tag sale 
noun
Definition of TAG SALE:
 garage sale
Origin of TAG SALE:
from the price tag on each item
First Known Use: 1929

Like many people, I love tag sales.  The thrill of the hunt! The treasures you find!

Years ago, after I left my corporate job, I had the good fortune to work for a lady who was starting a Property Liquidation business.  Her name is Ann and she is the proprietor Ann's Tag Sales.  


We set up estate and moving sales.  It is very hard work, much more than people realize, but I loved it.  I stopped working for her full time when I adopted my first daughter but now that my kids are older, I have the pleasure of working for her on and off when she needs me.   

I stopped by a little sale she did this past weekend and thought I would share some of the treasures it had to offer.

This sale was a small one but I did end up buying a wardrobe which is currently in my garage and in need of a paint job.  

Since I have a clothing business where I use upcycled fabrics, tag sale are a great place for me to find material.   

Here is a stash I found at the sale waiting to be made into aprons and dresses!  I better get busy.

Have a fun day!
Cynthia

button 
noun, but·ton often attributive \ˈbə-tən\
: a small, usually round piece of plastic, glass, metal, etc., that is sewn to a piece of clothing and is pushed through a loop or hole to fasten one part of the clothing to another part

I love buttons! What sewer or crafter doesn't?  I have an embarrassing number of boxes filled with buttons.  Here are just a few: 

What to do with all those buttons?  Well aside from there intended purpose, there are many sewing and crafty things you can do with buttons.  One thing I did years ago when I had the time to do art quilting was to use them as the focal point of a quilt by turning them into people: Buttonheads.

I entered this quilt in a contest run by Quilting Arts Magazine for their first ever calendar contest and was honored to get into the calendar for the month of January!

This quilt was the first in my Buttonhead series.  I created a number of smaller quilts which I hope to share in the future along with some other button projects. 

Have a fun day!
Cynthia

Have a fun day!
Cynthia

mend 
verb \ˈmend\
: to make (something broken or damaged) usable again : to repair (something broken or damaged)

Many examples of Sashiko create intricate geometric patterns where precision is key to a successful piece. Sometimes though, the patterns of stitches are representational. While certainly nothing to write home about, this sample illustrates some of those patterns:  the blue half circles represent waves, the green zig zags represent mountains, the ovals represent clouds and the star shape represents the sun.

I find it truly amazing how such a simple stitch can do so much.  

Have a fun day!
Cynthia

"I like making a piece of string into something I can wear." Author Unknown

Most of us do not consider sewing our clothing by hand to be something we can do. When we think of hand made clothing, we envision the beautiful Haute Couture fashions of the famous French Designers. It is, however, not beyond the reach of the average or even beginning sewer to create a garment for themselves by hand.


Today in America, there is a fashion designer whose clothing is sewn by hand.  Her name is Natalie Chanin and her fashion house is located in Florence, Alabama. Not only does she design the most beautiful clothing, she has also published several books which include the patterns for you to make them yourself.  She offers custom made kits which contain everything you need to create a garment or fabrics by the yard if you want to cut them out yourself.


I had the pleasure of meeting Ms. Chanin several years ago when she did a presentation at the New York Public Library.  Her commitment to sustainability and preserving traditional sewing techniques through her "Slow Design" approach is a source of inspiration for me.  It has influenced me in the creation of my tiny company where I use recycled tshirt to create my children's clothing.  I have also now begun incorporating vintage embroideries, rescued from garage and estate sales, into my aprons.  

I have made myself many lovely garments using the patterns in 
Ms. Chanin's books and also from kits that I purchased from her website.

What does all this have to do with running stitch?  Well, it is the simple running stitch that is used to sew the seams of the garments.

Running stitch is also used in the reverse applique technique that is used to embellish many of the garments Ms. Chanin designs.

This is a dress I made based on one of the patterns in the Alabama Stitch Book using fabric I purchased from Ms. Chanin's website.

I also purchased a kit for this skirt.  The kit came with beads which I used on the top instead.  The pattern for the top is the same as the tshirt above which also came from the Alabama Stitch Book.

When you buy one of the kits, you even get a label to sew in.

Well, I hope I have motivated you to pick up a needle and thread to create a special garment for yourself.  For more inspirations, please visit the Alabama Chanin website and you will be amazed.

Have a fun day!
Cynthia to 

Here it is on the table. Yum!

Have a fun day!
Cnythia

Happy St. Patrick's Day!
I'm not Irish but my husband is half Irish and so every year, like many others, I make a corned beef dinner on this day. For many years, when I was first married, I made the traditional "boiled dinner" wherein the corned beef, cabbage and potatoes were all cooked together in a pot of boiling water.  I must admit I'm not a fan.  

Thankfully, I was rescued many years ago from boiled meat, mushy cabbage and waterlogged potatoes by my friend Laura.  She gave me her recipe for corned beef braised in the oven and I have used it ever since.  Today, I would like to share it with you.

You will need:

• 1/2 Cup Light Brown Sugar
• 1/3 Cup Honey Mustard (I have found you can use any kind of mustard you like)
• 5 lb Corned Beef (works with smaller ones also)

Heat oven to 325. Place meat in a roasting pan and cover with boiling water until half submerged.  Sprinkle with the pickling spices that come with the corned beef.  It's ok if you don't have any.  Cover with foil.  Bake 2 hours.  Cool in the liquid.  One hour before, drain the beef. Mix the mustard and brown sugar and spread over the meat to glaze. Cook 30 minutes to reheat.   

The beauty of this recipe, aside from how good it tastes, is that you can cook the corned beef ahead of time and just reheat before dinner. Another thing I have learned is to reuse the foil you used to cover the meat to line the pan when reheating.  Saves cleanup if glaze mix drips onto the pan.

As far as the potatoes and cabbage go I  have 2 alternative menus. One is cole slaw with  steak fries cooked in the oven or hash browned potatoes. The other, for when I'm feeling really Irish even though I'm not (and have the time) is to make a traditional Irish dish called colcannon which is mashed potatoes and cabbage mixed together.  I use the recipe in The Fannie Farmer Cookbook by Marion Cunningham.

So, I hope you will try my non-traditional St. Patrick's day dinner and let me know how you like it.

Have a fun day!
Cynthia

"Just because something doesn't do what you planned it to do doesn't mean it's useless." Thomas A. Edison

So I have started doing some crochet again.  It's very popular now and I thought I would try to find some items to include in my shop.

I was looking through some of my old (like vintage old!) craft magazines and found a cute child's hat pattern made from crocheted flowers.  The type of yarn the pattern called for is no longer available so I though I could substitute something.  I set out making tons of little crocheted flowers for the hat.  When I began putting them together, I realized it just wouldn't work. 

What to do with all those little crocheted flowers?  Since I was running low on the little pony tail hairbands I use as give-aways for my customers I decided to use the flowers to make some more.  




You can see how I made them in my DIY section. 

Have a fun day!
Cynthia

craft 
noun \ˈkraft\
: an activity that involves making something in a skillful way by using your hands
: a job or activity that requires special skill
crafts : objects made by skillful use of the hands

This past Sunday I participated in the Paramus, NJ Spring Craft Show which is my first show of the year. It was great to get out there and see what's happening in the crafty world.  I thought you might enjoy some pictures of some of the people I met.

Here I am with my daughter Lily who helped me out at the show.  I bought her an "Ocarinas" which is a very cool instrument.  She's getting pretty good at it!

Have a fun day!
Cynthia