A little over a month ago I applied to be a craft vendor at Patchwork Show at Jack London Square in Oakland, California, which is just a hop, skip, and a jump from where I live.  Then, last week, I got an email saying that I was accepted to the event!  As excited as I am, I'm also a bit nervous.  I have so much to do before then to get ready and make sure I have enough items and enough variety in my stock.  Luckily, I have been making many things over the course of the year in hopes of doing a craft fair or two for the holidays, so I have a bit of a head start.  Still, lots to do.  Since it's my first major (major) craft fair, I decided to invite one of my sisters out to help me.  She'll be flying in a couple days before the show, and I just know she'll help make it a successful event.  If you're in the area, come check it out.  I'll have handstitched softies, a hand-embroidered sheep, zipper pouches, sewing kits for kids, and lots more.  I'll post more about my progress soon, and let you all know my booth number when I find out.

Wish me luck!

​As needle books go, my new one is something of a tome. It's large enough to hold all my hand and machine needles, including my longest doll needle at 5 1/2 inches. It's ten (single-sided) pages include labelled storage for loose needles, small plastic needle cases, and a strap to hold packaged needles that I haven't opened yet.

I designed this needle book myself because I wanted one place to store all my needles. As usual, I took it one step further and made a beautiful paisley motif felt applique for the cover to make myself that much happier every time I open it. And, of course, it took me much longer than it should have to finish it. I mentioned it way back in this post, but it was already long in process at that point. Oh, well. I never do anything unless it's worth taking a long time to do (that makes me sound a bit like Treebeard, though. Hmmmm.).

Anyway, my needle book measure about six inches tall and four inches wide. It holds all my needles, which are organized by type and size so I will be sure to find the needle I want when I need it. Labels next to each type help me keep track of which needles are which. Basically, it keeps me organized and gives me a place to put otherwise homeless needles.

Here's how you can make one of your own.
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Felt Needle Book Tutorial

Materials:
- Felt for pages (see below for my dimensions or customize as desired)
- Felt for pockets
- Felt for needle holders
- Felt for cover
- Thread
- Twill tape or ribbon for labels (optional)

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Instructions:
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Cut a piece of felt 6" x 8"
Cut a second piece 6" x 8.5"
Cut a third piece 6" x 9"

Stack the felt so that the largest piece is on the bottom, the second one is centered on top of it, and the smallest one is centered on the first two.  Use clips to keep the pages in place.  Find and mark the center of the pages (chalk is pretty useless on felt, but pins work well if you don't have disappearing ink).  Using a stitch length between 3 and 4, sew the pages together along the center line. ​

​The pages should fold nicely along the stitch line.  Close the book and trim the pages so that they are even along the edges.

Working one pair of pockets at a time, sew through the pockets and page.  Since this is felt and it shouldn't receive too much stress, you don't need much of a seam allowance.  Starting at one top corner, sew down to a bottom corner, along the bottom, and up the other side.  Remove the pins as you go.  Backstitch at the beginning and end to secure the stitches.

Note: I attached all my pockets toward the back of my book since I don't switch machine needle as often as I want a different hand sewing needle.  ​

Embellish your cover before attaching it.  Applique, beading, embroidery, or stamping are just a few ideas for how to give your needle book that something extra.  Once the cover is all decorated, you can attach it to the pages.   ​

Your needle book is now ready for needles!  Play around a bit with placement, making sure the needles you want most handy are at the front.  As you put the needles in their slots, make a note of which ones you put where.  If you'd like, make some labels so you never forget what needles are on each page.  ​

I'm finally getting back into the swing of things after visiting family for a few weeks, moving out of one apartment and into another, and putting my little studio together (more on that soon).  I promise to get my newsletter out on Thursday for those who've signed up.  I have so many neat things to share, I'm excited to send it out again!

But on to today's post!  I recently finished up a swap with one of my sisters.  It was great fun.  The bag I made is from Kay Whitt's book Sew Serendipity Bags.  This is a great book and I'm glad to have a copy of it in my library.  The book contains 12 patterns for bags in a wide variety of styles ranging from simple to complex, basic to fancy.  The book begins with some pictures of bags patterns included.  Although this was useful, it did not show ALL the bags in the book or provide page references, so some page-flipping is necessary to see an example of bags not shown.    One thing I love about this book is that, once you open the book to a pattern, it will stay open because of the wire binding.  If you've ever put a heavy object in the middle of a book to hold it open, you know how awesome this little detail is.

Every bag pattern includes at least one photo of the finished bag before the instruction section, so you have an idea of how it should look.  There is also a written overview of the features of the bag, which is helpful for visualizing the parts of the bag not visible in the photo.  Although dimensions are given for all the bag patterns, the photographs don't always show the scale relative to a person or other object (as in the photo below of the pattern I ended up using).
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The materials list includes all necessary notions and fabric yardages.  This made it easy to gather everything I needed before starting.  One problem, though, is that I ended up using more of one print than was listed.  I would recommend adding a bit of length to whatever fabric you purchase or use.  Cutting diagrams would also have been useful to ensure that the fabric was being used efficiently and in the amounts listed.

The author divides the instructions into easy-to-follow steps.  Most of the steps are accompanied by a sketched illustration of the relevant pieces and how they come together.  For complex, three-dimensional projects, these sketches are ideal.  There are no hands holding the pieces to get in the way of what you want to see, and everything is simplified to the essential parts.  The sketches for the handle-making steps were less clear than I would have liked as a novice bag-maker, but I managed, in the end, after reading the instructions several times.  Once I figured it out, I made a note in the margin (something I recommend doing for all patterns you plan to make again).  The instructions on making the decorative pocket ruffles were obviously written for someone with a ruffle foot attachment.  I had to make a guess as to how densely to gather by hand.  I opted for gathering as much as pleased me, but I ended up having to make a second batch of ruffles in order to have enough.

I made a couple simple changes to the pattern.  First, I opted for a continuous cut for the main bag body fabric and interfacing piece, which meant deducting a little for the seam allowance.  I like that it reduced bulk at the bound edges, but I would not recommend doing this if you are using a very directional print, which I was not doing.  Second, I finished all the binding by hand rather than having a line of visible stitching through all the layers.  I'm not so good at keeping straight lines through bulky pieces, so hand-finishing gave it a much nicer look.  It was a time-consuming change, so don't do it if bulky sewing is one of your skills.

Overall, I recommend this book.  It is clear enough for beginner bag-makers as long as they have some sewing experience, and there are projects for every skill level except beginning sewist.  The instructions and sketches are generally clear and easy to follow.  And the dozen bag patterns are a great range for any pattern library.

The last six weeks has been spent moving out of our old apartment, vacationing with family, and moving into a new apartment.  It's been a busy time.  But I'm back, getting settled, and finding some time to post again.

For our vacation, we went to several places in Colorado.  I made sure to stop in a few fabric stores on our travels, including Fancy Tiger Crafts in Denver, but more on that soon.

The first place I found was a very little quilt shop in a town whose name I've forgotten.  It was mostly a store for quilting services and sewing classes, and the fabric section was pretty limited.  But I did find the thread I needed and a cut of solid aqua fabric.

The next place I went (with my mom and two of my sisters) was the Golden Quilt Company in Golden, Colorado.  They had lots of bright modern prints, batik, and traditional prints in equal measure.  I picked a few things I would have a hard time finding where I'm living now, which ended up being a couple low volume prints and a bunch of red/pink tones.  Seems I tend to gravitate to those colors a lot.  Here are photos of what I bought in Golden.

The last place I went was Fancy Tiger Crafts.  As soon as I walked in I knew I would love this place and be sad I couldn't come back whenever I wanted.  You can see a bit of what the store looks like (though, honestly, the lighting in the store is not the best for taking pictures).  All the fabric was so bright and fresh and beautiful.  Even my husband admitted that it was the prettiest fabric store he'd ever been in, and he never says that.

​There were so many crafts and materials represented, it was difficult not to walk out with a long receipt.  I managed to pick a few pieces I loved.  This time, though, I tried to go for a rainbow of fabrics so I didn't just end up with more pink and purple.  I love what I found there, and I can't wait to put it to use in my next English Paper Piecing project.

​​Have you ever wanted to design your own English Paper Piecing patterns, but don't like the idea of spending tons of money on special software?  If so, I've got quite a treat for you!  I've written a tutorial on how to use Microsoft Word as a tool to create your very own EPP patterns.  From simple motifs to alterations of traditional patterns to complex repeating patterns, Word can be your go-to resource, whether you design for yourself or for retail patterns.  You can find my simple tutorial over on Sew Mama Sew.  Let me know if you have any questions about making the technique work for you.  I can't wait to see what everyone makes!  Tag me on Instagram (@carleybiblin) or link in the comments below to share.

The 75th Marin County Fair took place last weekend.  I entered five different projects into four different categories, and every single entry won some sort of award.  Both my ram and ewe (pattern by Abby Glassenberg, surface embroidery based on a process I created) were submitted in the Handmade Animals category.  The ram won first place and Best in Show!  The ewe won second place, which means I took the top two spots in the category.  My Little Red Riding Hood doll was submitted in the Soft Sculpture and Cloth Dolls category.  She won first place and a special award from the Marin Needle Arts Guild.  My Goen's First Year book was submitted in the Embroidered Clothing and Textiles category.  It took second place and also won the Marin Golden Threads Award.  My final entry was my Upcycled Food Pouch, which was submitted in the Trash to Treasure category.  This entry received an honorable mention.

This was the first time I ever submitted anything to a fair, and I couldn't be happier with how it turned out.  Have you ever entered, or thought about entering, some handmade items to a fair?  I'm already looking forward to next time.

Two very special packages were delivered on Tuesday.  The first was to my sister from me and the second was to me from my sister.  After she saw the pouch I made for a swap a couple months ago, she asked if I wanted to do a bag swap with her.  Of course I said yes.  A month and a half later, we both sent our #sisterswap packages, which happened to arrive on the same day.

Here's the bag I made for my sister.  It's from the book Sew Serendipity Bags by Kay Whitt (I'll post a review of the book soon).  All the fabric I chose is 100% organic cotton from four different Cloud9 collections.  I love the way they look together!  Bold geometric paired with floral outline, mixed with a bit of dots and feathers for accent.  I think I might need a moment to admire my own work...

After finishing the bag, I decided it needed a removable pocket organizer for all those little things like pens, notebooks, chap stick, etc.  I made it as one long piece with pockets on both sides, then added large snaps so that it could be formed into a loop to stand on its own inside the bag.  The four layers of interfacing I used also helped with that.
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Then I packed that bag with all sorts of wonderful, interesting, tasty things.  There's a small box of crackers, a bar of dark chocolate (wrapped in white paper so my little guy wouldn't see and try to eat it), a notebook to which I fused pretty fabric, a couple pens and a pencil, a set of my stitched envelopes, two fat quarters, buttons (some I covered myself), a chap stick, an assortment of Starburst, and the Double Zip Wallet I made.
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One of my favorite features of this bag, is the versatile handle that can be either two short handles for toting around or one long one for slinging over the shoulder.
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My sister loves the bag and I am so glad that I could lay my worries to rest.  It was the first time I'd ever sewed her something so...important for someone else.  I mean, she could potentially carry this bag everywhere!  It had to be good.  I even finished the binding by hand to avoid weird crooked stitches on the outside.  So, yeah, I tried hard.

And now you get to see the beautiful bag I got from my sister!  It's a messenger-style bag with an adjustable shoulder strap and lots of pockets to keep things organized.  The pocket on the inner side is perfect for anything you want to keep close and safe.  The pocket on the front side has a magnetic snap that opens and closes easily.  Plus, there is a pocket on each of the narrower sides for quick access stuff.
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The bag has a zipper that extends beyond the edge on one side, allowing it to open wide so I can see everything inside.  And inside are even more pockets to keep things.  There are elasticized pockets on one side and two compartments separated by a zipper pocket large enough for a laptop.

The fabric she used for the bag makes me so, so happy!  Just looking at it makes me smile.  No kidding.  The green and white polka dot plays so well with the colorful main print.  And, as you can see from the picture of me modeling my awesome new bag, it goes with my outfits.
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She put in some extras to go along with the bag.  I can't wait to open up that bar of dark chocolate, and I've already started forming plans on what to make with the fabric.  As soon as we finish moving, I want to start planning another small swap.  I'm thinking an accessories swap, or maybe a table runner swap, or maybe... Oh, I don't know, but it will be fun!
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A good-sized part of any sewists fabric collection is scraps, pieces that range from long strings trimmed to square up edges to odd-shaped sections left after rounding a corner.  Add in all the bits of thread, yarn, and selvages that go in the scrap bin and it becomes an out-of-control heap pretty quickly.  I occasionally dip into my bin for pieces large enough to sew with, but those unsewable pieces left behind have been getting out of control.  After finding an unframed art canvas on the sidewalk, I had an idea how to put some of those bits to work.  

Although the canvas was already decorated, it was all very light and, I knew, would blend well into whatever I decided to put over it.  Over the course of several days, and with the help of my son and a couple other kids at the park, I got to work making my own scrap art.  The first thing we did was to color a bit with crayons directly on the canvas.  It wasn't much (and most of it isn't even noticeable on the finished piece), but it was a great warm-up.  Next up was some white glue and sand.  I told the kids to draw with glue and then cover it with sand.  They had lots of fun with this.  They tell me Spider Man is there, as well as some family members and random squiggles.  The final layer was done by just Goen and myself one evening.  He wielded the glue bottle and I handed him bits and pieces to put on top.  I made a few adjustments and additions here and there as well to make sure everything was stuck down and there were no awkward gaps.

The piece is now hanging behind our kitchen table where we can see it every day.  The combination of color, texture, and dimension makes me smile whenever I look at it.  I loved the process of making it and I'm pretty happy with the result as well.  I'll probably have to make a couple more, though, if I want to put a bigger dent in my tiny-scrap bin.