Snap Wallets ~ A Very Easy Project

I thought I would end the year with a very easy project...Simple snap wallets or card holders.

If you don't sew or if you want one of the fun vintage prints above, they are available here on the website or on etsy.

I'm sure there are a dozen or more tutorials out there for these in one form or another, but just in case you needed one more to prove how easy they are, here it is. :)

First you'll need :

* 2 pieces of fabric (main fabric and lining) approx. 5"x10".

* 2 pieces of light weight fusible interfacing approx. 5"x10".

*No-sew snaps (I used pearl, but plain metal are fine, too)

*Snap set tool (Not necessary, but I recommend it for the pearl head snaps as they can crack if hit too hard)

Step 1 - Apply interfacing to your fabrics according to manufacturers directions.

Step 2 - Sew your main fabric to your lining, right sides together. Leave a small opening at one of the short ends. Clip corners. Careful not to snip your stitching!

Step 3 - Turn right side out through the small opening. Press and stitch along the one short end to close up the hole. Step 4 - Fold up about 3.5 inches and press. Make a centered mark where the bottom half of your snap will go.
Step 5 - Attach bottom snap according to directions on package. Then fold down the top flap, press, and then feel for the nub of the bottom snap. Place the prongs of the pearl head over that and set the top snap (use your set tool). This was the easiest way I found to have the snaps align perfectly.Step 6 - Starting at one of the folded ends, stitch along the edge. Backstitch when you reach the wallet opening for added strength. Continue up and around to the other side and your done.
Step 7 - Add your cash and cards. :) They're also nice for giving gift cards...adds a personal touch. Happy sewing!

Boho Chic Meets Tailored Classic

So, this is what you get when you take design elements from opposite ends of the style spectrum and combine them into one bag. . . Boho Chic meets Tailored Classic.
I've tried to blend the best of both worlds; the richly textured vintage fabrics and generous size of Boho chic and the more structured lines and forever classic linen of a more tailored style. I've used an awesome vintage cut velvet upholstery fabric from the 1960's as the main part of the bag and a rich brown velvet/velveteen for the gusset.


A natural linen is used for the strap and front flap. A magnetic snap keeps items secure.Tying all of the elements together is the velvet rose and leaf detail.

This is just the "prototype" and will be offered at a reduced price on the website. I'll probably tweek a couple of things before I'm completely happy with the bag. For one thing, the interfacing I used on the lining is a little too heavy, so I'll probably change that. I like that it gives some structure to the bag, but I don't like the wrinkles. Not a major issue, but something the perfectionist in me would like to correct. :) But, for the most part, I really like how this bag turned out.

Treasures From Grandma's Attic ~ Tin Wind-Up Toys

Welcome to the next installment of "Treasures From Grandma's Attic". This time I'm sharing these fabulous tin Litho Wind-up toys. I believe they date to around the 1940's. I can remember playing with these at gram's house as a kid...the robot was always my favorite. :)

I don't really know a lot about these guys, but thought they were pretty cool. I'm amazed at how well they seem to have survived. The Butter and Egg Man cracks me up. LOL
Gram was always good at attaching little notes to things to make sure we wouldn't throw something valueable away. This Happy Hooligan wind-up has a note telling us how rare it is.
These cute little guys make for a fun and colorful display! What family treasures do you have packed away? Why not dust them off and find a place to show them off in style.
Thanks everyone, for taking another walk down memory lane with me.

My First Attempt at Skirts and a Big Thank You!

I have been wanting to try my hand at sewing a skirt for some time, now. My wardrobe consists almost entirely of sweatpants, t-shirts, and skirts. I love the vintage-y prints and fun silhouettes of the skirts from Anthropologie, but can't afford to splurge on them too often. For my first skirt, I thought it best to use a pattern. So, I found a Simplicity 4236 which has a full-circle, half-circle, and a straight skirt pattern. Of course, I had to complicate matters by wanting to use a directional print...Altering the pattern was a must. I made the half circle pattern a little less full, so it would fit on a single width of 44"W fabric. (It doesn't really look much different in fullness than the picture on the pattern, though). And I also wanted a contrasting band at the bottom, so that was added as well.I used a combination of Heather Bailey fabrics for one and Amy Butler fabrics for the other. These are really just practice for the skirt I ultimately want to make using the awesome pink and red Art Nouveau print by Anna Marie Horner. I also have some vintage border prints that are just BEGGING to be made into skirts. I still have to hem the peachy one and add the hook and eye, but all in all, I think it went together pretty well. (The zipper wasn't near as difficult as I was imaging it to be.)

I also want to send a big THANK YOU to sweet Jerusalem of My Little Life. She held a giveaway on her blog recently and I was the winner! Yea!
I received a beautiful Cath Kidston Home Project Journal. Exactly what I need to organized all of the projects I want to get done on this house of mine! And she also included a number of extra goodies...a catalog, stamped gift tags, music sheets, and lovely polka dot ribbon.
Be sure to stop by her lovely website and her fun blog to see all of her creative pursuits.
Thank you again, Jerusalem!

Sew Busy!

Well, I don't know that I've been any busier than normal, but I have been trying to get a bit more sewing done.

The first project is another one of my Sash Totes. I've made a number of these since last year, but most of them had been spoken for before they ever made it to Etsy or the website.

This one wears a sash made out of two fabrics by Heather Bailey; A small pink print on one side and a brown and blue "Pop Garden" fabric on the other.

Also made a few linen and vintage fabric pouches...

And finally, a vintage monogrammed towel gets a new lease on life as a fabric gift sack with matching tag. Paired with a denim ticking stripe, it has a rustic charm.

These are fabulous to use as a house-warming or hostess gift when filled with:

* a bottle of wine and a loaf of french bread

*a trio of tall pillar candles

*a pretty mug, flavored coffee, and biscotti

*fresh apples, favorite recipes, and glass jar filled with oatmeal crumble topping

The chances of finding vintage monograms that match our own are slim, so why not just make up a cute saying that fits the initials. This one is either "S H" or "S K". How about...Sweet Home or Suzy Homemaker...Super Kool or Special Kindness. (Hey, its late, I'm sure you could think up something more clever.) :)

Thanks for letting me share my latest projects! Have a great week, everyone!

Dying Eyelet Trim

So, last month on my trip to Virginia, I found some beautiful trims.
One in particular is so pretty, ( its that blue eyelet up there) I'm not sure if I'll ever find a project that's "worthy" of it. And I like it too much to sell it. hmmmm...what a dilemma.

Now, I have lots of white and cream eyelet trims that I've picked up at yard sales, so I was thinking, "why not try dying some of them?" And I did. Here they are in their color bath...

The large piece is an eyelet border fabric with a white background; it turned out to be a sky blue color. And the small trim is cream ruffle eyelet, and it turned out to be a perfect robin's egg blue-green color! If you're familiar with the Martha Stewart paint color 'Vintage Map', its very close to that. (Oh, BTW, that just happens to be the color I've picked out to repaint my sewing room).
I plan on dying more and listing some on the website. But really, its not hard at all if you want to give it a try yourself. A little messy though, so you definitely want to wear rubber gloves.

Random PINK Post ~ Ticking

Just a random post of pretty pinks for Pink October ~ Breast Cancer Awareness month.
Vintage pink tickings.

Child's Play ~ Vintage Juvenile Fabrics

Three Little Kittens Recently, I had the pleasure of being interviewed by Kim of the True Up blog and asked to be a guest curator of this week's Daily Swatch. I was to pick 7 vintage fabrics in a theme of my choice. I chose Vintage Children's Fabrics...the hard part was deciding which 7, I love them all! So, I've added some of the extras here. Be sure to stop over at True Up to see the "first string" picks. :)

And while you're there, you'll want to sign up for Kim's 6 month giveaway...great prizes!

Here's a group of vintage flannels in pretty pastels...

Babies on Clouds

Mary Had a Little Lamb

This circus animal print is part of a curtain set...

Some of these fabrics and others are available on my website in the Children's section.
And if you're like me and you just can't get enough of these adorable prints you can find more at these websites:

Sharon's Vintage Fabrics
Donna Flower.com