Lights

Way back in 2013, I decided to make a Lego purse. I was going to a semi-formal work event and decided I needed something more exciting than a regular evening bag to go with my black dress. I was partially inspired by a purse Chanel released around the same time that was "by request only" on their website (any guesses on how much it cost?). A fashion blogger made his own version out of Lego, and I decided I could too. I wrote about it on my other blog across three posts. You can read all about the Lego purse here, here, and here.  

One of the things I loved about my Lego purse project was my dad got involved. Not only did he let me spray paint stuff in the backyard (there's a designated spray paint area in my parents' backyard), he helped me figure out how to add hinges to the purse and that a clasp wasn't going to work. He and my brother also listened to me describe the purse in exhausting detail and made suggestions for its construction. My dad has always been my art project and problem-solving person, If there were a museum for parents' contributions to school projects, his pastel chalk rendering of the Boston Massacre would be one of the main attractions. It was that good. It's very possible it lives somewhere in their basement. Anyway, my dad has been very encouraging of my drawing skills for this project. We went to Michaels together last week, and he agreed that the wine bottle light I purchased would be an excellent way to light today's piece. 

When I decided to do themes this month, one of the things I kept thinking about was adding a lighting effect other than glow in the dark thread. I also really wanted the lighting effect to be part of one of the trees. I considered using Halloween necklaces, but the ones I found were too large for the size piece I make. I didn't think about LED lighting for costumes; I may have to look into that for future pieces. While at Michaels, I found LED bottle stopper lights, the kind used for wedding decorations. They're small enough to not overwhelm the piece, light enough so it won't be too challenging to hang the finished piece for October, and powerful enough to add the pop I wanted. My dad thought it would work, and dads know everything about lighting. 

Today's tree was inspired by Tim Burton movies, and my love of figuring stuff out. The wire isn't a fan of laying flat, but it works. I made a little pouch to hold the stopper part (on the back), but I don't think I need it. I can always add it later if needed. I'm pleased with the finish piece. 

 

The tree looks cool without the lights should I have to remove them in the future.

Details:
Stitches: back and satin stitches
Thread palette: DMC C310, C3799 (2, 4 strands)
Other materials: LED bottle stopper lights