Sunday, January 24, 2010

Sweater Craft Session



My Sweater Craft Session was nothing less than fabulous! I was up early yesterday morning and finished up the "goody bags" that I was bringing along to share with the other participants. Since we all know about my limited crafting abilities...I decided to photocopy some vintage Valentines Day postcards to share so that these creative folks could use them in their artwork.

Are you ready? This is a very long post!



Irvington is not far from me...just across the Hudson River...a charming little river town...



The day long session was held in the beautiful home of Jane...Charlotte's close friend.
Sweet Charlotte greeted me at the door with a warm and welcoming smile and a big hug...
I was immediately comfortable, happy and excited!



Three tables were set with vintage pie plates full of goodness and these wonderful sweater covered paper coffee cups...
(click any photograph to enlarge for details!)



I found my spot!



Look at all the little bits of trim inside my cup...



I LOVE these vintage French red and white number tapes supplied by Papier Valise , one of the sponsors ...
...in fact, on Friday I had just received three in the mail that I purchased from Corey Amaro's online shop, Tongue In Cheek Antiques.

Charlotte gave me number 55....pretty close to 52! :)

Tinsel Trading trims and treasures to use in our creating...





...and baskets of beautiful felted sweaters were set about the room waiting for us to create!





Samples of things to make were displayed on tables and benches...





And then there was a large table full of "door prizes"...

















...Be still my heart! Many of the above items were made by Charlotte and others were made by Rebecca Sower, Denise Sharp and other talented artist friends of Charlotte...
...of course the book was one of Charlotte's!

Next....the creative artists and crafters who were taking the class with me distributed the most amazing little handmade treats and gifts...









These little tin cones were dated 1949 and were given to us by Melissa McCobb Hubbell of thegardenofpinkshadows.typepad.com
She got them on Ebay....I LOVE them! Perfect to hold posies or upside down as a tiny party hat!





...and that was just some of the goodness that was shared!

These lovely women were not only enormously talented but so willing to share their talents and skills...



This is the start of the embellishment process of the sweater tote being worked on by the talented Amy Powers of Inspire Company who, along with her two sisters and mother were seated at my table.



We started off the morning with coffee, tea and hot scones....
...delicious!





Charlotte gave us a run down of all the wonderful projects we could choose...
...she had lots of no sew projects for those of us who, as Stacy put it...were "virgin crafters"...
...(I think I was the only one of those...)



This is a wonderful Valentine mobile....perfect for me...no sewing required and besides I have about a zillion of those embroidery hoops which I can't resist picking up for a dime or quarter every time I come across one at the thrift store.
... They have been siting all together in a huge basket looking so cool ...
...I just knew I would find something to do with those things one day!



Now these are two finished projects that I MUST try....I took the pattern with me....
The necklace above was made by Meleen...



This one was made by Danielle Muller of The Vintage Dragonfly.
Aren't they both stunning!?!



Amy taught us how to make little rosettes....
I believe that this necklace was made by Loretta Marvel of Pomegranates and Paper...



Jessica was sitting next to me....lovely manicure... and she is working here on a bracelet put together with wire and sweater rounds...pretty greens!...
Jessica also prevented me twice from cutting into my sweater tote as I was cutting out small wool rounds with Amy's fabulous scalloped pinking sheers...Thank you Jessica and Amy!



This was Charlotte's charming sample bracelet...



Here is one of the pretty sample sweater totes that some of us chose to try our hand at...



and this is the finished project of one of the other talented ladies...



...and another... this one was crafted by Marlene Haveron of Bee Serendiptous ...

I hope I have everyone's names and projects correct...please let me know, ladies if you are reading this and I have mixed things up!! I want to give credit where due!



...and another in progress...Debbie Jones' work!



Another of Charlotte's beautiful sample sweater totes...



Amy and her finished sweater tote...
...Beautiful!... both of them...



...and a closeup of it under construction...



OK, this is mine.



...a little lopsided...the stitching on the left is a different stitch than the stitching on the right...
...Oh, and thanks to Jennifer for threading my big old needle... I'm not kidding...with my funky old thread...
...And I apologize about that vintage 1962 tacky glue...



I'm not done with it yet. I did discover this wonderful product though...it's called fabric glue.
Who knew?
... I guess you all did.



But this spectacular creation is done!
Now, this was the easiest of all. A simple round of sweater wool, batting and a simple running stitch around the edge .... and Voila!...a charming pincushion!
... Charlotte provided the little vintage cups and saucers...
...I made my cushion in class and decorated it at home with odds and ends around home here.
...I love it!





Oh yea....I was good at the pin cushions!





...And this was my door prize....a beautiful creation by Denise Sharp!
Gorgeous!

So....I have not told you yet about the delicious lunch prepared by Suzanne and the beautiful Victorian home she so graciously opened up to us....I will save that for tomorrow!

As you can see, the day was full of fun, companionship and beautiful things! Many thanks to Charlotte Lyons and to all those gracious ladies who had so much patience with me!
We had tons of fun at our table...

I am so glad that I decided to try something new! Felted sweater crafting is fun!

Have a great night!
:) Laura

41 comments:

icandy... said...

Hello, Laura!
That looks like such *AmAzInG* fun! How cool are you... and all of those creations?! Everything looks so beautiful!
OXo
Christina

Sylvia said...

Laura, I wish there were classes like that close to my area, I would be there in a heart beat! Seems like you all had a great time, the rosettes, bags and pin cushions are so pretty, I will have to start collecting some wool sweaters. Thanks for sharing and happy crafting.

Sylvia

Florence said...

Oh my gosh my mind is running like crazy, so many ideas, I have always loved the idea of felting wool sweaters and jackets and have stock piled them for that some day project. Thank you so much for sharing. Repurposing is such a great thing. Happy weekend. Florence

Jane said...

I really enjoyed your post and viewing the beautiful art that all of the women (including yourself) created. I have a huge bag of wool sweaters that I have picked up at thrift stores just waiting to be felted and turned into something wonderful...you have given me a lot of inspiration! Thanks.
Jane

cupcake studio said...

WOW! Loved seeing all of your photos...your bag with the butterfly is so sweet! Looks like a super-fun day.

The Green Pea said...

That sounds like a full and fun day of crafting.
How did you make one of the pincushions so round? sandi

Zita - Mlle Magpie said...

Wow, am I ever jealous, Laura :) What fun you all had! Your sweater bag is wonderful and I adore your tea cup pin cushions. Don't stop now my friend!

Beth Gales said...

I especially love the rosette necklaces....so cool! I would love a class like that...wish there were some here! I would be in sensory overload, though; so much to loook at and work with! Thanks for sharing.

Sandi @the WhistleStop Cafe said...

Those necklaces were cuteool! (cute+cool) I bet I have enough in just one of my junk drawers to make that.

Carole said...

That was so much fun to read and see. I was going to call you and ask how it went but I can see it was incredible. I was glued to your pictures. You must have been in craft heaven.....I can hear that cute little squeal we all love!!!
Now all I want to do is get home and start crafting!...but unfortunately that's not in the evening plans...boo hoo!
Ok I'll stop writing my book now:)) haha

xo,
Carole

marysworkshop said...

This was great! Thanks for the peak inside a picture perfect crafting day. Your little teacup pincushions turned out wonderful, Laura!

Vintage Market Place said...

OMG, My heart is racing with each new picture
Such great things and I am so glad to hear you had a wonderful time!!!

Theresa said...

Honey, you did a great job! Only you could see the wrong stitching. I think it is perfect and loved the cup pin cushions. It sounds like a perfect day! Thanks for letting me tag along:)

Sea Witch said...

What a fantastic post and a better day. I would have so loved to be a part of this sweater craft day. There is nothing iike working with felted wool. Thanks for such a wonderful post. Sea Witch

Julie@beingRUBY said...

Oh my Goodness Laura
Some people are just too clever... you included...
I'm going to have to re-read this post to take it all in....
So many wonderful little goodies here but the sweater bags are just too cute... well i think you must have had a fabulous time!!!
Here's to happy times!!! and the fabulous results!! hahaha xxx Julie

Chemin des Muguets said...

Hi Laura,

Congrats on your gorgeous creations. I can't imagine a more fun way to spend a day. Thanks for sharing.

Marjorie

Jacqueline @ HOME said...

Dear Laura or should I say Martha !!
I'm so pleased that you had a wonderful time. You certainly made lots of things...and who would have thought that you would have made your tote in blue !! haha.
You certainly got the knack of the pin cushions. You are all very clever ladies.
The house looks so lovely from the outside, I can't wait to see more of the inside. I'm really nosey when it comes to houses !! Thanks for the lovely post and the great photographs. XXXX

Anne Lorys said...

I can tell that you just had a blast!
You're inspiring me to seek out something similar in my area...working with fabric is like the "final frontier" with me. It's scary, but I *so* want to learn how.

Kudos to you, Laura! :-)

Anne

FILIGREE MOON said...

Oh such a delightful post! So glad you had a good time and enjoyed the process. The projects are fabulous. Here's to creating among friends! ~ Angela

Tammy@T's Daily Treasures said...

Wow! What a truly pleasurable and wonderful day! Learning a new craft in the presence of talented ladies in a beautiful setting would be a most joyous occasion. Everyone's work is so fun and creative. Great work on your tote and the pin cushions. The cup is gorgeous and how fantastic that you were provided with so many goodies to create with. Looking forward to part two of your day. Blessings :) Tammy

pam q said...

Oh my!

Thanks for all the pictures!

I am in overload and I wasn't even there!

How did you take it all in??

Such awesome talents, prizes, trims and gifts!

Love that little sweater covered paper coffee cup!

And your tea cup pin cushions!

Can't wait to see the home and food................

GardenOfDaisies said...

OMG! I wish I had been there! It looks like sooo much fun! Thanks for sharing the pictures. So many things I would like to try.
Isn't she the lady that used to publish the books with M. Englebreit?

robyncal said...

WOW how much fun! Everyones projects are so pretty!

LiLi M. said...

Looks like you girls had a lot of fun. And on top of that made some great artwork too! Have a lovely day!

KarenB said...

Don't you just get so pumped up after a fun day surrounded by seriously creative people? I know I would. I just got excited reading about it. Looks like so much fun!!!! I'll be back tomorrow to have another look. It's past my bedtime.

lottens vita och gröna said...

wooooooooow such inspiration, it looks soooooo fun! have a nice monday, warmhug lotten

French Nanny said...

OMG - I wish we had workshops like that over here!

Bleudelavande said...

Woooowww it looks so AMAZING and FUN!!!!!
Tank you for all those lovely pictures!!!! That's a great inspiration!!!
Have a ncie week

Lululiz said...

Oh my goodness, what an absolutely fabulous day, those amazing creations, how I wish we had something like that here, sigh. I am so pleased that you had such a great time.

Unknown said...

Swoon! What beautiful projects and a fun day. I want to go out and harvest some sweaters right now! Thank you for sharing your wonderful day with us and the great pics!

~*~ saskia ~*~ said...

Wow, great post, lovely photographs, sweet comment!

Suzy's Vintage Attic said...

Hello Laura

Fabulous post. I love the idea of going on such a course. So many pretty things were made out of jumpers..oops sweaters;-))

Take care
Warm wishes
Isabelle x

Rostrose said...

Oh, what a posting, dearest Laura - wonderful, and so many inspirations! I am happy that you loved the workshop!
Before leaving Bloggetonia for a wile I feel I must say "see you soon" to you! This week I will start my health treatment.
And maybe you've got the time and the good mind to go in for my draw. Would make me happy :o)
Hugs, Traude

Rosemary said...

Hi Laura,
Everything is just beautiful. Love your tote!!
It looks luck it was so much fun. Thanks for sharing it with us.
Rosemary

Linz said...

looks like you had so much fun! i am absolutely in love with the cup sweaters! can i come live in your town? :)

north pal said...

oh that blog wasn't so long as i was so wrapped up in reading and enjoying the photos. you must have so high when you arrived home that you probably didn't fall asleep too soon. that was wonderful! Bestest,Denise

Rustique Gal said...

What fun this looks like! I must go to goodwill and find some wool! These projects are adorable. I think I'll start with the pincushions...I love all the crafts in Charlotte's book, too..Thanks for sharing-I almost feel like I was there. Sherry

The French Bear said...

Laura, I knew you would have a wonderful time, I forgot Amy and her sisters and their Mom were going to the same class. I just bought one of her little quilt kits, love her work. she is a precious sweet woman and I love her blog about her little Alfredo.
You did a great job, love the pincushions, what fun!!!
I am so leased that you had a super time, classes are so much fun!
Hugs,
Margaret B

Anonymous said...

laura,

it was sooo nice to meet you!!! it was an awesome day, we'll have to craft together again!! i love all your photos, a great remembrance of the day!!

meleen

Wildflowerhouse said...

What a fun day you had. I would have loved it.You are so lucky and thanks for sharing.

Tricia said...

Oh my gosh, this workshop would be like heaven to me. Everything looks so beautiful and so many creative ideas. I am so glad you were able to attend. I do some felting of sweaters and saw one just like one I have in one of the baskets. I will be re-visiting your post again and again shopping for ideas! You did a lovely job telling about it.

Blessings,
Tricia