Custom Tree Wallet

I recently received this email:

Nani, I was checking out your Victorious Vixen page, and I was hoping you could make a wallet for my wife for her birthday.  I was hoping to have a tree themed wallet. I attached some pictures of some fall trees to give you some ideas. Her name is Violet and she loves the outdoors and most of the fall colors.

Of course I was up for the challenge!  =)

So here are the pictures he sent me, along with some fabric I picked out especially for this project.

I printed the trees out on fabric using my inkjet printer & special paper backed fabric sheets that I picked up at my local JoAnn's.  I framed the trees with a log cabin type block, mixing & matching fabric strips as I saw fit.  I like to add a lot of contrast & texture into my work, so along with these prints, I added brown corduroy & a dotted minky to the mix. 

Here is the pieced top all sewn together & backed with a fleece like interfacing.  I like a lot of loft, so the thicker the better!

loft

/lɔft, lɒft/  [lawft, loft]– noun  

10.  the thickness of a fabric or of insulation used in a garment, as a down-filled jacket.

Next was my favorite part...the free motion stitching.  Unlike an embroidery machine, you move the fabric around in a doodle-like fashion, sketching with thread instead of a pen.  In order to do this on a regular sewing machine, you must have a darning foot.  On my machine, it comes off and on with the screw on the left side.  Another thing, you must be able to "drop your feed dogs."  Those are the little teeth like things under the needle plate that grab the fabric and "pull" it into the sewing area.  Since you'll be the one moving the fabric, you don't want these up and active!

When it comes to free motion, I often follow the flow of the fabric...

and to keep things tidy, I pull the loose threads to the back & tie them up!

Here is some free motion from the front...

and this is the "behind the scenes" look!  There is a lot of stitching goin' on here. =)

I mark my signature "V" on the inside with a blue water soluble pencil & stitch my little heart out!

Everything is ready...time to sew them together!

And she's all done, made with attention to detail & lots of love!

Since this was a birthday present, I offered to include a matching hand made card.  I used some fun animal print ribbon & a picture of one of the trees...add stitching & wha-lah, it's done!

As usual, I used recycled paper packaging & tied strips of fabric to the front and added a stamped sentiment to the tag.

Happy Birthday Violet!  

I hope you are enjoying your custom wallet...I had a lot of fun making it.

The Pledge

I recently stumbled upon a blog called, "Wardrobe Re-Fashion" where members pledge not to buy any new clothing for a set period of time, but must re-fashion clothing that they already have or picked up secondhand somewhere.  I loved the idea of...

• upcycling & repurposing my old clothes...
• raiding my friends & families closets...
• adding some funk to my wardrobe...
• learning to sew clothing...
• doing something eco-friendly...
• scoring good finds at garage sales & thrift shops...
• saving (and making) money with my skills!

I'll be posting over there at least once a week to share my ideas & designs.  I hope you'll check it out & try to re-fashion something that is lingering in your closet, just waiting for an encore! 

The Pledge

I, Nani Luculescu, pledge that I shall abstain from the purchase of "new" manufactured items of clothing, for the period of 2 months. I pledge that I shall refashion, renovate, recycle preloved items for myself with my own hands in fabric, yarn or other medium for the term of my contract. I pledge that I will share the love and post a photo of my refashioned, renovated, recycled, crafted or created item of clothing on the Wardrobe Refashion blog, so that others may share the joy that thy thriftiness brings!     Signed,

UPcycled Quilted Wrist Cuffs

Quilted Wrist Cuffs, originally uploaded by Nonerz.

Do these look a little familiar to you?

If you've been following my work, you might just recognize these as the offspring of some of my quilted wallets that I've made. These are leftover strips that I've saved...didn't know why at the time, but have now been able to give them a second life & purpose! =)

They have a velcro closure & my signature "V" free motion embroidered on the side. Sizes vary & can be made to size. I don't have these listed in my Etsy shop, but if you'd like to make a purchase or place a custom order, please send me an email at:

Nani@VictoriousVixen.com

-or -

shoot me a facebook message...you can find the link on the right side of my blog. The wrist cuffs shown here are all at a special introductory price of $15 + shipping.

Have an amazing day!

--Nani

Letting Go...For a Good Cause!

I just love creating art and sewing my heart out...I really do put the LOVE into my work and hope that when people receive my creations they enjoy them as much as I did when I made them.  It's hard for me to let them go sometimes, but I totally believe in the causes & people that I am able to contribute to from the sale of my goodies.

This year, I have really enjoyed a whole new world of crafting...mixed media!  I love it because ANYTHING goes...no rules!  =)  Inspired by Traci Bautista, mixed media guru and author of the best selling book, "Collage Unleashed," I ventured into the world of painting in a free and spontaneous manner.  Then comes the layers of texture, collage and free motion sewing...so much fun and totally addicting!  One of my favorite things about it is recycling & UPcycling paper & other things that would otherwise end up in a landfill as trash!

These 5 mini books are for a swap that I am participating in for the "Collage Unleashed" yahoo group.  Each of the participants are to create 5 mini books & send them off to the host...we get a return package of 5 assorted books from other artists!  What fun!

So here are the mini books I created...

hand painted papers...

I UPcycled an old dress that I got from my sewing class to create the red hearts!!!

UPcycled papers, various stencils and free motion sewing...

all tied together with string...have I told you how much I just love this stuff??!!

Here is my table with plenty of things going on!  Victorious for Elizabeth & Lymenaide mini books in the works...


...as well as the Victorious for Lyme Wrist Cuffs in the back...




...and some new things to help in the Gulf Rescue & Clean-Up efforts...

I have a show planned for Saturday, July 24th at the Cypress Community Festival & will be featuring several projects I'm working on for one charity or another.

I hope you'll stop by my booth, learn about Lyme disease & pick up some unique handmade creations, all made with love for a good cause. =)


If you are interested in contributing something on behalf of these or other charities, please let me know & I will make them available at my booth.  You can email me at: Nani@VictoriousVixen.com, or leave me a comment below.

Happy Creating!
--Nani