Starting at the Very Beginning

Bootleggers made with Austrian Inspired Jacquard Ribbon

It is hard not to have the first lines of Do Re Mi going through my head as I write this first post.

"Lets start at the very beginning, a very good place to start."  

That is because I would have to say that Salzburg, Austria--where the story of The Sound of Music took place--is also where I first fell in love with braided trims.  I was only in Junior High at the time and on vacation in Europe with my parents and siblings.

We were strolling through the streets of Salzburg and a little fabric shop caught my eye.  Inside, I was in awe of the beauty I found.  There were bolts and bolts of wonderful fabrics and trims used to make Bavarian/Tyrolean dirndls, which is the traditional dress in the region.  Thankfully, I had very patient parents (and my guess would be not so patient siblings) that let me browse through all the wares in search of a favorite something I could purchase.  For what?  I did not know.  Sewing a dirndl was not on my mind.  I simply loved the colors and designs of the textiles.

After sometime in the little shop, I decided on a couple yards of woven ribbon in red and green with hearts.  That ribbon is long lost.  I carried it around forever and I think I finally used it for straps on a red dotted swiss top I made at one time, which probably ended up in a garage sale or Goodwill.  (I should probably note that I have better sewing skills than I did then.  I have also found that a good sewing machine makes a big difference.)

You would think that with all the images there are on the internet today that I might be able to find a picture of some ribbon just like it, but I have had no luck.

Now, many years later, I have come up with a unique way to use all those beautiful ribbons, braids, and trims that are available--namely Bootleggers.

"What is a Bootlegger?" you might ask.  Well, a Bootlegger is actually a textile boot anklet made with stunning ribbon and trims.  (This new definition was made up by me.)  They are totally legal and ethically responsible, and made by fun women for fun women.

I am working on getting a new Etsy shop set up so I can share this fun new venture.  But, after a full day of editing photos and writing copy, I decided that it was time to start up this blog.

It is so amazing to me how things in life seem to circle around again.  As some might say I am in those half a century years, going back to Junior High, this is a pretty big circle!