I smell like a princess.

Happy Mother's Day to all the mom's out there.  I hope today you were given the appreciation you deserve.  I've been showered with love and it's truly been a wonderful day.

The kids let me sleep in until 9 am, and then they gave me presents.  Presents!  I love presents.

One of those gifts was a sampler of Vera Wang's Princess perfumes: original, Night Princess, and Preppy Princess.  Delightful!  I love them all.  Plus the kids scored big because there were TWO gift-with-purchase promos going on.  Buy Vera Wang and get a tote bag, plus spend X amount of dollars on fragrance and get a purse.  Woohoo!

This is huge, and will make an excellent pool bag this summer.

The purse is a beautiful shade of teal blue.  I don't have a blue purse so I was excited to get one, but unfortunately it's too large to be used as an official purse.   However, it's just the right size for a crochet project bag!  See...I've already moved in.

A whole afghan project will fit in this thing!

My son wrote a lovely poem for me and framed it.  Here goes:

Makes good food
Our best mom ever
Told many stories
Hugs and kisses for me
Eight years with you
Roses for you

Awww....

My family also took me out for lunch to a fabulous local mexican place.  I snarfed down my enchilada combo before thinking to take a photo.  Splurged on a delicious mango margarita - very similar to the ones we enjoyed in Cancun a few years ago.

In somewhat disappointing news, one of my most favorite yarns ever is being discontinued.  Caron Spa, a lovely soft bamboo yarn, will soon be no more.  Luckily I found out about this before it becomes really scarce, and I ordered myself 6 sweaters' worth.  Yeah, I may have gone an eensy weensy bit overboard there, but I figure I can always resell what I don't end up using myself.

Joy!

 Later this evening I'm going to start a cardigan project with that light stone colored yarn in the lower left corner.  I want something light that will look good with jeans and t-shirts as well as layered over a sundress.

Next post I'll do a show n tell of the Most Versatile Pattern I've Ever Found.  Stay tuned!

It's a Bird! It's a Plane! It's a retro tablecloth refashioned into purse!

Browsing through Goodwill last week, I found this lovely, lovely 1960's era tablecloth in a golden yellow.

Best $1.69 I've spent in a long time.  It's got a wonderful thick texture to it, and it just begged to be something more than a tablecloth.

So it was up-cycled into a vintage-inspired bag designed by the lovely Long Ladies at Marie-Madeline Studio.  If you're not familiar with their designs, check them out.  They create patterns for wonderful skirts, dresses and accessories, and they use delicious color combinations.  Very inspiring stuff indeed.  This particular bag is called the Laraine.  

I followed the pattern exactly with the exception of one small additional zippered pocket tucked into the back lining.  Without it the band-aids and Tylenol and chapstick roll around everywhere and nobody wants that.  :-)  Oh, and I divided the other pocket panel into 3 pockets, instead of the 2 the pattern called for.  It fit my iPhone and sunglasses better that way.  

Show and tell time.

Roomy interior

3 open pockets on one side; small zipper pocket on the other.

My Mother made one too.  Hers is out of airplane seat fabric she found at an aircraft supply store.
It's practically indestructible. 

It holds an amazing amount of crap, despite it's deceptively small size.

Which reminds me of something...

Is It Spring Yet?

I dunno about your neck of the woods, but around here, Winter never really showed up.

It's like when you have a party and send out invitations and ask everyone to RSVP, but only a third of the guests actually DO respond (which could be another post completely).  It's like we invited Winter to come on over and stay awhile, only Winter didn't RSVP (but that wasn't surprising since 66% of the population thinks RSVP'ing went out of style with corded telephones, apparently), so with no other option we were left to ASSUME Winter would show up as scheduled.

Only she didn't.

And tomorrow's forecast is 70 degrees.  On  March 6th.  In Iowa.

This is Not Normal.  And quite a bit concerning, actually.  Although the weatherman assures me this has happened before (and is, therefore, not a sign of the apocalypse), I remain un-assured, because last time this happened it was the season before the the big drought of the mid-1980's, which was quite a dramatic event of my childhood since I grew up on a farm and rain was Important.

Alas, there isn't much I can do about it, so I'm going to focus on things I can control.  Like fashion.

Since Spring is pretty much here already (at least it will be on March 6th in Iowa) I decided to dig an old pattern out that I've had in the stash for months, but never got around to making.

The Blossom Bag, designed by Amy Butler.  Perfect for spring.

And I got to use one of my new labels on it!   Squeee!

I won't lie.  This was a complex bag.  Not hard to do; just a lot of steps.  The pattern was well thought out, except for the top flap.  The pattern says to make it separately and then sew it on, but I really didn't like that.  It just felt like an afterthought, with extra exposed edges and top stitching that is really tough to get just perfect.  So I modified the assembly instructions a bit and tucked that top flap in between the outside and the inner lining, so there is no visible stitch line at all from the outside.  Much better. :-)  If you've ever made a bag before and had to leave an opening that gets tucked into the bottom of the lining, you know what I'm talking about.  Do it that way instead of as written.

I'm so excited to move in to this new Spring bag!

Edited to add: The Blossom Bag used to be a free download from Amy Butler's website, but it's not there any more.  Maybe it's still available elsewhere; try Google.  Otherwise, the pattern is in her Style Stitches book.

Upgrades

After carrying the super-awesome bermuda bag around for a week, I figured out that not having a shoulder strap makes me positively batty.    Here you go my friends, the 10-minute solution for adding a strap to an already completed bag:

Mitten clips!  Ingenious invention they are. 

One note about mitten clips: make sure they are the newer kind with a layer of squashy rubbery stuff.  This holds them tight to your fabric without damaging it.  Mitten clips used to be two pieces of metal claws with "teeth."  That kind will slip and slide on your bag, and will eventually wear holes in the fabric.

Speaking of Retro Awesomeness...

Hopefully I'm not dating myself too much here, but back when I was a kid every woman had a bag with wooden handles and a cover attached with buttons.  They were all the rage, at least amongst the Church Ladies, which was the extent of my exposure to fashions of the time.  I'm not sure of the exact era.  Late 70's; early '80's.  They were called Bermuda Bags (which I only discovered after scouring eBay for said wooden handles and searching all derivatives of "purse with wood handles/buttons/removable covers").

Look familiar?  I yanked a couple photos of vintage Bermuda bags from eBay to jog your memory:

Remember now?  Ok, so I love the look and the idea of these bags with interchangeable covers, but I don't particularly love the fabrics.  Somebody spent hours and hours creating these back in the day and while I appreciate their effort - it's just not my look.  I wanted to do the same thing, but with a more modern twist.

Here's my version:

The handle is not the traditional wood, but is vintage Lucite (fancy plastic), and the design is really quite clever because the handles lock together at the top closing the whole thing securely.  The handles were an eBay find, and they came with two covers.  I'm sorry to say I threw them away almost immediately so I can't show you.  One was tan with embroidered mushrooms on it (maybe I could have resold that one because it was oh-so-vintage) and the other cover was navy blue with red piping.  Yikes, man. 

Check out the way these handles work!  Somehow two layers of lining are attached to the handles, with buttons on the outside for covers.

I made my cover completely reversible, with no exposed seams.  Let me tell you, it was crazy tricky!   But now that I've done it once and drafted the pattern, I'm sure I can do it again.  This will be the best-dressed handbag west of the Mississippi.  It might also be the only dressed handbag west of the Mississippi, but it takes time to resurrect awesome vintage ideas such as this.  At least that's what I tell myself.  It's better than admitting I'm a dork stuck in a time bubble.

The orange/blue fabric is from a 2009 line by Riley Blake, called Wheels by My Minds Eye.    The floral is intended to look vintage, yet feel modern.  It's is part of the Pretty Bird line designed by Pillow & Maxfield for Michael Miller Fabrics.

Stay tuned, because now I've got all sorts of other ideas for bag covers, including a crocheted and felted one that looks like a giant pink rose.  Betcha can't wait.  :-)

Got Junk?

Oooooooohhhh lookeee lookeee lookeee!

I'm going on short little trip soon, and I needed something to put all my junk in.  Suitcases are so last year. :-)

This is the back with all it's patchworky awesomeness.

I just happened to have this perfect shade of pink in the 'ol yarn stash.  I've never made a doily before, but I just kind of made up this half-moon thing to embelish the bag with.

And I had a 16" piece of blue tulle leftover from my daugther's twirl skirt (did I ever post pics of that?) The tulle looks adorable peeking out from between two seams.

This is the inside.  The handles go all the way around so you could carry some seriously heavy crap in there without fear of ripping seams.  On each side is layered pockets, for a total of four.  Velcro closure across the whole top which folds down flat  if you don't want it sealed.

The best part of this project is I used scraps from my fabric stash.  All I had to buy was $5 worth of extra-stiff interfacing, so this is definately a budget-friendly project.

I can't wait to take this junk bag on it's maiden voyage!  I might make another one to hold "crap" or "stuff!"  This delightful piece of functionality was designed by Jackie Clark. 

In other crafting news..

I have a big basket of joy on my lap!  Dontcha just love the mish-mash of color and how they play together so nicely?  Last night I started working these into a cushion, courtesy of Lucy at Attic24.  The Blooming Flower Cushion is based on an old pattern from the 1940's.  Originally designed as a potholder, Lucy transformed it into a circular pillow.  She did an amazing job, and I am so excited enjoy a flower cushion of my very own in the next week or two.  I only have four rounds of the flower done so far.  So more on that later, ok?

Till then, bask in the color joy with me.

Back in the Saddle Again

I am back from taking some time off and am trying to get back into routine.  Why is it I always feel like I need a vacation after my vacation?

The kids, my niece and I spent 10 wonderful days with my Mother, who has an enormous quilting studio with a Gammill quilting machine and two sewing machines set up.  Boy, did we create.  Lots and lots and lots of stuff. There is too much to describe it all, so I'll just let the pictures speak for themselves.

Love Beads Quilt

from the Modern Quilt Workshop

Ruffled Cardigan

freebie pattern here

Faux Pillowcase Dress

from Small Stash Sewing

Backpack purse made with recycled felt

from The Feisty Stitcher

Ribbon Zipper Pouch

from The Feisty Stitcher

Penelope

(she sits on the shelf in my crafting nook and keeps the inspiration flowing)

McCall's Creature Dolls #M5826

Purses Need Friends Too

Every lovely purse needs an equally attractive wallet, or the whole bit just isn't any fun dontcha think?

This, my friends, is the wallet that caused all the headaches.  This is the wallet that wouldn't fit into the carefully crafted purse, which lead me to abandoning the bag altogether because of it's shortcomings (literally.  Another inch longer and we all would have been happy).

It's awful cute, though.  So I have forgiven it for the agony it caused.

Therefore, I spent another Sunday creating Perfect Purse #2, which lovingly holds the wallet with room to spare for keys, coupons, kid snacks and other necessities of motherhood.  And peace reins again.

Two full-sized pockets, a zipper pouch for coins, six credit card slots and a snap to secure the whole thing.  A magnetic snap is easier to install and therefore tempting to use, but I don't recommend it because of the close proximity to your credit cards.  Put on your Brave Hat, cut the two holes in your project, and install a real snap.

The funky hexagon fabric was a fat quarter I picked up at a quilt show last fall.  I have no idea who the designer is.  The designer of the yellow is also eluding my brain, but I remember it was from a line called "Monaco" on fabric.com.  The hot pink diamond was a scrap gifted to me from my Mom, who, I should mention, taught me almost everything I know about crafting.  (Thanks Mom - you're super!)  I think she said it came from Hancock Fabrics.

Want to make a wallet like this!  It's insanely easy.  Really.  Check out this tutorial.  Note that hers is made with a vinyl cover which really stiffens it up.  I used cotton fabric instead, so I added an extra layer of extra-stiff sew-in interfacing to the final step, right before you turn it all right side out.  It gives the wallet some heft.

Purse-aholics Anonymous

I am embarrassed to admit how many purses and bags I have.  It's ridiculous, really.  On the positive side, most come from thrift stores and garage sales so it's not like I have a fortune wrapped up into these things.  Still, despite the massive collection, The Perfect Purse has eluded me all these years.  You know, the one that's not too big and not too small, with the handle length that hits just so, and with pockets in all the right places? 

"It doesn't exist!" you say!  "It's a myth, like Bigfoot and Loch Ness!" 

Ahhh....but it does exist, my friends. 

The Purse Quest started last year.  In crafting my own purse, there have been lots of trials and many more errors.  Someday I'll take pictures of all the attempts so you can point and laugh, but this time, I think I got a few things right.

I made the smaller one first, thinking it would be perfect.  It was an eensy-weensy bit too small to comfortably fit my wallet into, so I passed it on to my daughter and made the larger version last weekend.  Fabrics used are Michael Miller's Lava Light, Anna Maria Horner's Garden Party, and Melissa Averinos' Sugar Snap (lining).  There are scraps of others that I can't remember. 

Now for the details that make this creation part of the elite Perfect Purse Club:  Zipper pocket inside for the small things, a large magnetic pocket outside for the larger things, zipper closure across the top (dontcha just hate it when you toss your purse onto the car seat next to you and it tips over and everything falls out?  Early lesson learned: always seal the whole thing shut with a zipper.) and - this is the big one - a single, adjustable strap.  Cute strap adjusters are impossible to find in a craft store.  Save yourself the trouble and go to Goodwill.  Hit the belt rack, and buy a few belt buckles.  If you can find the adjustable ones without the middle tong, super!  Otherwise you can remove the tong later with pliers (or your husband can go at it with a metal cutter, like my crazy man did.  It worked though).

My purse was inspired by the Piping & Stripe(ing) bag here.  I liked her use of piping and borrowed that idea, but I made the whole thing smaller, changed the handle placements, used one strap instead of two, made the strap adjustable, added a zipper at top, added an interior pocket, and made the whole base wider by including a graduated gusset that goes around the bottom and halfway up each side.  Oh, and I skipped the chevron stripe bit and used a solid piece of fabric instead.   If you're new to pursemaking, her tutorial is great!