Handmade Zakka

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New Anna Fabric & Sewing

So I was on FatQuarterShop browsing all the cute new fabric out now. I figured I could narrow it down to just a little bit of fabric so I don't blow all my new camera money and I stumbled upon a new fabric line by Anna Maria Horner  called Good Folks.
It looks absolutely wonderful, as all her fabric lines do. It reminds me of Bohemian which I only could find 4 prints of but wanted them all. So needless to say I will have to take some money out of my camera fund for Good Folks. I wish my other bonus from work would hurry up and be given to me then I wouldn't have to choose.

Here is my funky coffee mug coaster with spoon cozy I made this morning.

I messed it up by top stitching everything. You aren't supposed to do
that according to the pattern in Zakka Sewing so that's where it got
wonky. Not a big deal though, I can always remake it. I have a problem
following directions. I get the pattern and go off and do my own thing.
Of course I think it would be cute quilted too so maybe this little
coaster can be fixed.
🙂

Tomorrow we take flight off to Florida. I am stressed. I really do not like going out of town. I prefer staying home.

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Bookstore Trip

  There are moments in everyone's lives where we stop and think to ourselves "Did I just do that?" Today was one of those moments for me and it was over a wrinkled up magazine.
  Some of you may remember the post about my Artful Blogging magazine hunt. I had given up the hope of ever getting one in the bookstores and had decided I would just get the year subscription with free shipping whenever I got around to it. I saw the Winter edition on the sidebar of someones blog and decided I would treat myself to it after I got everyone elses Christmas presents. Well this afternoon after breakfast my mom and I decided to hit the bookstore. I wanted to get Stitched in Time and she needed some books for her trip back to Florida. Of course there was only one copy of Stitched in Time in the Barnes & Noble and none of the employees could find it. I had them order me a copy and moseyed over to the magazines to get a Quilts & More or some other publication so it wouldn't be a wasted trip. I grabbed a couple crafty magazines and was leaving the magazine isle when I saw it. A tiny little red corner poking out from the very top of the magazine rack behind a stack of crochet mags. I noticed someone reaching up in that direction and plowed over the little man in front of me and grabbed it.  I then scurried quickly away from the isle to find my mom and bail. I am not sure if the person was reaching for Artful Blogging. I just know I looked like one of those crazed Christmas people that would grab a toy from someones hands and fight until death to get the said toy. In this case though it was over a magazine…for me….which was bent up and looked like the binding had been chewed on by an animal.
I stood at the checkout with my mom and she saw me looking at the imperfections of the magazine. She told me that it was the only one and since I made a fool out of myself I needed to just get it and get over the defects.
Now I have yet to read it but I flipped through the pages and got a couple shots of what looks like another yummy issue.

Please excuse the crummy photos. It's been rainy and cloudy all Thanksgiving weekend. My little point & shoot camera just doesn't work under any condition but sunshine/flash free. I just keep hoping for my Christmas bonus to get my dream camera.  🙂

Oh and my little bunny wallet is FINISHED!!! I can only post a preview image though in case the person it's going to pops on here. I think I may do some of these scrap flower hairpins to put inside the coin pocket. They look cute and I have so many scraps I need to find a use for them.

I have many ideas after seeing the outcome. Other animals are in the works. 
Now I am off to bed to read as much as I can of my magazine before falling asleep.  🙂

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Sewing Saturday

You know how a lot of people out in blog-land have special days of the week where they have a specific subject they blog about. Such as "Thankful Thursdays" where every Thursday they will talk about what they are thankful for and things of that nature? I was debating doing a "Sewing Saturday" but then realized next weekend I will be in Atlanta so that would be lame for me to start that and then screw it up on the second week. So I may do that AFTER the Atlanta trip. It will help motivate me to get items in my shop anyway since I will most likely be broke upon my return. Anyways, today's sewing adventures revolved around JB's birthday present. I made her that cute little basket from the Zakka Sewing book and an apron out of Pod Posey. I can't display the apron on here but the basket isn't a big deal so I didn't mind putting that up. I am sending her that little deer lavender sachet but NOT the vintage handkerchief's. Those are mostly from the thrift shops in Waynesville and I am holding on very tightly to them. I can't decide what to make with them but I am not going to use them until I find the "right" project.  Some people like to collect vintage hankies and just put them in a drawer to have. As much as a hoarder that I am I really do like using things for a purpose other than dust collecting. I just don't want to use something unless I am 100% sure that is what it needs to be.  So after I mail out JB's package I will have to make another basket for me because I really like how the little hankies look folded up in it. Once Melissa Averinos "Sugar Snap"
comes out I am going to make another one out of that. I keep
searching online desperate for a seller but there must have been some
delay because I come up with NOTHING. You can see pictures of it in her
blog post here.
Honestly. I have about 20 different projects I have had to think about
for months…I really need to get that fabric and put those thoughts
into action. Tomorrow I have another project from the Zakka Sewing book lined up and  then possibly another pencil case which I will take pics of the steps for the lovely gal that emailed me asking how I did it. I am sure there is a website online that has how to do it already but I haven't had time to look. Basically it's just a zip pouch with grommets but it's okay. I don't mind taking pictures of something I am making 🙂

Off to clean up the mess I have made. Linen is everywhere.

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Zakka Sewing Book

So after my unpleasant day yesterday I was feeling a bit down this morning. I decided I was going to Barnes and Noble to get a new sewing magazine. Unfortunately as I was browsing they were sold out of the one I wanted and all the others were the ones I already had. I hate how the magazines I like are seasonal as opposed to every month. I decided then and there I was not about to leave that store without something. I wandered over the the craft book section thinking and hoping there may be something different that I would possibly like to own. My creative senses honed in right on this adorably cute little sewing book that had the sweetest image of a squirrel tea cozy on the front. Then I saw Zakka and Japanese typed on the front. Could it be? Barnes and Noble started carrying Japanese craft books? No way would that be possible in my life time. So I grabbed it and opened it up to investigate. Much to my excitement and delight, it was in ENGLISH. I immediately put that one back and grabbed one of the books in the back. I always do that because I like fresh books that grubby paws haven't been paging through…possibly drooling on…then I sprinted up to the front. The cashier rung me up. I tried using my moms B&N card but it had expired. That was okay though because it will be worth that 10% more I thought. She handed me the receipt and I rushed out the door without a bag. Here are just a few of the projects in the book. I will more than likely be making some of them this weekend. YAY. I feel my creative spirit coming back.  🙂

Here is some of the information for those of you that do not live near a Barnes & Noble and would like this book. It's ISBN's are:

• ISBN1584797207
• ISBN978-1584797203

It can be purchased on Amazon too if you cant find it at your local bookstore. 🙂

Now I need to go read what I need for my first project this weekend.

 (Why are there always two ISBN #'s. I don't get it.)

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