Vintage, baby

Special Order for Corsu

Great days at the Ridge!

Here are some pictures from my booth at the Ridge Show this weekend. It was nice to talk with all the great customers I met there. They were very complimentary of my stuff and I hope to see a lot of them again. If you were one of them, thanks a lot!!! More pictures here.

Pièce de résistance

This baby will make its debut at the Ridge Show this weekend (see the box at right for details). Gotta see it to believe it. hahahahaha. I must say, it IS pretty sweet!

Love you, pretty bag

I just love how this one came out.... nice and big and cozy. It was another one that was inspired by the flap scrap - I had just one piece of the print fabric and couldn't let it go to waste. And luckily had just enough of the black and teal corduroy to make it work.

New, new and new.

This one's for the birds!

This is my new favorite style - the over-the-shoulder bag with a flap. The real reason the flap style came about is because I only had one piece of the bird print fabric and couldn't decide what to do with it. It was so cute, I didn't want to see it NOT get used, but there wasn't quite enough to make a whole bag out of it and then AHA, what about a flap? Perfect!

New stuff

Haven't posted anything in a while, but that doesn't mean I haven't been sewing.... Here are a few of the purses I've made recently.

Take me to the Cider Mill!

These two bags just scream FALL! I didn't really make them with fall in mind, but I must say, the colors are very warm and cozy and the timing is appropriate. They are each made from 100% recycled fabrics... some floral, some solids, some stripes. The top one is a brown corduroy with a floral print, which I used for the bottom, the lining and a special outside flower pocket. 

Mark your calendars for the Ridge Show!

Studio23 art will be among 19 local artists participating in this year's Ridge Fine Art & Handmade Wares Show. This is a great show because of its size (small - so it's cozy, fun and not overwhelming like some of the huge art fairs), and because of its artists (all from Michigan, with unique handmade goods). Here are the details:

NOVEMBER 20 & 21
Friday 6pm-9pm
Saturday 10am-5pm

Pleasant Ridge Community Center
4 Ridge Road

More details are available at www.siouxsan.com

Special order for cousin Kris

From an old favorite pair of jeans with too many holes to wear anymore, this bag was created on special request from my cousin. I was nervous to cut up those soft, cozy jeans at first, but once I got going, it all came together. 

Retro Cutie

This was a really cool fabric scrap... wish I had more, but it was just big enough for what you see here - medium purse/small tote. It's about 11 inches wide when laid flat, 10 inches tall and a few inches deep with a squared bottom. Decorated with a white handmade glass bead. Oh, and also a wood button just for kicks - it doesn't do anything but look cute (there is a magnetic snap closure).

Studio23art is on Etsy!

If you're not familiar with etsy, it is known as "your place to buy & sell all things handmade." If you've never visited, you should give it a look - click here. It's great for gift-giving, especially if you're looking for something unique and handmade. You can find just about anything there, and now you'll find my bags and eventually some beads there! Of course you can still buy something the old-fashioned way by just contacting me - this is just another venue for getting my stuff out there. Happy shopping!

Hello, Yellow

Who wears bright yellow denim shorts? Nobody! That's why they got cut up and made into a bag! Not so great for shorts, but the perfect compliment for this sunny floral print, which came from a skirt. 

New style

This one has a loooooong strap, so you can wear it crossed over - almost like a messenger bag but still kind of in the shape of a purse. Brown with a floral print on the outside, and a green paisley-ish print with pockets on the inside. I'm going to try a few more of these..

Peace, Love and a cute beach bag

This bag used to be the cutest pair of cargo pants - with butterfly and flower stitching and even the word "LOVE" embroidered in a couple places. Only problem was, they never fit me quite right. I tried to stretch them, pull them, etc., but they didn't have any pockets on the rear, and that's kind of not a good look if you ask me. They've been hanging in my closet for about 5 years now - 'bout time they got cut up, don't you think?!?

Brown Beauty

I can't remember where I got this brown floral print, but I know I've had it for a while, just waiting for the right inspiration. The additional finds of some complementary brown materials completed the idea and here's the result.

Bye bye, cute skirt

I remembered the 'before' picture this time. Not a great picture but you can kind of tell what a cute skirt it was.  I got it at the thrift store and would have kept it for myself, but seeing how I don't generally wear skirts, except for special occasions..... I cut it up!!! 

Special Order

This bag was made by special request.... It's a 'second edition' of a previous bag that was very popular, but it's still one of a kind, with lots of its own unique qualities. 

This one's for me!

I needed a new summer purse, so this baby's mine! This was a skirt originally (darn, forgot the 'before' picture again) but the pattern just screamed summer purse. I really liked the pleats at the top so I worked them into the design. I've been carrying it for a few weeks now and it works. I'll be making some more of this style - I have some good fabric that I'm excited to work with, and I'm off this week, so let's get to it!

Mark your calendars for the Ridge Show!

We've been accepted to this year's Ridge Fine Art & Handmade Wares Show where we'll feature our handmade bags. The show is November 21 and 22; 6-9pm Friday and 10-5 Saturday. This is the perfect opportunity to get some Christmas shopping done and buy handmade from Michigan artists. More details to come, but in the meantime, you can read about it by clicking here, and then on the "Ridge Show" tab on the left.

Fresh picked from the garden

Parting is such sweet sorrow...

Oh, how bittersweet... These are three of my favorite bags so far, and they were bought yesterday at Berkley. I hate to say goodbye, but I was happy that they went to good homes. :) A really sweet couple bought the purple and green patchwork bag; and a pair of sisters bought the orange print bag and the other patchwork bag. 

A great day at the Berkley Art Bash!

Well, the bash is over, and it was a fun one. A few sprinkles in the morning but it turned out to be a nice day, and the crowd was awesome. Lots of friendly people.... whether they bought something or not, everyone was especially nice and down-to-earth. This is my kind of art fair. 

Berkley, here we come!

Spent the weekend getting ready for the Berkley Art Bash this Saturday, June 13. Made a few more things, did some organizing (not much) and made this fancy banner for our display. I've been thinking about having a vinyl banner made, but last week I decided I could make my own. It's not done yet, but I think it's gonna be cool. The pic below shows all the bag goods for Saturday. 

Hello, brown bag with flower.

The brown print I used for the front of this bag is from a supply of vintage fabrics I bought at a garage sale - great stuff from the owner's grandmother's stash. There was only enough for one side, so the back is a solid brown. A smaller bag, this would be perfect to carry your lunch or a pair of shoes.

Hmmmm, what should I make?????

Now THIS is what you call a great find. I can't believe nobody scooped up this beauty before I did! It's a really bright vintage Hawaiian print dress that's actually from Hawaii - the tag says so. I almost hate to cut it up and I'm really going to think about this one before I do.

Photo Op

It was SO beautiful yesterday - the perfect day for some outdoor pictures. See the previous posts for the scoop on these bags.

Sassy Orange Print

I LOVE this one.... but darnit, I forgot to take a before pic. It's made from a beautiful print skirt I scored at the thrift store that was very long and flowy, which was ideal because there was a lot of fabric - enough for both the outside and inside. The accent fabric is also from a cute orange skirt that I tried to keep for myself, but it just didn't fit right. It's my new fave - the big drawstring bag. Perfect for a day at the beach.  

From this... to THIS!

Here's what happens: I see a piece of fabric in my stash that all of a sudden I have an idea for. I'm so excited to get started that I forget to take the "before" picture. Sometimes it's just a scrap and doesn't need a before pic, but other times it's a skirt, pair of shorts or whatever, and it'd probably be interesting to see what it was before becoming a bag. So here you go..... This bag is made from a beautiful Waverly print that I got at a garage sale on Thursday, and a lovely green top that I pulled from the Swap-o-Rama scrap pile at the Green Street Fair few weeks ago (both all washed up and clean). Not exactly the latest fashion but a great piece of fabric. Put them together and you got yourself a fancy beach bag. The after pic doesn't really show it, but the bottom of the bag is green top.  And this is my new favorite style - the big ol' beachy bag with a drawstring.