The week between Christmas and New Year's is always so strange, and I loose track of what day it is. I'm pretty sure it's Thursday, and I probably have things to do, but I don't HAVE to do them today...I'm still on vacation and pretty much just wasting the days reading and catching up on shows...but I'm starting to get the urge to make things again, and I really should work on cleaning and organizing before I have to go back to the day job next week...
 |
| A few fun things I stitched up this week |
I didn't expect to have time to test this fun gift bag, but I managed to squeeze one in over the weekend! The new Boot Gift Bag from ChrisW Designs is super fast and fun! The pattern comes in 3 sizes: Small, Medium, Large. I made the medium one and it's pretty roomy!
 |
| My attempt at a pretty pic |
I survived the final market show, and made it through my day job trip, so now I can do whatever I want! (after finishing a few little things) I'm really hoping to have the time and motivation to do a deep dive into my stash and purge out a bunch of things I no longer love, finish up a bunch of UFO's that have been on the list for YEARS, and do the same for other parts of the house. Or, I'll plan to do all those, make lists, and then spend the next 2 weeks reading books, with some Christmas stuff thrown in. I should probably buy the kids presents...soon.
 |
| Still my most favorite Christmas ornament of all time! |
This adorable doll fabric from Backstitch made a totally cute little crossbody bag! The Essential Cross Body bag from Sewn Ideas is a pretty quick project, but it does take some patience to get all the curves and gussets done nicely.
 |
| Panel says "If you can't be a mermaid in a sea of fishes, be a unicorn in a field of horses" |
Was it just a few weeks ago that I was confident I'd have PLENTY of time to prepare for the next market...which is now barely a week away? Yeah, I got a little cocky there ;) I have actually gotten several things ready (crayon rolls and Moondance journals), but I'm now in overdrive to restock the doodle dolls, blankets, and kitchen towels. I'm not even bothering to consider keyfobs, finger puppets, or any of the other little things I usually add on last minute.
 |
| Just a few of the things I'm trying to finish! |
This little purse was surprisingly quick to make, but still adorable! A small panel fit on it too! The Essential Cross Body bag is such a cute little purse and great for using small amounts of my fabric.
 |
| This is such a delightfully macabre panel! |
Last week I felt pretty confident I'd have enough time to do everything on my list...then my embroidery machine took that as a challenge and decided to act up. Instead of getting at least one blanket and a few of the smaller things done every day, it took me 3 days to finish ONE thing. And there was much ripping of the loopy stitches and cursing under my breath. The good news is that I'm on vacation ALL next week, and other than a bunch of etsy orders, cleaning my house for company, and hosting/cooking for Thanksgiving, I don't have anything else I have to do! (feel free to laugh at my optimism)
 |
| I'm trying to use up my collection, at least small parts of it! |
I feel like I'm in the eye of the storm, everything is calm, but at any second it will suddenly go back to madness! There is a little over 4 weeks until my next show, so I have PLENTY of time to restock...or at least it feels like that now! I'm sure the next few weeks will fly by and I'll only finish maybe half of my restock list. I want to stitch up at least 20 more blankets, 30-50 doodle dolls, a stockpile of crayon rolls, 22 Moondance journal covers, some more wall art, some mini notebooks...
 |
| Three of the journal covers ready for sewing |
It's always fun to use a snarky fabric on a purse and wallet set, and this awesome Golden Girls inspired fabric from Backstitch is so pretty! The Sky Harbor Tote from Sew Sweetness really worked great to show off all the fun pieces of this fabric, plus some panels!
 |
| The full set |
I really tried to resist adding clear vinyl to my ever expanding collection, but it's just too fun! I'm so glad that ChrisW Designs came out with this super fast new pattern, it's going to help me make a (small) dent in my supplies! The Perfectly Clear Bag is SUPER fast to make up and only has a few pieces to cut, and if you use premade straps or webbing, it's even faster!
 |
| I went cute on this one! |
We're heading into the busiest time of the year and for once my order list isn't intimidating! I might actually get to decorate the house instead of leaving it up to the rest of the family...and possibly send out Christmas cards? That might be a little TOO ambitious, but we'll see! I'm neck deep in prepping for the Holiday Bazaar this weekend, and I'll have more prep work for the final show I'm doing in December (fingers crossed I sell a ton of the bigger things!) I can always find more things to sew up, so I'm not worried about running out of stuff to do...and worst comes to worst, I have mountains of fabric i need to organize, destash, and/or find new projects for them...
 |
| I feel like this blanket was pretty perfect. |
Have you ever seen a pattern and thought "that's nice" but it didn't jump out and grab you? When I first saw this one, I thought it was cute but not really MY style. I'm so glad I didn't pass on testing the pattern because after I made it in a fun fabric, I realized it's actually pretty awesome! Even my teenager said she might want one (in a different fabric, but STILL!). The Helena Hobo from RLR Creations is a bag that will be a great addition to my lineup!
 |
| This bag is really hard to capture in pics, the details just don't show up as nice as they do in person! |
I just have one more order to finish up for this week (plus all the last minute pony ears), and then I don't have anything immediately due to ship! I should probably keep going on the next orders so I can get ahead, but I might take the weekend to start working on some of my fun craft show projects, like crayon rolls and the Moondance notebook covers...or catch up on my sleep.
 |
| Next order on the cutting table! |
This year I decided to prep a bunch of the paw patrol wings BEFORE the Halloween rush...and I still ended up frantically making more. So far I've made 23 since August, and I'm trying to talk myself into listing just a few more on Etsy but I'm kind of ready to move onto other things... I've already had to order in more vinyl for the pieces, plus they stopped selling the fuchsia felt at Joann's, so I'm on the hunt for a replacement felt! I've also almost used up my 100 yards of fold over elastic that I use for the goggles and straps (took me 2 years), and they no longer carry it in that big of a roll...
 |
| My sample set, hacked 2 patterns to make these! |
The H2O 2Go from Lind's Handmade is a super handy bag, and great for fun fabrics! I have plans to make a ton more, when I get all caught up on everything. For this order, I used the pretty diagonal stripes from Knitorious Fabrics.
 |
| These stripes are radical! |
I survived my first fall show, the Harvest Market, and I was almost ready for it! Well, not really, but I had plenty of stuff for the show. I still want to make a bunch of stockings this year (finally), but I'm wondering if making pillowcases with my fun fabrics would be a better seller...and I really need to add more things to Etsy. I'd love to clear out my hooded towels and blankets, those take up the most room in my storage.
 |
| Finger puppets! |
Sometimes I get requests to copy a previously sold item, and I honestly don't mind, especially when they are using an awesome fabric! The Annette from Swoon is one of my most popular handbag styles, and I can see why! When you pair it with a Pick a Pocket Wallet (ChrisW Designs), it's a perfect set!
It looks like it's wallet time again, with a bunch of Necessary Clutch Wallet orders coming in from Etsy! It's also costume season, so lots of pony ears and wing sets went out last week, but I still haven't had a chance to find a model for some new styles of wings I finally made...maybe next month.
 |
| Blue snack style wallet, or aqua? |
September is flying by, and I have so much I want to finish up before the show in (less than) 3 weeks! I'd love to find a market to do in November, but I may be way too late to sign up for those since most start accepting applications in June it seems...plus I don't really like to travel (or have the time to go far) so I'm limited to local shows. I probably should start adding a bunch of new things to my Etsy shop too...
 |
| I plan to make a few more of these jr legal pad holders for the shows...pretty sure I prepped some and stashed them...somewhere... |
The second part of the wallet order was the cute little Kelly Wallet from Teresa Lucio Designs.
 |
| I love matching my snaps to the fabric! |
 |
| Ikea hand...for scale? |
The preorder fabric is finally starting to arrive, so it's time to move stuff onto the active list! I signed up to do a local show at the end of September, so I'm really hoping to squeeze in some good 'fall' type things, and maybe even get my Christmas stuff out early! Somehow last week flew by, and everything took much longer than I planned...I really hope I'm not getting the cold my daughter caught from school!
 |
| Teeny journal, so cute! |
I always forget how quickly the Brandt's Boulevard wallet from ChrisW Designs comes together, and how nicely everything fits!
 |
| Pretty wallet, looks a little basic? |
I'm slowing getting in a few more orders, but most of them are for small items, which should be pretty fast to make, if I can get focused! I really need to take a little time to work on organizing and cleaning after that last event, the craft room looks even more like a tornado disaster aftermath than usual!
 |
| Perhaps a Barb-omb went off in my sewing studio? |
I'm really loving the fast patterns for testing, like this fun Workman's Wallet from ChrisW Designs! It's a raw edge project, meaning it has to be made with something that won't fray, like cork, leather or vinyl. I have a LOT of vinyl (and some cork), so I should probably make a few more of these!
 |
| Oh look, a cute simple wallet... |
With the show coming up this weekend, it's a really good time to go through my inventory and see what I need to focus on replacing (finger puppets, snap tabs, doodles), clearing out (so many hooded towels, purses, and blankets that take up a LOT of storage space), and new things I want to make (stockings, zipper bags, new embroidery designs, Mav packs). I really need to go through the tubs because there is a growing collection of random, 1-off things I made and stopped putting out, so they have been living in the tubs for years now...or things that got banged up and need a little tlc.
 |
| About half of the new ones I finally finished...late night pic so the colors aren't true |
Sometimes you just need a giant simple bag, in a fun fabric. The Siren Tote from XOXO by Lauren definitely fits that bill!
 |
| Totally fun and colorful fabric! |
I've been having fun with pattern testing lately! This time it was a cute Tiffin Double Compartment lunch bag from RLR Creations.
 |
| Decided to do it in a fun fabric from the stash... |
We have less than 2 weeks until school starts (and the weekend before that is Idea Con at our library), so the summer is almost over! That's my signal to start preparing costume pieces to ship out quickly (or I should, but I never seem to get around to it...), and start preparing for the fall show(s) and Christmas orders! I'd love to be at least a little ahead of the game on things that seem to get ordered a lot, but I always talk myself out of it because I don't think the same things will be popular...
 |
| The pink ones are actually much more PINK, but it washed them out for some reason... |
I try to do a fun/selfish sewing project for my birthday week...and in 2021 (yes, I'm THAT far behind on sharing, eek!) I made a super cute H20 to Go Sling with some of my fabric collection! I have always liked Alice in Wonderland, and this classic print fabric was too fun!
And somehow this is the last Wednesday of July...Didn't the month just start yesterday?? School will be starting in just a few weeks, and then, next thing I know, it will be Christmas! I guess I need to kick the craft show prep into higher gear, especially since the first one is in just over 2 weeks!
 |
| An adorable teeny notebook, perfect sized for a doll! |
My final project for the Cryptid Research Notes fabric round was this fun Fiona Foldover purse from Lind's Handmade Designs. I've seen this purse now in several different fabrics and materials, and it turned out great with this fabric too!
 |
| Everyone needs a Jackalope purse! |
It's been a scorcher this week, so of course our A/C decided to die...fortunately it's already fixed and we're cool again! As a result of the unexpected bill, I'm going to be running a sale this weekend in my FaceBook Group on fabric and ready to ship purses! I have at least 4 tubs of fabric I need to destash, but it takes so much time to get the pics, post everything, cross post everything, create invoices, and then ship it all out! I'd love to clear out at least one tub and sell a few of the purses I made as either pattern tests, fabric promotion, or just for fun!
 |
| These are going to be part of the sale! |
My second project for the amazing Cryptid Research Notes fabric that is currently up for preorder at Snow Willow Designs was the super fast Tuesday Tote from Knotted Threads Patterns. I had a few extra of the Sack Set panels left, and they were *almost* big enough for the top piece. My choices were to make the bag slightly smaller OR add in a fun accent of the Jackalope fabric to make it bigger!
 |
| Trying a new photo editor option that removes ALL background. Is it weird? |
July is already flying by, and it just started! I don't even know where the first week went, but at least I managed to get some stuff done... The strike fabric projects are finally done, but I still need to get pretty pics for when it is my turn to share. I have a few embroidery projects that I need to finish as well. I have been spending time cleaning and organizing, which you can barely tell since there is so much waiting for me to do!
 |
| Just a few of the recent stitch outs, have a bunch more! |
The current preorder at Snow Willow Designs is this epic Cryptid Research Notes round! It is definitely not my usual 'cute' fabric, and it's super fun! I used the sack set and the Research Notes Blank Pages to make a large Book Sleeve from Sewn Ideas, which is kind of perfect.
 |
| I love sea monsters. |
The first time I made the Teddy Mommy and Me Backpack from RLR Creations, the number of pieces made me realize I wasn't charging enough. Then I raised the price and someone was still willing to order one, which blew my mind! It IS an amazing bag, but the amount of work that goes into it is kind of daunting.
 |
| I broke out my fancy wand for these pics! |
Pretty sure I blinked and lost a month! I know I got stuff done, and things happened, but it has all blurred together at this point...hopefully July doesn't fly by as fast!
 |
| A fun new mug rug I made on the embroidery machine! |
I was super lucky to be picked to test out this new bag from RLR Creations, The Nova Sling Bag is a pretty amazing bag -- it converts from a shoulder bag to sling bag, to a backpack!
 |
| A totally fun bag! |
The newest release from ChrisW designs is this adorable little purse, the Quick No Zip! As you might guess from the name, there are no zippers involved in making this bag!
 |
| Finally an excuse to take a picture of my Lego ship in a bottle! |
It seems like lately I've only had time for these quick update posts, but tomorrow I get to share one of the patterns I tested! I just need more hours in the day to spend writing up and editing the posts... The good news is that while I'm falling behind on sharing the pictures and details, I'm NOT falling behind on getting things done!
 |
| A few keyfobs I finished up over the weekend |
It seems like my work comes in waves...I was down to just a few wallets and then I signed up to do a bunch more stuff, more wallets came in, and I have strike fabric to sew up -- all that needs done very soon! Instead of rushing through stuff, I'm still taking my time and trying to enjoy the process...that will probably come back to bite me in the butt when I get closer to the deadlines! Even my blog posts have slowed down, not because I ran out of stuff to share, but because I seem to need more hours in the day to do everything!
 |
| Always asking the important questions... |
When I get a request from one of my brothers for me to make them something, I get excited! For some reason they aren't really into purses... however, one of them asked me for a wallet for his birthday. The requirements were a)doesn't make his pocket sweaty b)Not HUGE. I found a few patterns, and then went to town.
 |
| Two wallets, what happens when you live several states away and I can't decide which one is best |
Orders have slowed down, and (hopefully) everything else is starting to calm down. Just over a week left for my youngest kid in school, and we mainly just chill over the summer with no major plans. I'm looking forward to having a little bit of free time to play with my fabric and patterns (and probably should organize the sewing studio...if I have to).
 |
| Some of the new styles I picked up, need to get busy stitching out a bunch of these, I can list them on Etsy even! |
 |
| The 'large' teeny backpacks, another thing I always plan to make for shows and never seem to have time... |
This pattern has been around for a while, but when Christine decided to revamp it with updated instructions and pattern pieces, and re-release it, I jumped on the chance to finally make it! The Genevieve is a roomy bag with some pockets, but not a pocket overload, so it's pretty fast to make!
 |
| My baby Ewok was a great model. He needs a name... |
It used to be just May 4th was 'Star Wars Day' but now I think pretty much all of May is considered to fall into it. I grew up on the original trilogy, have cosplayed as SW characters, and have an absurd amount of SW decorations in my house, plus a stockpile of SW fabric, so I'm all for it lasting the entire month! I intended on sneaking in more projects before the 4th so I could share them, but May is also one of the busiest months for us!
 |
| sneaky peek! |
I admit, R2-D2 is one of my favorite characters from Star Wars. When I had the request to make this fun bag, I had to talk myself into cutting into the super cute Floral Wars fabric from Knitorious and not hoard it for myself!
 |
| The print is very detailed and perfect sized for this little flap! |
Another fun Backstitch fabric from my collection made this awesome Scorpio Tote from XOXO by Lauren look amazing!
 |
| Forbidden Forest! |
