mini diy: ruffle frame

A few days ago, Elsie gave me this sweet little painting from her recent black & white series...



I loved it instantly (it kind of reminds me of this picture of mine!), but I was afraid it wouldn't stand out from our stark white walls.



So, I cut some pretty fabric into a thin strip--this piece is actually from a dress I hemmed for Elsie's shop, so it's extra special--and ruffled it by hand while making a long machine stitch down the center...



Then, I just used a thin line of all-purpose, washable glue (I wanted to be able to remove it later if I needed to, and not compromise the artwork) on the back edge of the canvas, and attached the ruffle! Instant frame, instant cute.



It looks so good above my desk in between these two vintage silk dresses.

Love! Thank you, Elsie! xoxo

mini diy

DIY Sample Book

Since I'm on a mission to collect a lot of polka dot fabrics (which, really, can you have too much?), I needed something I could keep with me that would keep my color palette a little more balanced, and even keep me from buying the same thing twice.


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I have quite a few different Moleskines sitting around partially used, so I tore the used pages out of this little one (you could actually just leave old pages in and sew on top of them!), cut squares freehand about 2x2", and stitched them in.


Start from the bottom up so you can layer on top and flip the fabrics up to get a full view. I decided not to clip the threads because not only would it have taken too long, but it looks pretty neat too!

Just a simple, fun way to keep a visual record of your stash, or a project you're working on, or the solids you have on hand, or...whatever! There's even room on the backs of the pages to write notes, such as how much yardage you have, or where you purchased it (I know this is something I take care in knowing, for whatever reason).