TTMT # 459 – Vegas!
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Tag Archives: holiday
TTMT #389 – Post-Travel Edition, Some Housekeeping & a Flickr Prize!
- Portobello Hotel, Notting Hill – The awesome boutique hotel we called home for a week.
- Sherlock Holmes Museum – There’s not a lot on the website, but google it, there are pics! I can’t understate how amazing this was for a Holmes fan!
- My hubby’s Travel Blog – My husband, Eli, wrote about our trip every day we were there. ♥
I’d love to ONLY talk about our trip to England, but I have some housekeeping to do as well.
First of all, Craftsy relaunched on October 1. They’ve changed their entire structure, including how links are created. Among other things, the permalink to the Sewhooked pattern shop disappeared. I’ve emailed them for help and hope to have it sorted out soon. In the meantime, you can still find all of my patterns published through Craftsy, including My Favorite Things, by going to my Craftsy profile.
Secondly, Google has been doing some updates to Blogger. Fandom in Stitches is hosted on Blogger. I came home from vacation to a half-functioning FiS. (Do you, too, sense a post-vacation trend?) The menus disappeared, among other things. I’m working on it as quickly as I can, in the meantime, if you can’t find something, please let me know by emailing the Fandom in Stitches Admin address.
I’m happy to share that The Linus Connection website has been unaffected by all this craziness! Small favors, right?
October My Favorite Things – Needle & Thread
I was so excited in my video today, that I forgot to mention that the October BOM pattern went live on Friday. Thank you to everyone that’s already commented and shared photos of your blocks!
Starts tomorrow on Fandom in Stitches!
The September 2016 sewhooked.com participation prize is a digital copy of my pattern set, Mustachio! 12 Mustaches to Paper Piece. Just in time for Movember!
The September winner is Rainey Turner with this awesome Jack’s Lanterns quilt!
I apologize for not posting all of the September photos from the Flickr Group. As you might imagine, I’ve been swamped with all the website issues and I’m doing my best to catch up. If you’d like to see the rest of the awesome project photos for this month, please visit the Sewhooked Flickr group. If you’d like a chance to win next month, share your photos with that same group.
Want to sponsor a 2016 prize? Please drop me an email!
Free Pattern Day is the first of every month during 2016!
Crafts Pattern Shop ♥ Etsy Shop
Crafting The Holidays
It’s officially the day after Thanksgiving here in the U.S.!
The leftovers are in the fridge and the countdown to gift giving for many people has begun.
Black Friday? Nah, I don’t do that. I advocate a Handmade Holiday season!
Want to shop handmade? Etsy is a great place to start. There are loads of talented crafters, makers and artisans selling their wares.
You can even find a few goodies made by yours truly. I’ve got quilted items I made myself, magazines my patterns have been featured in and I’m regularly adding scrap bags of fabric from my own stash that are perfect for paper piecing (for a limited time, of course…even Tribbles stop breeding eventually!).
Here are a couple of the goodies currently in my Etsy shop:
Sweet Skating Sue is just $19.99 and comes ready to hang.
OR you can make her yourself for free.
Never paper pieced? This $3 tutorial includes complete instructions and the pattern to make Sweet Skating Sue yourself!
Fairy Tale Femmes + In A Castle, $99.95
This sweet quilt is 30″ x 37″ and come ready to display or snuggle. Includes a sleeve for hanging.
OR You can buy the Fairy Tale Femmes and In A Castle patterns and make your own!
Find more ready-to-gift items right here in my Etsy shop!
Still have plans for making lots of gifts but aren’t sure where to start? Check out all the awesome projects and patterns here on Sewhooked and my fandom website, Fandom in Stitches!
Tutorials and More (this page is undergoing an update, so it’s a little crazy over there!
Yarn (mostly crochet) patterns
By popular demand, all of my Harry Potter patterns are now back on Sewhooked! The people have spoken and I listen. 😉
For more fandomy goodness, including even more Harry Potter, be sure to visit Fandom In Stitches. You’ll find designs by myself that are not here on Sewhooked and lots of awesomesauce stuff from many other talents designers.
Many of my Sewhooked patterns and a few of my tutorials are now available on Craftsy for easy access! One of my goals for 2014 is to get ALL of my patterns and tutorials, both free and for sale added to Craftsy so you will always have an easy way to find them!
Go straight to the Sewhooked goodies on Craftsy!
Want to learn something new and WOW your friends and family with your awesome craft-ability? All Craftsy classes are on sale for $19.99 or less. Woo-hoo! Remember, the super cool thing about Craftsy classes is that once you buy a class (and remember, some of them are FREE), it’s yours forever. Watch any time, day or night, as many times as you like. Cool, huh?!
Do you sell your handmade goodies? Share a link to your shop in comments and I’ll put together and epic post next week to share with all my readers!
Paper Piecing Vintage: Sign-ups start December 3!
Make this one for yourself or as a gift and have it done by the end of 2014!
Coming January to Fandom In Stitches!
Only two more days! Remember, I’m donating $1 to Movember for every Mustachio! pattern set sold during November! You’ve got until Saturday to buy your copy and help with a great cause!
That’s it for me for today! I have a full day of spending time with my family and enjoying the heck out of having my daughter home from college to look forward to. 😀
Happy crafting,
Craftsy | Etsy | Facebook | SHFB | Flickr | Twitter | Pinterest| Bloglovin
Featured Pattern: Tree Trimming, $8 on Craftsy!
My Friends Make Stuff 2010
You may remember Handmade For The Holidays 2009, where I talked about my crafty friends that make and sell handmade awesomeness.
I started posting this list originally on Livejournal back in 2007 and each year I collect names from personal friends who are crafty and awesome, making all kinds of great things to sell. This year, I’m including an author friend because he is a very talented artist and self-published, which is, of course, awesome!
I personally own stuff made by everyone on this list. It’s ALL amazing, and made with skill and love, and in the case of the books, beautifully illustrated and a joy to read.
Also, I will happily continue to add the names of my friends to this list until the end of 2010, so if you should be on here and aren’t, just drop me an email!
Also be sure to check out my shop and etsy store for quilting, paper pieced patterns, crochet hats and buttons!
Listings are in alphabetical order by first word. 🙂
What you sell: this year will be hats, and aprons and maybe a few bags
Price Range: $10-$50Int’l Shipping Available?: yes but shipping will be charged differently.
Neon Delirium (Sandman) Handspun, DFTA Yarn, Blazing Baby Hat
What you sell: Handspun yarn, fingerless gloves (coming soon but I do take custom orders), baby hats, adult hats. Right now the shop has yarn and 1 baby hat
Price Range: $10-30
Last date to order before Christmas: I’ll do my best to ship as close to Christmas as I get orders. Mail takes at LEAST 3-4 days so I can’t offer guarantees, but I promise to do my best!
Int’l Shipping Available?: Yes, just convo me for a shipping quote.
What you sell: writes/draws graphic novels
- the road to god knows… – available at these stores
- Stargazer – available online (Amazon/B&N) or in stores in January.
Price Range: In the $15 range.
Int’l Shipping Available?: If you would prefer not to order from an online retailer AND your local stores aren’t carrying the books and won’t order them…please e-mail.
SEWHOOKED SHOP |SCHEDULE | SEWHOOKED FB
JEN FACEBOOK | TWITTER | FLICKR GROUP
Tree Trimming
finished size 14 1/2” x 21 1/2”
Tree Trimming is my newest project pattern, hot off the presses earlier this week (and I do mean hot…our a/c has been out for over two weeks!).
With just 1/2 a yard background fabric and scraps of greens, reds, blues, yellows, pinks and purples or a charm pack or even fat eighths in the colors of your choice, you can put together this sweet wall hanging that combines tradition with whimsy.
Perfect flying geese are easy peasy with pre-cutting instructions and paper piecing. The tree itself can be evocative of winter, Christmas, or any other time of year depending on your fabric choices. How about a version all in batiks? Primary colors? So many options!
Tree Trimming is now available in the Sewhooked Shop for just $8 as an instant PDF download with PayPal payment – completely secure shopping through E-junkie!
I will be teaching a class using Tree Trimming in November at the Honey Bee Quilt Store in Austin, Texas. Click here to register online.
Want to learn to paper piece? Check out my free paper piecing resources and text tutorial or take my Introduction To Paper Piecing class at Honey Bee Quilt Store!
Add your Sewhooked-related photos to my flickr group and you might be featured in a future post!
Recycled Gift Bags from, ehem, paper wine bags
The holiday head cold has grabbed me with both hands! Fortunately, I finished my gift making and wrapping before I could spread cooties along with my Christmas cheer.
I did something I almost never do and *gasp* bought pre-made gift bags for holiday treats. When I opened the packages, they all had a bottle neck. After I forced my eyebrows down out of my scalp, I realized the cute little bags were practically useless unless the entirety of my holiday giving included M&Ms.
Without any time to spare, I started digging around in my “keep just in case” drawer and came up with a stack of paper wine bags that I’ve been holding on to forever. Jackpot!
To make your own holiday gift bags/wrap from recycled wine bags, you’ll need:
- paper wine bags
- tape or glue
- hole punch
- ribbon
- iron
- something to cut the bags (paper cutter, rotary cutter, decorative or plain scissors)
- stamps, stickers or other embellishments
If your bags are like mine, they’re likely to be in all different states of crumpled-ness. So , first things, first, iron those bags! Medium heat works. Ironing on a paper bag will also clean your iron, so you might want to start with a sacrificial bag, just in case your iron has any Ghosts of Craft Projects Past lurking around.
Much better!
I happen to have a snazzy wavy blade for my rotary cutter. You can use something similar, a straight rotary or paper cutter or just plain scissors.
Each wine bag will make 2 gift bags. Determine how big you want each side to be, leaving about 1″ for folding for each bag. 
Bottom and top (L-R)
The top bag is open on the top and the bottom, so it’ll need to have the bottom sealed up.
Glue works fine for this, but so does tape or a cute sticker. This is a good time to embellish your gift bag with stickers, stamps or drawings.
Top finish off, fold the top down and punch two holes through all layers. Insert your gift and tie a ribbon through to close.
Repeat the steps for all bags. The bottom half of your recycled gift wrap will only need the tops folded and punched since the bottom is already sealed. I stamped mine, but you can embellish your bags any way you like. Now, fill with holiday goodness and gift it! If you’re stuffing your gift bags with edible homemade goodness, I suggest wrapping it in plastic or wax paper before placing it in the bag.
Add your Sewhooked-related photos to my flickr group and you might be featured in a future post.
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vlog – ttmt – Holly Jolly Decorations!
A holly jolly tour through our handmade holiday decor!
If you make a Sew Awesome Craft or any pattern, craft or recipe from sewhooked, I’d love to see a photo. Email me or add it to the sewhooked flickr group.
Handmade for the Holidays
A lot of my friends make and sell beautiful handmade items. Support handmade and order now for holiday delivery!
ShaeWow, Shae’s etsy shop, is full of unique (and sometimes naughty!) cross-stitch and fun buttons.
Check out Shae’s mom’s awesome shop, Sea Gypsy Jewelry for lovely hand crafted, sea-inspired jewelry.
Laci and Mom Merritt’s etsy shop, Orange Blossom Boutique for beautiful hand-beaded jewelry.
thatwitchyplace is the talented MK’s online shop. She makes beautiful and unique stitched and machine embroidered items.
Phoenix Fire Designs, a friend of a friend, makes all kinds of gorgeous goodies.
hewtab has a t-shirt shop with her awesome original designs!
My shop*, which is currently stocked with buttons and paper pieced patterns and a couple of other random things.
*There is someone else out there selling as SewHooked. Remember, if my name is not attached to it, you are not buying it from me!
I will continue to add to this list as I receive more updates from my crafty friends.
Happy shopping!
Smiling Santa Gift Bag
I’ve been making these Santa bags for a lot of years now, but this is the first time I’ve ever shared a how-to for it.
Other similar bags I’ve made include Rudolph, Christmas kitties and Christmas trees. Change the basic bag to any color and add polka dots or stars for an easy birthday bag!
Smiling Santa is reusable, giftable, and darn cute. He’s fast to make with simple embroidered stitches and a button nose. If hand stitching isn’t your thing, fabric paint will work in a pinch!
You’ll need:
- Smiling Santa reference
- 9″ x 12″ acrylic felt – 2 white, 1 red, 1 flesh
- scissors
- large needle
- embroidery floss: white, red, blue & green
- red button
- ruler
- optional: sewing machine
- optional: rotary cutter
supplies
I use eco-friendly acrylic felt. It’s easy to find, cheap (20 cents a sheet) and sturdy.
Find the bottom of your bag and cut 1″ squares out of the opposite corners for each white sheet. This will create a faux gusset and allow your gift bag to stand up.
Cut the flesh-colored felt sheet down to 8″ x 5 1/2″. Fold in half and cut a gentle curve.
Open flesh-colored felt. Align 1″ from top of bag, centering so that each side has approximately 1/2″ of white felt showing.
Using the white embroidery floss, hand stitch a running stitch around the two sides and bottom of the face.
Add eye details with a straight stitch (eyebrows) and chain stitch (eyes).
Add button nose with red embroidery floss. Add mouth, also with red embroidery floss, using the chain stitch.
Pin two pieces of white felt together, face inside. Machine stitch 1/4″ seam on two sides and across the bottom.
Optional: hand stitch on the inside OR hand stitch on the outside using red embroidery floss.
Fold the open corners on the bottom together, matching outside seams. Fold seams in opposite directions to reduce bulk. Pin in place.
Machine stitch bag corners.
Turn bag right side out.
Fold 1″ down on top of bag, overlapping face. Pin, then straight stitch around. Stitch under side seam.
Finished stitching on the top of bag.
Cut two 12″ x 2″ strips from red felt.
Fold straps lengthwise. Straight stitch along the length with green embroidery floss.
Pin handle to outside of bag 2″ in from the sides.
Straight stitch snowflake or asterisk to hold handles in place. Repeat for the back of bag.
Stuff with goodies and gift it!
Feeling creative? Try your hand at a Christmas Tree!
fun variations, Dec. 2000
Add your Sewhooked-related photos to my flickr group and you might be featured in a future post.
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This is part of my “Way Back Craft” series; patterns, crafts, tutorials and general crafty memories before the days of this craft blog.
Jennifer’s Best Peanut Brittle
If I could make one candy to give away every year, it would be peanut brittle.
This is probably my most miraculous of recipes due to it’s ability to cause sheer happiness in it’s recipients. I’ve actually made friends by sharing this at parties and functions.
Every year someone tells me that this is their favorite peanut brittle recipe, which of course gives me a reason to keep making it for them!
You’ll need a good, heavy saucepan and a candy thermometer for this. If you’ve never owned a candy thermometer, it’s really worth having. I recommend investing a few dollars (a very few, really!) in a good quality thermometer. Glass thermometers are cheap, but they tend to break easily. I have a professional metal candy thermometer that I picked up at a local restaurant supply store, but they’re easy to find online and at other stores with cooking supplies, too.
Peanut Brittle
- 2 cups sugar
- 1 cup light corn syrup (Golden Syrup works if you don’t have access to corn syrup)
- 1/2 cup water
- 2 cups raw peanuts (I like Spanish peanuts)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 tablespoon baking soda
- real butter for greasing pan
Grease a 10″x15″ baking sheet thoroughly with butter.
Combine first five ingredients (sugar, corn syrup, water, peanuts and salt) in heavy saucepan. Stir using a long-handled wooden spoon.
Boil until candy thermometer reaches 293 degrees F.
Remove from heat and cool for a couple of minutes. Add vanilla and beat. Sprinkle baking soda into the mixture and beat will. It will foam and change colors, which is just what you want it to do!
Immediately pour into baking sheet. Be very, very careful because liquid candy at high temperatures is like lava! Make sure the baking sheet is on a towel or cooling rack because it will be extremely hot.
Allow to cool completely (time will vary, usually an hour or so) then flip over and give it a whack! Break the pieces up however you like, then store in an airtight container at room temperature.
Do not store peanut brittle with other candies because it will absorb moisture and become sticky, sticky, sticky.
For best results, share with friends!
Sewhooked 