Patchwork and Lace

Posted on May 16, 2013 by Wendy

Patchwork Sampler Wristlet

I have been playing around recently with some different ideas for sewing, and made a couple of small wristlets out of some fabric sample squares that I had sewn together and then let them sit around for almost 2 years. That is not unusual- I will sometimes start a project and put it aside at some stage because I am not thrilled with the direction things are going. Then one day, it all comes together again and the piece gets finished. I love when that happens!

Bird Stripe and Vintage Lace Cosmetic Zipper Pouch

The bird fabric in the cosmetic pouch above is the last of a long piece that I had left, and there was enough to use it as the front of 2 separate pouches. It has a lovely antique look to it and the colors are beautiful. The narrow strip of lace on the pouch was taken form a big shirt box filled with all kinds of vintage lace that was given to me by my 95-year-old mother-in-law. She cannot remember exactly where the lace came from, but said that some of it was handmade in Germany by her mother and grandmother. That makes it somewhere around the mid-1800s to the early 1900s. Most of the lace is in very good condition, except for a few pieces that have discolored a bit with age. I plan to use bits of the lace in some upcoming projects. It is too nice to sit in a box forever!

The items in this post are available in my etsy shop Bags of a Feather, and you can click on the picture to go to the listing with all the description details and additional pictures.

Wednesday Wings from Bags of a Feather- Toucans

Posted on May 8, 2013 by Wendy

This weeks’ installment of Wednesday Wings From Bags of a Feather features toucans!

Keel-billed toucan

Toucans and toucannettes are parrots native to Latin America, and are instantly recognizable by their enormous beaks. In some species of toucans, the beak measures more than half the length of the body. Despite its size, the toucan’s bill is very light, being composed of bone struts filled with spongy tissue of keratin between them. They eat mostly fruit, but will also eat small lizards and insects, and sometimes raid the nests of smaller bird species for the eggs.

Keel-Billed Toucan

Toucans dwell in hollowed-out cavities of trees excavated by other animals such as woodpeckers—the toucan bill has very limited use as an excavation tool. When the eggs hatch, the young emerge completely naked, without any down. Toucans are resident breeders and do not migrate. Toucans are usually found in pairs or small flocks. They sometimes fence with their bills and wrestle, which scientists hypothesize they do to establish dominance hierarchies.

Toucans kept in captivity need large aviaries or flights to provide the exercise they need. They can be very curious and will try to eat almost anything.

Nesting red-breasted toucan

Toucan fabric can be hard to find. I am always on the lookout for unusual parrot or bird fabrics, including toucans. I do have some beautiful toucan fabric coasters in my etsy shop:

Toucan Fabric Coaster Set

Some Bright and Colorful New Bags From Bags of a Feather

Posted on April 4, 2013 by Wendy

Maybe it is the long and drawn-out winter here in western Massachusetts, but I have been not seeing any color when I look out the window (other than brown, gray, and white). There are a few green bulb shoots coming up through the ground, but htere are also big piles of snow that are going to take forever to melt. Last year at this time, we had a very early spring and temperatures in the 80s by the end of March. Not this year- it is still very cold at night and has been in the 30s the last couple of days with a coating of fresh snow on the ground in the morning. I love New England, but I am ready for spring!

Big snow piles

My latest sewing projects have involved some very bright and colorful fabrics from my fabric stash. Nothing subtle or understated here! I guess if Mother Nature wants to take her time showing some spring colors, I will have to create my own color in the sewing studio. Here are a few new things available in my Bags of a Feather etsy shop (click on the picture to see more pictures and a full description):

Pink Batik Anti-tarnish Jewelry Pouch

Bold Floral Anti-tarnish Jewelry Pouch

Lush Flower Garden Anti-tarnish Jewelry Pouch

Spring Cleaning Your Sewing Machine

Posted on March 26, 2013 by Wendy

iStock Photo- sewing machine by Sergey Belov

Spring is the perfect time to clean your hard-working sewing machine. Periodic cleaning and preventative care and maintenance is important to keep your sewing machine in good working order. If you use your sewing machine frequently, dust, lint, or bits of thread can get stuck inside the machine and cause it to jam or work harder than necessary.

Many older sewing machines have specific maintenance and cleaning instructions for removing dust and lint, and for oiling specific machine parts to lubricate moving or rotating parts. This simple maintenance will protect connecting metal parts from excessive wear and tear and ensure freedom of movement.

Unplug your sewing machine.
Remove the needle and sewing machine foot, and unscrew the throat plate on the machine.
Use a small lint brush to remove pieces of thread, lint, or dust inside the machine. Use if canned, compressed air is not recommended as it could blow dust further into the machine.
Refer to your individual sewing machine manual for specific instructions for oiling your machine.
Check the foot pedal for any accumulated dust or pieces of thread, especially if is resting on a carpeted surface.
Replace the throat plate, sewing machine foot, and needle.

Some older sewing machine manuals might contain more detailed instructions for cleaning and oiling the tension discs, bobbin case, or slide plate. Newer sewing machines have fewer owner maintenance instructions, and recommend that the machine be professionally serviced at a local sewing machine dealer..

Most sewing machine dealers offer periodic professional check-ups and cleanings to help keep your machine in top shape, and to avoid voiding the manufacturer’s warranty through improper care.

A few minutes of basic spring cleaning and preventative maintenance will allow you to enjoy your sewing machine for this spring and many years to come.

All About Anti Tarnish Silvercloth

Posted on March 22, 2013 by Wendy

Silvercloth or anti-tarnish cloth is a special fabric is made from heavy weight 100% cotton flannel. The cloth is impregnated with a non-toxic tarnish preventing compound. Silver surfaces attract sulfur, which in turn causes silver objects to develop tarnish. Silver anti-tarnish cloths contain either small particles of zinc or silver. They absorb sulfur before the surface of the protected silver object does, preventing tarnish. Silvercloth will not lose its effectiveness unless it is wet or washed.

Many companies sell anti-tarnish cloth by the yard so that it can be cut to size for storage of individual pieces of jewelry or silver serving dishes. Some people seal small pieces of the cloth inside plastic bags to store jewelry, or cut larger pieces to wrap silver serving platters or dishes. Other uses for silvercloth include lining silver storage drawers, jewelry boxes, and cabinets.

Anti tarnish Silverware Box

This product can either eliminate or greatly reduce the need to polish silver. This is an excellent idea if you have a lot of silver jewelry, especially with intricate designs or small stones. Turquoise and silver American Indian jewelry can be hard to polish without getting the chemicals on the turquoise.

I have a section in my Bags of a Feather etsy shop with a selection of jewelry bags that have either an inside lining or inner pocket made of anti-tarnish silver cloth. This unique design from Bags of a Feather features an inner lining or pocket made of a dark gray flannel anti-tarnish silver cloth fabric. This jewelry pouch or zipper pouch makes the perfect storage or travel bag for silver earrings, bracelets, rings, or necklaces. For an extra surprise gift, tuck a special piece of silver jewelry inside the pouch!

Antique bird print anti-tarnish jewelry pouch

Wallpaper Bird Nest Stripe Anti-tarnish Jewelry Pouch

Butterfly Jewels Pouch with anti-tarnish inner pocket

Birdsong Garden Anti-tarnish Jewelry Pouch

I recently purchased some silvercloth in a deep royal blue color, and will be making some new bags with the blue lining, as well as more pouches with the dark gray linings. Custom orders are always welcome!

Blue anti-tarnish silvercloth

Some New Things From Bags of a Feather

Posted on March 14, 2013 by Wendy

100% Organic Cotton Forest Animals pouch with anti-tarnish lining

Although I have not been doing a lot of sewing lately, I still have been slowly whittling away at the pile of bags all cut out, interfaced, and ready to put together. I usually get a burst of sewing “inspiration” and cut out the outer sections, linings, and interfacing for approximately 6-9 bags at one time. Sometimes I will fuse the interfacing all in one shot, and then put the pile next to the sewing machine until I am further motivated to begin sewing them together. It is rare that I cut out, interface, and sew a bag from start to finish in one shot. I do like to have something that is ready to assemble when I get the urge to sew something.

With over 150 available items in the Bags of a Feather etsy shop, I usually don’t feel a a great sense of urgency to frantically sew up new things. It is nice to use new fabrics, or to find a treasure among my fabric stash that is just begging to be sewn into something new and different. I like to play it by ear, and sew when I feel like it, and not try to turn sewing into a chore or a big production effort. That is just no fun!

Here are a few new things that I have recently listed in my etsy shop (click on the picture to go to the etsy listing and more pictures and descriptions):

Hand-dyed Pink and Purple Zipper Pouch

Linen and Cotton Bird print Jewelry Pouch with anti-tarnish lining

Retro Fruit Stand Cellphone Pouch or Coin Purse

Random Glimpses Into the Bags of a Feather Studio

Posted on March 4, 2013 by Wendy

A pictorial glimpse into the inner workings at Bags of a Feather, including the mess created by cutting up pieces of fabric and sewing them back together. Most of the following pictures were taken a couple of years ago and sent to an online venue for approval as a “certified handmade artisan” designation. I passed with flying colors- they determined that I was not a factory that was mass-producing bags all day long and passing them off as handmade.

It is messy at times, but I usually know where everything is. Sewing supplies take up a lot of room, especially when you just cannot say no to a beautiful new piece of fabric or a length of unique ribbon!

Sewing a bag lining on the trusty Janome sewing machine

Sewing thread and ribbon and cord storage

Fabrics for a coaster set and ironing area

Thread, bobbin holders, pinking shears and a big bag of zippers

Thinking Spring!

Posted on February 25, 2013 by Wendy

It is the last week of February, and right around this time of year, the winter seems like it will never end! The cold weather, snow, and ice having been hanging around since November, which is going on 5 months now. The huge piles of snow are dirty and slushy and seem to take forever to melt. Enough, already! I don’t know about you, but I am thinking SPRING!

Singing yellow warbler

Two years ago, a robin built her nest in a large holly bush right outside the bedroom window, and it was thrilling to see the eggs hatch and the babies fledge and take flight.

Robin chicks and eggs

Soon the great spring migration of birds will begin, and the goldfinches will lose their drab winter colors and molt some beautiful golden yellow feathers.

Padded Jewelry Bag with Anti Tarnish Inner Pocket in Goldfinch Bird Print

: Tree Full of Finches

I have a lot of bird fabric creations in my Bags of a Feather etsy shop. Here are a few favorites (click on the pictures below for more details):

Bird and Dogwood Blossoms Zipper pouch

Red Feathered Friends zipper pouch

Vibrant Meadow and Bird zipper pouch

Tiny Sparrow Anti-tarnish Jewelery Pouch

Bird Nest Stripe Anti-tarnish Jewelry pouch

Antique bird print anti-tarnish jewelry pouch

It is also a great time to be thinking about gardening, even though the garden is still buried under about 2 feet of snow. The best antidote for cabin fever this time of year is to get out the glossy seed catalogs and dream of new things to try in the garden this year.

Orange mums

Only a few more weeks to go- can’t wait for spring!

Wednesday Wings from Bags of a Feather- Butterflies

Posted on February 13, 2013 by Wendy

This weeks’ installment of Wednesday Wings From Bags of a Feather features butterflies!

Anti-tarnish Jewelry Pouch

In the dead of winter, those beautiful and magical butterflies seem like a distant memory- swooping among the flowers in the garden and alighting here and their to feed and flutter their wings.

I have quite a few butterfly-themed fabrics in my etsy shop, including Asian-inpired prints, whimsical designs, and colorful jewel-toned prints.

Butterfly facts from wikipedia:

“Butterflies feed primarily on nectar from flowers. Some also derive nourishment from pollen,^[23] tree sap, rotting fruit, dung, decaying flesh, and dissolved minerals in wet sand or dirt. Butterflies are important as pollinators for some species of plants although in general they do not carry as much pollen load as bees. They are however capable of moving pollen over greater distances. Vision is well developed in butterflies and most species are sensitive to the ultraviolet spectrum….

Monarch Butterfly

Many butterflies, such as the Monarch butterfly, are migratory and capable of long distance flights. They migrate during the day and use the sun to orient themselves. They also perceive polarized light and use it for orientation when the sun is hidden.

Many species of butterfly maintain territories and actively chase other species or individuals that may stray into them. Some species will bask or perch on chosen perches. The flight styles of butterflies are often characteristic and some species have courtship flight displays. Basking is an activity which is more common in the cooler hours of the morning. Many species will orient themselves to gather heat from the sun. Some species have evolved dark wingbases to help in gathering more heat and this is especially evident in alpine forms.

Many butterflies migrate over long distances. Particularly famous migrations are those of the Monarch butterfly from Mexico to northern USA and southern Canada, a distance of about 4000 to 4800 km (2500–3000 miles). Butterflies have been shown to navigate using time compensated sun compasses. They can see polarized light and therefore orient even in cloudy conditions. The polarized light in the region close to the ultraviolet spectrum is suggested to be particularly important”

Some butterfly-themed creations available in the Bags of a Feather etsy shop:

butterfly jewels pouch

Ivory and Black Butterfly pouch

Lime and Black Batik Butterfly pouch

Spearmint Batik Butterfly pouch

Sneak Preview- New Fabrics Just Waiting to be Cut and Sewn Into Something

Posted on February 6, 2013 by Wendy

I recently splurged and spent some Christmas and birthday gift money on some new bird fabrics. There is always some new bird or parrot-themed fabric that is tempting me to buy it. It used to be difficult to find new bird fabrics, but not any more. There is a wide selection of wild bird fabrics, parrot fabrics, owl fabrics, or feather fabrics to choose from.

Living Wonders- Parrot Paradise

My bird-themed fabric collection now has well over 100 different fabrics. Some I have never used, some are favorites that I have made into various bird and parrot bags and other fabric creations, and some are the last small piece or remnant of a beautiful fabric that I wish I had bought yards of, but did not. Some of those rare pieces are too valuable to use up, so I hang onto them. They will probably get used eventually, but who knows how long they will stay in the fabric stash?

Garden Sparrows

Mid-winter seems to be a creative lull period at Bags of a Feather. The holiday rush is over, it is still along ways until spring, and I usually feel somewhat uninspired to sew anything new. This has happened the last few years, and sometimes I do not sew anything at all for weeks at a time. I did do some garment alterations recently for an elderly family member, including some stretchy knit dress and pants hems. It was fun to use some of the fancy stitches and foot attachments on my Janome sewing machine, and I was happy with the way they turned out.

Tree Full of Finches

The pictures in this post are some new fabrics that are all pre-washed and ready for the creative inspiration to strike to make into new things for my etsy shop- stay tuned!

Flutter and Feather

BagsOfAFeather

Avuan and nature-inspired fabric creations

Category Archives: Fabric