Sewing pick-me-up

I've been taking an online fitting class through Patternreview.com and due to my very oddly shaped upper body (thank you scoliosis!), it is a lot of ripping out and experimentation. I got kind of frustrated this week, so I said to myself, "Self!, step away from the fitting muslin!"
So I did some cleaning and straightening up of my sewing room, pulled out a few small mending projects that I'd been procrastinating about, and made a few small crafty sewing projects.

I've been dying to try to make this type of headband. Once I did the first, it was simple!  I used these test fabrics, but found them too stiff. They made the band too wide for your average head. The next ones will be a softer material or I'll try pleating it. 

T shirt scarves!

I've made a lot of these lately.
They are actually a no sew project if you get a t shirt with no seams on the sides.

I really need belts! And belts that don't have a huge bulky buckle in the front. So I remembered that I had picked up some vintage plastic buckles and stashed them away, and dug them out. Fun, quick and just begging for fabrics to go with every pant and shirt I own!

What have you got hiding in your sewing room that would be fun to do as a quick pick-me-up project? 

Textile treasures!

I promised you photos of some of the items I found at our local swap shop. Most of the clothing that I bring home will find its way (eventually!) to a new life in another form.  Refashioned into a different type or size article of clothing, or a hat, purse, headband or pillow. 

 These two photos are of a great Flax brand dress in a color that's hard to describe and the photos do not do it justice. It's a greenish blue heathery weave with a bit of iridescence to it. The whole dress is in excellent condition. Since there is so much material here, I hope to cut his down to a more stylish, but casual dress closer to my size. Any pattern ideas?

 This one is a corduroy LL Bean shirt in a
2X size, excellent condition. This one is destined
for my family summer cottage for family
wear on cool nights.

                                                         

This Old navy dress is a great brown with metallic gold overlay. I may cut off the bottom for a cute skirt with a smocked waistline, for one of my many great nieces, then make a matching headband. Any other ideas?                        

Men's tuxedo shirt with great tucking.
This tucking will look great in something!

Another men's shirt in a coral/orange gingham.
This one is going to be a summer shirt for me!

These are just a few of the items of clothing I've found. I also find other useful things like a chicken waterer which I gave to my friend who sells eggs, appliances for some of our tenants, books for light reading (which always get returned for someone else's reading pleasure :)  Yesterday, DH found a Greist sewing machine attachment, not in the swap shop, but in the trash metal pile. I was sad to realize that the sewing machine that it came from had probably been trashed and taken to be sold for scrap metal. But I was glad to have saved this small piece.

 It says Greist "A" on it, but has no number. I know that it is a tucker, but don't know which machines it was made for, do you?

From my corner of the world

I love fabric and gardening. Oh, and reading...and chocolate...and singing...and animals...and technology...and talking with other people who love the same things. I'm addicted to blogs about them, too. On Google reader, which I just discovered, I already have a list of 22 sewing blogs.

I live in the northeast section of the US, on an island 13 miles out in the Atlantic Ocean. We have most of the modern amenities, except for cell service, but of course no fabric stores unless you count the "Swap Shop" at the local landfill. This is an old trailer truck body where folks leave items that 1) they think are too good to throw away, or 2) don't want to pay to dispose of. Ideally, the first outnumber the second! I have found some lovely and useful things here: Flax dresses, vintage patterns, sewing machines, like-new Foodsaver vacuum devices, Fiesta dishes and a fabulous all-weather coat with a removable lining that I wear a lot! Look for photos of some of the things I have found in my next post!