My Sewing Muse

Inspired by my sewing muse, Joni Greenman, I made this tag. At last I felt my sewing machine was my friend -- OK, for those of you who know me that is a stretch and my nose is growing. However, I have become an avid proponent of using the sewing machine in my creations. After getting comfortable using the machine -- I always try to remember that there are really no mistakes in sewing on paper. You can call it creative genius at work. OK, my nose is growing longer.


After a visit to Fall River, MA, to the Lizzie Borden Bed and Breakfast I made a Lizzie "brown paper bag" book. As you know, or are about to learn, this is one of my favorite mediums to work on. "Brown paper bag" has even been one of my favorite colors in my life and I remember in my 20s, when working at the Oklahoma Arts & Humanities Council, I had my very first office painted brown paper bag brown! Little did I know what laid ahead in my future.

One of my favorite pages in Lizzie's book is a copy of a photo that was unearthed recently when she was 9 years old. Such innocence. I created it on the back side of an already created page of two children and the "Lizzie" poem. As you can see the sewing can work on both sides.

On the 9 year old Lizzie I did the sewing before applying to the page. I then framed her "photo" and glued to the page. The opposite side was created using a clip art from a book called, "French Pages" by Anna Corba. You can find this book at Amazon.com and right now is selling for about $12.00 -- it's a bargain. The clip art is breathtaking! I used a number of these in the Marie Antoinette books I have done. Must say it was one of the best investments I have made.

I love using small pockets in my books since I feel they add some interest to the pages. On the page below I managed, by accident, to "sew" a line on the pocket and the page that matched up perfectly. If I had to do it again, it would be had to replicate!

Another tag I created for a pocket in the book was one dealing with "poison" -- one theory had to do with Lizzie trying to poison her father and step-mother before she eventually axed them to death. On the opposite side I added a recipe for Possum Stew found in some scrapbook papers.


While you mediate on how possum might taste, we will go to the last sewn page in the Lizzie book that I am sharing today. It is a page called "mother" -- the image is from clip art. I love this and used lace which you really can't see. Lace is beautiful and I am lucky to have some old lace mother and grandma used. After staying in the Lizzie Borden Bed & Breakfast and hearing the story of the murders you do begin to feel for the step-mother. She certainly did not deserve to be murdered. What in heaven's name was her "sin." I don't necessarily believe Lizzie did it -- but I go back and forth on this one. I don't want to believe Lizzie did it. I have grown fond of Lizzie and think she received a bad wrap. AND, she was not convicted of the crime!

I have to run and get ready for a play that I am headed to .... Soccer Mom (at least it ain't Hockey Mom -- enough said on that darn phrase)..... I got more cleaning done today and the bathroom in the craft room clean so Aaron will have a place to call his own! It's been a pretty good rainy, sunny, windy, Saturday!

Goodnight Lizzie, sleep tight!