Happy Saturday

Last Saturday was wonderful. I started the morning with farmer's market, brunch, and fabric shopping with one college friend and ended an afternoon of music and beer at the Ankeny Unplugged concert series with another. 

My friend Hillary is a sewing fiend. I've tried sewing myself bags and purses before, but they are generally 2 squares of fabric with a strap stitched on at the end. But Hillary makes these gorgeous, structured bags with fancy things like pockets and magnetic closures. She also has great taste in fabric. She took me to a local fabric shop, and although I don't own a sewing machine, I still came home with fabric. . . chalk fabric!

Another friend of mine is in the process of moving into a new home, and I wanted to use the chalk fabric to make her a fun framed chalkboard as a house warming gift.

You have to "cure" the chalk surface first by covering it entirely with chalk, wiping it down, and doing it again. This apparently helps the chalk surface stay eraseable and prevent permanent chalk marks.

I didn't take any more pictures of the process, but it was quick and simple. I just sewed a few colored buttons to the fabric and then placed it in an empty frame. I think it turned out pretty well.