Thursday, November 21, 2013

Holiday Market The Handmade Holiday Cavalcade



How cute is this flyer?
I am so excited about this market.  2 days of shopping, tasty food and cocktails!
And everything is handmade by EtsyNY sellers!

100 tote bags are given out each day and people wait in line for these tote bags. I know some of the goodies going into them, can't I have one???? Nope. Only for the shoppers!
So get there early!

I've been busy working on holiday runners and napkins.  As well I will have my usual aprons and everyday napkins to sell. 

It is in Williamsburg Brooklyn.
 Hope to see you!

HOLIDAY MARKET


Dec 14th and 15th
10 am to 5 pm
The Space
50 N.3rd
Williamsburg
Brooklyn, NY

http://www.handmadecavalcade.com/

Monday, November 18, 2013

Christmas Fabrics are Here.



I have to say it bothered me a little that the day after Halloween the Christmas tree was up in a local restaurant and some stores were already decking the halls.  Too soon! Today I received three Christmas catalogs in the mail and Thanksgiving is next week.  I am working on Christmas stocking samples for a holiday workshop so I think it is safe to say the holiday season is upon us.  I posted some of my holiday napkins in my etsy shop so if you are interested in purchasing some you can click on this link.

If you are interested in runners or making a special order of napkins or runners, I am currently working on table linens in these fabrics:





I also do have other designs but in smaller quantities.  If you are looking for something in a certain color or motif please ask!

Everything is 100% cotton and pre-washed for softness and shrinkage.

Please feel free to email me if you have a request. Now it's time to get sewing!

tracey@traceytoole.com

I love Christmas!

Thanks and happy Monday!


Tuesday, November 12, 2013

New Products in My Etsy Shop: Warp and Weft Napkins


Lately I have been experimenting with new napkins.  I work at Purl Soho and we received some beautiful new yarn dyes.  My first design job was creating yarn dyes for mens sportswear at Columbia Sportswear in Portland Oregon.  I find that I am still in love with these fabrics, I am always drawn to them.  A yarn dye is when the yarn is dyed then the fabric is woven together into the design.  Yarn dyes also are usually softer than printed fabrics.  Most shirting fabrics are yarn dyed.  As a yarn dye designer I would sit at my desk and pull apart swatches and count the threads in the warp and the weft.  I found this to be so peaceful and also challenging. Sixteen years later I still feel the enjoyment of pulling apart the threads and seeing each color and shade.



The fabrics we received are from Robert Kaufman and the collection is called Classic Threads.  There are 41 designs to choose from! I picked 3 and really want to keep a little bit of each for myself.


Multi Colorway

First I wash the fabric for shrinkage purposes and this also makes them a bit softer.  Then I topstitch a 1/4" seam allowance, iron and now time to pull the threads.  It is pretty labor intensive but I love the fringe look!








These napkins are great for everyday use.  Or I think the pepper colored ones can add a bit of sophistication to a casual dinner party. You choose!


Maybe my kitchen drawer will see a set of 8. If you would like to buy a set you can find them here in my etsy shop!

Thanks!

Monday, November 4, 2013

Tea Towel Give Away Winner and some Etsy Fall Finds




And the winner is....the Mackay Way.  Thanks to everyone who commented, I also counted those who did comment on the facebook post.

Winter weather has started here in New York City.  Today is the first day it is below 50!  Thanksgiving will be here in a few weeks and time to start thinking about comfort foods, cooking, baking, crafting and holiday shopping.  I haven't browsed on Etsy in a few weeks so I thought I would take a look at some of the new winter items.

The first thing that grabbed my attention was this pie box.  I usually bake a pie or pumpkin cheesecake for Thanksgiving.  Since I need to travel a few hours for Thanksgiving dinner I am always trying to find something to make my dessert more portable.


From the shop Piebox


I love the simplicity, the beautiful reusable pine box and the simple leather tie.

Or these vintage German tart tins.
From the shop Becaruns

Shop DarkPlum

A vintage print apple coaster set.


Edible acorns!
Yes you can eat these acorns and leaves too if you visit this shop, Andies Specialty Sweets.





I hope you found some inspiration this morning.

Have a crafty week!