 Natural soap lovers: the beautiful and divinely scented bar of soap you just bought at an artisan market or local boutique starts out life in your home looking like this.  After a while, you get this.  Don't throw away all those little bits! You can put them into a Soap Saver Bag and keep on lathering, rinsing, and repeating. Lather the bag and use as a scrubbie as-is, or lather to use with a washcloth. Hang the bag to dry by the drawstring cord in between uses. You can even throw it into a cold wash cycle if it needs it (line dry).   Pair a Soap Saver Bag with a fresh bar of soap for a lovely gift this season (stocking stuffers, Yankee swap, teachers, hostesses, bus drivers, co-workers, mail carriers...who doesn't love soap?) All soap pictured here came from Newport Seafoam Trading Company.  Happy scrubbing!
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My very first sewing pattern is now available! The Reusable Produce Bag pattern can be purchased via Etsy for $9. It is a downloadable digital file which you will receive in your email inbox as a PDF immediately after purchase.
You can make some as Christmas gifts for your Eco-conscious friends and family in whatever fabrics suite your taste and style. Here's a blog post I wrote earlier this year about the bag's versatility. If you make one, I would love to see a photo, so please email me!
Vintage book image borrowed from https://eileensbasement.wordpress.com/2012/05/08/my-first-giveaway/
You already know my love of the Handmade Holiday series at SewMamaSew. One feature I completely forgot about was the sewing book recommendations. It has only been a few days since this year's series began and I have requested at least half a dozen titles from my library inter-loan program to preview. Does anyone else do this? Instead of going broke buying every book that catches my eye, I borrow them first from the library. In Rhode Island all the branches share their books and you can go online to request a title. They deliver it to your local branch and send an email when it's ready to be picked up. Genius!
There are a number of books that I have checked out and loved so much that I purchased my own copy. Most bookstores in my area just don't carry this type of book, so the library is the best way to skim a book to see if it's worth the investment (they are not cheap by any means). If there is only one pattern or idea that I like, that's not worth buying the whole book. In that case I will photocopy the pattern (for personal use only, never to make a product to sell), and return the book. Sewing research. Here are books currently waiting in my queue from the library: Mend and Make Fabulous by Denise Wild Cloth by Catherine Gratwicke Quilting Modern by Jacquie Gering T-Shirt Quilts Made Easy by Martha DeLeonardis Fabrigami by Florence Temko Washi Tape Christmas by Kami Bigler I'll let you know which ones make the cut! 
This will be my third year attending the Cornucopia Art Sale as a vendor, and I can't wait! It is a great event with well-curated vendors (they chose me, didn't they??)
This coming weekend there is a preview/shopping party Friday night and the sale happens all day Saturday from 9-4. Later this week I will post some more details and photos about the products I will have in my booth. Great gifts for women, men, children, teachers, secret santas, and some eco-friendly bags to wrap it all up. Put it on your calendar--I hope to see you there! |
Karen KatinAs co-owner of Stitchery in Portsmouth, RI, I teach sewing classes to children and adults. Welcome to my blog Dancing Threads RI.  Archives
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