geez, everyone is talkin' 'bout gray hair and long hair. well, everyone in bloggy world.
I've had long hair since I was a child...thanks mommy.
She used to put my hair in rag curls. oy.
I had Mr. Charles cut my hair in a pixie cut...in the summer before 7th grade just in time to impress the boys at Redwood Jr. High. It didn't work.
In 1967, 8th grade, I did the Peggy Fleming look with the short in back long in a swoopy chin length thing front.
Stunning video of Peggy skating!
I have pics of all this of course but I haven't set up the new! scanner so you'll have to wait.
From the first month of 9th grade in 1968, it was hippie hair and dangly bells! Huh Andrea!
Well, the long hair stayed ...everyonce in a while I chop it to shoulder length...but it stays from mid back to waist length. It drifts into Mormon mother range with long braids, and whack! out come the scissors. I cut my own hair, and I don't care if it looks it.
yeah I read the New York Times article about ladies with long hair that are....also long in the tooth. Hey, this is what I like.
Ya'll go ahead and cut to pixie, elf, boy, Mia or whatev'. It's your thing...do what you want to do.
I also used to dye my hair black.......because my whole world was black after my mom died in 2003. God I hated everything about 2003.
So here I was as gloom pussy, and I had already started to let my hair grow natural. (red wall...so 2004)
Wow, look at the gray!
It looked like silver....I was hooked.
It's all natural now.
Long and gray. and getting grayer and silvery-er...this is summer 2010.
Those goofy little blogger girls ...are just cracking me up with they gray dye.
the other day....
Again with the stripes......
My gray hair looks fabulous with gray...I never used to wear gray above the waist. I had to divorce my first husband because he kept buying me gray sweaters....because he liked gray sweaters.
Now I wear gray all the time..everywhere.
Here is a b/w striped dress, a gray sweater, and my favorite gray 40s jacket I bought from Holly at LuciteBox.
She wasn't gonna even sell it...because it has flaws. I think I begged her to list it,and she did. I was the only bidder on ebay. Stupid people! Lucky me!
Now I get compliments all the time when I wear it.
Yeah, and on my gray hair. It's still rare for a granny-age lady to have long gray hair. But not for long....
Flaws and all....just the way I like it.
for September!
darn you weird November sunshine....
70 degrees. wow.
you don't fool me tho. I've been at my sewing machine putting together the first of many pairs of mitts I'll make this fall and winter.
I gathered up some acorns and leaves....and the tawny tones inspired me to make these.......
Cold ? How about a jacket....Vintage 70s style ! nylon windbreaker slick fabric is packed full of natural goosedown. Goosedown is what you want....don't settle for a modern duck feather jacket. Duck feathers don't have the same insulating power as down....Tempco was a high-end brand back in the day. You know...if it was good back then...it's good now!
Quality lasts....and is worth recycling!
Sometimes you feel like a short bag.
Sometimes you feel like a cross-body.
Translation.....
Dilemma solved!
If you're hanging out, seeing the sights.....shopping for a few things, you want a bag you can put up on your shoulder...
If you're in a casual mood, being busy.....wanting to keep your hands free...to carry coffee, to carry stuff, to look thru piles of things.....well, you want a cross-body bag. Er, uh, tote bag.
The long strap looped thru and buttoned.
then if you choose, pull the strap farther thru the loop and button it shorter.
I made the straps wide...so they'll feel good resting on the shoulder.
a sunny day for sewing !
I've never been completely happy with those Yawn! metal slide mechanisms that every bagmaker uses...so, as per usual for me...in addition to using fun and unique blends of mix and match fabrics and prints.....and of course...there is a lot of recycling going on........
so, not only did I give my anything-but-boring line of tote bags/purses a sense of humor, but I invented a simple changeability feature to go to from a shoulder to a long-strap tote...using buttons...
Vintage buttons of course!
always with the vintage buttons....
This is the road map fabric, lined in a weird novelty fabric. Some in this series have ticking stripes..some have solid moire. They're lined so they have body, yet aren't completely stiff.
They can carry the daily......or even a laptop...or your electronic book....(i Pad)
Here's a typical view of the inside....pockets....and a loop that flips over the top and buttons closed.
The other side is a recycled pair of pants with big pockets.....the better to keep things in ..my dear! Each in the series is slightly different....yet they're all roomy and easy to take care of....made of cotton or cotton blends.......They wash and dry by machine. Yes.
The next series will be wool and wool blend tweeds, vintage lace and leather-like synthetic. They'll have a more masculine air.....but perfect for the ladies too.
There's always a bit of lace and lots of topstitching too. I make sure it's all sturdy, and I really love my signature loopy stitching at the edges.
and....tho there are lots of pockets to keep the keys handy...to stash the transit card, the lipstick, the hanky..... I made little zipper pouch purses to go with...
these are handy for a billion things!
each is a mix and match of cute, sweet, romantic, sharp and quirky cotton and cotton blend fabrics, laces and ribbon......some have vintage metal zippers....some have vintage nylon zippers.
The garden is done for...all that remains..is the remains.
unless you a lucky type that has the winter greens sewn already....the daffodils and crocus already buried...
The kind of sewing I've been doing the last day or so is gardening in the workroom....we can sew seeds and I can sew a gardening brooch. I think I can get about 30 in this series...then no more !
I have a yard or so (sew) of fabric with old-fashioned gardening motifs...they look like they came from an old gardening implement catalog....it's printed in black on ecru linen.
Yard.Sew.I can't stop.
It has a pin with a clasp on the back, that's covered. The grass-weeds are hand embroidered with green rayon embroidery thread.
It's both hand sewn and machine sewn with black thread.
each are about 2" x 3".
Some have felt backing ...some have wool tweed....all are perfect for the cold times of the year...when we really wish for the sun on our shoulders....the feel of warm soil...and a spray of water on a freshly turned bed...
Each brooch comes with a tiny fabric bag, randomly chosen, that rather matches the pin's color scheme.
Ready to give as a gift for someone special...or for yourself!
here's a sample I made to try the technique...another thing I designed. I was looking for something good for gift giving, stocking-stuffing...and fine for a guy or a gal. Well, I'm working on a more masculine pin...something with rust and leather, perhaps.
