All of you who sew know that scraps tend to pile up. For years I tried different ideas with what to do with them. A friend suggested scarves. It’s obvious, isn’t it? But it took me a while to figure out exactly how to make them. After many attempts, I came up with a design that I was pleased with. [a good sign!] My customers at the craft shows agreed.

In the beginning, most of my time was spent sewing jackets, coats, tops and skirts. I needed help with the scarves. At first, amazing Angie helped to sew them, then Beate and now wonderful Kimberly and my long time friend, Becky.

But covid! And no craft shows! So we slowed everything down and Kimberly and Becky went on temporary hiatus.

With no in person craft shows, I shifted my focus to my online shop.

Then, when the American Craft magazine offered ad space, I thought, why not? I put one together about scarves.

Scarves are perfect for our new online reality. Each is a one of a kind piece of art-to-wear. Plus, one size fits all. A scarf adds a bit of color and pizazz, something we’re all looking for these days. A bit of pizazz.

It worked! Between the ad and the Smithsonian virtual show my scarves were finding homes. I needed more. Which is why one of things things I’ve been doing lately is sewing scarves.

It is so much fun! And relaxing and meditative. And compared to the coats and jackets I’ve been working on, quick. No beads or hand appliqué or complicated clothing construction.

I was able to use the little pieces of leftover kimono silk from my stash.

Those gorgeous little bits of kimono silk that I cannot throw away, but are way too small for anything else.

From the bright and bold to the soft and pretty.

As I send them off to their new homes, I’ll continue to add more.

Check them out at my shop here.

Although there are many things about this pandemic that I do not like [no close visits with friends and family, no travel,… no craft shows for heavens sake] there is one thing that is not too bad, plenty of extra time.

I’m taking advantage by working on projects that are involved and will take many hours to complete. Because, there is no reason to hurry up and make things. There are no deadlines.

For example, on my wall right now, is an appliqué piece. My skinny bias tubes are pinned and laid out with a flowing stream design.

It is made with two layers, an under layer from a beautiful brocaded kimono silk and over it is a layer of a very cool, woven, sheer kimono silk.

The brocade has an energetic design that I’ve built upon by adding strips that amplify the flowing stream shapes. It’s the same basic design but ramped up to the next level.

When finished it will be two separate layers, a jacket under with a sheer version on top. The two fabric layers, a jacket on top of a jacket, will move and shift and create moire patterns.

Next up, I’ll stitch the strips in place and add some beads for extra sparkle and pizazz.

I’ve also been taking advantage of my extra time by adding to and updating my web shop. Please check it out here.

I’m sending wishes for the happiest of Thanksgivings! Large or small, now or later, however you decide to celebrate, Enjoy!

We do our best, no matter what, to continue on with our lives. Despite physical distancing and staying safe by wearing masks, we all want to keep living our lives as best as we can.

I love this photograph that Susan sent from her outdoor birthday celebration with friends. She’s wearing one of my hitoes, sewn from such a beautiful and colorful kimono silk. Mask and all, making do.

Happy birthday Susan!

How about this snapshot of Linda? We’re in the middle of a fitting for a vest to match the pieced skirt she bought last December.

The corona virus put a crimp in our scheduled meet-up last spring, but after all this time we decided to go for it, outside, on the porch, with masks. And it was not warm! She wore many layers including her own knitted woolen hat, socks and under her pants, hand knit leggings.

A new style trend?

Her new skirt was part of a set that I had made a year or so ago. The pieced skirt was inspired by the pattern in the jacket.

I loved the look of these two fabrics together, but for Linda the jacket just wasn’t right. We decided a matching vest would be much better for her.

But that left the jacket. It was sewn from a gorgeous meisen kimono silk in a ‘turtle back’ pattern that I had appliqued with little blue squares.

What to do? I still had plenty of the ‘turtle back’ silk, so I pieced a skirt to go with the orphaned jacket.

I used a darker meisen and pieced it so it gradually got darker towards the hemline. And I appliqued more little blue squares to blend with the jacket.

A close up detail of the skirt.

We all do this: we look and we see that here is where we are, that this is what we have and that is what we want.

That’s our starting point. Then, we figure out what we need to do to make it happen.