And then there were pins...

Just added to the jill2day shop are pins! These little brooches are made from bases covered with my sweater knits, and vintage buttons that I have gathered from various sources.

These pins are great for giving; to sisters, to teachers, to hairdressers, to buddies, or to yourself! They will decorate your hat or purse, they will hold your scarf from flying in the wind, they will add a little pizazz to you plain old coat!!

If you really want to make a statement you can add a jill2day ring to go with your pin - or to wear on its own. Made with the same eco-friendly materials  as the pins, but scaled for your hand. A great little bauble for your upcoming holiday parties!!

Now is the time to go to the new "brooches and rings" section and take a look!

End of summer sale!

I love fall and winter.... can never wait until we are done with this summer nonsense! To celebrate the first hint of cool in the evenings, and the sumac starting to turn red, I decided to give a 30% off on all my tshirt tunics between Wednesday this week and Sunday at noon. After that, they will be taken out of the shop and it will be all sweaters for the fall and winter seasons.

Take a look at my Etsy shop and use the coupon code "NOSUMMER" to deduct the 30% discount when you check out. Check out all the tunics in the Tshirt Tunic section. You can still use these tunics all fall and probably well into the winter... but I will be happily working and offering sweaters!

August is here and Mama Nature is preparing

The Queen Ann's Lace is past its prime, and the Coneflowers are in their heyday... that can only mean that summer's apex has been reached, and fall is almost here. For some of you that may be melancholy, but for me it is pure wonderfulness. It might still be 80+ degrees out, but the sun is just a little more golden and not quite as harsh at 8:00 AM. The baby birds - even from the second nestings - are in flight and on their own.

And every where I look I can see the flowers give way to the seeds and nuts and fruits. Each of these have their own unique form and point. I love the swirly seed pods and the milk weed pods that will soon explode with "fairies". The nuts will soon be buried in little mounds all over our yard. and the birds will find the berries for months to come. Ahhh fall in Wisconsin!

 The preparations for winter survival are well on the way. I have always loved fall. It is my inner clock's New Year. While others find hope in spring, I love the crisp and clean breath that is Autumn. It is a glorious romp of color and bounty before Winter sets in. It is a lesson in preparation. It is the end of summer slothfulness.

And, most importantly, it is the beginning of sweater season for jill2day!! And so I head to the studio to start serious reconstructing of afghans and  sweaters; to wander through the bulky and the cashmere, to imagine the warm cuddle of a selected grouping, to sew new and fabulous garments for you!

Challenging "Scrappy" stuff

One of the teams I  belong to on Etsy is doing a challenge this week. We are trying to use up scraps in new and different ways. I have done three items so far.

The first was this reconstructed pillow I made with upcycled fabrics. It is the first pillow I have done for jill2day, but probably will not be the last! It was really a fun project and would go so nicely with my afghans and blankets that I am now listing in my reconstructed BLANKETS section.

I picked up some more pillow forms this week, so I am sure more pillows coming soon. You can see more views of this one by clicking here.

Today I made a lamp! It is made on a lampshade and lamp purchased at a thrift store. It has four different animal skin sweater fabrics for the shade, and tons of decorative buttons from my stash of vintage buttons. I am not putting this in my shop. I want to test it out in my own home, to make sure that the glues are stable and will hold. But I really like the idea, and if you agree let me know... Always looking for new ideas to make with my reconstructed sweaters!

Lastly I tried a clutch bag. This was a fun projects, but again will not be in the shop. I am not a bag maker, and really have no idea if my interfacing and seaming will hold up, so I think this will be my own little treat for myself until I decide to up my expertise! 

This has been a very fun way to get me to "think different" and to break out of the creative rut that can occur occasionally. However, I do think it is time to get back to my sweaters, scarves, skirts and tunics.... with a couple of afghans and pillows thrown in for good measure! But you never know what the spirit may move me into next!

Reconstructed afghans; New product introduction today!!

I have just listed four new blanket afghans in my shop. Two of them are inspired by crazy quilts, and contain small pieces from 20+ sweaters... These are designed to keep yet more sweater knits out of the land fills and on a special place on your sofa.

This item can be found in the new reconstructed BLANKET section of my shop. It measures 58" x 56" and is made of a wide variety of fabrics... but is washable, dry able and very soft and cuddly!

Also listed today are a copy of more specific color designs. One is a "chocolate sundae" design in vanilla, white, tan and chocolate brown. It is 74" x 52" and is a great combination of textures and fabrics. take a closer look by clicking here. There is a lovely blue and gray lap blanket as well. It is very soft and although a bit lighter weight than the others, it is very warm, due to a high wool content. To see all the info on this patchwork sweater quilt, click here.

Like all jill2day items, these are  washable and can be put in the dryer. All the fabrics for these afghans, have been purchased from charity based stores, and the entire blanket has been pre-washed to prove the seams and to soften the fabrics.

And as always, keep your eye out for new reconstructed tunics, made from recycled t-shirts and upcycled sweaters - both cardigan and pullover styles.

Heads Up: going up this weekend!

This is just a quick taste of what is coming up new in the shops this weekend. I will be posting on Facebook when they are actually listed and where you can find them. I will also add the links to this posting. All items should be up by Sunday evening, many before that.

lavender and blue scarf

I was notified that my new jill2day.artfire.com was in my first ArtFire collection this morning, Take a look at it if you want to see some beautiful lavender items... you can almost smell that wonderful scent! This scarf is what was featured. click here if you want to find out more about it!

Art Institute of Chicago today!

I had a great day today with my friend. We drove down to Chicago in her spiffy new little Honda Fit (flashy bright red, of course). We spent the day at the Art Institute of Chicago. 

I have been there a zillion times, and it is always a wonderful adventure of new found friends and inspiration. Before I go, I have to make the big decision. Do I visit all the old friends, Monet, Sargent, Degas, Picasso, Cassatt, or do I run with a new crowd.

Today I started with the African room and the Folk Art, here are three of the new friends I made. The left and right are African sculptures, and the center one is a ship's masthead sculpture. Just loved all three of these pieces.

Then I really took a leap. For years I have heard about the Thorne Miniature Rooms, but I have never set foot in them. Today I did. They are amazing. Tiny little room after room of historically correct and detailed reproductions of European and American design. All are lit beautifully and are complete down to every crystal on the chandeliers! So glad I finally wandered in.

The real reason we went was for the Spider weaving. You must check this out- click here.
This is a weaving done entirely with threads spun by the Golden Orb spider. The color was the most beautiful yellow I have ever seen. It was the natural color of the thread.

I always just love visiting the building. The original building has always been elegant and classic. Now there is the new Modern Wing, too. It is a magnificent piece of architechture, and I can't figure out how the two areas can be so totally different, and blend so well. The way the new wing looks over the sculptures in Millineum park is perfect. It seems like the museum just continues right through the windows.

There was an exhibition of Avant-Garde art in the modern wing. I stumbled upon this exhibit, and all the wonderful players of early graphic design. Piet Zwart - you are genius. El Lissitzky's work is awe inspiring... typography as it is meant to be.

A good friend, some ancient art, perfect weather, some old acquaintances, and a spider's work, who could ask for more!