I recently spent 10 days studying abroad with Kent State in London and Paris. One of the highlights of the trip for me was visiting the Victoria and Albert Museum. It showcases many famous pieces of art but I was especially focused on the fashion collection. The Royal College of Art showcases their senior graduate work there and it was very inspiring to see. The dress I have pictured is my favorite of the entire collection of graduate students. It has lace, and trims applied in almost a patchwork way all over this dress. There are even sections that they used pleating. From an up close perspective the construction was perfect. This dress was absolutely gorgeous.

Dia de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead, is a holiday celebrated in Mexico and other Latin countries which honors and celebrates friends and family members. Every year on November 1st and 2nd, All Saint’s Day and All Soul’s Day, alters are made to honor loved ones in which favorite food and drinks are set out in honor of the deceased. Decorations are bright and vibrant to truly celebrate life and not mourn death. Flowers, candles, brightly colored sugar skulls as well as favorite music is all a part of the festival.

Being that the celebration is such a colorful and beautiful event, there are great craft projects that use the colors and fun sugar skull images of the festival.  I have made an easy tote using some fabric featuring the sugar skull image.  It is a large tote that would be great for taking books to and from the library or some light grocery shopping.  When putting this together don’t be afraid to use bright colors that mix n’ match.  The Day of the Dead celebration is all  about the vibrancy of life.

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Every girl dreams of being a ballerina. This Halloween make her dream come true with this adorable skirt.

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This weekend I had the pleasure of attending my first Indie Craft Fair; Strange Folks, in O’Fallon, IL.  What is an Indie Craft Fair you ask?  It’s the name given to the independent crafters that create unique items and sells them at craft fairs and at on-line gathering like etsy.com.  Indie Craft Fairs are part of the handmade movement.  I saw alot of very unique items that gave me inspiration and made want to go home and make stuff which I did!

Strange Folk Indie Craft Fair 2009

I am always amazed at the creativity and the out of the box thinking that is expressed in these kinds of fairs.  It shows in the items I purchased, 2 old albums that had been molded into chip bowls.  Next time and indie craft fair comes to your area, don’t pass it up!

There is a great blog over at Japan Craft Journal featuring some of the coolest crafts from around that great country. Get a quick lesson in Japanese, and check out the amazing fabrics and designs.

One of my first experiences with sewing - and recycling, for that matter - was in 6th Grade Camp. Before we left, each student had to make a bag out of an old pair of blue jeans. It was so simple: cut off a leg, sew up one end, hem and fold over the other and voilà!

The other day I stumbled across this great post on Life Hackery about reusing blue jeans. You’ll find links to 25 great projects - and like that bag from 6th grade, some are so simple and yet incredibly practical and useful. My Grandma freaked out when I told her about Idea #1 - making draft stoppers for your doors out of jeans legs. I think that is what I am getting for Christmas.

Need further convincing? I’ll give you four words:

POCKETS. FOR. YOUR. FRIDGE.

How cute is that? How seriously cute and practical and useful and cute? This makes me want to put pockets on everything. Visit Life Hackery for a link to that and plenty of other cool projects that you can make out of jeans.

You’ve probably heard of a cool technique called landscape quilting… if not, check out Nancy Zieman’s books and DVDs on the topic. She’s pretty much the master of creating realistic images through quilting.

Artist Leah Evans has taken quilting “landscapes” to a whole new level, however, with her unique and imaginative textile work. She uses actual landscapes as inspiration:

Leah combines appliqué, needle-felting, embroidery and more to create gorgeous imagery based on maps, satellite imagery and aerial photography. Click here to view her incredible online portfolio.

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Get ready for the summer with this flirty tiered peasant skirt! All you’ll need is a gathering foot to attach the ruffles in one easy step!