Happy Thanksgiving Half-Off Sale

This weekend only - the Happy Thanksgiving Half-Off Sale. Buy two bags and get one for half price. Orders must be placed by midnight on Sunday.

Mention this offer at Pike Place Market on Saturday and Sunday and I'll honor it there too!

See www.reddeliciousbags.com for the details.

Wishing for elves

It's the time of year when I would love to have a cheery workroom filled with elves busily cutting and sewing bags and accessories. Production is at full tilt as people start shopping for holiday gifts, and the reality is that the only elf is yours truly!

The rules of Pike Place Market, and many other art shows, are that I have to be the 'primary producer', which means my hands are the ones making everything in my booth. I'm allowed one production assistant, and mine is the lovely Ms. J. who cuts out all the pattern pieces of the bags and accessories with deftness and precision.

Two holiday shows have already been and gone, and with just one more in the calendar my main focus is on the Pike Place Market booth and online orders. If you are thinking of buying a gift at www.reddeliciousbags.com I'd recommend placing the order sooner rather than later - I want to guarantee pre-Christmas delivery if at all possible.

Seattle-area people should check the website News page for the week's attendance schedule. Just bear in mind that space is sometimes tight, so I may be in a different spot in the Market than usual or not even get in at all. You can always check on the day by calling me on 206 441 2373.

I know many people are trying to shop within tight budgets this year, and I hope that you choose to do so with small businesses and local producers like me. It's a win-win situation - you support hard-pressed businesses and artists and your gift recipients get unique and wonderful things.

Holiday show schedule

People have been shopping for the holidays since June, at least.... oh to be so prepared! But the season when most of us prepare to stuff stockings is looming fast and once again I will be doing some holiday shows to help you find those perfect gifts.

The big show, and highlight of the season for lovers of art and fine crafts, is the Best of the Northwest fall show. Once again this three-day show will be at the Seattle Center Exhibition Hall (November 13-15), and includes a fundraising soiree for Children's Hospital, when you can enjoy wine and hors d'oeuvres as you explore the booths.

My other two shows are smaller, but offer no less quality in terms of art and experience. In my own neighborhood I'll be at the Queen Anne Artists Trunk Show on November 21, then I'll be heading over to Mount Baker on December 5 for the arts and crafts show which is part of the annual homes tour.

I'll also be setting up shop at Pike Place Market throughout the holiday shopping season. For details of Market days and the holiday shows see the News page on the Red Delicious website.

And I have a number of free admit two passes to the Best of the Northwest (saving you $14 to add to your holiday shopping fund!). The first eight people to contact me get a pass: info@reddeliciousseattle.com.

New on Etsy - clutch wallets

With a pocket for cash and check books, plus two slots for cards, the clutch wallet is a stylish way to organize your money.

I've put a selection of black and brown clutch wallets on Etsy today in popular current fabrics, including bright multi-colored spots, blue spots on brown and neutral damask pattern. There's also this wallet with the very popular and classic black and white toile pattern. And of course they all have fun linings, bright and happy polka dots.

At just $7.75 each, these wallets make a great stocking stuffer gift for the holidays. There's only one of each available so snap them up quickly!

Go to www.reddeliciousbags.etsy.com.

Blast from the past: knitting bag

Of all the different styles of bag I've made in the last {cough} seven years, the Knitting Bag seems to stick in people's memories the most. Which is how I came to make this one recently.

The K-bag, as it's fondly known here at RD HQ, was a staple of the collection for a couple of years. I designed it specifically for, you know, knitting stuff. So it's long and wide enough to accommodate a work in progress, has lots of different pockets for yarn, notions, and such, and then there's the facet that makes it uniquely a Red Delicious bag: bamboo knitting needles for handles.

A friend of a friend remembered the K-bag from way back when at Redmond Saturday Market. And she thought it would be the perfect gift for her mother-in-law to be. She asked if I could do one and I, always up for something interesting, accepted the commission and dug out my old pattern pieces.

My client picket out her own fabric, and did a quite fabulous job of finding a classic pairing of blue and brown. I raided my memory banks (I haven't made one of these in at least 18 months) and turned out what I think is a beautiful example of the K-bag. Word is that both the client and her MIL loved the result too.

Which all got me thinking... should I revive this style? If you are a knitter, or crafter, who wants a stylish way to carry her kit around, would you want a bag like this?

Large messenger

My super-stylish friend Kristeena, talented Pike Place Market silversmith (one half of the Sabando Design team) and Red Delicious devotee, recently treated herself to this Large Messenger in brown with a green flower pattern in super-soft corduroy. I love how she pairs it with her yummy red coat and brown cap.

Sew it yourself: patterns

Making bags is fun, particularly when you know exactly how to do it and the end result is a completely adorable purse.

So the crafty and sewers among you should love the first of my new suite of sewing patterns, the Sweetheart Handbag.

I've rolled more than seven years of experience designing and making bags, not to mention a former career as writer and editor, into creating a pattern that is completely straightforward and easy to follow. And the end result is a gorgeous Red Delicious style handbag which is perfect for daytime or evening.

The bonus for beginning sewers is that I've also included How-To Tips alerts: when you see this symbol in the pattern you can go to my website's Patterns page and find links to detailed instructions on bag making techniques, such as putting in magnetic snaps.

Coming soon will be the Cash and Carry pattern, a collection of accessories carrying your money and cards in style.

The Sweetheart Handbag pattern is $9.95 and can be purchased on the Red Delicious website or through my Etsy store.

Happy sewing!