Friday, February 27, 2009

Finished purse!








I finished the purse! Here it is in various stages. I used plastic canvas to give it shape and stability and sewed a strip of the zebra print to the handle. I added purse feet so it would stand nicely and voila - the finished purse. It does have a zippered closure as well as the magnetic flap and the lining has a zippered pocket too. It went together pretty quickly and although I used the BWOF 02-2009 issue as starting point, I did not follow their directions and made additions as I saw fit - like the pocket and the zippers and the feet, and I did not make the straps as long as theirs nor did I make them adjustable. My straps measure about 24 inches, which made for a comfortable hanging height on me. I like the shape, so I may end up making more - it was easier than I thought it would be and it was fun! Next I'm working on a dress from the same BWOF issue. Tomorrow I make a duct tape double in a class. Happy sewing!

Saturday, February 21, 2009

Purse project


SEW I'm starting on a purse to use up some of my stash. I had bought some zebra and giraffe print wool last September thinking I would make purses for my nieces for Christmas and that never happened (shocker I know!) so now that I'm cleaning out my sewing room I am actually using the stuff I'm finding buried under other stuff. Here's a picture so far - I'm using the Feb. 2009 BWOF purse pattern as a starting point, but adding my own ideas as I go.

I used a celery ultrasuede instead of leather and a periwinkle blue silk for the piping. I'm adding a zipper to the top because I always spill the contents of my purse when I slam on my brakes (which hardly ever happens! - but I want to be prepared just in case). I'm lining it with a celery rayon and have added purse feet (I have no idea what they are actually called) but they look like little studs sticking out of the bottom. A girl should always have studs sticking out of her purse don't you think? I am also including a tab with a magnetic closure because most of the time I won't zip it closed but would like stuff to stay in anyway. More pictures to follow!

Monday, February 16, 2009

Cinderella?

The fabric store I work in has mice! They've been there a couple of weeks now and come out every now and then to scare the living beejeezes out of me and then dart back off into the store room. It freaked me out at first, but I'm getting more used to it. I find it kind of funny that a fabric store has mice, the whole Cinderella thing comes to mind - what are they making a dress in the dark abyss of the store room? If so, just where's that damn fairy godmother when you need her?!

Saturday, February 14, 2009

Happy Valentine's Day!

Well, happy Valentine's day one and all! Hope everyone is spending the day with the ones they love. Once again, this has nothing to do with sewing, but it is my blog so I guess anything goes! I spent most of the day in my pj's, which was truly delightful! My 17 year old son left for a weekend trip which has made it pretty quiet and lonely around here, but at least he did give me a hug and kiss and wish me a happy Valentine's day before he left. My darling husband politely suggested it to him though, so I'm feeling the blues as our oldest is quickly nearing the time when he will fly the coop. My mom always said I would never know how painful that is until it happens to me, and she was of course 100% right! I did fix a nice dinner and husband, 1o year old daughter, 9 year old son and I had a quiet candle lit dinner for four. Thought about going down to the dungeon and digging in some more on the sewing room, but energy level is low on this cold, dreary Colorado day. To make matters worse, the USA channel has shown non-stop love movies all day and I got started watching "The Breakup" with Jennifer Aniston and Vince Vaughn. What a waste of 2 hours! The title sums it all up - no happy endings here. Geesh! Couldn't they have at least picked the sappy ones where everyone lives happily ever after? It's Valentine's Day for crying out loud!

Saturday, February 7, 2009

Cleaning out, cutting off and starting on. . .

Cleaning out . . . .

Yep, I told myself I could not start another project until I cleaned out my messy sewing room. The task is overwhelming, so I'm taking baby steps here. Tonight I sorted through a stack of magazines and tore out those articles/projects that I was interested. I've vowed to do this as I read them from now on!


Cutting off . . .

Congrats to my darling daughter who cut off 12 1/2 inches of hair and donated it to Locks of Love! She was so afraid her hair would be too short and boyish, but she had enough to have it lay just below her shoulders! We're so proud and so very thankful we have a healthy child who can do this for someone else.


Starting on . . .
OK, so I put this last because even though I told myself I would not start on another project until my sewing space is organized, I just can't do it. In my hope the that damn groundhog is wrong, I'm starting on a spring linen jacket. I got the pattern from Favorite Things and am using a dusty blue linen with a pale lime print silk lining. It's a simple tailored mandarin jacket, but I did decide to add welt pockets to it. I'm still getting the hang of these, but they turned out ok. (picture to follow soon!)