Thistle Cottage Studio Blog
A Spring "Flood" of Inspirations at Thistle Cottage Studio
New creative inspirations are sprouting up and flowing faster than the rivers that recently burst their banks here in Rhode Island!! Thistle Cottage Studio's roof held out, thank God!! The Woonasquatucket River, which runs behind our building, thankfully sits low enough in a valley to not have effected us, even at its' 9 foot flood stage!
Contemplating my good fortune with a fair share of survivors guilt, I've had the luxury of time to take a deep breathe, and reacess my priorities for the new Spring push in my ETSY shop. All of my fabrics, supplies, finished projects, and yes, even my precious sewing machines and Bernina serger survived!! Ah, what can I say about my Berninas?! Made in Switzerland, and known for their skill in making precision instruments, this machine can sail over six layers of denim, as easily at it can sew the most delicate silk chiffon, without chewing it up, like many other machines I've used! Even the buttonhole foot is computerized, and actually remembers how long the first side of the buttonhole is, then automatically does the bar tack and sews the right side of the buttonhole perfectly!
"Tools that work!!", that's my motto!!
If you've been looking for a great sewing machine, this is THE Rolls Royce of machines, in my opinion; and I've sewn on and sold many sewing machines in my lifetime. A good used Bernina, if you can find one from a reputable dealer, can run you as suprisingly little as $279.00! Bernina now offers a lower price point machine at around $150.00 Even at the lower price point, I have recommended the Bernina to all of my students.
New models can cost as much as $4,000.00 or more.
Finishing up some long awaited half started projects, seemed to be a prudent approach. The work was already cut out, so the first offerings for spring are already up in my shop. Best intentions can easily be displaced by a new material or idea, and like the river, I just had to go with the flow!! When a student placed an order for a 1920's cloche, well, my old hat addiction kicked in, and I was off and running with a whole new collection, in spite of my promise to myself, and my shop announcement to focus on more clothing this year. I am determined to make good on that promise!
Going through my stash of fabrics set aside for hats, I found a bolt of heavy artists' linen canvas and a small, precious group of William Morris Art Nouveau prints by Liberty of London! My next new line of 1920's deep crowned cloches with wired
brims are now under way. Here is a sneak peek into the process of their creation!
The first hat is rendered in the artist linen canvas, and frosted with a crushed hatband of Morris' pastel Art Nouveau print. The lining is a luxurious cream colored Italian dupioni silk.
This second hat, now available at Thistle Cottage Studio, is a marriage of a 1940's barkcloth, with a 1920's deep crowned cloche design. The under brim is worked in the artists' linen canvas, as is the top of the crown. A black hatband of moire' taffeta encircles the crown, finished with a frayed flower of the same barkcloth, and anchored in place with a vintage 1940's art deco style button.
This hat is lined in a yummy shade of buttercream silk charmeuse.
Barkcloth is generally made of coursely spun cotton, and woven into a rough textured tabby weave, thus the name "barkcloth". It was used predominantly as drapery and upholstery fabric in the 40's. I will be repeating this shape throughout the year, and have some secrets still up my sleeve, as I envision what they will look like for fall!
To see the collection as it is progressing, you can find Thistle Cottage Studio on Facebook and Twitter. I must mention that TCS's username on ETSY is orsinimedici1951, and on Twitter is orsinimedici195. It was an irrevocable mistake that I made as a newbie, when I opened my ETSY shop in November of '08. I'm hoping one day that ETSY will find a way for sellers to change that.
TCS's URL is www.orsinimedici1951.etsy.com.
I hope you'll stop by and take a look.
Contemplating my good fortune with a fair share of survivors guilt, I've had the luxury of time to take a deep breathe, and reacess my priorities for the new Spring push in my ETSY shop. All of my fabrics, supplies, finished projects, and yes, even my precious sewing machines and Bernina serger survived!! Ah, what can I say about my Berninas?! Made in Switzerland, and known for their skill in making precision instruments, this machine can sail over six layers of denim, as easily at it can sew the most delicate silk chiffon, without chewing it up, like many other machines I've used! Even the buttonhole foot is computerized, and actually remembers how long the first side of the buttonhole is, then automatically does the bar tack and sews the right side of the buttonhole perfectly! "Tools that work!!", that's my motto!!
If you've been looking for a great sewing machine, this is THE Rolls Royce of machines, in my opinion; and I've sewn on and sold many sewing machines in my lifetime. A good used Bernina, if you can find one from a reputable dealer, can run you as suprisingly little as $279.00! Bernina now offers a lower price point machine at around $150.00 Even at the lower price point, I have recommended the Bernina to all of my students.
New models can cost as much as $4,000.00 or more.
Finishing up some long awaited half started projects, seemed to be a prudent approach. The work was already cut out, so the first offerings for spring are already up in my shop. Best intentions can easily be displaced by a new material or idea, and like the river, I just had to go with the flow!! When a student placed an order for a 1920's cloche, well, my old hat addiction kicked in, and I was off and running with a whole new collection, in spite of my promise to myself, and my shop announcement to focus on more clothing this year. I am determined to make good on that promise!
Going through my stash of fabrics set aside for hats, I found a bolt of heavy artists' linen canvas and a small, precious group of William Morris Art Nouveau prints by Liberty of London! My next new line of 1920's deep crowned cloches with wired
brims are now under way. Here is a sneak peek into the process of their creation!
The first hat is rendered in the artist linen canvas, and frosted with a crushed hatband of Morris' pastel Art Nouveau print. The lining is a luxurious cream colored Italian dupioni silk.
This second hat, now available at Thistle Cottage Studio, is a marriage of a 1940's barkcloth, with a 1920's deep crowned cloche design. The under brim is worked in the artists' linen canvas, as is the top of the crown. A black hatband of moire' taffeta encircles the crown, finished with a frayed flower of the same barkcloth, and anchored in place with a vintage 1940's art deco style button.
This hat is lined in a yummy shade of buttercream silk charmeuse.
Barkcloth is generally made of coursely spun cotton, and woven into a rough textured tabby weave, thus the name "barkcloth". It was used predominantly as drapery and upholstery fabric in the 40's. I will be repeating this shape throughout the year, and have some secrets still up my sleeve, as I envision what they will look like for fall!
To see the collection as it is progressing, you can find Thistle Cottage Studio on Facebook and Twitter. I must mention that TCS's username on ETSY is orsinimedici1951, and on Twitter is orsinimedici195. It was an irrevocable mistake that I made as a newbie, when I opened my ETSY shop in November of '08. I'm hoping one day that ETSY will find a way for sellers to change that.
TCS's URL is www.orsinimedici1951.etsy.com.
I hope you'll stop by and take a look.
posted by Thistle Cottage Studio @ 4:14 PM
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