Heirloom Sewing - Christening Gown

Hi everyone! I've not posted much because I haven't been sewing much. But I'm starting to get the bug again. I still have the purse I started at Christmas time where I was going to make a series of videos, so I think I need to wrap that up. So that is coming up soon, and alongside that I really want to make this christening gown.

My grand baby is due on June 3rd. We're past the shower and my daughter is all ready for her little bundle to arrive (little does she know what it will really be like, she *thinks* she's ready).

Anyway, I'm considering making the christening gown and I just love the one pictured to the left. I found it on Ginger Snaps Designs website. It's going to be quite a challenge and I think I'm up for it.

Some of the skills I'll have to learn include:

• tucks or pintucks
• working with lace
• working with fine fabric

I'll keep you updated, at this point I need to get the pattern, fabric, lace and ribbon ordered and purchased. Once I get everything I'll post pics, I'm even considering a video.

Oh, one more thing, check out some of these finished christening gowns on the Ginger Snaps website, they are absolutely beautiful.  Ginger Snaps Christening Gown Trunk Show

Until next time,

Reba

Merry Christmas!

Christmas is finally here, well, almost...today is Christmas Eve but in our house we start Christmas in the evening of Christmas Eve.

Today will be a busy day. Our tradition is to have some kind of soup and appetizers for a late dinner. My poor hubby works for a large liquor store chain and they don't close their doors until 9:00 p.m. He left this morning at 8:00 a.m. and will be serving customers until they close their doors tonight, so we'll see him about 9:30. One of my daughters lives with us and she will be helping me today. The other, along with her hubby, will come over later, like 6 or 7 this evening.

Before we go anywhere to do some last minute shopping I want to make the soup. We chose Emeril's Tortilla Soup. It's a great recipe and will be delicious tonight. Brittany and I went to Whole Foods last night and picked up a ton of cheese and crackers. We also bought a wonderful baked brie that has cinnamon and walnut praline inside and is wrapped with pastry. We'll bake it tonight and serve it hot, it's sooooo good.

Tomorrow we're having Martha Stewart's Perfect Roast Chickens, another fabulous recipe. We're going to keep it simple with mashed potatoes for the gravy and fresh green beans. We have cheesecake for desert. And there's a ton of cookies, we have sugar, oatmeal, and we're baking some peanut butter today.

We're hoping to do a Skype video call with my hubby's family tonight if everything works out. Isn't it wonderful that families can share time face-to-face even when there's many miles between them. It's so cool.

Merry Christmas to all. And if you don't celebrate Christmas, I hope you have a Super Happy Holiday Season.

Somehow, not only for Christmas,
But all the long year through,
The joy that you give to others,
Is the joy that comes back to you.
And the more you spend in blessing,
The poor and lonely and sad,
The more of your heart's possessing,
Returns to you glad. 
- John Greenleaf Whittier

Until next time ~

Reba

Featured On Petite Hermine and Pinterest

To my surprise today, my Uptown Molly Sew-Along was featured at Petite Hermine! Jen at Petite Hermine has a nice site where she runs a linky party and features other artists. It was really nice to see Molly front and center ~ thank you Jen!

I also joined Pinterest today and OMG! A person can really get addicted. I couldn't believe it when I connected my Twitter account and all of a sudden I was following over 600 people! I don't quite have that many following me back yet but all day the emails flooded my inbox with people following back. Wow, I'm really going to find some cool stuff on there and will definitely write about it here. If you want to follow my pins, just click the logo over there on the right.

So anyway, I still don't have my computer back from the repair guy. He should bring it back tomorrow but then I'll have a ton of work reloading my programs and restoring my data. I'll get back on the and post as soon as I have everything done.

Until later ~

Reba

Do You Have Just One True Calling - Or Many?

Interesting article posted at Illuminated Mind today. It discusses how some people have many "true callings," not just one. Here's a link to the article, "Why Some of Us Don’t Have One True Calling (and Why We’re Better Off that Way)".

The article is interesting to me because it's true, we don't have just one true calling, in fact, I seriously doubt that many people at all have just one calling in life. For example, a person may be called to work with animals and become a vet, but they are also a friend, sister, mother, wife. They may love to sew and craft but also be really good at and love hosting fundraisers and volunteering at the children's hospital. How can you say that person's one true calling is to be a doctor for animals when it's only one aspect of that person's life?

Even though the article is well written, interesting, and makes you think, I don't agree with one point brought up by the author. She insinuates that a simple remark like, "what do you want  to be when you grow up?"  makes people think that they are not normal because they don't want to be or do just one thing. She says it's the beginning of a pattern that can cause a lot of pain and anxiety. I guess I don't understand her position because I think the desire to do many things, and different things at the various stages of our lives, is perfectly normal. In fact, there are way fewer people who only pursue one interest over their lifetime than those who pursue many.

God would not have created us to be such wonderful multifaceted brilliant creatures if he wanted us to be one-dimensional. The fact that we are able to have many interests at the same time, move from one project to another, or have several careers in our lifetimes, is amazing and people do it all the time. I feel so blessed to live in a country that allows, even encourages me, to pursue many interests and have never felt that I was abnormal or invisible because I'm interested in so much.

Later in the article there's some good and useful information about how to bring your multiple interests together in your business pursuit. And she closes with some great words about how having multiple interests makes you original and wonderful. But don't let that make you think that because you have multiple interests you are some how different, you're not, we all have multiple interests. What makes you original and wonderful are your multiple interests, everyone's are different, and THAT'S what makes you an original.

What makes YOU an original wonderful person? What are your multiple passions? 

I'll write about mine in a future post, I'd love to hear about yours in the comments below.

Until later ~

Reba

Finding Handbag Hardware

I'm having the hardest time finding the right hardware for my newest handbag pattern. I'm at the point in my design process where I'm ready to make a prototype out of real fabric. I've already made the pattern in muslin but didn't include the handle or add the hardware, as I didn't want to spend the time or money on the muslin piece. So, with that part of the design still in my head, my next step was to head down to JoAnn's to buy fabric and pick up the hardware, as JoAnns has a pretty good stock of handbag hardware.

After spending almost two hours picking my fabric (love it, love it, love it), I headed over to the handbag hardware aisle. I was confident I would find what I needed and really disappointed when it didn't pan out. What I thought would be an easy purchase became very difficult, very quickly. They had one piece I needed in the color I wanted, but then the clasp that would attach to it was way too small. So I looked for a larger one, they had the larger one but not in the color metal I wanted. And even if I changed the color, they didn't have the first piece in other color. I started thinking to myself, "are you serious?". So I put everything back on the shelf and decided that I'd make the hardware purchase on the internet.

The next day I started looking on the internet even though I wasn't completely sure that was the road I wanted to take. I was trying to consider the person who will buy my pattern, do I really want to sell a pattern that requires my customer to search the internet for the needed hardware? Not really, but I decided to take a look anyway.

You know what? There's not much to be found on the internet either. I found some suppliers on Etsy and Ebay but none of them had exactly what I wanted. I even stopped by Michael's to see if they had anything - nope. You think maybe I should check out Lowe's or Home Depot? I'm starting to think that maybe I'll go into the purse hardware business, or at least offer for sale the hardware that I use on my purses. That's definitely a consideration for the future. So anyway, I was back to the drawing board AGAIN. I needed to find a new way to attach the handle to my bag.

Last night I took the purse I made from muslin, stuffed it with towels, and stared at it for a while. I was trying to envision a new way to design the handle. Actually, I think I was greiving the loss of the original design and I had no idea how to change it without starting completely over. This morning I decided to look at pictures of purses to see if I could find some inspiration and I think I found it. I came up with a new way to attach the handle. It still requires hardware but I think it's hardware that I can easily find at Joann's (we'll see)...and it maintains my original vision with just a little more work than before.

Wow, who knew handbag hardware was so hard to find? Have you had trouble finding just the right piece of hardware to finish a handbag you were making? Do you know of any great places to buy purse hardware? Do you think it would be a good business decision for me to consider selling handbag hardware in the future? Post a comment, I'd love to hear what you think.

I'm going to be working on my prototype this weekend. Hopefully I'll have something to show you soon.

Until later ~

Reba

Back To The Drawing Board

I had to go back to the drawing board with the new pattern I'm creating. It looks totally different when you make it with fabric than it did on paper. The measurements I thought would be perfect needed to be tweeked quite a bit. When I made the pattern in Illustrator, I made a curve the way I knew how, turns out, that curve was really hard to sew. I spent all Saturday afternoon making the curve softer and reworking all the measurements. This evening I made it in muslin for the second time - finally, it's starting to look good. I still need to tweek it a little more but for the most part, I'm rockin' and rollin'.

Next I'll have to work on the lining pattern and then the straps. But it's really starting to take shape! I'm so excited, can't wait to make it in REAL fabric, it always looks so different with all the interfacing and contrasting colors.

I also need to get busy with another project. Pellon Project emailed me last week and asked me to put a project on their site. I think I'm going to come up with a simple tutorial for a credit card holder. As long as I use their product, the project can on on their site. I think it's a great opportunity for me to get my name out there.

Lastly, I recently signed up for an advertising package at Indie Biz Chicks' website. I need to get busy getting the advertising materials ready. I have a deadline of mid-October but I don't like waiting until the last minute. I'm so excited to see my little business starting to gain some momentum.

Speaking of my business growing, yesterday was quite a day for the R.Kay Design website. About 9:00 a.m. I thought I'd check my AWeber stats (that's the email service company that handles my mailing list) to make sure the weekly update went out as scheduled and noticed a BUNCH of new subscriptions. I mean, it was 10 times the number I'd been getting on most days. I thought there was some kind of error! So I checked the blog stats and saw that www.sewforum.com had a link that people were clicking. I checked it out and low and behold, the admin the had posted a link to my Molly Handbag Patten and all those new sign-ups were coming from that link. Amazing what a well placed link can do for a business! Thanks Sew Forum! And by the way, Sew Forum seems to be a great forum for discussing and showing off everything sewing, I recommend you check it out for yourself. It's hosted by www.AllBrands.com, an online sewing machine dealer.

Thanks to everyone who has helped me along and here's to a long relationship. I love creating! One day it will be my fulltime job! You'll see, it will happen!

Until later ~

Reba

Molly Handbag Dressed in Leather

I have a good friend that loves to sew as much as I do. We work together in our day jobs and whenever we talk during the day it's always about sewing, decorating our houses, and kittys. But sewing is always top of the list. She was the person who inspired me to start sewing again, so anyone who reads this blog, buys one of my items on Etsy, or downloads one of my patterns, has her to thank.

When I finished the Molly Handbag Pattern, I showed it to her. I didn't really want to bother her by asking her to critique or test it, but she seemed interested in seeing it, so I gave her a copy. Immediately she gave me ideas that will make it and all my future patterns better. Her first suggestion was to include a cover with a photo of the finished product so that immediately the person using it would know what they were making. I already knew that I was going to design a cover to use for advertising it but didn't even consider adding it to the pattern PDF file. It was a great suggestion, so now it's added as part of the PDF.

Her other suggestion was to move the print to the right just a bit so if someone wanted to put it in a binder, they wouldn't punch holes in the pictures and text. Another great suggestion, but it was too late for Molly, it would just take too long to redo the layout. But I will definitely incorporate a left-side binding margin in my next pattern.

After her initial look at the pattern, she started thinking about making one. She's a very creative person and has tons of ideas for enhancing the basic pattern. She's thinking about using leather handles, leather corners, and making the coordinating top band out of leather. What a fabulous make-over for Molly! I think adding a strip of leather piping just under the ruffle would be beautiful as well.

I was already considering making the entire handbag in leather but I think my friend's ideas would make Molly even prettier than if she were done in all leather. I've never sewn with leather and I have a lot to learn. Wrapping the corners in leather has me baffled right now as I haven't sat down to figure it out. Maybe my good friend will teach me how to do that. I really hope she goes forward with her ideas, and maybe, just maybe, she will let me post a photo when it's done. We'll see and I'll let you know.

Till later ~

Reba

Should I Change The Name of This Blog?

I just found are really good resource for bloggers new and old (people who have been blogging for a long time, not old people). It's called Business2Blogger at www.business2blogger.com. There I read in a couple of different articles that bloggers should use an easy to remember name and it should be a regular name, like, not with blogspot in it.

REALLY GREAT SITE!!

I used to own the nikkiraes.com domain name at one time a while back. I made it up, it's a combo of my two daughter's middle names, one Nicole and the other Rae. I had a website there for a while and then later after I took down the website, I was going to keep it for the email and access to my web hosting account. I just liked it because it was mine, I'd had it since 2003, and it was my daughters' names. But, to my regret, I forgot about it and missed seeing the renewal notice. I accidentally lost it because I didn't renew. Boo! I was mad at myself for letting that happen, but it happened and there was nothing I could do about it.

Anyway, when I started this blog I wasn't sure what I wanted to do with it. Since NikkiRae's was available under blogspot, I went ahead and used it, but why? It doesn't represent anything other than the story above and even after talking to one of my daughters about it, she thought I should dump it.

That day, after the convo with my daughter, I went home and registered RKayDesign.com. That's my name and I'm the designer, seamstress, person doing all this writing...

So, do you think I should change the name of my blog? The Blogger platform will let me change it and it will even forward everything to that domain name, it says in the Blogger set-up that I shouldn't lose any followers. What do you think? Should I change it to www.rkaydesign.com?

Please let me know what you think. Your opinions are important to me.

Reba

Inspiration - Where Does It Come From

Everyday, everywhere, your day is filled with visual input. As you drive down the street to go to work, walk your dog through the neighborhood, surf the internet, watch TV, or have a vivid dream at night, there are millions of things you see everyday. Some of these items are so routine, you don't even notice them. Others are so horrific, you don't want to notice them. Some are so beautiful you can't forget them. And still others are so unique you want them to part of your life.

Inspiration comes from anywhere you let it. Shapes, colors, patterns, feelings, all give inspiration if you let it in. When creating handmade items, inspiration is not copying another item, inspiration is seeing another item and transferring the lines or feeling of that item to what you're making. For example, I wrote in a past post about how, in church one Sunday, I noticed all the young girls had ruffles on their clothing. That inspired me to use a ruffle on the purse pattern I was going to make. I didn't copy a single item, but I incorporated a feature of the items I saw into my project, in my own way.

Likewise a feeling can be inspirational. A visit to a quaint town while on vacation might inspire you to add a touch of whimsy to the next item you make, where before, nothing you made was whimsical. Love and pain often inspires songwriters and it could inspire you as well. What do you think of when you think about being head over heels in love, the image created in your head may have a line, color, or words that could be used in your next project.

At the end of the day, we have so much to inspire us but we must open our eyes and be mindful of our surroundings and feelings.Take notice each and every day and let the beauty of simple things enter your heart.  Your creations will naturally take on the beauty of what inspires you and you'll never run out of new ideas.

P.S. A dress I saw on TV the other night has become the inspiration for my next purse pattern! I sketched it out this morning, I didn't want to forget my thoughts. Whenever an inspiration sparks an idea for a future creation, be sure to write it down or sketch it out right away as ideas can be fleeting. Keep a notebook with you at all times, stop make notes, sketches, etc. when it happens as you don't want to forget what it was that gave you your inspiration.

Are there certain things that inspire your creations? Are there places you go, things you do, items you look for to give you inspirational input? Comment below and let's discuss!

Until later ~

Reba

Blog Mission Statement - Distilled

Yesterday I shared my story and talked a little about what I want to do with this blog. It was a long story and I hope some of you took the time to read it. Now I need to distill the information and formulate a blog mission statement for Nikki Rae's. This isn't an easy task, how do you take so much information and restate it in just 2 or 3 sentences?

Well, here's what I came up with.

======================================

Nikki Rae's new blog mission statement:

Nikki Rae's is a blog that I write for those who love to sew purses, handbags, and similar items and then sell them on Etsy. Nikki Rae's readers will enjoy all kinds of information about sewing purses and handbags as well as info that I learn as I build my own Etsy business. The community that forms will enjoy sewing tutorials, sneak peeks of new patterns, give-aways, reviews and discussions of other designer's patterns, sew-alongs, and general sewing room talk. I'll give insights into what inspires me, troubles me, challenges me, and fills me with joy while sharing my goals, sewing tips, business tips, people I admire, and stories about doing what it takes to make a fulltime living creating the things I love. I want all my readers to share the joy I feel in knowing that others find pleasure in sewing the designs I create.

Come join me in my journey to creating a business that supports me into my retirement and learn a little, laugh a little, and maybe even cry a little along the way. I'd love to have you along for the ride while I share my experiences.

======================================

So? What do you think? How can I improve it? What do you like about? What do you hate about it? Let me know!

Reba

Nikki Rae's - Blog Mission and a Little About Reba

Today I was trying to figure out how I'm going to keep this blog alive as I'm finding it hard to find time and inspiration to write. As I was surfing around on Twitter and some blogs, I came across an ad for a book for artists and crafters on how to stay inspired to write for your blog by Tara Gentile. I decided it would be in my best interest to buy it.

I haven't made it through the entire book but what I've read so far is very good, so I decided to start following her advise. She writes that I should develop a mission for my blog and in order to write that mission, I need to answer a few questions.

Well, I answered those questions and I ended up writing a story, my story. I still need to distill it down to just a sentence or two, but I thought you might want to read the story. So, I'm going to tell you a little about myself, what fuels my passion for sewing and designing, what inspires me, and what I hope my customers will gain by reading my blog and buying the handmade items I make and design.

I started sewing when I was 12 years old. I had always been not only creative but also industrious. I was raised by my grandparents and when I was about nine I learned that you could check books out at the library. I used to get my grandma to take me to the library so I could check out how-to craft books. I did all kinds of crafts on our kitchen table. I'd read how to do it in the book, and then do whatever my chosen project was that week. Depending on the week you might find me making a paper mache statue or changing the color of a shirt by dying it in the sink.

My grandma's sewing machine sat just on the other side of the wall where I sat at the kitchen table doing all this. I asked her many times if I could use her sewing machine and the answer was always no. It was a Sears sewing machine and was in a cabinet where it dropped down and the leaf folded over the top of the cabinet. She kept her wooden box of silver place settings on top of it. I often climbed on top of it so I could jump off. No wonder she wouldn't let me use it.

Then when I was 12 she finally let me use it after I came home from Kress with a pattern and fabric to make a peasant blouse. A friend who's mother was teaching her how to sew took me to the store and showed me what to buy and how to buy it. It was a Simplicity Super Easy Peasant Blouse with raglan sleeves that had elastic around the neck and sleeves.

My grandmother didn't teach me how to sew, either she had no interest or she didn't know enough to teach me, but I had plenty of experience in teaching myself how to do things. Sewing quickly became my favorite pastime and I made a lot of my own clothes when I was in junior high.

Once I hit high school I found a lot of other things I wanted to do rather than sew, so the sewing machine sat still. After graduation I got married, then kids, and work, and you know...no time to sew except the occasional Halloween costume. Before I knew it, 30 years had past!

Recently I decided to buy a new sewing machine and start sewing again. I couldn't be happier that I did. Clothing doesn't interest me much, too many alterations for sizing and getting it to fit properly, so I decided to make home decor items. We just moved into an older home and renovated the entire house. Our home needed things like curtains.

After making a few home dec items I got bored. So I tried my hand at making some IPad covers for my daughters. I was hooked. They were easy and quick to make and I could make changes to the patterns to make all kinds of variation. Soon I made Kindle covers and then I moved on to purses and handbags. I absolutely LOVE making these things. I can create new designs, make them quickly, other people love them, and I don't have to worry whether or not they fit!

I recently decided to create my own design and make a pattern for a handbag. I'm currently working on turning it into a written/picture tutorial to sell on Etsy. The process is amazing. I love creating the design, sewing the prototypes, and using my computer skills (I worked as a graphic designer for about 10 years) to make the pattern and write-up the tutorial. Doing this type of work to earn a living would be an absolute dream, so I spend most of my spare time working on make bags and creating patterns. But my spare time is limited because I work a full-time job in middle management for an oilfield services company.

You might wonder where I find my inspiration. Well, I'm really not sure where it comes from. I suppose it comes from different places. For instance, the inspiration for the purse pattern I'm working on right now came one Sunday at church. I noticed that a lot of the teens were wearing ruffles. They had ruffles on their skirts, ruffles on their blouses, ruffles on their purses, and ruffles in their hair. I knew at that moment I wanted to design a purse with a ruffle.

So, why do I write this blog? I write because I want the people who purchase my handmade purses and patterns to not only get a beautiful purse or a pattern to make a beautiful purse, but have the opportunity to know the person who created it. I'd like them to know a little about the process of making the item or what inspired it's design. I'd like them to know me.

I want that person to know that they make a difference in my life when they make a purchase from me. They not only help me get a little closer to my dream of making a living by creating when they buy my handmade item, but they also bring me tremendous joy to know that they liked my creation enough to make it a part of their life.

Creating a Blog Schedule For Your Knitting Or Craft Blog

Since I've been working on my pattern during all my free time, I haven't had much time to post here on Nikki Rae's. I thought it would be a good idea to post an article or two while I'm finishing up the pattern, so I went to my favorite article directory, Lady Pens, and found an article I thought you would like.

Since most of you have blogs, I thought this article about creating a blog schedule was appropriate. It's mostly about creating it for a knitting blog but the concept could easily be adapted for a sewing blog, mommy blog, craft blog, or any blog for that matter.

Maybe I should follow this advice, I don't seem to be doing a very good job of writing regularly. The days just seem to pass so quickly and before I know it, haven't written in a while.

How do you manage your blog? Do you use a schedule? How often do you post? I'd love to hear your feedback in the comment section! And feel free to follow - I love followers!

Enjoy!

Creating a Blog Schedule For Your Knitting Or Craft Blog

By Loretta Oliver

Whether you’ve been blogging for a long time now or you’re completely new to blogging one thing that can really help focus your efforts and make things less stressful is to create a basic blogging schedule. This way you know what you’re going to write about ahead of time, or at least have a basic idea. It also helps your readers to know what to expect and when.

A lot of bloggers create their blog schedule by days of the week, Monday Mindbenders, Tuesday Teasers, etcetera. You get the idea. We’re going to create a sample blog schedule for a knitting blog. I admit that I am not a knitter by trade, I just can’t master the whole two needles thing, so if I use an incorrect term please correct me. Let’s start our week on Monday and go from there.

Monday Machine Knitting: On this day you could write about the differences between machine knitting versus hand knitting, pros, cons, patterns, and so forth. Some great tutorial topics would be how to convert a hand knitting pattern into a machine knitting pattern and how to work in rounds on a knitting machine. There are also a lot of one day projects out there for machine knitting, like making a sweater in one day. You could review different machine knitting patterns, projects and accessories.

Tuesday Twos: Get it? Knit one, purl two? Okay, so maybe I’m not as witty as I think I am, but you get the idea. You’re looking for a daily theme that you can easily write about. This could be patterns, frustrations, whatever comes up when you’re knitting. Of course, knitting is just the example here, the same goes for any craft or really any topic at all, books, movies, cooking, collectibles, whatever your site is about.

Wednesday WIPs: If you’re wondering WIP stands for work(s) in progress. So, sticking with our knitting example this would be whatever projects you are currently working on. Share pictures, talk about mistakes you might have made while going through the pattern, share a tip about the project..

Most importantly get your readers involved, ask them what they think and ask them to share what they are working on as well. You’ll be surprised how many will blog about what they’re doing also and include a link back to your blog post talking about works in progress. It really builds that community feeling even more.

Thursday Threads: Product reviews could go on this day. Talk about that awesome luxurious new wool you just bought, or the shiny new needles. Again, if you’ve got an affiliate link throw that in there and all the better.

Friday Free Patterns: Here is another opportunity to talk about products that you’re using and the free patterns that you’ve found on the internet. The nice thing about free patterns is that they free us up to splurge a little more on the supplies. Tell your readers about the great hand dyed yarn you bought to stitch that scarf.
Even better if you create your own patterns and share them with your readers. You’ll find yourself with a following of fans in no time at all.

Saturday Scarves and Socks: I couldn’t think of an S word to go with the knitting category, so I threw in the scarves and socks, because everyone always seems to be knitting one or the other at any given moment. I personally wish that I could knit, just so I could make some of the great sock patterns I’ve seen on the internet.

Sunday Wild Cards: I like to leave Sunday as a wild card day where I might or might not blog. If I do then I just go off the top of my head.

Now, you’ve got a basic outline to follow each and every week. Of course, if something doesn’t apply one week you don’t have to stick to the outline, write what’s applicable when it’s fresh.

Also, don’t be afraid to send out more than one post per day. Let’s say you’ve already written your usual Wednesday post, and then your favorite knitting shop sends out an email for a one day only sale and you want to blog about it and shout it from the rooftops. Don’t hold back on that, go for it. It’s relevant, your readers are going to love it, and if you’ve got an affiliate link for that particular shop it’s even better.

If you’re just getting started as a craft blogger or want to get started check out How to Start a Craft Blog for Fun and Profit. It’s a great guide that can give a nice boost to anyone looking to make a go of blogging professionally in the craft niche. Get started today! It’s easier than you might think.

This article was written by:
Loretta Oliver owns the cross stitch site Stitching the Night Away  and authors a popular craft blog on a subdomain of the site featuring product reviews, project ideas, and various crafty features on a daily basis.
Happy Crafting!

Molly All Grown Up

I finished sewing the final version of Molly and it turned out great. Adding two inches to the bottom and making the strap thinner really makes her look larger. I also added the button loop option which adds interest to the front of the purse but it's just an option, as the magnetic close will also be an option in the pattern. You can see the first version of Molly in my last post, it's cute too and I might leave it as a second version in my pattern.

I will be placing this bag for sale on Etsy tonight or tomorrow. I hope to have a lot of interest and even more interest in the pattern when it's ready.

I still have a lot of work to do on the pattern as it's not just a pattern but also a tutorial. So far I've written up the instructions for cutting it out and fusing the interfacing. I'm hoping to finish the sewing instructions this week. Then I'm going to give away a number of them in hopes of getting some feedback or a review in return. I really want to make the pattern the best it can be and I think feedback will help a lot. If you have interest in receiving this pattern for free in return for feedback or a review, please follow my blog. I will announce the give-away here. I only plan to give away a certain number and haven't yet decided how many, but the give-away will be limited, so please follow so you can be notified.

Here are a couple more pics:

  

Until later ~

Reba

Introducing Molly! My New Purse Design

Designing a purse is harder than I thought it would be. Not so much dreaming up how it will look, but first making the pattern on paper, then sewing it multiple times until it's perfect. And that's just to start, I haven't even started writing the cutting and sewing instructions. Anyway, that explains my absence from my blog, I've been WORKING!!

To the left you will find Molly. Molly is my new creation, but not the final design. Even though it turned out really, really cute, there are still more adjustments I'm making to the pattern before I put it on the market.

First, I think I want to make it bigger and I also make the strap a little bit thinner. I also think I want to give the option to use a button loop instead of a magnetic closure. These are all adjustments where I need to go back to my pattern, make changes, and then test it by making another...which I am in the process of doing now.

Once I'm finally finished, I'm going to give the pattern to a few readers to beta test in return for a review. I want the pattern to be correct and make sure others can understand it before I put it on the market. So stay tuned...and follow here on my blog...I'll announce here when I'm ready for the give away. 

In the meantime I thought I'd show you this cute little darling. It'll be for sale on Etsy soon but if you're interested in purchasing, just let me know. It'll save me the time of listing it. I'm letting it go for somewhere near my cost $20 plus shipping.

Molly has a magnetic closure, inside zip pocket, plastic grid re-enforced bottom, and metal feet. Made of cotton, all pieces are reinforced with fused woven interfacing or fused fleece interfacing. The bottom measures 10-1/2" X 4" and stands 8" tall. The strap is 2" wide and 28" long. There's tons of room inside even though it's small on the outside.

There is one flaw, the feet are not evenly spaced...I don't know what I did...I must have spaced out when I was putting them on. But it's a great deal and who looks at the bottom of your purse? All four feet are there and they work to keep the bottom off the surface of where you sit it.

Here are a couple more pics, click on them and they will enlarge:

Until later ~

Reba

Making A Pattern

I feel like I've been absent, no new projects to show, no sewing techniques to teach. I've been working on making a purse pattern and it's not as easy as I thought it would be.

I first drew my idea on paper with the measurements I THOUGHT I wanted. Then I used Adobe Illustrator to draw the pattern. That wasn't too hard except that I haven't used Illustrator in several years and my skills are rusty, but I worked through it. Next I was off to make a prototype out of muslin.

That's where I found my problems. Until you actually see it all put together, it's hard to visualize. It was too wide so when I put it on my shoulder, the middle drooped. Also the strap was too wide and the ruffle was too big.

Back to the pattern and Illustrator.

I ended up making three prototypes and I think I finally got a good pattern. Now I need to make a couple of REAL purses with it. I plan to give several options so the person making the purse has some choices as to how they want it to look.

So, I have some purse making to do. I'm glad I have a three day weekend coming up. My hubby has to work on July 4th so that will be a sewing day for me, yay!!! I love to sew!

I'll show you what I'm up as I start creating.

Until later ~

Reba

Sewing A Curve

When I was making the Wavy Zip Top Tote designed by Bethany Rapp of Sweet Bee Buzzings, I thought it might be helpful for you to see detail of how I sewed the curve, so I took pics.

First, notice that the band and the main piece both were cut with the same curve. I was tempted to place the right sides together matching the curves. Not all curves will have cuts that are the same but for this project I could have easily goofed up. Had I done that, instead of the pretty wave between the main piece and the band that lays flat, I would have gotten a pooch that either pooched in or out.

Instead, as Bethany explains in her instructions, lay both pieces on the table like a puzzle, side by side as if they were already sewn. Then turn the top piece over onto the main piece. The curves will be opposite of each other almost leading you to believe that there is no way they can be sewn together.

Well think again, they can go together, you just have make it happen. When I was sewing this tote, I marked the middle of both pieces with a pin by folding them in half and putting a pin on the fold. I then matched the pins together and pinned the two pieces together at that point and worked outward, one side and then starting in the middle again working outward to the other end.

You just match the fabric and pin, then move a little along the fabric matching and pinning. You will need to manipulate the fabric with your fingers somewhat. Use lots of pins.

Then, it's a little hard to sew. The fabric will want to pleat in some places especially where there are tight curves. You just have to work it with your fingers and go slow. If it should pleat, just continue on to the end. Then go back and rip out the portion with the pleat with your seam ripper and resew it.

After sewing - clip the curves. This will help it lay flat and take away stress on the seam making it stronger.

Most items you'll sew that have a curve will look good with a topstitch and that will hold the seam down on the inside and help the curve to lay flat. Before topstitching, iron the seam to the side where the topstitching will go. Then the topstitching will hold the seam flat. Sorry, forgot to get a pic for that.

Good luck with your project.

Until later ~

Reba

Purse Sew-Along Finished!

I finished the purse I was making for the Sew-Along over at Sweet Bee Buzzings and it really turned out great. I wanted to go ahead and post the finished product before I talked about how I made it because I want to get it on my blog and ready for the linky parties this week.

Bethany at Sweet Bee Buzzings did such a great job on the pattern and instructions. I want to thank her being so generous to share her design and time to walk those who followed through all the steps.

If you are interested in making this wonderful purse you can find links to the pattern and all the instructions at the link below:


Sweet Bee Buzzings - The Wavy Top Tote Sew Along

You'll see it on Etsy really soon!

Until later ~

Reba

Topstitching

I remove the pins as I sew.

I mentioned in my post this morning that I wanted to do a post about topstitching. Topstitching is not easy for me, it seems the slower I go the more I get off track. But going fast doesn't help either! So, I had to find a way to help me make the line straight.

Most of you can probably use the methods shown in Wendi Gratz's very good video tutorial and do just fine, so I thought I would give you a link to that tutorial on her website, Shiny Happy World. She shows you how to have the edge of your fabric follow the edge of your presser foot or to place blue painter's tape on your machine so you have a line to feed the edge of your fabric against. Very good information as is all the tutorials found on her site.

Satin Stitch Foot

Use the edge to guide the edge of your fabric.

However, then there are those who still can't get it straight, like me. So I found another way. I happened on this only because my sewing machine came with a satin stitch foot.  Take a look at my photos, I hope you can see what I'm talking about. Down the center of the bottom side of the foot there is a tunnel. Basically there are two strips of metal on each side of the foot that run parallel with the stitch. These metal strips rest on the fabric leaving the center of the foot hollow. This creates a tunnel for the satin stitch to run through.

The edge of each piece of metal is 1/8th inch from the needle on both sides. I use that edge to run the edge of my fabric against and the stitch goes exactly 1/8th inch from the edge. It works perfectly, I hardly have to guide the fabric at all and I get perfectly straight topstitching.

My machine is a low shank presser foot and the different feet just snap on and snap off. Easy as pie. I trade feet back and forth constantly changing to the correct foot as needed.

If you have a satin stitch presser foot, give it a try.

Until later ~

Reba

Purse Sew-Along Progress

I was able to work for a couple of hours on my Sweet Bee Buzzings purse sew-along last night. I finished Part 1 and got about half-way through Part 2. I feel really behind as I noticed Bethany (our leader) has already posted Part 3. But I'll catch-up this weekend, promise.

While sewing last night I took lots of pictures of how to do "the wave" at the top of the purse and thought I might add a little more about how to do it. For anyone who is just starting to sew, this may be a new technique, so I'll do a post tonight or in the morning on just that.

I also want to share my secret on making your top-stitching straight. It may not be text book sewing technique but it sure works for me. I'll do a post on that sometime this weekend.

For now, I've got to go to work. It's Friday and I can wear jeans - YAY! The small stuff really excites me huh? So...

Until later ~

Reba

The Interfacing is Fused - Ready to Sew

Fusible side of interfacing on wrong side of fabric

I'm still working on the "Sew Along" over at Sweet Bee Buzzings. Bethany posted instructions yesterday but I didn't get a chance to work on it yesterday. Here's a link to Part 1. I worked for about 1-1/2 hours tonight and got all the interfacing fused to the cut-out pieces, as well as pinning the loop straps and shoulder straps. I'm ready to sew but I'll save that for tomorrow. It's hard to work at my full-time job all day and then spend too many hours sewing - I'm tired!

Bethany didn't say much about using interfacing so I thought I'd fill-in. I just started making purses and even though I've been sewing for years, I didn't know what kind of interfacing to use when I made my first purse. That's where Amy Butler's Style Stitches book was very good. She not only tells you what kind of interfacing to use, she gives you the manufacturer and the stock number so you know you have the right stuff.

After using several kinds of interfacing for both my purses and my Kindle covers, I've learned a lot. For this purse I'm using fusible WOVEN interfacing by Pellon - Shape Flex SF-101. It's 20" wide and when you buy it you'll see that it's not folded in half like the fabrics. I purchased mine at JoAnn's and it's $4.99 a yard.

Woven interfacing is perfect for purses as it's woven like fabric so it moves like fabric. It's not too heavy but gives your fabric a heaviness that purses need. It makes them feel like they have quality without making it stiff.

The fusible fleece I purchased is fusible Pellon Thermolam. Again, JoAnn's and it cost $8.99 a yard, yeah, I know, not cheap. It is 54" wide so it's actually cheaper per square foot than the woven interfacing. Both types of interfacings are essential in making your purse look good.

Hold iron for a 10-count. Press cloth should be dry.

When fusing the interfacing to your cut pieces, use a wet piece of quilting cotton as a press cloth. Place the fusible side of the interfacing to the wrong side of your fabric with the interfacing on top. Place the wet press cloth on top of that. Heat your iron to the hottest steam setting and place it on top of the wet press cloth while you count to 10 slowly. Move the iron to a new spot overlapping the old spot, count to 10, repeat. When you have gone over the entire piece, turn it over and press it on the right side of the fabric from the middle out to the outer edges.

When you're pressing, the press cloth should be dry after the 10 count. If it's not dry, you may need to hold the iron a few seconds longer. Be sure to cover the entire pattern piece especially the edges. Be patient, this is not a fast process but it really makes a huge difference in how your purse turns out. Like I said above, all I did tonight was fuse the interfacings and I worked on it for 90 minutes. Never even stitched a stitch and I was tired...of standing at the ironing board.

I'll report back tomorrow. I'm going to try to get through Bethany's first day post and maybe get caught up with her on Thursday.

Until later ~

Reba