Ramping Up

Oooohhh! Michelle and I are ramping up for Fog Fest and we are getting very excited to be participating in such an event. Our production of items is booming and our inventory just keeps growing. One of our main concerns (well, mine really!) is not having enough items, but every time we get together to go over things, Michelle brings me back to a comfortable place.

Our booth design is coming together nicely, thanks to Michelle, and we are hoping to have all we need to do a test run in a couple weekends. Thanks to a Pinterset post and the blog that went with it, I have been having fun making my own T-stands to display my belts and headbands. Super easy to make after a trip to Lowe's and Michael's. A saw, a drill and some Gorilla glue and I have this beauty. Now it just needs a coat of paint!

Toddler Pillows

When my oldest daughter started preschool, we had to put a "sleepy" bag together for her to keep at school. A crib sheet, a blanket and a sleepy friend or special item is what the bag consisted of. My daughter wanted to include a pillow also, which was fine, until I realized how cumbersome it was to take her Dora pillow back and forth to school.

I had an extra pillow form lying around and decided to take her to the fabric store and pick out some fabric so I could make her a very special pillow to keep in her sleepy bag. She thought this was the greatest. When my son started a year later, of course I had to make him one too. Now, my youngest hasn't started preschool yet, but caught onto these cool "little" pillows her brother and sister have, so now she has one too.

I noticed that the teachers and even other parents had asked me about these little pillows. Commenting on how adorable they were and where ever did I find them. They are incredibly easy to make and take about a 1/2 yard of fabric. Now my kids love the super soft satin they have on their blankets, so I make each of theirs with a satin side and a character side.

These little cuties will be making their appearance at Fog Fest and in my shop, so stay tuned!

Fog Fest...Here We Come!!

Well, today it is official...we got our acceptance for Pacifica Coast Fog Fest 2012! My friend Michelle and I will be participating in our very first craft fair. We are so excited to have this opportunity, as we both have been hard at work over the last few months, fine tuning and adding to our inventory of items. Michelle and I have attended numerous craft fairs and shows over the years and have always wanted to be a part of one.

Stay tuned for updates as we approach the fair and if you live locally, we hope to see you there! In the meantime you may check out our shops on Etsy:

Lovey Bug Designs

PresqueIsle 

Block Three & Four

Yes, I am still working through the Clover & Violet Quilt & Stitch Along. I am very behind, but trying not to stress over it. Recently, I spent a week in Lake Tahoe with my kids and my parents and I was able to complete Block #3 and Block #4. I began working on Block #5, but it is not quite finished yet.

Block #3 took me a long time to complete. Most of the designs in the stitch along are quite simple and require simple stitches that don't take a lot of time. For block #3, I decided on a leaf stitch for each of the petals and it was really time consuming. The end result, however, was really gorgeous.

Block #4 was a simple dragon fly. This one took about 2 hours to complete since I used a satin stitch for the body and a back stitch for the wings. I was worried about it looking to plain, but I really like the end result. Some of the other blocks are much more colorful and intricate, so this will stand out nicely among the rest.

Hoping to move along more quickly now, although I don't think I will catch up to the rest of the group. While trying to prep for a craft fair and take care of three kids, I will just do the best I can!

Handbag Fun

Lately I have been pumping out handbags like crazy. I am prepping for the craft fair that I don't even know if we are accepted to yet. But, better I have a whole bunch of items now, than to be accepted and not have anything. I figure I will just have a lot of new items to add to my Etsy shop if we don't get accepted.

One of my newest items is the Six Pocket Tote. I have been thinking about this kind of bag for a while and finally got around to experimenting with the pattern. This is such a great bag! It has so much room and many uses. Boasting six large pockets on the outside for quick access to all those necessary items. It also has one small pocket on the inside for keys, cell phone or something you don't want on the outside. The roomy inside can hold just about anything you need for the gym, dance class or plenty of kid items for that busy mom. I plan on getting quite a few more of these listed, so stay tuned! Meanwhile, you can check out the listing for the one I have available: Six Pocket Tote.

Another item I have been working on, are little drawstring totes. A fun little bag to grab a few items and go. I have a friend who crochets and she calls these project bags. They are great for carrying around your knitting or crochet project. Right now, I only have one size measuring 10"H x 9.5"W x 4"D, but will be experimenting with some different sizes soon!

Custom Gypsy Bandana Quilt - Final

Last month I posted about the custom quilt order I received. You can read it here. Well, it has been completed and sent off to the client. The quilt turned out completely gorgeous! The Gypsy Bandana line from Michael Miller is a beautiful line of fabrics and the lime green and pink versions are such eye candy.

The quilt is done in a simple patch style with framed squares and large squares. A white fabric is used in the sashing, backing and binding to showcase the colors of the fabrics and really make them pop. I pieced the backing with squares of the same fabric and used a super soft white flannel. It is free motion quilted in a large looping pattern.

This quilt is a gift for the clients daughter who is expecting her first baby soon. I shipped the quilt out on Monday afternoon and the client received it today. I received a glowing email from her expressing her thanks and how much she loved the quilt. It truly made me smile inside and out knowing that I made someone happy with something I created for them.

Fabric Headband Tutorial

I recently came across a few headband tutorials on Pinterest and I found each one to be not very good. Either the pattern was weird, the instructions were off or the sewing in the photographs was really horrible. I thought I could do a better job, so I went to my studio and quickly sketched out a pattern and some notes. My first head band came out really well and the next thing I knew I was pumping out quite a few of them. They take very little fabric, so they are a great thing to make with all those leftover scraps from my quilts and handbags.

Now I have some great headbands to go with all kinds of outfits! And they are going to make a nice little item to sell at a craft fair!

So here is my version of a headband tutorial. Let's hope you find it better than some others you may have come across!

Supplies

1 - 5" piece of 1/4" elastic

1 - 15-1/2 x 4-1/2" piece of fabric

1 - 11" x 1-1/2" piece of fabric

Coordinating thread

1. Press both pieces of fabric in half, right sides together. 

2. Stitch the long ends together, leaving the bottom ends open for turning. Use 1/4" seams on larger band and 1/8" seams on smaller band.

3. On large band only, press open the seams flat.

4. Turn both bands right side out. I do this using a safety pin on one end then feed it through. There are special tools out there for this, but I find a safety pin to be just as effective.

5. Once turned, press both pieces flat. On the larger band, make sure the seam is running down the middle. This defines your underside and helps center the elastic strap in the later steps. At this point I also pink the raw edges. I hate fraying fabric.

6. Now run a top stitch around the entire large band. I run mine about 1/4" from the edge. This also helps me secure my label to the underside. At this point, do not worry about the raw edges on the ends, they will be taken care of on the last step!

7. Next, feed your elastic through the small band. Again, I use a safety pin on the end. Feed it in just enough so the end without the pin aligns with the fabric. Sew two or three stitches forward and back to secure one end of the elastic.

8. Once the elastic has been pulled through, remove safety pin and secure with 2 or 3 stitches as you did on the other end. I then tug on both ends to even out the scrunching of the fabric. Your finished small band should look like this.

9. Ok, we are almost done. Now we attach the small band to the large one. On the large band, working with the backside facing up, fold over one end about 1/4". Press if you need to. I usually don't.

10. Take the small band and lay it on the folded raw edge, taking care to center on the seam line. Fold one corner of the large band over the small band, then fold the remaining corner over. This is usually too thick to pin, so I just hold it with my finger to stitch it.

11. I set my machine on the slowest setting and stitch closed. Because of the thickness, it will sometimes get stuck under the presser foot and feed dogs. I use my fingers to help push it through. Be careful not to sew your finger tip!! I stitch it back and forth about three times to be sure it is secure. If you would prefer to hand stitch or use a zig zag stitch, I am sure that would be fine too. Repeat with the other end.
 

And here you go! An adorable new headband. You could make one for every outfit! Enjoy.