www.etsy.com

I bet a lot of you have already stumbled across www.etsy.com, but if not, you've got to visit the site! It's a community of artists buying and selling creations. So, want some ideas to help inspire your own creations with any medium you can imagine? Want to help support artists who are just starting to put their names out there? Want to try selling your own artistic expressions? Then Etsy is the place! Since I've barely had a free minute to do much besides take some cool pictures for the walls of my new house, I found some great decor pieces for my home from Etsy...including some postcard paintings and magnets to make collages on metal tack boards that are on some of my walls...I'll try to post some pictures of them later! Etsy away!
-Ryann

What an awesome idea!

In this age of technology taken for granted I am very excited at this new opportunity for us to make a difference through everyday tasks. I was researching humane societies to see if there is anything that we sewers could do for our furry friends and found out that Microsoft has teamed up with the Humane Society of America to help save animals. While using the messenger service from Microsoft, you can sign up for this program (no cost to you) so that Microsoft donates to the HSA for every IM you send! Check it out!
http://www.hsus.org/shop/microsoft_im_initiative.html

The project will be up mid-December on www.makeitu.com if you want to check it out and help your local Humane Society location!

bonjour from another friend: juliet

Greetings & salutations everyone, I am another MIY friend, Juliet. I live in the big sparkly strange utopia that is Los Angeles. I have been sewing since I was little, taught by my grandmother and mother who rule at making beautiful things out of seemingly nothing. In high school I made a good majority of my clothes and made halloween costumes for myself and friends. Of course now that I work full time and try to maintain a social life, my poor sewing machine is very lonely... but I am determined to make friends with it again. In fact I just completed a crafty project using velveteens: fancy napkin rings! They were really easy and a great way to use up the bits of broken jewelry I tend to collect. The napkins are silk, made of fat quarters. The napkin rings are made from a charm square of velveteen. So now I've got the crafting bug!

All my creativity this weekend will go into getting organized, as I just moved and I'm surrounded by boxes and bins. Tonight I am going to see one of absolute favorite bands, AIR!!! They are playing at the Greek Theatre, an outdoor amphitheater in the hollywood hills. I am so excited! They've done music for the soundtracks of movies like "the virgin suicides" and "lost in translation" and it's the perfect background music to play when doing anything creative. Farewell till next time!

Hello from another MIY friend: Ryann Anderson

Hi all,

I'm another MIY friend. While I'm not an active sewer yet, I'm really into other creative expressions, such as photography and scrapbooking, and I'm planning on beginning my sewing education this fall. I just moved into a new house and I've got to add some personal flair! First I'm going to get some of my photos up on the walls in some decorative manner, but at some point very soon I'd really like to be able to make the "tucked place mats" I found in the newest issue of Sew Simple (V.6). They're pictured on the cover, but there are several variations and my favorite is the third one that's purple and green. Sew Simple is pretty much perfect for me as a new sewer...very educational with really fun projects! If any of you are interested, you can find info about the magazine and where to get it at http://www.sewnews.com/sewsimple/sewsimple6/. Happy sewing everyone and I'll talk to you again as soon as I get settled in!

-Ryann

Project Runway

So I am not a fashion designer, nor would I really consider myself a great garment sewer but I set my sights high for this Gala Gown. I used a pattern for my corset (which was completely boned) and then designed the skirt from a variety of patterns and trial and errors.

Topping it all off are about seven 3-D flowers from the new embroidery design collection MIY2: Your Space Designs from Cactus Punch. And that is me in my dress before it goes to Internation Pfaff Convention this week in Dallas. Yea!

An amazingly nice note...

I just thought I would share this note I received about my book. It was a huge encouragement to me and I am so glad to hear there are people out there interested in the same things I am!
-Shannon
***********************************************************************************
Dear Shannon,
As I tore open the Amazon package yesterday I was reminded of an episode of Sex and The City.
Carrie is dating an artist who has an new opening after a 10 year gap in his career. He's nervous about how the curators will respond to his work. We now move to the scene where the curators come out of his installation and they are clapping and cheering because he bought them something fresh and new as a new artist should. As I thumb through the pages of your new book I clap and cheer. You have created a must have staple in any sewer's library, and any home if you ask me:)
This book is everything I hoped it would be, it is a home decorating guide to the MIY sewer. You could take this book to your first apartment, your third apartment (Which is my copy's journey) or even your dorm room and find the guidance and inspiration to create "Your Space"
My favorite project is the fabric covered box with pictures of you and a handsome gentleman (Who I assume is this Jeff in your dedications.) This project really brings home my belief that sewing does not have to be hours at the Singer, just moments with the Pfaff!
Thank you for creating such a wonderful, inspirational, and useful guide to home decor. I shall treasure and share my copy always!
Sincerely,
Michael Layne

Creative Wedding Idea #1

I'm keeping up with my http://www.thknot.com/ wedding checklist. Right now it is the best thing in the world! If it could only keep my fiance on track too!

In any case this month it says I have to wrap my attendant's gifts. I bought cute white paper bags and since each of them have a different color dress I tried to choose a fabric that reminded me of them with a touch of "their" color. I then fused two pieces of the fabric wrong sides together with Steam-A-Seam and cut it to 7" x 11". I guess that would change depending on what size your bag is.

Since I love using my 4D Embroidery Software and embroidery machine I decided that I would embroider each of their names on the fabric rectangles in silver metallic thread. A lot of people don't know this but if you use a topstitching needle, size 90 while you are sewing or embroidering with metallice thread you won't break the thread!

I peeled away the stabilizer and cut the jump threads then folded the topper in half wrong sides together. I used a steam iron to press the crease in place and then marked on the topper where my handles would need to come through. Using scissors, I cut a slit from one handle marking to the other to creat an opening that would slide over the handles and cover the opening of the bag delightfully displaying their name! I put fun fringe on a few and left a few more plainly decorated. Here is a picture!

So, minor detail I left out of the last posting. I am getting married! Whoohooo!

Along with a career, travelling for that career, keeping up with life in general I am also planning a wedding for September 9th of this year. Yup...that is 4 weeks away :)

I would love to say I made my dress but I didn't. I have made my invitations which I also designed. I made my favor bags & the out of town guest bags. I made all the alterations on my girl's dresses for them as well as the moms. So I think that justifies me not making my dress :) I am now trying to decide about my programs. Should I have them? We are having a garden ceremony and reception following. I was thinking about printing them on vellum and then sewing across the top in teal thread to hold it all together as vellum is kinda hard to work with....thoughts?

The Revolution Begins!

Alright my friends. This is the second entry and I am already spilling over with things to talk about! First off, what this blog is all about. I'm Shannon Mullen. I have authored a few books with C&T Publishing called Your Space and Sew Hip. Check them out! I thought it was time that myself and a few friends talk about crafting, sewing, quilting, board books, scrapbooking and share our journey with all of you. Each one of us will be writing in here as we find cool sites to share, a new crafting technique or just want to blab about something!

So I travel a lot teaching all sorts of people how to sew...or how to craft more creatively. I try to have a class that also has very little structure and can allow people out of their boxes. Nothing is wrong in crafting and sewing. This past month I taught at the Martha Pullen Teen School. I had 20 girls ages 14-17 in my care sewing for 8-10 hours a day, 7 days straight. It was a task but as you can see from these pictures we had a blast. My favorite day was Top Conversion. They all had to bring a button down shirt from home that they didn't mind cutting up. I had no finished sample because I wanted them to use their own creativity and the skills they had aquired that week on this project. I had lace, ribbon, buttons zippers and threads. They cut and sewed and cut and sewed these button down shirts into a whole new style of shirts. No two were alike! One girl cropped her sleeves and shortened the shirt, removed the buttons and collar and create a cute little jacket!

These girls were amazing. They showed me that with a little bit of time, some creativity and a lot of fun friends you can come up with amazing results!

YOUR MISSION

If you choose to accept, your mission is to execute individuality and passion in every creative project you tackle. Your unit will consist of you, your friends and a complete arsenal of artistic sewing tools. Recruit friends along the way. Avoid capture by unlikely foes of idleness, frustration and procrastination, at all cost. In case of capture, contact home base and start from the beginning. Do not accept defeat. To find your target, visit a Studio MIY shop near you. Upon your arrival, be prepared for guerilla sewing, high contact quilting and reconstructive crafting. Good luck!