Finished Project round-up

 I’ve been meaning to share some finished projects for a long time now.

It’s no secret. I’m a yoyo fiend. Back in August I got the idea to make some zipper pouches covered in yoyos and I have finally finished and added three to my Etsy shop. I love how they came out. My favorite is the one above. It was by some weird luck that I found a zipper that matched the fabric perfectly and now I want to make more with solid colors. I think it displays the texture of the yoyos so much better. Something like that would be perfect for a wedding.

My sister gave me the idea to add wrist straps. This makes them a perfect size for a clutch or wristlet to use all alone, rather than to keep inside your purse. The straps are attached to the zipper pull and are easily removed.

I quilted all the yoyos by hand, then sewed the purse itself by machine. I anchored the yoyos to the pouch, so they are on there sturdily.

And then last month I showed a progress shot of some jewelry pieces I was working on and forgot to show the finished product. Here are the rings. The one of the left is made from a retired library book’s pages. The one on the right is made from a vintage world map print.

I loved the one on the left so much I wanted to keep it for myself.  It occurred to me to just make one for myself, so I did that this week. It’s funny how excited I was to have one for myself. I wear handmade all the time, but it’s almost always from other artist’s work.

I love it when customers come to me with GREAT ideas for new products. Like earlier this year Claire wanted some of my notepads, but on a larger paper and then asked if I had envelopes. Ta-Da! Why not turn my bunting designs into stationery? Then for the above commissioned piece – a customer asked if I could make one of my treasure boxes but with “you are my favorite” on top. Brilliant! Why didn’t I think of that before? I’m sure I will be making some more of these.

Lastly, a friend recently got a puppy. He’s a maltipoo. He was so tiny (under 2 pounds) and when they took him outside he’d just start shaking from the cold. So tiny, in fact, that they couldn’t even find any pet coats or sweaters that would fit him, so I made this little coat from some fabric I had on my shelves. It’s a red and white print of skulls and cross bones :)

I made it at home, just guesstimating his size and I was amazed that it fit him like a charm. It just has a strap underneath and they loved that because then when they take him out to to the bathroom he doesn’t accidentally “go” on it, like he would if it was a full bodied sweater. It wasn’t until after I made it that I realized they could probably also make some really stylish sweaters for inside just from old patterned socks. A hole in the toe, a couple slits for his legs and he’d be super cozy.