Monday, November 21, 2011

Big Girl Birthday Bag

Emma was invited to a birthday party by one of the little girls in her preschool class.  I was scheduled to be out of town on a girls' weekend, which left my hubs here to handle the Build-A-Bear Birthday Bash experience solo.    In those fleeting hours prior to my big departure, instead of packing and planning, I was quickly sewing together this little tote bag for the birthday girl.  We all know that inspiration has impeccable timing.  :-)

I used a tutorial from Randi at I Have To Say.  You can find it on her sidebar.  Her directions were super easy to follow, and this bag was a snap.  I followed her instructions (mostly) as written.  (I adjusted the size slightly, pieced a few of my panels to make my fabric scraps work, gusseted the corners in the bottom of the bag, and added some yo-yo embellishments.)  Minor adjustments like those are easy to do using Randi's simple and clever pattern as a base.

I will also add that Randi has a WONDERFUL online fabric shop called Fresh Squeezed Fabrics.  Her customer service is outstanding and she always has a great selection of fabrics available.  I don't know her personally, but I am a long time reader and I love her blog.


Anyway, I filled the bag with a little gift and sent it, my girl, and her Daddy off to the mall to build a bear while I headed to a craft fair in Tulsa with a friend.


We didn't see many actual crafts at the craft fair.  There was a lot of clothing and jewelry, but not a ton of homemade items.  It got me thinking about the potential for my own booth at a craft fair in the future.

Could I build up enough inventory?
Would I be able to make any profit?
Is there a market for quilted bags, runners, and other small items?
And, most importantly...
Would sewing stay fun if it became a "job"??

Thoughts to noodle.

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