Upcycled Wearables in GreenCraft Magazine

I just received the latest issue, Winter 2010, of GreenCraft Magazine in the mail today. It's full of creative ideas for repurposeing everything from junk mail to old leather jackets!

A couple of my repurposed, felted wool sweater projects are featured in the Green Craft Walking section on page 96.

The model is holding one of my Emily mini-totes and wearing one of my felted flower brooches.

You can follow the instructions in the issue to try your hand at making your own felted flower brooch. Or have a look at the many choices of flower styles and colors available in my shop, FeltSewGood.

I find GreenCraft Magazine and other Stampington Publications at my local Barnes and Noble and at craft stores like Jo-Ann. Or they can be ordered online.

And the Winner Is. . . and More!

The winner of last week's FeltSewGood blog giveaway is Ashley! Congratulations to Ashley and thank you so much to everyone who participated!

And now for this week's giveaway. . . one winner will receive a FeltSewGood gift certificate for $20 to spend on anything in my shop!

Will you choose a felted flower brooch?

or a zippered pouch?

or maybe a plush animal for you, or a niece or nephew?


or will you choose a handbag as a gift or a special treat for yourself?

Here are the details. The giveaway will run from Monday, November 23 through Sunday, November 29. The gift certicate is only good to spend on any item at FeltSewGood on Etsy and is non-transferable.
There are four ways to enter. 1.) Leave a comment on this post telling me a favorite holiday tradition. 2.) Become a FeltSewGood blog follower and leave me a comment telling me you became a follower. 3.) Become a fan of FeltSewGood on Facebook and leave a comment here to tell me you became a fan. 4.) Leave a comment on my fan page wall mentioning the gift certificate giveaway. The winner will be choosen at random and I will post the winner here and on my fan page on Monday, November 30. Good luck to all and thanks for participating!

Haute Handbags!

I just received my Autumn 2009 issue of Haute Handbags in the mail and my work is featured! It's fun to see published photos of my handbags!

I had submitted one of my Flower Basket Handbags and a matching zippered pouch and was excited when I found out my work had been selected.

Haute Handbags is a Stampington Publication. Stampington publishes titles such as Sew Somerset, Stuffed, and GreenCraft, and they all feature the work of artists and crafters including photos and step-by-step instructions. The Autumn issue will be available October 1. You can find them at bookstores, craft stores and online. And I'll have the featured handbag set for sale in my shop in October!

New Felted Goodness in the Shop!

It's been a while since I added any new handbags to my shop, but I just added three new bags!

This is the EMILY, a new design. It's a cute navy tote made from a felted wool sweater, and embellished with a felted wool flower that coordinates with the lining. Use it as a handbag, a small market tote or to carry your latest craft project.

This is a red WILLOW handbag. This photo shows the rich, warm colors of the pattern from the original wool sweater.

And finally another WILLOW handbag in warm autumn tones.

These are all available now at Felt Sew Good!

Summer Shop Update

I've completed and listed a few new handbags at Felt Sew Good this week.

And my SUMMER CELEBRATION Sale continues through Saturday, June 27.

This is the latest Willow style handbag, in cream, tan and brown stripes.

This Jasper was made from a pretty golden tan, felted, 100% merino wool sweater.


And this Blakely's patchwork design was actually part of the original repurposed wool sweater.
Stop by Felt Sew Good and check out these latest designs. These handbags, and everything in the shop, are 10% off through Saurday, June 27th!

Celebrate Summer Sale!

To celebrate the first week of summer, Sunday June 21 thru Saturday June 27, everything in the shop is 10% off! (receive a refund of 10% of your purchase price, via Paypal, promptly after your purchase)

The Celebrate Summer Sale includes handbags

accessories

and cuddly softies!

Now through June 27!

New Felted Goodness!

I've been sewing the past few days and I've added some new items to my shop.

A pretty red patterned Bella style handbag,

a green leaf felted wool zippered pouch,

and some pretty beaded rose brooches.

I'm planning to create some new plush animals next - a few of my horses, a few more cats and I'm working on a goldfish/koi - so look for those coming next week! I plan to have some available in the shop.

And speaking of cats, I've been making my furry friends some new toys with some of my scraps of wool and a little catnip. I'll take some pictures and have a tutorial for you on Monday, 5/4. Can you beleive it's May already?

Have a great weekend!

What I Am Crafting Today

Yesterday I finished a new design project
and this adorable Easter bunny for my shop! The super soft, sweet bunny was made from a repurposed cashmere sweater.

Today I am working on some new zippered pouches for my Etsy shop, Felt Sew Good.

I gathered coordinating colors of wool, decided on silhouette applique shapes for each color, and then chose cotton fabric to line each pouch. They will soon be available in the shop!

What are you crafting today?

Bella!

I've been working on some new handbag designs for my Etsy shop, Felt Sew Good, and this is the first new style I've completed. I'm calling it "Bella".

After some sketches and a lot of measuring, I made myself a muslin pattern and cut out the first Bella from two green felted wool sweaters.

I used a pretty Spring green wool for the bottom of the bag and a darker moss green wool for the top and strap. This is the end result!
A pretty Spring green handbag, available in the shop.

I was satisfied with the end result of my first new handbag and was ready to make another Bella, this one with a stripe pattern.



And this is the navy and multi colored striped Bella, also available in the shop.

Check back next week for more new Spring handbags and accessories and maybe an Easter bunny or two!

New Items for Holiday Shopping!

Today I added some more new items to my Etsy shop, Felt Sew Good.

Bright Poppy Felted Flowers Brooches


Pretty bright red "Jasper" style handbag, just the right color for the holidays!

and some Felted Flower Cuffs.

I'll be adding some more handbags and plush toys on Monday, 12/8/08,
just in time to finish your holiday shopping!

Textural Treasure!

Strawberrymoonbeam just included one of my new tote bags in her "wish list" Treasury.

She included this grey Madison tote bag.

The treasury is fulled of beautiful grey textiles, art, clothes and accessories. You can check it out here. Strawberrymoonbeam has a cute Etsy shop of her own, which you can check out here. Happy shopping!

Pretty Autumn Handbags

I've been busy sewing and creating for the past week. And I've just added some new fall handbags to my Etsy shop, Felt Sew Good. Here's a sample of the rich fall color.

Blue WILLOW style handbag

Colorful felted wool wristlet

Brown WILLOW style handbag

For more photos and information about these and many more beautiful felted wool handbags and accessories, go to Felt Sew Good on Etsy.com, your place for All Things Handmade!

A Treasury of Handbags and Flowers!

It's always fun and flattering when you find one of your Etsy items listed in a Treaury. Janetexcat listed my Flower Basket Handbag in her current "I would carry these!" Treasury on Etsy.

Here's the link to have a look for yourself http://www.etsy.com/treasury_list.php?room_id=8234 It's a wonderful ecclectic collection of handbags. And be sure to check out the other Etsy artists' shops, too!

And,here's another Etsy Treasury listing to look at: http://www.etsy.com/treasury_list.php?room_id=6706 This one, "Flower Power", is from Caralynn Schubert and features my pink Felted Flower Poppy. Cara sells beautiful handmade jewelry in her Etsy shop.

Custom Order Handbags

Here are some photos of my latest custom order.

My customer gave me the sweater to turn into a handbag. It was a fun project that I'm calling the "Funky Fringe Purse". The original sweater had fringe around the bottom and around the cuffs of the sleeves, but the rest of the sweater was a plain navy blue. At first I wasn't quite sure what I would do with it, but then I realized all I had to do was to turn the sweater upside down!

I put the fringe around the top of the bag and used the sleeve cuffs for some decorative and useful pockets on the outside of the bag.

I was pleased with the results and most importantly so was my customer!

If you are interested in a custom order, check out more examples of my work at my Etsy shop. You can click on "contact FeltSewGood" or "request custom item".

Or have a look at my photostream on Flickr.

Beautiful Summer Handbags

Every woman loves a pretty summer handbag. Whether it be for a special occasion, to go with a brighter summer wardrobe, or just to add a touch of whimsy to a special outfit, here are three great choices!

Flirty Floral Handbag

Garden Fresh Handbag

Flower Basket Handbag

I made all three of these handbags from felted, recycled wool sweaters. The felting process uses agitation and hot water to turn the wool sweater into a soft, but dense and durable "felted" fabric. Even the flowers and leaves of the removeable flower brooches are made from felted wool sweaters! After felting, the sweater is cut apart and "upcycled" into a handbag or accessory. Each handbag is carefully handmade and one-of-a-kind.

Visit my Etsy shop for prices and more information and photos.