This post is part of Purse Palooza. For contest rules, full details, and schedule, please click here!
Today’s giveaway is sponsored by Betz White, designer, artist and the bestselling author of two books, Warm Fuzzies (North Light, 2007) the go-to book on recycled felting, and Sewing Green (STC Craft, 2009) presenting 25 projects made from “repurposed” thrift-store and back-of-the-closet finds and organic fabrics.
In 2010 Betz released a growing line of original sewing patterns called, Make New or Make Do™. Each pattern is designed to be made from either new or repurposed fabrics and includes tips for upcycling with alternative materials. Betz also has a line called Wildlife with Love that arose from her son’s passion for wildlife and concern for the loss of the habitat for these animals.
One lucky winner will receive 3 pdf patterns of their choice from Betz’s sewing patterns.
Some of her awesome patterns include:
Make the Sidekick Sling your everyday grab-and-go bag. The asymmetrical shape and oversized grommets make the Sidekick fresh and fun. Bag has a magnetic snap closure, interior pocket and two exterior pockets.
The Metro Hipster is a cross-body bag to get you where you’re going with style and functionality. The front of the bag has a roomy bellows pocket with a top flap and hardware closure. The top of the bag has a recessed zipper with a shoulder strap attached to the front and back allowing the bag to hang close to the body. Inside, the lining has a padded pocket, sized to fit most iPads, to keep your tablet secure with room to spare for a magazine and personal items.
The Jet Pack bag will get you where you need to be with style for miles. It’s got a vertical format with plenty of room for papers, magazines, a camera, you name it. There’s a front pleated pocket with a twist lock closure, a zippered main compartment, and a double duty strap. Clip the strap to the top for a shoulder bag, or convert it to a backpack by attaching the same strap in a different configuration.
I use a wooden skewer to guide fabric into my machine…especially small triangles.
I have an old magnet that belonged to my gran, I use it to collect stray pins which don’t always make it in to the pincushion.
I use large ziplock bags to keep projects together and from losing small pieces and bits.
I use regular household scissors as I don’t have any extra ones.
I, too, use large Ziploc bags for keeping pattern pieces and fabric together.
I have a flashlight with a magnet on it, that i use on my non-computerized sewing machine for extra light.
I use a skewer to poke out my corners. Also, I use a storage container that contains small rectangles in it. I store a spool of thread plus the bobbin (for each color) in each rectangle.
My hubby teases me that half if the kitchen is in my sewing room…
Freezer paper for appliqueing
Chop sticks for pushing out corners,
Silicone baking sheet for ironiing fusibles
Baking soda for making my own spray starch
Nets from garlic to cover my spools of thread
Wax paper for sewing through on slippery fabrics
Press n Seal for machine wuolting patterns
Ziplock bags to store Wips
Used thin cutting mats for bottoms of bags…
..I am sure there is more but thats what comes to mind 🙂
I use a message spike from office supplies to hold the large metal washers I use for pattern weights. Two for 1!
I use a one inch paint brush as a lint brush for cleaning my sewing machines.
Does it count that I use tin cans to some times weight down the patterns when I am tracing them?
I have a clamp-style slacks hanger I use to display mini quilts or current quilt blocks.
I use a sticky lint roller for getting stray bits off my cutting and ironing boards. I also use old newspaper to cut out patterns.
I use kitchen shelf liner to catch the pieces when trimming foundation piecing.
i use a funnel to help fill my iron without spilling
I use a plastic spray bottle when ironing!
I can’t live without a pencil near by. Not only for writing notes or making my own patterns, but the eraser side is quite handy when poking corners to get them completely out when turning stuff, and when turning tubes! 🙂
Thanks for the giveway, I love her paterns!
I use huge washers to hold down my pattern pieces when cutting out patterns
Well, it’s not really an everyday household item, but I use an old bamboo chopstick for turning straps, etc. THanks for the giveaway.
I use those tiny fluffy hair bands for little girls to wrap around my bobbins that aren’t in use so they don’t unravel
I use a magnetic bowl for my pins that I picked up in the automotive section of the hardware store.
What fun, another designer who is new to me.
I keep a wooden chopstick next my machine…it works great for pushing out corners and curves when I turn my bags inside-out. I also use a pair of hemostats to grab and open or close zippers when sewing them to the fabric to keep the pulls away from the stitching area.
An orange peeler! They come free in bags of oranges and grapefruit from the store. They make a perfect turner, stiletto and finger presser and comes in really handy for making piping as well! I also use it to scrape the last of the glue out of glue sticks and the size of the peeler makes it perfect for spreading that glue in the quarter inch seam allowance, keeping things nice and neat! LOVE my orange peelers!
I have small pony tail holders around my bobbins. There is usually a bowl kicking around the table that I used to trace a circle.
I use an old biscuit tin to keep all of notions in and a glue stick to help keep pieces in place when I’m paper piecing.
I have a rolling pin I use for a pressing seam roll (and as a clapper on occasion) and my fave, a vintage wallpaper seam roller to roll over those pressed open seams. Both work great!
I often use a nail file 🙂
Kathrin
I have a lovely vintage silver footed bowl to hold spools of thread close at hand. It so pretty on my table.
A kebab skewer for pushing out corners
A pair of scissors. I own about ten pairs of scissors and have one on hand everywhere.
I use a bamboo skewer for poking out corners. Works great.
I have an old soap dish holder that holds my little items next to my sewing machine, it’s sort of my catch-all and it is cute!
a glass to hold pens and scissors etc
I use plastic cafeteria trays and large plastic bowls to hold my various w.i.p.s.; from garments to bags to quilts to toys.
I use wooden coat pegs from IKEA to hang sissies on the wall.
That should say sissors but sissies is kind of funny.
I have some chopsticks that I use when I need to poke a corner out. I think I need to get myself an orange peeler, reading a prior post! I really enjoyed looking at Betz White patterns. Her animals for the Wildlife fund are so incredibly well done. Any child would love to have one.
Beth
Zip bags for scraps and cans of soup as pattern weights lol
i use freezer bags to put scraps in, thanks for the chance
I use cans of baked beans under my table legs to bring it up to a more comfortable height for cutting fabric!
I sometimes use cookie sheets to move items around esp from ironing area to my machine.
I use tweezers to remove small snippets of basting threads.
Hahaha does coffee count?! I use it to keep my sanity while I’m sewing!!! I also use lighters all the time in place of fray check on ribbons and elastics 🙂
I have a few things I rely on in my sewing room – freezer paper for stencils and cutting out felt, old cookie and chocolate tins for holding thread and buttons, hair elastics because they look so much cooler when they can match my fabric than regular elastic when I’m using them for closures, an old cup for holding various things – stitch ripper, scissors, marking pen, etc.
i use hair bands as elastic closures sometimes.
One thing I use is a chopstick for stuffing in small corners. I also use ziplock baggies to store various cut fabrics in to keep them organized for projects.
I use a chopstick to push out corners. The orange peeler ideas by Sonya…never would have thought of those good ideas!
I use a permanent marker to create my own lines on my quilting rulers for specific projects. For example I marked the correct size of triangle for the Tessellation pattern on my hex-n-more ruler!
This designer has very carefully thought out patterns, which are enjoyed by all of us bag makers!
My old paint brush is my favorite..use it for everything from poking corners to cleaning my machine.
I use the clear bags that sheets, curtains, or comforters come in to store my WIPs – they come in many sizes, are more durable than ziplocs, and I can still see what is where!
I use a metal cake frosting spatula sometimes to stick in the center of seams to kind of push them flat while I iron.
I use chopsticks to stuff toys and turn corners right side out,
hmm everyday item?!?!? I don’t really use everyday items, but I do use zip lock bags for my pattern pieces like other ladies, and a wooden knitting needle to turn things and poke out corners
I use a pizza roller for pressing seams as well as a curtain rod and duck tape for turning long skinny straps.
I use a wallpaper roller to flatten seams when I am foundation paper piecing.
love metro hipster
Ziplock bags to keep pattern and fabric together.
I use wooden spring clothespins to hold strips and blocks together, a turkey skewer to guide fabrics through the presser foot and push out corners. I also cut out stencils from the lids from margarine tubs and take out food containers.
My favorite household tool to use in my sewing room is the lint roller. Not only do I use it to de-thread my clothes, but I also use it on my ironing board cover and my cutting board.
Lots of clear plastic bins and ziplock bags to hold fabric, tools, and all of my works in progress!
Ziplock bags for english paper piecing stuff, an old cookie tin to keep it all together, always ready to pick up, old chopstick for corners and definitely a lint roller. Also a very large teacup, filled to the brim with tea…;)
I use decorative glass cookie jars to hold my buttons and ribbons in. They look great and I can see what I have at a glance.
I use regular household scissors. Don’t want to cut zippers and paper patterns with the “good” scissors!
Ziploc bags to hold my projects.
Thanks for the chance to win!!
I use chop sticks for point pushers.
I am with many of the other ladies – how did we ever organise our creative spaces before zip lock bags.
Hi I use I jam jar to keep my aurifil thread in when i sew as it wont fit on my machine spool, It kept flying off so a friend gave me the tip and it works a treat
A chopstick – I use it to turn straps/handles/pouches/toys the right way out after sewing them 🙂
The chop sticks and lint rollers are the best! The Talenti gelato containers are pretty neat to keep bits and pieces too. I’ve been known to buy some, just for the container. 🙂
I can’t live without my needlenose pliers for adding magnetic snaps
A light bulb 😉 hehe.
I use a match when I have to sew a button on jacket
I use a light bulb to help mend socks (well, I used to once upon a time), old canning jars to store my button collection (they look so pretty in them), and muffin tins to sort buttons (kids loved doing this and now the grandkids do). [email protected]
I keep little slivers of leftover bathsoap for marking on hard-to-mark fabrics that I plan to wash.
Ziplock bags for all those little items that get lost.
I use a lint roller for picking up loose threads ! Thank you!
I use a flannel backed vinyl tablecloth for my design wall tacked to the wall outside my sewing room. Works great! N
I use my vacuum cleaner daily to pick up my thread mess! and loads and loads of IKEA storage drawers to store my zippers and hardware.
I use old jam jars for thread catchers in a few spots!
Not a regular household item but I use an empty pill bottle to organize my clips.
I use tweezers to pull up my bobbin thread after putting in a new bobbin. I also use them to pull up the bottom thread to the top of a quilt when I start to free motion quilt.
I use Q-tips to quick clean my bobbin and sewing machine almost everyday. I use tweezers a lot for various little things and of course my radio! Keeps my going late into the night.
I use half gallon canning jars to hold my thread and fabric scraps that would normally go in the trash [saving as stuffing for some project down the road] and another for very small fabric scraps that probably can’t be use, but you never know. I stuff them at the end of each project, and end up with highly colorful jars that make great visual eye candy.
I use a few things, but none of them regularly. My favorite kitchen towel is used when a damp pressing cloth is needed, zip locks are my godsend when paper piecing as I use them to organize the pieces after I cut them out, chop sticks are used to poke into small corners when turning out items, freezer paper is handy for pattern pieces when making stuffed animals, and then I use tracing paper to cut out my paper pieces since its way cheaper than template plastic.
I scuba dive and use my weights to hold down my patterns when cutting them out. Scuba weights are definitely not something everyone would have but they sure do come in handy when repurposed.
I use my kitchen counter to place my sewing machine for when I sew.
Wooden spoons for turning and pushing out corners.
A lint roller for when I finish my bags and get all those stray threads that seem to like to stick around, and a lighter for a some of those threads that you try to cut close but fray a bit, a little heat from the flame melts them away and no little hangy things! 🙂
I use freezer paper for all my pattern cutting, chopsticks for turning, and ziplocks for storing WIP.
I use chop sticks to turn out corners!
I use a toothbrush to help clean the lint from my machine.
I make my own spray starch using corn starch, vodka and essential oil.
I have a couple of different sizes of hand paint brushes to clean out my sewing machine. The little brush that came with my machine doesn’t reach in as well.
I use makeup brushes to clean out my sewing machine.
I use a spray bottle!