Storts Market

by Lesley Storts

Tag Archives: sewing


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A Loft, A Bentwood Chair & Anna Maria Horner Fabric

In March, my husband and I moved to Charlotte, North Carolina. Exciting! Well, yes, but it was our second move in 10 months – pass a pillow, I need a nap. We made a quick trip to Charlotte in February and were able to secure a loft to rent. Loft living is challenging and exciting. I started researching, which means looking at A LOT of pictures on the internet as well as reading tips for decorating. We had basics such as a sofa, chairs, table & chairs, bed, etc., which work well, but this space requires thought and patience. There are numerous consignment, antique, and thrift stores in Charlotte. On a recent trip to the Sleepy Poet Antique Mall, I found a bentwood cane back chair. The chair had some scratches, but the caning was intact. Additionally, the chair felt very study while being light and easy to handle. The thought of being able to recover the seat and personalize the chair for our space turned out to be my true motivator for the purchase.

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Beaded Pin Tutorial

Below is a video showing how to glue together crystal and glass bead pins. Following the video is a list of suggested supplies.

Supplies needed for crystal and glass beaded pins:
–Pins
–Beads
–Glue
Additional helpful items:
–Storage boxes
–Bead Mat
–Tweezers
–Old pincushion for pin drying (this will get hardened glue on it) or scrap of fabric to secure beads into place while they dry

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Giucy Giuce Nonna and Pietra Pincushions

This batch of pincushions started with Nonna and Pietra fabrics sent to me by artist and fabric designer Giucy Giuce (AKA Giuseppe Ribaudo). The fabrics were manufactured by Andover Fabrics.

Fabric designed by Giucy Giuce – Nonna and Pietra, manufactured by Andover Fabrics.
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Lorraine Turner’s Calico Horses Fabric and Pincushions

Last fall, I drove out west with my daughter Lucy for her return back to college. While visiting in Utah, I made a trip to the The Quilter’s Lodge. Have you been there? It is a beautiful store as well as a venue to provide retreats for quilters. While browsing through all of the fabric, I found an interesting and colorful line. The fabric artist, Lorraine Turner, was new to me, and for good reason – she’s a new artist for Free Spirit Fabrics. Her first line, Calico Horses, had several prints that I felt would work well as pincushions.

The art throughout the fabric required planning for various cuts and matching up with different sizes of glass. I was originally going to use the large white milk glass hobnail ashtray, but the glass is so shallow that I didn’t really like the way the pincushion looked in that glass. So I found another large ashtray. I really like the finished product and feel like the glass complements the print.

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Pincushion Pal

While on the constant hunt for glass through thrifting and antiquing, I find all kinds of interesting and unique pieces. At times, I do not even know the intended purpose of a piece. I buy unusual pieces with the thought that I may use it eventually. The ceramic glass that inspired the pincushion pal was purchased within the last couple of years and I had it for many months before deciding what to do with it.

  • Pincushion Pal Base - Original Ceramic Inspiration
    Pincushion Pal Base – Original Ceramic Inspiration

Lucy and I thought it might be fun to create a little caddy that could be used for handwork. I mocked one up with the original glass.

  • First Pincushion Pal
    First Pincushion Pal

After creating the pincushion and many discussions, Lucy and I thought this was a great addition to the pincushions we make so I started hunting for more glass pieces like this. While searching, I finally discovered the origin of the piece. The three holed ceramic dish is the base of a condiment set for a jelly jar and salt & pepper. I searched and found some whole sets on Ebay. I bought one but the base broke during shipping so I only have the jelly jar and salt & pepper.

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»Collecting Buttons«

Buttons. A necessary sewing and clothing accessory but probably not something most people think about. As a quilter, I rarely made anything with buttons prior to making pincushions. Once Lucy and I started making pincushions, we became very interested in buttons. We have built our button stash buying at big box craft and sewing stores, antiquing, thrifting, garage sales, and eBay.

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»Patty Young Fabric and Pincushions«

My latest batch of pincushions was made using Patty Young‘s fabric line, Lucy’s Garden, by Riley Blake Designs. In an Instagram post, Patty talked about her inspiration for this colorful line. I realized after reading about Patty’s inspiration, that there is a definite ‘art deco’ feel to the prints in this fabric. That element is so appealing to me and probably one reason I really like this line. In addition, I have a daughter named Lucy who was named after 2 grandmothers – so I really like that name.

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Jet Trails Quilt

Do you remember ever having a misperception about something? An experience or a phrase? My uncle thought “chest of drawers” was “chester drawers”. Or misheard lyrics – some of those are really funny! I enjoy having conversations with family and friends and discussing things we have all misunderstood at times. The Jet Trails quilt is about childhood and a misperception.

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