Perfect Spring Clutches

I've been on a clutch-making kick lately!

And these 3 cuties are now available in my shop.

www.hazelstreetdesigns.com

New Item {Dish Towels with Pom Poms}

Available to purchase HERE

www.hazelstreetdesigns.com

New Items & a Sale

I added several new items to my shop today, including these half aprons.

Aren't they adorable? They make a great hostess gift, wedding shower gift, or just a gift for yourself!

And if you need even more incentive, they're on sale! 20% off. Go get one. Right now!

Click here to purchase the aprons. Click here to view my entire shop

www.hazelstreetdesigns.com

Baby, It's Cold Outside

Three days ago, it was 65 degrees. Yesterday & today are in the single digits. Chicago (and the midwest in general) is living up to the saying "if you don't like the weather, just wait a few minutes".

Since it's so cold out, it's the perfect time to hunker down & try some new crafty things! Here's what I've created the past couple of days, using a new pattern & some new fabric.

If I can correctly make some adjustments, they may soon make their appearance in my shop!

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I'm featuring a couple of items from my shop each day in February on my Facebook page! If you haven't yet "liked" Hazel Street Designs, you can do so here.

www.hazelstreetdesigns.com

Handmade Gifts

I don't always make my gifts, but when I do, I think making handmade gifts is much more fun than shopping for a gift. And I'm always more excited for someone to open the gift I've made especially for them than opening a store-bought gift.

Now that Christmas is over & all the gifts are opened, I can share some of the gifts I made this year!

{Holiday Card}

Sending out Christmas cards didn't happen this year. In fact, this is the only card I made all season. But I like it enough that it may appear in my shop next Christmas!

{Notecards}

It's hard to tell in this picture, but the initial is embossed in silver. Against the navy cards it looked stunning!

{Clutches}

www.hazelstreetdesigns.com

Aprons

Another idea I found on Pinterest...taking kitchen towels, adding ties, and voila! ... a half apron.

I found these adorable towels at Target, added the ties and now 3 one of a kind aprons will be for sale in my shop!!
All fabrics have been prewashed, so they can be easily thrown into the washer when they get dirty.

Gray & Yellow Apron with yellow ties
{ties are extra long so they can be wrapped around & tied in the front}

Yellow Apron with turquoise & white striped ties
{ties are extra long so they can be wrapped around & tied in the front}

Gray Striped Apron with turquoise ties & yellow pocket
{ties are shorter & only can tie in the back; pocket added to add interest to the front}

www.hazelstreetdesigns.com

Sewing Projects

So I bought a sewing machine in the fall & have been anxious to sew up some new goodies for my shop. I haven't sewn for years & the last time I made something using a pattern was during my 4-H years. In other words, it's been a LOOONNGG time. But I wanted to try making clutches, and hopefully make them good enough to sell in my shop.

Here's my first attempt at one clutch pattern.

Not too bad, but the seams aren't perfectly straight & the snaps don't match up well. Plus I couldn't understand the instructions about how to sew the bottom corners, so I had to make it up. I love the color of the lining, but it was really hard to work with.

I found an easier pattern, and tried it with a different fabric & lining.

It is much easier to sew, but in it's simplicity it loses some of the details of the previous one. And the lining really doesn't work well with this fabric.

Same idea as the houndstooth clutch, but I altered the dimensions a bit. And I used fabric from an old skirt I found at Goodwill.

It was pretty flimsy, so I added some fabric stiffener to it. However the stiffener altered the color of the fabric and caused it to be a bit blotchy.

I attempted the 1st pattern again, this time with different lining & interfacing.

How it ended up in a completely different size & shape is beyond me! I followed the exact same directions.
I like this different lining so much better.

Saw an idea for another pattern on Pinterest. I altered the pattern a bit & added a fabric flower.

Finally! One that is worthy of selling :) This one, too, was not quite stiff enough. I added the fabric stiffener, which helped some. But it's just going to have to be a less stiff clutch.

 I have learned so many lessons learned about fabric types, types of stitches & color combinations. Hopefully soon, you'll see some shop-worthy ones available to buy!

Now what do I do with all these subpar clutches?

I also tried making reusable coffee cozies. Again, lessons learned about button shapes & sizes and elastic band sizes. Here are first 2 attempts.

This one is reversible, but the thick band made the stitching go all wonky. 

This one isn't reversible because of the thickness of the button. Again, the elastic band is too thick.

After some adjustments, this one is a keeper!

I am working on an apron project & will post photos once it's finished. Stay tuned!

www.hazelstreetdesigns.com