CRAFT FAIRE, salem oregon

I am hosting a Craft Faire at Salem First Church of the Nazarene on Saturday, October 29, 10am - 3pm. 

If you live near please come and visit, and shop, shop, shop!  There will be 27 vendors.  There will be Scentsy products, doll clothes, knitted hats, repurposed items, quilts, handbags, jewelry, and so much more.

I will have my own table set up with fabric pumpkins, backpacks, zippered pouches, and ornaments.

so........I will be busy this week with last minute stuff for the Faire and I don't anticipate posting any blogs until my big event is over.

Have a super good weekend!

The Prettiest Little Doll Clothes!

My aunt is amazing...she sews 18" doll clothes that are unbelievable!  These are not ordinary doll clothes by any means.  They are unique, one-of-a-kind.  She puts so much love into every little outfit.  Not only does she make fabulous clothes she also has cute little shoes and accessories to go along with the outfits. 

Please visit her blog and Etsy shop. Have fun shopping!

Tip of the Day

Dear Friends,

How many times do you find yourself cutting fabric and OOPS! you've cut the wrong way and you come out short with yardage.  Here's a little tip that might help in some of those times.

When cutting strips of fabric and turning them to cross-cut into squares or rectangles...always cut the selvage end first!  This allows you to open up the folded end and get one more square or rectangle if needed.  This will save you either cutting another strip and/or you will have a bigger piece of leftover fabric to work with for another project.

I trully believe cutting is the hardest part of the sewing process...don't be afraid of it...conquer it!  Because you don't want anything to stop you from enjoying the sewing part.

Backpack

This is a backpack I have been sewing for years now. Years ago, when a friend and I were sewing customized bags, we made backpacks and they were a hit. Since then I've worked to perfect the bag...I've made it a bit bigger, added zippered pockets, and perfected the straps.

It is made with vinyl on the outside and an Ikea printed fabric on the inside and straps. It has a big chunky zipper on the front pocket as well as a pocket on the inside. It can also be worn as a sling bag.

I have had so much fun making these backpacks for friends and family. Recently my mother-in-law was sporting one in Hemet, CA and was stopped by a lovely person who adored the backpack my mother-in-law was wearing...very much like the one in the picture, but in red vinyl.

This bag is available in my Etsy shop.

Diabetes Medical ID Charm

Here's a little fact about me that many of you may not know.  I am a Type 1 Diabetic.  I was diagnosed at age 8.

I have always been on the search for a beautiful yet functional Medical ID Charm and have never found anything that I would really love to wear.  The chunky, heavy, metal ones from the drugstore are ugly and yell to everyone that I have a medical issue, nothing discreet about them.

BUT...I'm so happy to show you the one my friend Sherie of SoShe made for me.  It's pretty small, about the size of a nickel, and it will attach to a bracelet, I buy sparkly, stretchy bracelets and attach it around the elastic.

Please visit her Etsy shop.  She makes beautiful handbags too.

Bias Tape

At my favorite quilt shop - Greenbaum's Quilted Forest - I teach/facilitate an applique class.  We have met for several months, once a month, and are having a blast together.  Meeting with these ladies is such a delight to me.  They each bring their own ideas, hints, and techniques to the table, and I learn so much from them.

 

When we met recently I gave them each a little treat for finishing their blocks that they worked on the month before.  I had gone to a quilt show in town and bought a BIG bag of bias tape, rickrack, and assorted trims, all for $2. 

I was thinking what could ya do with all that bias tape...you know the stuff that you find hiding in a drawer when you clean out your grandmother's sewing room.  Bias tape is mostly used in garment making, but can be used for quilting as well.

A light bulb went off and I thought it would be fun to try and make words out of the bias tape...so I set off to do just that.

It was pretty easy...I used a hot iron and some steam to form the word.  Then I used applique pins to hold it in place.  I've started to blind stitch by hand the edges of the bias tape.

I'm really excited how it's turning out.  My vision right now is to add some pieced borders and make it into a wall hanging for Valentine's Day.

Not bad for upcycling bias tape from 1986! ;)

Free Pillowcase Pattern

I thought it was high time that I start posting some sewing blogs...seeing as it is my happy place. :)

Here's what I worked on today

I made three 'I Love Lucy' pillowcases. 

Many thanks to my dear friend Lisa who was so sweet to provide me with these great 'I Love Lucy' prints.  

You can find the free pattern right HERE - it's such an easy pattern and what I love most is there are no raw seams when you are done.  The seams are all enclosed which looks so much better than having threads popping out after you wash it.

I made these for my two girls and one of their friends...they are having 'I Love Lucy' movie night tonight...as well as some chocolate.

Happy Friday

Salsa Days!

Last Friday was Salsa making day at my house.  I had so many tomatoes...many from my garden as well as my in-laws.  So I gathered them all up...blanched off the skins and starting chopping.

Do you see the lovely chopper in the picture?  It is an amazing machine.  My mother bought it for me at Costco.  I love it so much.  It makes the job of making salsa so easy.  All the ingredients in my salsa get run thru the chopper, then it's ready to be cooked and canned.

Here is what my dining room table looked like before I started the Salsa making process.  It's a disaster!

 

Here is my beautiful Salsa AFTER!

I made three batches and gave away one batch already...so this is what I have left.  These jars will be gone in a flash...my family practically drinks the stuff so I'm sure I will be making more pretty soon.