New Blog!

If you've come here looking for new posts you're in the wrong place! The new sewing blog is now ready to go, so change your links to made by lisah! See ya there!

A little self promotion, Etsy style

As you all probably know, I have a little Etsy shop. I don't have a lot of free time and haven't added anything in weeks, so I have decided to close up shop. BUT- I'm gonna open a new one in January. I'll still be selling the same type of items, but due to several reasons, least of all this book, I'm going to change the name. I'm hoping to be able to put some real effort into it once all this Christmas sewing is done.

Why should you care?

Because I'm going to mark down the three remaining items to $10 each. I don't want to feel that I have wasted my listing fee, so I'm hoping to sell them before the transfer to the new shop takes place. The three remaining items are all Correspondence Kits. They are a handy little wrap designed to hold a pen and some notecards, and perhaps your address book. If you're looking for a little gift for a teacher or a Secret Santa gift, this is a great idea.

I will still be doing custom orders, so if you were interested in a jewelry bag or crayon roll, drop me an email and we'll discuss it.

Momma's Got a Brand New Bag!

I've been doing a little bit of Christmas sewing that I CAN'T show, because some of the giftees actually read my blog. I was getting jealous of the cute stuff and had to make myself something.

This is my first attempt at a zippered bag and that part turned out great. I still need to tack down the binding on the inside, but otherwise I LOVE it. It's a little bigger than need be, but I have a tendency to throw a ton of crap in my bag. (The original dimensions were 17" tall by 16" wide.) The handles are also a little long, but it'll work fine when I'm wearing a winter coat. It's more the color of the darker pictures so perfect for fall.

The Christine Correspondence Kit

Announcing a brand new product- The Christine Correspondence Kit!















In this day and age of instant messaging and email invitations and cell phones, handwritten correspondence has fallen to the wayside. It's easy to say "Oh, I just can't FIND my note cards!" well, no more!















This little folding pouch is designed to hold a small stack of note cards, an ink pen, and a small journal or address book. (Please note: the beat-up, worn-out, coffee-stained cat journal pictured is my personal journal, it is NOT included with purchase!) Throw it in your bag or your end table and you'll always have supplies on hand for a quick personal note or thank you.
















Unfolded, the kit measures about 8 inches tall and 13 inches long. Each kit folds in half, with a flap that wraps around and a button and ribbon closure. Included with your purchase are 4 note cards and a basic ink pen to get you started. I had planned to include a journal, but journals are such a personal item that I decided to let you supply your own.

These also make great gifts, so if you know someone who'd love it, but this isn't the color or pattern they would enjoy, email me and we'll see if I can't make up a personal one for you.



Jump on over to the store and grab yours today!

The Etsy Shop

FINALLY, a new bag in the shop! There's only one right now, but soon, soon there will be more.

And the winner is...

I entered all of your names randomly on a spreadsheet and ended up with 20 different bloggers and 48 separate entries. I had my spouse choose a number between 1-48 and he chose #41.

The winner of the bag is: Literary Feline! Congratulations! I will email you for your address and some information about the bag itself!

Wanna win this bag?

Need a new bag? (Everybody needs a new bag!)

This is round two of the bag that I currently carry. I am hoping to make more of them and put them up for sale in my (currently empty) Etsy shop.

It's approximately 13 inches wide, 11 inches tall and 3-4 inches deep. There are two open exterior pockets and two interior pockets. It has a magnetic snap closure. The exterior is a heavy weight dark gray-green fabric (yes, looks gray in the photos. It is greenish.) The interior is a made from a sheet and is white with pale pink stripes and roses.

I regularly carry two checkbooks, a small wallet, a 5x7 notebook, a book (often a hardback or trade paperback) and a stack of bills. There is still plenty of room in it.

How can you win it?

1) Agree to carry it for a week (or longer) and give me feedback on what you would change.
2) Leave a comment on this post for one entry.
3) Post about this giveaway on your blog for 3 more.
4) Add this blog to your blog reader for 3 more. (You're on the honor system for this one, I don't know how to check on that!)
5) Include a valid email address if it is not in your profile so I can contact you.

Contest closes July 27. US and Canada addresses only, please. Winners will be announced on Monday.

Baby gifts

My mom will be celebrating the birth of her 7th biological grandchild later this month or early next month. This is the first girl. (I have a step-niece who joined the family at about age 5. I only make the distinction between biological and not because it is amazing to me that my brothers and I have only been able to produce boys until this one.) ANYWAY. I made a few gifts for her.

First is a smallish tote bag. It's made of white canvas (actual, heavy canvas) and flannel. This is my first attempt at combining the two, and I'd really recommend against that. The canvas has no give and the flannel seems to be made of give and together it is frustrating.

I made a nice stack of burp cloths out of flannel as well, nothing fancy there, didn't even seam up the selvage edge. (I would SO do that if I weren't making them for family.)

Last, a cool little blanket. This blanket has loops on all four corners that can be drawn into a carbiner and clipped onto your diaper bag or stroller. Why would you want this? so you can scoop up all the toys in one shot! I made this of canvas and flannel as well. The canvas should keep the baby dry on damp ground and the flannel is nice and soft. Once again, I would not combine the two. Perhaps a lighter weight canvas next time, or a cotton top with some batting inside? Stunt baby is not included with the blanket.

Jewelry Bag...

For a friend's birthday, I made this little jewelry bag. The fabric is from Mary Englebreit and has been in my stash forever. It's black, with tiny little cherries. The inside is red with little diamonds and is a newer addition to my cabinet. I used ribbon instead of cording on the drawstring, which is harder to use but looks really cute. These bags are so quick and easy to make, I hope to get a few into the shop this weekend.

How much do I love taking pictures outdoors? I like to tell myself that the peeling paint looks artistic, not crappy. Please let me believe in this fantasy.

New Purse

I made a new bag for myself, and I gotta say- it rocks! It's pretty roomy and I used canvas for the interior so it's got some body to it.
I hope to make some of these for the shop someday. If I ever catch up on making gifts!

Tote Bags

Recent tote bags.

(Blogger is hating me, the inside of the second bag is the darker pink with a stripe of the lighter pink and a flower like the outside. I can't seem to post that picture.)

Christmas sewing

I've been sewing and crafting like mad lately, unfortunately, none of it is for sale in the shop! I'll post about it anyway, as eventually I'd like to make more of these items and get them listed. I'd REALLY like to do it before Christmas, but that is so not gonna happen. There's always next year. (Though, if you fall in love with any of this let me know, we can work something out I'm sure...)

First up, I made myself a bag! Crazy. I originally wasn't pleased with the length of the strap, but after using it a couple of weeks I find that it works well.

Then I made one as a gift. I shouldn't even be posting this one online, but hopefully it will still be a surprise. It's actually nicer looking in person, but black is so hard to photo well.

I'm working on some little mitten ornaments. (Surprise, Laurie! one of them is yours...)

I'm doing them assembly line style, here are some of the ones still waiting for cuffs. (This is not all of them, yikes! I got a little ambitious here.)


I've got more bags to make, more mittens. And some other surprise things. Hope everyone else who's crafting for the holidays is making progress as well.

PS. Anyone know an easy way to post pictures on blogger? Having them load at the top and having to drag them down on my tiny laptop screen is annoying.

After a brief hiatus...

I am back with a new bag. This one was a birthday gift for my niece, who is 7. The exterior turned out great! I quilted across the yellow with pale pink, blue, and fuchsia to match the lining, and it looked better than I expected. I added a couple of giant buttons to the outside, and made it reversible like the others. It is hard to tell in the picture, but the lining is brightly colored cats. I think it was a hit.

Girly Bag

This week's bag is a girly little thing. It's pink and brown and white, it's got little dots and a pink handle. What's not to love?

This is a tiny little bag. As you can see from the pictures, it is exactly as wide as a standard checkbook, with room for your phone, wallet, pens, and not a lot more. It's completely reversible and machine washable. This one has no interior pocket, it's just too small to need one!

If you are interested, this tote can be found in my Etsy shop!

Teacher bags!

Are you a school teacher? Know someone who is? We all know that school teachers love tote bags AND that school teachers have tons of old school spirit shirts in their closets. Can you think of a better use for those unworn shirts than a tote bag? Here's some examples!



















See the big pocket on this one (with the magazine slipped inside)? I thought that would make a perfect place for files of paperwork, and keep it somewhat organized. It's a big pocket- the height and width of the entire bag!
Now on the gray one, my camera stopped cooperating so only one picture! It has a darker purple patterned lining, and one small pocket for your phone or keys. It's a bigger bag than the white one too. So if you are a teacher, or know one, let me know at shop.sewwhat@gmail.com and I'd be happy to make some up for you! These bags would also be great for students, just keep in mind, the smaller the shirt, the smaller the bag!
(sorry for the wierd spacing on this post, I can't make blogger cooperate this morning!)