Buy Handmade

I’m not sure if any of you are aware, but it’s already November! It seems like just last week all the leaves were green, we were thinking about mowing our yard, and plans for our weekends were to go swimming. Well now, the leaves are suddenly gone, the air is chilly, and Christmas is just around the corner.

With the holidays coming, this means most of us are doing more shopping. We, of course, haven’t started, but we are at least talking about it. So, while perusing the wonderful world of Etsy, I found quite a few things that would be great gifts. I put together a treasury of the highlights from my search to give you an idea of what really neat things you can find. My search was for Eco-Friendly items. Maybe this will get more people to consider buying green as well as handmade for the holidays.

And here we go!

Recycled Classic Tote

www.thecraftpantry.etsy.com

Mesh Produce Bags!

www.MissMotleys.etsy.com

Eco Cup Cozie

www.laurabucci.etsy.com

Recycled Collage Print

www.artandphilanthropy.etsy.com

Flattened Wine Bottle Serving Tray

www.dpholkdesigns.etsy.com

Paper or Plastic? No, Thank You.

www.zJayne.etsy.com

Sling #4

This is one of the core designs I plan to use for future slings. The stitching looks like a vine with leaves. I used this on the top of the pocket and on the sides and bottom of the sling. I placed the pocket off from the center on the tail. I stuck with the accordion fold for the shoulder. And, the length is around 75 inches; a medium size.

This sling is made from a Pistachio color pure softened linen with accenting thread in Sage. Yay!

The Ring Sling

My new sewing project that I am now in love with and want to make 10,000 more of is the ring sling. I needed wanted a new one, and decided to try making one for myself. After all, I can sew. So, I gave it a shot, and it’s actually a pretty fast and easy process. After the first successful sling, I made another. This one I made a little differently. The first one I made (mine) I doubled up the linen. My idea was to make a thicker sling for winter, but it turns out I don’t prefer thick to thin. The fabric gets bunched in the rings and doesn’t easily slide through when tightening. So, the next sling I made, for a friend, was just one layer. It turned out very nicely. Tonight, I finished my third, and it is gorgeous. I used a fancy stitch and added a pocket on the tail that was an old cloth napkin given to me from John’s Aunt. I’m really happy with it. But, I did find out that using a more intricate stitch takes quite a bit more time. The consistency among all three is using the accordion fold for the shoulder. I have one made by another lady with this fold, and I love it. It looks nice and distributes the weight evenly across the shoulder. Through trial and error I hope to figure out 3 core styles for my slings. When I get that figured out, I will be posting them in my Etsy shop and my website. I’d also like to look into selling them locally. I’m not sure which retail store I would go to, but I know I could try selling at the local CHOICES meetings.

Here are a few photos:

Mine

Dress Up!

Well, I am pulling things together at the last minute, once again. John’s cousin Danny and his lovely lady are due to have a new baby girl in August (I think), so I made a dress for the baby shower gift. The baby shower is Saturday, so this gift may be a bit late, but I’m not too worried about it. Here are the results from a “hard” day of work and not changing out of my pajama pants! (You might notice a certain someone we all know modeling this beautiful dress for me!)

Tag

I have decided to order tags for the stuff I’m sewing for the craft show. I received the proof to approve today, and I am in love with the results. The tags will be cream color satin with brown ink. Check these out!

Addicted

Ever since my sister-in-law so graciously let me borrow her sewing machine, I have been using it daily. You could say I have become slightly addicted to sewing. It’s a safe and rewarding addiction to have, though. Here are a few of the things I have been working on. There are quite a few imperfections in these projects, but overall, I am totally excited about these pieces. Check them out! The first three are clutch purses, and the last is a simple tote. (I haven’t finished adding buttons to 2 of the purses.)

Craft Show Awesomeness

check it

Crafty McCrafterton

Tonight I will go out to my sister-in-law’s farm to get her sewing machine. She is letting me borrow it for a month to get some of my projects ready for the craft show I will be at in June. I am pumped!

I am ready to create! My ideas are:

-adding funky fabric to cloth diapers for either diaper or burp cloth use
-adding elbow and knee patches to baby pants and shirts
-large purses/diaper bags