I'm going to make a little purse out of it next month.

 

Tea for Tuesday - Houses

I love looking at houses, both inside and out.  I'm pretty happy with our house, but sometimes think there could be something out there that would be even better.

This looks like a nice block.  I like that Victorian on the right.

This one on the left looks good, too.

They all look fine from the back.

This one seems determined to draw my attention.

Up close, it's even more charming - an ivy-covered cottage with mullioned windows, lush window boxes, a dormer for a cozy reading spot, and a streetlight to light the way home.

And the front - well, this seals the deal.  I'm sold.  Guess I better change the "books for sale" sign to "under new ownership."

My Next Project

I haven't done any sewing in nine long days.  I think I got wore out making Nine Kinds of Tea.  I need a short project or two or three before I get back to those other two UFOs.  Here's what I'm going to start this weekend.

A little of this.

Some of that.

And what project doesn't need a little fabric?

Colloquialisms with Textile Origins

Some colloquialisms are based on their connection to textiles...

© Neosnaps used with permission of Creative Commons licensing

Distaff side means the woman's side of a family.  A distaff is an implement used during the spinning process to hold fibers.  Since spinning was identified with women, the term came to stand for women's work, and by extension, the female branch of the family.

© Simon Greig used with permission of Creative Commons licensing

Dyed-in-the-wool means thoroughgoing or deeply ingrained.  Wool is more thoroughly colored if it's dyed before it's spun or woven.

© Erich Ferdinand used with permission of Creative Commons licensing

To get down to brass tacks means to be precise or specific.  Dry goods stores used to have a line of brass tacks on the counter, against which cloth was measured.

© Marlana Shipley used with permission of Creative Commons licensing

To get one's hackles up implies one is in a bad temper or on the offensive.  When the fur on a dog's back stands up, that's a hackle and it's not a good sign.  A hackle is a large comb with iron teeth that stand straight up, used to align flax fiber before spinning.

© Ruth Temple used with permission of Creative Commons licensing

An heirloom is an object passed on to one's heirs.  Looms were once so valuable that they were bequeathed to the next generation.

© Tim Green used with permission of Creative Commons licensing

Shoddy means poor quality.  Shoddy was cloth made from unraveled and rewoven old fibers that didn't hold up well.

© Boston Public Library used with permission of Creative Commons licensing

Sleazy means distasteful or of low character.  It comes from Silesia cloth, a poor quality linen made in Silesia (located mostly in Poland).

© Lewis Wickes Hine used with permission of Creative Commons licensing

To cotton to, meaning to be attracted to, comes from the electrically charged lint in the air in cotton weaving mills.

© rs snaps used with permission of Creative Commons licensing

To tie up loose ends is to complete all the details of a task.  This phrase comes from sailing ships - the ends of the ropes used in a ship's rigging had to be tightly bound to prevent fraying.