A new bag...

I'm very happy with the way this Traverse Bag turned out. I actually love it... a lot! It was an easy bag to make since the pattern is so well written. Noodlehead and Dog Under My Desk are two of my favorite bag designers and pattern writers for that very reason.

I haven't made a bag like this in a very long time and I admit I was a bit nervous about it. Funny isn't it? You DO lose it if you don't use it!

I didn't have a single problem and although Noodlehead doesn't call for using Soft & Stable, I like my bags with the added structure it provides. This is a great size for a crossbody bag I think, but I think just for fun I'm going to make the smaller size included in the pattern.

This was also the first time I've used a twist-lock closure. It wasn't difficult, but I learned a thing or two I would do different next time. 

This is a UFO started last October (2017) when my friend Pat was visiting. It's also February's project for the AllPeopleQuilt2018 UFO Challenge. (I'm only 4 days late getting it done so I feel good about that.) Anyway, Pat and I spent a day cutting out our bags even though we knew we wouldn't have time to sew them. I actually thought I would get mine done right away after Pat left, but here we are in the beginning of March.  I truly do enjoy crossing those UFOs off the list! :)

Take care,

Started 2018 with UFO projects: 23
New YTD: 5
Gave away YTD:0
Trashed/dismantled YTD:
Sold unfinished UFOs YTD:0
Finished YTD: -5
So far 2018: 23

Happy New Year 2017!

Happy New Year everyone! I love the beginning of a new year... it's a beautifully pristine blank slate!

I'm starting off this year with a little destash of a couple of my UFO projects. I'm going to offer them here, at a discounted price, just in case someone would like them and if there are no takers, I'll put them in my etsy shop.

A couple of years ago, I was interested in knitting and felting bags. Lots of them were being done, but they were all so small. I wanted to do tote size or larger so I started experimenting and knitting huge - I mean really huge - bags so I could felt them. Felting created a very thick and very soft "fabric". I did several in various colors and sizes and it was a fun process. I always planned to finish them and use them, but as is so often the case with me, they were set aside. Now I found I've lost interest. The handles are included with the bags, but they are not attached. None of them are lined.

This first bag is the largest:

14" Wide
16" High (with cuff rolled down)
21" High (with cuff left up)
6 1/2" Deep
Handle 33 1/2" end to end

$36.00 includes shipping via USPS flat rate medium box

This second bag is:

14" Wide
15 1/2" High (with cuff rolled down)
19" High (with cuff left up)
3 1/2" Deep
Handle 30" end to end

$30.00 includes shipping via USPS flat rate medium box

Take care,

I'm starting 2017 with UFO projects: 32
I have found (buried in my sewing room and elsewhere in the house) YTD:0
I have started YTD:0
I have given away UFO projects YTD:0
I have thrown out or otherwise dismantled YTD:0
I have sold unfinished UFO projects YTD:0
I have finished YTD:0
Projects remaining YTD: 32

My Maker's Tote is done!

My friend Pat was here recently visiting from Boston, and during her visit we started our Maker's Tote bags (pattern by Noodlehead) but didn't get them completed. We had only the binding and handles remaining when she left to go home. We were planning on completing them at the same time from our respective locations, but her schedule is far too hectic and she encouraged me to go ahead and get mine done.

Take care,

Time flies!!

I'm always a little surprised and shocked at how quickly time passes these days. And, for the life of me, I cannot remember what I did yesterday! :) I'm not quite that bad, but almost. Ask me what inconsequential thing I was doing four or five years ago and I might remember, but not yesterday. As my friend Pat says, "retirement is supposed to be the golden years, but it's really the rusty years".

I didn't work at all on UFOs/WIPs last month. I did work on my Lucy Boston blocks, but only to sew a couple of them together. Pat came out from Boston and was here for three weeks so we started a new bag together. This is the first bag I've made since January and it was surprising to me just how many little tips/tricks that I've forgotten in that short time.

When Pat left to go back home, we were just at the point of sewing the binding on so I went ahead yesterday and got it sewn. Now I only have the hand stitching and handles left to do. It's the Maker's Tote (the large size) by Noodlehead. Nice and roomy for all the good stuff I'm going to carry in it.

Pat and I spent her three weeks sewing on our bags, visiting Quilt Emporium, Superbuzzy (twice), going out to lunch, having our makeup done at Bare Minerals, and meeting up with our friend, Johanne, in Palm Springs for Quilt Fest. I enjoyed every minute of it!

Take care,

It's a SALE!

I'm in the mood for a sale and I hope you are too!  Especially since the holidays are coming up...

I've added lots of new items to the shop and will continue to do so during the next month. I've got a whole stack of things you haven't seen in the shop previously, plus I'm adding lots of fabrics too!

If you see something you want, make sure you use the coupon code Holidays2015 and a 20% discount will be applied to your purchase(s). The coupon expires 12/31/15.

Hope you have fun!!

Take care,

Bags and socks... that's my life!

I've been making lots of bags this last year and knitting socks, but I have done practically nothing that I could call quilting. Except purchasing quilt fabric, of course! I have one more commitment in each of these categories and then I am free to do a little quilting. Don't get me wrong - I enjoy making bags and knitting socks and when someone wants to buy them, well that's the icing on the cake. But, I do have a couple (more than that really) quilts that are close to being finished and it would be wonderful to call them done! :)

This is the latest Caravan tote I made. Again, it was fabrics supplied by my "customer/friend" from which I was able to choose. I love doing it that way since then she gets something she knows she'll like and I still get to feel creative.

The Caravan tote is a wonderful pattern. It's the perfect size with lots of pockets and it looks so sophisticated. The only modifications I make are to use Soft & Stable and to make a recessed zipper.

And, these are the latest socks I knit. I've been using the Tesserae pattern over and over because I love it, it fits really well, and it's so easy I don't have to think about it while knitting. As long as it fits the foot it's made for, I'm happy. I used BMFA Socks That Rock Lightweight in the Sassafrass colorway. And... they're for me! :)

On a different note, we have been having the exterior of our house painted and they will be finishing up today. Our painters have done a great job as it looks wonderful! Just in time for the El Nino rains. We also had our gutters cleaned and our drains cleared so we're pretty much ready.

Today I changed to flannel sheets on the bed so it's actually starting to feel like fall. We're still having warm days, but the nights are a lot cooler. Yea!!

Happy weekend!

Take care,

Another little bag to show you. I'll bet you're not surprised!

This little bag is so cute when made up. It's got 5 pockets if you can believe it. Great for carrying just the necessities when out for a walk or running errands. It's for a friend, of course.

It's the BB Traveler Bag by Brookshier Design Studio. The only modification I made was to add a magnetic snap, which is a necessity!! It's made with scraps I had left over from a Sew Together Bag I previously made. Scraps are perfect for this little bag.

I'm a little embarrassed to post this photo, but the bag is so cute I just had to do it! I don't seem to be improving my skills with my camera phone. :)

Take care,

This is a good looking bag...

This is the latest Caravan Tote I've made and to tell you the truth, it's my favorite! It's for a friend and although she gave me a big bin of wonderful texty fabrics, I didn't use many of them. I tried and tried, but the combinations just didn't click for me. Until I turned to my own stash and tried these fabrics together. Then, I had a wow moment! :)

I'm hoping my friend loves it as much as I do! I'm seriously considering selling the Caravan Tote I made for myself (since it hasn't been used yet) and making one just like this!!

Take care,

Another bag finish...

I love how good this bag looks. I used a sophisticated neutral for once and with the great hardware, it really looks very good. It's the Shelby Satchel by Sassafras Lane. I finished it a while ago but forgot about posting it until my friend Pat reminded me about it.

The pattern is well written with only a couple spots that gave me pause. I had to read and reread, but finally it clicked. A couple places I didn't care for how they suggested finishing a piece so I improvised my own method. And I did add a small interior pocket to hold my cell phone. Anyway, it's a great bag and now I just have to figure out how to make it work for all my stuff. This bag requires the contents to be very organized in order to close it and I'm not used to that! :)

I used Essex Linen and love how easy it was to work with. I did not use soft and stable in it, but wish I had. Although when it's filled, it's just fine. I think maybe using a different fabric that doesn't have a tendency to wrinkle the way linen does might be better. Anyway... I do love it!!!

Take care,