Handmade Fiber Arts on Etsy, Mine..... and Others!

This page will give you brief descriptions of the many forms of Fiber Art, plus it will showcase the works of many of the creative and talented fiber artists you will find on Etsy whose work I greatly admire.

The items you will find featured here are all handmade with a great deal of care and much love, as most of us began by making these things for our own children, family and friends long before we began sharing them online for sale.

Opening Day, March 3, 2008

I began my online selling journey six years ago when a friend told me about Etsy. Prior to that time, I had spent 30+ years creating my crafts for the delight of my own children, for gifts for family and friends, and eventually for my grandchildren. Over the years, I had occasionally participated in local craft fairs and displayed my items in consignment shops, selling a few here and there.

Today my main focus for my creations has become my Etsy Shop, Coastal Crochet Crafts. My original Etsy Shop name was Mountainside Crochet, chosen because was living on the side of Stumphouse Mountain in Upstate South Carolina, on the edge of the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains at the time I opened my shop. Recently I moved to the Georgia coastal region, so have renamed my shop to fit my location. :-)

I can knit and sew, but I LOVE Crochet the Best!

My favorite fiber art medium is Crochet. Crochet takes many forms, from delicate doilies to bulky sweaters, from pretty afghans to hats to kitchen and household accessories.

My specialty is creating plush animals and toys with children in mind. I love the smile on a child's face when they see or hold one of my 'cute critters'.

My very first listing in my new Etsy Shop was a Baby Teddy Bear wearing a bib, crocheted using a soft pale green yarn. Over the years I've made a couple dozen of these Baby Teddy Bears for baby gifts for friends and for sale.

Always wanted to create your own crocheted teddy bear? Here's a selection of patterns to choose from.

Baby Earflap Hats!

Linda, a grandma in West Bend, Wisconsin, loves to crochet cute baby hats, especially ones for baby girls with pretty crocheted flowers on them, like this 'oh so pretty Lavender, Pink & Sage earflap hat.

In addition to crocheted baby hats, Linda also loves to sew and her specialty is Barbie Doll Clothes.

Come see all her wonderful creations on Etsy at GrandmaLindasHouse.

by Nora

Crocheted hats can be found in many styles from hats to caps to beanies to cloche to snoods. Nora from North Carolina has a lovely selection in almost every category. Nora has two Etsy Shops; her original one NoraDora has darling doll outfits. Her many hats and other 'pretties' are shown here at noradoramora, which she describes as a continuation from her first Etsy Shop as: noradoramora = mora from noradora . . .

Nora's Snoods are quite special, her own design, and something you won't find just anywhere.

A Fiber Artist in Crochet

HomemadeZen from Baldwinsville, NY is a full time System Engineer, married to a Marine. She creates adorable crocheted animals and cute amigurumi characters from her own original patterns.

HomemadeZen's wonderful work can be found in her Etsy Shop where the patterns for her creations are also for sale.

I love her darling Amigurumi Plush Sheep Family the pattern for which is pictured here.

Pretty bright blanket for baby was created by Audrey of Georgia. She calls it "Colors that Pop" and it certainly does. Bright & beautiful, this baby afghan will become an heirloom treasure.

Come see all of Audrey's adorable afghans and darling baby clothes in her Etsy shop Stitch Rhythm.

The best way to learn to crochet is to begin with a basic How-To book. This will show you the basic stitches, in addition to getting you familiar with the terms used in patterns, such as sc = single crochet.

Linda of Johannesburg, Gauteng, South Africa calls her Etsy Shop mamma4earth. Here you will find the most delightful handknitted treasures and the very creative patterns for many, including a pattern book she's recently published. Linda says of her designs "I love to create designs of animals. I look at their shape, watch their movement and then I can see a pattern of stitches forming before my eyes, its like magic!"

All her handmade items are knitted with the most beautiful pure Merino sheep wool from the Cape in South Africa and they are filled with pure fleece. She says the wool she uses is very precious to her because it has been handspun and hand dyed. It has such a lovely soft texture and the most beautiful hues... ".

An Age-Old Creative Art

This beautiful hand-knitted baby layette by Laraine Rose, a Canadian from Winfield BC, reminds me of the times when grandmas and moms used to knit lovely layettes for the 'expected' new baby. A complete set from dress to hat to booties makes such a wonderfully welcome baby gift.

This pretty layette and many other handmade knit & crocheted baby layettes, children clothes, toys and decorations can be seen in Laraine Rose's Etsy Shop aptly called Laraine Rose Handiworx.

using Knitting Machines!

Welcome to Babbidge Patch ~ Home of Adorable knit hats and Body Décor Designer Scarves ~ Made in Maine!

To me, this is a perfect example of "Creating Art with Fiber."

Cathy, of Falmouth, Maine, does the cutest, most creative designs in knit hats you'll ever see. My favorite are her hats for babies and children. This hat for a gal-in-a-galaxy-far-far-away design is adorable!

Cathy also knits beautiful scarves for every occasion and season. Come see her delightful items here in her Etsy Shop Babbidge Patch

Special Features on this DVD:

*Auto Pause: The video pauses automatically after showing you something new, waits for you to decide when to keep going, or lets you opt to see that last part again.

*Booklet: Seven scarf patterns included inside take-along booklet.

*Website: Free patterns, tips & advice, links to fun stuff, video clips.

"Mona" of Prince Edward Island, Canada!

Mona, from Prince Edward Island, Canada, is a talented seamstress who makes handmade baby items (burp pads, bibs and hand quilted quilts), kitchen linens (placemats, potholders, aprons), and custom orders. Her complete selection can be found in her Etsy Shop she calls Sewing Granny

*One of my favorite examples in her handmade items are her darling Baby Bibs

Handmade by Wilderness Ties

Wilderness Ties creates men's 100% cotton neckties. Each are unique, depending on where they are cut on the fabric. There is a top quality interfacing in each tie to help it maintain its shape and the back of each one is hand stitched to allow for maximum flexibility. You will find a woven tag hand sewn on the back of your tie indicating it is handmade especially for you by Wilderness Ties on Etsy.

Wilderness Ties has been offering her unique handmade ties (such as this Winter Skiing Necktie pictured here) on Etsy since 2007. She creates her unique products in her home in New York State.

by Grandma Linda's House

Does your little girl have a Barbie Doll or two? Do you collect Barbies? Keep Barbie well dressed in a wardrobe that is beautifully handmade with a great deal of love from Grandma Linda's House. A lovely example is this pink ball gown that makes Barbie look like a Princess!

Grandma Linda really is a "Grandma" from West Bend, who learned to sew from her grandmother. As they say... what goes around, comes around. Linda is a perfect example.

Linda loves to work in many areas of fiber arts. In addition to sewing these beautiful Barbie Doll clothes, she crochets and does cross stitch.

Come visit GrandmaLindasHouse for fabulous finds in the field of fiber arts, in addition to her fantastic Barbie Doll creations.

Rompers for Toddler Boys

Sandy of Clemson, SC is a talented seamstress whose creations fit into both the Sewing and the Applique categories of Fiber Arts. Her Etsy Shop Room To Romp has the perfect design for little ones on the move.

Rompers are easy-on, easy-off, roomy through the middle to accommodate bulky diapers and toddler bellies, and have crotch openings for fast and easy diaper changing. Rompers are also versatile for cool or warm weather because they are easy to layer with a shirt, turtleneck, or sweater. Her rompers come in toddler sizes from 18 months to 4T.

Besides being a wonderful item of clothing for toddlers, Sandy creates adorable appliques for her rompers that appeal to little boys. Whatever your toddler's interest, Sandy has the perfect applique.

When learning any new craft, beginner books are usually the best way to master the basics.

by CutePurseNalities

Kathie, a talented Iowa quilter who has made fantastic scenes in quilting for wall hangings, regular size quilts, and quilts for baby cribs, now creates darling quilted purses. Her Etsy Shop displays 'Cute Purses' that definitely have 'personality', thus her shop name "CutePurseNalities".

One of Kathie's latest creations is this adorable Dachshund Dog Purse.

Come see all her Terrific creations at CutePurseNalities.

by chimeracustomquilts

This handmade quilt in shades of blue is a fantastic example of the lovely quilts created by Kari of Amesbury, MA who says she

"..pieces her quilts by machine, but all the finish work is done by hand."

Kari loves sharing her passion for quilts and the tradition of quilting with others.

For bed quilts, baby crib quilts, stunning quilted wall hangings, quilts for your table, and even tiny quilts for your dolls and stuffed animals, you'll find it all in Kari's Etsy Shop she calls Chimera Custom Quiltsl.

EMBROIDERY: Embroidery is the art or handicraft of decorating fabric or other materials with needle and thread or yarn. Embroidery may also incorporate other materials such as metal strips, pearls, beads, quills, and sequins.

PLASTIC CANVAS: Plastic canvas is a craft material of lightweight plastic with regularly spaced holes in imitation of embroidery canvas. It is also commonly known as vinyl weave. Plastic canvas is typically used as a foundation for needlepoint or other canvas work embroidery, usually in acrylic or wool knitting yarn. Due to its rigidity, it is useful for creating 3-dimensional objects such as tissue box covers, small jewelry boxes, handbags, and other decorative objects.

CROSS STITCH: Cross-stitch is a popular form of counted-thread embroidery in which X-shaped stitches are used to form a picture. Cross-stitch is usually executed on easily countable evenweave fabric. The stitcher counts the threads in each direction so that the stitches are of uniform size and appearance. This form of cross-stitch is also called counted cross-stitch in order to distinguish it from other forms of cross-stitch.

CREWEL EMBROIDERY: Crewel Embroidery, or Crewelwork, is a decorative form of surface embroidery using wool and a variety of different embroidery stitches to follow a design outline applied to the fabric. The technique is at least a thousand years old. It was used in the Bayeux Tapestry, in Jacobean embroidery and in the Quaker tapestry.

APPLIQUE: in the context of sewing, applique refers to a needlework technique in which pieces of fabric, embroidery, or other materials are sewn onto another piece of fabric to create designs, patterns or pictures.[1] It is particularly suitable for work which is to be seen from a distance, such as in banner-making.

These are terrific resources on virtually all forms of needlework, from crochet to macrame.

My Newest Craft Line

To find a bit of variety in my crafting endeavors, I recently began creating items using plastic canvas and yarn. It's also a good way for a 'yarn' crafter to use up small 'bits' of leftover yarn, as most plastic canvas creations do not take very much yarn.

This Bugs Bunny design on a tissue box cover is a fun, delightful décor for a child's room. It's one of my latest designs done in Needlework on plastic canvas.

I've included a bunny design coaster to coordinate with the tissue box cover for that night-time 'drink of water'. :)

Patterns and Such is an Etsy Shop run by Anne from London, Ontario, Canada.

She has patterns galore for that creative crafter in plastic canvas, knitting, crochet, and sewing. She also carries craft supplies - that explains the "such" in her name! Come browse through her shop.... she may have just what you need to make your own crafty delight.

Pretty Plastic Canvas Creations

Gail, a fiber arts crafter in Texas, loves to create in plastic canvas. She has many attractive, decorative and useful items for your home, ranging from heart magnets to placemats to coasters to things between, like her butterflies magnets. Some items are made to match others.

My favorite of Gail's creations is her Tic-Tac-Toe Games for kids. Gail creates these games in many styles, as seen in this pictured Ladybug and Blooms Tic-Tac-Toe game. What fun! :-)

Gail also has some really colorful Crayon Holders, Coaster Sets, Refrigerator Magnets, Tissue Box Covers, and now plastic canvas jewelry, plus Barbie Doll furniture. You can check out all her clever creations right here: GailsCrafts

Unique Machine Embroidery

Chris is a creative needlework artist from Massechusets, who loves creating designs in machine embroidery. She has many designs to choose from. One of my favorite examples is her selection of 'Wipe My Paws' towels which are available in a large variety of dog breed designs.

Come see all Chris' designs here in her shop called cdosehn (Chris's Craft Shop)

Cherry Stitch is a graphic designer with years of experience. Ever since she was a kid, she's been passionate about drawing. All of her designs are original and created with her own style. She features them on Etsy in her shop she calls "Cherry Stitch Designs".

She has hundreds of designs to choose from. I love this 'Girly Owl' applique!

Here's a crocheted plush Penguin...

Plush Penguin in crochet is a fun, squeezably soft and cuddly plush animal in a cuddly roly-poly Amigurumi style in Lavender. Also found in many other colors, including traditional Tuxdeo, in this shop. :)

Oh... by the way, I'm Coastal Crochet Crafts, Wednesday-Elf's 'alter ego' when she's wearing her Etsy hat. :-)

The items featured on this page are available now in our shops on Etsy. All of us who create in the field of fiber arts, and believe in the quality and craftsmanship of handmade creations, hope you have enjoyed this mini-tour of our shops.