Sewing Pattern Testers Needed!

It may have come to my attention that I very rarely blog about all the wonderful little goodies I actually create.

Most of that comes down to the fact that I have the attention span of a flea, and I can never quite remember to take my camera to work, photograph the products, edit the photos, then pop them online. I'm exhausted just looking at that list!

Luckily, I'm surrounded by a group of wonderful crafters who actually do these things, and when they are at markets they do me the great favour of taking beautiful piccies of my things too!

So, thanks to the lovely Margaret from Konstant Kaos, here is my lovely range of Notebook Covers...



And a big fat stand of Passport Covers...


And here is a sneak peak of my Cushion Covers...


All of which will soon be available in my Etsy store... if my attention span will get them there!

---

Sewing Does Occur!

Receiving a request for a custom item can be many things: exciting, challenging, flattering, and fun. Unlike the production of regular stock, a custom order presents you with the opportunity to get back to your roots and... shock!... get creative. 

Custom Love

It's Tuesday again- can you believe it? Tuesday means only one thing in the world of Pepperberry & Co.- an interview with an inspiring artist through Tuesday Tales. Today we meet with Daniela, the self-confessed 'crafty girl since forever' who is behind the gorgeous goodies at Italian Craft and Quilt shop Happy Bee.

'I remember being a kid,' Daniela reminisces, 'and every Summer, Nuns would come to our small village and teach us how to sew and embroider.' The first thing that Daniela learned how to do was cross stitch, and since then she has 'always loved all things handmade and unique.'

Her Mother and Grandmothers inspired her to further explore craft, as 'one of my Grandmothers was great at knitting, the other one crocheted wonderful shawls, slippers, and scarves, and my Mom was a dressmaker,' Daniela explains. 'I grew up surrounded by crafty people!'

Years after first gaining some crafty skills, Daniela fell in love with the beautiful quilts that she saw in American movies. 'I particularly loved the oldest ones, so I decided to try to make them too,' she tells me. 'I took a class and learned basic quilt-making skills, and once I started… well, I couldn't stop!' she laughs.

Once she had the skills, Daniela began making quilts, table runners and wall hangings for herself, her family and her friends. It wasn't long until she expanded her repertoire and began sewing small items such as pouches, cases and key chains to give away as gifts on special occasions, and, she exclaims with modest surprise, 'people seemed to appreciate them!'

Once she realised that there was a market for her creativity, Daniela 'finally' decided to try to sell her things. 'When I found Etsy, I thought it was the perfect place for sell my crafts,' she smiles. 'It's so full of wonderful international artists selling their awesome items. So I decided to try this challenge!'

One of the first things Daniela had to do was come up with a name for her store. 'When I was thinking about the perfect name for my shop, my mind immediately went to bees,' she says. 'They are always so busy, doing lots of things in their lives; but they never seem tired and are always so proud and happy in their work,' she smiles. 'They really inspired me!'

Since starting her business, Daniella has found it easy to stay motivated. 'The main thing that motivates me to craft is the fact that I love to create new things,' she explains. 'I love to start with a few pieces of fabric and end up with a quilt!' she grins. 'It’s amazing what you can create with just some fabric and thread… the possibilities are endless. The only thing that limits you is your creativity!'

Daniela dreams of one day owning her ideal craft studio. 'My favourite place in the world is a little wood cottage I found during a trip to Colorado in the United States,' she recalls. 'It looked so amazing, all surrounded by woods and situated in front of a beautiful lake. All around it were mountains,' Daniela sighs happily. 'I immediately fell in love with it and thought that it would be the perfect place for my crafts, and especially to make my quilts, because it was so peaceful and relaxing!'

To follow Daniela's adventures through craft, make sure to check out her blog and Etsy shop. But wait, it's not over yet! The lovely Daniela has generously offered to host a giveaway for readers of Tuesday Tales, and the winner will receive their choice of a 4-in-1 Case from her Etsy Shop. To enter, simply become a follower of Dany's Happy Bee blog and leave a comment here letting me know which 4-in-1 case you would choose and why. Tweet, Facebook or blog about the giveaway and receive an extra entry for each!


---

P.S. Sincere apologies for the delay in posting last week's giveaway winner! We fly out of Bangkok and back to Melbourne today after having lived here for 3 months, so as you can imagine, it's been a bit hectic.

Without further ado, the lucky winner of Jennifer's gorgeous Pink Lily Press giveaway is Monique from Your Cheeky Monkey, who said she would choose to have poppies printed as her custom notecards because it's 'a simple classic design that's just lovely'. Thank you for all of your entries- I was most inspired by some of your wonderful suggestions!

An Inspiring Interview & Giveaway from Happy Bee!

A few of you may be aware that I have a slight addiction to fabric. It makes me drool, starts a twitch in my right eyeball, and has an unfortunate effect on my wallet. Thanks to blogging about this addiction, however, I realised that I'm not alone in experiencing these symptoms!

I recently shared with you some fabric that I bought whilst on my travels. The reason that this fabric is so special to me is that it's organic, fair trade, vegetable dyed, hand-woven (check out a video of hand-weaving here!) cotton that's created by a Women's Organisation in Laos. I strive to make all of my choices related to my business and my crafting hobby as environmentally and socially conscious as I can, so this really inspired me!

Since posting that blog, and the following one about Molly the Mouse (who is being made from this luscious fabric), I've received a number of emails asking me whether I could source some more of the fabric and make it available to some of you. I'm still in Asia and it's definitely a possibility, but before I make my way to Laos, I wanted to know what the level of interest really is!

Below, I've posted some pictures of the fabric with a description and the prices for each of them. I've also provided some pictures and prices of other cute fabric I've found whilst in Asia, to see if you're interested in any of that.

Please let me know if you'd like any of it as soon as possible, as I fly out in two weeks! If there's enough interest, I'll see what I can do to get some more in that time. I can't guarantee anything but I would sure love to share this wonderfully eco-conscious fabric with as many people as possible.



NAME: Pink Organic Cotton Weave

FABRIC: 100% Organic, Vegetable Dyed, Hand Woven, Fair Trade Cotton (60cm /23.5" wide)

DESCRIPTION: Thick, pink, textured organic cotton with multi-hued highlights that add depth.

PRICE: $16 USD per metre / $15 USD per yard




NAME: Charcoal Grey Organic Cotton Weave

FABRIC: 100% Organic, Vegetable Dyed, Hand Woven, Fair Trade Cotton (63.5cm /25" wide)

DESCRIPTION: Deep, charcoal grey, tightly woven textured organic cotton.

PRICE: $16 USD per metre / $15 USD per yard



NAME: Off-White Organic Cotton Weave

FABRIC: 100% Organic, Vegetable Dyed, Hand Woven, Fair Trade Cotton (55cm /21.5" wide)

DESCRIPTION: Delicate, off-white textured organic cotton.

PRICE: $8 USD per 1/4 metre OR $7.50 per 1/4 yard





NAME: Lime Green Organic Cotton Weave

FABRIC: 100% Organic, Vegetable Dyed, Hand Woven, Fair Trade Cotton (63.5cm /25" wide)

DESCRIPTION: Rich, lime green textured organic cotton with heavy, pale emerald thread woven throughout.

PRICE: $16 USD per metre / $15 USD per yard




NAME: Navy Blue Organic Cotton Weave

FABRIC: 100% Organic, Vegetable Dyed, Hand Woven, Fair Trade Cotton (58.5cm /23" wide)

DESCRIPTION: Deep, navy blue textured organic cotton with multi-hued highlights that add life.

PRICE: $16 USD per metre / $15 USD per yard




NAME: Vintage Toys on a Washing Line


FABRIC: 100% Cotton


DESCRIPTION: A cute little washing line pattern with vintage toys, clothes and teapots on a gorgeous, deep red/burgundy background.


PRICE: $5 USD per 1/4 metre OR Fat Quarter OR $4.75 per 1/4 yard









NAME: Vintage Sweets Shop with Toys


FABRIC: 100% Cotton


DESCRIPTION: A cute sweets shop with gingerbread, cake, recipe books and vintage toys on a tan/green background.


PRICE: $5 USD per 1/4 metre OR Fat Quarter OR $4.75 per 1/4 yard










NAME: Vintage Patriotic Craft


FABRIC: 100% Cotton


DESCRIPTION: A delightful vintage crafting pattern, including tape measures, cotton spools, the word 'Handmade' and patriotic elements on a deep red/burgundy background.


PRICE: $5 USD per 1/4 metre OR Fat Quarter OR $4.75 per 1/4 yard








NAME: Vintage Craft on Green


FABRIC: 100% Cotton


DESCRIPTION: A lovely crafting pattern with knitting needles, balls of wool, a sewing machine, tape measure and vintage toys on a lovely green cotton.


PRICE: $5 USD per 1/4 metre OR Fat Quarter OR $4.75 per 1/4 yard









NAME: Vintage Green Patchwork


FABRIC: 100% Cotton


DESCRIPTION: A sweet green, tan and white patchwork pattern.


PRICE: $5 USD per 1/4 metre OR Fat Quarter OR $4.75 per 1/4 yard











NAME: Miss Muffet

FABRIC: 100% Cotton (109cm /43" wide)

DESCRIPTION: A gorgeous little pattern of Miss Muffet in her bonnet and apron surrounded by teddies, teapots and cakes on a tan background.

PRICE: $5 USD per 1/4 metre OR Fat Quarter OR $4.75 per 1/4 yard



NAME: Green Jungle Animals

FABRIC: 100% Cotton (115cm / 45.25" wide)

DESCRIPTION: A cute Jungle Animal pattern with elephants, hippos, giraffes, turtles, palm trees and small birds on a bright white background.

PRICE: $5 USD per 1/4 metre OR Fat Quarter OR $4.75 per 1/4 yard




NAME: (L-R)
1. Pink Polka on White
2. White Polka on Pink
3. Pink Candy Stripes

FABRIC: 100% Cotton

DESCRIPTION: A soft baby pink collection of polka dots and stripes, perfect for quilting and soft toy making.

PRICE: $5 USD per 1/4 metre OR Fat Quarter OR $4.75 per 1/4 yard of one of the three fabrics (please specify which!)




NAME: (T-B)
1. Orange Candy Stripes
2. White Polka on Orange
(3. Orange Polka on White, similar to the Pink Polka on White above, is also available but is not pictured)

FABRIC: 100% Cotton

DESCRIPTION: A pumpkin orange collection of polka dots and stripes, perfect for quilting and soft toy making.

PRICE: $5 USD per 1/4 metre OR Fat Quarter OR $4.75 per 1/4 yard of one of the three fabrics (please specify which!)



NAME: Blue Candy Stripes
(2. White Polka on Blue and
3. Blue Polka on White, similar to those pictured above, are also available but not pictured)

FABRIC: 100% Cotton

DESCRIPTION: A soft baby blue striped print, perfect for quilting and soft toy making.

PRICE: $5 USD per 1/4 metre OR Fat Quarter OR $4.75 per 1/4 yard of one of the three fabrics (please specify which!)



NAME: Tiny White Polka on Brown

FABRIC: 100% Cotton

DESCRIPTION: Delicate, tiny little white polka dots on a rich brown fabric.

PRICE: $5 USD per 1/4 metre OR Fat Quarter OR $4.75 per 1/4 yard







NAME: Unbleached Seeded Cotton Weave

FABRIC: 100% Unbleached, Seeded Cotton (60cm / 23.5" wide)

DESCRIPTION: Thick, unbleached, naturally seeded, textured cotton weave.

PRICE: $12 USD per metre OR $11.50 per yard













Please note that due to the handmade nature of the fabrics listed, exact colour, weave and width may vary slightly.

Postage within Australia will cost $1.50 USD for the first 1/4 metre, Fat Quarter or 1/4 yard, and $0.20 USD for each 1/4 metre, Fat Quarter or 1/4 yard thereafter.

Postage to all other countries will cost $2.00 USD for the first 1/4 metre, Fat Quarter or 1/4 yard, and $0.40 USD for each 1/4 metre, Fat Quarter or 1/4 yard thereafter.

If you are interested in purchasing any of the above fabrics, please contact me as soon as possible as I leave Asia soon! You're welcome to leave me a comment or send me an email (littlemisspepperberry AT gmail DOT com), and make sure you include the following information:

- The name of the fabric (including the colour!);
- How much you would like;
- Whether you would be interested in any other colours that aren't currently
shown or listed as available (the Vegetable Dyed fabrics and the Sweet
Patterns come in many other colours)

If there is enough interest and I can source more of the fabrics, I will list the above items in my Etsy shop, where you will be able to purchase them and pay via PayPal or Bank Deposit.

I'm so excited to share this with you!

---

A Fabric Question For You

Once upon a time, there lived a Mouse named Molly.

Molly was a vibrant Mouse, full of energy and smiles. She liked to chew on rubber cords, sniff inside her pet cat's ear, and nibble on her own tail. Her very favourite thing to do, however, was to play with shiny Christmas baubles.
Molly knew she was a special Mouse. She knew most mice had to live in small cages and run on strangely repetitive wheels. She also knew they had to eat very odd foods and that they weren't allowed to nibble on their own tails. Molly didn't think she would like a life like that, and Molly knew what she liked.

There was one thing that Molly didn't know, however. One very important thing.

Molly didn't actually exist.

Molly was merely a figment of her owner's imagination, but she was a figment that was slowly coming to life. But why slowly? Well, her owner, the Giant Pepperberry Mouse, was lovingly bringing her to life, but because Giant Pepperberry Mouse's Sewing Machine was currently on holiday, she was creating her by hand. And creating a vibrant Mouse like Molly by hand sure took time!

So far, Molly had two ears...

A nose...

And some arms...

All made out of this glorious Organic Cotton, Vegetable-Dyed, Hand-Woven, Fair-Trade fabric.

But Molly felt confident she would grow up to be a Big, Strong Mouse who would be able to play with Christmas Baubles and nibble on a tail that existed. She felt this confidence because she knew that Giant Pepperberry Mouse was on a mission: Mission Molly the Mouse!

---

P.S. Would you like to bring your very own little Mouse to life? Visit the endlessly talented Jodie over at Ric Rac to download the free pattern!

P.P.S. Thank you for all of your entries in the Finki/Tuesday Tales Giveaway! Molly the Mouse has deemed that the lovely Kelly O. from John's Daughter is the winner due to the fact that the Finki Notepads remind her of her father, who has passed and whom she celebrated daily in her blog. See you next Tuesday for another inspiring Tale!

Mission: Molly the Mouse

Q: What's better than a one-of-a-kind crafty piece that has lovingly been created by hand?

A: When that crafty piece is nearly half the price it used to be!

That's right, darling Pepperberrians! My Etsy shop has gone on a Recession Diet. You'll now find each and every one of my goodies at nearly half the price they used to be! I've also put over 15 new items in store for your viewing pleasure.

So, if you've ever coveted one of my Notebook Covers...


Or perhaps you would like to travel in style with a Passport Cover...


Or you simply want a cute little Snap Wallet to store things in...

Then now's the time to grab one! Nothing in the store is over $17, and prices start at just $10. A bargain for handmade goodness!

And, if you blog, Facebook or Tweet with a link to my store, you can also have 25% off shipping costs to anywhere in the world. Just put the link in the message to seller and I'll refund the costs to you.

It's Christmas time at Pepperberry & Co.! Come and stock up those merry stockings.

---

P.S. Welcome to all my lovely new Followers who I've found thanks to my Apple & Eve giveaway. Remember, it's not too late to enter to win one of Eva's marvellous hedgehog softies!

When Handmade Craft Goes on a Recession Diet

I was introduced to the world of sewing by a tote bag.

Ok, maybe not just a tote bag, but a tote bag that I was lucky enough to make with the help of the magnificent Cathy of Miss Marzie and Audrey & Maude fame.


I had such fun making this sexy, quick little number that I've been madly collecting tutorials for tote bags ever since. Of course, like with most of my bookmarked tutorials, I still haven't had a chance to make them! I thought I'd share them with you, my dear readers, instead- and perhaps now the pressure will be on for me to make one.

Oh, Fransson! has this whimsical Margaret Sling bag tutorial:


You'll find this rustic apple picking tote tutorial at Purl Bee:

Qamut has this tote tutorial for those of inspired by bold polka:


Grab the tutorial for this two-tone tote at Whispering Pine:


And finally, MmmCrafts has this gorgeous messanger bag tutorial:


I hope you enjoy playing with these super-simple crafty ideas! As always, let me know if you end up making one because I'd most love to see the result.

---

P.S. GIVEAWAY WINNERS!: Thank you to all who entered my Tea Party giveaway and left such amusing and creative comments. I had immense trouble choosing my favourite entry, so with my magical powers, I've deemed that there shall be 6 winners! Lucky Vicki from Sew Useful Designs shall be receiving the Alice in Wonderland Passport Cover, and runners up Kami, Harley Dee, Ange Moore, Calidore, and Lizzie will receive a bookmark made out of the same fabric. Of course, winners may have to wait until I am back in the enchanting land of Oz to get their prizes... but in the meantime, please email me your postal details!

Just Call Me The Bag Lady