Thoughtful gifts

Tea WalletI don’t think anything comes close to receiving a gift that’s been handmade. It says you care enough to take time out of your busy day to make something really personal and meaningful.

And on this particular day which is called Black Friday here in the US, being the day after Thanksgiving when all the stores have insane sales, I’m staying safely tucked away at home, avoiding the consumer madness, and catching up on a little sewing.

One of the items I’ll be making is this totally cute Tea Wallet. As a tea lover myself, this strikes me as one of those thoughtful gifts; just perfect for the tea lover in your life.

I’ve just added it to my Free Purse, Bag & Tote website and you can find the listing here.

Happy sewing everyone!

… Continue reading

New in the store: Photo art fabric prints

For the last several years I’ve been diligently working hard to perfect my Photoshop skills (lots of eye rolling here) which I put to good use when printing photo art designs onto fabric to make my art bags which you can see here, and my more recent venture printing on paper for my 2012 calendars and bookmarks which you can see here.

So now, since some of you have been asking, it’s time to make some of my designs available to you on fabric, so here you go!

These Photo Art fabric prints are available in sizes 10″x8″ and 7″x5″ and are fully washable. They come printed on either soft high quality 200 count cotton which is ideal for using as focus panels in quilts or other types of textile projects, or cotton canvas which makes them suitable for framing as artwork or for using in textile projects that require a sturdier fabric.

I haven’t done much in the way of quilting recently, but I’m currently quilting each of the panels and plan to combine them all into one wallhanging. I think it will look loverly, but we’ll soon see. My quilting is a little rusty.

I currently have four brand new flower designs available from my “Graffiti Garden Series”. Each piece is digitally signed on the front and also personally signed on the canvas prints.

You can find ordering details here in my store. Or if you prefer, you can also find them here on Etsy.
Questions? Email me.

Graffiti Garden Series: Sunflower
Photo Art Prints

Graffiti Garden Series: Coneflower
Photo Art Prints

Graffiti Garden Series: Tulip
Photo Art Prints

Graffiti Garden Series: Rose
Photo Art Prints

… Continue reading

Cuteness alert

I haven’t been able to get much sewing done lately (you know I suffer withdrawals if I can’t get to sew on a regular basis). But I did find a little time to make a couple of small zippered pouches which turned out quite well I think. And the best thing is they only took about an hour. I love small projects!

I used a photo of my new grandson Jake, added some photoshop touch ups, then printed it on fabric to make these two different styles.

Printing on Fabric

I kinda like this one.

Printing on Fabric

But I think I like this one the best.

Printing on Fabric

I’m going to use these for organizing stuff in my handbag; they’re just the right size at about 4.1/2″ x 7″. I always worry about using white fabric in or around my handbag (unspeakable things lurk in there) but these are fully washable so I think they’ll be fine. Plus I think I’ll make another couple for family gifts – the perfect weekend project!

Printing on Fabric

I hope you find a little time this weekend for some quick projects. And if you’re looking for some quick sewing projects to use for gifts, I’ve just added a couple of new listings to the Free Purse, Bag & Tote Tutorials website – There’s a wristlet which you can find here, and a couple of small triangular coin purses that are so cute, I think I’m going to have to make some myself! You can find them here.

… Continue reading

Upcycled Purse Tutorials

I am *loving* my new “Free Purse, Bag & Tote Tutorials” website, if for no other reason than you can now browse and find things easily. This means that it’s not only easy to find a free tutorial for a certain type of purse or bag, but it also makes it a great source of inspiration.

For instance, I was recently looking for some inspiration for upcycling a piece of old clothing. I loved the fabric and didn’t want to throw it out, and was in fact kind of inspired by this seller on Etsy who upcycled men’s suits into fabulous bags, purses and accessories.

Upcycled Purse Tutorials

And this one

Upcycled Purse Tutorials

And even this one!

Upcycled Purse Tutorials

While the free tutorials I’ve got listed aren’t quite so detailed or intricate, you can still find some good inspiration. The easiest way to find things is to head over the website, scroll down to the bottom, and pick a tag from the tagcloud.

So clicking on the “upcycled” tag brings up all these listings which is a nice selection to choose from!

Upcycled Purse Tutorials

If you’re in the mood for a little upcycling, here’s the direct link. Enjoy!

… Continue reading

In the store: Fabric Postcard Sale

Every time I clean the sewing room I find more fabric postcards!

I’m not sure where they’re all coming from; I can only guess that at some point I went into “mad fabric postcard making frenzy” mode and made dozens of them, and then they got scattered.

Which is good news for you because they all need to go to make room for new stuff, so all fabric postcards have now been marked down. Normally priced at $9.95-$12.95. Now only $5.00-$8.00. Special prices are good until 15th December or until sold.

Fabric Postcards

And yes you can post them! Alternatively they make wonderful small art pieces when you frame them.

Fabric Postcards

You can find them here in the store.

… Continue reading