Bella Notte inspired pillow shams 'Part Deux' ~ With a crocheted edge...

Oh, you really didn't think I would stop with just (lets see...) three sets this month, did you???

Bella Notte Inspired Pillow Covers

Crocheted Edge Curtain Panels to Throw Pillows

Crazy Quilt Pillows

It's a 'pillow makin' marathon' going on around here ~~~!

Quick, someone take the sewing machine away......

(If you try, I'll bite your arm...!)

(=

Well, since I was digging through my curtains, I came across this gorgeous panel. It's one of the old, vintage ones with the rubber back. I don't even think they make this kind of quality anymore. At least, not around where I live... And - it was only $1...

As I kept digging through my stash, I came across a bag that had a Ralph Lauren "Charlotte" bed skirt, a set of shams and a flat sheet... Oh, yummy - these would go perfect with the vintage curtain panel to destruct me a couple more 'Belle Notte' (part deux) inspired big, ruffly, pillow cases... The Ralph Lauren bedding came from the thrift store and I think it cost me $5...?

(We're up to $6 so far and I only needed some thread & time...)

Where the damask panel is rubber backed, I lined the inside with pieces of the Ralph Lauren sheet. I can't even image how I would have got a pillow into it without this brain thought?

Lets face it... 

I am DESTRUCTIVE with textiles (I don't know why?) ...

It starts out one thing and a couple whacks & a bit of thread later and it's another. 

My lighting 'sucks' at night when I'm sewing and I was just way too busy to turn on the light~!

I cut the ruffle off the bed skirt and sewed it onto the pillow edge for the pillow ruffle because I'm just way too lazy to pull out the ruffler attachment for my sewing machine... <Yes, I'm smiling big> I love 'already made' ruffles. It just saves me lots of time...

The inside of the sham is "Ralph Lauren Charlotte" lined...

The exterior is the vintage, damask, curtain panel, with a Ralph Lauren 'Charlotte' ruffle...

I've had a few inquirer's email me and request patterns. Sorry ladies - I don't use patterns. I just grab the material, grab the scissors and a measuring device and start whacking. It's all just in my head and you don't want me to go in there after it.

Trust me...

It's scary in there~!

Honestly, I've never had a formal sewing lesson. I don't know how to use a pattern. I've never owned a pattern. I just "Wing It" and wingi'ng  it (is that a word?) works for me...

I didn't stop here though... It was plain - it needed some pizzazz... Something to finish it off...

It needed a crocheted edge...

So, I grabbed my little 'SkipStitch' rotary cutter attachment. 

You can order one here: Skpstitch Blade

I ran it along the edge of my ruffle. And, I started my stitches. Again, I just 'wing-ed' the pattern. I start with no 'rhyme, nor reason.' I just start...

And, I ended up with beautiful, 'Belle Notte' inspired pillow shams for $6...

(Waaaaaayyyyyy cheaper than the real thing!)

It is so easy to take pieces of stuff and create beautiful bedding~!

In my next life (God forbid I have to do this again, I've really learned my lesson about living!)

I would wish to be a bedding designer... 

Or, a dog...

Just look at this mess~! 

Something happens when he lays down. These little white 'puff balls' politely referred to as "Mooch Balls." Jump off him and start roaming around the house... !

~And, of course... the human walks around all day and picks them all up~

Back to the blog post Jen... 

hm, hm... sorry for the interruption~!

A rundown of the cost of the bedding currently on my bed...

The newly destructed Belle Notte (part deux) shams = $3

The ruffled Ralph Lauren shams in the back = $2

The little throw pillows in front = $0.50 (2 linen napkins and some edging)

The 'Poodle" bed spread = $15 (from Domestications)

The bottom crocheted edge blanket (white) = $2

The sand pink, fringed edge blanket at the foot of the bed = $1

And... There are 2 quilted shams on the bed I got from J.C. Penney's clearance for $4.99 each = $10

Total Cost for your bed to look like this if your a thrifty treasure hunter & a pack rat who has no fear of scissors~

  $34.00 

(Not counting the sheets...)

And, when the man-child comes home and just plops his construction worker, dirty truck driver self all over my Belle Notte inspired bed... I can just roll my eyes and say, "Whatever..."

Instead of screaming ~ 

"Get off the Belle Notte Bedding~!!!"

And, I'll never have to hear...

"Isn't a bed suppose to be layed on?"

Ever again...

Watch those yard sales and thift stores for those old, vintage, curtains...

They can be turned into "Beautiful Bedding" for a pittance of the cost of "Designer Bedding."

Your man will thank you~!!!

And, if the man-child does something to anything on the bed, 

it will give me a great excuse to make some more~!!!

(=

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Bella Notte inspired pillow covers...

You didn't really think I would stop with the crocheted edge curtain panel to throw pillows did you?

After all, it's just me and my multiple personalities here & home alone for the week. Heck, the sewing machine is all set up. I haven't vacuumed up the strings from the crocheted edge pillows. Why not keep going, right?

How about some "Bella Notte" inspired pillows to go with the crocheted edge pillows...

Last week I decided I was going to make some cushions for my kitchen bench seats. I searched high and low in town and couldn't find any old, vintage drapes (I wanted ivory)... Then, I had this epiphany. My daughter had a bunch of huge drapes in her old house when she moved in. She thought they looked 'old lady'ish' and immediately took them down. At this point, I was slapping myself. How in the world did I ever let any curtains slide by me?

This was a couple years ago that she changed her curtains. Would she still have the old drapes? Why didn't I grab them sooner? Where were they? I text'd her... She replied that she thought her husband threw them away after a yardsale. Threw them away? Oh the TRAJEDY~!

I was bummed...
How could anybody throw away curtains? Especially old curtains... Yardage and yardage of thick, old, drape type curtains... She texted back that they were still in the basement ~ Yay!

They were the old kind of drapes. The kind you put the sharp metal hooks in and put on the kind of rod that you pull the string and they open and close (because I am brain dead right now and can't remember the name of it...) They are the old HEAVY curtains.

I was excited and it only took me an hour to pull out all the sharp hooks. When I washed them, they came out beautiful and soft. When they went into the washer, they were rough (starched in a previous life?)...

Then, I realized, they were possibly linen. Or, something like it. Heck, I don't know - they're just soft...

<Yes, I'm smiling because I'm not so smart this late at night>

They turned out to be a little too 'beige' to match my kitchen, so I'll still be hunting for ivory vintage curtain panels for the kitchen cushions, but these drapes match my bedroom~ !
And you know that made the bedroom pillow redo continue...

I cut about 1/4 of 1 of the 4 panels into two pillow case size covers and then added an 8" ruffle. I used french seams again so they won't fray when they're washed...

And "Walla"~~~ !

"Bella Notte" inspired pillow covers. 

And, they're soft. And they're pretty. 

And, they cost me NOTHING...

And, I have plenty of yardage left to make a quilted throw for the end of the bed...

And, enough yardage left to make some curtains to hide the strange space the man-child left above the closet (between the closet and the ceiling) when he built it. It drives me 'batshit crazy' and it's time to 'cover it up'...

*Not even going to show that space above the closet, until it's covered...*

It is that bad~!!!

(=

And, I'll have enough yardage left 

to make a few more pillows, so stay tuned~!!!

=D

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Crocheted edge curtain panels to throw pillows...

I was going through my linen cabinet and came upon these cute, little, curtain panels with a crocheted edge.
Of course, I have 10 throw pillows I picked up at a yard sale from a lady that was going to make some homemade Christmas presents and never got around to it. They were all the perfect size to go together, so I turned the 2, crocheted edge curtain panels into throw pillows...

Pillows just came out of the dryer, so they are lumpy~!

The curtain panels are both folded in half in the pic - it seriously was a perfect marriage...

I trimmed the curtain rod end off the panels...

I done a 'French Seam' along the outside edges...

Here's what it looks like before I turned it 'right side out'...

I dug through all my buttons and found a couple with a little wire eye on the back, so I could safety pin them on. I wanted to safety pin the buttons on, so it closes the pillow edge, but so I could still take the buttons off and wash the pillow covers...

Little known fact about me ~ I hoard buttons too~!
Actually, buttons are so hard to come by nowadays (and in this rural area) that when I'm at yard sales, or the thrift stores, I keep an eye on the clothes. If I see an article of clothing I like, I buy it, just for the buttons - lol

(I can cut the clothing up later for quilt blocks, or crazy quilting...)

There are times, at the thrift store, I buy something and at the cash register (if I don't like the material), I cut the buttons off and donate the clothing back. I walk out feeling vindicated - and they never reject the donation of clothing back to them ~ lol

See, cute little, crocheted edge throw pillows~!

These took me about 30 min. to make, if that...

I could even string a little ribbon through the small crocheted strip and pull it tight and make a tootsie roll type pillow later, to change things up a bit. 

And, if I ever wanted to use them for curtains in the future (doubtful - I have lots and lots of curtains ~ yes, I'm a curtain hoarder too!), then I could just unpick the hems and resew a rod pocket and hang them...

I luv curtains & I luv throw pillows...

So, why not merge them together and make

 'Curtain panel throw pillows' ???

(=

Bathroom Curtains...

Well, this is the 5th change of curtains in a year for this bathroom window...

I've just been unable to find something I like for this old bathroom. I think, it's because it's not redone yet. Everything in the bathroom is still 'retro' and it throws me. And, so does the color of the walls, the color of the carpet, the old Sears & Warbuck vanity, blah... blah... blah...

Someday the 'Man-Child' will get time to get started on this room and get finished on this room. I'm not really complaining, because everything works, it just 'hurts my eyes!'

My best friend sent me some crocheted lace valances. I was one short for using them in the kitchen. We had (her & I) devised a plan to maybe whack them up and redo them for the kitchen, but I just knew the bathroom was the place for these...

I never got around to ordering the French curtain from this blog post: To do it, or not to do it, that's is the current question...

I haven't forgot, I just never got it done. Anyway... I found 2, vintage, thick, curtain panels at the thrift store yesterday for $2... I plotted it for a couple hours and woke up today to give the bathroom window a "Jen Makeover."

The vintage curtain material is high quality and really expensive looking~!

The pleated, thiftstore panels were too short, but the perfect size to fit 'across' the window. I un'picked the bottom seam, to stretch me a couple of inches... 

It wasn't even enough length, so I whacked a chunk off one of the extra valances she sent and sewed it to the bottom of each panel to extend the length and make them match the valance.

(Of course, I ironed them before I hung them up...)

The thick, vintage panels are great 'block out' curtains. I hate mini blinds and it's bothered me that this window has been wide open. Now, the panels can be closed when someone is getting in the shower~!

I do have a 7' block wall all the way around the yard and no close neighbors, but isn't it funny that without a bathroom window 'blocked off,' it can feel so exposed?

(Curtains are bear to get a pic of during the day...)

Someday the whole room will be beautiful, but for now, I can have beautiful curtains~!

(=

THANKS PAM FOR THE BEAUTIFUL VALANCES~!!!

Not bad for $2 and a couple hours time...

There's a reason I call myself "Lace Crazy"...

You are about to get a taste of my sometimes 'uncontrolable' obsession...

Ok ~ truth is, I'm a lace & curtain hoarder...
I kept it hidden for a long, long time. But, one day, my better half ran into a box of curtains in the garage. And yes, it was a BIG BOX. Then another box, then he opened an old steamer truck in my corner and found more curtains (he doesn't know it yet, but there's a huge, old, cedar chest out there just brimming with it)... Hell, I even had lace and curtains hid out in the pantry in a box. And, in my office I had boxes and boxes of lace and curtains and doillies.... And well, in every closet and every nook & crany.
I think every box with a lid in my house was full of lace & curtains. He had just never noticed before. And he had 'assumed' it was varying household junk. Nope ~ it was ALL lace & curtains, especially LACE CURTAINS~!

You know the great thing about my obsession???
It fits anywhere & everywhere. It's easy to hide... I'm not even going to discuss all the 'space bags' full, or where I have them ~ Ha~!

Honestly, I've supplied 4, or 5 houses with curtains - if you need curtains, I'm the woman to go to~!
(Sick, aint it...) I have enough doillies to probably make 8, or 10, crazy quilts ~ I am ill...

They say the road to recovery is admiting you have a problem. Well, I have a problem and I don't intend to recover from it. I LOVE LACE! And, that's the reason he nicknamed me "Lace Crazy." The good news is though ~ I've got him in on the action!

He doesn't pass a yardsale where he sees lace that he doesn't stop and buy it for me. Now, that's "True Love." My best friend says he's just feeding my addiction, but I don't mind. I enjoy it. It excites me~!
=)

Here's a little taste of my not-so-secret-anymore obsession...

A great haul of cutwork & crocheted curtains...

$12 from the antique shop (even though they're not antique...)

I think, these will all be pillowcases next week...

Burgundy, crocheted bedspread & 2 shams

$8 from the thrift store ~ I'm in Luv~!

~Lace & more Lace~

(Yes, it piles down one side of my sectional)

$22 worth from the thrift store ~ just yummy~!

Yes, I left all of this piled on my couch and I petted them for 2 days~

I am Lace Crazy!!!