Morning all – I am a bit late but I have a really good excuse. Last night I completed another 8 inch block. As you can see it is the block started when I wrote the review for Dream a Seam templates by Carole Samples last weekend.
As a side note Carole samples contacted me and she is happy to receive email enquires from anyone interested in these templates and is also happy to post Global Priority mail which means less in postal charges for those outside of the US. Contact her at fancwerx@inebraska.com.
This block has a crazy patch foundation of silks, Chinese brocades and fabrics which were acquired when I was in China and in swaps with fellow quilters interested in crazy quilting. I have described what I did on the block and the stitches if have used fully in the gallery page. Now I did start the morning with the idea that I would simply describe this block but since I have just acquired some new software I ended up going through the whole gallery and describing all the 8 inch blocks. So people might like to check that out.
One of the things I would like to point out is in the bottom left hand corner a little charm that I found in a market when I visited China it is made of Fimo and incredibly fine. It is about half an inch big and the pink trim is fimo piped on to the charm.
Now for my first agony in the process of mucking about with these gallery pages I decided it was about time I had a side bar for navigation. The site is simply huge and people do not necessarily find things. I have been thinking about putting a navigation bar on every page so that people don’t get lost or miss stuff they might be looking for. It means redesigning hundreds of pages – I am not exaggerating there are hundreds of pages to this site which means a site update and redesign. May as well do a big tidy up while I am at it! Now I would like to ask if people find this side navigation bar useful. I have a hunch if it was on every page of the site it would be good for users.
Now my second agony. I am still thinking about starting a denim bag made from cut off jeans. It was prompted because Linda at Chloe’s place was agonising over how much she should embellish a bag she is making. I showed Eve (my daughter) my bag and Linda’s post and she declared them ‘cool’. I am still very tempted to make a contemporary bag out of recycled jeans but think I need a little push.
I am wondering if anyone else is interested in joining a challenge? The guidelines being to take an old pair of jeans turn them into a bag or container of some sort (you can use your imagination as much as you please) and embellish it using any technique you choose. It does not have to be in any period style or limited to any one technique it just has to be embellished. I plan to embellish like there is no tomorrow, but if that is not your style a more restrained treatment is OK. Basically the challenge is as open as you wish. I am thinking of 3 month deadline from the start date so that people like myself who do hand embroidery and work can join in. At the end of the three months people can email me images of their work and descriptions of what they did and I will create a gallery page for all participants and host it on my site. Of course any bloggers who join in can blog their progress and help push everyone along. I think it would be fun. Is there any interest in this idea? Please email me or leave a comment if there is more than six takers I will take it on. So who is up for it?
I have been thinking about doing a jeans bag for a long time. Have gathered lots of pictures and ideas already. I’d like to join your challenge.
We used to embroidery all over our jeans when we were in high school. I would love to join in on the fun and challenge! I don’t have a site as of yet, but am working on my own blog.
Hello there Sharon!
I am Karen and LOVE your blog. I get an RSS feed to gmail of it! I am an avid sewer and love to embroider also…
I make and sell bags, but a jeans bag made just for ME to have some fun would be great.
Count me in! Maybe it will encourage me to get some info up my blog http://glitteringsky.blogspot.com/(which I neglect)!
Awesome idea! Can I join in too? 🙂 Karen
Sign me up too – cant resist!
Is the email addy for Carole re: templates correct ? My outlook express says it’s not valid.
Sharon, I am the Becky that posted without a website earlier. Well taa-daa I have decided to join everyone else. I hope to be able to post a few pictures soon.
When I saw your jeans I was amazed and delighted! I am new to blogging and have been disappointed in not finding more “art to wear” blogs. This challenge would give me an excuse to bump up my hand and machine embroidery, so count me in. I think it will be grand to see what others are doing.
Hello Sharon…this is a great idea, you can count me in for this challenges.
Greatings from the netherlands the country of the wooden shoes.
Emmy
Oh yeah!
I would love to participate in a jean-bag-challenge!
Oh Dear – and I e-mailed Sharon hours ago asking if I was allowed to play with the big girls. I’ve stopped working on my bag for a minute as I have something else that will make a knockabout bag quicker. So am I allowed in with mine????
Sharon…I was so inspired by your magical jeans bag. Count me in!!! Jackie
Ok, Sharon,
You have done it now. I usually do not get involved in challenges, but this is the one. I have been saving and having old jeans given to me by co-workers. Now I have a reason for them…..
I was a teenager in the late 70’s, always felt like I was about 10 years too late, but decorated my jeans anyway.
I had a bag like this in ’76 that I used for a diaper bag. I got compliments on it all the time. In addition to the patches and embroidery, it had a macrame handle. Of course I think I need to try and make another one now that I’ve seen yours.
Dawn
Sharon, when I saw that bag of yours it brought back so many memories! Only for me it was of overall jeans that I made into a jumper and embroidered the waistband, pocket areas, straps, etc. So
I wanted to make a jean bag like yours and Linda’s so badly, purely for the nostalgic outrageous joy of it but also as a way to RECLAIM MY YOUTH!!!! FOREVER YOUNG!!! Count me in for the challenge, and thanks for thinking it up!
Sharon, I know I shouldn’t because I have barely any time for any stitching these days, but ever since I saw your bag I have been thinking about a pair of jeans that is hanging in my wardrobe, unworn for a couple of years now… and the bead warehouse that is just around the corner from me…
So sign me up for the challenge!