And the winner is!

Announcing the winner of the set of box pouches:  Shannon!

Shannon - I will contact you to get your maililng information and get these in the mail to you.

Thanks so much to everyone who participated! 

Happy Sewing!

Susan

A Little Bit Selfish

So I'm a little bit selfish.  I did it. 

I made a purse for myself using the great fabrics that Jen from Sis Boom sent me (check my two previous blog posts for the info and to enter the contest).

 I did patchwork with all the fabrics and then trimmed the sides with the two different 'Paula' fabrics.  The handles are made of both of the 'Paula' fabrics as well.

I like a zippered pocket inside.  I just used a plain brown fabric. 

The measurements are about 10" wide, 10.5" tall and 3" deep.  I like a long strap (even though I'm short).

And because I have all that little stuff that I carry in my purse - chapstick, mirror, etc., I made a zipper pouch to go along with it.

I might still get ambitious and make a cell phone case too.  And maybe a card case for my business cards.

We'll see.





If you want one like it, let me know, I'd consider making more until the fabric runs out.

Happy Sewing!

Susan

You Can Win!

So I taunted you the other day with my Sis Boom fabrics, and said that I was going to do a give-away.

And I am - here it is! 

You can be the winner of this set of two box pouches made using the Sis Boom fabrics.  Each box pouch is pieced and quilted with a metallic thread.  Approximate size of each pouch is 8" wide by 3.75" tall x 3" deep, has a zippered closer, tabs on each end, one with a metal d-ring.

Here's how to enter the contest:

1. Make a general comment on this blog post.

2. Follow me on Twitter.  Post your twitter id in a comment on this blog post.

3. Like my facebook page.  Post your facebook id in a comment on this blog post.

4. Favorite my Etsy shop.  Post your etsy id in a comment on this blog post.

5. Join my Circle on Etsy.  Post your etsy id in a comment on this blog post.

6. Buy something from my Etsy shop. Post the transaction information in a comment on this blog post.

The winner will be selected on Saturday, January 28, after 5pm EST.

Good luck and happy sewing!

Susan

Look what came in the mail!

I was pleasantly surprised when the mail carrier brought me a package I wasn't expecting!

Jennifer Paganelli, the wonderful lady behind Sis Boom sent me a package of Girls World Vibe fabric!

I'm so excited, I can hardly contain myself!  What fun I'm going to have with making some great things from this lovely selection.

I'll be sure and tell you what I make!  And I'm going to have a contest that you can win something made from it - more on that tomorrow.

Happy Sewing,

Susan

Kindle Case - Success!

For a year, on and off, I've been playing around with a case for the kindle, and other e-readers.  When I first started down this path, we didn't own a kindle.  It's really hard to make a case that's somewhat specific to a device when you don't have one - or easy access to one.

After several failed attempts, I finally have a case that I'm happy with - both in the functionality of it, and the ease of making it.

Knowing my fondness for zippers, my goal was to make a case that zipped on three sides, similar to my gadget (ipod, iphone) case.

The issue I was having was that I wanted the device to fit snuggly, but not too much so.  Finally, I figured out that I needed to make the case like it was a book - with a spine.

I love the result and I'm hopeful that sales will reflect the quaility of the item.

You can check out the selection I have for this style and a hipster style in my etsy shop!

Happy Sewing!

Susan

New Identity

My fabulous husband is working on a new identity for Sew Darn Simple.  I have a new logo - see my header above and he is also redesigning my business cards.

Here is the older banner that I was using, and you can see the new one above!

Hopefully my website will be next!

Let me know what you think!

Susan

Brand New Venture

Over the past few years selling on Etsy, I've been contacted several times to see if I sold patterns for the items that I had for sale.

So, today I am releasing my first pattern - for the best selling zipper wallet.





The pattern is written for the smaller size, at some point I will probably update it for the larger size also.  If you sew regularly, then you can probably figure out how to adjust the size for your personal prferences.





I'm also going to offer this as a kit - with the pattern already printed, and including the hardware - zippers, swivel hook and fusible fleece - you would just have to select your fabric.

Look for some additional patterns coming in the next few months.

This is an exciting new venture for me!

Happy Sewing!
Susan

Happy New Year! 2012

Happy New Year, everyone!  Here we are at the beginning of a new year and I'm one of those obsessed people who likes to (pretend to) make goals and objectives for the upcoming year. 

I'm going to admit that I didn't stay up last night to ring in the new year - I was sound asleep before then - although I did stir briefly for the neighborhood fireworks that went off at midnight.

As you may now, I'm cutting back my day job work hours to 20/week, so I have some big plans for Sew Darn Simple this year. 

To start out, I'm going to get back to organizing this room.  I started this project last year - and I did get some new storage and am using it, although not as effectively as I'd like to!  If you follw me on twitter, then you know I started doing some of the organization this weekend - on Friday, I finally got my box of zippers put away.  And yesterday, I cleaned off my cutting table.  Today I'm going to work on my filing - my new shelving has a filing drawer, and I'm going to finally use it!

I'm going to write down sales and financial goals for this year - since I will be working less hours, I plan to use those to increase my advertising and therefore (hopefully) my sales. 

I'm working on identifying potentially new art/craft shows that I want to apply to this year.  I've already applied to one new show, and I have at least two more new ones that I plan to apply to, and hope to get in!

I plan to work on some new products and expand my inventory on some of my best sellers, and I'm in the process of working on patterns that will soon be available in my etsy shop.

Also, I want to expand my blogging - and I'd love some suggestions on what you might like to hear about this year.  I may do some tutorials, always write about my latest projects, maybe some guests??!?!!

Here's to a successful 2012!

Susan