Memorial Day

I love the art work of World War II posters, and this is one of my favorites. Every time I look at it I think about what people have had to go through, give up and do during times of war.

This Memorial Day, I will reflect on the sacrifices brave men and women have made, and continue to make, and I offer my most humble and sincere thanks.

Bird of Paradise

I love barkcloth and I love
sewing with it. It's like a constant feast for the eyes. I especially love using tropical barkcloth because I think tropical flowers are among the most beautiful on earth.

One of the most stunning of tropical flowers is the Bird of Paradise. It is used quite often as a motif in tropical barkcloth. Originally from South Africa, the Bird of Paradise is as symbolic of Hawaii as is the Plumeria or Hibiscus. I was absolutely thrilled to see a Bird of Paradise last March in Hawaii, and my father took this wonderful photograph.

I can't grow these beauties where I live in Eastern Washington, but between my dad's talent as a photographer and the skills of barkcloth designers past and present, I still get to enjoy them.

These Boots

...were made for working, but their working days are through. A dear friend of mine gave me these old men's work boots and I thought they would look cute with strawberries planted in them. It was a fun way to put a unique conversation piece in my garden, and recycle something to boot!

Storage Ideas

I try to keep my studio organized but I am far from perfect! These ideas do help though.
I love old vases, and I love that these have a tropical theme. They are great for pens and pencils.

These watchmaker tins from Lee Valley (online) are the perfect way to store the hundred and some buttons and buckles I have.

This vintage knitting tote I found on ebay and it is the ideal place to keep patterns that I use a lot.

I found this old tackle box in

a junk store, complete with old fishing tackle inside. I keep my small sewing items in it.

I hope you find some of these ideas useful, and I'd love to know what you think and also what some of your storage ideas are!

A Vintage Love Affair

Not long after I started For the Love of Pete I decided I should have a fancy, new, expensive sewing machine. After all, I was starting my own business and needed the proper equipment. I made a few bags and my fancy, new, expensive machine did a great job. It was easy to use and sewed beautiful seams. Perfection in a machine, right? Well somehow I felt let down.

Then I saw an ad for a vintage 1950 Singer and knew instantly that my fancy, new, expensive machine had been a mistake. What was missing from all the wonderful features my modern machine had was soul. The soul that comes from having a history, a past, a connection to other people in other times.

I bought that 1950 Singer and I've never looked back. I have given the modern machine to my daughter because it will be an easier machine for her to learn on. But some day soon, when she has mastered the art of sewing, I'll help her find her very own soulful vintage beauty.

Gifts

We live in an old house. It' a Victorian-- not the gingerbread variety, but the simple farmhouse variety. It was built in 1900, and has seen a lot, and not all good, in those 109 years. When it came on the market two years ago, we were living quite happily in a 1940 Bungalow, but there was something about this house that compelled us to take a look. While it had a lot of good things going for it, the bad things made us say "not for us," and "too much work." This house was not going to give up so easily though. It kept forcing its way into our thoughts. We started to think more and more about what we could do to fix it up, and what a really incredible place it could be once again. We began to see that by saving this house, we could save a piece of the history of this town. The house didn't care what our motives were. It was grateful to be loved once again, and have owners who didn't write on the walls with markers, or shoot BB's into those same walls, or park cars in the front yard. As we began to fix things up, the house began to thank us. The first year we found a gold wedding ring while putting in a flower bed. The second year, while cleaning out a pipe, we found a dime from 1869. While having this house is a gift in itself, we wonder....What will it offer us in the years to come?

Color

I notice color all around me and am inspired to create bags using bold color combinations. Barkcloth is the perfect canvas for me. I love the way textile artists in the 30's, 40's and 50's put different and sometimes clashing colors together to create some of the most beautiful fabric ever produced.

I found the incredibly beautiful midnight blue vintage barkcloth at mslegacysews.etsy.com. Then the hunt began for the right lining to go with it. I was lucky to find the peacock print and I just knew it would be perfect.

The finished bag. I love the way it turned out!