Jenny Bartoy ~ Handmade Designs

Pretty Lanterns

noreply@blogger.com (Jenny Bartoy) — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 00:43:00 +0000

When making custom table runners for my friend Deia before Christmas, I cut some extra fabric to make one for my shop. I love this painterly lantern design by Laura Gunn, and how well it pairs with natural linen. The color combo is so striking and beautiful.

I'm really happy with how it turned out and it's listed in the shop now (here). Here are a few photos. The lanterns face in both directions so that you can put the runner facing any which way on your table or counter!

Patchwork Zipper Pouches

noreply@blogger.com (Jenny Bartoy) — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 19:38:00 +0000

I posted a few new things to the shop late last week including some little zipper pouches featuring some patchwork with natural linen and wonky quilted lines. These pouches measure approximately 4 x 6 inches, are fully lined with a contrasting fabric print and a layer of batting for softness, and close with a sturdy zipper.

Here they are in more detail below. Click the link or photos to find the listing on Etsy, and as always, please let me know if you see anything you'd like customized. I love to create custom orders!

Patchwork Zipper Pouch in Green Botanical

Patchwork Zipper Pouch in Aqua

Patchwork Zipper Pouch in Purple Dots

Patchwork Zipper Pouch in Teal

Valentine Birdies

noreply@blogger.com (Jenny Bartoy) — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 04:42:00 +0000

I recently completed 3 pieces of burlap art with a theme of love and Valentine's Day. I am usually not inspired by this holiday at all, but decided to embrace it this year and ended up having a lot of fun!

These pieces are on a smaller scale than my usual burlap art, ranging in size from 5 x 7 inches to 8 x 10 inches. They are all flat pieces, backed with fabric instead of being stretched onto a wooden frame, which means they are frameable with a standard size mat.

There is still time to get a gift for your sweetie for Valentine's Day! Here they are.

2 Valentine Birdies (listed here)

Love Birds (listed here)

Modern Love Bird (sold)

Kindle Fire Covers

noreply@blogger.com (Jenny Bartoy) — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 00:49:00 +0000

Since Kindle Fires were all the rage this past Christmas, I decided to make a few covers for the shop. I tweaked the pattern I used for my first batch of e-reader covers and improved the structure. I also changed the loop and button closure to a linen and velcro strap. There is a double line of stitching on the linen spine and on the strap.

I love how these came out!

These covers are listed in the shop:

Chevron and Linen Cover for Kindle Fire

Plum and Linen Cover for Kindle Fire

Mustard and Linen Cover for Kindle Fire

I am taking a break from making covers for now. There are several listed in the shop. If you'd like to order a custom cover from me, please do let me know. I will be fulfilling orders in March.

More e-Reader Covers

noreply@blogger.com (Jenny Bartoy) — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 00:35:00 +0000

Since listing some e-reader covers in the shop, I've received several orders for custom covers. Here are 4 that I finished this past weekend.

For Rachel, an all-linen cover with a ceramic teal button (one of her favorite colors):

For Miahela, a cover featuring several prints from the gorgeous Heirloom fabric collection by Joel Dewberry:

For Jantina and Jessi, covers just like the one in my shop but in different sizes to fit their specific e-readers:

I shipped these off on Tuesday, right before the crazy winter storm of 2012 (Snowmageddon!) was due to hit. Good thing I did, because we haven't gone anywhere since. About 6 inches of snow on the ground in our neighborhood and it keeps on coming down!

I tweaked the pattern a bit and made new -- better and improved! -- Kindle covers for the shop. I'll post about those in a little bit.

A Cute Sheep for Valentina

noreply@blogger.com (Jenny Bartoy) — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 00:13:00 +0000

Christine, the friend for whom I made the owl-themed Kindle cover and a great writer, asked me to create a piece of custom nursery art for her soon-to-be-born niece. The crib bedding had been purchased from Pottery Barn and featured cute little sheep. Christine wanted artwork that would tie in to the bedding design but stand on its own, ideally with muted colors.

Images from PotteryBarnKids.com
Here are the sketch and fabrics I sent her for review, which she approved.

But before I could make any headway on this artwork, little Valentina made her arrival!! 6 weeks early if I remember correctly, though I do believe everything was fine and healthy. Needless to say I suddenly felt the pressure to get a move on! Fortunately, Christine is a super flexible customer and told me to just relax and get it done when I could.

I just finished it last weekend and send it off on Monday. The postal service tells me it's been delivered, so I'll go ahead and show you the finished artwork. I love it and think it turned out super cute!

A few details: this artwork is made with various cotton fabrics appliqued onto a natural linen background. A little wool felt embellishes the sheep. Straight stitches frame the whole thing as well as decorate the tree and the sheep. The artwork is stretched onto a wooden frame and measures 10 x 10 inches.

I am available to create custom fabric art. The whole process is such fun! If you've got something in mind, just shoot me an email. I'd love to hear from you.

Anniversary Art for Alli

noreply@blogger.com (Jenny Bartoy) — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 23:32:00 +0000

A wonderful and loyal customer named Allison (she was the first person to make a purchase from my Etsy shop!) contacted me about a month ago to make a piece of burlap art for her parents' anniversary. Her parents were going to celebrate 40 years together, could I create some artwork with birdies on a branch symbolizing their love?

After a little bit of discussion regarding colors, style and details, I sent her a sketch and some fabric photos. I then moved forward with the project. Here are my original sketch and a few progress photos.

And here is the final artwork (unfortunately photographed at night by the light of my craft lamp!). The "40" embroidered in the leaf below the birds represents the 40 years together. The "J + J" embroidered on the tree are their initials, as if they were carved on the trunk.

Alli said her parents loved it. I'm so glad!!

Wonky Stripe Table Runners

noreply@blogger.com (Jenny Bartoy) — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 04:25:00 +0000

Seeing the great feedback I received on my Christmas Table Runners, I decided to make more with regular, non-Christmasy fabrics.

Here are a couple of Wonky Stripe Table Runners I made using a combination of natural linen and the beautiful Echo collection by Lotta Jansdotter. I can't get enough of this fabric, it's inspired so many projects for me!

This Navy runner went to Gina, the winner of my giveaway.

This Aqua runner is for sale in my shop here.

A lovely lady named Deia, who's an old buddy of my husband's and a long-time reader of my craft blog Stumbles & Stitches, contacted me to make 3 custom runners using the same design. I had so much fun working with her and getting to know her through the process. Here are the 3 runners she gave as gifts for Christmas.

I love how each of these came out with such a distinct personality based on the fabrics and colors used!

I am happy to create custom table runners for you. Please email me to discuss!

E-Reader Covers

noreply@blogger.com (Jenny Bartoy) — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 18:00:00 +0000

A few weeks before Christmas, my friend Christine asked me to create a custom e-reader cover for her daughter's new Kindle, a present from Santa. Her 10-year-old is a fan of owls, so she requested owl fabric.

I found this super cute Alexander Henry print in my friend Keli's shop, Drygoods Design Online. I paired it with a natural linen and a simple Anna Griffin print featuring blue flowers on green. I found a great pattern by Birdiful Stitches, which I altered a bit to customize the cover.

This was such a fun project that I decided to make a couple for my shop, using some grey and pink Echo fabric. I LOVE the way they turned out.

I have since received two custom orders for that grey e-reader cover in specific sizes. I will soon put a listing for custom e-reader covers in my shop. So if you are in need of a cover for your Kindle or Nook, either in this fabric or a different style, go check my shop or send me an email!

Happy New Year!

noreply@blogger.com (Jenny Bartoy) — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 17:43:00 +0000

I'm back from the holiday break! Happy New Year to you all. Welcome to the new friends and followers who discovered this website via the awesome Sew Mama Sew! giveaway day too!

The shop is open. I haven't listed any new stuff yet and probably won't for a couple of weeks, as I'm currently on deadline for a few custom projects. However, there are plenty of items in stock and ready to ship: fabric art, pouches, coasters, table runners and more.

To celebrate 2012, I'm offering 15% off your purchase with the code HAPPY2012. Simply enter it at checkout. This offer is valid until January 15.

Giveaway: Wonky Stripe Table Runner

noreply@blogger.com (Jenny Bartoy) — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 14:00:00 +0000

It's giveaway day on Sew Mama Sew and I am participating with my first giveaway: a Wonky Stripe table runner!

The winner of this giveaway will get to choose between one of my popular Christmas table runners (see example in photo above) or a custom Wonky Stripe runner featuring fabric of their choice (see example in photo below). My Christmas table runners feature bold red and green prints on white (100% cotton) juxtaposed with a highly textured natural linen. If you select the custom option, you can choose up to 3 fabrics ($10/yard maximum) that I will alternate with natural linen for my Wonky Stripe table runner design.

This is a value of $40. Table runners measure approximately 15 x 34 inches. Christmas table runner will ship by December 20, 2011. Custom runner will be created and shipped by January 15, 2012. Giveaway is open internationally. Prize will be shipped via USPS Priority Mail.

How to enter: For a chance to win a Wonky Stripe table runner, simply leave me a comment. If you'd like, check out my Etsy shop and tell me what strikes your fancy or what you'd like to see listed in the future. One entry per person, please.

Please make sure and leave an email address so I can contact you if you win. I will keep comments open until Friday, December 16 at 5 p.m. PST. I will choose a random winner, will announce the name here, and will email this lucky person. (Void where prohibited.)

This giveaway is now closed. Thank you to everyone who participated! The lucky winner is Gina of Lulu Cutie. Congratulations, Gina! Check your email. ;)

If you've just discovered my website via giveaway day, WELCOME! I'm so pleased you've paid me a visit. I hope you like what you see. I try to update this space regularly with latest projects and items to be listed on Etsy. Become a subscriber if you'd like. You can also find me on Facebook and Pinterest.

Big kudos to Sew Mama Sew for organizing giveaway day! Make sure and go check out all the lovely people giving away supplies and handmade goodness all over the blogosphere. (Psst, we're having a giveaway by sponsor Fat Quarter Shop on Stumbles & Stitches.)

Thank you so much for visiting and entering my giveaway! And if you just can't wait to have your own Wonky Stripe Table Runner, I should have 4 listed in my Etsy shop within a day or two, so please check back!

Stocking Ornaments

noreply@blogger.com (Jenny Bartoy) — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 00:36:00 +0000

I just listed a whole bunch of Scrappy Stocking Ornaments in the shop! I created this design along with a tutorial for Stumbles & Stitches, and decided to make more to sell.

These little stockings are for sale in pairs, according to their color. One patchwork stocking is matched with a coordinating fabric and linen stocking or a fabric and felt stocking. Here they are.

Red:

Green:

Aqua:

Yellow:

More green:

They're so colorful and cheerful, I think they'll brighten up the Christmas tree!

A Custom Holiday Order

noreply@blogger.com (Jenny Bartoy) — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 20:13:00 +0000

A lovely new customer named Christina contacted me in early November to create a set of 4 custom burlap art pieces for her family members. They exchange unique holiday-themed items at Thanksgiving and she wanted to wow them with some original artwork.

We discussed her ideas, I sent her some sketches and we settled on snowflakes and stockings.

As my vision progressed, I sent her more fabric options and some progress updates.

And here are the final four pieces of burlap art. They each involve cotton applique, felt details and beading.

Christina was very happy with the photos of the final projects I sent her. She sent me a super sweet email. Here's an excerpt: "They turned out awesome. I can't believe that you got them done so quickly. I am impressed. My family is going to be blown away." Whew! I was so relieved that she liked them!!

And here they were all ready to be shipped!

I loved creating this custom order. It was such fun and Christina was wonderful to work with. Please let me know if you ever have an idea for a custom project, I'd love to work on some sketches for you and hopefully create something unique that you will love.

Coasters!

noreply@blogger.com (Jenny Bartoy) — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 20:05:00 +0000

I listed three sets of coasters in the shop last week. I had been wanting to play with half-square triangles for a while and used that design for the basis of these coasters. They feature a combination of textured natural linen and a modern botanical cotton print by Lotta Jansdotter. They are available in three colors: mustard, chocolate brown and light grey.

A Few Dates

noreply@blogger.com (Jenny Bartoy) — Sun, 20 Nov 2011 17:10:00 +0000

As the holidays approach, I thought I would share a few important dates:

I will be accepting custom order requests until November 23. If you have a special project in mind, hurry and contact me to discuss at jennybartoy AT gmail DOT com.

My Etsy shop will be closed December 19 through January 2. The last day I will be shipping items is Tuesday, December 20. If you see something you like in the shop, go ahead and snap it up soon.

Thank you so much for your support. Shop handmade for the holidays!

Christmas Table Runners

noreply@blogger.com (Jenny Bartoy) — Sun, 20 Nov 2011 15:59:00 +0000

The holidays are arriving so fast! I've been busy cranking out some Christmas-themed items for the shop and custom orders. I have so many ideas, but too little time to execute them!

Here are two table runners I created with a combination of natural linen and bold prints from the Kumari Garden Holiday fabric collection. I have had this design in mind for months, particularly the large wonky stripes and it was fun to finally make it.

Here's my original sketch. I ended up going with less but larger stripes, and no binding.

And here are photos of the two finished runners. As you can see, one features more red than green, and the other one is reversed.

Christmas Table Runner -- Linen, Green and Red (listed in the shop here)

Christmas Table Runner -- Linen, Red and Green (SOLD)

I have a lot of this fabric left. So please let me know if you would like a custom runner and/or placemats. I'd be happy to create a special order for you.

Button Pouches

noreply@blogger.com (Jenny Bartoy) — Sun, 20 Nov 2011 15:46:00 +0000

I designed a pouch for my mom's birthday, combining linen and a bold print. I rounded the bottom corners and added some darts. I finished it with a large wooden button. The pouch closes by folding it and fastening an elastic loop around the button.

It turned out so cute that I decided to make a bunch for the shop!

Autumn Birch

noreply@blogger.com (Jenny Bartoy) — Sun, 20 Nov 2011 15:25:00 +0000

Hello there! I'm a little behind on updating this place. I've added quite a few things to the shop since my last post. Here goes with the first one.

Inspired by the beautiful foliage in our old Seattle neighborhood, and the light playing with the leaves on a sunny day, I created a piece of burlap art featuring an autumn birch, with its leaves changing colors from green to chartreuse and yellow.

As with my other burlap pieces, the leaves are appliqued onto a large piece of upcycled coffee bag and top-stitched. I added brown embroidery all along the trunk to represent the bark. The artwork is stretched onto a wooden frame and the back is finished with kraft paper and a wire for hanging.

This piece is listed in my Etsy shop here. Stay tuned for more autumn-inspired pieces.

Sunset Birds

noreply@blogger.com (Jenny Bartoy) — Sun, 23 Oct 2011 15:22:00 +0000

Featuring two birdies having a conversation across the woods at sunset, my latest piece was inspired by my neighbors, who found each other and fell in love despite hailing from Alaska and Mexico respectively. They told me their story in our backyard in Seattle on a lovely day at sunset.

This burlap art is made from an upcycled coffee bag and a mix of colorful fabric scraps. This piece is now in the shop.

And hey, if you want to make your own birdie burlap wall art, go check out my guest post tutorial on Whip Up! I'm so excited to be featured on that awesome website, thank you Kathreen.

Pumpkins

noreply@blogger.com (Jenny Bartoy) — Sun, 23 Oct 2011 15:12:00 +0000

It's the season! Pumpkins, pumpkins, pumpkins everywhere.

I made two pieces of burlap art featuring pumpkins and loved the way they turned out! Here they are (and you can find the listings in the shop by clicking on the photos):

I got such positive feedback on these pumpkins that I decided to make kits for people to make their own pumpkin burlap art. I'll be posting these in the shop until I run out of fabric for them, or until Thanksgiving -- whichever comes first! Click on the photo below to go to the listing, if that one is sold just check the shop for more!

The Shop Is Open!

noreply@blogger.com (Jenny Bartoy) — Thu, 20 Oct 2011 17:04:00 +0000

That's right, I am open for business! You can visit the shop here.

I've put a grand total of 4 things in it so far. Woop woop! These projects are mostly experimental at this point. I'm trying to find my style and my groove and little by little, I'm getting there. Bear with me, I have a lot of projects in progress and ideas in stock. I am so excited and can't wait to share it all with you over the next few weeks and months (and years? Let's not get ahead of ourselves. Ahem.).

Click on the pictures below to go to the listing on Etsy. And keep reading for a special discount!

As you can see, these 4 projects all feature birds and/or trees, subjects I've been working with for a while. You can see how I got started on this artistic path of burlap and fabric art on Stumbles & Stitches here, here and here. I am happy to re-create these original projects for custom orders, just shoot me an email at jennybartoy [at] gmail [dot] com.

To celebrate the launch of my shop, I'm offering you, my dear new customers, a 15% discount on your first purchase! Just enter the code LAUNCH11 at check-out. This offer is valid until November 15, 2011. Stay tuned for much more coming to the shop over the next couple of weeks as I get stuff finished, photographed and listed.

Please subscribe to this website/blog via RSS and "like" me on Facebook for news and updates from Jenny Bartoy ~ Handmade Designs.

Back in College...

noreply@blogger.com (Jenny Bartoy) — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 19:13:00 +0000

Well kids, don't knock that job you're working in high school or college to make a little extra money. The experience and skills may come in handy some day!

For four years while in college and a little after, I worked as an assistant bookkeeper at Michaels Arts and Crafts in Austin, Texas. It was a fun job for the most part, but very part-time, in the office of the store. To pick up hours, the manager let me work in the framing department. There, I learned the ins and outs of professional framing. How to cut mats, how to build frames, how to clean the glass, how to protect the back of the artwork.

These skills are proving to be quite useful as I finish my artwork for listing on Etsy. Each of my burlap and fabric art pieces is professionally finished on the back, with transfer tape, kraft paper and a wire for hanging.

I need to print and stick labels on the back, and then these little beauties are good to go! Stay tuned!

Sneak Peek

noreply@blogger.com (Jenny Bartoy) — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 18:32:00 +0000

I posted a sneak peek of my projects for the Etsy shop on Stumbles & Stitches and the response from readers has been lovely. I feel so encouraged! Since it's taken me much longer than anticipated to launch this little shop, I thought I'd post the same pics here!

Enjoy and let me know if you have any questions about these projects. Anything you see can be reproduced to your specifications -- color, size, theme, etc. Just send me an email so we can get the conversation rolling.

Swaddle Softies

noreply@blogger.com (Jenny Bartoy) — Tue, 04 Oct 2011 18:19:00 +0000

I designed these simple Swaddle Softies for a Craft Hope project. I created a tutorial so you can make them too. You can find it and read all about my inspiration and process on Stumbles & Stitches.

The response has been so great that I've decided to make some for the shop. I'll be selling them, as well as kits so you can make your own, very soon! So please check back!

Welcome!

noreply@blogger.com (Jenny Bartoy) — Sat, 01 Oct 2011 16:39:00 +0000

After months of thinking and talking about it, I'm finally about to launch my Etsy shop. I'm setting up this little blog to keep friends and customers updated about my latest projects, items to hit the shop and special sales and events.

I've set up a Facebook page and I would love it if you joined me there!

You can find me blogging regularly at Stumbles & Stitches, a creative conversation with my friend Angel about all things crafty and handmade.

Thank you so much for visiting and I hope you'll come back!