"Stained by Sharpie" fabric markers

Sharpie is promoting their stuff and sent over a box of goodies, including the newish Stained by Sharpie fabric markers. These have brush tips so you can make very fine lines or use the side of the pen for slightly broader strokes. They're definitely best for small areas, not large fields of color.

I tested them on a tiny drawstring bag I found in the closet. The colors didn't bleed on the muslin (just make sure the light colors are completely dry before drawing the black on top). Cute, right? You could cover a whole piece of fabric with tiny designs.

The markers did bleed a bit on the 7 oz. cotton canvas I used for this zipper-zipper pouch. I learned from testing on some scraps that colored areas will likely look scribbly, so on this pouch I went with it. (Click to see it bigger.) If you're looking for perfectly even coverage, this probably isn't your product. Colors can be layered, which will get you a darker, more vibrant look, but your drawing will still appear a bit sketchy. Good for free spirits. Bad for repressed, control-freak designers who like crisp, graphic shapes (um... me). But fun to test! Full disclosure: I was too lazy to illustrate my own zipper, so I Googled "zipper diagrams" and copied one.

Something that's not revealed on the package is that the yellow, orange and pink markers are neon like highlighters—I wish my photos captured that better. The other colors are normal. I haven't tried washing anything yet, but the package states that ink resists fading on most fabrics during normal wash cycles.

Fabric sighting in Woman's World

A How About Orange operative emailed me a scan of a recent page in Woman's World magazine. There's my Fireworks fabric lounging on a sofa. Thanks, Amy! I've also heard of a Calliope sighting in HGTV's Sarah 101. It's like playing Where's Waldo, but with fabric.

More Rare Sailor Moon Finds

Especially fond of the little Crescent Moon Wand on the straps.

If you are a SM collector, you know how rare it is even find a scrap of Sailor Moon fabric.

The ultimate Inner Senshi transformation wand.... not only is it rare to see one of these pop up for sale, but it's also rare to find a buyer. This is one of the most valuable SM wands ever made. Can sometimes run up to $700

Sailor Moon S

The dining room chairs get a makeover

The seats on our dining room chairs were peppered with stains and spills, having been sat upon by many humans consuming food. And this area of the house was clearly lacking orange, so I covered the seats with the Wildflower print from my Outside Oslo line.


These chairs are the Roger model from IKEA. Removing the seats was just a matter of flipping the chairs upside down and removing two screws underneath. The seats pop right off.

I layered the new fabric right over the old stuff and stapled it to the wooden underside of the seat with a staple gun. It doesn't matter how ugly it looks, because I have yet to meet a dinner guest who examines the underside of her chair. I placed the covered seat on the chair frame and put the screws back into the same holes. A quick and easy makeover.

A bit of weekend sewing

Here's another little purse—same model as this one—made with some Outside Oslo scraps. My favorite part is the turquoise zipper, which you can't see very well in this picture.

These are just garden variety pillows. They have zippers, too, if that earns me any extra points? Maybe? (Real sewers just rolled their eyes, but I don't care. I'm comfortable with sewing mediocrity.) Speaking of real sewers, my mum is making me something else. Can't wait!

Mum sewed me a travel bag!

Look what arrived in the mail yesterday! I'd begged my mom to sew me an Amy Butler Weekender Travel Bag made from the gray Tulip print in my new fabric line. I wanted the bag quite badly, but there was no way I was going to attempt that job myself. I'd read it's a doozy, and Mum concurred. But of course she did a flawless job. Look at that perfectly matched pattern on the front pocket. Oh my goodness. I'm in love.

The lining is the yellow Skiff print. She added three extra inches to the handles to make sure it would fit easily over the shoulder, which is perfect for me.

Now I just need to go somewhere.

Outside Oslo Flickr group

I've started a Flickr group for the Outside Oslo fabric line, so if you make something using these prints, go show it off in the gallery. I will ooh and aah over your work! There are a few photos uploaded already, but they could use some company. Above, a pillow by The Needle Shop and a basket by Ikat Bag. Fabulous.

On an unrelated note, Blogger has been experiencing wide-spread technical difficulties for the past 24 hours. Yesterday's missing post has now emerged from the Bermuda Triangle, but without yesterday's comments. Apologies!

I managed to sew a little bag

I made a little cross-body zippered pouch with a scrap of the Tulip print from Outside Oslo. It's about 9" square. I mimicked the format of a sweet little bag sent to me by Nathalie awhile back (thank you, thank you!)—the size and shape are nice for carrying a wallet and just a couple other goodies while out running around.

I'm still a sewing dabbler and don't expect I'll ever be interested enough to be great at it. The process always makes me impatient and I have to fight the urge to quit halfway through. Usually because I've sewn something shut accidentally or didn't notice I was using basting stitches until halfway through my project. I'll leave the fancy sewing to others, like my mom who has promised to make me a travel bag from this new fabric collection. (See, Mum, I said it on my blog so there's no backing out now.)

Update: The travel bag is awesome.

Outside Oslo is now available!

News! My new fabric line has just arrived at The Needle Shop and is available for purchase retail and wholesale. The bolts are eagerly standing by, holding their breath in hopes that some kind and discerning people like yourselves will give them a good home.


Guys, I'm in love with these. I can't even decide which is my favorite. I'm leaning toward the Wildflower print in Dawn, above, just because it contains maximum orange. But I think they're all delicious and one should not discriminate amongst one's children.

The set of six Dawn designs are printed on natural canvas, so the backgrounds are sort of a cream color and contain cool little cotton flecks. The Dusk designs are printed on crisp white.


Why is this collection named Outside Oslo, you ask? These prints have a bit of a mid-century vibe and look somewhat Scandinavian to me. Relatives on my mom's side of the family came from Norway. The prints are all named after things you might see on a nature walk somewhere outside a city, and I always adore alliteration. Thus, Outside Oslo.

Above is the complete Dawn colorway.

And above is the complete Dusk colorway.

You can now buy these from The Needle Shop online right here or in the store if you're in Chicago. The collection will begin appearing in fabric shops around the country soon. If you know of a store or manufacturer who might be interested in a wholesale order, send them here. I can't wait to see what people make with these!

Say hello to my newest fabric collection: Outside Oslo

Big news! I'm thrilled to announce my latest fabric collection—please meet Outside Oslo, a line of home décor fabrics in two colorways. This batch is brought to you by The Needle Shop, Chicago's delicious little fabric store and sewing school.

Look for Outside Oslo in stores in May. If you're a shop or manufacturer interested in wholesale purchasing, head over to The Needle Shop's page for information on ordering. While you're there, you can grab a PDF that shows all the prints, along with lots of ideas for fun things to make.

Now, allow me introduce the cast of characters. I'm sure it's no surprise there are some orangey guys in here.

Stay tuned for an update when the collection is available to purchase retail. Hope you like it! And now I'm signing off for the week; I'm traveling and will meet you back here on Monday.

Update: The collection is now available online right here!

Bow tie paper clips from fabric scraps

I had a couple little scraps left over from stiffened fabric projects, and after fiddling with them, I noticed they'd easily make tiny bows. Which I attached to paper clips because... I don't know why. These could work as bookmarks, on wedding invitations, Valentines, etc. Or attach the bows to hair clips for little girls or pencils for bridal shower games.

I used fabric scraps, stiffener, large paper clips, a scissors, an iron, twist ties (or wire), and a hot glue gun.

Apply stiffener to your scraps (learn more here) and iron them flat. Cut three pieces for each bow in roughly these sizes:
Bow: 4.5" x 0.75"
Tails: 3.5" x 0.75"
Center band: 1.5" x 0.25"

Form the longest strip into a loop, overlapping the ends generously. Then pinch down at the center to form a bow shape. The nifty thing about the stiffened fabric is that the edges won't fray, and it will keep its shape as you bend it around. If you don't like the bow you made, iron the fabric flat and start over.

Pinch the "tail" strip in the center the same way. Yank it around some and show it who's boss.

Then attach the bow to the tails using a piece of wire. I cut the green paper edges off twist ties I'd once pilfered from the grocery store. Worked great. Twist the wire tightly to secure it and clip off the excess.

Use the tiny remaining strip of fabric to attach the bow to the paper clip. Trim it as needed and wrap it around the bow and clip, and securing it with a bit of hot glue.

Trim the tails to the length you like.

How to make a fabric rose

It's the last stiffened fabric project and then I'm moving on! I wanted to try an oversized, realistic fabric rose just for fun.

Make a template with six petals. I traced around a dinner plate and a small bowl on the back of some ugly wrapping paper. (Tip: if the paper is too curly, iron it flat and your life will be better.) I've included my feet so you can admire my cute socks.

Prepare some stiffened fabric. See here for how I did this. My fabric pieces were too big to lay flat in my microwave this time, so I draped each piece over a couple drinking glasses and nuked them one by one. The fabric came out stiffened in a odd shape, of course, but ironed flat easily.

Using the template, cut three flower shapes from the prepared fabric. Grab a shape and fold it in half to make a crease between petals. Open, rotate the flower, and repeat twice more until six creases radiate from the center.

In the first flower, cut a slit along one of the fold lines to the center. In the second flower, cut out one petal segment. In the third flower, cut out a piece with two petal segments. Save these cutouts; they'll form the center of the rose.

On each flower, overlap the two petals adjacent to the slit and secure with a little glue. (I used Aleene's OK To Wash-It Fabric Glue.)

While they're drying, curl the double-petal and single-petal cutouts. Heat each petal with an iron and roll the rounded edge back with your fingers. When it cools, heat the triangular point of the petal and roll it into a cone shape that's rose-like. This part is tricky! I had to iron the petals flat and start over a few times until I had something reasonable. The one-petal piece should be able to fit inside the two-petal piece when you're done.

Heat the remaining flower petals one at a time with your iron and curl the edges back.

At this point I stacked the pieces to see if they looked nice. Yes! But I decided a flat bottom for this flower might be more useful.

So I cut off the point. (If you're going to do this, I'd suggest trimming when the pieces are still flat: fold them into a cone shape and snip off the points before you glue.)

I hot glued the petals together at the base, then added a felt circle to hide the trimmed ends. I could see these as DIY wedding decorations, attached to curtain tie backs, used in romantic centerpieces, or gathering dust in my box of finished projects I have no idea what to do with.

Fabric Valentine hearts garland

I have a big aversion to heart-shaped jewelry, but I don't mind me some Valentine decorations! Using some pieces of stiffened fabric, I made these easy folded fabric hearts. Once the fabric is treated (see here for the how to), it folds beautifully and doesn't fray.

Start by making a set of paper templates. I layered and cut four identical heart shapes, then progressively shaved more off the sides of each one.

Trace the four heart shapes onto the back side of a piece of stiffened fabric and cut them out. Fold all but the largest piece in half, then layer them onto the largest heart. Stitch a seam up the center to create a "book" and tie off each end. Press the folds with an iron if desired. Once the ironed fabric cools, it will hold its shape nicely.

Use these as Valentine package decorations or string them into a garland by running a thread through the bottom-most heart shape.