Wednesday, August 26, 2009

I'm thinking I have a (another??) new obsession....

Fabric.

Yep. Cloth.

And I don't sew a lick..(got a new sewing machine and couldn't use it for 2 years...lost the cord & foot pedal..didn't even realize it..huh..)

..besides, what does that mean anyway.."sew a lick"? Or do anything in a "lick"..except eat ice cream and /or Tootsie Roll Pops...

{OK - it's now 40 minutes later and after an exhausted Google search..}

...I got nuthin'..

But I did find out where the word pajamas comes from :-)

Pajamas
Of Persian decent, it's a combination of the words pa (leg) and jamah (garment).

I. did. not. know. that...

So anyway, I am getting to like this whole fabric collage thingy..because you don't have to be a good sew-er to do it . As a matter of fact, rough edges, and different stitches add to the charm..

So, if I can do something and not be precise - I like it.

Which is probably why I wasn't good with money..I thought it was OK to guess balances, due dates, check numbers and payments..

Not so much ..

I was walking through, of all places, a fabric store and they had TONZZZ of....fabric!

Tall fabric, fat fabric, smooth fabric, shiny fabric, soft fabric, bumplie fabric..you name it.

They even had some ugly fabric but that's another story.

But, really, with all the choices of beautiful fabric, why would anyone CHOOSE to buy ugly fabric?

Beats me. {wonder where that expression came from??}

Back to the fabric store. I felt like a little kid at Toy-R-Us ...

There was so much to take in. To smell. To touch. And I wanted all of it.

Well, not so much the ugly stuff.

Now that I think of it, maybe a little of the ugly stuff would look kinda cool in a collage...

Anyway, did you know you can buy teensy amounts of fabric? Like 1/4 yard? Yeah..so I got a while bunch of teensy luscious fabrics..

Wanna see?

This is what I am calling my..."manly- man-type cloth" collection..

Such great textures and neutral colors..and f course the do-dads ( another mysterious expression..) have to have a less-blingy quality..

But then there's the "girly-girl" collection...

Pretty and pinky and soft and feminine and ..you know...girly!

Now that I have some fabric and manly-do-dads, I need to be on the look out for ..bright, shiny objects.

Which I am drawn to ..along with rusty objects..and old objects..

I started looking at belts from the thrift store ($1.00 each) and found some already..

So, now I'm looking for those 1-earring-broken bracelets-old chains-fabric flowers..you know...

Junque!
What have you gotten excited about lately?...

... that you can tell us about...?

Let us know. And if you want to see an amazing woman and what she has done with bits and bobs and scraps and junk, go to www.lipstickranch.com and see what I'm so excited about..

-me

12 comments:

Vicki/Jake said...

Oh, I LOVE fabric stores! Almost as much as the second hand ones..almost.
Now I'll have to go see what you're talking about.

Funny about your sewing. I flunked every year of Home Ec in high school! HATED the girly stuff then. But after marriage and kids, taught myself how to sew. But I have to be in the mood. Making tote bags now for awhile.

Love all your little doodad finds.

Have fun creating!

Vicki

Pearl said...

Collen! I loved this site. Oh how fun your going to have. I'm interested in the quote by "Pearl" on one of her pieces. Gee? Wonder why? Thanks for turning me on to this site. I can't wait to see your art work. As always you keep me laughing. What would I do without my daily dose of Colleen?

Unknown said...

I have two very large bolts of beautiful fabric sitting in my closet... for when I'm ready to make slipcovers for my chaise and sofa. I'm not ready yet.

Karen said...

I've got to get me a hobby like that. I tried quilting and was very, very VERY bad at it. Maybe I can use all those quilt squares and make something funky.

Little Penpen said...

I love your description of bumplie fabric... I know exactly which one you are talking about. :o) I, too, love fabric... it's amazing all the pretty designs out there!

Little Penpen said...

I just got back from Lipstick Ranch... those things are gorgeous. The piece I wanted costs $600.... I'll wait for you to make it for me. :o)

wendy said...

I also am addicted to fabric stores! But isn't it Fun!!!
Have a great week.

Art by Darla Kay said...

Can't wait to see what you create!!
I love fabric stores too and we have a beautiful batik fabric store here in our little town that ships internationally. (Sew Batik) It's so pretty but I can't afford expensive fabrics because I do NOT know what I'm doing! haha
I'm off to check out the site you shared with us. Thanks!
Darla♥

Irish Cottage Dreams said...

Beautiful fabric! I love the different rose
patterns. I don't sew either... well, not really. I can hem my jeans,,, at 5'2 I have to hem everything. LOL!

My new obsession is buttons! They are hard for me to get unique ones out here in this part of Germany... but I dream of making a tea cozy covered in them. :)

hugs~ Kimme

Charmingdesigns said...

Ohhhhh. I cant wait to see what you come up with...a photo perhaps??

white o'morn cottage said...

Hi Colleen, just cathcing up with your posts. The BAG! Magnificent. You lucky ducky. Oh, the fabrics. Yes, i am also going gaga at fabrics these days.I picked up a piece of pink gingham in a thrift shop for £1.50 and made loads of thingys with it. Pure pleasure!

Jan said...

Oh darlin'....now you've got me going! And you know what? About 5 years ago we bought a LARGE storage unit filled with upholstery fabric! All different kinds! Bolts and bolts of it! I'm not kidding when I tell you there are at least 500 bolts of fabric! NOW I know what I'm gonna do with it! LOL!

Wanna see what I've been up to ??

 I always wanted a dollhouse. My dad was a carpenter and was asked by one of his wealthy customers to make a dollhouse for their daughter. I...