Halloween Costume Swap and General Clothing Swap

How much fun would Halloween be if we all made our own costumes? When I was growing up my parents made their costumes every year. They were the best you ever saw - Mickey and Minnie, the Organ Grinder and Monkey, old Roman's in Toga's.
Check them out in the picture. It doesn't have to be elaborate - just creative!


And here's a sneak peek of Helena Bonham Carter in costume who appears with Johnny Depp in the upcoming movie Alice in Wonderland. That's a home-made costume too! Thank goodness for Hollywood which continues to inspire us all!




Well, we hope to inspire you too with another Swap O Rama Rama. Coming October 10 to the Venice Center for Peace and Justice with the Arts. This will be a general clothing swap as well as a Halloween costume swap. Our silk screeners have come up with some groovy designs and we'll have stations making trick or treat bags, finger puppets, special Halloween applique's and more!
Check out the website to stay in the loop!

Frugal Festival this Sunday in Los Angeles

Most people who sew and craft tend to be on the frugal side. We appreciate the beauty in simple things and hate to throw anything away. We recycle instead of throwing away - whether that means giving it to a thrift shop or a friend, waste isn't in our vocabulary. If this describes you, then Sunday, July 26, in Woodley Park is a Festival just for you - Frugal Festival. Everything is FREE! So bring your unwanteds - anything and everything. It's a giant give and take and a chance to discover a new treasure.

As a loyal Swapper this is my kind of festival!

The Fabric of Our Lives

I am very lucky to have two sisters who I enjoy spending time with. Unfortunately, they live far away. But this past weekend we all got together at the big sister's new house for a visit. The oldest, Patti, lost her house in a tornado last year so she was very excited to finally have a new home. I know she lost many personal things in the tornado, many with sentimental value. Like clothes and quilts and old patterns and even favorite jewelry. We take these things for granted until we lose them - I call it the Fabric of our Lives.

Quilting is a time honored tradition that lets you bring fabric to life. Whether you use scraps from fabrics that have a meaning or buy fabrics that you enjoy - it doesn't matter. What matters is the time and love you put into creating the quilt.

Anyone can quilt and if you haven't tried it before, get going! Our DVD, A Simple Quilt, is a beautiful five piece block called Looking Thru a Window.

On our trip to Patti's we toured the countryside and enjoyed a few Barn Quilts! Hope you enjoy them too and remember, life is short, spend the time with those you love.

Swap Success - Thank you all volunteers and participants

Saturday's Swap was a huge success - over 260 participants came downtown LA to the California Market Center to create new from old. The DIY spirit and the recycle craze is well entrenched in LA. Thank you everyone! Enjoy some photos. And a link to KB, our applique guru's, flickr page here.