There’s been lots of fa-la-la-la-la-ing around here lately . . . along with a whole lotta sewing! The holidays are swiftly creeping up + it’s time to start scrambling to find those perfect gifts.

And who am I not to help those in need of fine, handmade gifts this holiday season? {I’m no elf, but I do try my darnedest!}

I’ve always been a big fan of the stocking stuffers, myself . . . there’s nothing quite like finding a big, bulging sock full of goodies come Christmas morning — and since I’m such a lover of all-things-utilitarian as well, I stocked the shop full of nice little gifties perfect for stuffing stockings! Check out these cute + festive + eco-friendly coffee sleeves . . .

I’ve even got my own travel mug dressed up for the holidays!

. . . Or perhaps some cute little travel tissue holders are more your thing? It’s certainly the time of year when one never seems to have quite enough tissues on hand. Why settle for those sad, resealable plastic bags travel tissues come in? I say give your friends + coworkers a little class for their tissues!

And for your best mates? Perhaps they deserve the ultimate holiday goodie bag . . . a 2008 Winter Survival Kit — this little sack of treats will go a long way toward making the bustle + bluster of this holiday season all the more bearable, so check them out and give a little holiday cheer to someone you love!

Stay warm + toasty, all! A post with some knitting content coming up next!

6 December 2008 | new goods for sale, sewing, shop talk | 9 comments

Hello, everyone! Still busy, busy sewing over here . . . I’ve also been busy falling head over heels for Heather Ross’ Mendocino fabrics. They’re adorable, for one thing, and they come in the best color combinations! I saw them + immediately was inspired to turn them into . . . bathmats! And I couldn’t be happier with the results! Aren’t they fantastic? The perfect amount of retro fun for adults + super-colorful fun for kids, alike!

I paired up the Mendocino fabrics with some other really great fabrics to create the patchwork top panel + then backed the top with super-squishy, 100% organic cotton terrycloth backing. This stuff is absolutely dreamy to the touch–and I even added some squares of the terrycloth into the patchwork top panel so that you step onto cushy softness when you hop out of the shower.

And, look! Another great color combination–pretty blush, orange + gold! You can find both of these super-hip, super-fun patchwork bathmats in my shop now!

And you didn’t think I could stop at bathmats, did you? I mean, really, what’s a super-awesome new bathmat without matching washcloths? You can find a handful of patchwork washcloths in my shop, too!

Enjoy! + Happy almost-Friday!

23 October 2008 | bathmats + washcloths, new goods for sale, sewing, shop talk | 14 comments

Fall is finally here, friends, and I couldn’t be happier! It is my favorite time of year and I have been wallowing in it already! So many beautiful sights + smells to enjoy this time of year. I wanted to share a few of the glimpses of fall that I’ve been able to capture–I hope you enjoy them.

And . . . and! I am always up for a good way to celebrate fall, be it apple-picking, playing in leaves, or sipping hot toddies . . . so I was inspired recently to devise little fall-themed goodie pouches to have a fun, on-the-go way to celebrate the season. These little pouches make perfect surprise gifts for friends or for yourself! Check them out now in the s h o p! I hope you all enjoy them + enjoy the season!

16 October 2008 | fall is the best season of all, new goods for sale, out + about, sewing, shop talk | 11 comments

Hi all . . . wow, I didn’t mean to be gone for so long after flaunting my new fall scarflet, but I’ve been a busy bee. I spent most all of this past week cranking out a great big pile of linen dish towel sets, and, I must say, I’m pretty twitterpated with how they’ve turned out! I had so much fun making color sets of the patchwork pincushions that I continued that theme and made up color sets of the linen dish towels, which you can check out for yourself because they’re now available in my s h o p.

The { r e d } set is my favorite of the bunch. Those sweet lil’ acorns? Perfect for infusing this most perfect season into your kitchen.

So go take a peek in the shop and get yourself or a good friend a handmade, sturdy, + eco-friendly gift for fall!

Happy weekend, everyone!

4 October 2008 | WIPs, colorful!, linen dish towels, linen sling totes, new goods for sale, sewing, shop talk, socks | 3 comments

Today I made pincushions. I had never made pincushions before, but I figured if I knew how to make pillows, I knew how to make pincushions. And–lo and behold–my pincushions look a lot like my pillows. Who knew how fun it was to make pincushions? Also, I am officially a firm believer that anyone who has a sewing machine can never have too many pretty pincushions laying in wait to receive pins.

This lil’ bunch of colorful patchwork pincushions are now available in the s h o p, so go and have a look. ‘Specially if you’re in the market for taming your pins + needles!

Next up: a finished knit thing! { hey, don’t look so surprised. }

22 September 2008 | new goods for sale, pincushions, sewing, sewing accessories, shop talk | 12 comments

Finally! The first batch of sling totes is up in the shop! I’m way excited about how they turned out, and if I didn’t think it were completely uncouth to do so, I’d probably admit that I want to keep them ALL for MYSELF! But, well, it might be more advantageous to sell them so’s I can pay rent + not have to become a bum.

I wanted to show off some shots of the sling totes modeled, so that you are able to get an accurate sense of scale. I designed these totes to be ROOMY. I really hate finding that perfect, cute tote in all the best colors and then find out that it is actually only large enough to fit a paperback book into. Not this tote. This ‘un will hold all your junk. and your lunch, to boot.

And the sling! The sling is my bestest friend. I love just about any bag that I can sling across my chest and go. It might have something to do with my overly rounded shoulders {do those exist? or is this all in my imagination?}. I am just no good at keeping U-handle straps to stay on my shoulder. But, I will say, that unless you are a round-shouldered freak like me, even my sling strapped tote will stay up on the shoulder and does not have to be slung to be worn comfortably + stylishly. Anyway, I digress.

So, there ya have it. Six sling totes { some linen, some canvas } are now up in the shop for your perusal. I sure hope you find one that you love, but if you don’t, you can always convo me or check out the listing in the shop for a custom tote.

16 September 2008 | canvas sling totes, linen sling totes, sewing, shop talk, shoulder bags + totes | 14 comments

Hello, all! Just a little note to let you know that I am slowly but surely making progress on the stack of linen + canvas sling totes I’m working on for the shop. But these guys are somewhat fiddly, and since I’m making 10 at once, they’re taking longer than expected. I thought I’d entice y’all with a little peek at how they’re coming along–i am REALLY happy with them! The only thing left to make are the straps–yay! Stay tuned . . .

15 September 2008 | canvas sling totes, linen sling totes, sewing, shop talk, shoulder bags + totes | 2 comments

fabric ( linen + canvas ) = finally.

All of the supplies I’ve been waiting on for weeks now arrived today. In one big, happy pile of boxes in the front hall of my apartment building. Magically {and miraculously!}, I don’t even have to schlep the 20 blocks to the post office like I usually do when packages come in the mail. Today is a very good day.

And you know what linen + canvas mean, yes? I can finally, FINALLY get some sling totes cranked out and stocked in the s h o p! I suspect there will be a whole slew of them ready for the swiping by Monday. I am also going to put a listing for a { custom } sling tote in the shop as well, since the average sling may not fit everyone’s chest span just right. And I do want to accommodate everyone. So, if you’re interested in a customized sling tote, just pop on over to the shop and get yerself one!

Know what else came today? A big, heaping pile of new fabrics in all of the perfect Fall colors from superbuzzy + reprodepot. So, friends, stay tuned for some handsewn goodness soon to make its way to the shop . . .

13 September 2008 | fabric stash, sewing, shop talk | 4 comments

The first handful of my new linen sling totes are finished! It’s taken me a bit of time to perfect these pretty Zakka-inspired totes, but I am finally happy with the design. Which means you can expect to see them popping up in my shop very soon. And if you want one, you won’t even have to go sidling up to me on the street corner all shifty-eyed + avoiding the 224. Just a few clicks in the s h o p. Nothing illegal, I swear. {I love you, The Wire, bestest show ever.}

I’m really proud of the design + I’m hoping there will be interest in these great + handy little totes. I really love using tote bags on a daily basis, but I’m not a huge fan of too-small totes or totes with the U-handles, particularly when they don’t have a drop that is large enough to comfortably keep up on one’s shoulder. I’ve designed these totes to be practical, ergonomic + comfortable to, well, tote around everywhere you might go. The totes are roomy + capable of holding all of your purse essentials + whatever else you might want to carry around with you. Books, folders, your lunch, etc. And the strap is wide + lined with cotton fabric, and it can be positioned to sling across your chest or sit comfortably on your shoulder. This is my most favorite feature, because I can’t seem to keep purses, bags, or totes on my shoulder. I love that I can just sling this baby on and go!

I’m still waiting on a re-up of supplies to start really cranking the sling totes out, so there is only one in my shop right now {at a great sale price, too!}, but that will soon change, I promise. And if you are interested in a linen sling tote {I’ll soon be playing around with sturdy + heavy canvas for market/library totes, too} of a particular color/fabric combination or drop/handle length {for those of you über-tall folks}, feel free to drop me a line. Custom orders are always happily accepted.

7 September 2008 | it's finished!, linen sling totes, new goods for sale, sewing, shop talk, shoulder bags + totes | 9 comments

Hello all! In order to start to get the word out about my shop, I am having a Fall Is Nearly Here! sale on all of the pillow covers currently in my shop. Because, so far as I understand the world of business, people selling stuff have sales on their stuff during any + every holiday possible. And, while they all call it Labor Day, I call September 1st Fall Is Nearly Here! Day. And if ever there were a thing to celebrate with a sale, it is Fall being nearly here. So, get 15% off all items currently in the shop (the pillow cover above was just added today) using the discount code FALLSALE. Sale ends on Sept. 2. Enjoy + happy shopping!

29 August 2008 | pillow covers, shop talk | 3 comments