Confessions of a Fabric Hogg

From my earliest recollections, I have always had a love affair with beautiful fabrics. As a child I slept under quilts constructed by my grandmother and other family members. I remember my grandmother Livingston sewing little squares of colorful fabrics into cherished quilts. However, they weren't like the ones that are made now days. We were poor, and they were attached more times than not to brown or green wool army blankets. Not very soft and cuddley. I began sewing at age tweleve. Because my mother was a widow, and we lived on little of nothing, my clothes were either home made, hand me downs, or both. I think myself as well as my sisters and a few cousins all had our elementary school pictures taken in the same blue print dress, only at various schools, and in various years. I love to sew and have always sewn my own clothes, and my children's clothes as well. I had three sons, and one daughter. When my daughter was young I made her frilly, lacy dresses. They were most of the time pink or some shade of such. When she was about eight years of age, she told me no more frills and lace. It was boring, but I did as she wished. Through out the years I have made my share of Halloween costumes, play costumes, dresses, play clothes, bride's maid dresses, and prom outfits. Now I have embarked on a great adventure of creating my own designs from recycled linens and fabrics found at local thrift stores. I love to imagine how I can upcycle what I find into cherished clothes for little girls. (I now have a grandaughte that is too young to tell me she doesn't want frilly dresses.) I hope you will come with me on my thrift store hunts and see how the most ordinary every day items can be transformed into designs to delight the spirit. I have an Etsy account where said designs can be viewed and purchased.