SUZANI MEETS PENNY RUG

I always like to have a hand-sewing project to work on.  I call it my 'busy work' -- my grandmother called hers 'fancy work'.  Usually my project is a patchwork quilt, but I also enjoy applique and embroidery plus a rare knitting project.

Years ago, I gave up using existing patterns.  I find it more fun and challenging to just make things up as I go.

Lately, I've been exploring Suzani textiles, a central-Asian ethnic embroidery.  I love the geometrics of Suzani, but knew I would be in over my head to just embroider such an intricate design.

A SUZANI TEXTILE FROM GOOGLE IMAGES

 So, I decided to combine a loose interpretation of Suzani designs and embroidery with the techniques (applique) and materials (wool) used in penny rugs as my inspiration for a pillow top.

A PREVIOUS PENNY RUG PROJECT

I was about half-way done, and didn't like it; so had to refocus and salvage some of the completed parts.

FIRST ATTEMPT

This is what I ended up doing.

Part of the challenge was just using the fabrics I had on hand.  They were bits and pieces of wool from garments I have found at thrift stores.  The navy blue background fabric was a Pendleton skirt and the pillow flange was a Pendleton man's jacket.  Ralph Lauren, Anne Klein, and others are also represented in the fabrics.

My project was still labor intensive with the embroidery, so it kept me 'busy' for quite awhile even though the pillow is only 14" square.

Relying on just inspiration and imagination can be tricky.  Sometimes you end up with something unique and fabulous -- other times it's not so great!  

The verdict is still out on this project.

I'm joining the following parties.  Please check them out for a plethora of inspiration.
Confessions of a Plate Addict for The Scoop Tuesday
Our Home Away from Home for Tuesdays at our Home
Coastal Charm for Nifty Thrifty Tuesday
A Stroll Thru Life for Inspire Me Tuesday
Ivy and Elephants for What's It Wednesday
Green Willow Pond for What We Accomplished Wednesday
Have a Daily Cup for Share Your Cup Thursday
The Charm of Home for Home Sweet Home Friday
Common Ground for Be Inspired Friday
French Country Cottage for Feathered Nest Friday
The Dedicated House for Anything Blue Friday
Pieced Pastimes for Saturday Sparks
Funky Junk Interiors for Saturday Nite Special
Smiling Sally for Blue Monday

Copy Cat Pillow

 Back in the 1950s as a teenager, I inherited a bunch of stuff from my step-great-grandmother including furniture and paintings.  They were my first antiques, and started me on a life-long collecting journey.  Among those belongings from her was this small embroidery with painted accents.  She was a talented painter, and I assume she made this.  I've always wanted to do something with it, and recently found this image below in an old November 2007 Romantic Homes magazine.

I decided to incorporate the embroidery into a pillow.   

 I'm always looking for ways to make things out of what I have on hand.  So, I used muslin scraps plus plaid fabric from an old 100% wool Pendleton skirt.

 My grandmother's button box did not yield any suitable buttons, so I asked Bob to make me some out of his supply of twigs.  I think the buttons turned out perfect for this pillow.

I love the completed project and it is so suitable for our Colorado home! 

I'm partying with the following blogs.  Please stop by these blogs for a plethora of inspiration.

2805 for Potpourri Friday

Common Ground for Vintage Inspiration Friday

French Country Cottage for Feathered Nest Friday

Debbiedoos for Copy Cat Challenge Monday

Between Naps on the Porch for Met Monday

Coastal Charm for Nifty Thrifty Tuesday

Very Merry Vintage Style for Share the Love Wednesday

EYE CLUTTER?

Not much going on here -- just gearing up for the holidays. I sat down yesterday and made a couple of pillows. I had bought a half-yard piece of red wool (on sale plus a 40% off coupon) for $6; and I had some very nice old black velvet ribbon from an estate sale. I added some Ralph Lauren inspiration, and after a couple of hours on the sewing machine; I had these two pillows.

It seems that my house has a tendency to clutter up very fast with all of the Christmas decorations added. I thought maybe if I put away all of the print pillows and added these simple ones; it would help.

So, after next week's festivities with Thanksgiving, we'll get the Christmas stuff out and begin the decorating. It will be fun to see all of the old favorites again from the past 52 Christmases at the Salmagundi household.

May you all have a joyous Thanksgiving week.

I'M PONDERING PILLOWS AGAIN

I'm in a pillow making mood again. I've always wanted some wool pillows to use in the living room during the winter . Last year, I made one pillow from a wool Ralph Lauren skirt that I found at Goodwill (click here to read about that, if you wish). That was as far as my wool pillow project went last winter. This year, I'm determined to get an earlier start. (Is it too early to think about winter???)

Always on a budget, I checked out Goodwill for more suitable wool and found several pieces of new fabric from some one's fabric stash. It was $4 for as much as I could stuff in a plastic bag. I ended up with several different wools for a total of over 5 yards of wide fabric.

I decided on a monogram pillow, so I thought how hard could that be now that I had all of this luscious wool. At first I was thinking I could hand embroider the monogram like my grandmothers always did, but I decided that was too much work for these arthritic fingers. Since I have had some success with the satin stitch on my sewing machine, I thought that would be the answer. But as I was doing a sample run, my 41 year-old sewing machine decided it was tired of doing the zig-zag, and the lever broke. No replacement parts could be found by anyone for my trusty, old machine. It still sews a nice straight stitch, however. So, now on to plan C - applique. I decided to cut out my monogram from felt and sew it on. Did you know that you can buy felt made from recyclable plastic that washes and dries wonderfully?

In anything that I make, washability is important to me. I always prewash and dry all of my fabrics before making a project. I washed all of my Goodwill wools in Woolite in the machine, then dried them in the dryer on low. They came out great.

I used osnaburg (sometimes called hop sacking) for the background of the monogram. It's cheap - $2.99 per yard - and has a nice texture after laundering.

All in all, the pillow cover cost me under $2.00. The most expensive thing was the zipper for the closure and I had a 40% off coupon for that.

Just call me frugal --- but then I'm not even going to talk about what a new sewing machine is going to cost me!

I'm linking up to the following parties. Be sure to check them out for lots of fun posts.

Cindy at My Romantic Home
for her Friday Show and Tell.

Donna at Funky Junk Interiors
for her Saturday Night Special party.

PONDERING PILLOWS AGAIN

I love pillows, and I love to make pillows; so I had to join in on Rhondi's Pillow Party at Rose Colored Glasses.
Please check out her blog for a plethora of pillow goodness.

Below are some mosaics of some of the pillows around my house; all of which I made.

Back in June of 2009, I did a post about 'Pondering Pillows'. If you are interested in reading the post, you can click here.

I'm also going to link into Mary's Monday Mosaic Party. Check out the participants here.