Travel Wallets and a sling bag

Hello,

“If you can’t stop thinking about it, don’t stop working on it.”

— Michael Jordan

March was a pretty busy month for me, sewing wise. Not that I sew so much, but I started digging on my quilting UFO and decided to pick up where I left off. Let's see where this decision will take me next. 

Passport Holder Travel Wallet

In between digging up my UFO bins, I finished this Paris Travel Wallet order from my Etsy Shop. I love working with Japanese Linen. This travel wallet is another pattern of mine, which I have not time to finish writing the instructions. But I will, hopefully soon ;) 

It has plenty of pockets for passports, cards, ID card, Zipper Pocket and slip pocket. I love my wallets with binding since it gives the handmade look and we can always improvise with the binding colors/fabrics. Plus, the wallet will last longer, even if it's over loaded. 

Yellow Travel Wallet

Another finish is this Yellow Travel Wallet for a local order from a friend. I still need to one more for her, which will be done this week. You can get the pattern HERE.

The hardest part is to choose the matching color and how to make it one of a kind. 

One thing I still struggling till now is installing metal snap :( . I have all the tools that are needed to install the snap and even watching tutorial on YouTube but I always end up wasting more than half dozen of snaps. But I won't give up ^_^. 

If you follow me in Instagram, you must have seen this Indigo blue sling bag. I made that for hubby's aunt who visited us last week. I made a sling bag for her last year to take when she goes for her morning walk, now her friend wanted one. 

I made a simple one with zipper top and a front pocket which closes with magnetic snap button. I love this Indian print fabric, it is one of my fave print.  It was a fun quick project. I hope the lady who ordered it will love it. 

So that was a bit of late post from last week. I'm looking forward to finish up a couple of projects from my UFO bins this month! What about you?

Thank you for stopping by,

Happy Sewing

Linky Party:

Handmade Monday
Finish it Up Friday
Show Off Saturday.

Sunday Stash #8 - Burlap or Jute Fabrics

Hello and welcome to Sunday Stash! 

Orange Green Floral Jute

Burlap fabrics have their own charms. There are varieties of burlap from the texture, the finish, etc

We got this processed burlap or jute, which can be made into any sewing projects, from dresses to bag to home decor.

Spring Color Jute

Working with jute or burlap is fun. I can iron and add interfacing the way I do with cotton fabrics.

Like this simple clutch I made for my SIL. 

Printed Jute Travel Pouch

Printed Burlap/Jute

Look at this bag made by Raji of Homemaker's Hustle. She combined printed jute and plain solid burlap and create this pretty Plumeria Bag. Check out HMH Facebook Page for more one of a kind bags. 

Plumeria Bag from HMH

You can also combine jute or burlap and cotton or other fabric.

Blue Floral Jute

Like this Kindle Cover I made sometimes back. I combined jute and linen on which I did a DIY block print. 

Kindle Cover

Solid Jute/Burlap

Here are few more burlap/jute bags samples : 

Burlap Everyday Tote Bag

Burlap & Cotton Super Tote

Jute and Ikat Super Tote

Jute and Kalamkari Ruby Handbag by HMH

Golden Print Burlap

Jute or burlap fabrics are available here:

ETSY

Chezvies Webshop (Pan India only)

Thank you for stopping by. 

Happy Sunday

Five Patch Table Runner

Hello,

I have been impressed with the urgency of doing. Knowing is not enough; we must apply. Being willing is not enough; we must do. - Leonardo Da Vinci

This week, I finished another table runner. It's made up from  3 five patch blocks with sashing and border. I used Indian fabrics for this runner because I simply love the colors. I always use spray starch while working with Indian voile fabrics, that way they are easier to sew. I was thinking to give a teal border but after auditioning several fabrics, I decided to go with the white. 

Green table runner

I'm happy with the result. When I work on a quilt, I tend to go with the flow. I don't always have the whole fabric chosen in the beginning. Hence it always takes me a long time to finish even a simple project. 

Reversible Table Decor

As for the backing fabric, I have this perfect green and teal cotton fabric. I really love the color. I quilted the middle block with echo quilting, the idea I get from Leah Day  And the 2 outer blocks, I did a grid line quilting. On the sashing and border, I traced the quilting lines using a scallop ruler. I love result on the reverse side of this table runner. It made the runner a reversible one! 

buffet table decor

I used fleece batting which I got from Tina of TSI . This green table runner finished at 14" x 38" a perfect size for buffet table or center table. 

I finished a couple of mini quilt tops and hopefully able to finish one or two of them next week. Check my Instagram from the behind the scene pictures. 

Thank you for stopping by,

Happy Sewing

Linky Party: 

Finish it up Friday

Show Off Saturday

Tuesday Thoughts - Dealing with Shipping Problem

Hello again,

Being an entrepreneur means the ability to think out of the box by putting away our fear of any risk, including financial - Ciputra

The last couple of weeks, I've been dealing with lots of delayed shipping. It is stressing sometimes but gladly all the customers are very understanding. Thank you so much!! It is a difficult situation for a small business owner like myself who rely on Post for International Shipping, though I must say that India Post has done much better then when I started selling in Etsy a couple of years back. 

Since January this year there have been many delayed parcels especially to the USA. I guess due to the severe weather condition in the US. While the tracking on India Post Website showed that it is already being sent to the destination country, unfortunately there is no update from the USPS website. Even the EMS post sometimes takes 2 weeks in the US custom itself. Well, maybe it's because of the weather and since the booming of the global online shopping, I can imagine the people at Custom and Post Office must be working really hard.

From my own experience, now I have 3 parcels that are sitting at the Indian custom since February! In spite of me sending letters and supported documents that they asked, still there is no movement from the custom office. Another incident was last month. A package with UK address was sent to USA. And naturally, they were sending it back to me and I had to refund the customer. And I lost the shipping cost. Though their website stated we can claim for the damage but the hassle of getting the money back will not worth it. 

I guess, with the booming of online shopping where anyone can import even a single piece of fabric from Fiji island, many countries are now coming up with new regulation regarding products that are coming into their country. That's natural! The technology has made shopping from faraway country possible. As a frequent online buyer, sometimes my orders came after 3 months!! The thing is, if you want it fast, do not buy online. Shopping online needs a lot of patience and understanding. As a seller, I try to be considerate to my buyers who are mostly crafters and buy for personal use. Yes, I do give full refund. The money lost is  part of the business I am doing but customer's trust is utmost important for an online seller. 

If you're an online seller, a mompreneur or a small business owner like me, don't be discouraged. Here are a few tips:

- If you are selling in Etsy or have your own website, make sure that your shipping policy is clear.

- Keep your head cool, esp. when dealing with angry customers. Losing your cool means losing clients. Empathize and explain patiently regarding the problem.

- Be helpful by helping them tracking the parcel. Remember, not all buyers are tech savvy. 

- Be considerate  by offering refund. Remember, financial lost is part of your business. But customers who trust you will come back for more or tell their friends. 

Problems happen all the time and things will get better! Keep  doing your work sincerely!

Have a nice day!

I love Mug Rugs

Hello,

Success is no accident. It is hard work, perseverance, learning, studying, sacrifice and most of all, love of what you are doing or learning to do. Pele

I finally finished a couple of mug rugs. I've been making these in between doing my wallet orders. I really love making these small quilts and it's a quick gift to make.

Yellow  Mug Rugs

I used Indian fabrics in this one. They are so soft and the colors are bright. A perfect companion to brighten your day.

Green Fabric Mug Rugs

I do love using these tea mats when I am reading or watching my drama. Sometimes I use it as a mouse pad too. 

Red Quilted Mug Rugs

I used cotton batting and quilted them on my new Jack F4 sewing machine. I am not very fond of FMQ and always prefer quilting using my walking foot. The best thing of using industrial machine for quilting is I don't need to change the foot at all!! The foot works wonderfully from piecing the mulmul fabric to quilting it! 

And one big news is I start listing my small quilts in Etsy. I opened another Etsy Shop (it's called Chezvies Quilts) since it is completely different product line than my Handmade wallet, it is always wiser to have a separate shop. The price is reasonable and it's free shipping for India! Please take a look at my new shop. I hope I will be able to share my love for quilting with you all!  

Thank you so much for your supports! 

Happy Sewing

Linky Party:

Handmade Monday
Show Off Saturday
Finish it up Friday