Saturday, March 6, 2010

Fabric Wall Art - Pretty Pastel Patches!

Whew! I'd thought I'd never get these loaded up to my shop on Etsy!  You see - I'm still too new at this technical stuff to go very fast.  And I frequently undo what I did without wanting to!  Part of the problem is that I'm used to my computer at work - with massive amounts of power behind it.  Then I come home to mine (my husband Nigel's actually) and it ......m..o..v..e..s.....m..u..c..h....s..l..o..w..e..r.!

It doesn't help when I keep pressing keys to try and speed things up - kind of like pushing an elevator button that's already lit - because you just know that if you push it, it will make it go much faster!

Anyway, loading to my blog is much easier, and it has the added advantage of allowing me to TALK!!  Poor YOU!!

Would you believe it - these 24 "patches"  were initially intended for a Christmas Advent Calendar!  Then I realized they'd only be displayed once a year and I decided they were too pretty not to keep out all year.  So I came up with the idea of making a hanging out of them.  Then - quite by chance - I was literally given two beautiful real wood frames that just happen to perfectly frame 12 of them!! Talk about serendipity!!

I deliberately cut the patches "free hand" (i.e., without measuring) as I wanted to emphasize it's one-of-a-kind quality.  Some of the buttons are vintage, some new; the beads are all new, though with a vintage "feel" to them.  I especially love the taupe-colored appliques - lovely vintage pieces I found in my stash of goodies that I knew I'd find a use for some day!  The patches themselves are "Warm and Natural" quilt batting hand-sewn on a background of natural linen fabric.  I LOVE linen!  You'll probably see it a lot more in my work!  I wear it a lot too.  So what if it wrinkles; it breathes and allows your body to do the same!

I especially like the fact I was able to salvage/recycle something.  My grandmother (Gran) just gave me "thumbs up" from Heaven!  She recycled everything, way back before recycling was all the rage.  She did it out of necessity, raising three girls while my grandfather (Pop, also in Heaven) worked as a carpenter mostly (and any other type of job he could find) to keep his family going.   I have very strong family roots, for which I'm eternally grateful!!

Well, that's it for now.  I want to get started on another piece!  This time it's a decorative banner! 

This "blogging thing" is really cool!  Hope you're all having a lovely day!  Jan