Inspired by Amy Karol's book "Bend the Rules Sewing"

 

Here is my version of the clutch purse on the cover of Amy Karol's book "Bend the Rules Sewing" which I saw on her blog. I used Chinese brocade and embellished it with one of my ribbon roses. It was so easy to make. I designed my own pattern, of course, which is basically two rectangles for the outer and lining fabrics. I purposely pressed the lining so that it would show on the outside of the bag. It didn't take long at all to make. Lately I really think that I should be making things that take one hour or less to finish. I love instant gratification when it comes to creating with fabric. I have so many ideas that it's hard for me to focus on a longer project. To think that I used to spend weeks working on a quilt. What patience! I think smaller projects are better for now. Next project - a bag for my friend. She wants black and white fabrics. I love black and white! Now go out and live the embellished life!

Sewing Tools I Couldn't Live Without

It's taken me a long time but I have accumulated a lot of tools that I consider essential in my sewing studio. I'll list a few here.
-rotary cutter and cutting mat. I hardly ever use my good scissors any more. I have several in different sizes.
-acrylic rulers - 2.5" square, 9.5" square, 12.5" square, 6" x 12" and 6" by 24"
-heavy duty scissors that look like pruners to cut up recycled jeans - a must if you recycle denim
-measuring tape
-long pins - I can see them better
-craft scissors so you don't ruin your good scissors

There's also sewing equipment I couldn't live without but that's for another time. Let me know what sewing tools you can't live without. Now go live the embellished life!

Zipper Flower

I recently ran accross a blog discussing zipper flowers. I thought that was so interesting and kicked myself for throwing away a bag of old metal zippers a while back. Anyway, last weekend as I was walking though JoAnn Fabrics, I noticed these long metal zippers in the upholstery department. They only come in this plain tan color (not enough color for me) but I thought I'd try playing with it. I bought a 30" zipper for $2.99 and starting playing with it as soon as I got home. I opened the zipper and then folded the two sides like they were ribbon, making sure that the metal teeth always faced up. After two tries I came up with this beauty. I was so excited I forgot to thread a needle before I started so then I had to do it all one handed since I had to hold the flower together with my other hand. After sewing all the layers together I then sewed a pinback to the back of it and pinned it to a recycled denim vest that needed some embellishing. I wore my outfit to church the next day and received several complements. Most people didn't realize it was a zipper. One person commented on how the tan color gave it an antique look. Gotta go. Now go out there and live the embellished life!

Living the Embellished Life

Well, my first post. Just a month ago I thought I'd never blog. But here I am. After doing research on blogs and blogging I realized that I was obtaining most of my tutorials and sewing/crafts information from blogs. Anyway, here is my sewing and crafts blog - Living the Embellished Llife. What's the embellished life? It is about embellishing your creations of course, about finding new and different ways of sewing and crafting. It's about adding color, pattern, and texture to your creations and to life. It's also about living life in a way that glorifies God. I hope to be able to blog often and to provide information on sewing, crafting, upcycling, and designing as well as sharing some of my favorite Bible verses. Now, go out there and live the embellished life!