Beach Cottage Bookbinding Studio

While we were waiting for Baby Blakely to arrive, I have been busy figuring out how to use all my new Bookbinding tools, and I think I finally have a good start on the process.  

The Beach Cottage studio is a mess, with Book Parts laying around everwhere:

These are some of the patterns I am going to make fabric out of...works for Books, too!

My first Book was okay, but not exactly even from front to back cover:

This Mango image is meant to be printed on Linen and framed under glass...time to get it done, now that I see it again.  It took me weeks and weeks to create this image - and I just forgot about it!

Living at the Beach, I'm partial to Coastal and underwater images...and my all-time favorites are images of Coral Branches and Sea Fans.  So I designed the following image over a year ago, and it was the first one I experimented with by having Spoonflower print it up for me:

Gluing up the Book Covers is agonizing.  Pure T.   But I am pleased with the finished look.

Once I finally got happy with the front and back Book Covers, I was off to the races, and started assembling:

Don't you think this would make beautiful fabric for a Lula Belle Handbag??  Or Wallpaper for a Beach Cottage accent wall??  Or how about Gift Wrap??  I started with the Coral image, then put it in repeat with other components to make the pages.  You can visit my post on making a Pattern Repeat to see how to do this.

The inside pages are lined and blank, meant for journaling or note jots:

And, here is the back cover:

All Done!

Next up, the Pomegranate Book - but that will be after I go see Baby Blakely again.

I think it's time to get the sewing machine cranked up and Sew "Stuff" to these Book Covers; and layer them up - what do you think?

Beach Cottage Renovation Finished!

After my two month hiatus to tend to the Beach Cottage renovation, I have GOT to get back to Textile and Graphic Design.  So that I don't feel like I left everyone in the middle of the road, here are some shots of our finished renovation - that I am just so in love with.  Pictures aren't hung yet, because I can't bear to put holes in the walls yet!  Maybe tomorrow.

The "sewing/create something" room is now totally white.  I took the old kitchen peninsula and made a cutting/pattern table out of it.  And, look at my new window by the sewing machine!

This is what it looked like before:

Big Change, there!

Kitchen all finished!

My yummy new tub, that USED to be my closet!

The mirrors tilt!

Wooden blinds coming tomorrow - do you remember how this looked a month ago?  Yikes!

This was the bathroom on May 24.  What a difference, huh?

 

 

 

 

 So much work, soooo much work.  But I am happy, happy, happy.  And now it is time to get back to Surface Design...graphics, textiles, Illustrator and Photoshop.  In my clean new house!

Consider Twice, Cut Once...Thanks, Mom!

When I was three, my Mom & Dad gave me a tiny, crank-wheel sewing machine for Christmas.  My Mom was always sewing up a storm on her Singer Sewing Machine, and I was perpetually underfoot, begging her to let me at it.  So they bought me that little pink machine, and the lessons began.  The first thing she taught me was to consider my finished piece in my mind - "see" it in my imagination made up and totally done, and then work backwards to figure out how to cut and assemble my material.  

Those lessons have been invaluable, and have followed me all through life - not just for sewing, but for anything that has to be brought out of my imagination and turned into a real object.  Watching the cabinet crew working today, I realized that they work the same way...they study the space something has to fit into, visualize the finished room, and then after measuring and pondering some more, they cut and assemble.  Here they are in action:

They HAVE to figure out how to trim out these windows without using "trim".

 We're replacing 28 year-old wallpaper (Ugh) with bead board, and the space is too small to put a slice of bead board in.  And, it has to look good when they're finished.  Check out Daniel with the tape:

Then, whispering the measurement to himself, and holding the picture in his mind, he races down to the saw to cut out a part of the pattern:

This work station only works when it's not raining!

 I can assure you that when he comes back with this piece, it will fit perfectly.

In the bathroom, the same thing happened this morning as another team member started to build our new linen closet and vanity:

You probably can't see it, but his tongue is sticking out to help in concentrating...

He's working in the chaos of the old bedroom, but he can already "see" the linen closet installed in the bathroom, where there are only cut wires, partial plumbing stubs, and old insulation right now.

It REALLY makes me want to get back to my studio and make something - and it REALLY makes me remember my Mom as Mother's Day approaches.  What a great teacher she was, to pass that tricky but powerful lesson on to me.  Thanks, Mom!

Beach Cottage Re-Do - Minus Bin Laden!

Those of you who know me understand that I am usually in bed by 9:30, 10:00 at the latest.  Last night, I was up a tad later, finishing my overdue Blog Post.  I never even considered checking the news when I signed off (who wants to go to sleep on that stuff??),  and although I missed the excitement of the announcement about Bin Laden's Smack Down, I'm glad I didn't hear until this morning.  I would have stayed up until midnight, and I guess my thinking is this:  that idiot kept me up enough already.

Bin Laden has been planted on the bottom of the sea - where he will be finished off in tiny bites by creatures with sharp little teeth.  What a great finish to a real Scum Bag.


Thank you, Seals and Special Forces; Thank you, President Obama.  Now I can finish my Beach Cottage Re-do with a lighter heart.

So, to turn to the job at hand, today I got HUGE progress in the form of cabinets roughed in, bathroom with studs for walls, and finally picked my paint colours. 


Here's the kitchen today:

Monday night.  Looking more like cabinets.

And, here is the new refrigerator home and custom pantry tonight:

Just a little leveling to do - the fridge goes where the tools have been stacked.

Turns out that within 12 feet, the floor slants down 3 inches!  But this crew knows how to handle it.  My granite will be supremely level.  Here's a shot of that:

Kashmire Gold - it should pick up the floor color AND the stainless range.

This slab came in a little more orange than I wanted, but I think it will work beautifully - I had to go to a new shade of paint for the Bead Board walls, but it's gonna be beautiful!  I'm so tired, so I will sign off now for some good sleep before my 5:00 "outta bed" tomorrow morning!  Because, THIS is one of the things facing me tomorrow:

The much-dreaded basement organization so I can haul the old cabinets in there!

Tomorrow, I'll show you what happened to my sweet little sewing room and my graphic design studio - Much, much work to do there also.  Goodnight, sweet readers.

Loving Chocolate, Loving Leather

So, here is the newest addition to the line...  I knew when I saw this brown fabric that I loved it, but had no idea how very much I was going to love it made up.  This is my new favorite bag - at least for today.




MC839



Here is another shot - I know that mid-day isn't the time to take outdoor photos, but I just HAD to show you this bag.  Better photos later for the website...

MC839 Peek at inside



In between packing up my Ocean Isle cottage for some badly needed repairs/renovation, zooming back to Atlanta to clean up the debris from Saturday's storms, and sewing like mad,  I also managed to snag an appointment with a leather cord manufacturer for tomorrow.  Hang on to your hats, LEATHER HANDLES may be coming to Lula Belle!

Here is a sneak preview of the cord I would use for handles in natural brown:

I'll know the minute I see it tomorrow if it will work for our bags - there are many colors to choose from - even pink! 

Pink Cord before being Braided

So, fingers crossed that it doesn't look too heavy; I've always wanted my Mitzi Cornelius Bags and Satchels to have leather handles.  Love the lightweight Bamboo, but we do need a different look on some fabrics, and especially our Fall Bags. 

Back to the workroom...so much to do!

Up In My Attic!

While my fabric pieces are drying, I thought I would show you my new(old) digs.  Here is my backyard with the creek running through it...

             

And, here is the back of my house...

             

Being Spring and all, of course we have Robin Red Breast and all his clan...

It rained all night last night, along with thunder and lightening, so it was cozy sleeping, and this morning I had these views out of my new Graphic/Office/Studio window...

                   

And this is the view from my desk:

         

So that is the tour for today - I'm off to check the dryer, and to figure out how to link to the binding tutorial that I'm going to use for my project!

Cranking the Engines

So, now it's time to work!  This is what I've been doing since coming to Atlanta...cleaning out six years of neglect, mold, mildew, dust and -UGH!- rat and squirrel poop from my poor house.

Here's a before shot of the graphics and sewing side of my workroom/studio on March 3:

Pretty awful.  Just open the door and throw it in for years while I tended to the store in North Carolina.  After a couple of day's work, this is what it looked like:

Getting better!  So, today, after spending ALL DAY yesterday cleaning up the new office area I will be using for the graphics and computer work, I decided to crank my creative engines and get started on some multi-panel table runners:

I'm going to make these quilted runners about 90" long and they'll finish out at about 14" wide.  Now that they're all cut, I'm going to put them in the washer for a few minutes to take the sizing out.  After they've dried, I'll start sewing them together and figuring out what to use for the backs.  And the binding!  I have to find enough fabric to be able to cut it on the bias without buying any more fabric.  That's the rule.  I just sold a fabric store, for crying out loud!