Creative and Clever OR Crazy and Cheap?!

I need to start by saying that I absolutely DO NOT like to sew! Now for those of you that have known me a while, this may seem like a very untrue statement. However, let me assure you, it is so very true (pun intended!) ! My mother was the best seamstress imaginable! She could make any article of clothing look better than store bought. She even made me the most gorgeous wedding dress! As the great mother that she was, Mom made sure that I learned how to sew. I spent most summers learning how to make ever more complicated patterns- even spent one summer putting 1/4 inch pleats in the front of a dress... this was NOT something I enjoyed-yes, I am grateful or the skills, proud of the final products, but laying out the patterns, cutting the fabric, marking the pieces, pinning it all together and sewing- these were all a chore... Sewing (as in from a pattern) NOT my idea of relaxation and fun.

That being said, I LOVE to create things on my own, things that do involve sewing the pieces together! The things I make are usually out of other things I have laying around the house (thus the cheap). I also make most of the things without any pattern, instructions, etc... and they end up taking quite a lot of time to make (thus the crazy).

But here are some reasons that I consider these things creative and clever...

This is Charly's Tie quilt: She wanted me to make her a wedding ring quilt, but I do not have the patience for that- so why did I think this would be any easier?! I basically embroidered the 2 ties together, then laid them out in a pattern that would give me the most rectangular shape (had to cut some pairs in half), embroidered the pattern together, then 'quilted' the entire thing onto a bedspread for stability... Then had the task of finishing the ends- decided to embroider more ties there for a finished look. Yes, it took a LONG time, but it turned out great!

This is a quilt I was able to make for a dear friend this summer. (Her father passed away, and I was able to use his jeans to make something for her to cherish.) I started making jean quilts so very long ago... back when I was making just $600 a month with 3 kids to support- they needed quilts. I had lots of worn out jeans, extra fabric thanks to my mom, and a lot more time than money. Thus began my obsession with saving jean material and turning it into something else. (Some people would say this makes me a bit cheap- I say I am very thrifty!)

Speaking of thrifty- this is another item I sent to school with Charly. I made each of my kids one of these giant jean pillows for watching tv (none of them will sit on the couch. They all insist on sitting on the floor- but that's a story for another day...) Not only did I make the outside out of jeans/shirts that used to be Charly's, but I also made the inside 'pillow' from worn out blankets and stuffed it with leftover scraps of batting! It cost me time and nothing else! I love it!!!

Lastly, a few years ago, I needed an idea for Christmas presents for my older nephews. These types of backpacks were popular- so I created a pattern and they turned out great!- However, they cost me for rivets for the corners- (yes, the cheap coming out again)- so this summer, I dusted off my button- hole attachment and after some bumpsalong the way, made these for Jon... and on the inside, I used a torn dress shirt and worn out slacks! Now if only I could figure out how to make the rope, they would be free!!!