Sew What You Reap

 I am a relentless thrifter.
 My daily studio breaks find me in Goodwill, Salvation Army, and Thrift Outlet, loading my basket with myriad of small wonders.  Thrifting has always been my release; the cathartic meandering frees my mind, interrupted only by the subtle radar bleeping of a gem in close proximity. I thrift to calm my creative chaos. I also believe that up-cycling is the purest form of working in the  primitive tradition.  And as a generally good human being, I like that the money I spend on my supplies goes right back to my community charities.

 

If I am not careful I can amass a hoarder's share of fabric, notions, and trinkets in record time. I am addicted to vintage Pendleton wools and a good tooled leather belt will find me genuflecting in the aisles.  To say I buy a lot of fabric would be the textbook version of lying.  I buy an obscene amount of fabric because I take pity on cashmere sweaters and woolens tossed for wounds inflicted by rogue gangs of moths. I know how easily each piece can be up-cycled into purrfect pets, wee mousels, and primitive projects. But even after crafting day and night, there remains more fabric in need of a good home. After all, an up-cycler rarely wastes a thing.

 

Introducing Bela Peck Home!  My latest Etsy shop offers all that I cannot use but know others can. More than the thrill of the bargain hunt, I love to share a good find so my prices are low and the quality is top notch!

The three pillars of Bela Peck Home are:

Love and bargains make this world go 'round.

Life is too short to pay retail.

Pay it forward, always.

https://www.etsy.com/shop/BelaPeckHome

http://instagram.com/sew_what_you_reap/

 

So swing by to say hello, browse for something needful, and always sew what you reap or send it on.

 

LOVE & NEW ETSY SHOP!

Summer Skeletons

It is a little known fact that Halloween skeletons spend their off season basking in the sizzling sun, bleaching out their bones and getting that much needed R&R prior to the busy fright season.  Here in Galveston, the skellies gather to share laughter and hone their scary skills. 

These summer skellies are always the first of my Halloween prep projects.  They have morphed over the years from their Halloween-only status.  The original artist, Stacey Meade, aka The Goode Wife of Washington County, is a dear friend who has allowed me playful liberties in using this guy's head on a variety of bodies and costume.

Soon these swim trunks will be replaced with winter woolies and the old bones will be rattling with festive frights.  But for the few months remaining, under the scorching Texas sun, these boney bums will be basking on the beach.

  LOVE  & SILLY SKELLIES!

And Then There Is Life

2014 has been full of the unexpected, the unforeseen, the unpredictable, the slow healing of time, the redefinition of priorities, and a necessary slowing of life lived in full speed. Studio doors have been closed, production reduced to bare minimum leaving nothing but the dull hum of stunted creativity.  And then, without warning.... suddenly, there is life.

 

I am going to be a grandmother!

 A new wee soul to brighten this uncertain world.  A tiny face to smile, a brand new person to hug and hold tight. All the possibilities of hope and love just 7 months away! 

The studio doors have flung open with a softer feel; up-cycled cashmere and tiny whimsical cotton prints drape the work table. There is laughter and excitement among the studio mice and the necessary rethinking of traditional patterns is taking place.

The studio mice will become larger for easier grasp in wee hands. 

Small parts will give way to embroidered features to avoid choking hazards. And time will be spent in the whimsical fabric stacks of childhood themes. Nearly 2 decades have passed since I needed baby themed prints and WOW!! There are so many brilliant designers out there! I'm not certain I can buy enough! 

I'd forgotten the love of small stitches in simple lines to create the necessities of welcoming new life into this world; soft blankies, diaper covers, rattles and bibs.  The splendid repetition of snipping corners, turning and pressing, all the while dreaming how this baby will impact our world.

Some have said we are too young to be grandparents, that our daughter is not yet ready to be a mother.  All I can say after the year we have had is that we do not tell life when we wish it to come and go.  That door opens and closes often without our consent.  Ready or not, life is coming. We are simply blessed to be here to embrace it together.

As for those with inquiring minds: we are sooooo ready!

 LOVE & NEW LIFE!

 

 

 

Studio Mice Stealing Hearts

January went by faster than a startled cat!  It was a month of studio changes, refocus, and wake up calls- but more on that later.  Today is a light and fluffy kind of return to my blogging side.  Today is a day to introduce the studio mice of 2014. 

The new studio mice are made of up-cycled wool and cashmere.

They are simple critters with big hearts.

 

Though they are quiet and relatively unobtrusive, they do tend to multiply quickly.



To see more studio mice, check out where they dwell on Early Work Mercantile,  Etsy, and Hendley Market.

 

LOVE & STUDIO MICE

 





The Crowded Workbasket

It's that time of year again! My fingers are dye-stained and stitches are flying as I create to keep up with demand.  Studio work reigns supreme and my writing cravings simply have to wait.  But I am not complaining! 

 The baskets are full of critters in all sorts of unfinished stages!  Friendly basket banter can be overheard as Halloween peeps face off with Holiday mice and snowmen.

The mice are natural wisecrackers, hiding behind innocent smiles.

Those creations without mouths wait patiently, contemplating future retorts.



This fall I have the privilege of selling my goods at Hendley Market and this batch of pumpkins is excited to join the store shenanigans! It won't be long before the rest of their workbasket buddies join them in Galveston!

LOVE & STICHING MARATHONS!

 

Jacq The Ripper

Sometimes when I am in the thrift store, I feel a little like a deviant- stalking the ladies' wear for just the right "look"; the perfect specimen.  I touch places I shouldn't. Turning down collars, fondling the buttons, running my fingers along the bust line, and looking under the skirt.  Oh my!  It all feels a little...... naughty!  But I need perfection in the piece.

I've never met an old garment I can't re-purpose but making just the right selection is a skill I've honed over time.  All fabrics beg to live another day; to be spared the dump where their fine lines, petite buttons and natural threads will disintegrate like old magazine pages.  Doomed to return to the dirt, so far from their glamorous retail showroom roots.  But I fancy myself as a pied piper of the lost fashions, a re-maker, a ripper.

Vintage coats are my favorite deconstruction.  They tell a story of fine craftsmanship and simpler times when a dress coat didn't pull double duty and therefore usually survives the decades in pristine condition.  This cashmere coat is a recent find.

Don't be fooled by the simple exterior.  Looking inside, the detail is astounding: hand quilted silk, intricate pocket details, and an owner's label.  I love finding these names, like souvenirs of the hunt, elegantly stitched into the lining.  I wonder who these ladies were and imagine their joy at picking up such tailored lovelies.

No piece of coat ever goes to waste.  What is left after the careful cutting, lining extraction, and label preservation- all those wee "unusable" scraps will become traditional stuffing for rag pillows or dolls to replicate the old lumpy stuffing used in the primitive crafting tradition. No evidence left at the scene, so to speak. ;)

Autumn is fast approaching.  The grounds are primed for closet cleaning and the annual tossing of the old in many homes.  I will be there..... Waiting.....  At the thrift store.... or maybe I'll even show up at the estate sale.... but oh yes.... I will be there...to rescue the forgotten.

 

LOVE  &  UP-CYCLE NATION!

 

A Good Case For Needling

I just love a good case of needles!  It doesn't matter where they come from- quaint boutiques selling reproduction books, a brightly colored vintage book from the antique store, or that estate sale bag of cast off notions sure to include the best of all cases: an advertisement!

 Fancy needle books and everyday business appreciation cases are relics of simpler times when front porch gatherings were the social hot spot and sewing skills were a necessity rather than hobby.  It was also pure advertising genius and perhaps the predecessor to branding by getting the consumer to incorporate logos into everyday life.

I am a true sucker for every needle case I see.  I linger, read the ad, open it to count the remaining needles.  I wonder about the conversations the case has heard round the sewing table.  With so much adoration, I realized I could make my own as a companion to my line of tart tin pin cushions. 

 Using printer fabric, I printed out my cases, aged with a cinnamon coffee soak, and layered over cashmere wool.  A simple herringbone spine stitch and a few needles tucked in- it's a thousand times more useful than a paper tag and leaves a lasting impression.

 With so much focus on returning to Main Street, shopping local, and restoring community, I hope to see the needle ad case come back into vogue.  For now, the needle case ad is the primitive perfect companion to up-cycled pin cushions!

 

LOVE  &  MAIN STREET!!

Busy Hands

Even though Baby Girl is only a few days shy of 18, when she is sick at home snoozing the day away on the couch, I can't help but pass the day by her side. I pull up the work basket, put on an animated movie and stitch as she sleeps.

So many projects needed just a few final embellishments: an eye, a snout, a few color touches.

I wasn't sure about Bubbles' snout- but with a few tips from my bestie, Ashlie Blake of Painting Bliss- he will soon suit my fancy.

The sheep chose just the right vintage leather glove for their faces.  This morning, now that yesterday's rain has passed, they are in the garden choosing their legs and then they will be ready for their Etsy slots.

I even had time to start another whimsical work.  I've ben wanting to do a pillow version of my mice using the dreamy alpaca roving I picked up on my trip to Connecticut in March.  It is like sculpting with buttah!

This wee piece will travel with me as I like to always have a project on hand.  Traffic jams, Starbucks drive thru lines, prescription pick up waits- all good times to punch in more wool and fill my need to never waste a second in this creative life.

 

LOVE  &  BUSY HANDS

Spring Prims In My Work Basket

My studio work basket is full of brightly colored farm life this week. Prim pigs, sheep and mice are ruling the roost with folk art flair.

Bubbles the Pig is back in production after being well received on his first run.  With thrifted winter woolies scarce in the hot Texas spring and summer months, I am thinking of making a summer linen version to keep the piggies happy.

Inspired by the colors of spring, these sheep are made from felted wool in teals.  They lumber quietly about the studio- lending a shady resting spot for wee mice.

Bubbles will soon be joined by his newest pen pal, Edna. Together they will laze about the pasture in the warm spring sun day dreaming under blue country skies.

 

Today is a gray day outside the studio windows so these colors should make for cheerful work.

 

LOVE  &  WORK BASKETS!

Russian Mice Revamp

All good ideas evolve, improve, morph into a new generation.  The Russian mice are no exception.  Initially completed with wire details, these metal arms and toes became cumbersome and twisted.  They needed a face lift to soften the iron curtain claws and enter a kinder paw phase. 

All hail the mighty alpaca roving!  Softer than featherweight cashmere and more pliable than putty, this roving rocks the wire and compacts into the sweetest paws around!

Pedicures were a must once the hands were coiffed!  Wrapping the roving around the wire as well as braiding it through the original foot loop creates a sturdy form that is easily needle punched into a solid form.

Now it's time to further evolve the fibers used in the making of the mice!  Next on tap is wool blend mohair suiting and vintage curly coat fur! 

Strawberries and Cream still needs a real name and a few final touches before she makes her debut on the Primitive Peddler April 15th!  I'd better get my tail back in the studio if she is to make her deadline!

 

LOVE   &   ALPACA ROVING!