Morning Glories and Lilacs, Men's Shirt Refashion

Check out those Morning glories in the background

 This week I pulled another men's shirt from that "fill a bag for $5" stash that I'd scored several months ago at the local thrift store. I also had picked up a batik style beach wrap for $1.00 at a garage sale. It was in the same color family as the shirt and I liked the combo.

First I cut the sleeves and collar from the shirt.  The sleeves were sewn to the front, cuffs up, below the bust line. The beach wrap was cut to fit and sewn to the back along with a pretty embroidered piece cut from a damaged table runner.

Are these lilacs?

I used a tight zigzag to applique the embroidered piece to the shirt.

Finally hemming the bottom of the sleeves and adding some lace trim to finish off the raw edges in front.

I wore this top this weekend to an auction (one of my favorite summer activities!) and managed to spill coffee down the front. So now it's totally broken in!

Happy Sewing!  --The Elevated Bag Lady

Upcycled Farm Cart

Summertime, and the living is easy . . .

It's been a glorious summer in Southern Wisconsin and all that hard work planting the garden is paying off.

My beautiful veggies, more than I can eat! So why not fix up a little cart to give away the excess?

SW and I put our brains and talent together to turn a garage sale find into our very own farm cart. 

Combining an old lawn cart, salvaged wood, and corrugated metal (for roof), along with a little paint and some stencils, we had fun making this cart uniquely ours. A rotating turnstile of trays on the left and a box off to the right for storing bags or other items, and we're all set!

Before

Ok, back to the garden! Stay cool! See you later--Elevated Bag Lady

Country Rose Dress from Duvet Cover

What do you do with a worn out duvet,

What do you do with a worn out duvet,

What do you do with a worn out duvet early in the morning?

(sung to: What do you do with a drunken sailor)

YOU MAKE IT INTO A DRESS, OF COURSE

Country Rose Dress 

After about 15 years, my favorite duvet was finally wearing out.  The fabric had worn thin on the edges but it had a wonderful washed and worn feel to it.  I was just too much in love with it to toss it out...and just look at all that fabric! In addition to the pretty roses on the front, the back was lined with a pink plaid.  

My plan of attack was to take another jumper/dress that I really liked, and use that as a pattern.

Since I was using the pink plaid as a lining for this dress I just placed the jumper on the duvet cover, lining the seams up in the middle of the pattern (the duvet cover had two vertical seams to make it wide enough for a bed.) I put one seam in the middle of the dress front, one seam in the middle of the dress back. I did need to flip the dress over, as the pattern was slightly different (higher) in the back.

After sewing the pieces together I trimmed with old tablecloths and lace, damaged pieces that I've been collecting for years.

Favorite worn out bed duvet 

This was a before shot of the duvet cover.  Now when my mom says, "It looks like you slept in that dress", (thanks Mom, for always noticing my ironing skills) I can say, "Yes actually, I DID!"  

More good news:  I have enough leftover fabric to make a dress for my brand new granddaughter.  My project list is getting longer!

Wildflower Fever

 

 

Wildflowers are blooming in Southern Wisconsin!  I've been excited to see this patch growing from a bag of seeds we planted this year.  The bachelor buttons are so delicate and sweet!

 

They look especially dainty in this test tube stand, which I picked up at a flea market last summer.



Can't wait to see if there are other flowers/colors in this mix that haven't yet bloomed. 

Garden Fun

 

It's not just 5 o'clock somewhere...it's 5 o'clock in the Elevated Bag Lady's garden!  This is my first real summer at my Wisconsin farm, and gardening has been on my bucket list for years.  I honestly feel like I'm cheating.  In Wisconsin you just stick stuff in the ground and it GROWS!  It's really pretty amazing. 

There was a pre-established garden on the farm, but we decided to relocate it to be in front of this old horse lean-to.  It seemed like a fun place to have a potting table and a spot to get in out of the sun.  I picked up these Margaritaville chairs at a local nursery and they give the perfect "pop" to the area.  That's an apple ladder hanging from the ceiling, like a pot rack for watering cans and apple baskets. 

Happy Gardening!

Get there if you Can!

I put this directional sign together last summer, but still get a big kick out of it every time I see it.  After perusing Pinterest for ideas, and knowing basically what I wanted, I scouted about for pieces of wood that could be cut for this project. 

After finding various odd boards and having my "handyman" (AKA SW)  cut them to size I then scouted about for leftover paint.  Sounds like I have old junk lying around everywhere, doesn't it?  Well I DON'T !!  But I bet you do.  Haha 

So anyway, I first considered marking the distance to big cities.  But after some thought I decided it was more personal to mark the distance to people I love.  So when I look at these locations I think of specific people IN those places.  When you advertise that this is what you've done, however, don't be suprirsed at all the people who pop up and say, "but my town isn't on there, don't you love me?"  OIY, let's be REASONABLE people.  I love you all, but you can't all be on there.