I LOVE this little fabric bucket! (I’m imagining having several of them on my shelved storing all my little sewing and scrapbook bits…)

Hi Sue! Can you tell us a little bit about yourself?

My name is Sue Redekop and I live in the capital of Canada- Ottawa, Ontario. I sew and design items for children and the home. I love creating items that are cute to look at but functional at the same time.

What is the first craft project you remember making?

My first craft project takes me back to grade school days where I made a jewelery box out of popsicle sticks and glue. It was “fancied” up a bit with gold spray paint (what can I say – it was the 70′s!) I think my mother still has it to this day.

Where does your inspiration come from?

I am inspired by sweet, whimsical fabrics and modern design. I love to stay on top of worldwide design trends and colors by reading blogs and magazines.

Can you please describe some of your creative process?

My creative process usually begins by sourcing fabrics and thinking “that would make such a cute peasant top…fabric bin…etc.” or saying to myself ” I MUST use this fabric in some project…it’s too sweet to pass up!” Fabric is definitely my starting point.

What is your most prized handmade possession?

My most prized handmade possessions are stuffed Raggedy Ann and Andy dolls made by my aunt who is a wonderful seamstress and a little stitched sampler my mother made for my son.

If you could give one piece of advice to a new Etsy seller, what would it be?

Being new to Etsy myself my best advice would be to believe in yourself everyday and just keep doing what you love despite slow or hard times.

What are some of the ways you promote yourself and shop?

I try to promote my work through my blog, twitter, flickr, word of mouth, local craft fairs, and local boutiques.
Shop: www.etsy.com/shop/sweetstitchshop
Blog: www.finehandstudio.blogspot.com/
Twitter: twitter.com/shopsweetstitch
Flickr: www.flickr.com/photos/35966835@N02/
Local Shops: Flock Boutique – www.flockboutique.ca/
Workshop Boutique – www.workshopboutique.ca/
Boutique Le Local – www.boutiquelelocal.com/

What are three website that you cannot live without?

The three websites I couldn’t live without are:
Etsy
Twitter
New York Times online…(I am a newspaper junkie!)

Where do you see yourself in ten years?

In ten years I see myself in a smaller house with a dedicated sewing/music studio space and hopefully growing my brand.

If you could have one super power, what would it be and why?

I would love to have some type of magical superpower that would clean my house, do the dishes and all the mundane things that take time away from the creative process!

Thanks so much Sue! I really enjoyed this interview!!!

Please be sure to stop by Sue’s shop and check out all the wonderful homewares and gifts!

If you would like to be featured on my blog in a Featured Artist series, or you would like to recommend an artist to me, please leave a comment or send me an email at aprilbern at gmail dot com.

~April

See more from April and Creative Apples on her Handmade Spark Mini Site

Custom-made acorn sachets come filled with either lavender or balsam.

It’s my pleasure to introduce you to Wende Oates Larsen of Mireio.  This multi-tasking mom from Astoria, Oregon makes gorgeous home décor and personal items that are, as her Etsy page describes them, “Indulgent, Luxurious and Eco-Friendly.”

Hi, Wende.  Tell us a little bit about yourself.

This question is always the hardest!

I’m a creative person… a messily creative person. You can usually see where I’ve been by the trail of thread I leave (my husband is on vacuum duty). If I’m not careful, Mireio will overrun the house. I’m also a mother and a wife. Jack and Georges are the constants in my life; they anchor me. They also test products and give me honest feedback. Now, if I could just get them to model!

As seriously as I take Mireio, I try to not take myself too seriously. I make time to laugh with people and cry with them. I spend a lot of time nurturing friendships because that’s important to me.

These “cupcake” votives come packaged in a bakery box!

What do you remember about your first sale?

I was so fortunate to sell the very first time I listed. I actually sold a set of lavender sachets and a travel pillow to two different buyers on Etsy within 3 hours of listing. I was excited and overjoyed and relieved! It’s wonderful affirmation when you sell something, and I know how blessed I was to receive that affirmation early in the process.  And while Mireio has changed and evolved in the past few years, lavender sachets and pillows are still at the core of what I do.

Describe a great creative day.

Ideally, a great creative day is one where I manage to finish something amazing, grab wonderful photos (not easy out here on the cloudy Oregon Coast), get it listed, and fit in a few loads of laundry and a latte break with my husband.

What’s your favorite of all the pieces you’ve made?

Easy… the piece I just made. I’m fickle. I really do fall in love with what I’ve just created—the newest scent, or the latest pillow. But the minute I make a new piece, that becomes my favorite—which, I think, makes it easier to let go of my creations when they do find new homes.

Limoncello handmade buckwheat hull and lavender pillow

What do you LOVE about what you do?

Just about everything. Making something new from something old is a thrill. I tend to look at a piece of fabric and ask it, “What do you want to be?”  Fabric always knows.

And, I adore customer service. When a Mireio item does sell, getting it boxed and ready is the best part. I think people appreciate getting a box from Mireio, because the minute they open it, they know how much love and care went into making their item.

What do you NOT love so much about what you do?

Sourcing! I’m a textile nut and tactile person. I love to “touch.” However, because I live in such an isolated area, most of my supplies have to be ordered online. I spend hours researching and it makes me a bit nutty comparison shopping. I finally have a great list of trusted supply partners that I inevitably turn to when I’m introducing a new line. But, that doesn’t stop me from constantly researching.

Magic Carpet Ride lingerie bag

Is there a favorite artist/crafter you admire?

There are too many to list. But I’d be remiss in not mentioning Kerri Jones of TenThings. We met on Twitter and she has become such a source of wisdom for me. It’s so helpful to know other sellers doing what you do. They become people you can share your frustrations with as well as your triumphs. And there’s a lot of creative problem-solving going on. She’s an amazing friend, and her work is just as wonderful.

You home school your son.  How do you possibly find time to create?

I multi-task! And I don’t do it alone. My husband, Jack, also works from home and he makes time in his schedule to handle math, science and PE. We alternate days and that frees up time for me to focus on Mireio. Our son is a high school freshman this year, so he also works independently. He loves to come down to my studio and read while I’m working.

Pamper your pet with a Mireio pet bed made from scraps of vintage fabric.

Describe your ideal work environment.

Apparently, my creative muse likes a messy space. Every few days, I look around my studio and say, “Tomorrow this place gets cleaned.” And I do it! I fold fabrics and organize notions… sit back to admire my good work. And then, find I don’t know what I want to do next. A clean space is a little like a blank page for me, a creative writer’s block, if you will.  I really do have my most creative moments when I’m surrounded by mounds of fabric and several projects mid-process. But I love a clean studio, so I’m torn.

What are you working on now?  Anything new in the works?

Yes! Always. In this case, I’m working on a new line of fragrances to introduce in May. As well as His and Hers Honeymoon pillows.  But as I mentioned before, I have a running list… and I don’t ever see that changing.

Thanks, Wende for giving us a peek into the creative process.  I hope you all have enjoyed the interview and will take a moment to visit Wende’s shop.

~From Sheila of StylishHome.com, where you can shop for home furnishings and find

• Items for every room in your home
• Inspiration through extensive design resources
• artisan-made décor items from Etsy sellers

“Hi, I’m Birgitte, a Danish exhibiting Textile Artist and the happy owner of SewDanish – Scandianvian Textile Art, Unique Handmade Supplies. The perfect place to shop for a gift with ‘personality’. Many of my items are OOAK’s (one of a kind) or made in very limited editions. The latest addition to SewDanish is my range of handmade and recycled supplies.” ~SewDanish

See more from SewDanish on their Handmade Spark Mini Site.

Click To Play

In this show:  Flowers, flowers, and more flowers: let’s make a ton of them!

- Some interesting ideas for felt and yarn flowers.

- A couple of paper flower projects.

- Turning lace into a versatile flower-craft material.

Not to mention, all kinds of flowery-tutorial links!

Paper Flowers:

- Wow! Big paper flower pomander balls, at Something Old, Something New.

- Mexican tissue paper flowers, from the Kansas City Public Library.

Fabric Flowers:

- Beautiful felt-flowered tea cozy, from Bella Dia.

- Heather Bailey’s wondrous felt, fabric, and yarn flower.

- Very Lovable Flower Hairpin, by Joybucket.

- Perfect Felted Flower, by Betz White.

- A wonderful fabric flower, from Wise Craft. (Even has its own Flickr Group.)

- Leah Kramer’s awesome roundup of Kanzashi info.

- An excellent Kanzashi tutorial, by Beastbunny on Craftster.

- Floral Brooch Tutorial, by Candycanechild on Craftster.

- Really lovely, delicate fabric flowers, by Trufflegirl on Craftster.

- Awesome necktie flowers, by Hilatron on Craftster.

- Super-cute Necktie Daisies, by Rickrackruby on Craftster.

- Great felt and fabric flower tutorial, by Quarkiegirl on Craftster.

- Fabric Flower/Japanese Craft Book Inspiration, at Wise Craft.

- Molly Chicken’s cute patchwork flowers.

- Puffy Flower, at Craftlog.

Beaded Flowers:

- Sparkly Vintage Beaded Flower, at Craftbits.

Crochet Flowers:

- Several kinds of cool crochet flowers, at the ever-amazing CrochetMe.

Other Flowers:

- Button Flowers that rock, at Kiddley.

- Needle Felted Flower, at Craftlog.

~Diane Gilleland

Handmade Spark is proud to feature Diane Gilleland, the Social Media Maven behind Craftypod. Read: What Message Are You (Unconsciously) Sending on Twitter? More CraftyPods from Diane can be found here.

Framed Butterfly Display | $60 | Insect Art

With Christmas just a few days away…here are some links to crafty tutorials and yummy recipe gift ideas for your enjoyment!

Fabric Pinwheels Free Project Tutorial [Sandi Henderson Design]

From the author of Sewing Bits and Pieces comes this fun project!

Things To Consider With Bookbinding [Elizabeth Carls]

A wonderful summary of terms and tips to know about bookbinding, from Handmade Spark member Elizabeth Carls.

Glass Jar Votive Holders Tutorial [Pretty Handy Girl]

I just adore this tutorial, and had to share it here with you!

A Gnoma Claus “window appliqué” [Happy Zombie]

A no-sew project, which you can use beyond the holidays. Window fabric appliqués? Very cool!

48 Homemade Gifts In A Jar [Tip Junkie]

Still need a few more gift ideas? You can’t go wrong with one of these!

Enjoy!

~Laura

This printable paper pack comes with 14 patterns: perfect for making cards and gift tags!

Printable Paper Pack | $5| studio71design

Wooden circles for making personalized ornaments, or anything else you can imagine!

Reclaimed Wood Circles | $5 | rabbitsreclaimed

Pretty cashmerino yarn and bamboo knitting needles… Maybe a scarf or hat?

Cashmerino Knitting Kit | $45 | ZephyrLondon

How about a vintagey looking necklace? This kit has all you need to make one.

Skeleton Key Necklace Kit | $25 | littlebrownmagpie

This colorful felt pack will inspire you to make something fun.

Felt Pack | $ 7 | Boutonnerie

Maybe make yourself a little something too while you’re at it. You’ve been sooooo good this year!

Apron Pattern | $12 | LolaPinkFabrics

Need some more ideas? Head over to Craft magazine’s website. If you don’t find something there, try Martha Stewart’s online craft section, Make it and Love it, or if you like to bake, visit Bakerella for some ideas for tasty treats to make as gifts. Whatever your talent, there is a craft perfect for you. Happy Holiday crafting!

Also check out our supplies series!

~Anne

See more from Anne on her Handmade Spark Mini Site, Lotus Flower Herbals and on The Handmade Gift Guide.

Okay, my first ever tutorial.  So, please bare with me.  This is so easy that my dogs could probably put them together.  And then they would chew them up!   A great way to give a gift of fabric for the holiday season.  One day while working at my Mother’s Vintage shop a light bulb came on as I was folding all the fabric.

So, I gathered a handful of supplies and came up with this - Materials needed:

~Two pieces of Vintage Fabric (or any fabric)

~Two empty paper towel holders

~Scotch tape

~Ribbon, twine, string-any type of material to make a bow with

Step 1:  Take the material and fold it so that you can roll it around the paper towel holder.  Place a small piece of tape to hold it in place.

Step 2:  Then take your ribbon, twine, or string and tie a bow around the center of the holder.

That’s it your done!

Small and slender enough to slide right into a Christmas stocking.  Easy enough right?

Looking for other ideas for Vintage themed gifts/tutorials?  Have you read my previous post announcing Handmade Spark’s Vintage Lovers Group on Facebook?  Come and jump in on the conversation.  Share your links, ideas, projects, tips, and more.

It’s all for the Love of Vintage.

~Jennifer Schulting

Fat Quarter Bundle of Eight | $20 | Down Shadow Lane Fabrics

Handmade gifts are appreciated so much by other crafty-type people. They understand the gift is an expression of your regard for them. They know you spent time thinking about them while you made the object and that each stitch and every cut is filled with warm wishes and creative spirit. And it’s even better when the gift is something beautiful they can use every day. So, what are you making for the maker in your life? We’ve got 10 ideas for knitters, sewers, scrappers and all around craft enthusiasts. Just for fun, we’re going to unwrap one at a time. And because we’re all super busy this time of year, each project takes just 15 or 20 minutes and little (or no) money. You might even be able to complete all 10 with items you have sitting in your craft room right now.

Here’s gift number seven: A Covered Notepad

Sticky notes are popular for a reason–they’re just about the handiest way to make notes on patterns, mark books, and jot down ideas that come to you in the middle of the night. What crafter couldn’t use another pad of paper? It’s super easy to make the standard note pad into a beautiful piece of home decor they’ll be proud to keep on the bedside table, by the phone or on their sewing stand. All you need is a few scraps of fabric, some small bits of cardboard and a glue gun. Oh, and the note pads you can pick up by the handful at your local dollar store.

1. Cut two pieces of cardboard about a half inch larger than your note pad all the way around. If you want the cover to be padded, then you also need to cut some quilt batting the same size.

2. Next, cut your fabric about a bit larger than your cardboard all the way around

3. Cover your cardboard with your fabric (quilt batting in the middle, if appropriate) and glue down on the inside with hot glue. Miter your corners before gluing like wrapping a gift.

4. Cut two small squares of leather or felt (something that won’t fray) and cover the insides of the cardboard where you glued down the fabric. Glue in place. This is just to cover the edges of the fabric and make everything look neat.

5. Use the same leather or felt to make a hinge. Glue to the right sides of both pieces of covered cardboard.

6. Decorate your cover with glitter, buttons, or other do-dads if you like

7. Finally, just peel off the back piece of the sticky pad and stick the whole thing to the back piece of cardboard.

That’s it! You can get extra creative by decorating the front cover with fancy quilting, needle felting or mixed media collage before assembling the pieces. These are a great way to use up scraps and show a crafter you love them at the same time. And when they run out of paper, it’s re-fillable.

~Julie

Julie Anne Eason is working hard to get through her list of handmade gifts for friends and family. She’s also working on her website SeriousSewing.com, writing articles on Arrow machine sewing tables, the Brother CS6000i sewing machine, and the Consew 146RB leather sewing machines.

See the rest of Julie Anne’s tutorials here.

Sewing kit | $22 | Sam Made

Being the crafty, interested-in-handmade type of person that you are, it seems likely that you will have friends and/or family who are also of the crafty, interested-in-handmade persuasion.  And you will need to find something to give these lovely people in celebration of the holiday season.

You might – like me – have wild dreams of hand crafting individual bits of gorgeousness, tailor made to the needs and desires of each of your loved ones.  But then – like me – you might look at your growing to-do list and then glance at the calendar and then, well, there may be the odd whispered expletive, or perhaps a furrowed brow, or a ‘WHAT! How many days left in the year? That can not possibly be right?’

The good news is that whilst you might be running out of time, the magic of Etsy means that we can all still give lovingly handmade items that tap into your giftee’s passion.  They’re just lovingly handmade by someone else, who is better at planning ahead and tracking dates and sticking to goals and that sort of thing.  I hope to be like them, one day…

To kick things off, here’s a selection of items that might make the person who sews happy .  Some of them (like the hand-printed fabric and the special somethings) might be suitable for the seasoned sewer (there has got to be a better word than ‘sewer’ – if you know of one, tell me please!).  Others (like the sewing kit or the pincushions) might work for that certain someone who dabbles, or is thinking about dabbling, and maybe needs a bit of encouragement.

Oh, and if you are a bit more orderly and organised than me, you might want to check out Julie Ann Eason’s ongoing series ‘Thoughtful Gifts to Make for Crafters‘.  Good stuff.

Pincushions – if you sew, you can never have too many pincushions.  I have four and I use all of them and I want (need?) more.  Here are some that tick the boxes for both practicality and looks.

This one for easily sorting and storing all those different types of needles is borderline genius.

Needle pincushion | $15 | KC and ME Designs

This one just oozes cute (and it’s repurposed so it has eco-cred too!).

Darling Deer pincushion | $16 | enamor

This one is ridiculously practical.  I know because I have one.  It looks kind of cool too.

Watch pincushion | $22 | Littleclouds

Fabric – have a look at the hand printed fabric on Etsy and just try not to add to your stash!  There are so many gorgeous designs out there, it was very hard to narrow it down.  Here are some of my favourites, but I encourage you to do your own search too!

Totem screen printed fabric | $8.50 | Summersville

Green scissors cotton tape | $4 | jezzeprints

Bellbird screen printed fabric | $16.50 | melbomba

Something special – these are the things that we wouldn’t buy for ourselves, things of beauty and exquisite craftsmanship, almost too pretty to use!

Plum Tart Sugar Deer pincushion | $45 | Blue Daisies

Silk stitched Japanese thimble | $75 | Ma Mercerie

Tiny World pincushion | $60 | Mimi Kirchner

(And just in case anyone out there is taking notes, one of those silk thimbles is going on my Christmas wish list.  Thanks.)

- Emily Orpin

These are the first pieces to cut. You will need:

• 1x A Body (The long side of this piece needs to be able to wrap around the circumference of piece B to form a tube)
• 2x B Body
• 4x C Ears
• 4x D Underside Feet
• 4x E Sides of Legs

The piece of the left is B, it is included to show the size to cut the side of head/trunk piece. This piece is cut in the shape of a 9. It is also cut on the fold, with the long straight edge (right most edge), on the fold.

This photo shows the final piece to cut at the top. The bottom is the 9 shaped piece from above, opened up. Don’t worry about making the part at the top too long. You can adjust where the back wedge shape begins later on in the process.

Finally! Let’s start sewing!

The head:
Begin with the pieces we cut out in the photo earlier. With the pieces right sides facing, begin sewing as shown, by starting at the V of the forehead and working around the circular edges.
It should look like the photo below as you reach the end. Don’t sew this point all the way to where the trunk starts as you want to leave a bit of a gap to stuff the head (you’ll insert stuffing where a real elephants mouth would be)

When you turn the piece above over it should look like the photo below.

Starting from the forehead V again, sew the other side of the head in a similar way.
It should look like the photo below when completed.

At this point, fold the right sides of the trunk together and sew to look like this:

(A note about stuffing- when using fiber fill- mold the piece in you hand a bit before inserting and try to keep it all as one bit, instead of putting in individual blobs of stuffing. This helps prevent a lumpy look)

We made a head! have a cup of tea and take a well deserved break.

Similarly sew the final B part to cap the other side of the tube. Through the side of the tube you’ve left open, turn and stuff the body. Then, sew the opening closed by using the extra flap shown above and trimming the excess, if necessary.

You should now have this:

Pin the head to the body using pins. A note whilst making children’s toys- Remember to keep track of your pins! I use large colourful ones to be very certain, but just do a good final check before handing the toy over.

Sew the head to the body. I just do a bit of a whip stitch around the “neck” part twice to make sure it is secure and doesn’t wobble.

Making the feet
Make the feet using the same method as the body to sew the long side of piece E to the circle D to make a tube with an open side.

Then sew up the open side, turn right way around and stuff (not too full, leave some fabric at the top and aim to make short, dumpy legs)

Close the top of the leg up, like a parcel. This doesn’t have to be too neat, just enough to hold the top together whilst you sew the leg to the underside of the body.

To make the ears
With right sides facing, sew two of the ears together but leave a little space to turn them right way round.
Before turning snip the fabric towards your line of stitching without actually cutting you sewing! This will help the curved seams lay flat. (green lines in picture below)

Attach
Using the method for connecting the head to the body, attach the legs to the underside of the body. Then attach the ears:

A close up of ear sewing- the pink is how to stitch them on:

Sew on the eyes, making very sure, if this present is for children, that you do this securely and well.

Lastly, using some string, twine or ribbon make your elephant a tail (ass shot!) and sew it on: