Handmade With Style

Crafting for a Cause: project 16 by Craft Hope

Calling all knitters, crocheters, and sewists! Craft Hope has launched "Project 16 :: Littlest Warriors" - a charitable project to collect handmade beanies and bags for children fighting cancer.

You never know when your life is going to change forever. In one subtle moment you can be stopped in your tracks. Uncertain. Scared. Devastated. For a close friend of mine, her life was altered three years ago. Pierce, her 18 month old, wasn’t feeling well so she took him to the doctor. Just like I have done with my own three countless times. Load the kids up in the car, expect to go find out they have a virus or ear infection, and head home. Her day didn’t go like this. At all.

via www.crafthope.com

This sounds like a great program! I had a wonderful time making Christmas stockings for a "crafting for a cause" project this fall, and I now I want to make a few bags for Project 16.

Visit Craft Hope's website or facebook page for additional details on Project 16.

Need some inspiration or guidance? Here are some bag tutorials that might do the trick:

Bag tutorial by Sew, Mama, Sew!

Tote bag tutorial by Craft Buds

Olivia Bag Tutorial by Dixie Mango

Messenger Bag Tutorial by OCD:Obsessive Crafting Disorder

Flannel Love

I have a little friend named Miss C. She is almost 2 years old and is simply adorable. Miss C is a very lucky girl - she has a grandma who makes her handmade flannel dresses which, when paired with matching leggings and some warm mittens, are perfect for snowy, blustery trips to and from nursery school this time of year. 

Having spent a lot of time around Miss C this winter, I have become obsessed with finding cute flannel fabrics. There are great options out there, including some by well-known fabric designers. 

both by Erin McMorris (available at www.quilthome.com)

by Riley Blake (available at www.fabric.com)

both by Michael Miller (available at www.fabric.com)

by Ann Kelle for Robert Kaufman (available here)

In addition to what is in print right now, don't forget that etsy is a wonderful source for vintage and out-of-print flannels (and other types of fabric too) such as this adorable children's print:

Olivia the Pig flannel (out of print) - available here

Paper+ Typography via Behance Network

via www.behance.net

I saw these paper quilled letters featured on the blog for letterpress stationary merchants Hello! Lucky (www.hellolucky.com/wordpress) and just had to share. These paper quilled letters are the work of artist Sabeena Karnik. Gorgeous, aren't they? What a talent!

Adventures with Alice: 1930's Reproduction Fabric

 

via www.robertkaufman.com

Coming soon -> Adventures with Alice by Darlene Zimmerman

This collection features Alice in Wonderland characters in 1930's reproduction prints. I especially love the "Lipstick" red print with Alice, the White Rabbit, and the Queen of Hearts. 

Fox and Friends

Move over, owls. It looks like the fox is the new "it" animal. You have probably spotted foxes at your fabric shop and all over Etsy. Have we shifted from "put a bird on it" to "put a fox on it" in the craft world? Not that I'm complaining...there are some great fabrics out there featuring sly foxes. 

Fox in the Snow

Available here from craftymcgee on Etsy. 

Fox in the Henhouse by Monaluna

Outfoxed Foxes in Plum by Lizzy House

Fox Trails by Riley Blake

Woodland Party by Birch Fabrics

Crafty Stocking Stuffers

It's that time of year again...time to sit and stare at a blank piece of paper as you try to create a Christmas gift list. My yearly strategy is to stare at the paper for at least a few weeks and then freak out completely a few days before Christmas eve. I've been a little better than usual this year, but there are still several names on my list with no ideas scribbled next to them.

I do, however, have a few ideas for stuffing the stocking of that crafty gal or guy in your life. Or, maybe one of these nifty little things will end up in your stocking...as long as you haven't been naughty, of course. 

1. DMC's Glow in the Dark Embroidery Floss: how cool is that?? This glow in the dark floss would be perfect for Halloween costumes, making a starry night's sky, or the putting a special finishing touch on a "twinkling" Christmas project.

via purlsoho.com

2. Cross-Stitchable iPhone 4 Case: Combine my craft addiction with my iPhone codependency? Yes please! Sign me up for one of these DIY iPhone covers. They come complete with a few skeins of embroidery floss and a small pattern to get you started. The cases are sold out on Purlsoho.com, but are available elsewhere on the Internets. 

via purlsoho.com

3. Stained by Sharpie™ Fabric Markers: These markers have received rave reviews from crafty bloggers and others. I haven't tried them yet, but Sharpies in general are awesome. Fabric Sharpies?! What's not to love? These are available at amazon.com and many other places. 

4. Patty Young's Spade Parade Sewing Pins: These long straight pins fall into the "really don't need but definitely want" category of sewing notions. They are just cool and would look fabulous in the overpriced handmade pincushion you also bought on etsy. :) Available here at the Poppy Seed Fabrics shop on etsy.com.

5. Sewing Notions Coin Purse: Speaking of Etsy, it's a wonderful source for darling little stocking stuffers like this coin purse featuring a Japanese sewing notions print. Available here - made by Australian etsy seller Karen Andersen.

6. The "Crafter Gift Set": Although paper crafts aren't really my thing, the truly talented out there can do amazing things with paper. PaperSource has these folks in mind with the "crafter gift set" - complete with some must-have tools for card-making and paper crafts. 

The Whimsical World of Laurie Wisbrun

I MUST share the work of a fabric designer I just discovered today: welcome to the whimsical world of designer Laurie Wisbrun! 

Laurie sells her own fabric designs (custom digitally printed by Spoonflower.com) in her Etsy shop, scarletfig. 

Meet Olive the Ostrich!

How can you resist these Nesting Chairs (shown here in yellow)?

Laurie is not just a small scale designer. She has had several lines manufactured by Robert Kaufman. Her new Robert Kaufman line is "Modern Whimsy" (available in stores in January 2012). Here are a few of my favorites from this cheery line:

The Modern Whimsy prints are darling and have me thinking of spring, Easter baskets, and, for some reason, children's petting zoos. I will admit, though, that I love her Spoonflower designs a little more. I'm all about those long-legged ostriches and tufted chairs! In any event, I thrilled to have stumbled across this designer's work.

Do yourself a favor and check out her blog and all of her designs. Happy sewing!

Birch Fabrics Launches Birch Organic

via birchfabrics.blogspot.com

via birchfabrics.blogspot.com

The folks at Birch Fabrics have launched a collection of organic baby bedding in some of my favorite prints, including the adorable Avalon bicycle print. While the baby quilts are something I could make, their crib bumpers look fabulous if you're in the market for something like that (which I am not, for the record). In my humble opinion, cute baby boy fabrics are hard to find and Birch Fabrics may have that market cornered. If only the fabrics weren't so darn expensive!

Stockings for Kids - Going in the Mail!

I'm donating four handmade Christmas stockings to this "Stockings for Kids" charity drive. You can learn more about the program here: 

Being Thankful When You Don't Feel Very Thankful

This Thanksgiving was hard. I have experienced a lot of losses this year, including the unexpected loss of my older sister just 1 week ago.  My mom and I made the usual over-abundance of food, over-cleaned the house, and put on brave faces for our guests...but it wasn't easy. It's hard to feel thankful for what you have when the things you loved are suddenly gone.

Maybe instead of pretending to be thankful for everything in my life, which feels pretty crappy at the moment, I should make a concrete list of the exact things, both tangible and intangible, for which I am thankful at this very moment. Here they are, in no particular order. 

1. Coffee - I would barely function without it. 

2. My sewing machine - I would be a much crabbier person without my creative outlet. 

3. Fabric - see #2

4. My mom - I would be a basketcase most of the time without her.

5. My friends

6. Apple - the company, not the fruit. I have an unhealthy attachment to my laptop and iPhone. 

7. Color - I am not afraid of bright colors. If the predominant color in your life is beige, you need help.

8. Sugar - see #1

9. Childhood memories and mementos - for example, the oddly comforting presence of your sister's favorite stuffed animal.

10. My niece - Maggie is a burst of sunlight, a ball of energy, and a barrel of monkeys - all in the shape of a two year old girl. 

Since this is a sewing and crafting blog, I will wrap up by saying that I will always regret not making a quilt for my sister. I hunted around and found some fabrics in colors (favorite color = yellow) and designs she might have liked.