Fall is my favorite time of the year. I love all the colors of the leaves… the brilliant yellows, golds, reds, and oranges! Over the Labor Day weekend, a Maple Leaf quilt block inspired me to create this Kimono jacket trimmed in a blue fabric which has been in my fabric stash for …literally years! Our Sewing Guild [www.asgchicago.org] had a “Fabric Challenge” contest in which we were given a 1/2 yard of ‘rusted muslin’ and we were to create something using that piece of rusted muslin. The cream colored pieces in the Maple Leaf blocks were made using the rusted muslin. (Rusting fabric is a technique in which water and vinegar are mixed and sprayed onto fabric which has rusted items –rusty tools, horseshoes, nails, etc- laying on the fabric. It dyes the fabric with unusual stains from the rust and creates some beautiful fabric! www.hobbyfarms.com/crafts-and-nature/rust-dyeing.aspx)
I also made a skirt of the matching blue fabric, trimmed with the gold and rust squares at the hemline which sported a “button-on” pocket lined with a left-over Maple Leaf quilt block!
As I cut out the kimono jacket pattern from the 44″ square maple leaf quilt top, I found the left over piece from the neck shaped a perfect “purse!”
So, I used more of the blue fabric and fashioned a matching purse for the ensemble. I even used the left over piece of “challenge” fabric for the necklace! It was a fun project! And, even more fun was winning 1st Place in the Fabric Challenge Adult clothing contest at the ASG Fashion Show on Oct. 16th!
