Dreams of Sewing...

I love my job, truly.  It is so fun to be able to order fabrics, "treasure hunt" for patterns, and make things to sell as well.


Because of a recent Fabric Love site snafu, I've had to do more fixing, listing, and what I call "squid work" than actually creating things.  I started a victorian-style purse.  Here is a picture of my plans for it a few weeks ago:  

I've made a few changes and would really like to get back to it sometime soon.  

Of course, while I'm doing said computer work, sometimes I veer from the path for a few minutes to look at interesting things.  For example:
 

Wouldn't the above fabric from Fabric Mart look stunning when used with this pattern?  

Perhaps in a bias... (evil genius hand-rub) ye-e-es.  


Now I must decide whether I will keep or sell this 1949 treasure of a pattern.

Valentine's Day Sale

 

Wishes you a very happy February and Valentine's Day.

So now that we're in the spirit of things, we'll spread our love around by giving you a coupon code for a 10% discount at checkout.  Yep, this Valentine's Day Sale allows you to take 10% off your total amount (excluding shipping).  Now through February 14, take 10% off your entire order at Fabric Love or Sanourra Designs by entering the code BEMINE*.  

*You must enter the code to get the discount.  Orders through Etsy will have discounts refunded through paypal.  Discounts at Fabric Love calculate automatically in the cart.

Do you <3 handbags? Drool over retro fabrics? Get a spring in your step when you see a beautiful vintage item?  

Would you just love to sew a dress designed in your mother's or grandmother's heyday?  Take a look at some of my favorites here, then go find them in my shops, Fabric Love and Sanourra Designs.  All items will be shipped as quickly as possible, sometimes even the same day.

Click on the image below for a better look.

Richie (wonderful tech-god of a husband that he is) got my new site implemented, so it's much easier to navigate now.  New patterns, fabrics, and vintage up soon!

A Yarn busket for my Grandma Rosalie

After some deliberation, I chose to use these fabrics for the crochet busket (basket + bucket= busket) for my grandma Rosalie, whose birthday is this coming Sunday.



Here is the front, stitched together and waiting for the applique.



The following picture is how I conferred with my mom to show her what I was planning, and to get input on Dennis' (Denny's) eyes. Dennis is my grandma's cat. He's cross-eyed and IMO mentally handicapped, but a very loveable kitty.

I purchased the design, Knittin' Kitten, from Urban Threads.


And here is a close-up of the applique, waiting to be stitched on:


I opted to change the fabric for the ball of yarn because the previous choice didn't show up very well on the background fabric. I'll add embroidery to the yarn to give it definition.

Happy Monday all!

Commissioned wristlets instead of refashioned skirt

Well, you see what my last post was about. I've gotten a little sidetracked since then by a... *trumpet trill* Commission!

A week ago last Tuesday a bride purchased my frilly wristlet in my etsy shop and asked me to make some for her bridesmaids. How could I say no?

I offered her a few fabric choices, and she chose the blue and white. So cute!

First, I made a pattern, remembering as much as I could from putting the first one (the bride's wristlet) together a month or so ago. I traced this onto poster board and cut it out, so as to have a more durable pattern. Next, I cut out everything: fashion fabric, lining, batting, batting backing, interfacing, etc. I figured I'd do everything in an assembly-line way to save time. It worked pretty well.

Next I made quilt sandwiches out of the fashion fabric, batting, and backing. I then quilted them together using a straight stitch and my walking foot. To make things a bit easier, I just followed the lines on the fabric.

I finally put my ruffler foot to use on this blue satin blanket binding.

At first I stitched the blue ruffles to the gold ribbon, but then had to pick it out once I decided I wanted the blue ruffles on each side of each wristlet. I had used some rayon binding that I had in my stash, but ran out. The satin blanket binding that I picked up at Joann's was a bit glossier and smoother, so I picked out the rayon stuff and added the poly satin back in.

Here I am putting the lining together.

I've figured out a way, with my laptop hooked to my camera, to use my cordless trackball mouse to take photos. I then just have to angle my arm so I can click the left mouse button with my elbow. LOL. In this way, I can (hopefully) start doing tutorials!

Getting ready to put the zip in after I've stitched the pleated bottom to the flat top.

I stitched both the outer fabric and the lining to the zipper. I then pinned the lining in place on the inside of the outer fabric (wrong side to wrong side) and topstitched just on the outside of the zipper seam for a more finished look. After that, I hand-stitched on each pearly button (knotting each one separately).

After the buttons, I threaded the gold organza ribbon thru and around the button shanks in a decorative way. After that, I hand-stitched the gold ribbon down in a few strategic spots around the buttons, then used a faggoting stitch on my machine to stitch it down in more visible areas.

Here's a photo of all four wristlets, showing off their different linings.

A shot of all four wristlet fronts. I later added a simple zipper pull of a pearly shank button on a bit of organza ribbon, knotted after passing through the white zipper pull "eye."

I hope you've enjoyed browsing through my process. These were quite a bit of fun to make, and I plan on making more wristlets from the same pattern soon.

Maybe I can get back to that skirt first, though. :)

Thanks to my Twitter friends...

I'm featured in another blog, Nana's Gift Nook! This week she did a presentation on 30 fabulous fiber artists found on Twitter.



There's my Twitter avatar, with that silly Banff squirrel popping in on me. How'd he get there?! *wink*

I feel so honored to be included amongst these amazing artists. You should check them out, right after you visit my shop! *grins*

If the video moves too quickly for you, you can also download the pdf, which includes live links to the artists.

Flowers and a bag!

This past week I've been a busy girl! I sold my first bag and a few vintage patterns. *insert happy dance here*

I've also been crafting quite a bit. Last weekend, I bought Crafty Pod author Diane Gilleland's book, Kanzashi In Bloom. Her step-by step photo illustrations and concise instructions make this book very easy to follow, and encouraged me to dive right in!


Below are her book and my first two victim, er... volunteer fabrics!

Here are my first three blooms. The top (all red) uses the pleated petal technique, the dark flower is folded in the rounded petal style, and the dual-colored bloom is a mix of rounded and pointed petals.

I'm still busy finishing up a few bags, so I haven't finished and embellished them yet, but I will soon, and I'll make some more colorful friends for them to hang out with!

Speaking of which, here's one of those bags in process. I'm defining it as an "art bag." It will be a wristlet, but it's my first, and I'm making it up as I go. I knew I wanted something pretty and a bit frilly when I picked the little fabric scraps out of my stash. The flower and ribbon fabric was from a friend who was giving away some of her scraps. It's just darling, isn't it? It turns out that this fabric was actually a fabric sample from a little French Linens shop here in town. It made me feel extra good about this purse to know that I was re-using something that otherwise might have gone in the trash.



I decided I wanted to throw some purple in there, so I quilted the bottom in a harlequin-style diamond pattern. I also used up the last of the purple ribbon that decorated my SIL's purse.



The lace I recently found at a former gas station now crammed full of estate sale finds in a tiny little town 15 miles north of me. It just screamed, "Put me on the frilly wristlet!"

Ok! Ok! Who am I to say no? Sheesh!



The pearls and the ribbon wanted to be part of this particular pretty, so there they are, on the little wristlet. The pearl buttons were from a vintage lot of buttons I purchased a while ago on Ebay.

I've got to get back to it, so thanks for reading, and ta ta for now!

Giveaway Alert! Pretty Ditty Apron Pattern + 3 Yards Fabric

The Fabric Shopper blog is hosting a giveaway, and I wanted to make sure you all knew about it!



Here's the dish: Jamie Christina, owner of Phat Fabrics, is giving away one of her Pretty Ditty Apron pattern and 3 yards of fabric from either the Michael Miller category or the Alexander Henry category from her store. She's having Melanie at Fabric Shopper host it, so click on this linky here to go suss out the details!

Psst: the hardest part is singling out only 3 fabrics from her fabulous selection!

Do it quick, because the giveaway ends Sunday, July 17 at midnight CDT.

Scrap Giveaway on Sheree's Alchemy

Hi folks-

I thought I'd let you know about a giveaway going down over at Sheree's Alchemy. She's got some beautiful scraps to give, and they're mostly of Amy Butler fabrics. There are even some out of print fabrics from when Ms. Butler was designing fabrics for Free Spirit Fabrics!

Oh! I almost forgot about the purse pattern that Sheree will be including.

Don't miss out on this great giveaway. Head on over to Sheree's Alchemy and post a comment. Or three.


On a separate note, I'm almost done with my quilt. I had a setback in the form of a migraine for the last two days, but hope to get it finished up tonight or tomorrow. I'll post pics soon!