for sale by maker

These are the first 3 of a series of limited edition bags that I've been working on for sale, and I'm so excited about how they're turning out! I really enjoy working on them. Each bag has a common element which sparked this whole project - the velvet leaf appliquéd on front.

About 7 years ago my sister gave me a curtain panel with these leaves attached at the top. I didn't really have a use for it as is (was), but liked the parts - removed the leaves, and the panel became a tablecloth we still use today. The leaves surfaced recently in a materials search, and the idea came together for the bag series. It is very fun, and a challenge, to design & gather the parts for these. As with all my projects, they are made with leftover and repurposed materials. Each will be completely one-of-a-kind, can't be reproduced. There are only a certain number of leaves, each a different shape/color combo, and all the fabrics are in limited supply. I really like that aspect. If you've ever tried to mass produce a handmade item, you know what I mean. They'll be siblings, each with it's own personality - but not twins.

Perfect for a commuter, going shopping, yarn & knitting, just shlepping all the stuff we seem to carry here & there. Carry your cookies to the cookie swap & give it as a hostess gift. Great for the office yankee swap, too. Replace those plastic bags your Mom carries all the time! There are still more in the works, and a little time to work on requests, so contact me if you need something special, have questions, etc. (at upper left or see below)

Each is fully lined with an interior cell/keys, etc. pocket. Front side has velvet leaf and fabric detail, back is solid unless noted. Fabrics include canvas, heavy upholstery fabric, cotton twill, cotton & cotton/linen linings. Sturdy and reinforced; machine washable (inside out) in cold, reshape & hang dry.

#1 (top picture) Green Leaf East is 16"wide x 15"tall x 4"deep - in greens, tans and naturals. Natural color twill handles. Natural color lining. Detail below. $35.

#2 (second picture) Deep Green North is 18"w x 14"t x 5"d - in caramel, greens, brown and brick. The back of this bag is half solid, half patterned fabric from the front & handles. Natural color lining. Detail below. $35.

update  #2 SOLD Thank You!

#3 (third picture) Cranberry Leaf West is 19"w x 15"t x 5"d - in cranberry, tan and multi. Tan canvas handles. Striped lining. Detail below. $35.

Thanks for checking them out, & pass it on! Happy shopping...

gathering treasures

I've mentioned before that Mason always comes home from our walks with something in his hand. Be it a leaf (the last of the 35 he's picked up & discarded) or twig, pine cone or pebble, always something. Not to be outdone, of course, Nate has followed suit. It's funny to note the differences - Mason always picks the 'Charlie Brown' leaves, etc. and Nate goes for the big size or impact.

All these treasures need to be carried, and my hands are full with the hands of two boys, so... the Gathering Treasures Bag was born. The idea was kind of an old newspaper-boy's bag/messenger. It goes across the body with an adjustable strap for hands free use, and closes with vintage button & elastic loop. Simple construction, there are no pockets to get in the way of small hands filling & emptying. It's lined with fused grocery bags, which give it perfect structure & support. The fused material was a dream to sew & use. I've posted about this before here and here.

All the materials were of course gathered from around the house. The fabric is left over from my friend's curtains that I just hemmed, the straps are twill tape that came tied around a rug I ordered years ago & the colored stripe is seam binding from my Nana. (the green will be for Mason, and a blue striped one is in the works for Nate) The hardware I've kept from something taken apart who-knows-when, and the buttons are from my dad's circa 1950s hunting jacket. I cut that up when I was a kid, and the buttons remained. The elastic loop came from something I unwrapped a week or so ago - and can't remember what the heck it was. I know where things came from that have been around 20 years, but last week? No clue. I blame it on my kids.

I've been using all my spare time for work projects lately, but so many ideas have been flooding in, too.  I'm planning on a limited edition project for sale, post to come soon...

the finished basket

But it's much more than that. It's a completed project (those of you with a half dozen, half complete projects understand this) and a discovery & successful implementation of a new to me technique (fusing plastic bags). It's a physical manifestation of one reason why I wanted to create this online dialog - to bring creativity back to my life on a continual basis and have accountability for it. And it's also a spark... now that I've found a new material to work with, there are endless possibilities for it's use. My niece Ali would enjoy creating with this. It would be the perfect lining for the puppy-treats bag she wants to make.

The fabric liner was very quick & easy. If you haven't done it before & need info, comment here & I'll do a tutorial. My list is growing :). The fusing was so simple - I think I'm hooked. It took under 10 minutes from getting out the iron to the completed piece. I can deal with that! For this I used 4 bags, yielding an 8-layer piece. Cut it to size/shape with scissors, and there you have it. My last post has the link to the how-to, if you didn't already go. I highly recommend giving it a try, & seeing what you can do. This project start to finish, was completed while my boys were napping - under an hour. 

Now to go apple picking...

my favorite season

is finally here! It always feels like new beginnings for me when fall comes, just like spring. We've had a few days of cool autumn temps, and it gets me looking forward to all the season has to offer. Like the smell of hearth fires on a crisp evening walk, the colors & light, state fairs & foliage trips, fresh apple cider & warm apple everything...

On that note, my little project for the day is to overhaul a basket given to us by my sister's dear friend Lucy when she met my newborn twins. It was filled with lots of fun, artful, useful, & quirky goodies. Just like Lucy herself.

I'm going to make a new fabric liner for it & plan to put it out on the table with apples in it. The scrap of fabric is from a cushion project, and will work well. To guard against any "fruit incident" occurring  (that sometimes happens, you know - leakage) I'm also going to to do a fused plastic bag pad/underliner to take care of this problem. I'd found the info awhile ago, through etsy & have been wanting to try it out. This seems like the perfect project to do so. I'll let you know how it goes.

preppy, meet sporty

Time again to think about long sleeves. This shirt was born from a too large polo with a stain on the front, and an interesting t-shirt that were both handed down from cousins Tommy & Kevin. I like the personality mix.

The neck band from the t was in perfect shape, so I used it as is. The basketball graphics from the t front & back make great sleeves, but I did have to add a bit of the polo on one sleeve to get the proper length - I think it balances well with the graphics on the other side. And the hem I kept from the polo, so this shirt was a breeze. The pattern I made from a couple of different patterns, awhile ago, so I'm sorry no name & number for that... but it's a simple raglan sleeve shirt, there are probably dozens to choose from. I need to make sure that patterns are long & lean to fit my guys, so I end up altering or making my own (mostly).

Nate is the 'blue' guy - now I have to get a green one together for Mason.

I love t-shirt pants!

These have been brewing for awhile, so I finally grabbed an hour here & there to get them done. Tons of creative possibilities.  They can be long, short, or in-between. They can be simple or layered with details. These are all sized 2-3T, so one shirt is all that's needed, even a large child's sized t. A great way to use some neat graphics from a shirt you no longer - or just don't, wear. Even hand-me-downs, thanks to cousins Tommy & Kevin!

All of these shirts were given to me & had been hanging around in one drawer/bin or other, just waiting. When the weather started getting warmer & my boys needed some lighter weight pajamas, I started on these. Everything I used was already in my studio, including the elastic. Gotta love that! The pattern is the same Kwik Sew I very loosely used before - on these the adjustments were on both length & width, blending sizes, all kinds of crazy stuff. It would be easier to copy a pair that fits or just needs an adjustment you can handle. That being said - these are very simple & quick. Once you do one, you'll want to make more.

You really can go nuts with details on these little pants. I created & added the pockets, and love how they came out -  especially the leftover neck band at the top edge, (on the striped pair) and the pleat that makes the other look like a cargo pocket. The leg banding I also added - on the white pair it's leftover from the polo shirts turned into hoodies project from my first post. It's the ribbing from the sleeves. Love that detail - it makes a nice clean finish & the contrast topstitching ties it together. The blue pair uses the neck band from the striped shirt, but there wasn't enough for both legs. It adds to the overall personality, I think.

Anyone interested in more sewing details or a tutorial, just comment on this post & I'll give you the info you need. I'll try to get some action shots posted, too!

coming home

Well... I started sewing again, and creating things again (outside of work projects) since my boys were born.

I've missed it more than I had even realized. 

It felt like coming home.

So... here's my first old beginning that I have to share. These hoodies for my boys were made from polo shirts given to me by my mother-in-law. They were too big for my husband, but a bulb went on when I saw them. The XL shirts had enough fabric to do something long-sleeved (in a 2-3T size) - and with a bit of finagling I squeezed  in a hood. I'm a sucker for hoodies on my little guys!

The before of one of the shirts (they're both the same except for color) ...

It all started with careful deconstruction, keeping intact the front button placket to use and carefully removing all other details that would be reused, but altered. Some elements were not used again here, but saved for future use. It's amazing how useful all the parts can be once you get into that mindset.

I loosely used Kwik Sew pattern# 3150 - and I say loosely because I almost, pretty much, never follow any pattern or even recipe to the letter. Just can't do it. There are too many tweeks & ideas running around in my head for that. The pattern is also too simple for the results I wanted so lots of details were added. (like covering the back neck seam with twill tape) Besides, one size fits all is not my style. It all has to be better fit for the intended use/person. Also, when you are repurposing fabrics or any materials, really - there are limitations that you have to work with. 

It's about getting the best you can from what you have, and rising to the challenges that the item or project presents.

In laying out the pieces, I used the hem of the shirt for the sleeve ends, but couldn't do that for the body because I used the button placket at the top. And matching up the stripes at seams was not really possible, either - but I've learned to live with that. (my two year olds aren't that fussy yet!) In sewing these I learned something interesting - my machines didn't like stitching through the printed-on stripes of the grey shirt. The multi-color shirt was fine since the stripes are woven, not printed. The serger did ok, but mainly the issue was with topstitching on my straight machine. I had to topstitch upside down on half the hem, not really fun. And only a little bit better.

I realize that the finished item is not the same one as from the before & during pics... that's what happens when your main focus is two energetic little boys! I will post pics of both. These have been great - our go to cover-up for the beach or cool evenings. We've had plenty of cool temps here in the northeast this summer! They were such fun to work on, it sparked a slew of other wearables for my boys. Stay tuned.