glen lake getaway

It was a wonderful escape from the ordinary. We could see Sleeping Bear Dunes in the distance, and enjoyed several sunsets. All the best things were part of our summer vacation - swimming, fishing, boating, reading, eating outside, laughing, yoga, bonfires and family.

Fairy houses made by Uncle Don, who we met last year. He was the oldest living Luebke, and little f was the youngest. These are his handiwork and stand in his memory at our cottage garden.
"The fairies go up the steps and goblins live up here."

We love this place, and the simplicity it holds in it's beauty.

Where do you summer?

community sewing center success! 35 tablecloths completed for big event!

We did it! In a few weeks time, a couple of dedicated volunteers took a big pile of cotton fabric and old tablecloths and made all these tablecloths for the big Ho-Down fundraising event, which was a huge success! Not only did we keep plastic from being used, we also saved $8/table in cloth rentals. Now we have great tablecloths to use and or rent for future events.

Using bandannas for our guide, we cut out 22" squares of everything, and combined them with a few larger pieces on each cloth. Then they were hemmed and pressed for the big event.

You can see how nice it is to sew in this space, with the big windows and door to a little patio.

Classes start this fall for basic sewing, and revamping kid's clothing from adult cast-offs. I'm thinking we'll have to try these simple skirts that Amanda described yesterday.

One of my crafty friends came by and organized our shelves for us. She is an interior designer with a great eye for organizing. She also helped me with the curtains. Thank you so much, Marcy!

Starting this fall, we are having a denim drive, so bring your old jeans! All jeans are welcome whether they are torn, tattered, stained, dark, light, colors, etc... You can see the flirty skirt that I love in action here, and a preview of the long wrap skirt which is quickly becoming my other favorite jean skirt.

baby sundress from a women's shirt

A little something for friends of ours with a new baby girl - a sweet dress made from an off-the-shoulder shirt. It had a nice smocked top so I cut off the sides and serged it up to make a smaller size, using a small onesie from my stash for sizing. The sleeves were smocked too, so I cut them off and made straps. It was still a little long, so I cut it off, folded the edge over twice and sewed a little hem. Turned out great, don't you think?

It's so good when your ideas turn out to be good gifts! What have you been making lately?

{this moment}

Inspired by Amanda Blake Soule of soulemama:

One lovely moment that I want to hold close, remember and savor.

summertime studio update...

We have been swimming at the beach with visiting family and are now heading out to the cottage for a couple weeks, so I'll be on vacation!

Here's a little peek at what's been going on my studio, to hold you over until I get back!

Sequins are everywhere this season, it seems. I love how they are becoming more of an everyday thing. This shirt is currently back in my studio for another revamp. I cut off the cowl and cut the neckline more like a tank top and am trying to decide if the stripe should become a racerback, a skinny cowl around the new larger neckline, or just a binding. Any suggestions?

A fun challenge using men's shirts. This one is linen, but it was a medium, and ended up being a little tight, so it's also on my stack to revise...

Another men's shirt challenge. It looks best with a wide belt, up high. I did add some pockets, so I'll try to get a pic of that to show you.

A fun t-shirt tunic, made from the top of a pink dress. The rest of the dress is the bottom of another summer dress with pockets. I'll work that getting that pic too...

embellishing... there was a hole elsewhere on the shirt, so I covered it with a little cashmere heart.

Another long sleeve shirt in progress. I added a cowl neck and am working on pics for my etsy site to sell this one!