Tarot Pouch

Without the drawstring.

Well, this is my first tarot pouch.  (Did I ever mention I collect tarot decks?  Well, I do; 112 decks and counting!)   I have many in pouches and many in their little boxes.  But some decks come with neither pouches nor small boxes (so frustrating!) and right now I have several decks that could really use some protection from dust and whatnot.

This pouch was borne of that need.  It was custom made for the The Witch's Tarot.  I did several searches, and found this tutorial at The Purl Bee, but had to customize it for the size of this deck. 

Since this was my first, I can tell you I would certainly do it differently next time.  First, given the small size, I would do the channels before the sides next time - it was tricky doing all that stitching without catching other parts of the bag with the sides already stitched up!  Also, having purchased my fabrics before I'd ever laid hands on a sewing machine (which I did for the first time just a few days ago), I might not have chosen to use this fabric for a first project; I had to use a lot more stitching since this fabric wouldn't press under the iron easily.  Perhaps the fabric would be better suited to a lined pouch (which I plan to try soon)?

In any case, take a look at some of my pics and notes:

Some of the channel stitching was clearly the work of a novice.  :)

Did some gusseting on the bottom.

Inside out.

Note that the zigzaging is different on one side than on the other; I was trying things out on one side with my new machine, experimenting with different widths in stitching.  By the time I did the other side, I'd determined what stitching I wanted to use.

I'm going to pick up some cord, but for now I'm using bits of ribbon I had about.

New Directions!

I've been quite absent from my crafting, as is probably clear.  :)  In the interim, I finished up my law degree and masters, studied for and took the bar exam, and began a fellowship while hitting up the job hunt for a permanent position.

Singer Confidence Stylist

But I haven't been making things, and I've missed it!

Recently, I've been trying out some new crafts.  I'm too new to them to bring them to my Etsy shop, but thought I'd share some of my new crafting experiences here! 

My husband and I had toyed with the idea of getting a sewing machine for years.  His mother did some very advanced quilting and his sisters sew too.  My family, on the other hand, never did much sewing.  I don't think my mom, the brilliant academic type who's been known to write and paint but not really to "craft" per se, even owns an iron, much less a sewing machine, and I have no recollection of either of my grandmothers sewing, though they certainly may have.

Pillowcase and 2 Coasters

I'd never even laid hands on a sewing machine until recently, when my husband began encouraging me to pick one up and found me a fantastic deal on one at Joann's.  This has been my first week working with a sewing machine.  These are some of my first projects.  I started with pair of simple cloth coasters.  They are skully fabric on one side and denim on the reverse.
 

Pocket Pillowcase

Next I tried an envelope pillowcase - wow would I have NOT chosen taffeta for a first project if I'd known any better lol.  I had to play with the stitching a bit, and experimented a bit with one or two of the different feet on my machine.  Needless to say, the fabric didn't press at all, so I had to improvise a bit.  Still, I think it turned out pretty cute!  Clearly the work of a novice, but still super fun Samhain decor!  Next, I think I'll try some simple drawstring pouches for some of my tarot decks.....

Free Gift Certificate Auction!

First of all, congratulations to Marni for winning my last Listia auction for a $15 gift certificate and free shipping at LME! 

That was so much fun, I'm doing it again!  This time I've got a $10 gift certificate and free shipping up for auction on Listia.com!  Check it out!  :)

Listia Lemon Alert!

A word of caution to trusting sellers! 

The lesson imparted on this post probably applies to any website, whether it be eBay, Etsy, or others...  Nevertheless, for me, I can tell you that the absolute worst internet experience I have ever had happened to me on Listia.  Don't take it personally, Listia!  You are generally a fantastic website with a wonderful community.  This is simply the tale of my Listia Lemon experience.  Here is my story:

Discounts and Free Shipping Now Available on Listia

Listia is a fun site designed around letting people exchange things totally for free!

As the site explains, how it works is that a user lists something they don't want anymore (like a DVD), then other users bid on the DVD using "credits" (which they received for signing up, referring friends or listing their own stuff), and when the auction ends, the user who bid the highest amount of credits wins, with the seller getting the credits to use to bid on something else.

Even better, most Listia people consider it a point of pride to offer free shipping, so that you truly get things for free!  That way, though you may pay a few dollars here and there sending things of yours off to buyers, you get some really fantastic deals.  Lots of people post interesting things, and I have put up an auction for a $15 gift certificate to my shop, plus free shipping!