Cuff Baskets

If you haven't checked out www.pinterest.com, you should. It's a site full of virtual bulletin boards you and your friends create to showcase interesting photos found online. Of course, craft ideas abound. An unstructured fabric basket is one idea I pinned on my "crafts" bulletin board. When I couldn't stand it anymore, I tried making my own. It turns out canvas-weight fabric works wonderfully. Though flopsie when empty, these baskets hold their shape when full of the many whatnot collections I have. Bright fabric from IKEA makes baskets good for kid things; I'm bringing a few to the Lincoln Square Holiday Market this Saturday to see if others agree.

Working in Bulk

It's quite possible that I am pursuing sewing right to the edge of obsessive hoarding. If I like a fabric, I'm tempted to buy it in all its color options; I order zippers 100 at a time. I feel productive storing away a finished pouch with tens or dozens of other pouches to be taken to the Holiday Market.
My friend G is a school social worker, and she designed and ordered pouches and canvas bags for her annual convention again this fall. The completed custom order was a satisfying outlay of a whole mess of zippers and rectangles of fabric.

Lincoln Square Village Holiday Market

The boxes are out, and I'm dusting off the display tables in the garage to prepare for the opening weekend of the Lincoln Square Village Holiday Market in Urbana. It begins this Saturday and runs Saturdays from 8am to 1pm through December 17th. I will have a booth there all 6 dates this year. I'll have a few holiday-themed fabric baskets, clips, and gift card pouches added to the "all season" pouches and bags I make for the outdoor farmers' market. All are invited!