New Work

I'm crossing over a little bit to talk about the new work that I'm doing in my other business, Mercy Me Designs.  I'm so excited to introduce these new little cycle caps.  We're making them out of wool for adults and children alike.  You can see more information in my blog post over here about them.

New Fabric Love

I just got my order of two of Heather Ross' new prints from her Far Far Away III line.  I chose her pink guitars and the blue tangleweed prints because they are more condusive to smaller projects.  Here I have made Tomboy wallets out of each, and I really like the way they came out.  Strangely, the two fabrics are different weights: the guitars are a heavier (and more what I'm used to) linen/cotton blend.  The wildflowers are a very light (almost quilting weight) linen/cotton.  I love both, but I was suprised that they would be different weaves.  In any case, I am very much enjoying working with them.







Both of these wallets are available now in my Shops. And don't forget: I'm crafting for a cause right now!  I'm working towards an $800.00 goal to be able to build a new bathroom for LilyAnne so that she can experience greater independance in her every day life.  Read more about the full project here.

In other news, my beloved cousin just had a baby, and I'm going to go and visit them soon.  I have decided (deep breath here) that I'm going to make a baby quilt for her.  I'm going to try and keep this first one super simple, since I've never quilted before, and also because I have to finish it by mid week next week!  Maybe a strip quilt?  In any case, I'm looking forward to incorperating these two prints into my first quilt for her.  Welcome to the world, Bria Rose!

A Little POW of Color

 

Remember that little birdie bag that I made for my friend a little while ago?  Well, she also wanted some wallets to coordinate with the bag, so I made these up for her.  She is now in the midst of feeling horrible from her chemotherapy, so my hope is that she can remember how much she is loved when she sees her bag and wallets.

And there's more new in my crafty world: come over to my Mercy Me blog to see what I've been cooking up.


 

Celebrating the Season

It's very wet and blustery here, and has been for such a long time that I'm becoming disheartened.  "Will warmer weather ever arrive?" I wonder.  Yes, of course it will.  The birds know it.  And so do the bulbs in the ground. 

To settle myself I took a deep breath and looked around.  There's something special about the light at this time of year.  It's not harsh, but rather filtered and gentle.  I feel that we're being gently ushered into summer by the light.  In honor of this concept, I curated a collection of work by some fellow artists on Etsy.  These lovely works remind me of the beauty that is our current season. 

And so I celebrate with a hot cup of tea and a sweater while I watch the rain blow sideways from my studio window.

'The Season of Pearly Light' by BCharmer

Looking Forward to Spring!

accent pillow - grass yorktownroad $56.00	Moth made from vintage hanke... MisterFinch $	Chirp, chirp - necklace - t... vadjutka $33.00
Mustard Yellow Chunkier ileaiye $25.00	Green camel, handspun Baby c... Snowberrylime $40.00	A Forest of three Art giclee... inaluxe $35.00
NOTEBOOK - sprout - set of ... storybymia $15.00	Vintage Skyblue Stripe Tape ... UniqueShiny $5.80	Collecting Lichen Bodice, al... InnerWild $137.00
Asanoha -Khaki -Half Yard, J... FabHub $8.00	Bridesmaids gifts - 2 card p... Bagitarian $26.00	Pink Grapefruit Soap with Sh... tworiverssoaps $5.00
Toadstool cotton bag katebroughton $8.00	Pincushion, home for pins - ... picciolo $14.00	Grass Stain Perfume Oil longwinterfarm $8.00

Treasury tool is sponsored by Lazzia.com A/B image testing.

Finished Bag

I was able to finish the little birdie bag that I've been working on, and I love the way it came out.  It's my smallest messenger, called the "Tomboy Satchel." It measures 8 inches wide by 9 inches tall by 3.25 inches deep (in centimeters that's 20.3 x 22.8 x 8.25  for those of you who use the metric system).  It's the perfect size for those grab and go days.  I can easily fit my 16 oz water bottle, keys, cell phone, wallets, day planner, lip balm and a snack inside.

 I'm so excited to add this little sweet and sporty bag to my line!

New Work

Yesterday I spent part of a lovely sunny day photographing a friend that I wrangled into modeling for my other business, Mercy Me Designs.  It was so much fun, and Michelle was a delight to photograph.  Check out more from the day by clicking HERE to visit the Mercy Me blog.

Journeying

I am experiencing a strangeness in letting Bronwyn go.  I know that her soul is free of her body and that the two are no longer connected.  Yet I don't quite fully understand the concept.  I still think of her as having a body, as needing bodily comforts.  I wonder if she's getting enough hugs and kisses.  If she's eating well.  If she's being taken care of.  Does she miss me?  Is she scared?  To help myself feel some easing in this physical department, I created a treasury collection of things that I would send with her on her journey, if I could.  Just some silly things to comfort her, and remind her that she is loved.

Here it is:

http://www.etsy.com/treasury/4d1510bff7e16d9113ec03b0/for-her-next-journey

Little Funnel Neck

I'm so excited to reveal to you one of Mercy Me's newest designs: a funnel neck sweatshirt!  This one is sized for a child, but we plan to offer the same style for adults as well.   This design is very kid friendly because it's easy to get on and off, but at the same time I think it offers a touch of sophistication that appeals to adults, too.  The neck can be worn down or buttoned up, depending on the weather and your mood.

The sweatshirt pictured  is made from cotton knit, but we plan to make this out of organic wool and other yummy fabrics.  Stay tuned!

It feels great to have our designs coming along, although I'm impatient for lots of inventory!  To help with this feeling, we recently purchased an industrial Singer Serger from the '4o's, and it's beautiful!!  And talk about fast; the thing is finished sewing before our fingers can move the fabric.  Suzanne has pretty much mastered the thing, while I remain terrified of it.  For now, I'll stick with the home serger...



Industrial Singer Serger from the 1940's



Sunny Happy Love

At last, the sun has made an appearance.  It is amazing to me how much of an impact it can make on my attitude, for the better.  Bronwyn is officially on Summer Break and she's sleeping in, which is lovely.  Time is of the essence, though, so quickly I wanted to show you what is making me happy in the creative department.

One of my favorite surface designers, Heather Ross, has come out with her latest fabric collection.  Her prints are on linen this time and the line is called Far Far Away, Chapter II.  It is full of fairy tale, sketchbook whimsy and I'm in LOVE!  I got my first shipment of a couple of her prints and immediately made these sweet zippered boxy cases.  I can't decide which one is my favorite!  They are all available in my Etsy and Artfire shops. 

Hello Sunshine

It's Wednesday already, how did that happen??  Lately I've been waking up and feeling behind before I even get out of bed.  I think this means I'm over-committed, over-ambitious, or disorganized (and most probably a combination of all three).  Actually, come to think of it, I feel like this every Spring and every Autumn, the two busiest times for the gardener. I realized this morning that I haven't spoken to my Mom in a long time (two months?), which is simply not acceptable (I know you're reading this, Mom.  I really do love you!). 

So.  I think it might be time to make lists again (but not here, that would be so boring for you!).

I was visiting my dear neighbor yesterday and noticed that her clematis was in full, fragrant bloom.  This is a small blossomed Clematis. It is quite delicate, and ever so gorgeous.  I stole a little stem from the winding vine and brought it home for this teeny vase that another friend, Kathy O'Shea of KoJo Pottery made.  It's perfect and really looks sweet in my small bathroom.

And in BCharmer news, I've had a recent run on production of Tomboy wallets.  These are so fun for me to make!  I leave you with this very spring-inspired wallet.  I like it that although it is warm and sunny, it is also soft and "cool,"  just like spring. 

It is available in both my Artfire and Etsy shops.

The fabric that I used is  from Heather Bailey's "Nicey Janey" line, which I'm finding is one of my new favorites (I'm so fickle).






Happy Wednesday, Friends!

Stray Projects

No school for Bronwyn today means less time for sewing and more time for playing with my girl.  Today's post is just a quickie to show you these custom belts that I made for a friend.  The fabric on the first is Heather Ross' lovely and whimsical banana seat bicycles and the second fabric is from Joel Dewberry's "Deer Valley" line.  Incidentally, Heather Ross also designed the gnomes featured on my receiving blanket in yesterday's post.

The Second in a Series of Three

I am behind, as usual.  I have been trying to finish a prototype for a smaller messenger bag for almost a year now.  I can't believe it's actually taken me this long, but that's neither here nor there.  Finally, I got my act together and drafted the pattern.  I finished my prototype, and .... it is still too big.  I'm trying to go for a smaller, more accessible price point, but this one will end up being just over $100...too much.  However, I actually think this bag is a practical size: it's perfect as a book bag. So here's what I'm thinking:  I will offer three sizes to pick from: The Kitchen Sink (my giant messenger), The Book Worm (a medium size), and the Tomboy, which will still hold a lot, but won't take up so much room on your body.  Of course this means that I'm back to the drawing board to re-scale the pattern once again, but it shouldn't take me a year to do it this time!  Here are the pictures of the medium sized bag: it's 12 inches (30.5 cm) wide, 9.5 inches (24 cm) tall and 4inches (10cm) deep. I used fabric designed by Amy butler for both the inside and the outer flap and back.  This smaller size features two pockets on the back (not found on the bigger bag) and only two pockets on the inside instead of three. 

Happy Monday, everyone!

Putting Pep In My Step

For the past two weeks, our family has been fighting a bug. First Bronwyn, then Brian, and now me. I've been feeling tired and a little "blah." But I made a couple of new wallets that really perked me up because they were so sunny and sweet. The first one is a little dedication to the White Rabbit from Alice in Wonderland. I only have enough of this sweet Japanese fabric to make about three wallets, so when they're gone that's it.

The other is made from fabric designed by Kaffe Fassett, and it is nothing if not sunny. It reminds me of those giant jawbreakers that I used to adore as a kid. Each layer was a different color, and I think, a different flavor (although I'm not so sure about that). Both of these wallets are available in my Artfire and Etsy online shops. I'm happier already!