June Check-In

I've posted some new pics of the totes I've been working on over the past few months.  The Craft Show was great fun.  I met so many lovely people. Mother's Day was exceptional in that my family came and supported me and helped with the booth.  We had fun checking out all the other booths too.  The day was dotted with raffles that filled my granddaughter with glee.  She won some fun handmade items which she has added to her treasure chest.  As she perused my display, she claimed yet another "favorite" tote of the small persuasion and is now "earning" her pink floral lace size small tote.  I think it is the cut-crystal square-shaped button that really caught her eye! At any rate, that one will NOT be in the next show.  IT IS SOLD!

Life's Many Directions

Oh where oh where does the time fly to?  It's been so long since I've updated.  During the nearly two months since my last blog I have been busy filling orders for totes and Ipad covers. Sew Into You is from the soul... the creative expression that translates people's visions into functional, artsy, unique or whatever you want it to be wearable, useable art.  Wow, what a mouthfull.  It's just plain fun for me and I hope it makes my clients feel as special and unique as each of you are.

Now that the craft show is behind me, I am spending more time working on individual orders.  That's what I love doing most, by the way.   I'll be posting some new pictures too.  Keep checking back for the newest creations.
Blessings all....

Kindle Cover

     It was great fun to come up with a padded, lined Kindle cover for my daughter who received a new electronic reader for Christmas.  She wanted to keep it safe for her many travels with her husband.  I relished the challenge of altering my tote pattern to create a protective sheath that would be stylish and functional.  After having chosen a multi-colored, slim-striped fabric we decided to line it with a very vibrant large pink-on-red polka-dot.  The front flap was set off with a small black band with miniature white polka-dots to carry the theme of stripes and dots through a third fabric.
      To make this completely personal we added a special touch from my hope chest.  I recently found a bag full of embroidered flowers that my grandmother had accumulated over the years and given to me in her later life.  It was such a blessing to find them.  When I asked my daughter if she would like to have one of those antique appliques stitched onto the front flap of her cover she was elated.  We spent quite a bit of time together sifting through the bag until she found just the right piece.  It really touches off the Kindle case nicely.
      Now my daughter enjoys owning a handmade original designed specifically for her with the added blessing of carrying something her great-grandmother had intended to use for sewing...and we did!  What a privilege it was to find an heirloom that is precious to our family to embellish the piece I hand-fashioned for my daughter. Grandma would have loved that!
      If you are interested in ordering a handmade protective cover for your electronic device, all I need are its dimensions and an idea of  what it would take to reflect your taste. These cases are roomy for ease of operation.  I also add a convenient wrist strap so you can securely carry it with you.  Like my totes, they are made of high quality cotton in triple layers (in some places even 4 layers thick). Magnetic snap makes it a breeze to open/close and keeps your device snug.  Machine wash in cold water in a lingerie bag on delicate setting.  Hang dry.  Iron if necessary. If you are interested contact me at my email address: sewintoyou@hotmail.com 
     Turnaround is about two weeks by the time we chat and I shop for the fabrics that will turn your passion for reading into fashion!

What's In A Tote?

It's important for a buyer to know what they are purchasing.  Something as personal as a handmade tote fashioned completely with a buyer in mind is no different.  So I wanted to explain exactly what goes into these totes!

#1.  Each tote has 18 cut pieces

#2.  Each tote is actually composed of 3 layers:  

           The main fabric (that's your fashion statement)

           A mid-layer of "warm and natural" 100% cotton blanket quilting

           The lining fabric inside (carefully chosen to complement your fashion fabric)

#3.  I choose a coordinating button for the button closure that pops and adds some fun or just finalizes the statement being made on the piece.  It's a nice finish and often ties it all together. Can you tell this is important to me? 

#4.  Inside your tote is a triple-layer bank of pockets of varying sizes that extend across the width of one complete side.  It's nice and roomy adding lots of organization options.  This is one of my favorite things about these totes. 

#5.  Totes come in 3 sizes: Small 12"h x 9"w;  Med 17"w x 13"h;  &  Large 21"w x 15"h

#6.  Handles are a comfortable 20" shoulder length on medium and large totes and a convenient hand-carry length on the small bag--or I can make a longer handle on those as well.

#7.  The bottom is stiffened with a fusible craft-grade interfacing to give strength and form. 

#8.  Fabric content is 100% cotton  and all seams are overcast & therefore stitched twice, all stress points are triple-reinforced to add amazing strength.  Believe me, my grandchild can carry loads of toys in her "Thundering Horses" medium tote and that thing gets heavy!

#9.  These totes are a breeze to clean.  They can be hand washed but I actually throw mine into the machine--in a lingerie bag--and wash in cold water on the "hand-wash" or "delicate" cycle.  Then I hang them to drip dry.  They can be re-shaped at the bottom by hand and touched up with an iron to take out any wrinkles...just like a garment! 

Introductions are in order!

     Sew Into You is a new and exciting business for me and I hope for many of you too! I have been sewing for over 30 years, but only now have I actually decided to make creating with fabrics a full time endeavor. This business began with a simple request from my grandchild for a ballet bag in mid-summer 2010.  From the fabrication of that tote came a request by my daughters for extra large "fall-flavored" totes to carry shopping.  Then my Mom asked if I could come up with a music tote for her piano students. Pretty soon I was making totes in three sizes, wallets, ipad and kindle covers, a dog carrier and most recently a camera case...all fashioned to match the passion or personality of the individual making the request.  What a good time I am having choosing coordinating fabrics to achieve a form of art that is functional, fun, and reflective of the heart and soul of my clients!  My next endeavor will be to create a double eyeglass case.  I'm looking forward to working on that one, as I often find that switching my own glasses from sunglasses to readers to my regular glasses in a single case is a pain!!
     The desire of  "Sew Into You" is to create a beautiful, well-made product that "turns your passion into fashion" and truly reflects the things you love.  Seasons, coffee, dance, roosters, turtles, thundering horses, gardens, favorite colors and anything one can imagine are just starting off points for creativity to flow into functional art. As I develop my blog I will be adding lots of pictures of what I am working on or have available...and some that are spoken for but can speak volumes to you about the myriad of possibities.