Who will be at the WEST Sale III? pt.2

Who will be at the WEST Sale III? Look forward to meeting the following WESTies with their fantastic handmade & vintage items, come May 4th!

From top left, you may find..
Heidi and Seek Boutique - Hi-Low Tank Top
Hoshii Designs - Foldover Clutch
Punky and the Bug - Birthday Card
Heartfelt Yarn Wreaths - Wreath
On the Go Designs - Baby Blanket
Toxie Designs - Earrings
aeliosdesign - Armlet
Real Swanky - Magnets
SmashKnits - Fingerless Mittens
We are Bound Together - Leather Journal
BlueStarStudio - Key Fobs
DarlingRing - Candle Skirt
emms Pocket Shop - Change Pouch
ByBlackBirdDesigns - Cuff Links
PrairieThreads - Basket

Stay tuned for Part 3 of our vendor features in upcoming posts!

RSVP to the WEST Handmade & Vintage Sale III here!

Make It Monday - Free hairbow pattern

Happy Louis Riel Monday (especially if you have it off)! This is my first tutorial so I’ve decided to do something that is really easy, really cute, and that just about anybody can do.

I found a pattern through Pinterest for a super cute bow hair tie. This is a free pattern that comes from the Oliver + S website.  I absolutely love the style of their patterns at Oliver + S, they are so charming!  Here is the link http://oliverands.com/free-patterns/bow-hair-tie. The website tells you that you will need two 5x5" fabric scraps, thread, an elastic hair tie, and about 5 minutes.

A good idea would be to download the PDF and then print the pattern out. As I started this tutorial I opened up the PDF and promptly remembered that our printer has no ink. So you may notice that my pattern piece is hand drawn because I made do and traced the pattern piece from my computer screen. If you do this, be careful--I have an ink spot on my monitor that bothers me (from another hand tracing moment) and I cannot get rid of it!

Lay out your pattern piece on your chosen fabric.  This is perfect for scraps! 

 

If your fabric is doubled, you can pin the pattern to the fabric and make your cut; you will end up with two pieces. Or you can cut the two pieces separately--whatever suits your fancy.

Now place the pieces with their right sides together, and pin.

Now stitch around the edge with a ¼ inch seam. Leave a 1 ½ inch opening near the center so you will be able to turn it right side out. Trim the corners before you turn it right side out. This creates less bulk in the corners, and it will sit prettier.

Now that it’s turned right side out, press the hair bow. Often this is a step I skip, because I’m lazy and I don’t want to take out my ironing board and my iron, since my cat jumps on it and wreaks havoc. But it is a step that I’m learning really makes a big difference in the finished piece. So do it!

See how it looks professional, just by using that hot little iron.

Now take the elastic and move it to the middle of the bow so you can tie your knot. You don’t have to finish the open seam because it will be hidden in the knot.  

Tie that knot!

The finished product: easy peasy.

And this is how it looks in my daughters’ hair.  

Pretty darn good I think! See it really only took about five minutes…okay maybe ten minutes the first time, especially if you are doing a tutorial with it. I hope you've enjoyed the tutorial and take the time to try it out. Sometimes it's really nice to have a small project that only takes you a few minutes to accomplish, especially when you don't have a lot of time.

Where WESTies Create: Episode 6, Punky and the Bug

Hi, I’m Samantha from Punky and the Bug. I have been crafting and making and sewing for as long as I can remember! It seems like it was not that long ago that I was in my grandmother's kitchen on the farm, and I would be begging her to find me some fabric, needles and thread so I could sew my Barbie dolls some fabulous new fashions.

I’ve decided that this year is my year to come out of my shell and move forward with my all my crafting ideas--it’s time to make it happen! Having an Etsy shop is one of my goals and so here I am showing you what my workspace looks like.

This first picture is the whole view of my work area. It is in the basement of our house, and I think I’ve managed to carve out a pretty nice space in such a small corner. The basement also serves as our home office, and the kids' arts and craft area, which you can see below, to the left. These bins house all the kids' crafts from foam to perler beads and more! It’s quite a challenge to keep everything uncluttered and something that I’m always working on. I can be a hoarder when it comes to craft supplies.

This area is where I keep all my crafting goodies. My fabric is in the large rubbermaid containers and some smaller pieces and projects are in the tower along with sewing notions, embroidery thread, patterns and some random craft show supplies (like that wood crate).

This space is where I draw all of my designs and do all my sewing and paper crafting. Or you could say where the magic happens! It’s my crafting desk: I have both my sewing machines on this desk and they are very easy to use whenever I need to. The table to this desk also props up so I’m able to be comfortable while I’m drawing. The best part about this desk is that I got it for free about 15 years ago and it's still going strong. I love it!

And last but certainly not least is my computer desk, where I work on my Etsy shop, my photos, facebook and of course let's not forget to add getting distracted on pinterest.

One other space I’m not showing here is where I do all of my actual embroidery. Since I’m holed up in the basement for all aspects of my crafting, I usually bring myself up to our living room where I can sit comfortably on the couch and watch some good ol’ tv while stitching away.  

Thanks for checking my space out--I hope you enjoyed the wee tour! Please come check out the shop on Etsy and also on facebook. See you around!