Remake the fake

I'm not gonna lie, I had a fake Kate Spade bag back in the day and quickly learned it was not only inexpensive but cheap. Once you see your brand of trickeration everywhere, it's no longer a bargain.
Mix the faux with quality shoes and jewelry and the ruse might just work. However, a teenager with bargain store shoes, who has never visited a major city but carries a "$1200" Louis Vuitton handbag . . . yeah, it was probably purchased from a car trunk and not a LV boutique.

A few years ago, Louis Vuitton offered a Stephen Sprouse inspired graffiti print. Not at all a fan of the look, I was still intrigued. How about my own graffiti designer bag, Leezra style?
Well, y'know people give me stuff and last week, my friend Ann offered me her Canal Street fake Louis. While I intended paint text, a cake stencil screamed at me from the paint drawer.

Can you have your cake and eat it too?

As in, can you buy a fake and make everyone else believe it's real?
I think not.
Not when everyone else is in on the secret.








Shut up the shuttin' up, cake hole.

Birthday? Bucket!

So, my brother Rollo's birthday was last week. He doesn't appreciate nice ribbon or a pretty gift bag so how best to bestow his request for underwear and socks?
Then it hit me. A bucket with a lid! Reusable, unique and very practical. THAT is something Rollo can appreciate.
A camouflage print bucket was stuffed with packs of underwear and socks. Bratcake Nephew Gregory made fun of Rollo for receiving a diaper pail for his birthday. (Gregory is a budding smart ass. Good boy.)
Wait, best part: the bucket cost less than a fancy paper gift bag.
One more idea for ya:
Ann no longer purchases the pretty bags for a nice gift presentation but instead places gifts in the cute reusable grocery bags.
If ya really wanna mess with someone's anticipation level, purchase a brand new paint can (found on the paint supply aisle), place gift inside and hammer the lid down in a snug-like manner. Hide the can opener and watch your very own personal meltdown show.


Bucket?
Bag?
Or diaper pail?
Whatchagonna use?

Made by my great-grandmother

Found this pillow cover made from a quilt square in my linen closet. It was made by my great-grandmother who was a prolific quilter.

The colors aren't great and God bless her, she used what she had and composition wasn't her strongest forte.

I gave the pillow cover to my quilter friend Dori and hopefully she'll be able to use it for inspiration and perhaps even a pattern for a copy. Imagine it with coordinating print fabrics. It's got potential, I tell ya!

Take a look at the hand stitched piecing.


I feel lucky to be able to see and understand my great grandmother's handiwork and blessed to have a willing recipient as a friend who will appreciate it more than me.

Proving I am NOT a hoarder,

I am,

Skitzo Leezra

Getting it right, no thanks to Wright's

Yeah, I know, I have it in for Wright's. The notions and trimmings company continues to crank out products but doesn't assist, aid nor educate their customers or potential consumers to differentiate between single fold or double fold bias tape and such.

Sew4Home made and posted a bias tape cheat sheet since Wright's cannot seem to include a simple line drawing or reference for their packaging.

For shame! A blogger is posting a freaking cheat sheet for shopping.

Thanking Sew4Home
but shaking ahead in customer disservice disbelief,
I am,
Skitzo Leezra
of a very torn up and
hopefully soon-to-be-fabulous
Studio

March to your own drumset

Middle nephew was given choice of image from my new Stitcher's Revolution SR4 Rock'n & Roll'n iron-on transfers for hand embroidery.


The drums.
Excellent choice, Bratcake, rock on with your bad self.

The rest of you, please to enjoy.

Waist not, want not

Have been on a tear lately, what with altering seams, hems and such to personally tailor ill fitting garb. Chrysanthemum gave me a Burberry plaid skirt and the waist band either made me cry ~or~ I wouldn't button it. Even moving the button over wouldn't cure the problem but the skirt otherwise fit perfectly. Instead of blaming my own body, I deemed it to be a manufacturing misfit as the waistband was simply too small. But you know I loves me some plaid so out comes the seam ripper.

The waist band is gone, I tell ya.

Serged the lining and the skirt together.




Attached grosgrain ribbon from my stash.

Folded the ribbon to the interior of skirt.


Hand sewed the ribbon for hidden stitches.


Top stitched the skirt, following the tartan plaid for less obvious machine sewn lines.


WooHoo!
It's plaid!
It's a skirt with a no-cry waist band!

Crazy cute Crocs

My mom has opined ugly parents often produce beautiful spawn.
And here's an example and perhaps proof of her hypothesis.

God awful 80's jewelry parts from my jewelry cemetery + plastic Croc shoes. Those giant shiny bits are from Dawn's People Give Me Stuff largesse.


Mix together and imagine the worst but smile at the crazy cute combination.


Yes, as I've said before, almost everything can be helped with a little plaid ribbon.

Enjoy your cute shoes, little girl grown ass lady RikkiTikkiTavi!

Libation presentation

Made a wine bag from a fabric scrap.
Whatcha think?

Pajama pants

Check out MADE: pajama shorts tutorial for easy to follow instructions. I traced out pattern pieces for extra roomy loungers but had only enough frog fabric for one leg. Fabric stash provided a coordinating vintage floral from an estate sale fabric grab.


Had the last little bit of frog fabric remaining for a side pocket for the remote or a cell phone. Looka! Pajama pants designed for shut-ins!

Girl, I like your skirt

While Crysanthemum and I "pirooted" through the goods at the salvage store, I picked up a cute and colorful skirt. Chrysanthemum kinda snorted and said, "I think the size 16 refers to a girl's size, not misses."


And while I've lost a few pounds, I am not so delusional to think myself to have a pre-pubescent waist. No, instead I already had in a revamp in mind.
Take a look.


Measure your non-size 16 waist and match it to a corresponding width of the skirt. Chop off the fabric above the measurement. OR~~~ forget the measuring part and guess like I did. See if you can shimmy the pre-junior skirt over your very womanly hips.
Check out my posts on foldover elastic. It is sewn with a stretch zigzag stitch on Angry Chicken's blog.


You can change it up by zigzagging only on the interior of the skirt waist and top stitching the outside for a neater appearance.

Get yourself to the girl's department and see what you can find.

New sewing helper

Wash Away Wonder Tape is super useful for fabrics that cannot accept lots of heat or steam steam pressing or if the sewing area cannot be easily pinned. Plus, it's easier to use than fusible tape.
Because it is water soluble, the manufacturer recommends storing in an airtight bag. Instead, I tried this little trick of cutting a slit in the plastic blister pack for easy removal.
You're welcome.

Cabinet knob job #2

Not at all considering the perils of applying high heat directly to porcelain, did you suppose I would hesitate to aim a heat gun to vintage glass? That's right, it never occurred to me I could be in craft danger.
But looka!
The clear glass knobs your great grandmother probably had on her cabinets? Yeah, Elizabeth gave me a half dozen or so. Look at the clear glass with red embossing powder applied to the knob base. It's magic, I tell ya! It glows from within.
Not editing my images
and
posting all of 'em for your blog enjoyment,
I am,
Skitzo Leezra

Cabinet knob job

Cabinet knobs are like jewelry.
Cheap out and your whole outfit suffers.
Go over the top and it's too much.
Go too literal and you look like a costume.
Now multiply the look by 50 and there is not one cabinet knob in the world I want to see day in and day out. My home had inexpensive white porcelain knobs and I've been in the market for replacements for awhile now but unable to find what I want at the right price X 50.
Eh, I'll just mix what I like. (My buddies Elizabeth and Chrysanthemum are the best pals to pick up onesie knobs in their travels.)
Found a few in my stash and began trading them out. Craft inspiration came to me as I gazed upon my craft supplies left on the kitchen counter from the night before . . . wonder if I can apply embossing powder to a ceramic or porcelain knob?
The short answer: yes.

• Stamp or draw image onto knob with embossing pen or pad.
• Sprinkle with embossing powder.
• Fire up the heat gun.
• Be happy the porcelain knob didn't shatter into pieces because you know damn well you aren't wearing safety glasses.
  

Salvaged shirt

There's thrift stores and charity shops and outlet centers but you haven't "pirooted" for treasure until you've been to a "salvage" store with an eclectic array of liquidated or closeout merchandise AND every weirdo in the joint wants to chat with ya. (Shut up, freak, you're cutting into my shopping time.) Anywho, while visiting Chrysanthemum in Mississippi, we hit the local salvage store. Fancy schmancy decorative tile, oscillating fans galore, random bedding and a ton of Target clothing. Remember this blouse from Target's spring Liberty of London collection?

(yeah, that's not me)

Slap a $4 tag on it and watch it gain potential. The peacock feather print is cute so what's my hesitation/objection to a $4 blouse? Um, could it be the completely unnecessary and very stoopid gathered ruffle at the hem? Yes, dear one, ruffles at the widest point of the body are not figure flattering bu-uut . . . $4 is a throw-away price, why not try a revamp.

Firstly, the ruffle is cut off.
It's gone, I tell ya!
Hacked a few inches from
the sleeve length too.

Serge the cut edges on hem and sleeves.
Apply Wash Away Wonder Tape.
Remove tape backing.
You got yourself a
self sticking hem fold.
No pins!

Top stitch hem.
Spritz hem with water
to remove tape goo.