Some Recent Creations

One of my favorite things to create is usable art. I want something to be both usable and beautiful. Guitar straps are a great way for me get out some of the art I have in my head while still producing something that is practical for a musician. It gives me great pleasure to use fabric and my sewing machine to create unique items that express a little piece of my soul. In addition, making a guitar strap for someone can be extra satisfying because I know that the strap is going to someone who is creating more art through their music. Here are a few of my recent handmade guitar straps, all 4 of them unique and practical. Click here to see the full description of these straps on my website.


"Sleepless Full Moon" one of 3

"Sleepless Full Moon" one of 3

"Sleepless Full Moon" one of 3

"Heart Hardened"

Indie Banditas!!

Thanks for another great show, Bainbridge Island. I had such a good time getting know the locals and helping everyone find the perfect gifts for their loved ones. See you again in February for the next Indie Banditats Bazaar!

Indie Banditas Bazaar November 27th and 28th

Come see island provisions and many other local vendors in person on November 27th and 28th! Visit the Indie Banditas Bazaar located at 9125 Sportsman Club Rd on Bainbridge Island, Washington.

Bainbridge Island Wine Festival

Hello all. This has been a very busy summer for yours truly. I have been spending most of my time trying to get an organic farm started and that has not left much time for sewing. I did however spend many hours next to my sewing machine last week trying to prepare for a Wine Festival that took place yesterday in Bainbridge Island, Washington. The show was a success and I loved talking with local artists and community members. My favorite part about shows like these is that I get to meet the people who purchase my goods face to face. These days, most of my sales are through that wonderful little handmade website, Etsy. While I am extremely grateful to Etsy and consider it the next best thing to a fair, the market or a festival it's a whole different ball game when I get to meet customers face to face. Some very sweet people came by and bought gifts for loved ones, many people came by and talked about their own sewing adventures, I even met one person who went to camp as a youngster on the little island I now live on, small world! My favorite times during fairs are when people stop by to talk about guitar straps and music. There is a wide diversity of folks who are interested in the guitar straps; kids buying for parents, parents buying for kids, novices buying their first straps, professionals looking for the perfect strap for their collection of guitars, and all of them musicians or connected in some way to the eccentric musician in all of us. I love hearing about their music and why they are pursuing song writing and other avenues of music. It makes me feel really special to know that my guitar straps will accompany them on their journey. I also had some great conversations about the hand-spun yarn I am starting to make (look for it soon on Etsy). So, thanks to all who stopped by and chatted yesterday as well those who made some purchases. I had a lot of fun and enjoyed to getting to know everyone. I'll be back for the Indie Banditas event in November. Oh and by the way, if you would like to learn about the farm I am trying to get going, please check out its blog: tubbergren.blogspot.com, thanks!

Custom Goodness

Here are a few pictures of a guitar strap I recently made for my contractor. He commissioned it as a gift for a friend and picked out the colors and theme and I ran with it. I love layering fabric to make a unique design. I often don't know exactly where a project will go, only the general idea of it before I get started. As I design and sew and sew and design and layer more and more colors and fabric, it reveals itself to me.

Bags and Satchels, a Labor of Love

When I first embarked on this Island Provisions road, I envisioned myself making unique bags of all shapes and sizes effortlessly every single day. This would have been true if I was comfortable turing out bags of less than superior quality, however, my standards have exceeded the number of hours in the day. Bags, satchels and nap sacks are a lot more challenging than I had originally thought. A high quality bag means lots of hours of labor and the potential for lots of stress. Don't get me wrong, I love the end product, especially when the satchel is a totally unique item, but when all is said and done, I may have spent more than 10 hours of labor on just one bag. Still, I feel that bags give me the opportunity to really show my skills as seamstress and each bag helps me improve those skills. This, as well as the knowledge that I just made something totally unique, is what makes this labor of love worth it.

These are some recent bags that I have made (remember to click on the photo for the entire image). I often make bags out of used materials that I find at thrift stores; old shirts, pants, sheets, etc. I have heard this process of reusing something old and making it new again referred to as "upcycled" or "reclaimed", I like the term "salvaged" because there is a romantic quality to it. These bags however, are all made of new hemp and organic cotton fabrics. These fabrics are of the highest quality and come from responsible, fair trade, organic, local, domestic and/or sustainable sources. If you have questions about the specifics of any particular bag or fabric please send me an email at islandprovisions@gmail.com or check out the bag's full description on my etsy page (islandprovisions1.etsy.com). Enjoy!

IP Goodness Out on the Town

Last night a couple of my friends and I played music at a local coffee shop. Kellie can be seen wearing the dress I finished yesterday and Alex, her partner, is sporting a matching guitar strap (click on the photo for the entire image). The dress and guitar strap is made from an old sheet I found at a thrift store. Using salvaged materials is one of my favorite sources for fabric. Plus, both the guitar strap and the dress are vegan!

Great musicians, great style!

Custom Goodness

Being a seamstress is pretty fun stuff....I get to be creative and skillful all at the same time. I will admit however, that the daily grind can get a little monotonous. When I start to feel like I'll go crazy if I sew another wallet I try and take the time to do something custom. I have several friends and customers that are waiting for custom goodness. Take my friend Theresa who is waiting for some summer garments. She is a massage therapist and we trade sewn goodness for healing massages. My friend Laurel is waiting for a few belts for her son, Wes, and a scarf made form my own hand-spun yarn. Then there's my contractor who recently built us a deck, I'll be making him a guitar strap this weekend. I've made guitar straps, wallets, bags, and belts for both friends and strangers. For my daughter I make all sorts of skirts and costumes (a bald eagle, a bat, a monkey, captain hook, and fairy wings).

Every custom order is a mixture of pleasure and pain; pain because these projects are usually more stressful and time consuming (It has to be perfect!), and pleasurable because these projects are always unique, challenging and so rewarding for my skill level. Every time I make a custom order I learn something new about what I can accomplish and that is definitely a good feeling.

Today I am finishing a custom dress that I am making for my friend, Kellie. This is by far my most favorite custom order for two reasons; first, I've never made a dress like this before and this gives me an opportunity to learn how to do it. Secondly, Kellie is such a beautiful and special friend, I can't wait to see her in something I made with her in mind. The material came from an old sheet I found at a thrift store, which makes it extra unique and special. The dress is full of victorian style pleating and a very cool corset cinch back. I had enough material left over to make a matching guitar strap for her partner, Alex.

Go to Etsy.com to see it all...

This is just a small portion of the work Hillary does. Please visit our store at http://islandprovisions1.etsy.com. All items are handmade, most are vegan and all are designed with style and utility in mind. The guitar straps are quite a hit. Feel good about your purchase and check out http://islandprovisions1.etsy.com. Brian (the other Island Provisions employee)

A sample of Hillary's work...

is⋅land - pro⋅vi⋅sions: -noun:
1. A place to find handmade, simple, sturdy, practical and unique guitar straps, wallets, bags, belts, and other goodness. 2. A place that makes things to hold your stuff. 3. A place that strives as much as possible to incorporate materials that are locally purchased, used, organic, and vegan. 4. A place that donates 5% of sales to Glen Helen Outdoor Education Center in Yellow Springs, Ohio

If you would like to know more about how we roll here at Island Provisions, or to find out more information about Glen Helen Outdoor Education center, please check out our profile page on etsy.com

The link to our store on Etsy is islandprovisions1.etsy.com

Island Provisions Blog is born!!