Needle Craft, Fabric Arts, & Recycled Goodies

I mentioned my recent trip to Cape Cod in my last post. I had a wonderful family visit – AND I got to meet one of my twitter friends who lives and works on the Cape. Cool, right? Well, it gets even better. My twitter friend happens to be Melissa Averinos (@yummygoods), the proprietor of the fun and funky West Barnstable shop, Yummy Goods, AND (wait for it, wait for it…) a FABRIC DESIGNER. Her line, Sugar Snap, debuted last year with Free Spirit. Now, I don’t know how many of you get to meet fabric designers and sit in their studio in your daily lives, but I sure don’t get to. It was a thrill!

A bit of background info: I started following Melissa on twitter for obvious reasons (i.e. her fabric makes me drool). Then I realized that her shop was 5 minutes from my Aunt’s house. I was so excited to tell my Aunt. I was sitting at the computer all set to send her an email about Melissa’s shop and I hear a thump on the porch. A package from my Aunt had arrived. I open it to find presents for my daughter and a note attached to some fun stationery…the note said, “I was just at this cute shop called Yummy Goods. The owner is an artist and fabric designer…” Crazy, huh? So, needless to say on my recent trip, I couldn’t wait to go check it out.

Yummy Goods is full of eclectic, fun and funky goodies. To stand out from most shops on the Cape, it is decidedly and purposely NOT nautical in theme. Items range from local handmade goodies (of course some bags made from Sugar Snap!), to fun upcycled jewelry to really whatever tickles Melissa’s fancy! I picked up a great sewing project book, all wooden log cabin toy kit for my daughter, and some other fun items that are gifts so I can’t reveal their wonderfulness here.

I spent a lovely hour or so browsing around and chatting with Melissa. It was a real yummy treat! As I was leaving I promised to stop by every time I visit the Cape. This is a promise I will have no trouble keeping. If you are heading to Cape Cod, please take the time to stop by Yummy Goods and say hi to Melissa, you won’t be disappointed!

Yummy Goods
2455 Meetinhouse Way (Rt 149)
West Barnstable, MA 02668
508.362.YUMM
Hours: 10ish – 5ish Daily

Check out the Yummy Goods Blog too and see Melissa’s newest creation: Unicorn Stories.

Melissa and her studio were recently featured in Cloth Paper Scissors Studios Magazine Spring/Summer Issue. (yep, that is her studio on the cover!)

**What made this even COOLER for me, was the fact that right after I left Melissa at Yummy Goods, I drove down beautiful 6A to Tumbleweed Quilt Shop and purchased some of my very own SugarSnap fabric. awesome.

So, I used to be a nurse. While I don’t actually miss the business of being a nurse, I do really really miss patients. I loved meeting them and helping them get better. I was an orthopedic/rehab nurse, so I had lotsa cute little old men and ladies. I also worked a lot with dementia and alzheimer’s patients. I really miss connecting and talking with them – I think we all can learn so much from generations before us. In our world of BUSY BUSY BUSY it is hard to sometimes remember that. Anyway, on a recent trip to Cape Cod to visit family,  I stopped by the beach for a few minutes and saw these and my heart melted. How great is this???

I moved back to the ‘Burgh last summer. When I left I was a single working gal; when I  returned five years later, I was a wife and work at home mama. Needless to say, things weren’t exactly the same. (i.e. the days of seeing live music at least twice a week were over, as well as the quarterly vacations. Yes, I did say quarterly – being a faculty member has great vacation perks!). So, I was looking for new ways to spend my time. I have always been a crafty artsy sort, but hadn’t seriously done anything in that vein for years. The birth of my daughter re-ignited the creative side of me and I realized when I came back that now was the time to get a little more serious about it! So, I started investigating local arts/crafts groups to join. Well lucky me came upon the newly formed Pittsburgh Craft Collective (PCC).  Little did I know I was stumbling onto a crafting goldmine! Since I joined, I’ve made awesome friends, colleagues and business contacts. Crafting can be a solitary job or hobby, so it was great to find so many like-minded folk.

We are holding our first ever Crafts N’At Show this weekend, September 5, from 10a – 6p at the Union Project in East Liberty/Highland Park. Please stop by and join us, I promise you won’t be disappointed!

…well i guess I had a bit more to say, huh?

Germophobic moms & dads, just stop reading here, you won’t make it through this one.

When our daughter was born my husband and I vowed we would not fill our house with a million toys. Especially a million plastic toys after reading this article. Well, as many of you know, having a kid = having toys. Ok, fine – most are received as gifts and yes, kids need toys. We have, however, really tried to stick to our guns when it comes to purchasing big new pieces of molded plastic toys/furniture. Not only the scary plastic filling the ocean scenario – but also, who can afford it?

In an effort to keep our vow, I joined a group called The Freecycle Network.  To date, I have received via Freecycle: a plastic shopping cart , set of big cardboard building blocks (retail for $40) and a table and chairs set. Then, at various yard sales, we have purchased a great sliding board for $7 (retails for $89) and a play kitchen for $40 (retails for $169.99).  So, the sliding board shows some wear and the kitchen didn’t come with all of its parts – but who cares, our daughter sure doesn’t!

Then there are the “found” toys. Every kid since the beginning of time has been able to make a game out of something they have picked up off of the ground, or off of your dresser, or really where ever. Our current favorites are paper towel and toilet paper cardboard rolls. They are telescopes and bracelets (though to me it always looks like a cast).  We started to decorate one, but then she decided she liked them plain. (??hmm??)

If you are interested in joining freecycle in your area, click here to find a group near you. Freecycle expects its members to not just receive, but also give. It is a great way to pass things on you know have more life in them, but you just aren’t using anymore. Also remember something you might be ready to toss or put in the recycle bin, might just be something your little one can use to spark their imagination!

This Father’s Day was my husband’s second. For Mother’s Day we took our daughter to a paint your own pottery studio to make gifts for her Grandmothers. She painted two pieces, then at the end put her hand prints over her masterpieces. My husband loved it! So, when Father’s Day came around, I wanted to do something similar. I remembered that my mom had come across a little blurb in a magazine about embroidering your child’s hand as a gift idea. There it was, the perfect gift for him! (oh and Grandfather got one too!)

Here is a quick step-by-step tutorial of what I did: (Not claiming to be the first in any way shape or form – there are other tutorials out there on this topic!)

What you need:
-Paper
-Pen
-Child’s Hand
-Embroidery Transfer Pencil
-cotton fabric (in my case I used organic cotton cut from a tote bag I ruined with another embroidery iron-on *don’t ask*. Good thing is, I never throw anything away!)
-Embroidery Needle
-Embroidery Floss
-Hoop
-Scissors

Step 1:
Corral the kid, get her to put her hand on a piece of paper and stand still long enough for you to trace her hand

Step 2:
Turn the paper over and trace around the hand with the embroidery transfer pencil

Step 3:
Flip paper back over, place where you want it on your fabric.
Using a hot dry iron, iron the paper onto your fabric. The line you traced on the back on the paper with the embroidery transfer pencil will appear in light red on your fabric.

Step 4:
Place your fabric in the hoop.

Step 5:
Sew along the outline using a stem or straight stitch. I used a stem stitch as I think it works better around the curves.

Step 6:
Stitch your child’s name and date somewhere on the piece. I did mine freehand, but you could certainly type whatever saying you want, print it off and trace with the embroidery transfer pencil and repeat the steps above.

Step 7:
Trim off the edges of your fabric and PRESTO – you have a wonderful personal custom keepsake!

If you are thinking, wow this is great, but I’ll never do it. Then stop by my etsy shop, and let me do it for you!

Beautiful view of the Allegheny River in Foxburg, PA.

Remember the Israeli Paratrooper Bag that Banana Republic used to sell? You know, when it was a neato kind of Safari shop, not the fashionista store it is today. Well I had one and loved it to death. (I actually just found it the other day in my garage! I thought it was gone forever.)

When I wanted to start a new appliqued bag line, I had that style in mind. I searched around and fell in love with these Military Mapcase Messenger Bags. They come in black or olive drab – and were just asking to be embellished. Each embellishment in hand cut and sewn. The inside flap lining is machine sewn with coordinating fabric. These measurements (12 X 12 X 1.5) are perfect for a purse, book bag or day bag.  The slots on the front can be used for pens, lip gloss, knitting needles, paint brushes or whatever you can dream up.

And, as I heard from my niece Gracie, they also work great for the new mini laptops (yes, yes, I know NOTEBOOKS).  She was a lucky recipient of a red high heeled shoe bag for her Birthday. She reported back to me that her mini laptop fits perfectly. When I questioned her about padding – she said – “no sweat” I have a protective sleeve for the laptop itself, and then the power cord fits right in the bag with it”. Great tip!

Need a unique bridal party gift? Let me make each of your attendants there own personal bag; designed by you especially for them. (with a little help from me!)

For more examples of these bags, check out my flickr page and my shop. yes, this falls into the “selling my crap” category

So, if you know me you know I like to do things around the house. I like to paint, clean & remodel.  Well, I got a bee in my bonnet about finally finishing up some stuff in my daughter’s playroom (which is also my office – you won’t be seeing the side of the room that is my office -sorry). So, I hatched a plan, and I was off.

The big rule of the day was I was not allowed to buy one thing to finish this off. Now, of course I have a sewing room/studio FULL of fabric and supplies, so it wasn’t as hard as it might sound.

The biggest and ugliest thing that needed to be fixed: THE FIREPLACE BLACK HOLE

We moved in and had the old Taylor Burner removed, and well, um then did nothing. While the plastic was lovely, I thought it was time for a change. Up until this point, I was stacking pillows in front of this eyesore.

I decided to cover it up with a piece of cardboard covered in fabric. So, first  I got the cardboard. I found a piece big enough in the basement. (Oh yeah, we never throw things away. This can be a problem, or it can come in handy depending on the situation.) I cut it to size.

I added a bit of padding to the cardboard by stapling some fleece to it. I had just obtained said fleece from my mother who had it from a sewing kit that she decided not to finish. Then, I covered the padded cardboard with the fabric I chose from my stash. I used a stapler – no sewing required!

This fabric is from Claire Murray. If you’ve ever been to Cape Cod, you’ve undoubtedly seen one of her shops.  I got the end of the bolt of this one year during the Memorial Day Sale, so I have loads of it.

When I pulled it out, I realized that I could make a border with it….

Then, with lots of double-sided tape, I put it up. Seriously better, don’t ya think?

I wasn’t done yet. Now to put some art above the fire place….hmmmm. I like fabric, I like heat ‘n bond. I make appliques. So, I made some for the walls! Yippee.

I love the pink Kleo fabric from Alexander Henry – it’s what the curtains in my daughters room are made of. I also use it a lot for my messenger bags. So, I always have some laying around.  I pulled some out, applied heat ‘n bond and cut out some flowers and shapes. Then using my new best friend double sided tape, put them up on the wall. Sweet.

The Point Needlecraft and Fabric Arts is the creative outlet of me,  Jody Larkin, its sole proprietor, designer and artisan. I’m a work at home mom to a sweet little two year old. I love to make stuff.

Ok, so what’s with the name?
“The Point” was chosen to reference many things. Firstly, my hometown of Pittsburgh, PA. One of the city’s most famous attractions is the fountain at Point State Park (referred to by locals as “The Point”). It is also a reference to the point of the needle (duh) and to my designs – which are generally simple and to the point.

What will I find at The Point?
In my Etsy shop, you’ll find a great variety of sweet hand-made one of a kind goodies. My current loves are fabric applique, embroidery and counted cross stitch. I am also a big recycler, so I also like to make items from other products. For a list of current shops that carry my items, please check my Gettin’ The Goods page.

What is the focus of this blog? You won’t  just be selling your crap right?
My blog will be chalk full of crafty tid-bits, tutorials, toddler friendly crafts,  and info on local craft shows & outings. And, of course some posts about new products or projects I’m working on; or just stuff I find to be neato and want to pass on. I’m into sports, so there will be some sports related posts sprinkled in for some well rounded goodness.

I just returned from a lovely and productive stroll around my little corner of the world. We live in a tiny little suburb of Pittsburgh, just down the Ohio River. Calling it a suburb seems wrong though; with its sidewalks, public transportation and bustling business district, you feel like you are in a city neighborhood. Located just over the city limits, you get all of the benefits of the city, but at small town prices and with a great neighborhood feel.

I needed to go to the Post Office, drug store & hardware store. All of which are in a short walking distance from our house. I put the little one in the stroller and off we went.  It was a lovely sunny day with just the right amount of breeze. As we were walking along, I decided to treat us to a rare lunch out. We stopped at the locally owned Hot Dog shop and enjoyed dogs (mine a specialty that comes with cheese, tomato, dill pickle & bacon) and fresh cut fries. Then went on to run our errands.

As we walked along the sidewalk, we ran into our babysitter and two of her friends, which thrilled my daughter to death. She loved the attention they gave her as the babysitter proudly introduced her to her friends. A few minutes later, while in a store, I hear my daughter say, “Look there’s Mr. Michael”. Mr. Michael is her much beloved hairdresser at the local Cost Cutters. I must say I was impressed and proud of my two year old for recognizing him in a different setting, and for saying “Hi Mr. Michael”.

These two encounters made me smile, and made me appreciate being able to walk to do my errands. We got out in the fresh air on a beautiful day and ran into two people who are important in my daughter’s little two year old universe. It also reminded me to get out more often, to pull myself away from the computer, sewing machine or cleaning apparatus and spend time with my family when I can.

We stopped home now for a bit of a break, then we’re off to the local library and park (just up the street, natch) for family fun time this afternoon. Can’t wait to see what the rest of the day will bring..