dopp kits

A while back I thrifted some vintage houndstooth wool fabrics. I ended up bringing home the gray and brown, but they also had red which I regret not buying now. Anyway, they've sat around my sewing room for months now, taking up space, but looking oh so gorgeous. I finally decided that I'd make some Dopp kits with them because I think they're pretty classy fabrics. I used some leather from thrifted skirts and lined them with some Joel Dewberry woodgrain home decor fabric. I think the brown one is my favorite. Mostly because I love the bright green zipper with the dark brown. Now I'm going to have to search my stash of zippers to see if I have anymore in that color.


I'm headed out for a trip with my sister to somewhere in southern virginia. She has a conference and wanted me to come along, so Isaiah and I are tagging along. Hopefully I can get some Christmas knitting done in the car. I really need to catch up on presents. If anyone's interested in one of the dopp kits, they're in my etsy shop now. Have a good weekend!

little birds

Wow! Look at this. Posting two days in a row. Craziness I tell you. I spent the last two days working on my ornaments for the Freshlyblended Ornament Swap. This is my third year in the swap and it's always so much fun. It's so hard to decide what to make though, especially when Martha has so many great ideas. In the end I went with the cinnamon bird ornaments. I needed something that I could make several of and that would ship flat. The first year I made cardboard houses that took forever and were hard to ship. I learned my lesson. I'm happy with how these little birds came out. I didn't mess with the template the instructions had but instead used a bird cookie cutter I had on hand. The dough was pretty easy to work with. I just mixed it up in a ziplock bag and let it rest until it was ready to be rolled out. I let them dry overnight but it didn't really work, so I ended up putting them in the oven for a few hours. I'm starting to get sick of the cinnamon smell which I never thought was possible. The recipe made about 22 birds which is nice because now I have some to tie to Christmas gifts. Speaking of, I really need to get the Advent calendar down before Isaiah gets home from school. What are you guys putting in your Advent calendars? I need some ideas!

virtual quilt blocks

How was Thanksgiving? We had a great one, lots of fun and games, but I'm glad to have it past us and to get back into the groove of things again. I'm doing another craft fair in a few weeks and I'm trying to get prepared for it so I won't be sewing the night before. I finished up a few blocks for the two virtual quilting bees I'm in. I've had them done for a while but I'm just getting around to photographing and mailing them now. It's so fun to work on different blocks and imagine what the finished quilts will look like. Darci (above) is doing a tree themed quilt. Mary is doing a quilt titled "Neighborhood in the Sky."


Hope your week is starting off well! Now back to sewing. Hopefully I'll post more than once this week (now that would be a miracle!)

craft fair and gift suggestions

The craft fair on Saturday went pretty well. It's always fun to be surrounded by a lot of crafters/artists. It was so hard to resist spending the money I made! I did make a few trades which I'll have to show you tomorrow. So, so cute! Of course I don't have any pictures of the show since I forgot my camera, but hopefully my friend and fellow vendor Katie will put some up on her blog.

I have plenty of leftovers for my etsy shop. Mostly I have the metal frame purses. I showed you the smaller ones before and I also used the same pattern to make larger clutches. I love the way these came out. So much fun to make, albeit a little time consuming.




My house is now a totally disaster area (well it's been like that for a week), so I'll be spending the next few days before Thanksgiving cleaning up. Then I have to get started on Christmas gifts and prep for another show in December. What are you all making for holiday gifts?? I need some ideas for some quick projects.

Tomorrow!

Hello everyone. I've been MIA the past week because I've been busy sewing for my craft fair tomorrow. If you're in the D.C. area come stop by and say "hi" and/or shop with some great handmade crafters! It's taking place in Vienna, Va at the Soundry and is hosted by D.C. Craft Mafia from 12-6pm. Hope to see you!

trying something new & a winner

Oh you ladies are too funny! I'm glad to know I'm not the only scrap addict. I wish I had my own sewing room, but this is actually our dining room. Which we never dine in. So I guess technically it's my sewing room. The mess is not quite cleaned up, so no updated pictures, but it's clean enough for me to feel inspired again.

I have a craft fair coming up in a few weeks and I ordered these metal purse frames to try out. I've been wanting to do them for a long time but I was nervous about how they would come out. Turns out it's pretty easy albeit time consuming. Hopefully I'll be able to get a few more done in time for the craft fair!

And now for our winner of the scrap box.

Beth said...

Good for you. I always have problems starting a big cleaning project. And well scraps are just an additional bonus for the rest of us:)

Beth I've sent you an e-mail! Thanks to everyone else for playing.

cleaning

My sewing room has been in a sad state for over a month now. It's pretty obvious by my lack of sewing lately that I've felt overwhelmed by the mess. Yesterday I finally dug in and started some major cleaning. It's still need some work, but I'm feeling much better about it after just a few hours. I even tackled 5 bags of scraps that haven't found a home on my new shelf. I threw a lot of tiny pieces away, organized those that I'm keeping, and stuffed a flat rate box to giveaway to one of my fellow scrap lovers.

While I was cleaning, I also came across a whole bunch of scarves I made last year. Apparently I had anticipated listing about 10 of each colorway and never did. To make room for some new things, I've listed these in my etsy store for $20 each. They make great holiday gifts!

So you know the drill. If you want to win a box of scraps, leave a comment and I'll pick a winner Friday. I should also mention that it's not just scraps. I believe I threw some random yardage in there and some vintage linens as well.