Rag Romance is Open For Business!

I have just finished creating my new business....."RAG ROMANCE" I know you'll love it as much as I do! It is everything that I've always known I've wanted and more. 

Rag Romance is the offspring of my love affair with fabric. I am always saving scraps of fabric and Im always looking for something else to make of them. I can remember doing this even as a child. My mother got me started with this habit so I have her to thank for it, Thank you Mom.

 I feel it may have come from her being raised during a time when fabric was not affordable for my grandparents. She was raised in what she referred to as a "holler" in the hills of Kentucky. She used to tell me stories about those times which I'll pass on in bits...its an interesting story.

For instance, the dresses that she wore to school were made out of feed sacks. She was raised on a farm, not the type of farm that comes to mind when you think of a farm but a very small, family sustaining farm. So the feed sacks were actually from the feed that was used to feed the animals, one cow, one pig, a few chickens and so on.

Scraps of fabric were life altering.

I could tell you stories about the sewing room that my mother worked out of as a grown woman....boxes and boxes of scrap fabric and she found uses believe me :)

So I came by my love for fabric genuinely, an apple off the same tree.

You can find my Etsy Shop at ArtRmOfChellev@etsy.com  Visit often, you never know what you'll find.

I will also post the beginnings of Mahdreen so that you can follow her progress. I have her body stuffed and am sewing her together tonight :) She's just beautiful and I cant wait to put her clothing together! She's the female Elder Elf that I began late last year and had to be put on hold due to the move here to Arizona. I am loving the unfolding of her personality. She is one of my self drawn patterns and may become a pattern open to purchase.

Romance is in the air..I can feel it. Talk to you soon,

Michelle

Rag A Muffin Rug

I just finished my rug last night! I just love it,  colors, texture and all. I havent made a rug of this type for so many years I cant tell you. I started making them 16, 18 yrs ago? as I count the time I cant believe that its been that long. I made a few way back when to pass some time while my shop was taking off and enjoyed it so much that I cant believe I didnt keep up with it. Anywho...I've caught the bug once again and all because of a get together project for my youngest daughter and myself.

I had a great time rekindling an art that I had almost forgotten about, so much so that Im adding it to a division of my workshop.

I have now started a basket and have the bottom portion finished. I'll start decreasing to bring the sides in (im not working with a pattern so its design as I go) until it starts to look like the shape Ive got in my head :) I'm even thinking that I will make a basket for my kitty Ms Sophia! She has never liked a traditional cat bed, even though I bought her a brand new one the moment she came home to live with me. But I love her and I'll make her a bed and see if she likes this one, lol, lets hope? Cat lovers, hmm, we are a different breed ourselves.

I will get out my doll misc. this next week, im looking forward to it. I've had Zandar out almost since I moved into my new place. He's such an inspiration and guide to me. He reminds me that I love to create and that there's more waiting to come to life as well.

Have you ever looked at something that you've made and thought "how did I do that"? Well I have. I can remember feeling that way in my younger yrs after drawing/painting something. I had a teacher in Jr high ask me "so Michelle tell me how you made that painting" and I replied "I dont know" because I actually didnt feel that I could explain the process. Just an off the wall, random thought but I feel that way when I look at Zandar. He reminds me that I have a lot of creativity that is waiting to be shared with the rest of the world.

So back to the drawing board of life and what Im doing today which is a collection of things. Im first going to play with Ms Sophia who is trilling at me to stop typing, yes she trills not meows, cute though. And then I will work on my basket for a while. I would like to finish the bathroom today also so that I can put my rug in there. Its the reason I began a rug of my own after teaching Kristen how to start hers. I never mentioned that she's a lefty did I? Yes it was something to teach a lefty how to crochet :) but a good brain workout for me! Both of my girls, Andrea and Kristen are great at crocheting as well as many other artistic ventures, ahh passing on the genes, lol. I have to bring out my brag book every once in a while dont I? :D

Ok I'll stop, haha.

Talk to you soon,

Michelle