Burlap and Lace

My daughter and I like to spend time together when ever we can, but when we are with each other and a pile of material, glue, paint, scissors and twine we are thinking it may just be the rapture and we have not been left behind!

Middle One and I set aside two days a while back to redo her kitchen/dining curtains.  Five years earlier I had made the curtains that we were now replacing.  It was time for a change.

As we struggled to take the old curtains down, memories of struggling with the construction of those plankety-plank-plank valances flooded over me.  They had a scalloped design, three different fabrics and full lining.  They were a bear!  Well really they were roosters... you'd probably recognize them from the "Old World" design craze of five years ago.



They finally came down and we started creating their replacements.  Middle One loves the vintage look and had purchased feed sacks for the new curtain material.




As we were arranging and cutting and pinning the sacks together I could hear my mom telling me of my grandmother's reaction when he-man and I installed wood floors in our home.  Seems as if grandma and grandpa had worked all their lives to afford wall to wall carpeting and now we were tearing it out to put down the same kind of floor they had worked so hard to cover up.





Designer fabric to feed sacks is much the same, don't you think?



Middle One has very creative ways of repurposing old material and furniture so I trusted her vision and away we went, two sewing machines humming, cords zigzagged about the room and burlap deprei flying everywhere.

 Her house had been turned into a sweat shop.  Her children would pass through every so often for drinks or food and then quickly disappear as if they were entering a war zone.

But after the fuzz cleared and the floor had been swept numerous times and pins gathered the end result made Middle One very happy.  And I got to spend time doing what I like most... being with my family and working with my hands.  

Good by Roosters, Hello Cigar Sack

Lace and Burlap; opposites attract

He-man built the island and Middle One's hubby made the galvanized tub light.  Bluebird says hello.

More lace and burlap and grandma's crocheted table scarf

Middle One bought an old door from a salvage yard, painted it with chalkboard paint and her now favorite accent color of turquoise.  It is where the kids practice their spelling and list their household chores.

Now I suppose I should tackle the thirty some projects I have waiting at my own home.  Oh, but it is so much more fun to do it for someone else.  Especially when that someone is Middle One.  She makes my heart sing.


Thanks for walking with us through the sweat shop.  Thanks for visiting our homes and saying hello to our family.  I hope you can do something fun with someone you love.  I hope that whatever they ask, you can trust their vision and give them your full attention.  I hope they make your heart sing.