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!

Bright and bold: new fall fabrics

If you've been to the Pike Place Market booth in the last two or three weeks, you may well have heard me say that I'd be updating the Fabric Choices page of the website in "the next few days"... which it turns out is a somewhat flexible measure of time. However, I'm happy to announce that task has now been completed!

I came back from the fall fabric shopping trip with what I humbly consider one of my best selections yet. Some of these fabrics are so drool-inducing I decided to put them into the production process right away - which means they are currently with my lovely assistant who cuts out all the fabric. So they won't ever make it to the website (sorry, non-Seattleites). These bags will be appearing in my booth in late October and November, just in time for the start of your holiday shopping.

But fear not if you dwell too far away to reach the Market, the remaining selection is equally eye-catching. I know a lot of us need a bit of a lift after this challenging year, and many of the new fabrics will bring a bright and breezy boost to your outfits in these darker fall and winter months.

For classic tastes there is a gorgeous houndstooth knit fabric in muted blue and black, and I've included several options for those who prefer a subtler look. I predict many of you will fall head over heels with the Li'l Cherries pattern in particular.

And look out for the return of an old favorite. Close observers of Red Delicious will recall the big black circles on a crisp white background. This fabric, now rare as hen's teeth, was the definite score of my shopping trip and I snapped up just a few yards more. Get it now before it's gone - three years ago it sold like hot cakes! It looks amazing on the Medium and Large Messengers and is the perfect accompaniment to the Little Black Dress on the Chopstick bag.

Bags for bridesmaids

Many of my bags are given as gifts, particularly the Chopstick bag - a unique and striking design that can be used by any woman, with its versatility for daytime or evening use.

Every so often a bride and groom choose to give Red Delicious bags as bridesmaids' gifts, and that was exactly a recent custom order project I was delighted to receive.

The couple, from Colorado, were marrying in an art gallery and so were keen to give unique, handmade gifts which were fitting for the venue and the sophistication of their wedding. I was asked to design four mixed and matched chopstick bags within the color scheme of black, white and yellow.

I sourced a selection of fabrics, presented my suggestions to the bride and groom, and with just a couple of minor tweaks we agreed on the designs for the four bags. Each one is slightly different, but with some crossover of fabrics so that they beautifully co-ordinate as a collection. The result was quite stunning, as you can see.

If you have a wedding coming up and would like to talk to me about your bridesmaids gifts, send an email to info@reddeliciousseattle.com.