Making a Flap

Loakal, which has been selling my upcycled clutches and coin purses for a few months now, requested some shoulder bags in January and this week I was finally able to deliver (literally; I dropped them off). I made three of them with this graphic upholstery fabric I picked up at the East Bay Depot for Creative Reuse, and I love the way they turned out. I think the upcycled fabric sample pocket and magnetic snap are pretty dang good. Confession time: I really made four, and kept one for myself. Sewist's prerogative?

Sew Oaklandish

Thank you Oaklandish, for posting such a nice vendor spotlight about me on your Facebook page and for consistently selling the handmade items I so love to make!

Also, thanks for reminding me I have a blog and should ocassionally post something on it ;)

Get 'Em While They're Hot Pads

My colorful pot holders have been a hot seller at my craft fairs this season and I was almost completely out, so I was glad for the chance to whip up a new batch this weekend. This should get me through the holidays quite nicely!

Little Bits

Selling Loakal

Just Sew Jana, in stores now! My roster is slowly expanding and I'm so excited to be welcomed into the Loakal Art Gallery & Boutique family. The Jack London Square store is selling some of my upcycled upholstery coin purses and clutches and I couldn't be prouder to be part of this artists' space.

Prints Charming

I did a crazy amount of sewing this weekend. Among the spoils: Some super cute little zipper bags made with some of my stash that I'd been neglecting, some truly charming prints with adorable giraffes and narwhals that I ran across when tidying up last week.

The bulk of the table at my upcoming craft fairs will still be devoted to my upcycled upholstery sample bags but I wanted to make sure I had some really colorful stuff to throw into the mix.

Take a Bow

My BWF Kate (that's Best Work Friend, for those of you not in the know) is crazy about bows. I made her a linen bow clutch a while back using this tutorial from Elm Street Life and she loved it. It's a great little bag but I haven't made any for sale because I'm a stickler for not copying others' work, especially for profit. Not that I am successful enough to really exploit anyone, but still.

Another thing Kate's crazy about is this guy Aaron, which is why they're getting married next week. She asked me if I would please make some fancy-schmancy bow clutches for her and her bridesmaids and of course I said yes! 

She got this really pretty silver silk dupioni and while I was nervous about working with silk, I was game to try. It turned out to be easy (the cut edges just fray A LOT  but I'm used to working with messy fabric) and the bags turned out really pretty. 

The inside is a lovely cotton with gray polka dots and Kate is also crazy about polka dots. Come to think of it, she's pretty crazy so that pretty much explains what she's doing hanging out with the likes of me. 

In any case, happy wedding Kate!