Archives for category: A Full Cup Design

Due to all the snow days, school just ended a week and a half ago. I like to make teacher gifts at the end of the school year. This year, I decided to use a new pattern to make something I hadn’t made before. I picked up the book “Zakka Style” last summer, but hadn’t yet made anything from it.

Zakka Style Book

Zakka Style Book

My oldest son just completed fifth grade and is moving up to middle school next year. As part of the fifth grade celebration, all of the fifth graders and their teachers received water bottles. I decided to make water bottle holders from the book.

Zakka Style Water Bottle Holder

Zakka Style Water Bottle Holder

The boys helped me pick out the fabric: natural linen, natural cotton, chili pepper and blue paisley accent cotton.

Fabric Cut and Pressed

Fabric Cut and Pressed

Zakka style involves a bit of hand embroidery. I used a running stitch around the body of the holder and around the cotton accent rectangles.

Hand embroidered running stitch

Hand embroidered running stitch

I used a fancy machine stitch to accent the straps in the interest of time. The water bottle holders have two straps: long linen and short cotton accent. The straps can be combined to make one long strap, or just the short strap can be used.

Combined long straps

Combined long straps

Short straps

Short straps

The blue accented holder has nice shell buttons which are used to attach the straps.

Blue accented holder with short strap

Blue accented holder with short strap

Blue accented holder with long strap

Blue accented holder with long strap

For the red chili pepper accented holder, I used a metal button.

Red accented holder with short strap

Red accented holder with short strap

Red accented holder with long strap

Red accented holder with long strap

I thought both holders turned out very nice, and more importantly, the teachers loved them!

We had a hard winter here in Massachusetts. Over 100 inches of snow that never seemed to melt plus bitter cold days. The kids racked up more than a week of snow days! Between the snow days, ice dams, shoveling, and shivering, I didn’t get much sewing done. I did manage to make some scarves and hipster cross-body bags.

Now, Spring is here, and I have lots of projects in the works. I have seven messenger bags cut out and ready for sewing!

 

Nuno Felted Scarves

  

Cross-body hipsters

Once again, I am excited to be a part of the Weston Arts and Crafts Association’s Holiday Show. That’s one of my scarves featured on the postcard! I am busily making more items to add to my show inventory.

The show is in downtown Weston at the Historic Josiah Smith Tavern Barn.

Preview Party: Thursday, December 11, 7pm – 9pm

Show Hours:
Friday, December 12, 10am – 6pm
Saturday, December 13, 10am – 6pm
Sunday, December 14, 12pm – 5pm

WACA front

I am gearing up for the holiday season, and there is so much I have planned. I just finished these wallets and am working on snack bag sets.

Zip wallets with Card Pockets

Zip wallets with Card Pockets

Over the summer, I made a picnic roll for a friend’s wedding. There are four sets of bamboo utensils and four cloth napkins. I am thinking of incorporating the picnic rolls into my line for the summer. I modified the pattern from a silverware jellyroll!

Napkins

Napkins

Napkins and Utensils

Napkins and Utensils

Close Up

Close Up

Rolled Up

Rolled Up

My friend Kendra asked me to make a custom cape for her beautiful daughter Ainsley’s First Communion. The cape is raw (dupioni) silk with silk hand embroidery. I modified a vintage pattern and also modified some floral embroidery patterns I found on-line. I embroidered a combination of swirls, daisies, and leaves along the edges of the collar and body of the cape.

So honored to have made this cape for Ainsley. She is such a wonderful girl as is her mom!

My Nuno felted scarf won third prize at the Weston Arts and Crafts Association (WACA) 2014 Spring Awards Show. The “crafts” category included scarves, clothing, accessories both knitted and sewn, pottery, fused glass, turned wood, and jewelry. I am very pleased to have won; bonus, scarf sold!

I have so many items planned for the holiday show in which I will be participating this year. This week, I am making six wristlet/clutches. Wallets, messenger bags, and lunch bags are also on the list. The show is at the Josiah Smith Barn and Tavern and is sponsored by the Weston (MA) Arts and Crafts Association. It is the only holiday show I do, and it was excellent last year. Hoping for another great season!New-WACA-Postcard-2013-1

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Earth tones and red scarves

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Black and grey scarves

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Made after seeing leafy seadragons at the aquarium

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Lots of purple and pink shades

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Two white scarves, two bright pink

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Blues and greens

This is a sneak peek at what I have been working on this summer. These nuno felted scarves will be for sale in the fall.