Fun Multi Zipper Pouches

Hello,

I've been having lots of fun making multi zippered pouches in the past few weeks. It was started with these pouches. It is so fun to make and I can use up my scraps too! 

Disney Pouches

Today I finished the above Disney pouches while waiting for the sons to come back from School. The weather was quite nice today, the humidity has drop significantly, so it was a good day to sew. 

Mickey Mouse Triple Zip Bag

The triple zipper bag is so spacious. You can use it for anything. We never have enough of pouches, right?. Even when I can make pouches, I still buy them whenever I see a cute one!

Linen Double Zip Bag

They really make a great gift and it's always useful for everyone. I always carry pouches too when I travel to keep my bag organize. To keep the headphone, cable charger,  emergency medicines, sweets, etc.

Disney Double Zip Pouch

The pattern will be out soon, Insha Allah, before the end of the month. I'm currently fine tuning everything. 

Linen Zipper Pouch

In the meantime, I added some of them in my Etsy Shop. Some of them are really one of a kind which I made from linen scraps! So much fun!!

Shabby Chic Pouch

By the way, all my handmade products in my Etsy Shops are now free worldwide shipping. That include my small quilt shop that I recently started. Do check them out when you're free. 

Thank you for stopping by!

Have a nice day!!

~ Elvira~

Quilted Mug Rugs

Hello,

I finished 2 mug rugs last week and another 2 I still need to finish the binding. Though it's not making a dent in my UFO quilts piles, but I am happy that I am making (very) slow progress.

Very Hungry Caterpillar Mug Rug

I was wondering for a few days how to quilt these two very hungry caterpillar mug rugs. I love straight line quilting and also wavy or serpentine. But I don't feel like setting up my HV machine. So I decided to go organic. People love anything organic nowadays :) 

Since the blocks are quite colorful, I decided to use white thread and did the organic wavy lines. One thing I learn that to be creative, it really doesn't matter what machine you have. We should not limit ourselves based on what tools we have on hand, instead the limitation should make us more creative! 

Reversible Snack Mat

Quilted Mug Rug

When I took this picture, my son was about to have his breakfast and I borrowed the bowl for a quick photo session :D.  Don't you love the back of the mug rug? It makes this quilted mug rug reversible!!

Caterpillar Mat

As usual when I am not sure what to use for binding, the black and white stripe is always my first preference. And I love how modern it looked!

Hand sewn binding

The binding is machine stitched on one side and finished by hand on the back. I always use 1.5" wide binding for mini quilts, like placemats, mug rugs, or coasters. 

Apple core patchwork WIP

Meanwhile, I also started apple core patchwork. I'm doing hand piecing this time. It's going to be a tote bag, Insha Allah. I'm sharing the progress photos in my Instagram

Also, more mini quilts are queing to be quilted now. I have so many projects  going on at the same time. I tried to stick on one project at a time but somehow never work out for me. 

But as long as I can be creative, I'm happy! 

What about you? What project are you working on right now? 

Thank you for stopping by!

Happy Sewing

~ Elvira~ 

Linking up to:

Handmade Monday
Finish it up Friday
Show Off Saturday

How to Price Your Handmade Product & Free Calculator

Hello,

A few of my crafter friends often asked me how to price their handmade products when they just started out. It is difficult to determine what price is fair price. Especially with the booming e-commerce, the competition is fierce out there. 

trifold women's wallet

You want to make things that sell, but on the other side you also want to make a decent profit so that you can make the business going and growing without draining your personal resources. 

I'm no expert here, but I've learnt my lesson and I read a lot of blog post and books about pricing handmade. Especially when people around you (your social media followers, friends, etc) seems to think that handmade should be cheaper,because they tend to compare your product with ones in Amazon, Ebay etc. Well, send them to Amazon and Ebay! 

Ooak Handmade Wallet

But they won't get the same high quality product as yours, which everything is carefully chosen, it's unique, one of a kind  and the whole thing is carefully made without sacrificing a child or cheap labor somewhere in a dingy factory. 

But how to run a profitable handmade business without draining your personal resources? Price them correctly! Remember, your handmade is not only the material cost, but the time your spend making them, taking photos, marketing, your internet connection, not to mention your mental torture dealing with difficult customers :D. Well, You may want to read this post from Creative Hive on How to Pay Yourself in Creative Business and Pricing Handmade Guide. 

Bifold Wallet 

Now, I am not math genius here. My hubby dear made a handmade calculator for me, which I am still using it this date. You can download the  file HERE if you want. It's in Indian Rupees but you can use it for any other currency I suppose. 

The rows highlighted with light blue is adjustable. You can adjust your margin percentage for Wholesale and Retail Price too. You can even add a row or two. The labour cost/hour is included the overhead expenses . 

I also included Etsy Pricing formulae in case you want to start selling on Etsy too. The USD exchange rate is adjustable. If you're using Paypal, you may want to check paypal exchange rate, usually 4% lower than market rates). The Etsy  Fees paypal fees are  recently increased. So, do your homework before inputting the number. 

I hope this will help you a bit with your handmade business and when you want to start your business. 

You can download the HANDMADE CALCULATOR for free and start making profit :)

Happy Crafting!!

Elvira

New Zipper Pouches

Hello again,

Yesterday I made these one of a kind zipper pouches which in my wish list to sew. It's a free pattern from Noodlehead. I downloaded the pattern a few months ago, but yesterday after sorting out another scrap bag I felt so inspired and got down to make these 4 zipper pouches!

Double Sided Zipper Pouch

I called this fabric the little black dress. It has very fun print. I added black fabric. This is the first one I made, I used interfacing on both exterior and lining. It made the pouch really sturdy. 

Little Black Dress Pouch

The second one is this black and red pouch. The fabric I used is rayon cotton which has interesting pattern. I fussy cut the fabric to get this double sided pouch! 

Black and Red Pouch

I only put interfacing on the exterior fabrics for the three pouches. I think I love this better, since the pouch can turned out more spacious and flexible. I medium weight cotton fusible interfacing. It gives enough structure for the pouch. 

Wide Open Pouch

I used the same method for my previous pouches which I am still using now. Even after several washing, the pouch remain the same. If you're in India, you might want to check out my post about interfacing . 

Floral Zipper Pouch

I also use the same interfacing for this newsprint pouch. The newsprint fabric is a lightweight canvas fabric. 

Newsprint Pouch

Making pouch is always fun and the result is so rewarding. It is also great for gifts. I always keep few handy for gifts. You can also learn to make one with this Basic Tutorial on How to Make Patchwork Pouch or download the PdF in the link below this post.

So, what are you sewing this week? 

Thank you for stopping by!

Happy Sewing!

~Elvira~

Linking up to:

Handmade Monday
Show Off Saturday

Sunday Stash 14 - Fabric Sale

Hello there,

If you're a member of Chezvies Fabrics Club on Facebook, you  maybe aware of the de-stashing that is currently going on in the shop. Make sure that you turn on the notification sign so you won't miss the new post.

Let's take a peek of what fabrics are currently on Sale. 

Grey Cat & Arrows

Yellow Nursery Set

Paris and London Landmarks

Barbeque (BBQ) Theme

Japan Design Patchwork Print

Anchor Set

Star Bundle

I also added a couple of fabric blenders that you can mix and match them yourself. Some fabrics are sold per half meter and some are already pre cut,  it either comes in bundles or single fat quarter. You can also request for special bundle.

I will be adding more from time to time, as my goal is to reduce my personal collection. Last but not least, if you sign up for Club Member, you will also get Coupon Code that you can use whenever you purchase something. 

Thank you for stopping by!

Have a love day.

~ Elvira ~