market bound!

This is a big week...I'm heading off tomorrow for Quilt Market! I just wanted to pop in here quickly to show you some last minute pillows I whipped up for the Stitch booth...

This is a hexagon pillow made with Stitch Roll-up strips with some felt edging and a vintage button in the center.

My pleated pillow also uses Roll-ups. Yay, no cutting! The back is made from an orange cable knit sweater. I love mixing materials. I have a few more pillow ideas that I didn't get to make but it's time to stop sewing and start packing! I'll be sure to fill you in with all of the fun market details sometime next week when I'm home-home-jiggity-jig. K?

In the meantime, I'd love it if you'd head over to Amy Power's blog, inspire co., and check out her upcycled shrug! She's joined my little Craftsy Blog Tour for my course Project Upcycle and her shrug turned out adorable! And guess what? Aside from the lettuce edging and optional rosette, there is no sewing. Cute and easy. Whaddya gotta know.

Ok, peeps, I'll catch up with you next week!

A pirate, a jellyfish and a headless guy walk into a party...

The boys and I went to a Halloween Party over the weekend so I thought I'd share our costumes!

My first matey here is a swashbuckling pirate, as I revealed in my former sneak peek. Me? I'm a giant jellyfish! Clear umbrella, bubble wrap and a little sheer curtain fabric. Easy! Plus if it rains on Halloween night I'll be good to go.

This sorry young man has lost his head. (I think he may have laughed it off.) He got the idea from the Klutz Encyclopedia of Immaturity, which I highly recommend for anyone, really. We put it together with some cardboard, clothing from our closets and a shirt from the thrift store. He was a hit! The only downside was eating, playing, and anything else that required the use of his hands. Not sure how the trick-or-treating will happen.

We had a great time at the party, but I do have to tell you...I was the only adult in a costume. Not even the host and hostess (who've dressed up in the past). Really? Really. Not one other adult. Afterward, in response to the lack of dressed-up grown-ups, my little scallywag said, "I'm glad MY mom is fun!" And I'm glad he appreciates me!

needle booking

One week from today I'll be on a plane headed to Houston for Quilt Market! For the first time I will have an exhibitor booth with the Robert Kaufman Co. I will be debuting Stitch, my fabric collection, as well as two new patterns for my Make New or Make Do™ sewing pattern line. (more on those soon!)

I'm still working on my signage, and my husband has stepped in to help with the *engineering* aspects of it. (Thanks goodness!) I've also enlisted my friend, Jill, to help with these little needle books I'm making. (Thank goodness, again!)

These needle books (meant to hold your hand sewing and embroidery needles by poking them through the felt "pages") are simple to make, functional and cute! I used fusible webbing to attach my print fabric to a rectangle of felt for the cover. Then I cut a slightly smaller rectangle of felt for the pages with pinking shears. I layered the 2 rectangles together with a piece of ribbon or rick-rack and machine stitched up the "spine" of the book. Then just tie the ribbon to keep it shut. You could also make a button closure, but since we are making multiples (many!) I needed to keep it easy.

These are planned as a special give-away to my wholesale pattern customers, so I am tucking a business card into each one.

There's more to make and so much more to do before I get on that plane next week! Off to stitch!

yummy

What's yummier than a citrus-y wrap skirt made with your fave vintage linens?

I know...an adorable pint sized version made from gorgeous quilting cottons! Ellen of The Long Thread made a skirt for her daughter from my Craftsy course, Project Upcycle! Visit her blog to see how adorable it turned out. It's definitely yummy!

stitch patched

old well-loved jeans with a hole in the knee + new *stitch* fabric = JOY!

*wink*

I like winks. They're a special little message shared between people. Usually there's humor involved, an inside joke, a secret, an emotion. It's amazing how much can be communicated with our faces, without saying a word.

These two little faces belong to the felt Character Wine Sleeves that are a part of my Fab Felt Holiday Crafts course. My intent was to create a quick little project to dress up a bottle of wine as a hostess gift. Think of all of the holiday get-togethers you'll be attending in the coming months. You'll be dressing up, so why not dress up that bottle of Merlot? It'll be like a playful little wink as you present the bottle to the recipient.

This is week #3 on the Fab Felt Blog Tour! Please pop on over to House on Hill Road to see Erin's sweet take on the tuxedo-ed little Penguin.

brought to you by the letter *S*

S is for...

Stitch, my debut print collection on organics with Robert Kaufman.

Super! Which is how it feels to sew and play with my own fabric.

Sign, that I am making for my first booth at Quilt Market in 2 weeks!

Soggy, describing today's weather.

Sick, which is how I will feel if I keep nibbling on candy corn

Slightly wonkily sewn patchwork.

Sharing a bit of my day with you.

Smile :)

New Online Course: Project Upcycle

Announcing my newest online course, Project Upcycle! Creative reuse of materials – whether it’s a well-loved sweater, a thrift shop necktie, or your Grandmother’s old tablecloth – is eco-friendly, economical and fun. Why buy new when you can “make do” using your own creativity?

Here's a peek at a few of the projects in store:

Remix vintage linens...into a unique reversible wrap skirt!

Felt second-hand sweaters...into a cozy colorful tote!

Deconstruct skirts and jackets...into a menswear inspired Mad Cap!

I developed Project Upcycle to share my love of repurposing secondhand items. I’ll show you what to look for at the thrift store (or in your own closet!) and teach you techniques for transforming them into fun, functional and stylish additions to your wardrobe. We’ll make 5 projects: a chic shrug and an adorable tote from two different types of sweaters, a clever wallet from shirtsleeve cuffs, a dapper cap from menswear, and a swingy skirt from a stash of vintage linens.

Watch the following video for more info about the course and how Craftsy.com works:



Sign up now using this special *link* and get $10 off the price of the course!

What are you waiting for? Grab your scissors, a seam ripper and a stash of cast-off clothing. Get ready to turn the mundane into something meaningful. You’ll feel smart, empowered and oh-so-clever! I hope you'll join me and I can’t wait to see your one-of-a-kind creations!

a pirate in the making

We're fortunate that our kids eagerly subscribe to the make-your-own costume philosophy for Halloween. Our 9 year old son debated between Ninja and Viking before deciding upon being a Pirate this year.

True to form, he started planning last month and by this first week of October we're nearly ready for Trick or Treat! Every detail was carefully planned and fully envisioned by my *junior design director*.


The components and their transformations:

• Old white dress shirt - cut fabric off length and added it back into the sleeves to create authentic billowy sleeves.
  
• Black pants - from closet
• Thrifted blue shirt - cut off sleeves to make into vest (love the brass buttons!)
• Sash - fabric scrap
• Belts - from thrift store
• Eye patch and foam sword - from toy bin (with added flourishes)
  
• Sword sheath - I sewed using leftover *pleather* from former costumes
• Tri-corner Hat - from my husband's childhood!
• Pirate Flask (?!) - made by my son with the ol' 1970's masking tape and shoe polish technique!

Even though the pressure starts early around here to get going on the costumes, I prefer it to a last minute scramble. I know these years of dress up won't last forever, I've got to enjoy them! I was just looking back at the past years' zombie, star wars characters and werewolf...we've had a lot of fun and creativity over the years!

Are you a family that makes your own costumes? If you're into wizards and fairies, you have got to check out my friend Anne's Costume Box course on Craftsy. Just in time for Halloween or anytime for dress-up and pretend play. Super cute!

Now...for my costume. Hmmmmm.....

Happy Octobrrr!

Did you slip on your slippers this weekend? It got darn nippy in a hurry around here...

If you're prone to chilly toes like I am , you will want to make a pair of these felted wool slippers! These are just one of the projects I teach in my Fab Felt Holiday Crafts course via Craftsy.com.

Today is stop #2 on the Fab Felt Holiday Crafts blog tour, so hop on over to A Sewing Journal to see Melanie's slippers! She did a great job and has also posted a review of the course.

Thanks, Melanie!