My own design, zakka inspired goods

Hello, welcome to August! Isn't it nice? The end of a season, the welcoming of a new one is coming soon ~ autumn. And with a new season I hope to introduce new shop items. I've admired some lovely works on Etsy that are 'zakka' inspired. So I got out my notebook, made several sketches and did some freehand patterns.
I decided on - coasters (2 per set) and a cell phone case * I have other designs to make*. They were quite time consuming with much hand stitched details. I made myself a tester first of the coaster: it has fleece lining inside to absorb liquids, has embroidery and applique face details.

The cell case (above) fits many sized phones. Has soft natural flannel lining so as not to scratch phones. It closes with a ribbon loop and a large bright white button on the back. These are my own original designs and patterns I have tested and made. So please, do not copy them - but be inspired to create your very own unique ones! I spent a lot of time making these and really enjoyed learning how to applique. 

So I hope you are enjoying the start to August with cooler temperatures on the way. My new items should arrive in my Etsy shop soon enough. Thanks for stopping by! 

2nd G I V E A W A Y!

That's right, my 2nd Giveaway will be up soon! It is being held on my Facebook fan page (listed as CraftinessbyB). It has 5 items total from my etsy shop, one winner will get them all! Shipping is on me :D Here is a review of what I have up for grabs ~

Also going on is a big store wide S A L E in my etsy shop sewingB. Stop on over to my shop, place any sized order and receive 20% Off with this coupon code at checkout: BDAY20. It's in celebration of my July birthday! And as always, I offer *FREE* U.S. shipping!

Who wears short-shorts? Not me!

It's warm, summer approaches and... it's time for shorts! If you are anything like me, shorts can be a blessing or annoyance. They either make them in my size but too long or my size and way too short. I found some in a almost retro styling - high waist, looks like a short skirt, all cotton. Cute, comfy and almost perfect for summery weather. I found they hit so far up my leg, one wrong bend down to pick up something and "whoops!" I'd flash a stranger!
My solution? Add some length ~ with style! This is very easy and any beginner with a sewing machine can do this. Your supplies: some fabric (I used lace) with a scalloped edge, shorts to add length to, pins, ruler and chalk.

The shorts in question, both flowy knit

And here is the lace fabric of choice. I found these near the lace fabric & wedding fabric at my local JoAnn's. Most stores will have them and often they come on very wide rolls, so you won't need to purchase very much.

What you are seeing is the edges, they were scalloped and won't fray

I took my shorts and decided how much length to add to them. I used chalk and a ruler to mark the lace and where to pin it to the shorts leg opening. I actually layered my lace (like it looks above) so it would not be so sheer.

Here is the lace and my handy ruler

I pinned it around the hem of the shorts, perhaps 1 1/2"s from the bottom of hem. I used my machine to stitch it on, nothing fancy. I just matched the thread so it wouldn't be very visible.

Lace pinned to shorts

This is really a great solution to anything that is too short. I might even try this on shirts that are too short or sleeves I want to lengthen. 

Finished!

Ready to wear

the Flea Off Market of artisans

Over the weekend I attended my first craft/artisan fair in a long time. It is located downtown Louisville and called the 'Flea Off Market'. Sellers of a variety of goods can rent a space for the afternoon. It is held once every month during the spring and into late summer. I didn't have enough to rent my own space but my friends did - in fact, they kindly let me rent a part of their own space during the fair.

Welcome all to the coolest market around!

They had sellers of ~ fresh baked food, vegan snacks, vintage clothes & items, books & vinyls {records}, handmade goods and live music. My friends at Trivium Arts let me have a tiny table space in their booth. And it was tiny since most of my goods are quite small ~ but none the less, a big 'thank you very kindly!' to them for giving me a chance to sell at a fair again.

That's my wee spot, a few hung items and a homemade sign to greet people

The weather was cloudy and spots of rain through out most of the day. But still, the people came out to support handmade! I sold one item while there, a plush dolly named Polly. A little girl couldn't quite decide what goods of mine to take home. Her mom said just one, so she picked the largest item I had *laugh* 

The surrounding booths and cool crowd

I hadn't done a craft fair in several years. I don't think I displayed my small bagged items very well, I need to work on that. Plus my stuff didn't quite fit with the cool hipster crowd of shoppers. I mean, I loved the time spent there - awesome group of folks. But my stuff? All bright, pastels and cuteness didn't really fit the vibe. In the future I might try for smaller indoor fairs where my stuff might be better suited. 

My friend at Trivium Arts hand painted and handmade goods

So that was my big weekend out! I had a lot of fun, meet some great, talented people and spent time around other artisans & crafters. I hope more people are discovering their own local artists at craft fairs and markets. It's a great way to support local, meet new people and make new contacts (if you are selling things). 

To sew a travel sewing kit

Like that title? *laugh* Well a while back I think it was Zakka Inspired blog that had a really cute sewing kit mentioned. I remember asking Kat (the blogger and my distant crafty friend) about the kit and any tutorials she knew of. She shared this link for a DIY travel kit by Soap Deli News.

Image from Soap Deli News with permission from owner

You only need a few supplies for this DIY kit: felt, thread, fabric (if you want to mix it in) and the sewing supplies. You can easily make this as big or small as you'd like to fit your supplies. Below is my own version so you can see what I came up with.

My finished travel sewing kit, made with fat quarters fabric

Inside of my kit

I have a spot for pins and my scissors have a ribbon tie

A place for sewing needles, thimble and pocket for chalk

You can really go far with this simply design and have a lot of fun! You can do this by hand or machine. It's easy enough for beginners and those with experience can add more details. My kit gets a lot of use lately and really does travel well, so I'm happy to finally have one.