Sew Darn Cute

Sneak Peek

So...guess what went to press a little over a week ago? Yep, my book! You're looking at the cover right now. The word "HOORAY!" is just not enough. A hearty "PHEW!" is definitely in order, though! I've been spending the days since it was sent to the printer catching up on everything else that went by the wayside while I was working. It's a long, long list, topped with things like Spring Cleaning (um, it's July) and purging my craft room (a de-stashing sale on Etsy may be in order, stay tuned). The wheels are in motion for the next Felt Club event as well, which you'll be hearing more about later this month. I did manage to fit in a weekend trip up to San Francisco with my pals Cathy and Tootie, which I'll share details about over the next few days.

I want to thank every one of you for all the comments and e-mails asking about the book and sharing your excitement. It's been the fuel that kept me going through the entire process. I really hope you'll end up enjoying the book as much as I do! It will be out in January 2009, though I'll get advance copies in October. Once I get the go-ahead to share more projects from inside, you'll be the first to know! For now, here's a look at the back cover, featuring quotes from two of my favorite ladies ever, Kathy Cano-Murillo (aka the Crafty Chica) and Jenny Hart of Sublime Stitching. Yeah, I pretty much couldn't be more thrilled!

Now It Can Be Told

This is an old drawing Ivan Brunetti did of me, which I thought would be very appropriate for me to post today... because I'm writing a book! I've hinted in the past that I had some top secret projects in the works, and this was one of them. I just got the go-ahead to let the world know that next winter, you'll be able to buy a copy of Sew Darn Cute: 25 Sweet & Simple Projects to Sew & Embellish, published by St. Martin's Press. The book will contain a variety of fresh and playful patterns for beginning and experienced stitchers alike—including patterns for several items I used to sell on my website, like cupcake totes, layer cake pouches, and crochet hook cozies. I'm so excited to finally be able to share this news, and even more excited to share these projects. In short...wahoo!

Yay (and Phew)

Above is a (not so great) photo of my latest batch of crochet hook cozies, which I completed last weekend. Yesterday I packed them and a ton of other stuff up and spent 45 minutes at the post office mailing everything out. Now I'm D-O-N-E done! There are no more orders waiting to be shipped out, I can finally breathe. It's such a huge relief to be finished with it all, though I did get sort of wistful all over again about closing my shop. I really do believe it was the best thing to do considering everything else I have going on right now—and I'm excited to craft for myself again—but it was an odd thing to be addressing a big stack of parcels for the last time. Anyway, if you were waiting on an order from SewDarnCute, it should be arriving soon, so keep an eye out! Here are the zip codes I sent packages to (maybe yours is among them?): 48336, 95465, 02655, 90042, 63122, 20190, 94560, 94301, 60505, 75052, 60647, 20712, 60506, 20906, 50010, 91205, 55123, 46986, 60622.

And now that the going-out-of-business maelstrom is over, I can work on deep-cleaning and reorganizing my studio—I have new shelves to put up, fun paint-by-number woodland paintings to hang, and lots of fabrics to fold and stack. I actually love doing that sort of organizing/cleaning and am looking forward to the "clean slate" feeling it will bring. With everything this Fall has in store (Maker Faire, Felt Club, the holidays, etc.), it's exactly what I need right now. Speaking of Maker Faire, I'm going to teach two crafty demonstrations while I'm there: pumpkin pincushions and charm jewelry. I may also be giving a talk about starting a crafty business. Most of my time will be spent in the CRAFT area and/or the Maker Store, so if you're in Austin on October 20 or 21, please come by and say hello!

Last Chance

Today (Friday, September 14) is the very last day to place an order at SewDarnCute. I'll be closing ordering at midnight tonight. This blog will eventually take up residence at that URL and I'll continue to post all manner of craft projects and fun ramblings there. Thanks so much for the outpouring of love and support, you guys are fantastic. Thanks for helping spread the word about the closing sale, too. I hope you'll stick with me through my various other upcoming ventures, I promise it will be worth it. :)

Five Years

Well, it was about time I made it formal! I've been running my crafty website, SewDarnCute, for five years and it's been a blast. I've met so many wonderful people and have learned so much in that time, of course it's sad to say goodbye. But the truth is, I've just grown so busy with other projects (such as writing, event planning, and attempting to have an actual life) that something's got to give—and this is it. Naturally I won't stop crafting, I could never ever stop crafting! I'll just be crafting for my own enjoyment from now on, as opposed to rushing to create stock for a craft show or the holiday season rush. I think it will be a refreshing change for me (and for my neighbors, who have spent countless hours listening to my vintage Singer cranking out handbags at 3 o'clock in the morning).

Many, many thanks to everyone who has shown their support and interest in my site over the last several years. You rock, and I hope you'll keep in touch with me via this blog.

Psst!

Here's a little special I'm letting you guys in on...I'm offering free shipping (and gift wrapping) 'til April 30! It's my Mother's Day treat to all the daughters (and sons) out there who might want to snag something for their Mom from my site. The free shipping offer only lasts 'til the 30th, but you can still get a gift to Mom in time as long as you order by May 4 (it just won't be free to ship once the deal ends). Enjoy!

Spring Update

The Spring Update is complete! Click the image above to see it larger, or click here to check out the fun new products over at SewDarnCute.

Coming later this week: more needle-felted fun!

Linen Pocket Totes

Here's a sneak peek at some new Linen Pocket Totes I've been making, which will be part of tomorrow's site update. I'm really happy with how these came out and can't wait to make one for myself!

The totes are sturdy, sweet and roomy, made from a combination of natural-colored linen and vintage sheets. The straps are made from sheets as well, and the front has a fully lined patchwork pocket with rickrack scallop trim and a candy-colored snap.

The lining features yet another vintage sheet fabric (you may remember it from late last week!), a zippered pocket for your wallet/lipgloss/etc., a snap closure, plus a sweet ribbon loop you can clip your keychain to.

Hope you guys like these as much as I do! There are more photos in my Flickr.

Aw, sheet!

...The vintage sheet love continues! I scored these lovely pillowcases and sheets last Thursday, while thrifting with my friend Susan. Expect to see them showing up on bags and fabric bracelets soon! Speaking of which, I'm planning a small website update on Wednesday, April 18. I'll be adding these fun bags:

as well as some Snappy Fabric Bracelets:

...along with a few other swell surprises. I'll be sure to make a post once they're up. (You can also join my mailing list via my homepage.)

Welp, I've got cupcakes to bake and presents to wrap (plus a really wonderful art opening to attend) today, so off I go...have a great weekend!

Spring Fever

Apologies to anyone dealing with windchill and snow these days, but here in sunny Silver Lake, things have been downright lovely. A little on the hot side last week, but today it's breezy and mid-70s...pretty much perfect! Like true nerds, Johnny and I celebrated by staying in most of the day (barring an early morning run to Michaels and Whole Foods) and making crafts together while listening to David Bowie. (At least we had the windows wide open!) Anyhow, Johnny's building a diorama for a top secret comic book-related project, and I finished sewing up some sweet handbags I started last night.

I really love using dark denim for bags, it's so sturdy and classic and pairs great with other fabrics, especially these super-colorful and fresh-looking vintage bedsheets that have been building up in my stash for a while now. (Some of you may recognize the blue swatches I scored in upstate NY back in January.) I'm happy with how these came out, and think they'll be ideal for Spring...I can't wait to start carrying mine!

I'm such a fan of these cute '60s-'70s style floral sheets...so simple, so colorful, and often kinda wacky.

Each bag features a zippered interior pocket with contrasting fabric inside, for a fun little surprise.

Naturally, I had to make myself a fabric bracelet to match! I'm in love with these candy-colored snaps, they're the Closure Device of the Gods in my book! I'll be making more of these for sure, along with a small batch of the bags, for an upcoming update over at my dusty, cobweb-covered, long-neglected website. Shouldn't be more than a couple of weeks, if you're interested.

Oh! Also wanted to mention that the Felt Club Fundraising auctions end tomorrow night at 6pm PST. Many thanks to everyone who helped to spread the word, and to all the crafters who donated their wares to the cause. I can't wait to see who the lucky winners are!