Engagement gifts!

Recently I had a nephew get engaged.  Oh, it was on that special day of 12-13-14!  

In my day, we got sexy underwear as engagement gifts but I knew not to try that one!  I searched Google, like all of us, for what to give an engaged couple.  Mostly the answers were that no one gives gifts now.  However, Martha Stewart mentioned that if one feels the need, favorite recipes or a good cook book would be a special gift.

That was  what I needed to put me into motion.  Using recycled plastic bags I created a book cover for a notebook.  I copied the recipes from the Lancaster County Jewish Community Center cookbook.  Not only was this a favorite cookbook, it has family recipes, friend's recipes and isn't available to buy anymore. 

Here is the finished cookbook!

And here is a scrap of the recycled book cover.  This is fun to do and certainly quick and easy.  Just use a coolish iron to melt the bags together.  I did cut the pieces of plastic to create a balance of color. The trim is dyed selvedge from my scrap pile.  I stitched it on the plastic and glued the  completed cover on the inside to the notebook cover. So easy, can be wiped and looks nice!

A gauze scarf

What to do on a cold snowy day in January?  I have several silk gauze scarves.  I dyed them but they lacked body and interest.

Here is the scarf - very delicate to say the least.

   I had an idea!  What if I put this scarf between two pieces dissolve able paper known to me as Solvy.  I then put some dyed silk hankies on it and silk roving - on both sides.  And I pinned it all together.

Two days ago I decided to start stitching it.  I spent more than two days stitching it.  I thought I might run out of thread but I had just enough.  I used two different colors thread.  I knew that all the threads had to touch or it would fall apart when the Solvy was dissolved.  This took hours upon hours!

 Completed Machine Stitched with Solvy

Today I rinsed out the Solvy.  I love it.  It has a lot of texture and interest.  In the bottom photo, the silk hankies are visible, whereas the top photo has just the silk roving in different colors.  The edges are mostly the gauze scarf.   Available!