steph blue

Baby Bear

2011-07-06T05:50:00.000-07:00

Six months ago I bought about 10 yards of assorted colors of fleece. Why- because I'm crazy and wanted to make my own cloth diapers. Power to any woman who is able to execute this task and keep up with the stinky maintenance. Fleece baby hats are a far less ambitious plan for all of this fabric, but hey. Super cute right? This was the first attempt and I can only improve on the pattern. My mind is going crazy with the animal possibilities.

Rocker Romper

2011-06-18T20:59:00.000-07:00

Cut down one of Joe's t-shirts to make an Eli romper? Yeah. I can do that.

Two years of crochet

2011-06-18T12:09:00.000-07:00

This was therapy to make and joy to look at. More please.

Scraps are treasure

2011-06-17T22:46:00.000-07:00

I finally finished the baby quilt I started while pregnant with Eli. I get to hold on to so many of the great fabrics I have used in so many other projects. Stipple quilting is pretty gratifying too.

I can still post stuff... right?

2011-05-25T18:43:00.000-07:00

Hey, I've been a busy momma! I am wrestling a seven month old at the keyboard as we speak. I have been working on a few things. Here is a bag I made for a fellow momma.

I also came up with an ever important diaper clutch. It holds a pack of wipes and one diaper.

we did it!

2010-11-02T20:28:00.000-07:00

Eli was born on October 24, 2010 at 8:21. He weighed 8 pounds 9 ounces and was 20 1/2 inches long.

Sales were slow but I do see it as an accomplishment

2010-10-14T09:38:00.000-07:00

I had two shows to get through this month... two shows on consecutive weekends... eight months pregnant... in the rain. Yep. Both weekends were wet too. I sold about half of what I was counting on while shivering in the rain. I got through it. I didn't cry about it (much).

I did make a couple of promising business contacts. Schmitt music out of O'Fallon schmittmusiccenter.net is selling a bunch of my guitar straps.
I also made a deal with a shop in Mascoutah called Kindred Spiritz. Jana has a box full of my stuff to display and sell.

I don't regret busting ass to get ready for these shows. My booth really did look nice.

Baby shower mania

2010-10-14T09:29:00.000-07:00

I can't believe how much people love to buy baby stuff. This works out for me because I started with a basket of stuffed animals and now my dining room is full. Joe and I are finally able to work on the baby's room this week. He is nailing down loose paneling as I type. After that I get to dust, tape and paint. Maybe I can get all of this stuff out of my dining room this weekend and move it upstairs. That is... if we don't have that pesky labor thing get in the way.

Patchy baby blanket

2010-08-18T06:09:00.000-07:00

So sorry blog, but pregnancy plus my job at the bank really took over my life for the last six months. It took everything out of me to just get through the normal stuff- everything creative went to the wayside. Since the end of my day job is inching closer (my last day is September 7th), I am feeling anxious about everything, mostly about money but that is totally human. Single income marriages are hard to come by these days. I was able to restock the etsy shop in hopes of bring in a little and show the husband that I do care about our finances. I finally have enough energy to work on some things for the Strangefolk festival booth.

I was also able to finish a major large scale baby-related project. Unfortunately, this one is not for my baby. I made a scrap quilt for a friend at my church who had a little girl about a month ago.

This one was my first attempt at real machine quilting. I think I did alright despite some bunching and pleating on the back. If anyone has some tips on preventing that stuff, let me know.

Here we go....

2010-03-29T18:18:00.000-07:00

Yep. Joe and I are nine weeks pregnant. We are very happy and I am very tired. I haven't made anything to show off in the last couple of weeks due to couching and nausea. I am trying to convert many of my works in progress into things for the baby. Diaper bag, baby quilt, you know the drill.

Valentines day

2010-02-15T07:34:00.000-08:00

My Valentine's gift to Joe turned out so cute that I decided to post it. Think of me next Valentines when you are stumped on what to get your impossible to buy for musician boyfriend. There are links to my etsy shop full of guitar straps on the right side of the screen.

Love a good long weekend

2010-02-15T07:23:00.000-08:00

Take a peek at how I am turning these pendants into necklaces. I just have a single strand of seed beads with a handful of medium sized beads to chunk it up.

Here is a really fast moving drop stitch scarf I am making for someone at my church. I started it last night and I think I will finish it today. Nice.

I am going to tease a little with this one. I am starting a project for my living room. (It's not a quilt!) You'll see.

sewing machine is still running

2010-02-15T07:06:00.000-08:00

looking for fuzzy feelings

2010-02-04T20:28:00.000-08:00

Winter has made me especially crabby lately. I had a huge urge to make something completely different... Different mediums, different skills, different motives. I came up with some pendants made from Rummikub tiles that Anna picked up at a yard sale. I went through some old magazines and cut tiny little pieces of everything I found remotely interesting. I arranged these bits and decoupaged them to the backs of the tiles. I let them dry over night and then sealed them with diamond glaze. I plan to glue some kind of metal loop to the back so I can string them up.

Closeups!!!!

Christmas wrap-up

2009-12-29T18:05:00.000-08:00

Here are the rest of the bags I made for people this Christmas... most of these happened in the two weeks leading up to Christmas.

This one was made for my sister in law

This one went to my mom

The rest made up my girl Amy's order...
This was for Amy's sister

Amy gets to hang on to this one

The next two messengers were for one of her friend's little girls
panda

and koala. I never realized how weird koalas really look... check out that big nose!
Cute and weird at the same time.

Pics for Crystal!!!

2009-12-13T15:02:00.000-08:00

Thanks to Crystal for her beautifully sizable Christmas order. I promise you I did not procrastinate. I am especially pleased the "mom" bag. Crystal's mom (like me) is a compulsive knitter. I constructed a bag with pockets for needles and notions that I am ever so jealous of. I did not skimp on the fabric quality. I love the colors!
Here ya go.

Really large Barbarella bag

The sister bag

Mom's knitting bag

interior of Mom's knitting bag

and finally the Crystal bag!!!!

Anna!

2009-12-06T15:38:00.000-08:00

I am almost positive that Anna's family members are not frequent checkers of my blog. Knowing that, I am going to post everything so my lovely Anna can finally geek out at the sight of what I made for her Christmas orders. I love Anna. Oh yeah Anna, no sunlight equals crappy pics... this stuff looks so much better in person.

Bible verse bag side one

side two

pink themed necklace
ocean themed scarf
scarf close up

Goin down to Makanda

2009-11-28T11:56:00.000-08:00

I had to add the pic of my awesome zipper pouches. I am so happy with the way these turned out!

The folks at the Smelly Hippie shop were interested in my purses so I made up a line of bags just for them. Since I got off to a late start, I missed out on the black Friday madness. Fortunately my stuff will be in the shop in time for a good chunk of the Christmas season. I just started this mess eleven days ago.

Today I am planning to start the next phase of stuff for the hippie shop... I will have a bunch of appliqued zipper pouches made up by the end of the weekend. (even if it kills me)

When I am not working on the hippie stuff, I have been trying to nurture the etsy site with spurts of guitar straps here and there. I have noticed, if I keep adding and renewing I continue to have about one sale a day. It doesn't sound like much, but it is better than I have ever done before. I do have a nice healthy back stock now so keep those orders coming!

restock and recover

2009-10-19T19:41:00.000-07:00

Man. Christmas is really inching closer and I have to do something otherwise I will miss out again on all of the etsy traffic I could have seen last year. Its funny how I can sell certain items at certain venues. Strange Folk cleared out all of my small items like headbands and magnets, the only thing I can move on my etsy are guitar straps, the shop in Carbondale is only interested in purses, and I do the occasional custom necklace for a certain individual. I really am blessed to have such a wide range of stuff to offer. The varitey does make me happy too. When I do the same type of item over and over everything gets mechanical. So this weekend was all about guitar straps... Sorry for all of the skulls. I need more ideas of what guitar playing guys will wear. It is so hard to find manly prints out there.
I also finished the first of the group of hippie style bags I plan to bring out to the shop in Carbondale. As always the zipper was a little fussy and the applique' placement is a little high, but whatever. It looks fine in the end. I really do like the size... I bet I could fit a book and a knitting project in there along with all of my purse stuff. I did list this one on etsy.
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=32921442
I plan to list more of this type as I make them. It will be kind of an experiment to see if any of them sell before I take them to the shop for consignment. I will figure out this etsy thing one of these days. Sure.

done deal

2009-10-05T17:59:00.000-07:00

Here I am at the end of our very brief craft show season. Amy and I are pleased with our decision to leave the high school indoor craft shows behind. From now on we are in the search of independent artists events. It is coming more and more apparent that we were involved with the wrong creative venues. We were involved with the ever growing Strange Folk festival in O'Fallon.
I was really busy all weekend, but did catch a few snaps of our booth...

Amy's stuff!!If I have an other couple of shows like this one, I could quit my day job. It was just brilliant! People spend money at this show. It just blows my mind!

In the middle of the week, Joe and I caught a show at the pageant. We saw Built to Spill which is the best band you have never heard of. We had a great night with some fender strat sounds and some redbull n rum. Happy girl right here. (Unfortunately, I didn't take this pic and I'm sure it wasn't even at St.Louis, but somebody somewhere got a really good shot!)
This past weekend Amy and I set up the booth again at the Lebanon Fall Festival. If I remember correctly, this year was the fourth time we have done this one together. Its a bummer but I didn't get any pics. Just imagine the above pictures only all squished down from lack of inventory. Even so, I made more sales this year than any other despite the really cold weather and my sudden lack of inventory. Score. My only question is what to do now that the season is over. I guess I'll start on the Christmas madness. People are bugging me already about custom orders for Christmas presents. Wish me luck!

curious

2009-09-20T13:56:00.000-07:00

Gypsy has encountered a creature she has never encountered before. Luckily for her (and me) this beetle type thing was outside the window and attached to the screen.

You can't tell from this angle, but later we discovered that there was actually two beetles stacked on top of one another. We couldn't tell if they were mating or eating each other. It really looked like they were just resting on each other.

Bagstorm part II

2009-09-08T11:38:00.000-07:00

Here are some more of my big inventory inflation project. The pressure is on because next week I won't have a chance to sew. Joe and I are going to Pigeon Forge to hike the smokey mountains, stay in a luxury cabin and um... do other things. He did say that I am allowed to bring my sewing machine along. It wouldn't be much of a vacation though. I'm probably going to knit all weekend, but I promise to do that leisurely. Here is what I came up with in the past couple of weeks.

I made up some more awesome appliqued zipper pouches.

Here is what I was rocking out to when I wrote this.

Here is who was watching me rock out when I wrote this.

FREAKOUT BAG STORM

2009-08-09T16:52:00.000-07:00

So I've got this festival coming up at the end of next month (http://www.strangefolkfestival.com) and my inventory is just shot all of a sudden. (thanks Anna!) I went a little crazy with the online fabric shopping and have been sweating it out in my upstairs studio. My air conditioning makes it up there, but its really weak. In the past week I have cranked out six bags... three of which were fired out just yesterday. I guess I'm getting faster or something. Here is everything that was sitting on the top of the pile of new wares. Please pay no attention to the wood paneling. I really need to come up with some kind of permanent photo set-up.

I also had a custom order a couple weeks ago... it was a recreation of the sacred heart applique' I did oh so long ago.

ZOMG huge post!!!

2009-07-05T12:14:00.000-07:00

So how long has it been?? Like, what over a month at least. Since I have been really preoccupied with this huge remodeling project happening in my kitchen, I have been really uninspired in every other part of my life. I promise the next post will show kitchen progress shots... I just have to take them first. My husband has been kicking ass in there. Today he is tearing out the baseboards behind the dishwasher and fridge so everything can sit closer to the wall. He found some loose plaster back there and he went on to fix that too. What a man!

So anyway I have a lot of stuff I make and actually take the time to photograph, but never makes it to the blog. I guess I'm too lazy to write about it. A lot of this stuff was made up around the time of the spring craft fair at Triad High School.

I made a big bad ton of these crocheted hats. I picked out some cool spring colors and went to town on them. I can get one done in about two hours. Kinda basic... kinda mod.
I also came up with this sweet hippy style sling bag based off of this one.
http://stephblue.blogspot.com/2008/04/sling-bag-tutorial.html

I did modify this one a little besides the corduroy patchwork. The base is squared off so you can stuff even more goodies in here. Check out the sweet little string hanging off the left corner. I totally missed that one.

Here is a pair of fingerless mitts I knit up from some of the yarn that I kool-aid dyed. So sweet and bright! I love em.

and once again that darn cat has made it into another pic on the blog. Here is Gypsy just before she dumped over that tin full of seed beads. Stinker.

dye fest continued

2009-05-22T07:07:00.001-07:00

Here is Gypsy... she is contemplating all of the animals outside. Why am I here? Why are they there?

Back to business.
Here is what became of all of that stuff I dyed on that Saturday morning oh so long ago...
Sock yarn.

The fourth ball of sock yarn turned into broomstick lace... maybe a scarf someday?
Lovely braids of merino roving.and then some awesome handspun.

I posted the last two on craftster.
http://www.craftster.org/forum/index.php?topic=305977.0

branching out as always

2009-05-06T20:27:00.001-07:00

I have been screwing around more and more with my bead stash. Here's a little necklace that has some keltic flavor. The leaf dangle drives me a little crazy, but it really did need something.

well loved and spoiled rotten

2009-04-07T10:46:00.000-07:00

I can't believe it!! Joe bought me a Blythe for my birthday. She actually has dark curly hair and everything. He hid the package so I would open it last. I tackled him when I opened it. It has probably been twenty years since I even wanted a doll for my birthday. What a great man to listen to my juvenile ramblings about how I want one of those super rare dolls that were made in the 70's and totally tanked because they are creepy looking, but they have these awesome eyes that change color when you pull a string on the back of their heads and would cost at least 90 bucks for a repro off of ebay because they are not sold in stores anymore. Gorgeous. I think I'll name her Scarlett. Here is a little awesome blythe history...
http://www.thisisblythe.com/blythe_history.php

Saturday morning dye fest

2009-04-07T10:11:00.000-07:00

I was off this past Saturday (a rare occasion) and I got out of bed before 9 (an even rarer occasion for a free Saturday). The whole dying process takes about four hours for me.... I know I know I must have OCD with all of the soaking and applying dye and mopping my mess over and over. Why do you put yourself through it all??? I have no answer. Here are a couple of pics of the process. I painted up some commercial yarn and some roving. I'll have finished photos when I go out and get some batteries.
Here is painted green to pink sock yarn with way to many cups. Every time I experimented with mixing a new color it just ended up looking like burgundy. I think about five of those cups are some shade of burgundy.
You gotta steam the stuff to hold the color. Big pot.

Triad Craft Fair

2009-03-11T18:18:00.000-07:00

Here are a couple of pics from the Triad High School craft fair. The turn out was kind of slim. I had kind of low expectations anyway since the weather was warm. Everybody out in their yards instead of indoors like I was all weekend. I don't have another event for a while but I am ready for break from this stuff. Here's the booth. I have a lot more inventory this year than last year. I'm really proud of what I came up with.
Here is a quick pic of last years booth. I have mostly the same items, but more to pick from this year.

The past week or so

2009-02-16T12:34:00.000-08:00

Here are some of the things I have been experimenting with lately. While the mister was out at one of his poker games or something, I got up the nerve to dye up some roving. I used this tutorial and it actually turned out the way they describe. http://gfwsheep.com/rov.inst/rov.inst.html

This stuff is merino. It wasn't hard to spin. I just came up with the awful realization that I really should have a bigger flier on my wheel so I can spin up more yardage of the bulkier yarns. The kit I'm going to need for that is around $150. Geez. For now I'm going to have to deal with the smaller sections. Here is what happened with my handspun roving. I'm still pretty happy with it.
Yep. Pretty awesome.

I still sew these days. I constructed some patchwork pouches for the upcoming spring craft fair at Triad.

I really have a thing for bright colors on black backgrounds. Yet again I have another shameless cute cat pic. Gypsy is getting a little slower now that she is less of a kitten. I love those eyes.

Kool-Aid is awesome

2009-01-31T20:32:00.000-08:00

I had my first adventure in yarn the yarn dyeing process. I did some experimenting with some Patons wool yarn and Kool-aid. From what I have read online, this is the cheapest and least easy method to screw up. I went from a skein of this...
Into the Kool-Aid bath. I used strawberry, grape, and tropical punch. This smelled so sickeningly sweet.

After about twenty minutes in the microwave, I let it dry for about 24 hours.
Here is the end result. I am working on a crochet skull cap with this stuff. If I have enough, I'll make a pair of mitts too.
Lovely.

it works

2009-01-10T13:46:00.000-08:00

It took me a couple of tries, but I spun some stuff that resembles yarn. This stuff is single ply made from hand dyed merino roving. I just bought two pounds of plain roving and an acid dye kit. I'm hoping that will keep me away from roving searches on etsy. You know me. I have to make everything myself.

spoiled rotten

2009-01-10T13:36:00.000-08:00

This Christmas has been amazing. I had no idea what the mister had up his sleeve. I got two biggins along with all of the little boxes I love to unwrap. I got to the bottom of the pile to find this one. Unassembled of course.

OMG. If that wasn't enough... he then proceed to lead me out to the shed behind the house. He had been hiding this little beauty.

Holy crap. I think he loves me.

added more to the etsy

2008-12-04T18:29:00.000-08:00

Once again I am overcome by that nagging feeling that Christmas is so close and my etsy shop is still bare. There are buyers out there who appreciate unique handmade things. I hope. My endeavors continue. The saddest part is that all of these items have been created over a month ago and I am just now getting them photographed and posted. Creative and lazy are traits that tend to cancel each other out. I did get some quality time with decent lighting on Tuesday.

I did have a little motivator to crack to whip.

christmas efforts

2008-11-25T14:12:00.000-08:00

I really have to get my etsy shop going. I think my biggest problem is my lack of new items. I also make a lot of things (like purses) that are common and get buried in the searches. Here is the first of my efforts to fill up my shop for Christmas. Guitar straps for those hard to shop for punkers in your life. That reminds me... I need to pick out some fabric for a special guitar strap for Mr. S.

chicago vaca

2008-11-17T19:51:00.000-08:00

We spent our anniversary in Chicago. Five years ago honeymooned there, but didn't see much because we were very young and broke. This time was much more organized and very fun. We spent a lot of time at the usual touristy hotspots like the Field museum and the aquarium. We shopped our brains out and we ate so much Chicago pizza. Love Chicago.

I finally got through my last show of the season.

2008-11-05T11:19:00.000-08:00

I have been making for about three weeks straight. No time for pics or posting. The Strange Folk Fest really busted my inventory.... so not complaining. Anyway the pressure has been on for the big O'Fallon High School craft fair. I went ahead and started making my items in fours. It is much easier to cut several of the same pattern instead of doing them one at a time. I know I know. They are not one of a kind anymore. In my defense, all of the prints are different. They are all still very special. I realize my booth looks rather cramped. The booths were small this time around. The rule is the more merch you have displayed, the more merch you can sell.

Zipper purses with shoulder straps...

Brocade drawstring bags...

little aprons

2008-10-15T17:45:00.000-07:00

Funky little aprons!

I really wish I had someone little to model these. They were a special request from Brittany for her nieces. I have much love for my bias tape foot. I really need to use it more.

Lebanon Fall Festival

2008-10-12T15:29:00.001-07:00

Here's the old booth at the Lebanon Festival. Strange Folk kind of cleaned me out, but I still did better here than the last two years. The next event is at the O'Fallon High School on November 1 and 2nd. When I finish that one, I don't know of any more this year. I'm sure Christmas crafting will keep me busy whether I'm making gifts for my family or commissioned work for people I know. I really wish I had the attention span to get those guitar straps on etsy. Maybe tomorrow... Columbus day is a bankers holiday.

ohhhh I love my Strange Folk

2008-10-03T18:49:00.000-07:00

I have never unloaded so much inventory in all of my life. The Strange Folk Festival was totally worth the loss of a weekend. The weather was amazing, the vendors were friendly, and the customers were spending money. I couldn't ask for anything more. Here are a couple of shots of my booth.

Fabric came today!

2008-09-10T19:17:00.000-07:00

A box of really freakin sweet fabric showed up at my door today! I already made a guitar strap out of my new shipment.
I finally got some pics of the tote I finished this weekend. I am still on this scrap busting kick. This kind of crazy patchwork takes a lot of time. I just might keep this one for my knitting stuff.

gearing up for the strange folk fest

2008-09-07T19:12:00.000-07:00

Here are a couple of sea themed wristlets I stitched in efforts to make more fun things for the Strange Folk festival. I figure you can't go wrong with a wristlet. They are so handy, great for gifting, and are typically a little cheaper than investing in a whole new bag.

I also made a major purchase at equilter.com last night. I have been drooling over their fabric for years. Last night I just did it. I sucked it up and paid for it. Here are a couple of pieces I am really excited about...

I'm hoping to make some awesome guitar straps out of these.

such a lazy blogger

2008-08-20T18:42:00.000-07:00

I'm averaging about one post a month these days. What a crappy deal. I do have some stuff keeping glued to the real world instead the internet one. I have a craft festival coming up at the end of next month. http://www.strangefolkfestival.com. I am beginning to cram for that one. My new fall product is going to be guitar straps. I'm waiting on the postman to bring me supplies for those.

I must have lost my mind, because I have changed my diet completely. I am now a (gulp) vegetarian. I have not had any meat (or anything else unhealthy) in the last four weeks. I was hoping to lose some weight along with this. I'm down about 8 pounds, but not as drastic as I had hoped for. I guess it is true that you have to exercise to lose weight. Today I made veggie pizza with whole wheat crust. I must be nuts. It was really pretty good.

Here is a big fat bunch of stuff I made (mostly finished up today).

I actually finished some stuff.

2008-07-29T13:54:00.000-07:00

Here are a couple I finished up today.
This one totally hates me. I wanted it to be sharper and boxier. I do have some ideas for next time though. The whole construction of the thing has to be different.

I didn't take any pics of the sides because that is what I hated the most. On the bright side, it does have this great wide opening up top.

The second one is more my style. It was a good baby and did not give any grief.

man this hurts.

2008-07-29T13:41:00.000-07:00

I just died a little today. I went into my local Wal-mart to do a little grocery shopping and pick up some odds and ends for one of the purses I am finishing up. I get back to the craft section and the empty hole there was indescribable. Where there had once been rows of glorious cheap fabric by the yard is now replaced by overflow school supplies and whatever else. I do admit I have been a little bit of a fabric snob lately. I also spent about two months away from Wal-mart, because everybody knows I hate the place (f Wal-mart). I really did like having the option if I was in the middle of a project and in a bind. I did hear rumors of this happening, but I was not prepared to deal with this. Once again Wal-mart sucks a big one and I will retreat to my online fabric shopping.

Stars are Bullets

2008-06-23T20:50:00.000-07:00

Oh I forgot to mention... another reason why I haven't posted in a while. My husband convinced me to start practicing with his band Stars are Bullets. I learned how to play bass guitar about seven years ago for another one of his bands called Blue Collar Crime (later to be known as Camino). Here is the myspace. http://www.myspace.com/starsarebullets Check us out if you are into indie, low fi, straight ahead rock, or me. I had my first show with them on the seventeenth of this month. It went just fine, but we were definitely lacking in audience. We are playing again at the Red Sea on Delmar in St. Louis this Friday (6/27/08).

Ugh I haven't posted anything in a while.

2008-06-23T20:32:00.000-07:00

Here is a bunch of the projects I have been working on. Projects making me too busy to post blog entries.These are for Brit at work. She digs all things palm trees. She also wanted me to make this teeny tiny zipper pouch for her mp3 player.

This one was also for her... what a girl. She wanted something for her mother who is a police officer (and gun lover). Brit saw one of these I made earlier and thought it would be perfect.
I made a tutorial with this guy. Paste this into your browser and take a look.
http://www.craftster.org/forum/index.php?topic=251643.msg2799354#msg2799354
It was practically painful to churn this one out, but I think a lot of people might actually try to make this one.
Here is a Chinese inspired messenger based off the tutorial I wrote for this one^^^

Alexander Henry designed the lining fabric. I have yet to see fabric cooler than his.

scraps and squares

2008-05-07T19:59:00.000-07:00

I went through a lot of my stuff this past week. I tend to hoard little bits and scraps in hopes of someday churning out beautiful quilts that remind me of all of the little projects I made from all of this fabric. Since I only have the patience for one - two day projects and I am the bag making fanatic, I came up with this messenger bag. I am going to try to sell it next weekend at the craft show in Highland. I do have secret plans for this one if no one has the same love for it. It just might be mine. I have been taking more and more process pics so I am going to bore you with the details.
Small bits...

made into bigger bits...
into bigger bits...
made into resting place for Scottie...
and then wrestled away to finish this bag.

on a roll

2008-05-01T20:42:00.000-07:00

I spent last weekend putting together another bag tutorial for craftster. I've learned so much from the folks on that board. Giving back makes me feel good and the forty some odd replies were quite the ego booster. Here's the link.

http://www.craftster.org/forum/index.php?topic=243097.msg2683204#msg2683204

Here are a few of the key pics.

Dinah even got some face time in this one.

I couldn't pose her like this if I wanted to. This was all her.

Sling bag tutorial

2008-04-20T15:37:00.000-07:00

This is for all of the awesome Craftsters. Its my first tute and I went a little nuts with the pictures. I love making these bags, because I don’t have to use much interfacing. They are supposed to be big and floppy. I do like a little structure so I use some heavier fabric for either the main fabric or the lining. In this case, I’m using a mod print quilting weight cotton for the main (outside) fabric and a striped canvas for the lining.

1. First you cut like crazy.

Cut a long strip of each the main fabric and lining for the strap. 6x38 inches

Cut 2 large squares out of both the main fabric and the lining for the body of the bag. 18x18 inches

Cut a rectangle of the lining for an interior pocket. 8x16 inches

Fuse interfacing to the pocket piece!

Here is everything.

2. Here is where it gets interesting…

We are going to shape our bag. Take all four of your big squares and stack them up. (Outside fabric with wrong sides together and then lining fabric with outsides together.)

Fold the whole thing in half.
Measure 3 inches in from the fold and make a mark.
Measure 12 inches up from the bottom right corner and make a mark.
Connect the dots! Draw a curve from one mark to the other.

Now cut that curve out.

Open the whole thing and you should have four pieces that look like this.

We are going to do the same thing to the strap by giving it some shape.
Put your two strap pieces wrong sides together.
Fold in half lengthwise AND THEN widthwise.

Measure in 1.5 inches from the center fold and make a mark.

Draw a line from that point to the bottom corner. Cut that piece out.

Open the whole thing up and you have two gigantic bowtie pieces.

3. You mean we get to sew now?!!

Put the straps right sides together and sew the outside lengths together. Leave the top and bottom open. Then you turn the darn thing inside out and I hate this part!

Press flat and topstitch close to the edge along the sides.

Put the strap off to the side and grab the pocket piece and one of the big lining pieces.
Fold the pocket piece in half with right sides together.

Sew around the pocket, but leave about 2 or 3 inches for turning.

Turn it inside out pop out the corners and press it flat.
Get the lining piece away from the cat.

Center the pocket on the lining piece; pin it down and stitch around the sides… you will catch the turning opening when you stitch it down.

4. Now we’re getting somewhere.

Put the main body fabric right sides together and stitch along the sides.
Do the same with the lining.

Flip the lining right side out with the seams now in the middle.
Keep the main fabric inside out with the seams now in the middle.
Put the lining inside of the main fabric and pin around one of the curves.
Sew around that curve.
Do the same thing on the other side.
You will leave two openings for the straps.

Straps!

Feed the ends of the straps up through the bottom of the bag and up through the holes we left. Make sure not to twist it and that the lining of the strap matches the lining of the bag. Pin them in and stitch them down really well.

Finishing.

Turn the whole thing inside out and match the center seams together. Pin and sew the bottoms closed, but make sure to leave an opening in the lining for turning.

Turn it right side out… we’re almost there!

Sew the lining closed either by machine or by hand if you want it to be completely reversible. ( I always put my tag in this seam.)

Flip the lining inside of the bag.
Pin and topstitch around the curves.

Here's the finished deal!
Inside out!
Please let me know if I don't make sense on something. That was hard work. Time for chocolate.

Highland craft fair 5/17/08

2008-04-19T20:33:00.000-07:00

This is my favorite part of the game. For the next month I get to sew and make things like crazy to get ready for the next craft show. Here's my contribution for this week.

I made a couple of bags that are totally unrelated to each other

2008-04-09T19:47:00.000-07:00

I really need to make more floppy sling bags in spring colors. I have seen quite a few different styles of these and I had a very specific shape in mind. I made this one on my day off. It wasn't what I had in mind exactly, but it is a good start. I got to use up this vintage fabric I bought off of ebay. The next one will be deeper with the straps getting a lot wider where it joins to the top of the bag.

I also went a little nuts with the online fabric shopping. I found a place called Cia's Palette. Cia doesn't charge shipping on orders over fifty bucks. My order was fifty four dollars. Everything came wrapped up like this...

How stinkin cute is this! Here is most of it in an action shot with Scottie...

I made this boxy zipper bag with some of the awesome Alexander Henry fabric. I'm going slow and sparingly with this batch of fabric. I've never bought such fancy stuff.

new head #2

2008-03-29T20:47:00.000-07:00

This time she's realistic and scary. Don't worry. I really don't have a problem with having a disembodied head in my closet. She's gorgeous. I even have a way to take photos of my headbands that went over so well at the last show. See, this is how you wear one of these.

Here is the only other way I could take pictures of them. It makes you wonder... what are they? Then I say "headbands duh". Then you walk away from my table and think I'm a jerk. I can't lose sales for being a jerk. I know better.

my new fav

2008-03-12T19:46:00.000-07:00

I made one just like this one a few posts ago, but I have decided that it was a decent enough shape to replicate. I really love how much I can fit into this little thing. It sits really close to the body so I don't get all paranoid that someone is going to steal it from me. This one is also special because it is my first finished thingie since the craft fair. I took a week and a half break from my sewing machine. We each needed some alone time.

I think I'll keep doing craft fairs because of the feeling I get when they are over.

2008-03-02T19:23:00.000-08:00

Ahhh. I'm finally post craft fair. This has been the smoothest event so far. I had no major catastrophes. Finding my spot and setup was easy. We had plenty of room. My stuff looked great. I got some awesome compliments and actually made some bucks. I guess you could say it was on the slow side, but I have no frame of reference for this one. I'm just glad to get the stuff out in public. I'm not one for talking up my wears when I'm just out and about. I absolutely hate the sales part of this beast of a hobby. I just really like to make stuff at home. I'll suck it up if it means someday not having to get up and drive to the bank every morning. So anyway this time I actually have pics of my booth!

stained glass

2008-02-20T19:51:00.001-08:00

In keeping with the brightly colored theme, I give you this bag. Joe said it reminds him of stained glass. I said it reminded me of clowns on stilts. I think I liked his idea better. This one is really growing on me. I have another craft show on March 1st and 2nd. I really think this one has a chance.

brightly colored things

2008-01-30T19:57:00.000-08:00

I am usually a fan of winter. I prefer the colder weather. I love snow. I am an indoor person. Lately, I am just ready for change. I'm sick of everything. So in honor of everything spring and bright colors and whatnot, I have constructed a few things. Here we have a pair of awesomely loud fingerless mitts. They belong to Kasy. She had a birthday that I missed and therefore she gets cool mitts.

spring can come now please and thank you

2008-01-30T19:39:00.000-08:00

Say hello to little blue chickie. I hope to make up a few sisters in different colors to keep her company. They will sit in a nest together and be nice. No fighting.

I me mine

2008-01-21T11:44:00.000-08:00

Here is a great rule... for every three things I make for other people, I should make one thing for myself. I tend to not follow this one. I get really wrapped up in whatever event is coming up. Christmas for instance, burned me out really bad. I got back in the swing by indulging in making what I wanted for myself. Here is a new bag and a pair of really sweet fingerless mitts. Get this- I free handed the green leaf embroidery. Me so proud.

2008-01-01T12:51:00.000-08:00

safe to post

2008-01-01T12:43:00.000-08:00

Now that Christmas is finally over, I can post this bag I made for my sister-in-law. I don't think she reads my blog. You can never be too sure. Here is simple shoulder bag with a Chinese brocade inlay. She loves it. I'm relieved.

Christmas makes crafters crazy

2007-12-15T20:22:00.000-08:00

(scarf for Jan at church)

(shawls for a friend's niece)

(Custom mittens for a craft fair customer)

After about of month of planning and making, I think I am down to one more Christmas present/project. I'm sure something else will pop up, but for the first time all month I feel confident about my whole part in this season. Here are few things I made for other people to give to their other people as Christmas gifts.

gimme yur beads!

2007-12-15T20:19:00.000-08:00

poor scottie

2007-11-16T20:50:00.000-08:00

Here's a tribute to my poor middle child cat. Scottie gets picked on by the Dinah (the oldest) and the Gypsy (the little twerp). She is bigger than both of them and she could take either of them. She is just too sweet to hurt anyone.

applique clutches

2007-11-16T12:39:00.000-08:00

I made these at the last minute before the craft fair. None of them sold, but I still like em. I continued on with the same feel as the square pouches I made earlier. I think these are a more practical shape. Yup. I dig the embellishment on the frog pouch. I don't usually go crazy with the beads and sequins. That's probably part of my problem.

super warm winter set

2007-11-16T12:29:00.000-08:00

Here is a custom order left over from the O'fallon craft fair. I made each piece with a combination of three strands of yarn. I used a pillowy black yarn, a red worsted weight, and a ribbon type yarn. Everything turned out so dense. It will be great out in the snow.

11.15.03

2007-11-16T12:24:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, four years ago, Joe and I got married. Honeymoon over? Nah.

some good news.

2007-11-04T20:18:00.000-08:00

The O'Fallon craft fair was insane. I had no idea it was so BIG. Someone bought the shawl I have posted above. People were actually going for the higher priced items and matching sets. I kicked butt with my mittens. I really wish I had more of those made up in advance. People really dug my knit and crocheted stuff. Not a single one of my purses sold and bums me out for a split second until I think about how well I did over all. This event really helped in my decision to keep up the making and selling of my stuff. This was the best one so far and it is only the beginning. The vendors around our booth were absolutely wonderful. They were all so encouraging. I'm one happy kid.

seriously up to something

2007-11-04T20:12:00.000-08:00

This stinker likes to attack my feet when I'm working at my sewing machine. She's cute but little teeth feel like needles. On the bright side, she is starting to get along with the other two. She just looks so devious in this pic.

O'fallon craft fair this weekend

2007-10-29T19:43:00.000-07:00

Much to post today. I have been putting together hat/scarf sets for the craft fair. I just really really hope people are more in a buying mood for this event. We are in the Christmas shopping season so I am hopeful.

katie bag

2007-10-16T18:05:00.001-07:00

Here's something I have been putting off for a few weeks. One of the girls at work wanted me to make a bag for her four year old to use at trick or treat. I was afraid it was going to look too cluttered, because she wanted her name, a pumpkin, and a ghost all on one bag. The ghost is sneaking around the back. I'm pretty pleased.

meet Gypsy!

2007-10-16T17:54:00.000-07:00

So I brought home another cat. So sue me! Julie at the bank where I work told us about a couple of cats that were dumped off at her father in law's farm. He told her to find homes for the cats or he was going to shoot them. Come on.. I had to help out. Then they tried to make me feel guilty for not taking both of them. Geez. This one makes three cats in my house. We have reached full cat capacity. I spent all day trying to get rid of all of the fleas on this one. She's cute though. What can I say?

bummed

2007-10-16T17:44:00.000-07:00

Lebanon Craft fair was a bust. We got there a little late and that set the tone for the whole day. By the time I got set up, I was covered in sweat. The weather was freakishly hot and most of my merch was scarves and hats. None of my purses sold. I think I sold to four people all day. I shouldn't feel too bad because all of the other vendors we talked to said it was the worst year for sales ever. I didn't even bother taking a picture of the booth. Amy and I are hopeful for the O'fallon show... it's indoors and pretty close to Christmas.

purse crazy

2007-09-26T19:58:00.000-07:00

Right now I have seven appliqued purses to bring to Lebanon. I have a week and a half... maybe I make one more. I'm thinking cherry blossoms. Joe's dad is building me a coat rack type stand to display them. I can't wait to post a picture of my booth.

new head day!

2007-09-26T19:51:00.000-07:00

I finished a red scarf to go with the hat I posted earlier. They are modeled by the lovely new styrofoam head I ordered off of eBay. I'm not completely convinced that this head is going to go along with me to the craft fair. A good gust of wind would send this thing flying. I'm still considering one of those creepy cosmetology practice heads for displaying hats and scarves.

crazy craft binge

2007-09-18T19:26:00.001-07:00

Today was my day off. I still feel a little stressed. I spent the entire day making stuff. October is coming fast and I also applied for another huge craft fair the first week of November. I'm in over my head and am trying to dig my way out. I liked the way my royal blue clutch turned out and made four more. I also made another hat on my knifty knitter. Start to finish. Then I was planning on making some beaded brooches. I did finish one, but my seed bead supply is dwindling. I put in an order for more. The rest of the night, I spent on the couch with some sock knitting. I think I burned myself out. That's why I'm blogging right now. This weekend Joe said I'm OCD. I think he might be right.

a couple of applique pieces

2007-09-18T19:15:00.000-07:00

I'm trying to stick to nature type themes with my applique bags. I'm afraid the purple one might be a little to springy for the fall craft fair. Whatever. I still dig the bamboo handles. I was surprised at how easy they were to install. I call the red/blue one sunset. I got to the end of it and realised that I didn't add a closure to the flap... the button was an afterthought.

lebanon craft fair october 6th!

2007-09-07T18:16:00.000-07:00

I get the chance to sell my stuff next month! I have so much work ahead of me. Here are the first couple of pieces I have made specifically for the show. Much more to come. I'm hoping to come up with something new every day. Wish me luck.

Labor day weekend

2007-09-03T18:38:00.000-07:00

I tied up a bunch of loose ends this weekend. I'm tired now.

mermaid bag II

2007-08-18T18:18:00.000-07:00

This little lady was an all day event. I have been putting this off for so long. I should have started her right after I made the other red haired mermaid. It took a long time to find the inspiration. I'm pleased with the applique, but the bag itself is kind of blahh. I hope Anna likes it.

shawlsters

2007-08-15T19:42:00.000-07:00

I've made it a personal goal to start unloading some of my yarn stash. I started loading up on the yarn back in March when I began to make stuff for Beverly at the Bronx Zoo. My yarn stash has multiplied so much that it now surpasses my fabric stash. I am a total sucker for the two dollar clearance bin at Michaels. The saddest part is that I actually had to go out and buy more green yarn to finish this shawl. Oh well. Maybe someone will buy it and it will be all worth while. This one is incredibly soft. I made it on one of those crazy knifty knitter thingies. It is a bit clumsy to use. Since it's not very portable, I think I'll just use it for couch projects.

more tattoo pouches

2007-08-15T19:34:00.000-07:00

If you haven't figured it out already, I am a huge fan of happy zippy pouches. I love to make stuff that holds other stuff. Here are some of the finished tattoo inspired pouches like the ones I mentioned earlier. I have a stack of six more just begging to be finished. Maybe this weekend. Who knows.

reconstructed camo

2007-08-13T19:07:00.000-07:00

Here is a great example of why I never throw anything away. The body of this bag is made from a pair of camouflage pants. The pants had one of those unrepairable rips up the rear. I salvaged one of the pockets for the front. The back is just plain. I lined it with a scrap of this great dot fabric. I get a little shock every time I open it. I love that.

Kasy's bag

2007-07-29T19:57:00.000-07:00

Here is a bag that I didn't make. My fourteen year old niece spent the night last night. She picked the fabric out of my stash, did some cutting, and sewed the entire thing. All I can really take credit for is the instruction. I think it looks fab. I just might make one for myself.

bunches of pouches

2007-07-25T19:02:00.000-07:00

I am so fond of these Chinese brocade zipper pouches. They are tiny and pretty (prettier in person). They measure about 4 inches by 5 inches. I have them for sale (and a few other pieces) at a shop in Belleville called the Bronx Zoo.

curious dinah

2007-07-17T19:02:00.000-07:00

Dinah likes to watch me work...

one half crochet sweater

2007-07-17T18:39:00.000-07:00

I just started the front on my new experimental sweater. I love a good day off during the week. I was able to spend a solid two hours on this thing today. It is loosely based on the Knot Ugly Shrug in the Happy Hooker (Debbie Stroller) book. I need a decent layering top for summer/ fall. I am not a big fan of the cropped sweatery bolero thingies that are so popular right now. I'm just making mine bigger and really long. I might use buttons down the front instead of the tie front. I finished one of the sleeves. I'm probably a little more than half finished with the whole thing. I'll keep you posted.

tattoo themed stuff

2007-07-15T18:47:00.000-07:00

I have this fascination with flash tattoos. I only have one tattoo and it isn't flash, but something about the familiar edginess. Then again, there is something incredibly cheesy about them too... you know the heart with the banner that says mother on it. Three years ago, while sitting in the tattoo parlor chair, I was reminded of the process I go through for an applique piece. I pick out the best colors for the project and then follow an outline with the needle piercing up and down. I have about ten different tattooish designs on these little black squares. One day soon they will be a stack of edgy zippered pouches. I will probably use these to start that etsy shop I have been talking about for year.

poor car

2007-07-15T18:35:00.000-07:00

I haven't been very crafty for the last couple of days. Some drunk guy slammed into my car at 1:00 am Thursday morning. It was a hit and run, but the cops caught the guy the next day. He has no insurance of course. The poor thing is totalled. Joe and I have been shopping for a new vehicle since then. We have one picked out and we are hopefully picking it up tomorrow. I was really close to having the car paid off and now we have to start all over. I can't wait until we have everything squared away and I can get back "normal life" whatever that is.

under the sea

2007-07-11T19:21:00.000-07:00

I came up with this bag for Anna. This is the first in a set of two mermaid bags. I asked Joe (DH) to come up with a drawing to start with. Unfortunately this one looks nothing like what he drew. First of all his was topless. (I would post his pic, but you know.) His also had much more detail than I could manage with fabric and thread. Yet again another happy messenger bag. This one closes with dee rings and nylon webbing (like a belt). I have it lined in the same green swirly fabric striping the front. Peace.

Marble necklace

2007-07-10T19:35:00.000-07:00

A while ago I bought these flat backed marble thingies. They are like the little flat glass marbles you put in the bottom of vases for flower arrangements. I thought they would make awesome pendants. It just took me six months to figure out how to actually hang them. I wanted to be able to drill a hole at the top, but the wire wrap was simpler and safer. I'm sure I'll make more of these.

2007-07-09T12:35:00.000-07:00

Hi. This is my first attempt at a starting a blog. I'm using this primarily as a show and tell of the stuff I make. I am quite the craft geek. I blame my husband for sparking my obsession. We were out shopping one day and I spotted this camouflage book cover. I showed it to him hoping he would jump in and buy it for me. "But Steph. You can MAKE that." Make that. I did make that. Book covers and then messenger bags. Purses, patchwork, beading, crochet, knitting, I know there is more not coming to mind at the moment. I hoard the stuff too. I have fabric, beads and yarn stashed everywhere in my house.

So here is my first post... I hope that I can grow in skill and have more to show you soon. I have been messing around with machine applique for a couple of years. Here is my sacred heart. It's my first attempt at piping around the edges. I am quite proud.