The Turtle Takes Off on August 6th, 2011

The Turtle, my 1981 Toyota Sunrader Mini Motorhome, will be taking me on an almost 8,000 mile journey to Glacier National Park and beyond. Wish us luck and tailwinds!

Wednesday, April 21, 2010

T-Shirt Sleeve Bag


This purse was published in 1998 by Lark Books in a book called, Making Handbags and Purses.I designed the fabric and made the purse from the cuff and sleeve of the shirt by discharging the black with bleach and then painting the discharged areas.

Buddha's Bag


I donated this purse to an organization that helps women become self-sufficient by donating money from their annual auction called, The Power of the Purse. This purse was completed in 2005. It is made from a burlap bag, gold lame, original photos printed on canvas, pieced, quilted, and hand embroidered.

Tuesday, April 20, 2010

Rags to Riches Purse

This was published in a Lark Book Publication called Handbags and Purses in 1998. I sold the purse at a craft show a year later. It is made from a used painter's drop cloth, photo copies of real money and a horseshoe image on the back, quilted, applique and decorative stitches.

Facebook | Art by Peggy DeBell


Monday, April 12, 2010

Red Dawg Saloon

The only saloon in town..Clearmont, WY.. Mixed Media Textile in the collection of Jen and Shannon Rabby (photos on cotton and linen, pieced, quilted, hand and machine embroidered, bottle caps, jute twine, dude ranch fabric, framed.

Kozy Shack Purse, Photo of Interior


An explanation of the process is on the next post....

Kozy Shack Purse, Interior

I printed all the fabric for the lining on my Epson printer. I used my digital camera to photograph 4 bowls of tapioca pudding placed on my red kitchen countertop. Then I used
image editing on my computer to make smaller mirror images. This made an interesting pattern. Next, I put KozyShack lids on my scanner bed and used image editing to make a kaleidoscope image.
The next post shows the front of the Kozy Shack purse. (18" x 12")

Friday, April 9, 2010

Kozy Shack Purse


30 recycled Kozy Shack tapioca pudding lids sewn to transfers of images of the lids on a painters drop cloth, recycled purse parts ( metal chain mail purse, strap)quilted, hand embroidered, lined with images of pudding in glass containers, images of the Kozy Shack pudding, ribbon, pipe cleaners, antique button, trims.

Wednesday, April 7, 2010



Short Bio for Peggy DeBell

I transform the mundane into the marvelous. The Red Dawg Salloon in Wyoming becomes a story in embellished imagery. Kozy Shack pudding tops are sewn on canvas to make a
fashionable bag. Buds, flowers, leaves from a spring pear tree are placed on my scanner bed. All kinds of odd surfaces run through my ink jet printer. How about printing on a recycled bird seed bag, or on soil separator fabric, or on fine linen? What will happen? How can I design the materials and images into something totally unique and beautiful? I am always questioning and exploring and have done so for almost 30 years. My main material has always been, well...material! The tools have changed. I began by painting nappy paint rollers with fabric paint and rolling it across yards of recycled sheets. Currently, I use high tech tools such as a digital camera, scanner, wide format printer, a computer and image editing software! What an evolution and it still continues!

Pillow for Persie


I made this pillow for a friend after her cat died. I have created several pillows for clients that want to give something to a friend or loved one as a memorial to their cat or dog. It is always quite a wonderful joy for them to receive the pillow. It is something they can hug.

Each one has photos of the pet that I print on cotton and piece with other fabrics and then quilt and embellish. I often use a kaleidoscope effect. Also I "clone" some of the fabric from the photographs and print that out as well to add to the pillow. The pillows always blend well with the clients decor.