First Sale on Etsy!

Bye bye little owl plush! I wrote a little note on my handmade "Thank You" card, added an extra little handmade something, and wrapped it in a vintage sewing pattern tied with a baby blue ribbon. I think shipping may be my favorite part!

Thanks again to BookWormz for being my first buyer!

Yay for first sales!
Kelli

Spray Painted Accessories

I picked up my spray painted vintage heels and handbags from DNA Galleries yesterday and listed them here all last night. I had forgotten how much I love them! I had to keep a couple pairs of shoes for myself... :)






Enjoy!
Kelli

Thank You ThreadBanger!

Last night, I was wide awake at 12am and perusing the interweb when I came across this step by step tutorial on crocheting a beanine-style hat on ThreadBanger. Thankfully, I still had one untouched skein of pale yellow chunky yarn left. I grabbed the skein and my favorite crochet hook and got comfy in the computer chair. I followed the extremely thorough, video guide every step of the way and below are photos of my creation! I don't want to take it off now. It's so adorable, if I do say so myself. :)






If you've tried out this tutorial, too, I'd love to see what you've made!

Love always,
Kelli

Sew it like you mean it!

I finally finished my dress last night! I started it last Saturday, staying up until 5am because I just couldn't stop sewing. The past few days I've been kind of lazy and have only sewed for a few minutes at a time. Last night I finally sewed the hem to make the dress complete! It's really comfy, too! I wore it today with a red, vintage elastic belt, my crochet neckwarmer, and my grandmother's leather riding boots. I still plan on making my own patterns again, but following commercial patterns is the best way for me to get a cheap refresher course!



I used McCall's pattern #M5703:



I'm noticing now, looking at this photo of myself, that it really would have helped for me to match the plaids but I just was too excited and rushed it... It also cracked me to up seeing the image of me above the model on the pattern. Geez, I'm short! :) She's probably at least a foot taller than me! Anyway, I need to get back to crocheting now that the dress is finished, time is running out to finish Christmas gifts.

I hope everyone else's handmade Christmas gifts are coming along, too!

Wishing everyone luck with their Christmas shopping and crafting,
Kelli

This ain't your grannies crochet!

Here is my first crocheted piece! Here are three ways to wear it. I'm totally open to custom orders! :)


Let me know your thoughts!
Love always,
Kelli

Make your own Christmas stocking!

My first sewing project on my new sewing machine was this set of Christmas stockings for our home. Here is a step by step to show you how to make some for yourself! They took about a half an hour or less! Let me know what you think!

First, pick out the fabric you want to use. I chose a printed canvas that was on sale at Hancock's in the remnants section. I paid $1.99 a yard! They looked like tiny mustaches so I couldn't resist! I also had some scrap red felt that I wanted to use for the stocking cuff.


I bought a 50 cent stocking at Garden Ridge to use for a pattern, but you could probably just guess the shape you want to use. I tend to grab any scissors in the vicinity to use, which explains the ginghers and craft scissors on my ironing board. Feel free to use just one pair. :) I pressed the canvas before cutting out the pattern. I just placed the Garden Ridge stocking on top of the canvas and cut out the shape. It's okay to fudge a little and not be exact. This is all for you, so no need to stress!


I cut the shape of the cuff following the store-bought stocking and serged the seam. A straight stitch would also suffice, no need to get fancy! I just choose to use my new serger for any possible reason. I can't keep my hands off of it! I also serged the edges of my stocking together and turned it inside out. Then place the felted cuff inside the stocking matching the top edge with the wrong side of the canvas touching the right side of the felt.


I then sewed the two edges together and then turned the felt to the outside. The stocking is almost complete. You could leave this as is, since the felt raw edge looks fine. I chose to turn the raw edge under and stitch the hem. See the next photo. :)






I hope you make your own stockings! Please let me know your thoughts and show me pictures of your handmade holiday decorations!

Love always,
Kelli

All grown up and ready to sew!

This past weekend I visited The Stitching Post just down the street (5928 NW 16th St, OKC) to finally invest in a new sewing machine and serger. During my high school and early college years, I had a Kenmore sewing machine. I left my peddle in San Diego (no, that's not a country song), and never replaced it. For a brief time, I used a vintage Singer that I found at a thrift store but it also stayed in California. A friend gave me a 1960's Singer after I moved to Oklahoma City almost two years ago and thought I could make it last, but that wasn't the case. I was way overdue for good quality machines and sick of thinking about all the things I could make but couldn't without the right equipment.

I invested in two used machines:


Singer Quantum 9940


Janome Magnolia Serger


Robin, her family, and all of the other employees are extremely kind and helpful. I got a great deal, too! Robin supports local DIY designers and upcycle fashionistas to the core. This may sound like an advertisement, but really, I'm just beyond excited about my machines and am even more excited about supporting local businesses! I've only made our Christmas stockings so far, but I plan to sew a jumper for myself this weekend. If I could sew on these machines all day, I'd have it made. I'm totally in love with Quantum Leap and Magnolia, as I've named them. :)

If you've been waiting forever for your very own serger, save up your Christmas money and talk to Robin about investing in a machine you can actually afford. I'm pretty sure they even do lay-a-way. You won't regret it!

Love always,
Kelli