I wiped away the weeds & foam. / I fetched my sea-born treasures home... Ralph Waldo Emerson







Sunday, January 11, 2015

Strawberry Pin Keep Make Do



Hello from the icy snowy beach! I hope you all have had a warm and cozy weekend.
It warmed up a bit here. The temps were up around 34* so I was able to get out and wash my windows this afternoon. I hate when the salt spray and snow and sand obscure my beach view and whatever sunshine manages to peek in.


Today I want to show my finished strawberry make do! This is not a selling blog, but sometimes it is a Making blog and I get to show off what I've made.



You saw this cutie in its beginning stages.



I make a few of these pincushions each year. What and how many I make is determined by the bases I've collected at the Fall fleas or while thrifting.
This is such a pretty small candlestick that I used for the base.


It is pre-1911, and the glass is turning a gorgeous clear lavender, as old glass sometimes does. The chemical that turns glass lavender as it oxidizes was not used after 1911. [manganese?]



For the berry I used antique milliners' velvet in a lovely strawberry rose-red.

 
 



Hand sewed leaves, made with  hand dyed sage linen.




Beaded with iridescent glass ''seeds''.


Tiny extra emery hangs from an old mother of pearl shirt button. The seeds are hand embroidered running stitch. The emery is filled with white sand from my beach.

 
I put my thimble on the top. A perfect fit, just for fun. The berry's future owner can put her own thimble there.  My pinkeeps are meant to be used, and loved!
 
 
 

 
 

 

It's so fun to make these pin keeps, also known as Make Do's. I make them one at a time. Each is different. This is my all time favorite [I say that about each and every one,lol]. I love it!


I hope you enjoyed seeing it too.




love

lizzy

 gone to the beach

Below: Mo has a tantrum and destroys a case of Charmin. LOL!