Hope Valley and More

Before I get into even more new fabric, I thought I'd share a couple things I made with that cool Hope Valley fabric from my last post. I haven't been sharing a lot of sewing projects lately...

Of course, I made a coupon organizer. That goes without saying these days.

(Shameless Plug: Don't forget you can make your own coupon organizer with my sewing pattern.)

And while I was cutting out the organizer, I decided to go ahead and make a bag too.

 I've got a little bit of this fabric left, what do you think I should make next?

And just so I don't leave you wondering. Trisha and I (and her awesome kids!) went to Keepsake Cottage Fabrics the other day and she made me get these:

A few prints from Moda's Whimsy collection. I've been anxiously awaiting these (and hoping I'd manage to get pregnant while they're around, hehe) for ages. They're every bit as gorgeous in person. I'm very impressed with myself, only getting these little bits...for now. I've already got a couple projects in the works with my little bit of Whimsy.

A little tribute to Seattle landed in my bag as well.  Rainy Days and Mondays by Melimba & Beccabury. Isn't this adorable!?!

I can't really blame Trisha for my fabric weaknesses, she was just encouraging me really.

The Coupon Organizer Pattern Saga

I don't like to just go on & on about things I put in my shops, but I'm just too excited about this one not to mention it.

Yes, I finally got the sewing pattern written for my coupon organizers, HOORAY!! I do spend a lot of time writing and designing my patterns, but geez, this one was months in the making. 

I swear all I make these days is coupon organizers, but they're pretty fun. I think my favorite part of sewing is putting fabric combinations together, these coupon organizers are great for that.

See what I mean? Look at those crazy colors. What's your favorite thing about crafting?

Of course, I'm still knee deep in monkeys and owls. I've got some new Christmas monkeys in the shop this year.

How do you like the Grinch? haha, it's fun to do a grouchy face now & again.

I think I've sufficiently advertised myself in this post to last at least until the end of the year. :) Thanks for listening. I start sock knitting class tonight, wish me luck!!

Another Random Project

I don't know why so many odd ideas have been popping into my head lately, but I might as well go with it. Here's my latest random project...a coupon organizer! I had one of those paper ones a long time ago, but I think it went in the bin when I went to England. Then I bought a cool plastic one from the Container Store (I love you Container Store). That one just didn't work. It wouldn't stay open. Annoying.

So, as any nutty seamstress would, I decided to embark on a quest to make my own...out of fabric. It's a time consuming little project, but a fun one anyway. I will definitely turn it into a pattern at some point. This is a good project to make for yourself, or as a gift. I'm not sure I can sell a completed one for enough money to cover the time involved. We'll see.

Here's prototype #1. It was fine, but I decided I'd like to make the dividers a tiny bit heavier and the whole thing wider.

Version #2 had thin interfacing for the dividers and actual labels on the tabs. I had a hard time deciding on those. I don't want it to get too thick. It's already bigger than a store-bought organizer. That's the price you pay for style, right?

Version #3 is my favorite because I love the fabric so much. For the next version I'm going to make the cover part about 1/2" wider. Otherwise I think it's pretty settled.

This was a fun project for me because I'm a bit of a font lover. I enjoyed actually being able to use some cool fonts for a change.

My next version will be for me! Yes, I'm going to make something for myself. It may not get done until after the move, but the fabric's all picked out and ready to go.