I love having a sewing machine in my jewelry workspace

I was beginning to wonder what kind of packaging I could use at Mass Craft Market... the thought of scouring the local stationary shops for something both reasonably-priced and pretty was not appealing to me. Then I had an idea! I found some large art paper I had lying around, cut it into rectangles, and sewed them together to make purple shiny jewelry envelopes:


If you have any experience using a sewing machine, this is a straightforward project. Remember to keep the needle down when you're turning those 90-degree corners! I took to sewing a pile of them without trimming the threads, then working through the pile doing the trimming--it felt more efficient that way.


I made three sizes--one for earrings, one for pendants, and one for more elaborate necklaces.


To close them when they have jewelry (and a business card) in them, I'll just fold the tops over and secure with tape or a cute sticker.

I like it when I can put my miscellaneous craft knowledge to good use like this. These bags say much more about me than something from a stationary store would have!

I also sewed silk necklace cords for some pendants I'm working on:

Gearing up for Mass Craft Market

My housemate theyellowhobbit and I are going to be sharing a table at Mass Craft Market next Sunday, June 27. I've been busy at work making new things! Some of them I'm keeping under wraps until the craft fair itself, but here's a preview of the kinds of things I have in the works:

I should have more hammered copper shawl pins, some with bezel-set stones:


And I've figured out a new method of transferring the shape of gears onto copper:


If you're in the Boston area, come check out Mass Craft Market next weekend!