Trinket Trays!

Trinket Trays! These are absolutely so fun to make because they highlight my favorite fabrics. And the look of them changes with different types of fabric. This collection is found exclusively at Bird in Hand Artisan Village and features genuine vintage feed sack fabrics!

What are feed sacks?? When bulk commodity's were sold in cloth sacks, economical homemakers would sew the family's clothes out of the fabric sacks. Manufacturers became savvy and increased their appeal to women by using colorful printed designs on their sacks. A 100lb sack yielded one yard of 44" wide fabric--enough to make a child's dress! Sewing with feed sacks was a necessity for many families during the Great Depression. These sacks can still be found today, some of them even still in tact!

I love the history that these antique fabrics represent! And the ingenuity of women to use their creativity as they provided for the basic needs of their families. It's an honor to create these trinket trays as a reminder of the resilience of these women.

These trays make a fantastic gift for Valentine's Day, Easter, or Mother's Day! Use them to hold your jewelry, paperclips, buttons, or, my favorite--special chocolates!

How to Clean Your Iron!

I recently got a new iron, and I promptly "gooped it up", probably from ironing over some interfacing. Like any DIY woman, I logged onto Pinterest to find out how I should go about de-gunking my iron. Yes, I did consult my iron's manual, but apparently no one else gunks up their iron, because that was not addressed in the trouble-shooting section.

I tried all the suggestion I found on Pinterest. None of them worked; as in, none of them even touched the gunk. The only one I couldn't try immediately was this one because I didn't have it on hand...

Tylenol! Uncoated Tylenol. <mind blown> When I read about it I was skeptical. But a few days later I was in a drug store and bought a bottle of (generic) uncoated Tylenol. Here's what you do: Turn on the iron to high. Use a tweezers (or bodkin if, like me, you can't find your tweezers) and rub the tablet over the iron. The tablet will dissolve and the gunk will bubble up and release from the surface. Then take a damp cloth, wadded up so that you don't burn your fingers, and wipe the surface.

The gunk will wipe off onto the cloth, so make sure it's a rag. Repeat this process until the iron is clean! I probably used about 10 tablets to clean my iron. After about 1/2 the tablet was gone it kind of crumbled.

**After your iron is clean, I recommend using a pressing cloth until you are sure there is no residue being left behind.**

Do take care not to burn your fingers! Good luck!

Snowflake Pillows!

Introducing... Snowflake Pillows--no two are exactly alike!!

These 14" holiday pillows highlight the exquisite details of these gorgeous crocheted doilies in such a festive way! You're really able to enjoy the delicate details of the handiwork. Don't worry--the doilies are securely sewn onto the covers! The covers are even washable!

You can find these beauties at the Bird in Hand Artisan Village and Whirligig Unique Boutiques in Elizabethtown, PA. More will be coming soon!

Custom Orders: These would be so special if they were made with YOUR family's special doilies! You could give them out as gifts to family members this Christmas. There is still time to order! Just send me a message.

New! Fabric Pumpkins!

I've given in to fall! Summer had a last gasp well into September but finally the pool is down and cooler temps will prevail. I even created these fabric pumpkins to brighten your day!

Of course I wouldn't use traditional fall colors... I experimented with a few different textiles and I can't pick a favorite! I started with the off-white-with-black-embroidery which are fabric samples I have had for years. Then I moved onto a few embroidered linens. Then I was drawn to the off-white-with-yellow-flowers which is a vintage Waverly print that I have also had forever. Finally I used my collection of linen-blend floral prints in a rainbow of colors. These are also fabric samples. What's that mean?? It means that each of these pumpkins is ONE-OF-A-KIND!

Once the pumpkins were made I needed to figure out stems. A visit to a local craft thrift store yielded various possibilities--cork, knobs, and wooden spools! AND, even the stuffing is recycled from other projects! Beautiful and easy on the earth!

This batch can be found exclusively at Bird in Hand Artisan Village. Custom orders are always welcome. These would be a great gift to share with family members if you have fabrics/textiles that are sentimental to your family.

Meet the Maker: How Did Naptime Inspirations Start and Where Did the Name Come From?

I started Naptime Inspirations in 2010, unintentionally. At that time 3 of my 4 daughters were in school and I had a little bit of time during the day to dabble in hobbies. I enjoyed making things that I found in online tutorials but I soon realized that I needed an outlet to “unload” all the things I was making. One day the idea came to me—Why not try a craft show?! This is what prompted me to call myself a business and find a name. I rarely have trouble sleeping but one night I awoke in the middle of the night and could not sleep. I got up and brainstormed some names, Googled them, looked them up on Etsy, and finally settled on Naptime Inspirations because most of my sewing took place during Lily’s nap time. (Lily is now in high school!)

This is me at my first creatively lancaster maker’s market. It was a fall show and I remember being so impressed with the quality of vendors represented. I was so happy to be part of this show!

Funny—so many repurposed displays! Stick displays that my dad made for me; clementine boxes decorated with scrapbook paper; lip balm stand made out of a cake stand and a candlestick!

Baby sets were one of my first items. I patterned the bib after a favorite bib I used for lily. I vowed not to use velcro closures because babies pull them off and they stick to other laundry.

These wallets were so popular. They hold so much and they are very durable!

My first show was in a church fellowship hall and I think I paid a $25 vendor fee. I know I made less than $100 but I saw the potential. Over the years I refined my product line and honed in on shows that were more profitable. I especially had success with shows in which the vendors were selected by those producing the show. The vendor fees were higher but they drew more buying customers.

Bibs are still one of my favorite things to make although I’ve changed the design since these. These fabrics all came from fabricworm.com and I love them!

After a few years of some really encouraging shows, in 2019 I had a down year. I couldn’t explain it because in some of those shows the other vendors were very successful. I was becoming discontented with my business identity (or lack thereof) and wanted to make a change. I had some ideas for what I wanted my “look” to be and I was willing to cut out some products in order to streamline. It was at this time that I sought out a mentor from S.C.O.R.E. As we met, Cathy analyzed all aspects of my business and took my goals into mind, and together we came up with steps to take to reach those goals. One of those steps was for me to take a break from doing shows. This was a bold move because that was where I received most of my sales. Despite that, they were not terribly profitable for me. I wanted to focus my energy into online sales, so we came up with strategies to do that.  Perfect timing (!) because in the spring of 2020 the pandemic hit and all shows were cancelled through the holiday season. I felt a relief knowing that I already made the decision not to rely on that stream of revenue. I also had my website up by then and pivoted to taking online orders for face coverings. They turned into my bread and butter product in 2020 and into 2021.

ID wallets and lanyards are popular teacher gifts. I might need to keep making them as long as Lily is in school!

As I analyzed 2022 I learned that my retail partnerships were the most profitable stream for me. I did a few shows in 2022 but they were mostly disappointing for sales. I want to build my online presence so I am investing in some marketing help for that. I’m also experimenting with some new retail partnerships. When I began back in 2010 I never imagined where I would be in 2023! I’ve learned so much yet I still feel like I’m figuring it out each day. I continue to try new things and hope to get more Naptime Inspirations out into the world!

Kids’ library tote bags are super fun to make. I made one for myself and use it often when I need a little tote bag.

Enjoy the pictures of products that *used* to define Naptime Inspirations. They are still really fun to make, but I had to say no to some favorites! The discontinued inventory that I have left is available on my Etsy shop.

Tea wallets! These make such a great gift for tea drinkers to carry their favorite teas with them.

Work in Process

Sometimes I post a Work in Progress, where I pull back to curtain to reveal some projects in various states of completion. In this post I shine the light on the “Process” of creation—in this case, a stylish backpack from a discarded quilt top!

This Work in Progress shows you the Process of a Work! The work itself has been completed. Actually the whole process occurred over 4 days. On Monday I picked up an old quilt top from my local Buy Nothing group. On Tuesday I washed, dried, and ironed it. On Wednesday I cut out the pattern and on Thursday I finished it! I love the look of it--especially how it combines something old (I would say these are 1980s and 90s fabrics) into a modern, highly functional design. As always, it's so much fun to put together the fabric combinations!

The body of this backpack is made from the quilt top and a roll of tan polyester fabric that someone had given me. The contrast bottom is made from an upholstery sample from a furniture store.

This is an example of what I can do for you with your own sentimental textiles! Perhaps you have an old quilt laying around. Or an apron, shirt, embroidered linens, doilies. The possibilities abound! Contact me and we can work together to create something you will love to use that highlights that special textile.

See more backpacks here.

Range Backpack Noodlehead Patterns

Can't Live Without...

I learned about a walking foot years ago and a few years after that I bought myself one! What's a walking foot, you may wonder?? Normally, those "grippy things" under the presser foot (they are called "feed dogs", thank you 7th grade Home Ec!) move the fabric along as you sew. But if your fabric is particularly bulky, sometimes the bottom fabric ends up moving along at a different pace than the top fabric. This means when you get to the end of the seam you're sewing, your two fabrics may not be lined up perfectly. The walking foot works by having it's own set of feed dogs. As your machine needle moves up and down, a lever which clips to the needle bar lets the walking foot's feed dogs move/walk along the fabric, hence the name walking foot. The fabric is therefore evenly fed through your machine. (courtesy of thesewingdirectory.co.uk) Why is this helpful when making wallets? In the second picture you can get an idea of all the layers that need to be sewn through during assembly. In this wallet (not counting interfacing) there are at least 10 layers of fabric! That's ridiculous. It also makes turning these little buggers incredibly challenging at times!

My dad always says that having the right tool for the job makes all the difference in the world! Whether it's construction or sewing (incidentally, he can do both!) he's right!

See more wallets here.

But they're too pretty!

No, they're not! Well, yes, they are pretty, but they are not TOO pretty to use! When I use vintage textiles in my designs, those textiles have already been through an extensive cleaning process. They have been machine washed, soaked overnight, machine washed again, and then either lined dried or machine dried. If they don't hold up to that, I won't use them.

You can read all about my process here.

"The bibs are too pretty to use!" I hear this all the time. I have 4 kids; I know what happens to a bib. Yes, these bibs are special, and I don't intend for Baby to wear them while eating peas and squash. But if your baby is a drooler like some of mine were, you know the struggle to find a suitable bib for a special occasion. Or maybe you have a 6 month or 1 year old photo shoot planned--these bibs would be perfect paired with a simple diaper cover!

How should you care for your special bib? Best Practice: Machine wash cold, line dry. If stains persist, soak in Oxyclean and wash again.

FAQ: What is your favorite project to make?

That's like asking if I have a favorite child! (I do not!)

I really don't have a favorite project. I won't make something if I don't enjoy the process. There are times I try a pattern and if it doesn't spark joy, it doesn't end up in my repertoire!

So here is what I like about each of these products (in no particular order):

Beeswax food wraps: These are simple to make and I'm thrilled with the finished product. No sewing required, though it's quite an operation in my kitchen/dining room and I'm cleaning wax off the floor for days!

Mini Stockings/Stocking Ornaments: I love that I can feature bits of vintage fabrics/textiles in these stockings!

Custom Orders: I really do love working on custom orders! It's a joy to create something new with a customer's cherished keepsakes.

Handmade Bibs: These are just so adorable and baby bibs bring joy both to the person buying them and to the person receiving them.

Wallets: I love this wallet design so much so I'm delighted when someone else loves it too. I especially enjoy choosing the fabric combinations! Many people use this same wallet pattern but my "spin" is to use vintage fabric for a surprising "POP"!

Backpacks: These might look tedious to make but they aren't! I really do enjoy making them. The one in this picture was one of the first ones I made as I was practicing the pattern and it belongs to my daughter, Eden. It's still one of my favorites because of the color and texture of the fabric sample that is featured on the front. She uses it often!

Zipper Pouches: I wish these were more popular with customers because they truly are one of my favorite things to make. They just aren’t a great seller... I love to make them because 1) they are quick and easy! and 2) I love to choose the fabric combinations, especially when I can make a collection, like this feed sack collection.

Thanks for allowing me to share some of my favorites. But I’m curious—what are YOUR favorite Naptime Inspirations products?? Tell me in the comments!

Happy 100th Birthday, Grandma!

Yesterday my Grandma reached the milestone of 100 YEARS OLD! Just as, or perhaps more, impressive than the number of years is the legacy of love and faith to which she contributed. She is a woman of quiet strength, perseverance, and creativity. As a farmer's wife she never shied away from the mess and the work necessary in that role. As a pastor's wife she came alongside my Grandpa in caring for the flock. As a mother she raised 5 children. As a Grandma she delighted in the simple pleasures of board games, watermelon, and evening pretzel snacks. As a Great-Grandma she would light up when I brought any of the kids to visit.

Grandma's hands have touched countless lives. When I would stop by her house, she was always working on something--canning, cooking, quilting, scrapbooking, cleaning, painting, gardening. Every Christmas I would look forward to receiving a gift made by Grandma's hands. A few years ago I took a collection of crocheted doilies and coasters that Grandma had given our family and incorporated them into Christmas stockings that now we cherish every year. They are one of the most most precious parts of our Christmas celebration.

When I reflect with awe on the legacy of Grandma's life I can't help but be inspired to live simply, act creatively, and to love steadfastly as she has done. These days, Grandma's mind is clouded, but that's all the more reason for me to honor her life and legacy. She never was one to "toot her own horn", so I'm happy to do it for her! I love you, Grandma!

I’m happy to make something for YOU using your sentimental textiles!

Meet the Maker: Quirks Edition

Social Media can be so…curated. I fancy myself to be a pretty transparent person so in this edition of Meet the Maker I thought it would be fun to share some of my quirks and/or unpopular opinions. I solicited my family for suggestions. Here they are, in no particular order:

~ “You only eat eggs for breakfast.” I’d edit this to say that I eat an egg almost every day for breakfast. But sometimes I add a bagel. And very occasionally I will eat overnight oats. Recently when traveling I’ve started to make breakfast sandwiches at home and bring them along on my trip so that I can still enjoy my eggs away from home. I’m also cheap, er, thrifty.

~ “You wished we never mowed lawns.” I’d edit this to say that I wish we never chemically treated our lawns and I wish that people who maintain acres of grass would instead use it to grow food or habitat. Dandelions and clover are essential plants in our ecosystem! If you love to eat you also need to love the pollinators! (Steps off soapbox)

~ Here’s a quirk: I have 2 baby teeth. They’re doing just fine, thanks for asking.

~ I’m afraid of automatic car washes. I tried to use one once and it malfunctioned. I tried to back out of it and I heard this BANG that I thought was caused by those spiky things that deflate your tires. It was traumatic and I never went back. I also find that the rain suffices to wash my car.

~ “You don’t like chocolate in your chocolate chip cookies.” That’s kind of true. 2-3 chocolate chips per cookie is plenty.

Embrace your quirks today!

Fun times at the local fair!

The local fair marks the unofficial end of summer around here. Besides the livestock judging and fried Oreos, it's also a place to showcase local handmade goods. In past years I was ambitious and would enter various flowers and herbs from my garden, but lately life has been too busy to gather all of those items. So I just enter a few of the things I made that year. This year I entered a bib that won first place and a backpack that won second place.

Last year the same backpack design won first place, so I'm not too sour about this year's second place finish. The first place winner featured hand embroidery on the front, so I think that nudged it up in the judge's mind. Even better to me than the color of the ribbon is the note left by the judge--"Nice work. Must have been a bugger to do." 😂

Guatemalan Huipil Backpack

Step 1: Travel to Guatemala. Step 2: Visit the market and purchase a well-worn, authentic Guatemalan huipil. Step 3: Create a backpack that incorporates the best parts of that huipil. Step 4: Wear this one-of-a-kind backpack with great joy!

Fold Top Backpack made with a Guatemalan huipil.

This is the first backpack I made with the huipil. It’s a beautiful reminder to Hayley of her time among the Guatemalan people.

In March 2019, Tom and I joined Hayley during her World Race Gap Year for 5 days in Antigua, Guatemala. In addition to seeing the sights around Antigua, we served alongside the students in the villages. We distributed water filters to the families and also built efficient and cleaner burning stoves for their homes. It was a brief, but wonderful opportunity!

When I visited the villages in Guatemala I was mesmerized by watching the women creating these woven works of art, many of which would become everyday work clothes. On a visit to the market I purchased a huipil that, as a garment, had definitely seen better days. But much of the weaving was still of great quality. My only regret is not coming home with more of these treasures! My first order of business was to make a backpack for Hayley using this huipil. Fast forward a few years and there were still pieces of that huipil that needed a new life. This backpack was created using the very last bits of that huipil.

You can find this backpack (and all the others that I have in stock) here on the website.

Noodlehead Patterns

The women in the villages were gracious to demonstrate their amazing backstop weaving skills!

Custom Baby Bibs

Did you know that you can custom design bibs??

If you have a piece of textile from a loved one or just something that especially makes your heart happy, you can incorporate it into a bib design! Wouldn't that make a darling baby photo?!

All Naptime Inspirations' bibs are designed to be machine washed. The fabrics and doilies get machine washed and dried before they go into a new bib. So many people comment that they are "too pretty to wear!" But seriously, it's a bib and it must stand up to whatever baby can throw at it.

30 Days!

It's Bridal Friday!

We're 30 days out from Ellen's (@tagrosh) wedding day! The happy couple picked up their marriage license today. Details are falling into place. Fingers crossed that housing will be secured soon. Lily and I picked up our dresses this week from their alterations. No, I do not do dress alterations!

How do I celebrate 30 days Pre-Wedding Day? By going on vacation! Ha Ha! I intend to totally relax and enjoy myself at the beach next week and when I return I know it will be all hands on deck! And it will be fabulous!

Bridal Shower!

It's Bridal Friday! Last week I was busily preparing for Ellen's (@tagrosh) bridal shower but I promised pictures. Here they are!

Weddings are the perfect occasion to incorporate family memories or traditions. One of the highlights at our brunch shower was the Waffle Bar! The groom's family is famous for their waffle recipe the the kids and dad perfected over the years. It was absolutely delicious! The moms selected photos of the couple as well as childhood favorites and those were incorporated into the decorations.

I was pleasantly surprised by something that wasn't completely planned ahead of time--guests had the opportunity to write down a favorite memory of the bride or groom. Before they opened their gifts I announced that if anyone wanted to share their memory when the couple opened their gift, they could stand up and do so. I was surprised at how many people took advantage of this informal sharing and how special and encouraging it was to hear these memories!

Mom and Dad with the Bride-to-Be

The Happy Couple

Was she pleased? Yes, yes she was!

Happy National Brown Bag Lunch Day!

If you're a "brown bagger" or "lunch boxer", you'll love the Beeswax Food Wraps! They are reusable, last for months (or longer), and when you never want to see them again (though in these beautiful prints how could that ever happen??) they are compostable!

Shop Here

Ideal for:

~ wrapping sandwich

~ covering a bowl or dish (keep the flies off your picnic!)

~ keeping veggies fresh in the fridge

Several sizes are available:

~ 12x12 easily covers 8x8 casserole dish; large cucumber or zucchini

~ 10x10 ideal for whole sandwich, small sub, bagel, red pepper

~ 8x8 perfect for half sandwich; 1/2 of a cut avocado

p.s. Even the cellophane bag is compostable!

Bridal Friday--Crazy Edition!

It's Bridal Friday! This week's edition highlights the Crazy behind the scenes--all in good fun!

Many folks ask me (and Ellen) how the wedding planning is going. The short answer is, it's going well, thank you. The major things are planned and the happy couple will indeed get married, which is ultimately the goal. Beyond that is where it can get a little Crazy (note: Crazy is not Bad!).

So how is the wedding planning going, Crazy Edition? We've reached the Storing-Extra-Silverware-Under-the-Sofa-Stage! The silver lining in that is that we are able to borrow real silverware so that we don't need to use plasticware, which is a value that is important to the bride. It just cracks me up that we've elected to use under-the-sofa storage.

I know you have stories--what are some of the Crazy moments that you now look back on in laughter?

Pillows!

I LOVE to make pillows! I don't post about them often because they are so difficult to photograph! I'm still waiting on final edits, but I finally have photos of all of my pillows.

1. Nostalgic: Highlighting embroidery or vintage linens, these nostalgic designs are so much fun to design! Keep these in mind when you have heirloom textiles of your own that you'd like to incorporate into a design.

Nostalgic

2. Whimsical: I have a "thing" for retro campers and other fun modern fabrics. This set features fabric samples in coordinating colors.

Whimsical

3. Surprising: A thrift-find cotton shower curtain takes a new life in this pair of pillows!

Surprising

All of my pillow covers are made with invisible zippers, so they are removable for cleaning or changing out seasonally.

What's your preference? Nostalgic, Whimsical, or Surprising?

Essential Tools #2: Clips!

I don't know what these are technically called, but boy are they handy! They also fall into the category of "I didn't know I needed them until I had them."

When what you're sewing is too thick for pins, use clips! I use them often in bag-making because of the heavy fabrics and multiple layers. In this picture I'm sewing the zipper ends onto the zippers. What's a zipper end?? See the finished product below. You can make a pouch with the zipper ending in the side seams, but zipper ends give a more finished and structured look. And they are not difficult to make. Often it's the little touches that make handmade special.