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Shelbee on the Rags: Rag Garland
My bohemian bedroom makeover is wholly responsible for inspiring my very first raggery project and launching Shelbee on the Rags into a knot tying frenzy. It went something like this… I needed new curtains for my updated bedroom. I couldn’t find curtains that I liked. I decided to make patchwork curtains and bought piles of coordinating fabrics. I realized my sewing skills were not up to par for such an undertaking. I discovered a way to make no-sew curtains with a bohemian vibe and my rag curtain obsession began. As I was accessorizing my bedroom, I wanted to incorporate much of my hat collection into my wall decor. It took…
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Shelbee on the Rags: “Bohemian Blues” Rag Curtains
While this is the fifth post in my Shelbee on the Rags series featuring my raggery projects, these curtains are actually the first raggery project that I ever made. Back in June, I gave my bedroom a bohemian makeover and I could not find curtains that I liked anywhere. So I decided to make my own. Initially I was going to sew my own patchwork curtains and I bought about 20 yards of quilting fabrics to get started. But before I even laundered the fabrics, I realized that I was not skilled enough to pull off a sewing project of this sort. And this is when I discovered no-sew rag…
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Shelbee on the Rags: “Aqua Allure” Rag Curtain
I am sharing my rag curtain projects almost in reverse order. Now that I decided to write a dedicated post for each curtain, I still have to share the first two curtains which I made specifically for my bedroom windows and my cloffice doorway. I created Aqua Allure for my cloffice doorway because I was really hating the long gray drapes that I had hanging there. Once upon a time, I had no door covering for my cloffice but it gets kind of messy in there so I do like to have a curtain to conceal my chaos. First I had light cream curtains with a brown leaf print covering…
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Shelbee on the Rags: “Bohemian Ragsody” Rag Curtain
The first two rag curtains that I created, Bohemian Blues and Aqua Allure, were made exclusively for me for practical use in my home. I created the third curtain, Saved from the Landfill, for no one in particular. I just had a bag of old kids’ clothing that was destined for the donation bin and I figured it would make better art than hand-me-downs. Throughout the process of crafting with fabrics and textile scraps, I started saving all the little odds and ends and bits and pieces that were “irregular”, meaning they weren’t smooth, seamless cuts of fabric. Then I got the idea to use all of those odd bits…
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Shelbee on the Rags: “Saved from the Landfill” Rag Curtain
I have decided to share a dedicated post for each new large rag project that I complete. If you have been following along, I recently began these raggery adventures in an effort to save unwanted textiles from overwhelming our already overwhelmed landfills by creating functional pieces of art. Saved from the Landfill was born out of a bag of old kids’ clothing that had been sitting in a closet waiting to be dropped off at a clothing donation bin until I rescued it from a landfill fate. The bag consisted mostly of old tee shirts and sweatpants with a few pairs of jeans that were all worn beyond function anyway…
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Shelbee on the Rags: “In the Garden” Rag Curtain
I just completed my latest rag curtain project which was inspired by my mother and very much guided by her spirit. I have outlined my step by step process of taking thrift store garments and turning them into functional artwork in the post featuring my Carolina on My Mind rag curtain. I am attempting to prevent as many textiles as I can from ending up in our already overwhelmed landfills by rescuing unwanted garments from thrift stores and creating an environmentally friendly and practical art form. The idea of a floral garden themed curtain came to mind when I first started creating these rag curtains. In fact, about 12 ideas…
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Shelbee on the Rags: “Carolina on My Mind” Rag Curtain
If you remember November, you might recall my latest creative adventures which I have named Shelbee on the Rags. I have been creating unique curtains and wall hangings from unwanted clothing (a.k.a. rags). This raggery idea came to me in the summer when I couldn’t find the perfect curtains for my bohemian bedroom makeover so I decided to make my own in the hippie aesthetic that I desired. I did not use unwanted clothing for my bedroom curtains because my initial intention was to sew patchwork curtains from fabrics that I chose at JOANN. Quickly realizing that my sewing skills were not up to par for an undertaking like 3…
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4 Tips to Stay Calm During a Home Project
Navigating through any major renovation can be challenging and stressful considering all of the unknowns that can be a source of great frustration. From dealing with contractors and selecting materials to staying within your budget and adding new systems, everything must come together until successful completion. There are some tried-and-true tactics for finding stress relief and peace of mind in this process. Read on to discover 4 tips for staying calm during home projects. 1. Prioritize and Create a Comprehensive To-Do List Renovation projects can be both rewarding and stressful. To stay sane during a major home project, prioritize tasks according to importance by creating a detailed checklist with everything…
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10 on the 10th: November 2023-10 Favorite Things About Thanksgiving & #SpreadTheKindness Link Up On the Edge #678
It’s time for Marsha in the Middle‘s 10 on the 10th series. For this monthly series, Marsha usually shares 10 questions about a singular topic and invites us to share our answers in blog post form on the 10th of the month. Her questions are such a wonderful way to share more information about ourselves and to learn interesting new things about others. Anyone is invited to join and answer the questions. It is a great way to start new conversations, make meaningful connections with new people, and have a good hearty chuckle every now and then. For November, Marsha decided there would not be 10 individual questions but instead she has asked…
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Shelbee on the Rags
I have been in creative overdrive for months, crafting works of art from rags. Yes, rags. Rags that I have been making from old clothing that was destined for a landfill. Saving as much as I can so as not to contribute to the environmental mess that the fashion industry continues to perpetuate. I am calling this art medium raggery and it suits my bohemian soul perfectly. It all began with my bohemian bedroom makeover when I made rag curtains out of strips of quilting fabric. For this first of my rag curtains, I bought new fabric when it was on a flash sale at JOANN for $2.99 a yard.…