More Bags & Totes

It's that time of year again- holiday shopping will be upon us soon! Last night I went through my giant stashes of fabric in preparation for a month of sewing. Every year it amazes me how much fabric I accumulate.

Between summer flea markets and donations from friends, I have a nice variety of vintage and new- prints and wovens. So- production begins. I might not list much in my Etsy shop- it's a very time consuming process to photo, edit, etc. I will add a few things weekly though.

I'll post my holiday show schedule next post. Off to the studio!

Cheers!

Not My Usual Vintage Vibe

I don't usually buy new fabric, but I wanted a variety of bags for upcoming shows and events. I adore these new prints. This first one is by a European designer- it's a home dec weight, and the color combo is awesome! The bright yellow interior is the perfect compliment for this messenger-style bag- new in my shop.

This giant bird print is a heavy upholstery weight fabric- this giant tote was designed to accommodate the scale of the print. I designed it with an adjustable strap to fit any figure. Quite possible the perfect tote! New in my shop- with 2 other colorways available in a few days.

I sold out of the other 2 colorways fast and had to re-order. This colorway goes perfect with jeans- cobalt and butter on a tan background.

Lastly, I couldn't resist this little print. I bought one of those sample packs at my local fabric shop- J Ellen's House of Fabric- and had to buy a yard of this coordinating fabric. I really like the contrast of the modern print with the vintage lace & linen- also new in my shop.

That's all for now. These bags are new in my Etsy shop if interested.

More pillows!

In my studio, I have a basket next to my work table where I collect all the fabric scraps too big to throw away. When that basket fills up, I have the urge to use them. I cut birds and leaves and other assorted things, and spend a week on pillows. Very therapeutic.

I have some new designs in the works, but these leaves and bird designs have been a staple in my Etsy shop this year. It's almost time to move on....

....but I just love making these! I think I'll start making the little bird pillows with a pocket for a tooth fairy pillow. People seem to buy them for baby's rooms, and what a fun keepsake to be able to use it for a few more years.

Maybe I should put a handful of lavender in these? Hmmm...

Treasury Time

Weekends are busy for Etsy Treasuries! I wanted to share a few of my favorites that include my work. Always honored to be included in these curated collections!

Irish Eyes are Smiling

by DiVaRoCks- features all things Irish green, including my Vintage Applique Leaf Pillow.

Looking for Robins

by whiteoakroom- beautifully serene in shades of my absolute favorite color! I LOVE the enameled necklace by tekaandzoe. Thanks for including my pillow!

We do color well....

by VintageRerun is an explosion of color featuring Cleveanders- including my Tiny Silver Lovebird Earrings.

Take some time to look at these Treasuries & all the wonderful handmade finds.

Best Friends

This is a new little "sampler" I just finished this morning. I have a whole sketchbook full of little scribbles like this so I decided to bring a few to life. My usual use of vintage 1940's quilt scraps stitched on to linen.

The patch is only about 8" square- so rather than make a mini-quilt I made a pillow. Originally the sketch had "best friends" stamped onto twill tape, but I didn't think I needed it.

I have this crazy picture from the 70's of my 4 sisters & I all lined up in age order on a diving board- probably ages 4 to 9- in typical 70's style. I think I'll applique that for my Mom for her birthday next week. Hmmmm...I better get to work!

A Very Fine House- Part 2.....

In my previous post I wrote about my dilemma on whether or not to sell one of my favorite pillows. Well, in the end I did sell it this morning. This is the other one she ordered- I added a "full moon" and little stitched stars.

I really like working on these larger 20"x 20" pillows. The only downside is that the larger size pillow form costs more and shipping really drives up the price.

I'm off to make more houses! Have a great week!

A Very Fine House....

So- here's my dilemma. I made this cushion as a special order for a repeat customer. It's bigger than most- 20". She's waited about 3 weeks (I had some problems getting inspired) Now that it's done I don't want to sell it. I really feel attached to this pillow!

I usually don't feel that way about my work. I admire the finished project, photograph it, and move on. I suppose I could make another for myself- I do have some of the same vintage fabrics left over....I just love the vintage fabric used for the back of the pillow too...

Ahhh! What to do? In the end I probably will let it go. I won't make another one because I hate to make the same thing twice.

I'll let you know tomorrow what I decide :)

Have a great night!

Signs of Spring...

Signs of Spring?..... I'm searching! More snow? Ugh!

I can't get enough of robin's egg blue. A few of my favorites to inspire my day! Off to work!

Linen Birdhouses....

I made these 2 linen birdhouses last summer to hang in a show booth. I was envisioning a bunch hanging from the tent roof- I thought they would be a real attention getter. Well, time didn't allow for it and since then my puppy ate the red one and the other one was given as a gift....

I have 6 or more all cut & ready to sew. This is the year I finish all my unfinished projects! The world really needs fabric birdhouses- right?

Hopefully in the next month my new Linen Birdhouses will selling in my Etsy shop!

Do you have any unfinished projects to share??

Petite Lovebird Pillows....

A productive days work and new in shop....

new Petite Lovebird Pillows. Made from linen, vintage fabric and buttons, & a little crocheted heart....

...the perfect Valentine for anyone......

Get yours here, here, and here!

Etsy Treasuries.....

Just showing off a few weekend Etsy Trearury lists I was included in. I'm always honored to be included in these artist curated collections. This first one is "Greens and Blues and Browns...Oh, So Pretty!" by trinasclaycreations. You can see the entire collection here- including my Vintage Fabric Lovebird Pillow.

This next collection "Foggy Morning by Monarchdancer" features my new Linen Flower Sampler Pillow. Thanks Monarchdancer- you can see the entire list here.

Lastly, "I love you this much" features my new Applique Valentine Pillow. Thanks magalerie for including me in this lovely collection!

Have a wonderful Monday!

Vintage Fabric Valentine Pillows

You all know I love working with vintage fabric scraps, and my studio is heaping with little bits of tattered quilts that I can't bear to discard...so I spent the last day or so cutting X & O's for my new little linen pillows....

I only made a handful for a local shop- Gestures here in Cleveland, and for my Etsy shop. I'll most likely be making more little pillows with other sayings and such. What a wonderful way to use all those scraps!

I'll have these in my shop through early February. I'm working on a new little collection of products that I hope to share with you soon. It too was inspired by all my vintage fabric scraps...

...and soon some exciting news about a magazine feature of my work (I'm not allowed to tell!)

I'm off to clean my studio floor of all the little fabric scraps too small to use. Call me crazy but I put them in a little pile in the garden so the birds find them for nests in the spring. How exciting when you see a little nest with brightly colored fabric bits woven in! Ahhh- spring!

Have a great weekend friends!

...more Petite Vintage Fabric Birdhouses....

I've had some time to clean my studio over the past week & found a few of my Petite Vintage Fabric Birdhouses. For the past 2 springs I made these in a limited edition & sold them in my Etsy shop.

They are a bit self-indulgent- VERY time consuming to make. They only stand a bout 4" tall, and like so many things I make, people ask "what do you do with it?"

This past spring I told myself I wasn't making any more- but after looking at these this morning I decided I'll make them again this spring.

So come March expect to see a dozen or so on my little birdhouses- all made from scraps from old quilts, mixed with bits of vintage lace, buttons, millinery leaves, etc....

Well I'm off to make a mini art quilt. I just stumbled upon a great tutorial on Jenny Doh's blog Crescendoh- a garden of button flowers. More on that hopefully tomorrow!

Being Thankful

It's that time of year again to reflect on all I have to be thankful for. I have only one word- Family. These are the people with whom I have been blessed, and I'm thankful for them every day. I hope you all share a peaceful feast with your family tomorrow.....

As I said in my previous post, I won't be blogging much in the next few weeks. I need to focus on sewing & getting ready for upcoming holiday shows. This a new little bird design I'm using for little pillows and little bags.....

Of course I have many, many new leather wrap bracelets. Since most of these are one-of-a-kind, there's no way I can photo and list each one in my Etsy shop. I will try to list a selection of color & styles......

I dug deep in my stash of vintage fabrics and have a new little clutch style bag I'm selling this year. They are all in various stages of completion- hopefully later in the week I can photo a few....

I hope you all survive the airport scanners, Uncle You-know-who's terrible jokes, and Black Friday shopping and remember to be thankful!

What I've been working on....

Here's a little peak of what I've been working on the past week. Some of my new vintage fabric leaf pillows are in my Etsy shop and some are getting ready for Buttermilk Hill.

The brown pillow is made from a new fabric collection- Moda I think? The other 3 are made from vintage 40's feedsack cotton and other vintage fabrics. I love making these- it satisfies the quilter in me and the recycler- no scrap goes in the trash in my studio!

More later!

New Pillows at Buttermilk Hill

Stephanie from Buttermilk Hill posted this picture of my new pillows on her country porch in central Ohio. I know I mentioned this in a previous blog post- you can now buy my pillows at this new site. Featuring "local, handmade, and vintage goods from the back roads of beautiful Ohio", I'm excited to be part of this new venture.

The site is new and she's still stocking the shelves- but I wanted to start spreading the word. Buttermilk Hill offers free domestic shipping, and their country market features Amish quilts and baskets, rag rugs, painted gourds, my pillows, and much more!

I hope you take the time to have a look!

I'm off to enjoy my Indian Summer day !

What I'm working on.....

I just realized tonight that it's been awhile since I blogged. My show last weekend was a success. I would have liked a little more traffic- but this is an odd selling season. The Cleveland Handmade group is a really wonderful group of people! I met some great artists and am sure I'll do this show next year. Shows take so much out of me though- not so much the actual show- smiling, talking about my work, shlepping displays, making sure my presentation looks great. It's the preparation- new ideas, new product, pricing, display- it's all so important. Am I making something people want to buy? Is this self-indulgent?

Sometimes I feel so comfortable here behind my computer that to step out and interface with clients face to face I always question myself. I don't know why....

Here are a few new pillows I made- vintage 40's quilt fabrics appliqued on linen (the 1st photo is from a new fabric collection) I really love to make these- it satisfies the quilter in me- without having to commit to months of time. (My mother is an amazing quilter with the patience to HAND quilt her pieces. HAND quilt!) These are all new in my Etsy shop.

I hope I'm not too rambling... more later about some new ventures I'm working on..

Have a wonderful weekend!

Peace.

New Applique House Pillows....

I just finished these new house pillows for a new website called Buttermilk Hill. I love the look and feel of this site- but I especially love that everything they sell is made in Ohio. Amish quilts, rag rugs, painted gourds.....

Any day now they'll be selling my pillows in a few new designs. This is just a sneak peak (I haven't even stuffed them yet) As always, they're appliqued on linen using mostly vintage fabric and lace, and mostly one-of-a-kind.

More later......

Dog V Cat

This one makes me smile :) RockStarDogTreats curated this awesome Etsy Treasury list titled Dog V Cat. (Personally I like cats better but I 'd never tell my puppy that) You can see the entire list here- it's worth your time!

Thanks RockStarDogTreats for including my Applique Cat Pillow!

New Pillows!

I FINALLY finished a few new applique pillows this week. I have a sketchbook full of new designs and not enough time to sew! These are the first in a new series of animals. As always- appliqued on linen....

with touches of vintage quilt fabrics. What a purr-fect gift, or for a girl's room. Each is one-of-a-kind....

I love the little dapper black cat and big white puff kitty. I'll possibly do custom cat portrait for the holidays- wouldn't that be fun!

I know this is a short post- I didn't want to spend all morning on my computer (I always forget how long it takes to photo, edit, and upload images! Then blog, flickr, etsy, ect!). You can find these new pillows in my Etsy shop.

Up next, puppy and fox pillows. Have a great weekend!