Makeover Monday

About a year and a half ago, a lovely woman came to me to have her grandmother's wedding slip made into a bowl. A piece of it was also used to make a pin for her daughter to wear on her wedding day. Well, that daughter sent me a message the other day! She loved her wedding pin, and wanted to know if I could make something special for her sister-in-law who will be getting married soon.

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She sent me her sister-in-law's grandmother's doily, and a wooden Scrabble tile.  Grandma was an avid Scrabble player.  She wanted me to use the thread from the doily to make a heart... beyond that, the design was pretty much up to me.

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After double checking to be sure it was really OK to take the doily apart, I set out to undo stitches that have been in place for decades.  It did NOT want to be taken apart.  The thread was fine to begin with, and brittle with age on top of that.  Every few inches or so, the thread would just break as I took it apart.  After the first couple of rows, though, I came into stronger material. 

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I took out just enough to work with, and was left with a curly little pile.  I took out my teeny tiny crochet hook and made a teeny tiny heart.  Too small.  I took apart my teeny tiny heart and doubled up the thread.  Still small, but the best I could do.  I decided to use the inner portion of the original doily as the base, so I unraveled until I got to a good stopping point and then finished off.

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I arranged and arranged until I got it just right...

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... and I'm really pleased with the result!

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It measures 2.5" in diameter, and is light as a feather.  The bride will be able to attach it to her garter or bouquet, and have a bit of her grandmother with her as she walks down the aisle.  Something old AND something new.

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Though there were a few tense moments when the thread wasn't cooperating, I thoroughly enjoyed this project.  If I could do this every day, I'd be one happy lady.  Oh, Martha?  Send me your throngs of customers looking for that little something special for their wedding day ;)

Makeover Monday: Halloween Edition

Back in the day, it was cooler to have a homemade costume than store bought. Store boughts were plastic and cheapo looking; mama-made suits were the finest quality. Times have changed it seems, and Target, The Children's Place and Pottery Barn seem to be making out like bandits on Halloween. For four years, I've been right there myself, buying my girl the best outfit I could find for whatever she wanted to *be*. This year she wanted to *be* a mummy. Oh, heavens! Mommy had to conquer her fear of making a costume!

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So, I found a lovely pair of ecru long johns to serve as the mummy undersuit. Then we went to the fabric store and purchased a couple of yards of unbleached muslin and some cheesecloth. I was all set, though I had no idea exactly how to go about putting this together. I didn't want to use pins, I can't sew more than a button. Hmmm. Think, think. Aha! My glue gun is my friend.

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I tore the muslin into strips and fashioned a headpiece, vest, armbands, and a kind of skirt that could all be tied on. At the last minute Sophie wanted her whole face covered, so we did a makeshift cheesecloth mask.

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She looks pretty great, doesn't she? Very mummy if I do say so myself. It was really special when she'd put her arms out straight in front of her and mutter some sort of made up trick or treating rhyme about giving candy to the undead. Eh- zombies, mummies- what's the difference, right?

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So, while I had no idea what I was doing, and while the bottom did start to kind of loosen and drag around as the trick or treating wore on, the homemade costume was an overall success. When people complimented her on her get-up, she proudly said, "My mom made it for me!" Now that was a treat better than anything found in the candy bowl :)