Canterbury Bazaar

This year I got to go in with my friend Sally and her mom on their room at the Canterbury Bazaar. I agreed to it about 5 months ago and did most of my sewing the last 5 days. Ugh! But I got some stuff done and I was grateful for the stuff that hadn’t sold yet on Etsy.

So I got it all set up and got to admire all the stuff my friends had made, too. And then I went home and prayed that I would sell something…

some of my display

my bags

Sally’s niece made this adorable ring stacking toy!

Cheryl made these fun and whimsical baby sets

It worked!!!

I sold this quilt

 

and this quilt

some of my handmade soap

and all of the baby balls (in about 2 hours)

and all the coloring bags (in about 1 1/2 hours)

I have to admit I was pretty excited because I’ve never made anything that people actually bought. But now the debate is whether or not to make more of them for the bazaar I am doing with my sister in a month???  What the heck…

So I went out tonight and spent some of my earnings on fabric to make more bags and balls. It was all on sale and I didn’t spend that much, so I hope it pays off.

I bought this one because I love pink and green and had fabric at home to match. Bonus!

This one reminds me of Eric Carle’s “Very Hungry Caterpillar” though I don’t know why??? It’s fun, too!

this one is my FAV!!! The dragons’ fire is even glittery!!!

I just liked the doggy print with the paw-print accent

this one is for baby balls

This is for people who like more traditional baby prints

These are for people who like more unique baby prints ( I love these!!!)

Sally also told me about a cover she had seen once for notebooks, so I decided to give one a try. I figured I could do it, and I did… I love the way it turned out. I think I’ll make some of these for the bazaar, too. Maybe I’ll even make some for mommies without the handles (or the crayon holders)???

I’ve got a lot of sewing to do! I’d better get going…

Camo Pants

What do you do with an old pair of pants with a broken zipper? Make a bag out of them, of course!

I took these old pants, cut off the legs, added some cute girly camo print and made a bag.

I love this bag! Not only is it really big, but it has lots of outside pockets for those little things that get lost in the bottom of your purse (cell phone, keys, sunglasses…)

It’s going to be hard to sell this one…

I think a cute little belt would really set it off and give it a splash of color.

Red-Lined Denim Bag

After making a bag with my friend, I was inspired to make one of my own. Here is mine…

 

Purse Pattern Sampler

Here is a sampler of the purse patterns I like to make:

 

Having A Ball Quilting

Today at our monthly Mom’s Scrap I made the first of my three quilts out of the Moda Layer Cake I got for my birthday. I just need to put a button and buttonhole in it and it will be complete.

It’s backed with vinyl tablecloth for using outside in the grass or sand.

I also tried a pattern for a baby/toddler ball that my friend Alison made. I did two plain ones to start with but am going to make lots more! I have tons of ideas and I’m going to steal Alison’s idea, too… :o)

the owl one is my favorite 

Thanks Alison! I love ‘em! Now I get to shop for cute ball fabrics… Yay!

Fair Inspiration

I am always inspired and awed when we go to the fair. This year’s State Fair was no exception. My favorite exhibits are the crafts! Tons of great ideas, gorgeous fabrics and patterns to try…

this year’s Grand Champion

the garden gate actually opens

cute felt sewing sampler

these vintage prints were very sweet

I liked the blue, red and pale yellow combination

I’m not sure what I think of the puffy squares???

this appliqué scene was one of my favorites

I would love to get this appliqué pattern

 

I love these owls, too

can you tell what this is made of?

millions of tiny yo-yos! I have NO desire to make one of these!

I am sure this is way more complicated than I want to do

I love this fabric and color combo

I would love to try a prairie point edge someday

these flowers are fun and would probably be easy to duplicate

So now I just have to decide what project to start next…

Paper Dolls (Sort of)

Today Amy, Theresa and I made our first set of fabric paper dolls to sell on our Etsy store. Theresa did a great job embroidering the face and Amy and I worked on the rest.

Our Grandma Rohrer made them for us and Maggie likes them so much that we decided maybe other little girls (or boys) would, too.

We made only one set and it took us all day! But we learned a lot and I think we have a much better idea of what works well and what doesn’t. They’ll go faster in the future.

I think she turned out really sweet and I’m hoping they’re a big hit for Christmas (and birthdays)!