Cats!

Meet my three foster kitties: Suzie Q, Polka and Fandango. I recently decided to volunteer as a foster mom after adopting my cat Dexter (seen below, playing with Suzie Q), from Abbey Cat Adoptions.



These three kittens were from a litter of nine, so they're a bit small for their age, but no less energetic. Or hungry. Kittens eat and poop a lot! Each has their own very unique personality: Suzie Q is fearless, friendly, affectionate, curious, playful, and nosy. She seems to be the dominate of the three, and also the hungriest! Polka is more independent and serious, but loves playing with the catnip mouse. She too is curious and nosy, and likes to jump up on the kitchen counter. Fandango is friendly and affectionate, but still a bit cautious. He loves a good tummy rub and cuddling with Suzie Q.



All three play really well together and love playing tag, and with Dexter. In particular, Dexter has taken a liking to Suzie Q. At first I was worried about how he would react with three new kittens around, but he has assumed the role of older brother, making sure they get fed (he yells at me in the morning if I take too long to get them their food!), grooming them, and scolding them when they scratch the couch.





If you know someone who is considering adopting a cat, I suggest taking a look at the cats and kittens at Abbey Cats.

Messenger bags

My messenger bags have been available at Wise Daughters for a while now, but they are now available in my Etsy shop. I started making messenger bags when I wasn't able to find one that I liked - often that's how I start making a new item, when I'm dissatisfied with what's out there.

These bags are based on my own pattern, after some trial and error. I tested out different closures, strap configurations, and dimensions. The front flap closure is a magnetic snap, which I love - very easy to use. The bag is just the right size for daily essentials: book, wallet, cosmetic case, gadgets, even some snacks.



Remember, I do custom work, so if you have a piece of fabric you would like to incorporate into a bag or pouch of some sort, just let me know!

New Blythe items

So I finally made some Blythe clothes from the Simplicity Blythe patterns. I've been so busy with my Zippster items, and sales have been slow in my Blythe store, that I haven't bothered making new items. I think the recession in the United States is still bad enough that people aren't shopping like they used to. I made one of each of the outfits, and overall I'm happy with the patterns.




The only pattern I didn't like was for the hoodie. The pattern had the opening at the back but I made it at the front, and used snaps instead of a zipper (anyone know where I can find doll-sized zippers?). I found the hood a bit too big, and the sleeves a weird length - too short for a t-shirt and not not long enough for a long sleeved top. Next time I'll lengthen the sleeves.



The items are now available in my Etsy store.

New vintage fabric clutches

Before the Canada Post strike/lockout I had ordered some really amazing vintage fabric, which finally arrived about a week ago. As soon as I saw it I knew it would be perfect for my coin purses. The fabric is so colourful and is in perfect condition.

Recently I've been experimenting with larger sizes and shapes for the coin purses. I drafted a new pattern, and the end result is a clutch large enough to be used alone as a purse, or as a cosmetic case. They include interfacing and cotton batting for shape and support.



More to come...

My Fabricland is closing!

Most of the time I purchase my fabric and sewing supplies from stores along Queen Street West, the "Fashion District" of Toronto. But sometimes I go to the Fabricland at Yonge and Bay, where I popped into last night. As soon as I entered, I realized something was wrong: the place looked empty of inventory, it was very busy, and there were Closing Sale signs everywhere. Closing ... no! A salesperson I spoke to said they're trying to find a new location. A lot of fabric was gone, but I stocked up on batting, and bought a lot of patterns (buy one, get two free!). Sorry to the staff who are losing their jobs.

Back to business!

Good news! Postal services should resume tomorrow,
Tuesday June 27. As a result, I've re-opened both
of my Etsy shops. I've also listed some new magnet
sets in my Zippster shop, and a new
"create your own magnet set" option,
which I think is a fun idea for gifts.

New sewing machine

Well, the time came: my old 20+ years-old Kenmore has retired. I've been fighting with it for a while now, and was spending more time unjamming and ripping out bad stitching than I was sewing. I tried out quite a few machines, including Singers, Bernina (nice but out of my price range), and Janomes (I have a Janome serger and really like it). I used this website to do some research and read reviews. This is the machine I bought, the Janome 2030QDC (computerized, how fancy!):


It's actually considered a quilter's machine but has all the features I needed without being overly complicated with bells and whistles. It has good power, is fast, and easy to use - I took it out of the box, plugged it in and started sewing right away (well, the most difficult thing was trying to figure out the auto-threader!). It also came with an extended sewing table, hard case and lots of accessories. So nice to have consistent, even stitching!