Tag Archives: rainbow

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RAINBOW WALLET

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Last week my wallet was stolen. I won’t go into it here, how a guy actually watched the store and planned, how he went straight to the workroom the one time I was busy with customers in the front, or how he grabbed my wallet and ran out the backdoor. Neither will I get into how much loosing a week’s pay has fucked me up, or how I couldn’t pay the mechanic because my credit cards have all been frozen (those sweet Swedes told me to come pay them next week). This is about my new wallet.

rainbow wallet front rainbow wallet inside

rainbow wallet detail That’s right, I keep a picture of me and Rick Steves in my wallet.

In concept it’s actually quite similar to my old wallet, but now that’s a non sequitor. The seafoam green vinyl has been in my stash for a couple years; I got a big piece for $2 at a Joann’s in Ohio. I love the color but it’s tricky to work with! The sticky plastic doesn’t slide through my machine at all, so I wind up facing it with tissue paper and tearing that off. The extra step gets tedious, but it seems to work. Anyone else have any other methods for working with a non-slip material?

The rainbow is a variety of fold-over elastics from Fabric Planet that I stitched onto some white ripstop nylon. I really love the way it shimmers through the vinyl! The loop is an awesome metallic elastic we have at the store; I will be putting a chain through it to clip onto my bag (which wouldn’t have prevented the theft, but it helps me keep track of my wallet).

rainbow wallet detail rainbow wallet detail

Now I’m wishing I had used another color strip so that the wallet would be a bit wider, but as it is it works pretty well for me.

In other news, I’m about to head back to NOLA for March, so postings may be a bit sporadic until April. Laissez les bonnes temps roulez!

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BICYCLE SEAT COVERS

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This new batch of seat covers is a synthesis of many earlier versions, but I feel like I’ve finally gotten everything right. Check them out in my Etsy shop!

cycledelic saddle cover cycledelic saddle cover cycledelic saddle cover

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cycledelic saddle coverThe tops are all hand painted and original designs. The glossy sealant makes the saddle covers UV-proof, water-resistant, and highly durable to butt-wear. The sides are made out of some truly fabulous spandex with elastic around the bottoms to keep the covers fitting tight (I loved using underwear elastic for some of the covers).

Within each set there are differences in the drawings and color, so that even though I made three swallow seats each one is unique.

What’s great about these covers is that the painting allows me to do some really fabulous designs as well as customization. I’m currently working on two different designs that feature college mascots.

swallow bicycle seat covers Swallow bicycle seat cover Swallow bicycle seat cover

The fact that they are removable covers make them less of an investment to the customer. I love that they are so easy to store and I can ship them for almost nothing. Plus, I get to share my dual loves of bicycles and making things!

I’ll be selling these in some upcoming LA markets, and they’re always available in my Etsy store!

If anyone’s got some suggestions for new seat designs, particularly more masculine covers, I’d love to hear it!

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SEWING BANDOLIER

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I’ve been sewing for Burning Man 2010 since September of 2009. I’ve improved last year’s costumes, made plenty of new ones, and have been making wonderful things to gift on the playa. I wanted to continue this personal sewing theme at the event and share my love and skills with Burners in need, and so I made this renegade mending bandolier.*

sewing bandolier sewing bandolier sewing bandolier

Just call me Rainbo.

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I really love the idea of taking something that is normally made out of animal hide to hold bullets to kill humans and completely changing it around. Instead of bullets I’m packing thread and safety pins! My bandoleer* is for helping people by mending their costumes for free. It’s rainbow and beautiful but also completely functional. Admittedly, it was largely inspired by the Mad Hatter’s thread bandoleer, but I feel like I’ve made it my own.

sewing bandolier sewing bandolier safety pins

I bought rainbow webbing at Joann’s, as well as the spools of thread (there was an awesome notions sale many months ago) and the plastic vials at the top. Everything else was taken from my stash. The belt is adjustable and attaches with an overall-style hook. The green shank button holds the hook very securely, but it’s also easy to take off (or I can slip the whole thing over my head). On the back I’ve got a row of gold safety pins to hand out to burners in need.

sewing bandolier sewing bandolier sewing bandolier

The plastic vials are actually glitter containers that I emptied out (no glitter on the playa!). I’ve got pins, needles, and buttons handy, and the loops are also the right size for a Chapstick.

The spools were from a basic cheap-o sewing kit that I wound with my own thread. They are attached to the belt with some heavy gauge wire that has drops of hot glue on the cut ends to prevent them from scratching me. The wire loops aren’t attached to the belt, but the tension of the wire keeps them from moving around on their own. It was important that the spools can spin when I pull thread, and I placed them on the belt so that the notches face me, to secure loose ends.

sewing bandolier pocket detail sewing bandolier pocket detail

The pockets are made out of scraps from other projects. One is the perfect size for my fleur de logo stickers, while the other holds my folding scissors, tape measure (not really necessary but fun), and any other little tools I might need.

sewing bandolier vial detail sewing bandolier pin detail

In addition to walking around doing repairs in the wild, I will also set up at a table in Center Camp with a sign advertising my free repairs. For this, I’ve got another bag with larger buttons and some gold patches. I can’t wait to wear and use this on the playa, and I’m really looking forward to all the people I will meet through this project.

Thanks to my blue eyed man Jason for taking such rockin pictures on his new camera!

sewing soldier salute

SEE YOU ON THE PLAYA!

*Both spellings are correct!

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