It's a Trilobite Christmas!

or, how to please your geology-archaeology double major daughter!

So, I knitted her a hat with trilobites on it. AND I knitted 3 little trilobite specimens. AND I made some felt beanbag toys with trilobites and brachiopod fossils on them!

I think she liked them!

Christmas trees everywhere!

Yes, I have begun putting up the multiple trees in the house, and I've gotten the biggest ones up.


There's the pretty pink one in the front room (do you see the kitty sleeping on the couch??) accompanied by the new wreath that dear daughter made me....that's a Godiva box decoration in the middle!





There's the green tree in the center room....we've perched it on the concrete and stone pad where the pellet stove was. We gave that to the guy who put in our air conditioning, but the pad is even heavier and will require a jack hammer to remove. So, for now, it makes a nice tree stand!



I still need to figure out new tree skirts, and all the little trees need to come out of their boxes, but it's a start! I think I like the green tree the best; daughter and I re-did the decorations last year when the house we were living in was on the holiday home tour. I'm sure there are older posts to show that.

Is your tree up yet?

Trunk Show was a Smashing Success!!

Well, the Trunk Show was standing room only! What a wonderful evening...the models were all fabulous, the crowd was amazing. The only thing I regret is that it went so fast!

We had 30 folding chairs set up (RED of course!) as well as a few extra seats, but the place was jam packed with at least 50 audience members!! Shout out to my friends Tina and her mom Sylvia, Lynn Exline, Julia, Linda from Corner Framing in Delaware (the other location to find Red Panty Clothing) and my mom & dad. My brother Steve was on sound, and wow, there were just so many people there!

I only got a few shots of the backstage area myself; if we do this again, we need a model wrangler!! Also, a longer catwalk; they were out and back to change into their second "look" so fast, there was barely enough time to get them back out on the runway.

There is a little video on Go Figure Consignment's Facebook Page, with the very end where all the models come back out, and then yours truly for a little curtain call.

Sherri and I would really like to do this again, maybe as early as next spring, but oh my, we'll need a bigger venue! It was a wonderful experience, though!

I'll have to upload photos later...!

Cowgirl Up!.....er, I mean down!

In the midst of the rush to finish sewing for the show, in the midst of installing 4 FOUR new exhibits in THREE locations at the museum, Anastasia had an equestrian event Sunday at Oberlin!

2 hours to drive up there, hurry up and wrestle her chaps on, which went surprisingly smooth....then, being a nice horse mom, helped a competitor zip hers up, and helped the other 2 girls on the team with theirs. Almost thought they weren't going to go! Told both Beth & Colby, no salt this week! I won't be able to go to the next show, it's the same day as the Go Green with Red Panties Trunk show, so they're out of luck!

Ana looked GREAT on her first ride; they had been pulling horses all morning for just being crazy wild....Ana's original draw was pulled, and the horse they substituted was a bit prancy. Seems a LOT of the horses just were spooked by the crowd; they wouldn't come all the way down the ring, they would spook at the rail, what a mess. Anyway, Ana was doing a great job with her ride; got that horse to come nearly all the way down, riding tall, then on the reverse, was trotting, just got the call to drop to a walk and BAM! Horse just sat his butt down sideways, and DROPPED her!! She held on to the reins for a good bit, and her hat stayed on!! (I was good, didn't run right out into the ring to save my baby!)

Judge came over to see if she needed a hand up; she looked rather stunned! EMT's came in to see if she needed checked out, but she just pulled her chaps up and waited for the ride to be over. Judge gave her a THIRD place ribbon....imagine she might have gotten 1st if she'd stayed on!

Then, we found out, she'll have to be disqualified since she became separated from her horse...so I took a quick photo of her and the ribbon....which she ended up getting to keep after all, just no points for the ride. Ana said, if they took her ribbon, it would be like winning Miss America, then getting stripped of the crown for naughty pictures in her past!

This was all by 10:00am; after that, we had to wait HOURS in the cold, cold, barn for the second ride; Ana got off the horse at 6:00 PM; worth the wait though, because she placed SECOND!!! Yay!! (different judge, different horse!) No photos though, it was the LAST ride, pratically in the dark since very few lights in the barn, and everybody wanted to get the heck outta dodge!

It was a very strange day; during the second rounds, a horse actually kicked the rail AND 2 other horses; needless to say, they pulled that one too! The horse that dumped Ana didn't get away with it, though; the owner took him into the second ring and rode him quite a bit, til he settled down, because he couldn't think it was acceptable to throw a rider.

Ana was all set and prepared, in case the horse would rear, or would drop his head to buck her off, but the sideways move was a new one, just way too Ninja for her, and wasn't able to counter that! But she was applauded when she got up out of the dirt and walked out of the ring, and a couple of the other coaches told her, way to cowgirl up!

Model Fittings for Fashion Show

....were a success, I think! Ladies with arms full of clothes, running amok in Sherri's shop, and I am so thrilled with how great they looked!

At one point, there were probably 6 models trying things on....I tried to keep track and take photos of each assigned "look", but I missed at least 1, maybe more. Sherri had one of her jewelry designers there, as well, and she accessorized each outfit for a complete package....the ladies looked amazing!

Here's a sneak peek at the funway...I mean RUNway!

New look at some New Looks!

I found TWO of these tencel J Jill skirts at the thrift, in 2 different sizes. They drape really well and feel very soft. I also found this shapeless chocolate brown velour dress; apparently the clothing manufacturers think we real-sized women want to look like a big brown cow!

With a little more thrifting, and some great printed knit fabric, these reclaimed clothes have turned into........THIS!!










I think these are much more fun! The chocolate brown velour skirt can be skooched up to ride around the hips like a mini-skirt, with the top draping over a bit. I think this will look great with leggings and boots!

The J Jill skirt met another fun skirt from the thrift, and now I think it's a champagne party top! Great for that New Year's toast at midnight!

Quick time out for a Quick How-To

In the midst of getting ready for the Go Green with Red Panties! Truck show (I love saying that!) I am also going thru my supplies of tags and such, and have reached a decision: I will try to use recycled tags at least 90% of the time, instead of constantly purchasing little plastic boxes of blank, pre-strung ones.




The reason is mostly selfish, I admit: It's not that they're expensive, it's that I'm constantly misplacing them and having to buy another package. When I don't need them, I find 3 boxes in my studio. When I'm in a rush and looking for them, they are nowhere to be found.









Lately I've been buying attractive little tissue boxes for my desk at work; I love the patterns, they're cheerful. So, I'm using these empty boxes to create new price tags for all my work, whether it be clothing, tote bags, Ghost Kitties, or holiday gift tags.




Just cut them out, punch a hole, string a ribbon and voila! Scraps get recycled, I get practically free tags!

Shameless Self-Promotion!

Yep, it's the first ever Red Panty Designs Runway Show!!! Yippee!!

Sherri at Go Figure is sponsoring the Go Green with Red Panties Trunk Show, to be held at the greenovate(tm) studio at 15 E. Second Avenue in Columbus. November 20th, doors open at 7:00pm. Refreshments, music, fun, Admission is Free!

My biggest Fall line ever, featuring Knits, LOTS and LOTS of recycled/upcycled materials, ruffles, embellishments, little jackets, fun separates, cute dresses and tunics that look great with boots or leggings, all for the REAL sized woman!

There will be plenty to choose from, and who doesn't need one nice piece to wear to the family Thanksgiving, the office party, all those Holiday events coming up?

I'd love to see you there!

New Fall Fashions

After a day at work, which included driving up to Mansfield to pick up artwork, I came home and managed to finish some new fall fashions!

2 new tops, (the color is most accurate in the close-ups)











and a new dress. I recycled some garage sale jewelry to give it some bling!

Sewing in the Art Barn

Today I invited Sherri from Go Figure Consignment to play in the Art Barn. Sherri has wanted to learn to sew for awhile now, so she brought her toys and we played!


Here is Sherri, sewing on my Bernina........



and here is her finished project! Is it not divine? I think it's very important to be able to finish something in the first lesson that you are happy with, and Sherri looks very happy!


You may recall that Sherri sells my Red Panty clothing at her shop; well strap yourselves in, because we're doing a Fashion Show! That's right, Go Figure is sponsoring a Fashion Show blow-out on November 20th! Admission will be free, and you'll find great music and refreshments plus Fabulous new Fashions from Red Panty, Sherri, and other local designers!



Get that great outfit for all your family holiday dinners, office parties and the upcoming holiday season!

Sewing Workspace - My little heaven!

I can't recall if I've shared a pic of my actual workspace in the big ArtBarn, but here it is! I do rather love it! I wish the rest of the barn was organized as well, but baby steps, you know!

Had the hubby turn on the heat yesterday, we'll leave it at around 55 degrees, so nothing freezes, and when I'm working in there I can turn it up a bit. I do tend to get rather warm when I work; do you supposed it's because my brain is working so hard? I'm not sure, but it sounds good!

I have a nice little rug under my worktable, because I don't know why but I must operate my machines bare-footed. I cannot stand to wear anything, not even slippers or flip-flops!

All my supplies surround me, and with my office wheelie chair, I can just swing around and reach anything I need....heaven!

New Red Panty clothes!

Now that the quilt exhibit is over (well, I still have to take them down, patch the nail holes, put up the next show!) I'm concentrating on the Red Panty clothing. Guess what?? In November, Sherri from Go Figure Consignment is sponsoring a Fashion Show and guess who will be the featured designer?? Okay, yes, it's me!


Thus the need to really produce ALOT of pieces, and to get busy and bring some new designs to life....I've got visions of little jackets and coats in my head, but they need to come out!

There will be a shopping boutique set-up, so after the runway show, you can purchase the designs!

I've finished a few pieces Sunday and Monday!

Stage Fright

I'm getting a wee bit nervous...I'm giving a little "Gallery Talk" for the closing of my art quilt exhibit here on campus.

I like to think that my quilts each express themselves pretty well, and don't really need further explanation. I did add a few statements on the wall, giving more information on a few of the series that I did.

Many of the quilts in this particular exhibit are rather dark, expressing some intimate feelings that I won't often admit to. So, how do I discuss things I don't want to discuss?

I'm thinking I'll talk a bit about process, more about actual technique and form. I think the technique of using fabric is something different enough, I'll be able to draw attention away from my thought process and keep things focusing on the "how", rather than the "why"!

I mean, does the viewer really need to know that part of my thoughts about the Valentine series comes from the fact that I like to read paranormal, vampire romance novels? I don't think so!

Blue Bottles and Poison Ivy

I think that Autumn is starting to creep in....I do like the smell of burning leaves, although any more, most cities don't allow it.

I've lit my chiminea a couple of times and have been burning the dead sticks that constantly fall out of the giant maple trees; what is it about them, everywhere we've lived, they shed like cats!

I'm working on my blue bottle garden, though...I need to find some bolt cutters to use on my rebar, but dowels work fairly well for the shorter limbs. Sad, though, the tall ones bent right over from the rain. Yep, that's poison ivy peeking through the pine needles and snaking up the tree trunk. I'll have to deal with it soon, before it gets out of hand.

I've been collecting sculpture to fill in around it...Killer Bunnies that I bought from a graduating senior a few years back, and a turtle and cobra my brother Michael made me from parts when his engine exploded.







My father-in-law's dog is enjoying the backyard more, now that it is a bit cooler. Floyd, too, likes to sit outside and enjoy the antics of the squirrels and stray cats.





Lots of exciting things coming up for me, with my clothing line....Stay Tuned!

BATS!!! in my belfry

Apparently things aren't crazy enough at our house, but that we must now entertain bats!

Last Thursday or Friday, the 2 cats woke Ron from his sleep on the couch in the middle of the night, running to and fro, knocking things over. When he got up to yell at them, he was startled by the thwop-thwop-thwop of little bat wings, flying from the kitchen to the front of the house and back again. He opened the front door and THOUGHT it flew out into the night, and that was the end of it.

THIS MORNING, however, as he was leaving the house, he noticed a little bat hanging in the dining room window, between the storm window and the screen. The only way it could have squeezed in there is from INSIDE the house! So maybe the bat didn't really fly out the other night. (I tell myself this, because I don't want to imagine TWO bats have been inside my house!!

So here is the little bat as it trembled, squeaking, while the cats circled it from inside, and here is my Great White Hunter after his successful expedition to trap flying rodents!