Carmen, Carmen, Carmen, Carmen, Carmen, chameleon, You come and go, you come and go.

This ABU Thyme totebag was made for an Air Force officer's baby gear.   The bag was designed to have bright accent colors to please Mom, yet not too feminine so Dad could lug it around and not be embarrassed.

These bags hold up really well as DOD battle uniform fabric is tough and this one is no exception.  The rank was removed from the collar and appliqued at the base of the handle straps. The various tags, awards, and buttons, remained as originally placed.  The pockets are still fully functional.

On the inside of the front of the bag, a huge fully lined quadruple pocket was added.  The military uniform pockets come from the bottom of the front of the ABU. On the narrow side, a small pocket was added to fit a cell phone.

The interior was lined with 4 different fabrics.  The front and back interiors were made from denim and and a bright home-decorator weight print.. 

The side panels were made from quilting fabrics.  The patch panel had a vertical strip of the same floral to add some color.  The Dad's unit patch was appliqued on the top. Mom works at a university so we added the school mascot (repurposed from a drink koozie) to the bottom.

The other side panel was all about the Mom.  She is a PhD candidate in the field of Biology so we designed the panel to look somewhat like a DNA strand.

 This couple will be awesome parents and their future baby will be in great hands!

It's Vicky who certs VA, to cert VA every day It's Vicky, it's Vicky (Vicky) Vicky (Vicky)

This quilt was made for a longtime Webster University employee who recently retired. She worked for Webster National Capital Region for over 16 years.

As well as being a Gorlok, the recipient was a military wife of a career Marine.  These two Americans met in the most romantic way.  He was posted to the US Embassy in Paris and she was a student at Le Cordon Bleu! The BDU block (bottom row, center) was the husband's uniform shirt. The pockets weren't quilted down so they are still usable.

In their free time, they raised and showed Briards, an ancient breed of herding dog originating in France.  They both love all canines so much that they eventually opened a day care for dogs in their home.

The main responsibility of her position was to deal with our Post 9/11 beneficiaries.  I saved this shirt from a 2010 VA Conference for this quilt I knew I would have to do some day.

The back used a Marine-themed polar fleece and a coordinating national colors flannel. 

So what if I'm a Hamm and cheese on rye? I gots to do my thing and that's no lie

  

This tote was made for a USAF NCO wife.  She wanted something bright to contrast with the subdued colors of her husband's ABUs.

Between the Alexander Henry home dec fabric used as the interior lining and the Hoffman cotton used on the exterior sides, it should be vibrant enough! The interior pockets are actually double pockets.  The side one has the dual pen holder from the uniform sleeve as well as a larger pocket that can hold a cell phone. The rank that was on the uniform sleeves was sewn to each of the narrow sides of the bag.

The interior pockets are actually double pockets. The side one has the dual pen holder from the uniform sleeve as well as a larger pocket that can hold a cell phone.  The pocket on the wide side is made from two uniform flap pockets which then create a third pocket.

Came out rapping when I was born Mom said rock it 'til the break of dawn

This Thyme Tote was made for a woman who just gave birth to her first child last night.   Her colors for the nursery were orange and blue so I tried to coordinate the bag with that color scheme.

The majority of the exterior of the bag is made from the recipient's husband's Air Force ACU shirt. The side panels are a modern print and the handles have a crazy orange motif from Hoffman. I added the rank to the base of the handles.

The fabric is a vintage 70's print so it may be older than the proud parents.  The interior of the bag is very roomy and will be able to hold all the baby accessories that these little ones require.  The large pocket is actually a triple pocket (one big one and 2 ACU ones side by side).  The smaller pocket is a double pocket made from the ACU pen holder from the sleeve of the uniform and can fit a cell phone so it doesn't sink to the bottom.  This bag is definitely not too feminine for Dad to carry. 



Poppy Pocketbook for a Marine Mom

From the halls of Montezuma,
To the shores of Tripoli...

This is a new design called the Poppy.  It is a rounded purse with a shorter strap.  This Poppy was commissioned by a very proud mom of a new Marine.  She liked bright peacock colors for the coordinating fabric.  The side with the US Marine tape actually has the marine emblem embroidered on the pocket.   The pockets were sewn on the diagonal on the uniform but straight on the Poppy so the symbol is now tilted.

The other side of course was appliqued with the surname nametape.

 

The Poppy shape was a challenge and it definitely made me think outside of the box.  I like to push the boundaries so I am glad I had the opportunity to do so.

Semper Paratus

This combined set of the Parsley, Wasabi, and Chive was custom-made for a US Coast Guard wife.  The client wanted a nautical theme for her items so a sailboat fabric was incorporated as the primary coordinate.  One side panel of her Parsley was customized with her initials in signal flags.  The Wasabi had a Reef Knot appliqued to the outside of the wallet.

Basil Backpack III

This Basil Backpack was made for the client’s son. Her little guy loves sneakers and sports so the coordinating fabric choice was easy. The Basil is made from bottom of the uniform leg.
BDUs had a drawstring built right into the hem of the pants so that the leg would remain bloused when tucked in the boot. A Basil is an upside down section of the leg so that the cuff of the pants is now the top of the backpack. The ACU pants that the client gave me does not have that drawstring . So sticking with the military theme, I used 550 cord instead.

The girl who is modeling the backpack is an average-sized 5 1/2 year old. Hopefully that gives a good idea of how this would fit on your little one.

Wasabi III,IV

The Wasabis were made for a mother and teenage daughter. Mom is active-duty and wanted her wallet to match her muted-tone Parsley. The wallet was able to include the pleat work that is located on the side of the uniform. Daughter is a teenager and likes vibrant purples and pinks.

Parsley III

This Parsley was not made for a military spouse but rather for a female servicemember. Because she wanted to use her Parsley Purse and matching Wasabi Wallet while in uniform, the coordinating fabrics had to be the color of the ACUs. After much auditioning of grey-green, taupes, and tan fabric against the ACUs, a selection of these muted colors was finalized.

Parsleys are made from the uniform shirt. Most Parsleys have exterior pockets since those were the breast pockets on the shirt. This Parsley was made from a maternity ACU which does not have pockets on the top. It does have patch pockets on the bottom of the shirt which I used in the interior of the bag. A mini-pocket was added to hold a cellphone or IPod.

Chive I and II

The Chive is a fully-lined zippered change purse that is made from the uniform cuff and sleeve end. It can easily hold coins, lip gloss, and calling cards. These two Chives match the Parsleys and Wasabis posted on Rosmarinus Designs in July. I had lost these Chive pictures in the depths of my computer but my friendly resident computer expert was able to unearth them. Thanks kiddo! :)

Thyme I

I'm a decent needleworker but only a so-so-at-best computer geek. My fellow Tartans would be appalled as our school is fairly well known in the computer world. In fact, I just recently discovered that it was at Carnegie Mellon where the sideways smiley :) evolved. This was back in the days when we had bboards and computer labs instead of PCs or gigantic mainframes with cards. In any case, I am not so great at formatting these posts but I will keep plugging along and hopefully I will get better. Thyme marches on....

The Thyme is a tote bag that uses both the back and front of the uniform. This Thyme was made for a Coast Guard wife who incorporated the colors of her sorority by selecting two shades of blue (and yellow) for her coordinating fabric. With the additional yellows and the blues, this color choice would be ideal not only for sisters of Kappa Kappa Gamma (ΚΚΓ) but also members of Alpha Xi Delta or Sigma Gamma Rho. The recipient opted for an exterior side pocket so she could put a water bottle in it.

BDU shirts have 4 patch pockets with flap closures. My designs always use the two breast pockets on the exteriors of the Thyme, Marjoram and Pansy and I use the lower pockets in the interior of the bag. Since the Coast Guard utility uniform only has 2 pockets instead of 4 like the DOD service uniforms, I made interior pockets from the patches on the arms which I am assuming are there for reinforcement.

Wasabi I and II

The Wasabi is a wallet. It has 6 pockets for credit cards and IDs and it has 2 long pockets for cash and a checkbook. It is made from little pieces of BDUs and coordinating fabric. You will notice that these two Wasabis coordinate with the Parsleys from a couple of posts ago.

Basil I and II

The Basil is a kid-sized backpack made from the combat uniform. These two Basils were made for two military dependents from their dad's US Navy uniform. One bag is customized with the NAMETAG found over the breast pocket. It was appliqued with pink thread to match the frog fabric. The other Basil utilized the US NAVY tag (also from the uniform shirt). The straps can be made from the waistband as it is depicted in the Bug version or from a thin strip of uniform fabric backed and quilted with the coordinating fabric as is shown in the Frog version.

Parsley I and II

Parsleys are soft-sided quilted purses made from uniforms and other fabric.

The two wide sides (front and back) are from the left and right upper front of the uniform. One side is the NAMETAG half with pocket, the other is the U.S. SERVICE. These particular uniforms belonged to Navy and Army Servicemembers. The inside of each bag incorporates a double pocket made from coordinating fabric plus another uniform pocket complete with patch. The usual closure is made from the button-cuff from the sleeve. An alternative option is to substitute a zipper closure for the button-cuff closure. There is an extra charge to substitute the closure.

One Parsley was coordinated with pink and green fabrics. It would be great for a military AKA or DZ or simply any uber-prep like the client for which it was designed. This Parsley has the default button-cuff closure.

The other Parsley incorporated palm tree fabric and various purple based coordinates, one of the client's favorite colors. Palm trees are special for this client as she and her family were stationed in Hawaii (lucky!) and are from a state with a palm(etto) tree in the flag. Her Parsley has a zipper as a closure. This client customized her bag even further by having the patches from the sleeves added to the sides of the bag.

Intro, which means I start it. In other words, herbs departed

I am a quilter, fiber artist, textile architect. I specialize in incorporating your favorite textiles into useful art whether it is a uniform redesigned into a purse or your favorite shirts recycled into a quilt. I also depict homes in pictorial quilts.

Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis) is a symbol of remembrance. Ingesting it is supposed to help one's memory. Visual stimuli can also trigger memories. T-shirt quilts are great for young adults who live away from home for the first time. A college student wouldn't be seen in a high school activity shirt on the university campus but that same shirt incorporated into a quilt is suddenly acceptable. For military family members or service-members themselves, a bag made from the uniform of their choice (ACU, BDU, DCU) is a visible reminder of proud service to our country.