Hand of Bela Peck

A Simple Bunny

Sometimes I just need to be told what to do.  My creative mind races 160 mph daily and at times it is difficult to see the glowing red light signaling a slow down is in order.  That's when it's time to dive into the archives and pull out an oldie but goodie!  Something with simple lines and easy to follow instructions, not subject to my overly-self-scrutinizing.  Something from waaaay on back that I can up-cycle into 2013! 

  

I found this Heart's Content pattern at Goodwill years ago- knowing I could still use the basic primitive shape.   Of course, I can't find the cover picture in my studio mess but you all know those famous 80's country style rabbits! I chuckled at those white cotton bunnies with the big mauve bows adorning a powder blue basket handle.  I sighed with good memories of 1987- the year I graduated high school! I remember going to many craft shows with my Mom and swooning over such rabbits all frilled out with starchy lace and satin ribbons.  I know if I went back to my old room, I would find Mr. & Mrs. Cottontail still nestled in the antique doll crib. 

I made my version of this bunny using linen and a generous grungy soak in spiced coffee.  Setting him out in the warm spring sun to dry, he made fast friends with Harley Bear and Fiona who anxiously waited for wee rabbit to come down from the tree branches to play.

Bunny will soon receive a name, a spring in his step, some prim features and hopefully give chase to Harley Bear- looks like she could use a little exercise for that winter weight gain ;) 

I'm not sure whatever became of of Heart's Content patterns but I love the timelessness of the primitive tradition!  Makes me wonder who will be chuckling at my work in 25 years!

LOVE  &  UPDATING THE '80'S

 

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Tending The Herd

Spring sheep have begun grazing in my studio and I am delighted with the new materials for this year's herd! Mohair blends returns as my usual fave but the thrifting gods have been very very good to me this week, allowing for some new sheep style on the block!

One of my greatest joys is giving new life to old garments- especially vintage coats whose wide collars or boxy silhouettes render them doomed to destruction.  Houston is home to a plethora of monstrous thrift stores with pristine offerings! The warmer climate makes coats a mere fashion statement so often they are cast off in mint condition once the fad has passed.  Mohair blends, cashmere and leather have been my top picks but I have been on the long search for spotless sherpa and this past weekend I scored! 

This 1990 beauty has been a dream fabric!  The outside leather is cheesecake soft!  Cutting in smooth lines with very little "wool dust" (my term for those wee fibers that permeate the nostrils).  It even sailed through the sewing machine like a silent sailboat on a misty morning! The result is a compact, prim perfect sheep!  Using "cracked" leather (a new-with-tags leather coat find that I initially felt guilty for hacking- but I got over that quick!)  gave this wooly guy the aged expression I wanted.

This weekend's sheep were made from three coats: A vintage mohair blend, a vintage sherpa, and a brand new distressed leather.  Each coat cost me $1.50!  Using up-cycled goods allows me to use top-o-the-line fabrics and keep my prices at an everyday level.  Up-cycling also keeps our landfills a little cleaner and is in keeping with the true primitive tradition.

If you would like a Sherman (sherpa- $35) or Molly (mohair- $25), send me an email at [email protected] or look for them in my Etsy shop later this week. 

LOVE  &  UPCYCLE NATION

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Chicks In Love

Inspired by the abundance of hearts in production, the studio chicks have begun pairing up and falling in love.  In lush up-cycled mohair blends and vintage cashmere, the budding romances will certainly lead to a bumper crop of spring song birds and primitive nesters!

In keeping with the primitive tradition, these wee birds are cut from a simple pattern on old fabrics that would otherwise be tossed in the trash.  A vintage mohair garment never goes to waste at Hand of Bela Peck!  Even the tiniest scrap can be used as beaks, bow ties, hearts and wings.  What can't be used becomes stuffing for future rag dolls. 

Mohair blends are by far my favorite up-cycled material.  The thrifting gods have been very good to me this winter!  With prices as low as 50 cents for an old sweater or jacket, I can buy in bulk and I often do!  I've never met a mohair I don't like.

Having waaaayyy too much mohair blends lets me experiment to my heart's content!  I have been chucking sweaters in hot baths, boiling others with mulling spices, and infusing the bland with hand-dyed color!  One technique I've fallen in love with is needle felting mohair on top of mohair.  I love the imperfection and instant charm!

This Valentine's Day show your love with a customized set of two love birds from Hand of Bela Peck!   I love special orders and at the rate these chicks are pairing up it looks like there will be no shortage of love to go around.

LOVE  &  SWEET TWEETS!

Mad Dash for Quality

 I am small. 

 "Petite" and "cute" would be my hashtags if I were an instagram photo. 

 Don't underestimate me, though.  I am fierce, fearless and I am fast.  As we say in Texas, "This ain't my first rodeo!"

Sizing up my competition, I have already selected my attack mode for today's St. Vincent De Paul warehouse sale. There's a small group of 50 of us waiting for the doors to open at 9 a.m. sharp. Then it's "game on!" in the upcycling event of the month!

 

We shuffle close as the industrial locks clank open and the push inward begins.  This is where the newbies fall off with a panicked defeat.  I huddle in behind the tatted, pierced, gangstah-looking mammoth of a man and sail right through into the palace of unbelievable deals!

I employ the grab and go technique- finding the first large bag to stuff with whatever feels right.  Review and scrutiny are luxuries not afforded at the start. I have to be prepared to haul a heavy load to the finish line.  Everyone is here for something- and those somethings are disappearing fast!  Fortunately I have good fingers and they instinctively know the touch of quality.

  

Every SVDP Warehouse sale is different.  One time it might be dominated by furniture, another day it's appliances, and building materials. The metals and fabrics that I come for are always a small section but it is chock-full of Houston's finest cast-off vintage.

For $11.35, I picked up vintage Coach, Burberry, Gucci, Dooney and a pile of woolens that made me giddy as a school girl!

 

Though many of these vintage goodies have moth chews, scuffs and stains, they are still high quality elements that will go into the fine outfits of monster minions, santas, and studio mice.

The cliche is true: they just don't make things like they used to; especially suit labels.  The provenance of each piece, everyone from cloth manufacturer to seller, is documented on the many interior label tags. 

This thick wool houndstooth suit yielded one of my fave labels to date!

Guaranteed Irish! I think I need to make this into a t-shirt logo!

Another big score from the SVPD Warehouse: vintage mohair!!!  Oh swooooon! One wooly studio lamb was so excited to see the fluffy fibers he ran atop the pile and begged for new friends! 

I believe better materials make better projects.  Fine wools look more polished, beaten leather is softer, and vintage embellishments are more intricate.  I want to put the best possible ingredients into my studio mix. 

The down side to this SVDP upcycle mission is the insanely slow checkout process. A 15 minute mad dash for quality results in 45 minutes in line.  This time is spent sorting the usefuls from the junk, meeting missionaries gathering goods for the impoverished in their home countries, learning new languages, and talking with strangers who, from month to month, become familiar faces.

Guess there's really no downside at all. :)

LOVE  &  UPCYCLE NATION!

Pumpkin Peeps

 Frolicking in the pumpkin patch is one of the great joys of autumn.  I love the look of a jack-o-lantern burning brightly on a crisp fall evening! Back in Connecticut the pumpkins were out on display with the bittersweet as soon as the first chill hit the air.

Here in South Texas, anything sitting outside now will rot by the end of the day.  So I took my pumpkin cravings inside and happily stitched away as Notre Dame crushed Michigan State! Woot!  Go Irish!

The thrifting gods have been good to me this week and threw this faded orange cashmere coat my way! All I had to do was machine wash and dry and the wool was ready for crafting!

The gods also left this vivid orange wool in my path!  It shared a bath with the cashmere coat and went straight to pumpkin production.

This weekend's pumpkins were all embellished with vintage buttons, natural elements, driftwood stems, and leather strapping for smiles.  One pumpkin in the trio wears a grin made from the upholstery jute from my early 19th century footstool.

These pumpkins will be joining their studio friends in the Hand of Bela Peck Etsy store later this afternoon.

LOVE & PUMPKIN SMILES!

The Fine Art of Hacking & Dying

 Vintage cashmere... need I say more?  

Stalking the thrift store aisles I spy it's tender sleeve jutting out from in between nylon track suit misfits.  Divinely simple lines, softer than melted buttah, and custom buttons larger than hubcaps!  Oh swwooon!  It's thee I covet! 

 Sniff... sniff-sniff......... no funky vintage odor!!!  This coat is MINE for $1.50 and into my car trunk it goes!

I keep her wrapped in plastic to sneak her inside the house!  If hubby sees more incoming wool- he'll kill me for sure! 

Once inside I snip off the buttons, rip out the unwanted guts, and toss what's left into the washing machine to drown in hot water.  With all the impurities and dirt of the decades gone, the shell is tumbled dry on high heat for extra felting.

Then comes the fun: hacking and dying :))

Like a pro- I gently tug at the seams which are now battered from the washing.  I break the coat down to it's initial pattern pieces.  The holes, bias tape, or lining that remains make for intriguing details in the dying process.

These sweet buttons will make stunning flowers!

Vintage cashmere tends to soak in dye like a sponge!  Dirty Oatmeal beige becomes vibrant teal, fuschia, and an odd yellow.

I leave these dyed pieces out in the Texas sun to dry.  It's so hot here, the afternoon air gives the wool an extra felting!  The pieces sway in the breeze as I wonder what my neighbors must think when I'm tinkering in the backyard dye bins.  Surely they suspect bodies are buried back there!

Some of these wools will be used in my prayer flag for a swap on the Trodden Path.  Afterall, I am a wool junkie.  Anything I make to send into the universal thought chamber better have something from my heart. 

Once all the hacking and dying is complete I am left with extraordinary colors in cashmere to create to my heart's content.

LOVE  &  WOOLIES!

 

Confessions of a Button Hoarder

 

Hi.  My name is Jacquie..... and I am a button hoarder.

I admit I am powerless against my addiction and my studio space has become unmanageable.

I have bottles hidden in the closet.

I keep a quick stash always close at hand.

I place some in pretty boxes to pretend I'm just a "social" collector.

I have a history of sneaking buttons into the house when I believe no one is looking.

These pretty gems of fashion and utilitarian history thrill me to my toes!  I know I should be stitching but I just want to stare at my buttons a few minutes longer.....

It all started when I was a child.  I must've been 5 or so.  My mom's fave antique store had a giant button bowl that doubled as a babysitter. Thirty years ago there were no button warnings.  We didn't know then what we know now about choking hazards but I survived.

I tried it once and was immediately hooked! Plunging my hand into that bowl of intoxiating color and texture was pure exhileration!  My brain was on fire with cool shapes and tiny embossed patterns.  Soon I had both hands in- grabbing fist-fulls, closing my eyes and taking in the whoooosh as the buttons waterfalled back into the bowl.  Sorting the buttons into sharp lines on the glass tabletop I straightened their ranks like a military file. 

I was ok for awhile.  Happy to play from time to time.  I don't know when the habit started getting out of control but soon I had a button stash of my own.  It started with neatly carded buttons or a few family heirloom buttons.  But soon I needed more and MORE!

  

One jar grew into 2 jars, then 3, then 18!  I have buttons stashed in totes, tins, and old hat boxes.  I even shipped boxes away to artist friends when I moved last summer.  I vowed not to keep collecting but this habit has me by the jugular!

So if you see me and my hubby in a local antique store, flea market or vintage boutique- please help a hoarder and don't show me your buttons for sale.  Know that I admire your collection but I'm trying so hard to be good.

Instead show them to me when hubby has gotten bored and left the store!!  That way I can stash them in my purse and get them safely in the house!

LOVE  &  LONG LIVE THE BUTTON!!

Upcycle Nation: Summertime Blues

When I found this vintage wool hat at the Salvation Army recently, I thought it was the perfect texture to recycle into wee doll shoes.  The dolls agreed and I proceded to give the hat a nice lavender bath to get rid of that funky vintage closet smell. 

 Plopping the hat into the bucket I saw the hat immediately start to bleed blue.  Lots of blue!  I knew there was only one thing to do:  Run for wool scraps and make a new batch of summer blues!!

  

The Texas summer sun is my fave (and eco-friendly) assistant!  The water heats nicely in the backyard.  Once the batch has soaked for 24 hours, I set the pieces on tree limbs to drip dry.

The results are magical!  Once white woolens are now festive blue abundance!

The mohair randomly absorbed the blue to mimic tie-dye  whereas the stripe wool took almost evenly.  I prefer the blotchy imperfect color soaks as they add depth to penny wool or applique projects. 

   

 Many who have purchased my Lamb In A Can have requested larger squares for use in rug hooking or wall hangings- so this newest batch will be offered in long length and shorter length bundles.

The wee hat has turned into a monster- still spewing blue dye at the simplest touch.   Looks like she will lend herself easy to another batch of the blues!

LOVE  &  UPCYCLE NATION!!

 

A Birdie Bud Vase For My Buddy

Sometimes the smallest surprises hold the greatest wonder. 

I came across these two matching vintage bud vases on a recent thrifting excursion to Goodwill (Yes- that other place you can find me if I'm not at Starbucks or in my Studio!)

The white flowers caught my eye first but then the wee birds emerged from the palest of purple flowers that seem to fade into the depths of the black background.  When I noticed the daffodills at the bottom of the vase I audibly cooed with delight!! 

    

Realizing these were the work of a delicate hand, I turned them over in search of a maker's mark.  Hmmmmmmmmm...... Chinese symbol........ Probably translates to "made in Taiwan" :)

 I discovered these vases were painted over brass with a fine inlay that ringed both the top and bottom edges.  The longer I looked, the more details I found!  When I set them beside each other to snap an Instagram pic I noticed that the scenes are similar but not identical.  These companion vases flow from one vase to the other as the birds flutter through the tendrils of hanging flowers.

As I set the vases down for a picture and turned my back for a second, a young treasure hunter wandered up to them and excitedly said, "Oh what pretty vases!"  Normally, having two, I would have offered one to such a young enthusaist.  I always appreciate wee hunters with a keen eye!  We shared a look at the fine details and I complimented her on her fine instincts- but I already had a plan for this pair of bud vases.  I will keep one- the other is off to my soul sister inUnionville,  New York.  For we are two of a kind, yet with just enough differences to make a beautiful pairing!

LOVE  &  BEST  BUDS!!!!

My Faithful Travel Companion

Tomorrow I leave for Connecticut to spend time with family and attend my nephew's wedding in Mystic. 

Before the clothes are packed, before the shoes are chosen, I make sure my faithful travel companion is ready to go.  Her leather is softer than fur and she houses the medicine to my soul.  Once a discarded wallet, I rescued her for a mere fifty cents and gave her a new life as my stitching caddy.

When I first opened this oversized and pristine wallet, I knew she was a keeper!  So many pockets!  The back pocket runs the entire height of the clutch making it perfect for storing fabric.  I removed the weathered plastic photo stash and replaced it with a wool needle keep.

I have problems sitting still so an air travel would be torture without a cross stitch project to keep my idle hands busy.  Over the years I have created a number of small pieces.  I usually turn them into pin cushions or small sachets.  Some become accents to larger works back in my studio. 

  

Some works linger while waiting for placement, but all are small unexpected keepsakes of journeys taken in miles and memories.

LOVE  &  TRAVEL CADDIES!!