Ipad Case

With all the lovely new gadgets out there this year: Ipad, Kindle, Nook and with these being a big item on people's wish list, I decided to design a case. I was in Best Buy the other day when I overheard a women who was looking at Ipad cases say "Why don't they make anything cuter"? Well I love picking fabrics and making "cute" or visually appealing items as you can see from my bags. What you see above is my own design for an Ipad case and can be easily modified to fit a Nook or Kindle. I used soft minky fabric to cushion, protect and almost wipe the screen clean when being pulled in and out of the case. I have to admit that I am very pleased with how my first attempt turned out and am excited to make more!

A Gift

Here is my latest sewing project and what I consider my greatest accomplishment yet. I got the pattern from Moda Bake Shop and used a Moda Bliss jelly roll with a brown minky for the the backing. It is a quilted shawl for my 93 year old grandmother who just moved from her house to assisted living. She is giving me her 1956 Bernina Record sewing machine and so I wanted to make her something really special. This is my first project with binding. Thankfully my motherinlaw was able to help me learn how to do the binding and I actually made this in less than a week. Even though a little pricier than what I usually spend on fabric, the jelly roll was wonderful and made the project go even faster. I love Moda fabrics now!

Bella Bag Pattern

I bought the Bella Bag pattern a couple of months, but have been busy sewing orders on charmer totes. Finally yesterday I got to try it out and here is the finished product. I am very happy with how it turned out for my first one. I have never put grommets in before, but now think I am ready to tackle more!

Because He Is Wonderful....

Do you remember what my husband did for me for our 10 year anniversary last year? He built my sewing area. About a month ago I saw him drawing a diagram which usually means he is figuring out how to build something. When I asked him what he was drawing, he wouldn't tell me so I knew he was up to something. The past couple of weeks he has been working on building this wall unit and tonight we got it hung up and I organized it. I told him that when I married him 11 years ago I had no idea I was marrying such a handy guy and he said he didn't either! The unit is 8 feet wide and he put all the dowels on for my thread. I love it!

New Designs

I am now doing magnetic clasps on the front and sides of the bags insteat of velcro and I love them!

Stepping It Up!

So I had cards printed up a couple of weeks ago and started a page on Facebook. Check out my page and click like to receive updates on Facebook! As a result, I am in the process of making about 10 of my big bags. Keep those orders coming!

Nursing Covers

First off I have to say I love you guys who get in touch with me and request items! This week I had a request for nursing covers. This is a new project for me. Here are pictures of 2 of the 3 I made this week and I have decided to add my list of items! They have boning in the neck so mom can see baby while she is nursing.

Nothing Ventured, Nothing Gained

At least that is the spin I am trying to put on it. My sewing is no longer at "The Black Sheep Gallery". I only had my stuff in for 1 1/2 months to find out the store has been closed due to a disagreement between the previous and new owner. I am hearing 2 different sides of the story so I can't tell you exactly what is going on except that I have brought my sewing home and am figuring out my next step. I have still been selling stuff personally so if there is anything you are interested in just let me know.

Here They Are!

Here are the new bags I mentioned in my last post. I think they turned out gorgeous with the fabrics, but then I might be a little bit biased!

Taking The Plunge!

So I have taken the plunge and am now officially a vendor #288 at The Black Sheep Gallery here in Twin Falls. It has taken me a while to make a decision and since more and more people have been requesting my items I am ready! I appreciate your support. If any of you don't live locally please don't hesitate to contact me personally if you are interested in something you see.

I am really excited and ready to get busy on more items! I am currently working on 3 charmer totes for an order out of Texas and almost have them done. I will put pictures of them up soon!

Here It Is!

Here is my new bag from the new pattern you see in the post below. I love this fabric so I splurged a little on it. I started working on it yesterday morning and with due diligence actually finished it by late afternoon. That is awesome for me to figure out a new pattern on my own. Maybe I am starting to get the hang of it?

Eye Candy

So after Christmas and all the sewing I had done I took a few week break. I have since made a whole new batch of boy swaddling blankets and burp clothes on my new serger and hopefully will get pictures up in the next week. I have to say that I LOVE my new serger! It sews and threads like a dream. If any of you have used a serger you know that the threading of one can be a nightmare. The serger I got after Christmas is a Bernina 1150 MDA with automatic threader and micro thread control.

I just had hand surgery this past Thursday on a ganglion cyst that popped up this past October, right in the middle of all my Christmas sewing. This has my hand in a splint for the next 2 weeks and then I should be good to go. Today I stopped at a local quilt store just to look and got lucky that they had these patterns on sale. Amy Butler caught my attention last fall with some of her beautiful patterns in fabric I started seeing online. This book and patterns will give me something lovely and new to ponder while my hand is recuperating!

Merry Christmas To Me!

This year when I was asked what I wanted for Christmas I asked for money. I knew it was too much to ask for someone to buy me the new serger I wanted, so I started saving months ago. This is also why I have been working extra hours with the Health Department this winter. I had been slowly putting cash away in my envelope. With my savings, Christmas money I received and trading in my old serger, on Monday I was able to go in and get this lovely new machine! It sews like a dream and I am eager to learn what all I can do with it. My old serger, a Janome 9102D, served it's purpose as giving me a serger to get started on and learn how to use a serger. However, it was a nightmare threading the lower looper and at times I would waste hours on it. When I read reviews on this Bernina 1150 mda they were excellent. Then the local dealer showed me some of the features on this machine and I was convinced it was the machine for me. It has an automatic threader and a micro-thread control adjustment to adjust the stitches like a dream. It also sounds beautiful when you are sewing. I am looking forward to the new year sewing many projects on my new machine!