Etsy Stock Take - Week Twenty-one

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Etsy Stock Take - Week Twenty-one - Sunday Craft Linky Party- Buy Handmade.

This week I've been knitting like crazy to finish up a waistcoat. And I have good news, I finished it last night :) I will post a tahdah soon...

What have you been up to?

Shoppers of handmade stuff!

Scroll down for some beautiful products made by some of my readers. Please visit their shops on Etsy and consider buying something! You'll be glad you did :)

I will list each week's stock take on my Etsy Stock Take page. Please go and have a browse... Also each month I will feature a round up of my favourite items.

Etsy Sellers!

You have 2 options:

1. Bloggers:

Write a new post on your blog (telling us about your new items), mention the Etsy Stock Take and link back here so your readers get a chance to find the link up list (or add the button above).

Then link up using the Linky widget (where it says 'click here to enter') at the bottom of this post. Then we can find your blog :)

2. Link up directly to your Etsy shop:  
Post a link that goes directly to your new items in Etsy using the Linky widget (where it says 'click here to enter') at the bottom of this post. You can put up as many as you want and we will see your images nice and big :)


It'd be lovely if you took a moment to go and check out some stuff that others post below - go shopping!

It seems that there have been some difficulties with the Linky widget. If you have problems, please let me know and I will give you a hand (my email).

Let's show our support for each other craftwise! I'm hoping that my goal of listing one item a week will be a powerful motivator and a source of exposure for us all.

Ciao!

Katz :)


If the list at the bottom of this post is closed, link up with a live list anytime, click here and choose the latest Etsy Stock Take...

I wanna make that! Crochet Gilet.

Have you ever found yourself surreptitiously eyeing up someone's clothes thinking 'I wanna make that'?! 

I have. I have even taken notes for future reference and designing.

And I've taken photos... ohuh! *laughs guiltily*

I LOVE this waistcoat! I saw this girl in a cafe the last time I was in London. I was there filling an hour while waiting for a connection at Victoria coach station. I had just eaten a very nice piece of lasagne while mentally trying to memorise her vest. Then I realised that I had my camera in my handbag...

Now, how on earth do I go about recreating this pretty thing? I'm thinking about starting with a paper pattern of the actual waistcoat dimensions and then crocheting stars to fill the space on the paper before joining them all the way round the edges. Is that the way to go? What do you think? Advice would be MUCH appreciated!



PS. I love to buy handmade. Do you? If yes, I recommend you go and explore the Etsy Stock Take. It's full of lovely things that some of my blog readers make and sell online. If you are a seller check it out too, you can link up your new beautiful creations :)

Hot knitting.

Balcony knitting...

So it was 28c yesterday here in Hamburg. Wow! Then this morning we had a tropical hail storm mixed with a good old downpour, giving way to more sunshine. What's a girl to do in all this strange weather? Knit of course! 

Do you continue knitting through the summer? I'm still quite new to the whole knitting thing. Last year I avoided wool and did quite a lot of crochet with cotton yarn. Thing is, I've still got woolly projects I want to work on...

PS. Are you an Etsy Seller? Please share what you're selling with us on the latest Etsy Stock Take!
 Not an Etsy seller? Wanna shop handmade? Check it out! ;)

Etsy Stock Take - Week Twenty

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Etsy Stock Take - Week Twenty - Sunday Craft Linky Party- Buy Handmade!

What have you been up to this week? I didn't do a lot of blogging or Etsying, but I did do a lot of walking on beaches...

Link up:

I hope that you fellow Etsians will join me in showcasing your new items each week. I will post my progress every Sunday, but you can join in with a live list anytime!

You have 2 options:

 

1. For those with time to blog: 

 

Write a new post on your blog (telling us about your new items), mention the Etsy Stock Take and link back here so your readers get a chance to find the link up list (or add the button above).

Then create a link from here to your blog using the Linky widget (where it says 'click here to enter') at the bottom of this post. Then we can find your post :)

2. Link up directly to your Etsy shop:  

Post a link that goes directly to your new items in Etsy using the Linky widget (where it says 'click here to enter') at the bottom of this post. You can put up as many as you want and we will see your images nice and big :)


It'd be lovely if you took a moment to go and check out some stuff that others post below - go shopping!

It seems that there have been some difficulties with the Linky widget. If you have problems, please let me know and I will give you a hand (my email).

I will list each week's stock take on my Etsy Stock Take page. Please go and have a browse... Also each month I will feature a round up of my favourite items.

Let's show our support for each other craftwise! I'm hoping that my goal of listing one item a week will be a powerful motivator and a source of exposure for us all.

Ciao!

Kat :)

Sylt

Strandkorb - A windproof beach chair! Could do with these in the UK

We've just got back from Sylt, an island in the North sea linked to Gemany by a rail bridge.

It's a grey, windy and drizzly place, but boy, those sandy beaches and lambs do make it a lovely place to be.

 I collected a lot of pretty shells too. What shall I do with them? I'm thinking some kind of candle craft project...

PS: If you are an Etsy seller, come and link up to the latest Etsy Stock Take and get some exposure for the items you offer. Oh and tell your friends too :)

Etsy Stock Take - Week Nineteen

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Etsy Stock Take - Week Nineteen - Sunday Linky Party

This week I am changing the Etsy Stock Take format a little so that it is more manageable to keep up with! I have many projects for the summer, including a lot of travelling and so now is a good time to make things simpler for myself.

The upshot is, I spend less time talking and we spend more time sharing! So...

Link up:

I hope that you fellow Etsians will join me in showcasing your new items each week. I will post my progress every Sunday, but you can join in with a live list anytime!

You have 2 options:

 

1. For those with time to blog: 

 

Write a new post on your blog (telling us about your new items), mention the Etsy Stock Take and link back here so your readers get a chance to find the link up list (or add the button above).

Then create a link from here to your blog using the Linky widget (where it says 'click here to enter') at the bottom of this post. Then we can find your post :)

2. Link up directly to your Etsy shop:  

Post a link that goes directly to your new items in Etsy using the Linky widget (where it says 'click here to enter') at the bottom of this post (you can put up as many as you like!).


It'd be lovely if you took a moment to go and check out some stuff that others post below - go shopping!

It seems that there have been some difficulties with the Linky widget. If you have problems, please let me know and I will give you a hand (my email).

I will list each week's stock take on my Etsy Stock Take page. Please go and have a browse... Also each month I will feature a round up of my favourite items.

Let's show our support for each other craftwise! I'm hoping that my goal of listing one item a week will be a powerful motivator and a source of exposure for us all.

Ciao!

Kat :)

Handmade Cotton Kimono

A finished sewing project - a handmade cotton kimono!

I used a sewing pattern by AtelierJoy based in Paris. It's a great pattern, simple for advanced beginners like me and well illustrated with pictures all the way through. I adapted the length so that it almost reaches the floor. I am pleased with the result and love hanging out at home in my new kimono :)

Details

Fabric

I had a question about how much fabric to buy (as the pattern was set up in inches/yard but in Germany sellers use centimetres/metres). This is the answer I received from the helpful Joy (at AtelierJoy):
 
The width of the fabric you buy will be either 115 cm (45" wide) or 150 cm (60" wide)

for 115 cm wide fabric
short kimono: purchase 3 1/4 meters
long kimono : purchase 4 meters

for 150 cm wide fabric
short kimono: purchase 2 meters
long kimono: purchase 2 1/2 meters

I bought 2.5 metres of a butterfly and flower print cotton in the Wednesday morning fabric market in Altona, Hamburg for EUR3.75 (bargain!)

Thread:

I used a spool of vintage cotton thread (Dewhurst's Sylko). I found this lovely magenta colour spool in a box of threads that I inherited from my grandmother. I've had the box for about 15 years and I'm always excited to pull out and use a little treasure from inside. It was still wrapped in its plastic! I used almost the whole spool of thread for this project.

French Seams:

I love the french seams! It was the first time I had sewn them and they were easier than I expected. In fact, the inside of the kimono is as neat and tidy as the outside. It's amazing! Very satisfying to see such a clean finish.

Hem tucks neatly into the bottom of the collar

Finishing:

As well as the French seams, the finishing for the hem and collar were very nice. A deep hem adds some weight improving the drape of the kimono. It tucks into the bottom of the collar piece like a dream, no unfinished edges anywhere! 

Tip:

I discovered that masking tape is my friend. I used it to help mark out my measurements (the majority of the pieces in this pattern are rectangle so you can simply measure them, there is only one paper piece for the curve of the neck). I also used it to label pieces so that I could put my hands on them quickly when sewing them together. It didn't leave any sticky residue, but a little test should be done before using it on delicate fabric.

Are you an Etsy seller? Have you linked up to this week's Etsy Stock Take? Do so, it's great exposure for your new items! 

A Custom Order Wedding Ring Pillow.

I've just finished a custom order wedding ring pillow for a lovely bride in Australia. I'm so thrilled to be able to tell her it's finished and that it'll be in the post very soon, it makes me smile. I hope she loves it. It's a special one because it's stuffed with dried lavender flowers and the scent of lavender will forever remind her of the best day of her life :)

I'm going to update my Etsy shop, LifesJewels with these pictures right now! I'm very pleased with them, I think my photography skills are slowly improving... It's such a joy to learn so many new things :)

If you are an Etsy seller, don't forget you can link up to the latest Etsy Stock Take to get some exposure for your new items! Please come and join in :)

I'm linking this post up to Michelle's Creative Party  and Romance on a Dime

Etsy Stock Take - Week Eighteen - Best of April

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Etsy Stock Take - Week Eighteen - Sunday Linky Party - Best of April

This week's Etsy Stock Take is all about you! I have chosen my favourite item from your submissions each week in April to feature in today's post. It's a pretty stunning collection, the best yet!

Which do you like the best?

Etsy sellers, please don't forget to link up as usual below.

Right, let's go!

Week Thirteen:

Gift bookmarks by the ArtsyAnts

Week Fourteen:

Bubblegum Baby Cardigan by FelixFunhouse

Week Fifteen:

Metal Rose by PioneerArtisanworks

Week Sixteen:

Geometric Bib Necklace at AnAstridEndeavor

Week Seventeen:

Murano Glass Necklace at ShopPretties

Link up:

I hope that you fellow Etsians will join me in showcasing your new items each week. I will post my progress every Sunday, but you can join in with a live list anytime!

You have 2 options:

 

1. For those with time to blog: 

 

Write a new post on your blog (telling us about your new items), title it Etsy Stock Take and link back here so your readers get a chance to find the link up list. Then create a link from here to your blog using the Linky widget (where it says 'click here to enter') at the bottom of this post. Then we can find your post :)

If you like you can pick up the Etsy Stock Take blog button from the code in the sidebar on the right.

 

2. Link up directly to your Etsy shop:  

Post a link that goes directly to your new items in Etsy using the Linky widget (where it says 'click here to enter') at the bottom of this post (you can put up as many as you like!).

It'd be lovely if you took a moment to go and check out some stuff that others post below - go shopping!

It seems that there have been some difficulties with the Linky widget. If you have problems, please let me know and I will give you a hand (my email).

I will list each week's stock take on my Etsy Stock Take page. Please go and have a browse...

Let's show our support for each other craftwise!

I'm hoping that my goal of listing one item a week will be a powerful motivator and a source of exposure for us all.

Ciao!

Kat :)

Organising Knitting - Sew a Bag.

The knitting bag.

A while ago I noted how I organise my knitting and crochet notions. As always, clutter control is a challenge and I am always developing strategies to help contain the mess.

Keeping ongoing knitting projects in a bag is a really good idea. I've been looking for a good knitting bag for a long time, but the stuff available just seems too twee (old-fashioned) or way too functional (think military pockets!).

Meanwhile, last year before getting my sewing machine set up here in Hamburg, I was desperate to do a bit of sewing. I decided hand sewing a bag would be a nice project. It was, but boy was it slow! I had intended this little bag for an everyday handbag, but the handles looked like they wouldn't take the strain! Little cracks soon appeared...

Then one day I put two and two together, this is the PERFECT knitting bag!

Big enough to throw stuff in: I've got a wooden ruler, a little box with scissors, yarn needles etc, my knitting pattern and pencil and a spare ball of yarn as well as a half finished project, Marmee's waistcoat. Now everything is tidy and on hand. Hurrah!

LOVE Snoopy :)

Quick How To - Hand Sew a Bag:

-I cut 2 rectangles from an old denim skirt (it was already decorated with the gray cord appliqué), for the front and back. Then two narrower ones for the sides and another for the bottom. I modeled the size and shape on a nice paper gift bag.

-I cut the same again from another old turquoise skirt for the lining.

-I sewed together each 'box shape' separately by hand.

-I put a nice sturdy piece of cardboard in the bottom of the denim piece (after having cut it to match the bottom) because this helps the bag hold its shape.

-Then wrong sides together I tucked the lining 'box' inside the denim one and sewed the tops and sides together (I made a tuck in the sides to add some shape), incorporating the handles and using red bias tape to make everything tidy.

-As a finishing touch I sewed blanket stitch around the bottom of the bag, this also helps the card to stay in place between the bottom layers.

Nature pins from Marmee

I also keep cute pins on this bag! I wonder what solutions you use to keep your knitting clean and safe?