Working Tuesday: Garters on the brain.

I was looking at the garters I have on hand and realized I only had white, white garters. So I poked around in my lace collection and found some beautiful net lace with little flowers embroidered on it. A Biz bath later, it still had a creamy hue, so I pulled out the ecru ribbon and off I went... or so I thought.

Three lengths of ribbon later, I figured out why my sewing machine was acting so crazy (yes, I'm THAT slow). I'd been using quilting thread instead of regular thread, which caused quite a bit of puckering and running off track. I changed the thread, pulled out some new ribbon and voila!

I got this one in one try. I then folded a length of ribbon as you would to make a paper fan or cockade, stitched together the bottom, folded it back on itself and ran a running stitch to the top to make the flower. I completed this garter with a rhinestone and pearl button. A girl's gotta have a little sparkle!

Working Tuesday: Weddings on the brain

While traveling recently I came across a cache of antique lace, which started the creative juices flowing. I've spent much of the last week tending the lace in a Biz bath to get it as close to white as it's going to get. Then comes the process of carefully ironing the lace from the back to ensure the intricate designs don't get crushed by the iron. Finally comes the fun part: designing just the right garter that showcases the design of the vintage lace, eyelet or ribbon I'm working with.

Some days my dining room table is covered with spools of ribbon, random bits of lace and all the little bits and pieces that go into making the final garter. Should I add a ribbon rose? Does this one beg for a vintage button? What about a bit of bling? Is there enough lace to make a garter? If not, what do I do with it?

Luckily, I have a patient husband.