Bunny Bags

I love to plot a fun Easter basket, and I will even admit to having a secret basket in my laundry room to hold gifts for the kids' Christmas stockings that I might buy months in advance. Sadly, I can't include anything in an Easter basket (or stocking) for my kids they could identify as having been made by me. Yes, they are old enough to confirm that there is no magical creature leaving them trinkets, but we all have fun pretending. I spied on Pinterest a pattern for felt bunny bags, and decided they look enough unlike a zippered pouch that I could make them and fill them with candy for the kids this spring. I made 7 to include my younger nieces and nephews. I like felt; what it lacks in durability and washability it makes up for in texture and simplicity. Google "sleepy bunny goody bag"; there's still time to make your own.

From Cats to Mice

Someone out there is busy. Someone is busy designing new fabric I have to have. Yes, it's getting more expensive, but I can still think of fun projects to make. I've registered for six Saturdays at the summer's Urbana Market at the Square and all the Lincoln Square Holiday Market dates. Expect to see things made from a variety of new fabrics, from cats to mice.

Prototype Paper

At the moment, I have two fabric-covered notebooks in my farmers' market line-up. One is a covered composition notebook with a ribbon to mark your page and a pocket inside the front flap for storing notes and receipts. The other is a pocket-sized version of the same thing. But, I wonder if a small notebook would be more useful if it were spiral-bound so pages could be removed more neatly. I found online a tutorial for covering a steno pad. It features loops for a pen to hold the notebook closed. Resizing and re-orienting the pattern's principles, I covered small spiral notebooks with wires running down the side or across the top. I like the size of the smaller one, but the pen looks better tucked along the longer side of the side-bound notebook. If you see me in the next couple of days, I will be hauling out these prototypes for your feedback. Gather your thoughts.

Super Tote

I'm excited to play with a new purse pattern from Noodlehead called the Super Tote. This large, zippered-top, purse/tote bag features an outside pocket, inside pockets I made to my own specifications and a pretty pleat on the sides. I trolled the Flickr photo group for Noodlehead patterns to see what other sewers had done with the project, and so leap-frogged over more basic choices I might have made on my own when first trying a pattern. Instead of heavy weight stabilizer, I used canvas to make the bag more hefty. I noted several people used Essex linen for the neutral sides and handles, and one lady quilted her linen to the canvas layer to create a look of textured sturdiness. I love this idea, and will definitely use it again; imagine a colored thread line quilted over yarn-dyed linen next to some pretty print fabric.

For my own Super Tote, I went with Marimekko on the outside and an IKEA canvas stripe inside the bag and behind the various pockets. A sport zipper highlighted with an extra strip of orange can either seal the whole bag up or fold into the open tote. The pattern is certainly not quick to assemble and the bag uses lots and lots of fabric, but I'm still hoping to make 4 or 5 this year for the fun of exploring color and feature options.

This Is My Point

I pledged at the beginning of 2014 to emphasize quality of materials over volume and expense. This is not to say I plan to spend more money on supplies than I can recoup in a finished item, but sometimes the narrow margin is worth it. Marimekko fabric is one example. This Marimekko laminate print is easily-recognizable to many people. It's priced accordingly. And yet, the soft and luxe feel of the fabric is worth it. Though the Marimekko cotton prints can feel a little coarse, the laminates from the company are a stem-to-stern pleasure to work with. Items made from the laminate usually sell early, so the fabric must be "worth it".

The Internet Is Always Right

One of my good customers challenged me to make a fabric cover for a steno pad. My first impulse was to Google the task. Sure enough, a high-quality tutorial popped up. I used it nearly verbatim to make a fabric-covered steno pad with loops for a pen closure and interior pockets. I think it's super-cute, and plan to shrink the pattern down to cover mini spiral-bound notebooks. I like a notebook with pages attached by stitching or coils (rather than glue) and this idea is just the solution.

On The Move

My sister and her family are moving, and it's time to get serious about looking for a house. From a distance, the process sounds fun. A new house means fresh picking-and-choosing of so many things. Let's paint! Let's plant! Let's recombine favored possessions in a new nest! The reality of moving is more drudgery and paperwork, so I'm sending off a new fabric portfolio for the task. This fabric folder features a large center compartment for file folders of real estate listings and a notebook of questions to ask the realtor. On the front is another zippered pocket for the city map, an open pocket for smaller notes or a calculator and a small zippered pocket for business cards. On the back of the portfolio another open pocket can hold house flyers and floor plans. The fabric is brand-new, and possibly more my style than my sister's. I don't get to pick out a new house, but fresh fabric sure is fun.

I Like the Results!

My fried, G, operates a booth at a social workers' convention every year. For the last few years, she has included in her offerings pouches and totes from me. She thinks of a slogan, and then I use fabric paint to screenprint or spoonflower.com to customize fabric. This past fall's theme was "keep calm" and it's my personal favorite. "Keep calm. I'm a school social worker" decorated the pockets of several canvas tote bags. My friend said they sold well.

Sure, Why Not?

At the Holiday Market this last month, I had for sale at my booth pillows with reverse applique. The two flavors offered were an ampersand symbol and a pi symbol. My thought was to attract either the language or the math crowd (though one pi pillow actually sold to a mom whose son with born on March 14th). Inevitably, some shoppers will see an item in my booth and think of the possibilities. This is how I came to make a schwa pillow. In truth, I made two schwa pillows. This one was first, and the second one I made for the customer's daughter. The daughter said she liked the idea of a schwa pillow, but since her name started with and "E" she might just turn the pillow upside-down sometimes.

New Year, New Machine

I'm ringing in 2014 in style with a new sewing machine. Though I love my old machine, I ran it into the ground. Now I have 2 machines (in theory) for just-so accomplishing of sewing tasks. I anticipate another fun year of choosing fabric, playing with fabric and selling the results at Urbana's Market at the Square, Eclectic, and the Lincoln Square Holiday Market. To focus my efforts this year, I have compiled goals. I plan to: focus less on both the volume of sewing I can finish and the cost of materials which will free me to emphasize the patterns and projects that most grab my attention. I also hope to design a few larger-scale items like Advent calendars or table runners or small wall quilts. I pledge to keep one eye on using up my stockpile of supplies before acquiring the latest-and-greatest fabrics because finding a way to use something now I bought "just because" is a challenge of creativity. To the extent that my first and last goal seem in conflict, I reaffirm that my sewing business is, more than anything else, just good fun.

Holiday Market 2013

The Lincoln Square Holiday Market opens this Saturday (8am-1pm) and runs for 7 weeks. Vendors of all types will sell gifts, food and plants. I will have these folded fabric ornaments along with pouches, baskets and do-dads for organizing, gift-giving and display. Come visit!

Weekend with Friends

A lady I met at the Market at the Square is preparing to enjoy a weekend away in New York City with friends, and she's bringing favors. A little piecing of fabric and a custom bead from the Community Fab Lab personalize small essentials bags to be filled with gum, a little lotion, hand sanitizer and whatnot needed for an early fall adventure. Have fun!