Color, Versatility and Charming Elegance

It's time for another guest artist feature. Meet a fabulous seamstress - Teri Prouty of Charming Elegance Gifts.  Teri is a versatile craftswoman in many techniques. From her California home studio she loves most to produce items or garments that are sewn or tailored but is capable in other mediums too.

She loves color and this is easy to see as soon as you step into her online shop. I am impressed by the lovely fabrics full of color in these little cocktail napkins with serged edges. They would be the perfect accessory for next week's 4th of July dinner or picnic celebration with friends. (Teri also sells matching wine glass coasters in her shop.)

Teri comments that she finishes the edges of the napkins with a "serged" edge. A sewing machine that does a special stitch with several threads feeding from cones is the type of machine that Teri uses on this napkin. Sergers have many capabilities. In this napkin application, she is using the edge finishing capability of the machine to place a neat, narrow, professional edge of thread on the napkin. There are many brands of sergers, but most look something like this.

Some of you who love fashion may know about this type of machine from the Lifetime T.V. program - Project Runway, a reality program that features a competition among fashion design contestants. Many of the contestants on the program use sergers for their garments to help them cut and sew professionally finished edges and the seams of the garment together at the same time.  But sergers have many applications because they sew a flexible length of thread that can join pieces together and/or finish an edge. They are a bit complex to operate and thread so Teri's knowledgeable expertise is needed to complete items with the kind of quality she offers. Curious about the difference between a serger and a regular sewing machine? Check out this 2 minute video: 

Summer seems to be the perfect season for bright colors - the sun sparkling off green trees and cool blue water and green grass and flowers in full bloom and colorful festivals and fairs and farmer's markets. So, this season is the perfect time for these bright hot pepper placemats  Imagine them at your next patio barbecue. 


I also love these wonderful full-size dinner napkins in a Michael Miller floral print. This fabric is of very high quality cotton with a soft drape and feel and the print is vibrant. How charming and elegant for a special dinner table setting for friends or family.

Now for an item that again displays Teri's versatility - a hand knitted scarf with her signature color and this time texture too. Teri says that she herself loves scarves and wears one almost every day for warmth and fashion - so here is a beautiful example of one of her hand knit scarves available on her site.

Charming Elegant Gifts  also has clothing items available. Wondering about an item of hers done in a different color or fabric? Teri would love to do something special for you. All is needed is conversation with Teri to work out details.

Here are the links to contact: http://www.artfire.com/ext/shop/studio/CharmingElegance and message her through her Artfire shop.




Learn more at her blog: http://charmingelegancegifts.blogspot.com/ or find her on facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Charming-Elegance-Gifts/206122842799502