I’ve been meaning to blog about a few highlight pictures of my families Thanksgiving Vacation on the North Carolina Coast. Better late than never! Today I’m sharing a few images from our visit to Wilmington. This City pre-dates the Colonial era. I highly recommend studying Wilmington’s history. We walked around the Cape Fear River Front and also visited a few shops. I did manage to take a few pictures of houses. The historic district homes are stunning! -Stephanie
In light of Friday the 13th last week, I selected this story (audible book) and I haven’t read from D.M. Pulley before. Hmm…my thoughts vary of the tale I’m absorbing. – Stephanie
For fans of The Haunting of Hill House comes a dark tale of a mansion haunted by a legacy of tragedy and a family trapped by lies.
Margot and Myron Spielman move to a new town, looking for a fresh start and an escape from the long shadow of their past. But soon after they buy Rawlingswood, a foreclosed mansion rumored to be haunted, they realize they’re in for more of the same…or worse.
After a renovation fraught with injuries and setbacks, the Spielmans move in to the century-old house, and their problems quickly escalate. The home’s beautiful facade begins to crumble around them when their teenage son uncovers disturbing details of Rawlingswood’s history—a history of murder, betrayal, and financial ruin. The Spielmans’ own shameful secrets and lies become harder to hide as someone or something inside the house watches their every move.
As tensions build between the family members, the home’s dark history threatens to repeat itself. Margot and Myron must confront their own ghosts and Rawlingswood’s buried past before the house becomes their undoing.
Good morning and happy Monday! I hope you all had two days of rest and renewal to start off the new week right.
The last few days I’ve had a bad cold and I rested in my recliner all weekend while working on my projects, exploring new ideas, stitch doodling, prepping upcoming projects, reflecting and being in the present. I thought a lot about blending the old with the new and the re-purpose ones clothes, and what it means for the environment. For a deep appreciation of keeping the old ways of mending and sewing alive. I also reflected on my creations and how I express them. For me, there is no wrong way in doing so.
Saturday I was working on my secret project pretty much all day then decided to take a break from it and prep scraps for a Sashiko/Boro influence/ mix media art collage project I’m starting in January. I haven’t sewed any of the fabrics down yet. I’m still in the process of placing the fabrics. Anyhow, it’s going to be about a 12×12 collage. I’ll probably frame it once its completed or if I change my mind, use the collage in another project. There is no pressure in making a final decision. I did go ahead and slow stitched on denim square.
I would really like to stress that your stitches don’t have to be perfectly straight. Make your creations your own. That is unless you’re working on a art piece for someone who is paying for straight stitches, if its something you prefer or working with patterns. Please keep in mind that slow stitching is forgiving and if you are not satisfied with what you stitched, you can go back and change it. Enjoy the process. Slow down and breath.
Sunday was another day of resting and a bit of planning for the pattern of my Denim Rag Quilt. I arranged my Grandmother’s scraps the way I want them-for the most part. I need to put a lighter denim square in the upper right corner. I did play around with some visible stitching on one of the quilt squares. The process was so relaxing! I won’t be doing stitching patterns on all of them. However, I’m slow stitching on the scrap patches. I’m sewing this quilt by hand as much as possible.
I’ve been jumping around on projects this weekend. That’s how I roll!
Follow my closet @artsycouture42 and use my code: ARTSYCOUTURE42 to get a free $10 credit when signing up for Poshmark! www.poshmark.
See you next time! Bye for now.
Stephanie
Y’all I just had to bring back the Cover Crush Series because I am a sucker for cover art! I am not a book cover designer but I can agree that cover layouts play an important role in the overall presentation of stories and I must admit, often times I first judge a book by its cover. This latest one just really popped out to me due to the colors and the Lady’s dress and hat I believe.
St. Martin’s Press/Pub Date 14 Apr 2020Death of an American Beauty is the third in Mariah Fredericks’s compelling series, set in Gilded Age New York, featuring Jane Prescott.
Jane Prescott is taking a break from her duties as lady’s maid for a week, and plans to begin it with attending the hottest and most scandalous show in town: the opening of an art exhibition, showcasing the cubists, that is shocking New York City.
1913 is also the fiftieth anniversary of Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation speech, and the city’s great and good are determined to celebrate in style. Dolly Rutherford, heiress to the glamorous Rutherford’s department store empire, has gathered her coterie of society ladies to put on a play—with Jane’s employer Louise Tyler in the starring role as Lincoln himself. Jane is torn between helping the ladies with their costumes and enjoying her holiday. But fate decides she will do neither, when a woman is found murdered outside Jane’s childhood home—a refuge for women run by her uncle.
Deeply troubled as her uncle falls under suspicion and haunted by memories of a woman she once knew, Jane—with the help of old friends and new acquaintances, reporter Michael Behan and music hall pianist Leo Hirschfeld—is determined to discover who is making death into their own twisted art form.
Cover Crush is a weekly series that originated by Erin at Historical Fiction Reader .
Other book bloggers who participated in the great cover crushes series.
Magdalena at A Bookaholic Swede
Colleen at A Literary Vacation
Heather at The Maiden’s Court
Holly at 2 Kids and Tired
I’m thrilled to be featuring Posher Kaitlyn at Layered Pages today. She is a fashion seller on the Poshmark App and I love her closet! Poshmark is a wonderful community of sellers and buyers. I’m proud to be a part of a community that strives on saving clothes from the landfills and selling fashion at an affordable price. I have met-locally and from afar-so many wonderful people through Poshmark since I started selling and buying on the App. If you want to learn more about Poshmark’s community, stay tuned to my site as I will be posting more about the App and the importance of sites like them.
I’ve been on the hunt for new pieces to decorate with and what a better way to find treasures by thifting to help cut down on materials ending up in the landfills. Last week I went to my local Goodwill and found the pieces below. Originally I was looking for a decor piece to display my Grandmother’s thread spools I inherited when she went to be the Lord a few years ago. When I spotted the glass pitcher I was so thrilled! On the front it say, “Simple Handmade Goodness.” How perfect is that!?
The small light brown potter jar is handmade by someone who had made a piggy bank. There is actually change in the pottery, How cute! The floral jar with the lid was new with tags on it and the green vase is perfect for the colors in my bedroom. So happy with what I chose and at a VERY affordable price. I hope you all are having a fabulous week!
I meant to post this blog post live earlier but better late than never. Yesterday was full of good coffee, great friends, binge watching my one of my favorite YouTube Channels-while working- and crafty adventures.
A few of my friends wanted to see more patch designs I’m creating with my Grandmother’s quilting scraps for my denim rag quilt. Here are a few samples of what I’m creating:
Also I am making the quilt bigger so tonight I’m cutting my denim squares. There will be a lot of sewing involved but I’m excited about it. This project is being done when I have down time which isn’t often. I was able to cut out three rows worth of squares last-night.
After I completed my tasks of denim cutting, I started a rag rug with my denim scraps from my denim rag quilt-currently making-and old t-shirts. What I have so far is the start of the center part of the rug. Don’t worry, I will make the circle tighter to close that gap hole in the middle. These rugs are so easy to make. You just braid your fabric together and I’ll show you soon how you can attach it all together. There are two methods to sewing this rug. I’m going to sew by hand. I tied the end with a hair tie to pick up where I left off at a later time. More to come!
I met my local Poshmark Tribe Copper Coin (400 Chambers St, Woodstock, GA 30188, USA) yesterday morning for the Poshmark 8th Birthday celebration and gift exchange. What a blast we had! Our Posh community in Atlanta is the best!
Other related content:
Book Wish-List: Visible Mending
Poshmark Closet
Follow my closet @artsycouture42 and use my code: ARTSYCOUTURE42 to get a free $10 credit when signing up for Poshmark! www.poshmark.
From what little I’ve read so far on the subject of Visible Mending AKA Sashiko Stitching is that it is traced back to the Edo era of Japan. The translation for Sashiko is “little stabs” refers to running stitch through fabric that is visible to the eye. One would find these visible mending on clothing of Japanese working people. This method of stitching extends the life of the clothing…
Furthermore, in my opinion shows an appreciation for the value of fabrics and the respect for resources that go into making the clothes. To take value of what one has no matter the quantity. Sashiko is important and I hope it continues to grow in awareness, is learned by many more people and will never be forgotten. Today you will find many different patterns of Sashiko and as the trend grows you become educated on how important it is to up-cycle your clothes for various reason which I will share in another post. Today I’m sharing three books that I have added to my wish-list and hope to acquire them soon to better educate myself in the art of visible mending, to educate consumers and the for my own preservation projects.
Side note: The Edo era of Japan is the period between 1603 and 1868.
Stephanie Hopkins
“Mending Matters explores sewing on two levels: First, it includes more than 20 hands-on projects that showcase current trends in visible mending that are edgy, modern, and bold—but draw on traditional stitching. It does all this through just four very simple mending techniques: exterior patches, interior patches, slow stitches, darning, and weaving. In addition, the book addresses the way mending leads to a more mindful relationship to fashion and to overall well-being. In essays that accompany each how-to chapter, Katrina Rodabaugh explores mending as a metaphor for appreciating our own naturally flawed selves, and she examines the ways in which mending teaches us new skills, self-reliance, and confidence, all gained from making things with our own hands.”
“Sometimes less is more—and quality is more important than quantity. That’s true in textile art too, and this much-needed guide brings a meaningful, thoughtful, and sustainable approach to stitchery. See how to slow down and experience more joy in your craft by trying simple techniques based on traditional practice, reusing and reinventing materials, and limiting equipment. Richly illustrated throughout, this inspirational book will connect with those who seek a new way of working—whether it’s starting a stitch journal or joining a community of like-minded artists.”
“Sashiko, the traditional Japaneses technique of needlework quilting, uses simple running stitch to create beautifully decorative patterns ideal for patchwork, quilting and embroidery. Sashiko (pronounced shash-ko) means ‘stab stitch’ and refers to the small running stitch that is worked to build up distinctive decorative patterns, of which there are hundreds. The book begins by exploring the origins of the technique to strengthen clothes and to make them warmer. Getting Started describes everything you need to begin stitching, including selecting suitable fabrics and threads, marking out patterns on the fabric, as well as the stitching technique itself. Ten project chapters show how easy it is to use sashiko patterns to make beautiful items for the home. The sashiko patterns are described in step-by-step detail in the pattern library, showing you exactly how to achieve each individual pattern with ease. Finally a gallery of work by contemporary Japanese textile artists provides extra inspiration.”
I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving Holiday! We spent ours in Kure Beach, North Carolina. What a wonderful time with the Family and spending time on the beach and hanging out in Wilmington for a couple hours with my mother and sister. I took a lot of great pictures and will be sharing them in the coming days.
To the right is one I took on November 30th. Even though I am a Florida Native, I adore the North Carolina Coast and hope to live there one day. For now I’ll visit as much as possible. With the beautiful scenery of the ocean and the coastal towns, I have been inspired for new art projects I want to start soon. The art pieces will be a blend of vintage and abstracts themes.
I didn’t get as much reading in as I thought I might but I was a bit distracted. Here is one I listened too and I’m not sure I will write a review for it. However, I did rate the story three stars. Below is the book description:
“What would you do if you came home to find someone in your house?
This is the predicament Polly Cooke faces when she returns to her new home.The first weeks in the house had been idyllic, but soon Jacob, a local man, is watching her.
What does he want and why is he so obsessed with Polly?
In a situation where nothing is what it seems, you might end up regretting letting some people in.”
On the quilting front, I decided that the quilt size I chose isn’t quite big enough for what I’m wanting so I decided to make the quilt larger. I’m really thrilled about this project because I am using my Grandmother’s quilting scraps for the patches on the denim squares.
Have a beautiful Tuesday and be sure to check back more more updates!
Stephanie
Layered Pages 