The Widow's House

For the Melancholy and Mourning

[widowshouse]

Today's Project ~

A slightly gothic yet whimsical collar for those of us who still yearn for the dark cabaret/victorian gothic aesthetics of the early 2000s. And I will admit that I was listening to one of my old baby bat playlists from when I was a teenager while making this and yes that playlist influenced the making of this collar.

I'll be listing it in the next few days once I can take better pictures in better lighting.

[widowshouse]

Garden Cobweb Book Pouch

You need something to carry around to protect your smaller tablet or current read this summer? Perfect size for a paperback book, e-reader, tablet, sketchbook, or notebook.

Has a subtle cobweb quilting detail.

Made of 80s cotton fabric, black cotton lining fabric, dead-stock trim and black satin ribbon.

Available Now on Etsy

[widowshouse]

Patchwork Halloween Book Pouch

Summerween is here and the beginnings of pumpkin spice are slowly filling the air. So I gathered some scrap fabric and poured my autumnal enthusiasm into another book pouch. Its chaotic but if you're like me thats a selling point.

Perfect size for a paperback book, e-reader, tablet, sketchbook, notebook or really anything you can fit in it.

Made of various Halloween themed scrap fabric (mostly cotton), black white stripe jersey lining and orange satin ribbon. Has a felt inner core for added cushion.

Available Now on Etsy

[widowshouse]

Misselthwaite Jabot

The idea for this jabot is very loosely based on The Secret Garden. Perfect for any outfit for a summer stroll in your favorite secret garden.

Made from vintage printed cotton fabric, linen cotton backing fabric, vintage black pique trim, black plastic heart button.

Available Now on Etsy

[widowshouse]

Shallow Grave Tote Bag

An OOAK tote bag for everyday errands and to make a statement with.

Made of vintage cotton fabric scrap fabric layered and pieced together on to a felt base (a mix of dead-stock, vintage and a few antique pieces of various cotton and poly cotton scraps used), pattern cotton lining.

Available Now on Etsy

[widowshouse]

Today's WIP~

Yes, I am still amongst the living and still sewing. I just haven't had the energy to document any of it. oops. Seen here is a dickie that I'm currently working on, besides the front pin-tucks being a slight bit wonky I'm actually liking how its turning out.

I have also been haphazardly listing things on the shop for sale and forgetting to post about it on any of my socials...again oops. I dunno man the world we live in has just really drained me of my whimsy and the energy to post online right now so I haven't been.

All the shop stuff found ----> HERE

[widowshouse]

Just a small announcement, but I am running a 25% off sale on everything currently listed on the Etsy until June 14th. I don't have sales often, so go snag something at a discounted price while you can.

Also behold! I made more book pouches! I don't know when I'm listing them...probably after the 14th.

[widowshouse]

Midnight Garden Book Pouch

You need something to carry around to protect your tablet or current read this summer? Look no further than this totally original OOAK pouch. Perfect size for a large book, e-reader, tablet, sketchbook or really anything you can fit in it tbh.

Made of linen and cotton fabric scraps patch-worked together, deadstock jersey lining fabric, deadstock trim and salvaged lace appliques.

Available Now {SOLD}

Shop Links - Etsy & Kofi

[widowshouse]

Laura's Garden Book Pouch

Introducing a new item to the shop, top loading pouches to carry your current book, sketchbook, tablet, e-reader or really anything if it can fit tbh. Lightly padded to prevent too much bulk but enough to protect the item inside.

Made of 80s cotton fabric, deadstock jersey lining fabric, vintage trim and appliques, and satin ribbons.

Available Now on Etsy & Kofi

[widowshouse]

Carmilla Satchel Purse

A smaller bag than I'm used to making, but I had a vision.

Perfect for running errands or date nights, small compact but makes a statement.

Made of burgundy red corduroy, cotton lining fabric, antique lace and trim, jet beads, deadstock ribbon, salvaged metal finding, plastic button

Available Now on Etsy & Kofi

[widowshouse]

Important Shop Announcement!!!

This is a heads up to all of my followers and anyone interested in purchasing from my shop.

I will be moving away from shopify and have decided to temporarily move to ko-fi for the time being. Why? Well shopify has decided that I need help selling my creation by using AI. And to make it worse I can't easily turn off or opt out of this AI assistance. I noticed this intrusion on Friday was immediately repulsed.

This move has already started, I set up TheWidowsHouse Ko-fi Page over the weekend and set up a shop over there. I will be probably shut the shopify page down the beginning of June. I have a long road of updating links and shifting traffic away from the shopify page but I think its worth it to keep AI away from me and my business as much as I conceivably can.

All my current listings have been shuffled over, and new listing will be coming to the ko-fi page later this week. If you want to still purchase things off the shopify page you're free to do so until the beginning of June.

I will also use ko-fi as a second home for these announcements and shop updates which will be nice for people not keen on using tumblr.

And yes, ko-fi has a tip option, I don't expect anyone to actually use the tip button. I opted for ko-fi because its easy, free and offers a flexibility that I really need right now. My focus will be the shop and communicating with people who like my creations, not tips or donations. I just really want that to be clear.

Anyways...thanks for sticking with me and on to better things (I hope).

New Ko-Fi Link: HERE

[widowshouse]

A cheeky sneak peek at the new patches coming to the shop!

Luddite, a word that sprung from a resistance movement that in many ways mirrors the crisis we are dealing with in the modern day. Typically defined as someone who is reluctant to adopt new technology, or at the more extreme side often confused and intertwined with technophobe.

For those not in the know, the word Luddite has been recently used as a mocking and somewhat derogatory term flung at anyone online who is anti-ai or voices anti-ai sentiments on social media. With some of my fellow netizens in the anti-ai sphere adopting the word slung at us as a badge of honor and even as a rallying cry about the need to actively resist AI and the tech-bros behind it. Because gosh doesn't it sounds kind of familiar...workers fighting for their jobs and dwindling wages in the midst of a massive surge of rich tone deaf business men implementing new technology to make themselves richer as they drive the environment into an early collapse??

I for one think it's very important for anyone in the creative/art community to understand how important unions and organized resistance is in this moment. So, I originally set out to just make myself a patch as a quiet act of resistance, but figured perhaps other people might be interested in one... so I made a few more. I wanted to put them on vintage fabrics but didn't have any that I felt would be durable enough for constant wear so I had to use newer cotton fabrics stuffed away in my stash instead.

So if you want a patch with a conversation starter about the active resistance against AI and why its important to care about the damages that industry is doing, I'll have these patched up probably new week sometime.

TheWidowsHouse Shop Links: Etsy & Kofi

[widowshouse]

My recent projects~

I live, I promise. I'm just big sad and chaotically sewing weird stuff that fills me with some sparkle of whimsical joy to deal with life stuff happening. But in other news... coming to the shop *soonish* is a new satchel bag that I made that was supposed to be just a quick little project turned that into almost a week long project, It's really pretty though. And I am currently working on book/tablet pouches. I've finished one, and working on another. They are 11" X 8.5" so they can fit large books, sketchbooks, smaller tablets and e-readers. I dunno I was having a identity crisis about my shop not making anything people would actually want so I decided to shut that little voice up by making things that people can use rather than just wear. So this next update will be less wearable stuff and more usable stuff. Also I'll be adding a new patch that I'm excited about.

So stay turned I guess.

[widowshouse]

This weeks project~

I decided to fix a collar I made back in 2022. I've had it listed on TWH's et*y since then but was never happy with how it turned out and I don't think anyone else liked it either because it never sold. So I decided to dust it off and give it some TLC. All problems can be solved by an abundance of lace.

The first picture is what it looked like before, the second is the finished result. It has a whimsical grandma goth aesthetic that I really enjoy.

I'll be taking new pictures in the next few days to update the listing photos.

[widowshouse]

This week's current WIP~

It's slow going, but I decided to take the plunge and work on a blouse. I've been promising for a while to start bringing in actual clothing items into the shop and I'm working hard to make good on that promise but as for-mentioned its slow going.

As you can tell the blouse is still very much "in progress" but I'm proud of how it looks despite it being my very first blouse. Also the muttonleg sleeves are testing my patience but they so very worth it in the end.

Not sure when it'll be listed but soonish I guess. If this blouse gets a good response I'll probably make more but for now this blouse will test the waters and see if anyone would actually buy something like this from my shop or if everyone thinks it ugly and I'm wasting my time. But for now I just felt like sharing.

[widowshouse]

Summer Gloom Strawberry Pincushion

A dainty pincushion, perfect for your sewing basket or trinket shelf.

Made with salvaged wool fabric, satin ribbon, and glass beads.

Filled with crushed walnut shells and scrap fabric for sturdiness.

Available Now on Etsy & Kofi

[widowshouse]

Dark Delight Strawberry Pincushion

A small bobble, prefect for your sewing basket or trinket shelf.

Made from scrap corduroy, scrap wool fabric, glass beads, metal loop and scrap yarn.

Filled with crushed walnut shells and scrap fabric for sturdiness.

{{SOLD}}

Shop Links: Etsy & Ko Fi