I’m baaaack!

August 16, 2008 by candi canncel Leave a Comment

Hi! I apologize for being MIA last few weeks. I was visiting family in Seattle and posting on a vintage computer with dial-up was nearly impossible! I hope you had a great few weeks!!

Ah, vacation. One of my favorite words. Inspiration- another favorite word…

Seattle proved to be incredibly inspiring. I was super fortunate to meet a whole lot of artists of every denomination doing amazing, innovative and truly inspiring things!

First up, I finally met in person, Kristen Rask of Plush You! and Schmancy. I have posted on and on about her goings on to coincide with my new plush thing, but meeting her en persona was great. Her store is so stocked with talent- its unbelievable! I also got to meet Heidi Kenney another plush artist who seriously creates the cutest things! These are 2 people in the sewing realm- defineitly worth checking out!

Next, I met the people behind the renegade art gallery Free Sheep Foundation. Basically they take a space that is slated for demolition and lease it until it is torn down. They then pack it with cool art, awesome music, a box ball court, hopscotch and amazing people. Now, if I can only suggest they add a fashion show to the mix!

And lastly, I stumbled upson McLeod Residence. I had heard about this space when it first opened and was just dying to check it out. I finally did and it is Incredible! I was so inspired by what they are doing. They have amazing mixed media and a lounge.

I came away from Seattle so jazzed about what people are creating! It made me want to sew something fabulous and paint something brillant! Even though creation may come in the form of another craft, it can still inpsire you!

Have you read?

DIY Kids Gingerbread House Bag with Free Pattern

I am just smitten with this felt gingerbread house bag. This would make such a sweet special Christmas accessory for a kid. It’s a free pattern at Benzie Design, designed by Gracie from Hello Gracie Makes. It’s packed with adorable gingerbread house details, like swirls and stripes and scallops adoring the doors and windows.

And while all those details might seem like this would be a complicated pattern, it’s actually not. The bag itself is made from felt, which makes finishes edges unnecessary. (All of those scalloped edges are just cut from felt, no edge finishing required.) The strap is super simple, made from rope with knotted ends. And all those details are made with some basic hand embroidery stitches. Sparkle felt makes it extra cute.

The striped scallop roof is actually the top flap of the bag. A magnetic snap makes it a secure closure. The rope straps are attached through felt loops at the side of the bag.

They rate this project as an intermediate level, and it should take about 6 hours to make start to finish. That’s doable for a Saturday project or a couple of evenings. Full color photos step you through the entire process.

The project includes a shopping list for all of your supplies. They’ve got a shop so you can order all of them from Benzie if you like and get exactly the supplies used in the project. I noticed it includes a pair of scallop shears, which makes cutting all the scalloped edges for the roof and around the door a breeze.

Finished dimensions of the little felt gingerbread bag are approximately 6 ½” wide x 7 ½” tall. That’s the perfect size to hold a small book, a small toy, or a notepad and some cute pens.

Go to Benzie Design to get the tutorial and free pattern for the felt gingerbread house bag.

Have you read?

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