Made: Happy Wristlet Clutch

One of the best things about being able to sew is that you can have new accessories like this Happy Wristlet Clutch (Heather Bailey's contribution to Jenny Doh's Signature Styles book) pretty much whenever you want -- AND made out of the exact fabric you choose!  (Fabric is Quatrefoil in Orange from Maude Asbury's Kitchy Kitchen.) So springy and fun!

We love this book for its eclectic collection of sewing tutorials -- and ALL of them are completely wearable!

Not So Scrappy Challengers

And the Not So Scrappy Challenge 'challengers' are... {drumroll please}

(We used random.org to randomly select the participants.)

#15 = Sha @ Craizee Corners

#1 = Kim @ Oh, Sweet Joy!

#2 = Aubrey @ Aubrey Plays

#5 = Katie @ Sew Pickle

We'll be mailing these cute little bundles out to you shortly! Just send us an email to hello{at}bloomerie.com with your complete mailing address!

Let the sewing begin!

(By the way... we had a few requests from people who wanted the bundle but didn't want to participate in the challenge. So, we put a few up on the website for you!

Made: Tilly Clutch

I've been working on improving my time management skills lately, which has meant unplugging from the computer and social media and plugging in my sewing machine. (Twitter, Facebook and Pinterest... I love you, but gosh you can be a real time-suck!)

One of the real perks to it all, though, is that I get more time to make cute stuff... like this gathered clutch featuring fabric from Daisy Janie's newest organic collection, Tilly. (Love, love, love the Trellis in Dawn fabric!)

I used Noodlehead's gathered clutch tutorial, with a few modifications like doing the gathers and decorative bands on both sides and adding in a wonderful upcycled fabric flower clip to dress it up a bit more. Just pin the clip on the outside and switch them out with your mood!

The fabric flowers are super easy to make. Grab a stack of 4-5 old scraps pieces from clothes or remnants and cut out a series of irregular circles, ranging from big to small. (Perfection is not the name of the game here!) Arrange them with the largest circle on the botton to the biggest circle on top, put a few stitches through all the layers and voila, you are done! You can even sew a cute button on top for more bling!

Now see... time management can be a good thing!

The 'Not So Scrappy' Fabric Challenge

Once upon a time {okay, really, it was December} we started kicking around an idea for a fabric challenge -- kind of like a miniature Project Runway, but only for sewists. So we started putting together the preliminary details on a scrappy fabric challenge.

But that was December. And timing would have been a little off because of something called Christmas and New Year's and family and celebration and all that kind of stuff. We know... we know...

But, it's February now. And we all magically have more time, right? (Okay, maybe not so much. But maybe just a little?) And we are finally ready to announce the challenge: the 'Not So Scrappy' fabric challenge.

We've got four cute little bundles of fabric (see above picture) ready to send out to 4 lucky people who are prepared to take on this challenge. We're keeping the rules quite simple. Just read on below.

Here are the rules:

1. Each bundle includes 6 fat eighths, shown above. You must use each fabric in your project, but you do not have to use all of each one.
2. You can add 1 more solid or blender fabric from your own stash. You can; you don't have to.
3. We want to see what you make, so you have to blog about it and post pictures of what you make. {Think of this as the runway show, so to speak.}
4. You'll have until March 3, 2012 to complete your challenge and post about it on your blog.
5. You must be in the US to participate.

That's it! Go crazy! You can make whatever you want. Home decor, accessories, playthings, etc... And when you're done, you can keep it, gift it, sell it, donate it or whatever. It's yours!

Want to participate? Just leave a comment below letting us know and provide a link to your blog. We'll select 4 people at random and plan to send these cute little fabric bundles out to participants by February 11, 2012.

And if you're selected, be on the lookout for an email from hello{at}bloomerie.com so we can get your mailing address. You can also follow us on Twitter or Facebook to keep posted about the challenge. We'll definitely be sharing what you all make with everyone!

Fabric Faves: Hello Luscious

It's been a while since I did this to you... shared a few pics of some fabric -- glorious fabric! This one makes me do a double-take. Hello Luscious, indeed.

Or perhaps it should read more like, "Hell-ooooo, Luscious."

Well played, Basic Grey. Well played.