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

Gifts for Mother’s Day from Bags of a Feather

Posted on April 28, 2013 by Wendy

Mother’s Day is Sunday, May 12, 2013. If you are looking for a lovely, hand-crafted gift for Mom this year, check out Bags of a Feather on etsy The shop is well-stocked with over 160 items, including kindle covers, cellphone pouches, and stand-up cosmetic pouches.

Antique bird print anti-tarnish jewelry pouch

My anti-tarnish jewelry zipper pouches make a great, re-useable “package” to hold silver jewelry, and will help to keep tarnish from forming on necklaces, earrings, or bracelets. I am almost positive that Mom has better things to do than polish silver!

Pink Batik Anti-tarnish Jewelry Pouch

And don’t forget that May and June are also prime season for graduations and weddings!

Laurel Burch Hummingbird Kindle cover

There is also a sale going on for all my larger wristlets, tote bags, and purses, with prices marked down 30-40 % off.

Purple Poppies Shoulder Bag

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

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!

Clearance Sale on all Totes, Wristlets, and Shoulder Bags in the Bags of a Feather Etsy Shop

Posted on February 18, 2013 by Wendy

I have decided to clear out all of the larger tote bags, purses, and wristlets in my Bags of a Feather etsy shop, and have marked them wayyyyyyy down (30 to 50% off) from the original prices. Most of the larger tote bags were originally priced at $39.00 to $42.00 and are now priced at $19.00 to $22.00. The wristlets were $19.00, and are now marked down to $12.00.

Click here to go directly to the SALE-Totes/Wristlets section of my etsy shop, where the items are already marked down.

Tote Bag Display

The larger bags have never been very good sellers for me, and they involve a lot of time and fabric to make. I will make them as special orders if someone requests one, but I do not plan to offer them as a regular item in my shop in the future. Plus, I am tired of looking at them hanging on their special wooden craft show display rack, unloved and unwanted.

Birds of Norway Fabric Storage Bin

So this is a golden opportunity to buy something for yourself or as a gift for a friend. I am keeping several for myself- they are handy to haul stuff around in, like lunches, ipads, water bottles, etc. Plus they can be washed if they get dirty.

Penguin Batik Wristlet

These bags were fun to make, but it’s time to move on to other things and move them out of my sewing room!

Happy shopping!

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

Wednesday Wings from Bags of a Feather- Macaws

Posted on January 23, 2013 by Wendy

Another in a regular feature from Bags of a Feather called Wednesday Wings from Bags of a Feather. This week I am featuring MACAWS!

We have shared our home with a Blue & Gold macaw named BeeGee since August of 2007, and she is sweet and playful and a true joy to have around. She was adopted from a rescue in Philadelphia, and we know very little of her background. Her adoption story was featured on a great blog called From Alone to Home. Read the complete story here.

BeeGee- Blue & Gold Macaw

More facts about macaws from Wikipedia:

“Macaws are small to large, long tailed, often colourful New World parrots.^[1] Of the many different Psittacidae (true parrots) genera, six are classified as macaws: Ara, Anodorhynchus, Cyanopsitta, Primolius, Orthopsittaca, and Diopsittaca. Macaws are native to Mexico, Central America, South America, and formerly the Caribbean. Most species are associated with forests, especially rainforests, but others prefer woodland or savannah-like habitats.^[3]

Large, dark (usually black) beaks, and relatively bare, light coloured, medial (facial patch) areas distinguish macaws. Sometimes the facial patch is smaller in some species, and limited to a yellow patch around the eyes and a second patch near the base of the beak in the members of the genus Anodorhynchus, or Hyacinth Macaw. A macaw’s facial feather pattern is as unique as a fingerprint.^[4]

Some of the macaw species are known for their impressive size. The largest parrot in length and wingspan is the Hyacinth Macaw. ”

Hyacinth macaw- photo by Mato Grosso

Macaws eat a variety of foods including fruits, palm fruits, nuts, leaves, seeds, flowers, and stems. Wild species may forage widely, over 100 km (62 mi) for some of the larger species such as Ara araurana (blue & yellow macaw) and Ara ambigua (great green macaw), in search of seasonally available foods. Some foods eaten by macaws in the wild contain toxic or caustic substances which they are able to digest. It has been suggested that parrots and macaws in the Amazon basin eat clay from exposed river banks to neutralize these toxins.^[11] In the western Amazon hundreds of macaws and other parrots descend to exposed river banks to consume clay on an almost daily basis^[12] – except on rainy days.

parrots at a clay lick- Tambopata National Reserve- Peru

I have a fairly large collection of parrot fabrics in my fabric stash, including some macaw fabrics. Here are few of the macaw fabric items available in my etsy shop: