SewAmazin Blog

Shop News: Valentine's Day Ruffles, Bandanas, Wristlets and more

2012-02-07T12:53:00.000-05:00

Valentine's Day is just one week away and I've been adding new items to my SewAmazin studio on ArtFire for several weeks in anticipation! I thought I'd share them here in one long blog post with lots of pictures.

Scrunchie Neck Ruffles

These are so much fun to make! I think I made the first ruffle for Keli when she was about a year old, because the scrunchies from the store didn't fit her very well. They were either too tight or too big, and they had jingle bells attached that she could not resist chewing - a definite hazard for puppies! That's why all my scrunchie neck ruffles are based on actual neck sizes to accommodate big and small pets, and they are made of pet-friendly fabrics and trims; most are machine wash- and dry-able, too.

Penny's Puppy Love Conversation Hearts (left) and Keli's Hearts A Glitter (right) Scrunchie Neck Ruffles are so sweet:

Keli says Be My Valentine! This fabric has hearts and swirls accented in gold on a red background.

Penny's Ruby Red Confetti Dot Scrunchie has a little bit of glitz for Valentine's Day and other fancy occasions.

I donate part of the sales price of each of the neck ruffles to Ramapo-Bergen Animal Refuge in Oakland, NJ, a local no-kill shelter. In 2011, I was able to send them $26.00.

These scrunchies (and others suitable for Valentine's Day) can be found in the Dog/Pet Scrunchie Neck Ruffles section of my ArtFire shop.

Bandana-style collar slipcovers

These collar slipcovers are made based on a pattern by Penny Sanford Designs and are sold with her permission; a portion of each sale is donated to WestieMed to help ill or injured rescued West Highland terriers.

Keli likes the Valentine Hearts in blue - we thought this one would look nice on the boys, too.

Penny's favorite is the Valentine Hearts in red!

Both bandanas can be found in the Dog/Pet Collar Slipcovers section of my ArtFire shop along with several other designs suitable for Valentines Day.

Westie Applique Hand Towels

I added similar towels to my shop in December for Christmas (blog post here); here are a couple of variations on the theme for Valentine's Day:

I fussy-cut the Red Hearts and Swirls fabric so that the hearts would be placed in just the right place on each terrier applique.

This set of Pink Hearts Valentine Westies hand towels is one of a kind - I used almost every bit of the heart fabric for the terrier appliques and accent strips on these dark pink towels.

Look for these in the Embroidered Towels section of my shop.

A few visitors suggested they'd like to see these done with white terriers on black towels - I've found some black hand towels and have added that color option to my work list. Stay tuned!

Wristlets/Coin Purses/Key Fobs

I added a new Valentine's Day section to my shop for this collection of lip shaped wristlets and coin purses, made using in-the-hoop embroidery designs from Embroidery Garden.

Kiss Me - Pink Lips Wristlet Purse - made of pink satin outside, lined with cotton fabric. The strap is sewn on and made of matching pink satin.

This wristlet/purse is just large enough to hold a gift card or small candy bar, lipstick, a small tin of mints and other small items.

Gimme a Kiss Pink Lips coin purse/key fob matches the wristlet above, but a bit smaller in size. It can hold a lipstick or USB stick.

Clip it to a key ring, handbag or backpack; keep track of rings or other jewelry at the gym.

Ruby Red Lips Wristlet Purse - made of red confetti dot fabric on the outside and lined with red satin. The strap is sewn on and made of red satin.

Be My Valentine Red Lips Wristlet Purse is made of cotton fabric with hearts and swirls with gold accents. The matching narrow strap is attached with a small lobster swivel clasp.

Be Mine Valentine coin purse/key fob matches the wristlet purse above.

I've made a selection of similar lips-shaped wristlets and coin purse/key fobs that are available inside the Cozy Quilt Shoppe, so look for them there if you are shopping for fabric.

Mrs. Claus Westie Coats

2012-01-02T19:20:00.001-05:00

In December, we saw lots of nice Christmas coats and sweaters worn by our Westie and doggie friends on Facebook, so of course Keli and Penny wanted new Christmas coats, too. They haven't had any new Christmas 'clothes' since their Barkettes dresses in 2008! Since they were going visiting with us on Christmas Day, we came up with these Mrs. Claus coats.

We've used this pattern, Butterick 4885, a few times before - remember their Pink Hoodie Slickers and Fance Winter Coats? They hate the hoodies, but still wear the winter coats whenever it gets really cold.

And the first time we used the pattern was for Penny's first fleece coat with furry pink trim. She grew out of that one pretty quickly!

One of the ready-to-wear coats we saw online looked like it was made of red velvet fabric with white fur trim and snowflakes embroidered on the back. But it had sleeves and my Pesties HATE anything with sleeves.

We found red Soft N Comfy fabric at JoAnn Fabrics, which is soft and velvety, just like minkee fabric. For the white trim we found remnants of white Ultra Cuddle fleece at JoAnn's. It resembles short fur, and is soft and warm; AND both knit fabrics are machine wash and dry - easy laundering is a very important feature for our Westie clothes!

Since we've already made all the necessary size alterations to the patterns on the previous versions, cutting out and sewing the coats was pretty easy. We used View D of the pattern because that version of the design already has trim at the tail end of the coat.

I had planned to embroider snowflakes on the back of each coat, but since I didn't actually begin these until the night before Christmas Eve, there wasn't enough time to add that step.

Both girls were sound asleep by the time I was ready to have them try on their coats; they were very cranky when I tried to wake them up to check the size and refused to even sit upright. The velcro on the straps wasn't even sewed on until Christmas Eve morning, when they were more cooperative models.

Keli's coat fits her just right, but I think I would make the white trim section at the tail end a bit shorter, since the proportion seems just a bit off.

Penny's coat fits her nicely, too. Like Keli's, the proportion of the red/white fabrics could be adjusted an inch or two on this one to make it more Claus-like.

I didn't have time to do the final top-stitching around the edges before Christmas; I may add that later.

And maybe for next Christmas we'll jazz up both coats by adding ribbon trim to the back. Or maybe some 3D snowflakes....

*******

Wow! Blogger says this is my 300th post! That's a lot of projects blogged over 4-1/2 years!

Christmas Westie T-shirt

2012-01-01T17:02:00.000-05:00

It's been a while since I sewed something for me! This project was a quick 'make-over' of a purchased ready-to-wear t-shirt; it was almost a no-sew project, LOL!

I stumbled upon the gray long sleeve t-shirt with the Westie screen print in Macy's Charter Club department while shopping in mid-December. Somehow, whenever there's a Westie printed, stitched or otherwise depicted on something in a store, I ALWAYS seem to find it.

The first photo shows the t-shirt 'before' I embellished it. Doesn't it look plain? The little red bow already had the beads stitched on it when I bought it, but it needed something else to make it special.

Of course, I needed to wear this for Christmas, so it had to be spruced up a bit. The red loopy fringe was in my stash and I thought it was perfect to add to the front at the neckline and around the wrists. The 'after' photo is much more festive, don't you agree?

I pre-soaked the red trim to make sure the color would not bleed onto the t-shirt later.

To attach the fringe to the shirt, I applied 1/4" wide wash-away adhesive tape to the neckline, then carefully placed the trim. Using a long stitch and a stretch needle, I sewed slowly, following the stitching at the top of the trim.

Each sleeve was done in a similar fashion, but I turned them inside out while sewing. And stitched even slower because the fringe loops kept getting in the way!

If I change my mind, I can change the look by removing the trim easily enough.

Christmas 2011: Pretty Purple Capelet and Boston B Insulated Bottle Carriers

2012-01-01T16:05:00.001-05:00

I didn't make too many Christmas gifts this year, and didn't have a chance to start working on them until a few days before Christmas Eve.

This Pretty Purple Capelet is a project that's been in progress for quite some time. The purple furry velboa has been in my collection for a couple of years, waiting for just the right project.

I knew it would be made into something for my niece who loves purple, but I wasn't sure what until I found the pattern for McCall's 4703. I thought a pretty capelet to wear for dress up would be perfect.

It wasn't hard to find matching purple lining, but choosing the right button was a little challenging. It had to be fit for a princess and not fade into the purple fur.

When I found a faux crystal button that looks like a large diamond, I thought it was the perfect gem.!

I remembered to add one of my fabric labels to the inside self facing.

The capelet is a Girls' size 8, which is probably a little big, so hopefully she'll have few years to wear it! My photos show the capelet draped on my adult size dress form - I don't have a child size form.

I've written a review of this pattern on PatternReview.com.

We gave gift cards to all of our nieces and nephews this year and each one was 'wrapped' in either a gift card holder or ID wallet made earlier this year.

I made this special penguin gift card holder with a matching purple scarf to go with the capelet!

Believe it or not, two of my nephews still had not received insulated bottle carriers from me - until now. They each received one of these red carriers embroidered with a Boston "B". Also included for each one is a reusable water bottle, one red and one blue. The carriers are large enough to fit an Aquafina 1 liter bottle, too.

ETA: The Boston B machine embroidery design file is available from Stitchmouse on Etsy.

Westie Applique Hand Towels

2011-12-31T23:00:00.000-05:00

Just in time for Black Friday and Cyber Monday, I added a new section to my SewAmazin ArtFire Studio for Embroidered Towels, featuring these machine embroidered Westie applique designs.

I digitized the applique design using Penny's Free Westie Pattern with permission from the designer, Penny Sanford Fikes. A portion of the sales of every item the the design is stitched on will be donated to WestieMed or Westie rescue.

The inspiration for the towels was a photo of similar bath towels sold by a famous designer a year or two ago, but I added my own twist.

The first few sets were stitched using this fun stripes and dots fabric on light green (celadon) towels, and I was amazed at how quickly they sold out! I received requests for custom colors on other towel colors, too!

In my original plan, I intended to list this complementary color combination, using the same green and red stripes and dots fabric on red (garnet) towels.

I managed to get these done and listed before Christmas, and they're still available (see Christmas Westie Applique Embroidered Hand Towels).

The applique fabric for this set of towels has pink and red stripes like candy canes, stitched on dark pink towels. They could be used for Valentine's Day, too.

A similar design stitched on red (garnet) towels is also available. Both can be found in the Embroidered Towels Section of my shop.

One of the requests I received early on was for blue terriers on white towels. It was hard to send these away - I wanted to keep them for myself!

I plan to add more Westie applique towels to my shop in the spring, in addition to other designs.

You can see more examples in the Embroidered Towels Section of my SewAmazin ArtFire studio or in my ArtFire Samples set on Flickr.

Mr. Met Fleece Scarf

2011-12-31T21:32:00.000-05:00

A friend (and fellow fan) asked me to make a Mr. Met embroidered fleece scarf for her husband for Christmas.

I chose this blue anti-pill fleece, cut twice as wide as the finished scarf by the full width of the fabric. After deciding how long the fringe would be, I marked the design placement on each end, then embroidered the designs.

On one end of the scarf is this Running Baseball design. I've used this design before on bibs and fleece hats, but this time I added some additional color stops to stitch the button on the top of the cap in orange.

On the other end of the scarf, I stitched this Mr. Met face, which I digitized using a pumpkin carving stencil image that Mets.com shared a couple of Halloweens ago.

To finish the scarf after the embroidery was complete, I folded it in half lengthwise and stitched the seam, using the dual feed foot on my sewing machine. After turning the scarf right side out, each long side was top-stitched a little less than 1/2 inch from the edge. For the final step - cutting the fringe - I used a June Tailor fringe template and a rotary cutter.

Lets Go Mets!

A Tropical Sassy

2011-12-29T01:53:00.000-05:00

In September, my SIL asked me to make a shoulder bag for her to use during her family trip to Disney in November. Sandy wanted something just big enough to carry her camera, DVD recorder, cell phone tickets and a few other essentials while traveling. And she asked for something bright and fun so her boys could spot her easily in a crowd.

We decided on a modified Sassy Bag - a pattern from Lazy Girl Designs that I've used a few times for myself - and some bright tropical turquoise and green fabrics.

Of course, I made a few changes to the original design, beginning with increasing the width and height of the bag by a few inches in each direction. And I made the shoulder strap adjustable so it could be worn snug or loose across the body as needed.

The closure is a magnetic snap and I added a bit of ribbon to the side seam with a carabiner clip to help keep track of keys.

The inside front has a slip pocket, divided into 3 sections; two sections wide enough for holding a cell phone and a digital camera, and one smaller section for carrying a pen or slim reading glasses. The extra width and larger pleats on the front let this Sassy expand to hold onto a wallet, sunglasses and a DVD recorder.

The back was made just like Lazy Girl Designs' Runaround Bag, fully lined, with a zipper closure for keeping things like tickets securely in place.

These are some of my favorite colors! And Sandy said her bag was exactly what she wanted for her trip. :-)

Bamboo Embroidered Towels

2011-12-29T00:44:00.000-05:00

A few months ago I received a request to do some custom embroidery on a set of bath and hand towels.

One of my ArtFire customers had been looking for towels with a bamboo design to match her new bath decor, but couldn't find any she liked, so contacted me.

Since I didn't have any bamboo embroidery designs in my collection, I searched several online sources, creating a board on Pinterest to help keep keep track of the various options.

She selected the small Bamboo design from Adorable Ideas, and sent me her towels. We traded emails with color palettes and photos of sample stitch-outs to make sure everything was just right before I stitched on the towels.

<< Here's a close-up of the bamboo design embroidered on one of the hand towels.

This is a closer view of the design increased by 20% and embroidered on the bath towels >>

I like the way the towels turned out, but more importantly, my customer wrote that she likes them and they look great in her bathroom!

Holiday Bazaar at the Cozy Quilt Shoppe

2011-11-17T11:58:00.000-05:00

Last Friday, I was invited to participate in the Cozy Quilt Shoppe's Holiday Bazaar - on Sunday, just two days later! This would be my first 'craft show' and I scrambled to get everything organized and ready for a table top display. Actually, it was a small gathering of about a half dozen crafters and the shoppers who visited the shop. But it was a good experience as a trial run for future possible craft shows.

Here's a peek at my table. Since I sell primarily online and most of my products are made to order, I don't have a lot of inventory on hand. But I did manage to fill a table with all my samples and I was prepared to take custom orders.

What did I have on hand to show? Scrunchie neck ruffles and various dog collar slipcovers, insulated water bottle carriers, and all my samples from my ArtFire shop.

On the left side of the photo you can see I used a 3-tiered revolving shoe rack to display the scrunchies. I didn't have a lot of time to plan so I had to improvise! Since I couldn't take my live models, I used a pair of stuffed Westies and the smallest samples.

My Mini Models

Those are fingertip towel holders displaying the Snow Guys, Snow Girls and Santa gift holder/gadget cases, gift card holders and key fobs.

How well did I do? I sold several scrunchies and bandanas, and almost all of the Snowman and Santa ornaments (partially shown on the right side of my photo). It wasn't a lot of money, but it did bring in about $5 more for my donations to WestieMed and RBARI.

I probably could have sold more scrunchies if I had smaller sizes ready to go, but I just didn't have enough time. But the experience was invaluable - if there is a next time, I'll be better prepared and organized.

Material Girl Kris also set up a table with some of her handmade items.

In the baskets, she had holiday themed table runners, mug rugs, candle mats, coasters and a few other items.

On the left (and in the close-up below) are her Pinhead Girls, which are brooches similar to doll heads.

Kris makes these one at a time, paints each face and chooses various fibers for hair and decorative embellishments. They're gorgeous but a little bit whimsical; no two are alike. She's thinking of setting up an Etsy shop to sell these online.

At the end of the day, Kris left her Pinhead Girls and I left a bunch of the Snow Guys, Snow Girls and Santa gift holder/gadget cases, as well as a few gift card holders at the shop; we'll see if they sell on a consignment basis for the holidays.

The Christmas Countdown begins ...

2011-11-05T18:55:00.000-04:00

There are about 50 days until Christmas.... or about 7 shopping weeks or about 45 good sewing days, plus or minus....

I have a ton of projects on my sewing 'to do' list, for both gifting and adding to my ArtFire and Etsy shops. In October, I added holiday scrunchie neck ruffles and bandanas for the pets (some of the latest holiday 'fashions' for Thanksgiving and Christmas are blogged over on Keli's Korner).

In the past week I've had the good fortune to have my work included in three different Christmas collections. Each one is packed with fabulous and festive holiday gifts, so I thought I'd share them here on my blog.

Back in July I tried to get a head start on Christmas by making some Santa and Snow Guy/Snow Girl Gift Holder zipper cases (they're still available in the Christmas Shop section of my ArtFire studio). One of the Mets Fan Snow Girl Gift Holder/Gadget Cases is featured in this collection called An All New Blue Christmas, a charming group of blue and white Christmas and winter themed handmade gifts. Blue is my favorite color!

An All New Blue Christmas

Curated By: craftybymistake

ArtFire.com

Handmade Soap

A few days later, Penny and her Santa's Helper Scrunchie Neck Ruffle were selected for this collection, called Santa Paws is coming to town! Aren't they the cutest little 'elves' you've ever seen?

Santa Paws is coming to town!

Curated By: MidwestieLady

ArtFire.com

Handmade Gifts

A third collection in a more traditional color scheme, Christmas Red and Green, included Penny again, this time wearing a Poinsettias and Roses Bandana-style Collar Slipcover.

Christmas Red and Green

Curated By: DoubleSJewelry

ArtFire.com

Fine Art Paintings

.....

I have a couple of custom orders and special requests to work on this week as well as a few new holiday projects. I will try to accept as many requests as possible until mid-November.

.....

October is Adopt-a-Shelter Dog Month

2011-10-23T00:50:00.003-04:00

If you follow me on Facebook or Twitter, have shopped in my SewAmazin ArtFire studio or visited my SewAmazin blog online recently, you've probably seen this coupon image in either a post, tweet or on the sidebar:

To celebrate Adopt-a-Shelter Dog month, every day during October members of the Crafting for Animals Guild on ArtFire have been writing articles on the guild's blog, sharing helpful information about animal adoption as well as their personal rescue stories. (My article, titled Lucky Penny was published on the blog on October 11.)

The month-long promotion peaks this coming week - October 23rd-29th - when participating shops will help raise funds for a single rescue organization - Close to Home Animal Rescue.

How does this work? First, click on the coupon image above - it will take you to a page on the guild's blog where you will see a list of participating shops. When you purchase an item from any of these artisans, use the coupon code 10CTH-CFA during checkout and 10% of your purchase will be donated to Close to Home Animal Rescue.

Ever since I opened my ArtFire studio earlier this year, I've donated a portion of the sales of some of my products to WestieMed; since April, I've been able to donate $100 to WestieMed to help care for ill or injured rescued Westies. In September, I added Ramapo-Bergen Animal Refuge, Inc. (RBARI), a local no-kill animal shelter, to my charitable donations. Generally, anything with a Westie embroidered or printed on it and all of the Dog Collar Slipcovers benefit WestieMed; sales of Insulated Water Bottle Carriers and Dog Scrunchie Neck Ruffles benefit RBARI.

During the Crafting for Animals Guild promotion next week, you can use the coupon code for any items in my shop, and I'll donate 10% of the sales price to Close to Home Animal Rescue. As a thank-you, I have a special free gift item that I'll include with each package, too.

I've been sewing like mad all month, adding Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas collar slipcovers and scrunchies in time for next week. Here's a small sample - visit my ArtFire shop to see the entire collection:

Boo Bats Reversible Bandana Collar Cover

Trick or Treat Reversible Bandana Collar Cover

Howl-a-ween Stripes Scrunchie Neck Ruffle

Howl-a-ween Checks Scrunchie Neck Ruffle

Tiny Autumn Leaves Bandana Collar Cover

Autumn Maple Leaves Bandana Collar Cover

Christmas Stripes & Dots Scrunchie Neck Ruffles

Classic Christmas Plaid Scrunchie Neck Ruffle

Classic Christmas Plaid Bandana Collar Cover

Poinsettias & Roses Bandana Collar Cover

All American Santa Gift Holder/Zipper Case

My Christmas Shop for people is open, too. :-)

Shoe Diva Insulated Bottle Carrier

2011-10-16T22:07:00.001-04:00

This insulated bottle carrier ranks among the top five of my all-time favorites (so far)! The recipient requested a customized design that featured high heeled shoes and the color pink. Oh, and I almost forgot - it had to have some sort of shiny 'bling'.

The embroidered design is actually a composite of two different designs from Embroidery Library. The background 'feathers' were part of one design (Fashionista Footwear), and the high heeled shoe is from a second design (Mola Diva Shoe).

My customer liked different elements of each design. Using embroidery software, I deleted the original shoe and text from the first design, saving just the background. Then I mirror imaged the Mola Diva Shoe and resized it to fit in the space. It didn't quite fill the void, so I needed to add some stitches to the background. It took me a couple of practice stitch-outs to get all the stitches just right.

When it came time to stitch the design, I changed all the colors to shades of pink ranging from soft bubblegum to intense azalea. And for the background, I selected a Sulky metallic thread to add the shiny glitz. Originally I had planned to add some hot-fix crystals, but they didn't stick to my sample. I don't really think the rhinestones are missed, lol!

The straps are hot pink polypro belting and I even found a cord lock in a coordinating pink color. I made sure one of the pinks in the embroidery matched the strap color.

Next time I'm making up a batch of bottle carriers, I'll add a variation of this one for my ArtFire & Etsy shops.

UPDATE: I recently was asked if my insulated water bottle carriers would fit an Aquafina 1-liter water bottle. Since I have been focused on encouraging the use of reusable water bottles, and I wasn't entirely sure how my carriers would fit specific plastic bottles.

So we went shopping - and I'm pleased to share that the Aquafina bottle does fit inside most of the bottle carriers in my shops, though it is a bit snug. Some of the carriers are a little short, so the drawstring doesn't quite pull in at the neck of the bottle, but both the Peace Love Paws and Recycle Symbol carriers fit quite well (see photo at right). This is just the right height so that the drawstring pulls in at the base of the bottle's neck *and* the top edge of the carrier doesn't get in the way while drinking.

I'll be adjusting my basic pattern for the future to ensure that the carriers will be able to carry the Aquafina bottle.

You can see more photos of all the bottle carriers I have made in my Insulated Water Bottle Carrier set on Flickr.
Find them in the Insulated Water Bottle Carrier section of my SewAmazin ArtFire studio
Selected carriers are also available in my SewAmazin Etsy shop

Quilted Cell Phone Pocket/Wristlet

2011-10-11T22:13:00.000-04:00

Back in late August, while I was working on the insulated lunch bags, Abbey asked me to make her a cell phone pocket to match her bag. I wasn't able to start it in time to deliver it with her lunch bag, but it was one of the first projects I finished in September. This is what I came up with:

Abbey's initials were stitched using the same Harrington font from 8 Claws and a Paw, in the 1 inch size. I omitted the flourishes used on her lunch bag.

Instead of piping, I used narrow, folded strips of black fabric as accents above and below the monogram section. The front and back of the pocket are quilted exactly like her lunch bag. The top edges are covered with a bias-cut binding in matching fabric.

I tried a few methods of joining the front and back pieces with wrong sides together and binding around the edges (to imitate a 'designer' tech pocket), but was not satisfied with the results. Finally I decided to sew them with right sides together, then used the serger to overlock the raw edges for a clean finish on the inside.

The sizing was a guess on my part - I wasn't sure what type of cell phone Abbey had, so I used my Blackberry and digital camera for guidance and tried to get a nice snug fit. The narrow strap is detachable, so that the pocket can be carried like a wristlet or hooked onto another bag with a clip.

I really like the way this turned out! And, I'd really like to make more of these as Christmas gifts - but I'll need to find a way to add a zippered section for carrying ID and maybe some cash.

Finished: Autumn UFOs

2011-10-10T23:26:00.000-04:00

September was National Sewing Month and I spent most of my sewing time catching up on customer orders! As a reward for finishing my long work list, I decided to revisit a few unfinished projects of my own and spent a couple of very productive days completing them.

Last October, I started work on this Trick or Treat Backdoor Quilt pattern from Cottage Creek Quilts' "Backdoor Quilt" series - remember my tea dyeing experiment? I pieced all the borders, tea-dyed the background, fused and stitched the appliques, and even digitized and stitched the text - and then packed it away to be finished later.

I decided to echo quilt around the design; I didn't really plan ahead, so it turned out a bit like meandering in some spots. The lines on the pumpkin are stitched through all layers in dark orange rayon thread.

The cat's whiskers and nose are hand stitched through all layers in cream pearl cotton #12. I think the crow should have a black bead for an eye, but I haven't found just the right one yet.

Before quilting, I added the zigzag decorative stitch above and below the Trick or Treat text. Want to know how I matched up the two rows of zigzags so well?

I used a twin needle! Since I couldn't choose between two similar thread colors, I used both. That's a trick I'll have to use again, especially with decorative stitches.

One of the projects in my 'un-started' list is a Bahama Breeze Quilt that uses paper piecing for assembling the quilt top. I was not familiar with that technique so in June 2009, I took a class at The Cozy Quilt Shoppe. The class was designed around a pattern from Norway Quilt Designs called Maple Madness. The pattern includes instructions for a wall hanging, lap quilt, placemat and table runner. In class, we made one leaf block in each size. I chose to combine them to make a pair of placemats:

Last year I pieced together the leaf blocks and borders and prepared the batting and backing. I couldn't decide how these should be quilted, so packed them away to be finished later. Sound familiar?

This year I stared at these for a long time before finally deciding to just keep it simple and stitch wavy lines across the placemat. I chose one of the curvy decorative stitches built into my machine, made it as long and as wide as it allowed, then randomly stitched parallel lines, guiding the placemat back and forth slightly as I stitched. The result almost looks like free-motion quilting. The thread is a 30 weight Sulky Blendable in variegated greens.

I'm so happy to finally have both of these projects finished! Hopefully I will find the time and inspiration to work on a few more from the UFO list soon.

Insulated Lunch Bags

2011-09-29T00:11:00.000-04:00

Warning - this is a photo-packed blog entry! :-)

"Pretty Maids all in a row"

Backstory:

I've been making Insulated Water Bottle Carriers for a little over a year now, so you might say it was just a matter of time until I came up with Insulated Lunch Bags, too. I gave it a go last September, when I made a simple lunch tote for myself, but never got around to making more - until now.

Last spring, one of our cousins asked if I could make a knock-off of a lunch bag style made by a famous designer for her 3 girls, in time for this school year. As an added twist, the girls' names would be embroidered on the bags. Of course I agreed, and even suggested they each could choose their own fabrics for a truly personalized bag.

To prepare for this project, I did some online window shopping to research the size and shape of the designer bags, made some notes about the design details, sketched up a draft pattern and started collecting the raw materials. Over the summer I looked at a lot of lunch bags available in department and other stores, but never did find the exact designer bag for a true comparison.

Flash forward to mid-August, when I finally had a break in my schedule to make the bags. We arranged to meet so the girls could choose fabrics; I packed up a supply from my stash in a variety of colors and patterns that I thought might be appealing. Their selections were surprisingly interesting - and inspiring!

Please excuse the wrinkled background in these photos - I rushed to get them done in natural lighting just before delivering the bags to the girls!

Draft #1 - Emily's Lunch Bag:
I needed to make up a sample to test my pattern; Emily chose this groovy peace, hearts and flowers fabric. The bright turquoise blue and hot pink go with her new (purchased) backpack, so I decided to feature those colors on her lunch bag by using bright pink zippers and contrast piping with turquoise fabric for the name panel.

The main shape of the front, back and pockets were already drafted, and I figured out the dimensions for the remaining pieces for the gusset, handles and piping as I worked my way through the bag-making process.

Emily's name is embroidered in bright pink on turquoise fabric using 2-inch letters from the Orange Juice font from 8 Claws and a Paw Embroidery.

On the back side of the bag, I created a border using flowers and peace signs included in Five Star Fonts' Funkadelic applique font pack.

Framing each turquoise band of fabric is contrasting bright pink piping. Piping matching the body of the bag is also stitched on each front and back. I used the specialty piping foot for my sewing machine to make all the piping - about 3 yards per bag.

The handles are padded with a narrow strip of fusible batting. The shoulder strap is optional and detachable (more on that below).

Most of the main pieces of the bag are backed with fusible batting and quilted in a diamond pattern at 45 degrees.

The front has a zipper pocket that is lined with matching fabric. The zipper matches the contrast piping, which is applied to the bottom of the zipper in this first trial version.

On one side of the gusset is a pocket with a clear vinyl window; on the other side is a small pocket with an elastic top edge.

The inside of the bag is lined in white nylon fabric, with one simple flat pocket decorated with fabric binding along the top edge.

Before sewing the lining together, I basted the nylon fabric pieces to Insul-Bright batting, which provides most of the insulation to keep things cool (or hot).

Draft #2 - Jenna's Lunch Bag:

Emily's lunch bag turned out almost as I imagined it should be; Jenna's bag reflects some of the design improvements.

Jenna chose this fabric print with medallions in teal blue, olive green, chocolate brown and tan on a cream background. I chose tea-dyed muslin for her contrast bands, dark brown fabric for contrast piping and matching dark brown zippers.

Jenna chose to have her initials embroidered on the front of her bag; I used the same Orange Juice font from 8 Claws and a Paw, in the 1-inch size.

For the back side of her bag, I found a medallion embroidery design on my machine from Husqvarna Viking (D100SE37T) that doesn't perfectly match the fabric print, but has similar elements. Using 4D Embroidery software, I reduced the size of the design, then created a border with 3 repeats rotating the middle one 45 degrees for variation.

On the front of the bag, I rotated and mirror-imaged a coordinating corner design (D100SE38T) on either side of the initials. The embroidery colors closely match some of the colors from the fabric.

The quilting on this bag is done in a diamond pattern using a 30 degree angle.

On one side of the gusset is the pocket with a clear vinyl window. The vinyl has binding on all 4 sides to cover its raw edges.

The shoulder strap attaches to the bag by clipping the swivel hooks to D-rings that have been sewn onto the fabric handles. On the previous bag, I had sewn in extra fabric loops for the D-rings but the extra fabric made that seam too bulky to sew neatly.

The front pocket has a dark brown zipper; on this draft of the pattern, I attached the contrast piping above the zipper. I think it looks better that way.

Draft #3 - Abbey's Lunch Bag:

By the time I started this bag, the shape and size of most of the pattern pieces were finalized and my sewing process was established, so all I needed to do was to follow my notes to test-sew my own instructions.

Abbey had chosen a larger black-on-white damask print, but the scale of that print didn't really suit a smaller bag. I substituted this black and white damask print. She also preferred to have just her initials embroidered on her lunch bag.

I thought 8 Claws and a Paw's Harrington font would go well with the damask. I used the 2-inch size letters reduced to 75% or about 1.5 inches high. Using 4D Embroidery software, I created the flourishes on either side by selecting a machine font for fashion stitches, then mirroring and editing as needed.

Since I didn't have a damask border design in my collection, I chose this Fanciful Flourish design from Embroidery Library for the back side of the bag. The design is stitched all in black to mimic the damask fabric.

The result is a very classic black and white bag.

On one side of the gusset of each bag is a pocket with elastic at the top edge. This pocket is large enough to hold a cell phone, sunglasses or perhaps a container of hand sanitizer.

For Abbey's bag, I added some fabric tabs on either side of the main zipper so there's something to pull against when opening and closing the zipper.

Abbey also asked for a matching cell phone pocket, which I'll share in a later blog entry (but you can peek at it on Flickr here).

Lunch Bag #4 - Erin's Bag:

Erin's choice of fabric was bright and mod, but her selection presented several creative challenges!

First, the fabric was a remnant of just under a yard, so I knew right away that I would need to mix and match some other fabric for piping, binding and pocket linings.

A second challenge was choosing a fabric for embroidering her name. I tested several patterned fabrics in coordinating and contrasting colors before choosing this neutral linen-look fabric, which turned out to be just about perfect.

Erin's name is stitched in the same Orange Juice font from 8 Claws and a Paw using 1 inch letters.

The third challenge was choosing a motif to stitch on either side of her name. Does that flower look familiar?

Using 4D Embroidery software, I selected just a small part of the same embroidery design used for the back of Abbey's bag (above), this time in colors that matched Erin's fabric.

The flower petals and center are stitched with 3 color stops in shades of aquamarine and peapod green. The border for the back of her bag is the same flower design with the colors shuffled and the flowers each rotated just a bit for variety.

I'm pretty sure I tried to match the pattern of the fabric on either side of the zipper, but until I started editing my photos, I didn't realize how well they lined up! That was actually another challenge - keeping the linear pattern aligned horizontally across the bag.

The photo at left shows the fabric tab near the zipper pull a little clearer than in Abbey's photo.

The biggest challenge was the fact that I didn't have enough of the main fabric to make the entire bag and neither of my local JoAnn Fabric's had restocked it yet.

Fortunately, I found a coordinating plaid fabric from the same collection. I didn't want the bag to look too scrappy, so used the plaid in a supporting role for the lining of the front zipper pocket and design details of piping and binding. The plaid is printed on the diagonal, so instead of cutting strips on the bias for the piping and binding, I cut straight across the width of the yardage.

Lunch Bag #5 - Emma's Bag:

Emma chose this fun and whimsical fabric, an out-of-print design from Blank Quilting in some of my favorite colors.

Once again, I had only a remnant of fabric to work with - a mere 1/2 yard! I'd have to mix and match coordinating fabrics for even more for this bag than for Erin's! The tiny checked pattern fabric in light blue and lavender became my secondary fabric, with a marbled blue/purple for contrast piping and binding.

Emma's name is embroidered using a font from 8 Claws and a Paw called New Shoes (Sorry - I can't find the link to this font).

By this time, I was out of clever new ideas for border designs, so re-used this one from Emily's bag, changing up the colors to match the inspiration fabric.

I was running short of time - I was finishing up Emma's bag on the day I was supposed to deliver all 5 bags. As soon as the last thread was trimmed, I had just enough time to snap some photos before we drove down to the beach.

Even though we were hours behind schedule, it was worth the trip just to see each of the girls' enthusiastic reactions!

I hear the lunch bags are a big hit with each of the girls - and their friends, too. :-)

This was a fun project for me - each bag was like a puzzle, waiting for me to piece together the fabric, colors, patterns and design details so that all the elements meshed together.

You can see more photos of these and future lunch bags in my Insulated Lunch Bags set on Flickr

** Watch for similar Insulated Lunch Bags in my ArtFire studio in the near future **

A Pair of Pretty Butterflies

2011-09-07T08:35:00.000-04:00

Two of my nieces have August birthdays. This year, I made them each a pretty butterfly coin pouch to hold their 'gifts'.

Here is a pretty purple paisley coin pouch, made from yet another in-the-hoop design from Embroidery Garden.

This one is for my niece who loves purple! I had just enough fabric scraps for the paisley cover and polka-dot lining. I've been saving the purple carabiner for a special project like this.

I like the way the black zipper and detail stitching stands out on this one.

This butterfly is done with pink floral scraps and a dark fuschia zipper (it looks red in my photos, possibly because they were taken with my phone/camera).

I used a pretty bubblegum pink fabric for the lining on this one and it has a pink carabiner.

I thought the dark fuchsia zipper and thread would stand out better on this fabric, but maybe because the scale of the print is so large, it seems to blend into the background.

Beach Towels

2011-09-07T08:05:00.000-04:00

One of the reasons I keep this blog is to remind myself what I made for whom, and how and when I made it. So, with that in mind, here's a follow-up on a previous batch of gifts from 2010.

Last summer, I embroidered names on beach towels for a handful of nieces and nephews. The selection of towels available in August was minimal - I was only able to find two pink and two blue towels like this one at Bed, Bath & Beyond.

As a result, the two birthday girls got pink towels:

And two nephews got blue towels, because they were at the same August pool party:

I missed out on one July birthday last year. To make up for it, as soon as I spotted beach towels in the store this summer, I picked up a blue one to embroider:

Each name was created using the Typo font in my 4D Embroidery software. To do the embroidery, I hooped wash-away stitcky stabilizer to hold the towel in place, with Sulky Solvy on top during the embroidery. For Richie's towel, I also floated a piece of tear-away stabilizer underneath the hoop while it was stitching.

Stickers!

2011-08-04T12:50:00.000-04:00

Most of the time, I work with fabric and thread, but every now and again I venture off into other crafts, like painting and stamping. Here's a good example of one of my recent humble attempts.

It all started when I wanted some sort of Westie sticker or note card to put on a wrapped gift. I thought I had one in my stash, but could not find just the right piece, so decided to make one.

Do you save the wrapping paper sent out in the mail by charitable organizations? I do, especially when there are animals on them. I have never yet used this wrapping paper on a gift, but I save it nonetheless.

In the midst of my search for a Westie note card, I stumbled across this stash of wrapping papers.

Oh good, I thought, there's bound to be a note card in this pack ... and there was, but the logo of the organization was plastered all over it. Not really what I had in mind - not that I don't like that organization, but I'd prefer the logo to be less prominent on my package.

Not too long ago, I acquired a couple of paper punches to make 1.5 and 2 inch circles...

My first thought was to punch 2 inch circles out of the wrapping paper alone and then attach them somehow to a note card. But the paper was too thin and I ended up with ragged, uneven edges. The paper needed some sort of stabilizer ... so back to my craft closet we went (by now Keli and Penny both wanted to know what I was up to).

Does anyone still use a Xyron machine? I forgot I had this! Got it years ago after seeing it on the Carol Duvall show on HGTV (that will tell you how long its been in my closet!) and have used it rarely to laminate some ID cards. But it's exactly the right tool for this project!

I cut the wrapping paper into manageable pieces and fed them through the machine to get these cute little sheets of stickerized paper:

Next I trimmed the sheets so I could use these clever punches to cut out my stickers. These are so nifty - they actually punch UP so you can see what you are punching out! (Forgive me if this is old news - I don't scrapbook!)

Now I have a whole 'pack' full of furry face stickers!

What do I plan to do with them? Here's one idea - made a very simple gift tag using card stock and a Westie face sticker.

This was a quickie project, but if I'd had more time, I might have done more embellishment ... I wonder if scraps of ric-rac and fabric will go through the Xyron. Hmmm ....

This opens up a whole bunch of new ideas ... IF I can still get replacement cartridges for this machine! [Fingers crossed]

Shop SewAmazin on Etsy now too!

2011-07-26T16:12:00.000-04:00

Now that I've gotten a little experience selling my creations in my SewAmazin ArtFire Studio, I've decided to branch out.....

So ...... I've opened a SewAmazin shop on Etsy. I have listed a few items from my Garden Westies collection on Etsy to get the ball rolling and I plan to add more selections beginning in August.

If you visit my blog online, you'll see that I've updated the page name to read "My ArtFire & Etsy" where you can see mini viewers for both shops. Just click on an image to shop or browse wherever you are most comfortable!

Christmas in July!

2011-07-22T23:09:00.006-04:00

Last Christmas, I made a flock of penguin card holders to give away as gifts and graduated to matching zipper cases and then to snow people and Santa zipper cases (all in-the-hoop designs from Embroidery Garden). These little guys and gals are so addictive and fun to make! And they can be customized and personalized so easily just by changing up a few fabrics and thread colors. So of course I had to make up a bunch for my Christmas in July Sale on ArtFire.

These zipper cases are adorable as decorations on Christmas gifts and can be used in place of wrapping paper, boxes and bags for your stocking stuffers and gift cards. They can be re-gifted and reused, hung on the tree, or used to carry your cell phone, camera or other gadget around the holidays.

This is the Christmas Plaid Snow Guy - his hat is green and red plaid cotton fabric, his scarf is red grosgrain ribbon and he has a small glittery red pom-pom attached to his zipper pull. He stands just about 7 inches tall by 4 inches wide across his belly. The narrowest part of his neck is about 3 inches across.

He has a coordinating Snow Girl with a Red & Green hat, who hasn't been properly photographed yet.

Of course, I had to make up a pair of Mets Fans - the Snow Girl (left) has a blue and orange ribbon scarf tied in a bow and an orange bead attached to her zipper pull.

The Mets Fan Snow Guy has a blue and orange ribbon scarf tied in a knot and a baseball bead attached to his zipper pull.

Did you notice that they both have blue hats with the orange 'dot' on top, just like the real baseball caps?

This couple is available separately, or as a pair. I'll even make them up in other team colors, if requested.

This is another snow couple, done in shades of purple. Why purple? Well, July is blueberry month and I've been making blueberry ice cream, which is purple!

The Pretty Purple Snow Girl has a soft lavender ribbon scarf and a bit of ribbon attached to her zipper pull. Her coordinating Purple Snow Guy has a hat made of dark purple and blue cotton fabric, and a dark purple ribbon scarf and zipper pull.

We can't forget about Santa! In July we celebrate Independence Day, and this All American Santa is a patriot!

Santa's measurements are the same as the Snow Guys and Gals above. His suit is made of cotton fabric printed in a medley of American flags. He has a tiny jingle bell tied to his zipper pull.

Santa also has a variety of more traditional red suits - this one is the Marbled Red Santa, made of red cotton fabric.

He also comes in a shimmery red cotton fabric and red cotton with tiny gold dots. And we may be adding to his wardrobe as we get closer to Christmas.

By the end of the month, I'd like to add some of the Penguin zipper cases and card holders to my shop.

You can find all of my holiday listings in the Christmas section of my ArtFire studio.

To see more photos, visit my Flickr ArtFire Samples set.

*****

My Christmas in July Sale includes EVERYTHING in my SewAmazin ArtFire Studio, and *you* get to choose your savings. You can either save 10% off everything in your shopping cart with the coupon code SAVE10 -OR- receive free shipping (to US & Canada only) on orders of $25.00 or more with the coupon code SUMMER11. You can use either code multiple times, but they cannot be combined in a single order. The codes are case sensitive and expire July 31, 2011.

Westie Coin Purses & Accessories

2011-07-18T21:14:00.001-04:00

I think I *may* have mentioned once or twice how much I enjoy stitching out these in-the-hoop machine embroidery designs from Embroidery Garden. And you know it was only a matter of time before they were decorated with Westies! Here's a look back at some of the Westie-themed in-the-hoop accessories I've come up with so far this year, starting with the newest.

The most recently finished pieces are made from Garden Westies quilting weight cotton fabric from Spoonflower.com. The print design is by Kim Niles of KiniArt.com. (All of these Garden Westies accessories are available in the Westie Lovers section of my ArtFire studio.)

I call this one a 'Gadget Holder/Zipper Case' - it's made using the blank version of EG's Monogram Zipper Case, but I've replaced the ribbon loop at the top with a narrow fabric strap and a swivel lobster clasp, so it can be attached to a handbag or tote.

The entire zipper case is padded with cotton batting, lined in white cotton fabric and all the raw edges have been neatly finished with a 3-thread overlock stitch on the serger.

The fabric for the front and back have been fussy-cut so that the Westie face is centered. I chose white thread for the quilting stitches, so it would blend better where they cross parts of the Westie's face.

This gadget holder is the right size for carrying a cell phone, digital camera or other small device - or just about anything else!

I started out with one yard of the Garden Westies fabric and made a half dozen zippered coin purses using the blank version of EG's 4x4 Monogram Zipper Case.

The design repeat was just about perfect for centering the larger Westie face on the front and a smaller face on the back, with just the green floral sections for the lining. The raw edges inside have also been serged for a neat finish.

A decorative clasp hook on a split ring can be used to hang this little coin purse along the edge of a handbag for easy access.

With the odd pieces left over from the coin purses, I decided to make some Garden Westies Keyring/Card Holders using the blank version of EG's Monogram Key Chain Card Holder design.

The front has a fussy-cut Westie face and is quilted - the back has a pocket for holding cards - credit cards, frequent buyer cards, gift cards or business cards. The pocket can hold 3 or 4 credit cards at one time.

The first batch of fabric yielded only two of these card holders and they sold out quickly! I ordered more fabric and have more in stock now (if they sell out again, I'll order more fabric).

I couldn't bear to waste a single inch of this fabric! So the odd bits and pieces were turned into key fobs in two sizes. Once again, I used a design from Embroidery Garden, the blank version of EGs Monogram Key Fobs.

Each key fob has at least one Westie face showing. I couldn't decide which side should be the top - the end with the hardware (as shown in my photo) or the loop side. It depends on how you hold your keys ... so some of the fobs have the Westie ears pointing towards the hardware and some are turned the opposite direction.

I sold out of the first batch of small key fobs, too! They're back in stock again - for now. :-) And I have several large key fobs ready to go.

I sold out of this Westie-embroidered coin purse in this fabric. It's been featured in a couple of member-curated collections on ArtFire. (I'll make more with this embroidery design, but they'll be on a different fabric.)

I've had this Westie Full Body embroidery design for several years - it was one of the first designs added to my 'collection' when I began exploring machine embroidery. These designs appealed to me because of the texture created by the stitches that closely resembles a real Westie coat.

Back then, I didn't understand all the ins and outs of using the right stabilizer and choosing thread colors for subtle shading, so I gave up trying to embroider this design, as well as the Head Study (below).

Now that I have a little more experience, I thought I'd try stitching out both designs again - and they turned out great!

Each of the coin purses with Westie embroideries requires two embroidery sessions - one to do the Westie design and a second to create the in-the-hoop design.

The Westie embroidery is done on cotton quilting fabric with fusible knit interfacing applied to the back and medium weight cutaway stabilizer in the hoop. I experimented with several different weights of cutaway, tearaway and fusibles before deciding that this stabilizer combination resulted in the least amount of puckering of the fabric.

The Westie Head Study design was stitched out the same way.

After they were embroidered, I carefully cut the fabric so the designs were centered, then used the same in-the-hoop zipper case design (mentioned above) to make the coin purses, omitting the front quilting stitches.

I still have a few of these coin purses with the Westie face available.

One of the first items I listed for sale was this coin purse, made from an out of print design with a variety of dog faces in black and white with red collars and bandanas.

I had only one fat quarter of this fabric in my stash and was able to make 2 coin purses with the 'Westie' face featured on the front.

Oh how I wish I could find more of this fabric! But not finding it inspired me to look for other options - like embroidering the Westies and searching Spoonflower.com.

*****

* A portion of the sales price of each of these Westie-themed accessories is donated to WestieMed

Visit my In-The-Hoop Set on Flickr to see additional photos of these items

A Pair of Backpacks - Butterick 5346

2011-07-07T21:34:00.000-04:00

Earlier this year, I got a request to make a pair of backpacks - for my parents!

They take day trips to the beach and go hiking and needed something to carry binoculars (for bird watching), cameras, gloves, umbrellas, wallets, reading glasses, snacks and water bottles.

In my stash of patterns, I found this Butterick See & Sew B5346 with two backpack styles. We selected View B, which is the more traditionally shaped backpack. The finished size (in inches) is about 11 wide x 15 tall x 4 deep.

The pattern recommends home dec or heavy weight fabric with firm fusible interfacing for structure and support. We decided to use nylon fabric for it's water- and stain-resistance, so instead of interfacing, I basted low-loft polyester craft batting to the cover pieces for structure.

I made the bags one at a time; when the first was finished, I mailed it down to be inspected and to make any changes to the size or shape.

As designed, the main outer pocket is an added-on curved piece. I thought that would be too difficult to do in the nylon, so instead made a welt zipper pocket. The revised pocket turned out great and actually seems a little bigger than the original design.

The straps are made of 1 inch wide polypro nylon web. In another change from the pattern, these are adjustable so they can be lengthened to go over heavy winter jackets or shortened for lightweight summer wear.

The zippers are all closed-bottom sport zippers. The lining is white sport nylon.

Inside the backpack is a simple divided patch pocket.

On one side of the gusset is a small pouch pocket with a tab closure secured with velcro, just large enough to carry a small cell phone, camera or wallet.

On the other side of the gusset is a slightly taller pouch pocket with elastic along the open top edge.

There were no major changes to make to the design, so the second backpack is pretty much the same as the first. I'm including photos of the second backpack here because some of the pictures of the first one are a little fuzzy.

I didn't realize until I was comparing the pictures from both that I reversed positions of the side pockets on the second backpack! Oh well, I guess that will be one way they can tell them apart.

More Insulated Water Bottle Carriers

2011-07-01T08:39:00.003-04:00

I began making this basic style of insulated water bottle carrier just about a year ago. The first one was based on a combination of patterns from around the web, but I've tweaked the design along the way to create this version.

Several are available now in the Insulated Water Bottle Carriers Section of my SewAmazin ArtFire Studio and the Bottle Carriers Section of my Etsy shop. These are all sized to fit a 27 oz. Kleen Kanteen, but will also fit bottles up to 3.25 inches in diameter by 9 inches tall. It can be custom sized for larger or smaller bottles. The drawstring top is meant to fit around the neck of the bottle to keep it securely in place.

This bottle carrier embroidered with a Westie wearing a red bandana. The embroidery design is from Balboa Threadworks and can be found at EmbroideryDesigns.com. I find it needs to be stitched over a piece of white topping, otherwise the base fabric (in this case black nylon) shows through.

Included with each bottle carrier is a removable, adjustable strap so it can be carried over the shoulder or around the waist. On some of the straps, I add grosgrain ribbon to customize the look and coordinate the strap with the embroidery design. In this case, I decided to use a red ribbon with white dots to coordinate with the Westie's red bandana.

Shortly after I listed the red version in my shop, I received a request to customize the colors in a yellow and blue colorway. The Westie's bandana is stitched in a bright lemony yellow, the lining of the carrier is made of yellow ripstop nylon and the drawstring cording is a matching yellow.

The embroidery is done on royal blue nylon for the cover and the straps are made with ribbon in light blue with white dots.

* * * * *

This Paisley Terrier bottle carrier is also available in my shop; I made a similar one for myself for taking water to the Bark Park last year. The embroidery design is from Embroidery Library. I made the terrier a somewhat generic light color so it could represent any number of breeds, not just Westies or Scotties.

In this case, I left the straps plain and used metal hardware instead of the black plastic swivel hooks and d-rings.

One of my customers who bought this bottle carrier wrote a note at checkout that she wished it were available in pink ... so I came up with this pink color way to customize it just for her. Even the straps are done in hot pink nylon webbing!

* * * * *

Peace Love Paws is another one for pet and animal lovers and is also embroidered with a design from Embroidery Library on the cover. This would be suitable for both cat and dog owners. The strap is black nylon web with metal swivel hooks and d-ring hardware.

* * * * *

Anyone interested in the three R's - Reduce, Reuse, Recycle - would appreciate this bottle carrier with a Recycle symbol, embroidered with a swirly vine and leaf design from Urban Threads in three shades of green. It has a plain black nylon web strap with metal swivel hooks and d-rings. This color combination looks good on royal blue nylon, too.

* * * * *

In addition to these four bottle carriers, I've also listed one with a Black & White Wolf applique design, just like the one I made earlier this year (blogged as Insulated Water Bottle #15).

I plan to add more carriers in a variety of colors and embroidery designs as time goes on, and will accept requests for custom orders. I try to find embroidery designs for the covers that will either coordinate with a particular water bottle or will reflect the interests of the person using it. Some examples would be a hobby or profession, their favorite sport, animal, flower or perhaps their name or initial. To request a customized water bottle carrier, click on one of the Contact buttons in my shop.

I'm also working on a scaled down version of the insulated carriers for beer/wine cooler sized bottles and wraps for cans, but I'm still testing out the sizes of my samples.

Patriotic Pups - Collar Slipcovers and Neck Scrunchies

2011-06-29T17:33:00.004-04:00

Over on Keli's Korner, I shared the first batch of Patriotic Pups Dog Collar Slipcovers I made for Memorial Day and Independence Day.

The dog collar slipcovers in this collection were made based on designs by Penny Sanford Designs and are sold with permission - a portion of the sales are going to be donated to WestieMed to help take care of ill or injured rescued West Highland Terriers.

To wear them, we slide the collars through a pocket or channel (kind of like putting a curtain on a rod) and our old plain collars are all dressed up for the holiday. There's a buttonhole near the end of the slipcover where the D-ring for attaching the leash slips through so we don't have to take off the slipcovers to go for a walk. It also helps keep the slipcover from sliding around on the collar.

For more information on what they are and how to order them, check out the FAQ-Dog Collar Slipcovers in my SewAmazin on ArtFire blog.
See all the slipcovers currently available in the Dog Collar Slipcovers Section in my shop

Most of the Patriotic Pup slipcovers in the first batch were made with White Stars on Navy fabric; this batch features the complementary White Stars on Red fabric with white accents.

Keli is modeling the first two - the simple Straight collar slipcover (right) and the Ric Rac slipcover (below).

The Ric Rac slipcover (left) was featured in an ArtFire Collection called Viewing the World in Red and White.

Both the Straight and Ric Rac styles are about 1 or 2 inches longer than Keli's 16 inch collar, so there isn't a lot of ruffling going on. Worn on a shorter collar, there'd be a lot more gathering.

Here's Penny wearing a Scalloped slipcover with 5 scallops. It's about 18 inches long, which is 4 inches longer than Penny's collar, so there's a nice ruffle effect. This style is also available in a 6 scallop version which is about 21 inches long.

The plain Navy version of the Scalloped slipcover was featured in an ArtFire Collection called Hooray for The Red, White and Blue.

For Memorial Day, I added 3 red yo-yo's to the Navy 5-Scallop slipcover, to represent poppies. I know, poppies probably should have dark centers, but the white buttons looked better!

That Scalloped slipcover updated with Red Yo-yo Poppies (modeled by Penny on Keli's Korner) was featured in an ArtFire Collection called This Dog's For You.

I received an order for the same style in a 6-Scallop slipcover, so I added 4 red yo-yo poppies.

Here's Penny again, modeling a reversible Triangle/Bandana style slipcover. One side has the White Stars on Red fabric, and the flip side has Baseballs on Cream, so you get two looks to wear all year 'round. Doesn't she look like she's laughing in the baseball photo! She's such a ham sometimes!

A few years ago I made some simple, scrunchie style neck ruffles for Halloween. I thought I'd make some to go with this Patriotic Pup collection, since not everyone would want a collar slipcover. These are made with elastic and slip easily over the head. The size is based on the dog's collar size, or one or two inches larger than their actual neck measurement. You can find them all in the new Dog Scrunchie Neck Ruffles Section in my shop.

Keli is modeling the first one, Red & Blue Dots on Cream. The actual ruffle width is about 2.5 to 3 inches wide and it is sized to fit a 16 inch neck.

Shortly after I took Keli's picture, my camera broke, so that's the only "glamour shot" I was able to take that day! Luckily, I took flat pictures of the ruffles before we went outside.

Below, left is another view of the Red & Blue Dots ruffle. On the right is one made in a Denim Paisley print with red, white and blue patriotic accents; I have two sizes made up so far - 14 inch and 16 inch - but can easily make a custom size for smaller or larger dogs (or cats!)

Below left is made with an American Flag Medley and is also available in two sizes; at right is the familiar White Stars on Red, in the 14 inch size.

I plan to make more of these Scrunchie Neck Ruffles in simple and fancy styles for the holidays.

If you'd like to see all the pictures from our photo sessions - even the silly out-takes - they are in my Dog Collar Slipcovers & Scrunchie Ruffles set on Flickr.

Blog News and Featured in ArtFire Collections in May

2011-06-29T16:30:00.004-04:00

Looks like I've been neglecting this blog again lately - in fact I even missed my 4th Blogoversary two weeks ago! I've been busy, busy, busy - sewing and planning and getting adjusted to selling my handmade creations online.

In addition to this blog, I also have Keli's Korner~The Westie & The Wauzer, which is supposed to be all about Keli and Penny. Since they are models for some of my shop items, I've posted over there about some of the Dog Collar Slipcovers that are available in my shop. There's a Blog tab over on my ArtFire shop, so that's a third blog I need to maintain. I've labeled that one SewAmazin on ArtFire to distinguish it from my original SewAmazin blog.

Indecision on what to blog about and where to post it had me in a bit of a brain freeze. I've come up with a plan now, so hopefully I will be back to posting here on a regular basis. SewAmazin on ArtFire will focus specifically on topics related to my shop and items for sale, while my original SewAmazin will by my main blog covering all my sewing and crafting endeavors. But since a lot of my sewing these days is for my shop, there will be some overlap here, there and on Keli's Korner.

I try to post quick updates and previews of what I'm working on fairly frequently over on my SewAmazin page on Facebook, so visit me there and Like the page for up to the minute news.

So - let's get caught up on a few things -

I've been featured an a few more collections on ArtFire recently - this is so much fun! I'm going to have to create a collection of my own really soon!

In late May, my set of Reusable Grocery Bags/Shopping Totes was featured in this collection titled "Eco Friendly":

Eco Friendly

Curated By: PineRidgeTrea...

ArtFire.com

Fine Art Paintings

Also in May, one of my Baseball Zipper Pouches was selected for this collection called "Take Me Out to the Ballgame". Does that feel like deja vu all over again? (See my previous blog entry on being featured in a collection to see why!)

This particular zipper pouch/wallet is one of my favorites. The color combo of red, white and blue isn't just patriotic, it reminds me of the colors of the Brooklyn Cyclones (and a little bit of the Red Sox).

Take Me Out to th...

Curated By: JazzitupJewel...

ArtFire.com

Handmade Gifts

*****

I was featured in three more collections in June! Amazing, right? I'll share those in my next entry about Patriotic Pups Dog Collar Slipcovers.