Craft Fair Update

Just a quick post to update and share what I've been making for the upcoming craft fair.  Lately I've been focusing on having more "grown-up" items available for sale.  

Zip pouches:

Deciding on the fabric/color combinations is one of my favorite parts.  There isn't too much strategy involved on what I've chosen to use from my stash, but a big factor has been what color zippers I've had on hand.

Incidentally, I have lots of blue zippers.

I found these awesome kitchen towels at my local TJ Maxx and Marshalls.  They're the perfect size to put a strip of 2" finished 9 x 3 rows of squares patchwork.  Getting these made neatly and efficiently was a little bit of a trial and error process.  I finally settled on sewing the patchwork together and putting it together with sew-in (non-fusible) interfacing- it's really working well and resulting in very neat edges.

I have lots of the towels left to embellish and I'm making some Christmas ones now too.  If this craft fair/Etsy idea of mine is a flop, I will definitely have lots of handmade gifts on hand for years to come!  But I'm feeling optimistic and still having fun.

One thing I failed to address as I've talked about this craft fair preparation and commitment is that around the time I committed to the craft fair, my husband and I witnessed a fatal motorcycle accident.  It was so horrendous and traumatic and the disruption to my mental health has been significant.  It would be easy for me to dive into what happened and my many thoughts on that difficult experience, but this isn't really the place for that discussion.  I bring all of this up, however, to take the opportunity to praise the hobby of sewing and the value in having a pursuit that you are passionate about.  It really has been the best coping skill over the past few weeks.  The craft fair projects have proven to be perfect for my state of mind: they are simple and repetitive- and that's all I need right now.  I really am so grateful that I have a hobby that I love, it's a real blessing in my life.  I could sew all day, everyday- sometimes my obsession can impede making progress in other parts of my life..... but it really is an amazing gift to have this passion that can carry me through hard times, has connected me to wonderful friends near and far, and blesses my home and family through the enjoyment of handmade/personalized quilts, clothing, and decor.  I know a lot of you reading this are fellow makers and you get what I'm saying but I just wanted to remind you that we're lucky to have this crazy fun, hobby that is so dynamic. I don't mean to put others down, but I am so glad I am making things rather than watching TV in my rare spare time (and of course there are times when I watch TV and enjoy simply vegging out- of course!).

Thanks for reading!