“Alter this!”

As a once upon a time seamstress, I heard this phrase often. You might think sewing gals and guys (my father was the one to pass this skill on to me) have a rather straight forward view of this phrase, but that is simply not the case. Like my grandmother before me, I am interested in combining my passion for textiles with my love of paint, metal, glass and everything old and lovingly used.

My grandmother taught me to take alteration a step further. Yes, she would alter clothing to fit a different child or whip up a hem for you, but her joy came from altering fabric and repurposing anything and everything old into something new and treasured. You could recount the lives of generations in the objects she created for her grandchildren.

I often give in to my inner desires and take my old aluminum brownie pan around my workshop, gathering bits and pieces of textiles, charms, beads, old toys and bits of wood. I set them out in front of me and all sorts of wild ideas run through my mind, my fingers practically dancing at the thought of combining all my treasures into a single piece.

Over the years, I have learned by trial and error - always being interested in a technique that was not yet popular enough to have a book written on it! My goal for this blog is to offer bits of inspiration (history minor) and information (currently a teacher and author) in a way that will excite you enough to try alteration in your own crafting pursuits.

For all you altered artists out there please stop by my etsy shop Winter Rose Designs and look over our supplies. We also have a collection of altered charms and jewelry here at Winter Rose Cameos

Have a wonderful week.