Better late than never

Today is just one of those days that no matter how much I try to organize things and make things go my way, the universe (more specifically, the weather forecast) seems to have other plans.  I have given up hope that my poor, snow-sodden street will ever be plowed, and the impending sub-zero temperatures are certainly a blow to my morale.  But never fear!  I'm going to stop complaining now.

When going over all of my past posted projects this weekend (have you checked out the new and improved tutorials and things i've made tabs??) I realized that this poor, poor bag I made last fall missed out on its blog debut.  So, to remedy the situation, here is a very belated post of a little book tote I put together last fall sometime.  I'm always in need of bags that are big enough to hold lots of music, and this amazing Anna Maria Horner print that I'd previously ordered was screaming to be put to use somehow.  I found the rest of the supplies I needed from my overflowing bookshelf of sewing disorder, and threw this together in just a day.  

I did some experimenting with details on this bag, so there is a lot going on, which suits me just fine.  I had originally intended to give the top edge scallops, but I cut them too small, and they looked like messy spikes once I assembled the bag.  So I took those off, and added some grey pleats to my now-flat-and-plain-top edge.  I added some peach lace to the sides (I just felt like the blue/grey pallete needed some kind of contrast.)  For the straps, I used some thick cord, covered with plain grey cotton, fastened with gold square rings.  I added a small inner zip pocket, and lined it the same grey cotton that I used for the sides and straps.

I still have every intention of making a scalloped-edge bag, so I plan to mount a second attempt soon.  I'm also beginning to dread the thought of moving my overflowing fabric collection when I finish my degree in May, so I've imposed a ban on buying, and have a good deal of sewing to do between now and then.  Any great project ideas you'd like to share?

Window shopping

Since fabric shopping is just about all I want to do these days, I'm trying to keep my spending under control by doing some online "window shopping."  Today I hit the fabric for sale on Etsy, and found so many sweet whimsical prints, I wish I could have them all!  Here are my favorites (see below the picture for details, and to see them on Etsy.)

1.  Sea Critters from the Seven Seas Collection by Cloud 9

2.  The Woodlands by Khristian A Howell for Anthology Fabrics

3.  High Seas Blue from the Seven Seas Collection by Cloud 9

4.  Elephants Organic Cotton by Ed Emberley

5.  Where's My Stache Natural by Alexander Henry

6.  Hill and Dale from the Taali collection by Monaluna

7.  Giraffe Print in Corn Yellow and White by Premier Prints

8.  Zig Zag in Corn Yellow and Ash by Premier Prints

9.  Suburbia Kitchen in Earth by Caleb Gray for Robert Kaufman Fabrics

Aren't they just adorable?  Happy Tuesday!

Bike bag strap: take two

Hi, y'all!  I spent some time yesterday making a new strap for the bicycle bag I made a couple of weeks back.  I had originally tried a braided strap, which gave me a few too many complications.  So I took that off, and went with a wider white strap, double-folded towards the center, and reinforced with some grey bias tape.  I love it, and it's way more functional!  Here's the new-and-improved bicycle bag:

Happy Thursday, and thanks for stopping by!

Bicycle bag

To anyone that knows me, it's no secret that I love purses.  While I've pared down my collection considerably (I use all of the ones I have now, I promise!) I still always seem to have too many bags.  Despite this, I always seem to have one favorite that I use almost every day.  Lately, it's been a little across-the-shoulder bag I picked up at a vintage shop in my hometown.  Although I love it (and it's such a practical and summery white) it's started to literally disintegrate, and its retirement is looming over my shoulder.  In preparation for this, I came up with a new bag this weekend, using some fabric that I've had forever but not quite known what to do with.  While I may do some tweaking to the strap (the braided strap didn't turn out quite as neatly as I had hoped it would) I love the shape, and I'd love to try this shape in a few different dimensions as well. 

The fabric I used is called "Go By Bike" in grey, and is from the Weekends collection by Erin McMorris.  I ordered a few yards of this fabric months ago because it was so cute I just had to have it.  For a long time, I was too scared to cut into it because I wasn't completely sure of what I wanted to do with it, and I didn't want to waste it on a project that wasn't going to work.  But the other day I was feeling bold, and just decided to go for it.  And I'm so happy I did!  Fabric is meant to be cut!  It looks much cuter now than it did when it was folded up on the bottom of my fabric pile.

I interfaced the outer fabric of the bag (so that it would hold its shape) and I lined it with a plain grey cotton.  I added an inner zippered pocket (which I just had to line with pink polka dots) and I put on a pearly button snap on the front flap for a closure.  For the straps, I made three strips (one of each of the three fabrics I used on the bag) and I braided them together.  For now, I just attached them to the inside of the bag, but I'm planning to remove them and replace them with something that's adjustable.  I'll let you know what I come up with!

Despite the fact that I'm still figuring out what to do with the strap (for some reason I always have the most trouble with that part) I love my new bag.  The print is perfect for summer, and just neutral enough that I can assume it will go with just about everything.  It's not too big as to be cumbersome, but just big enough to fit all of my essentials.  I'm so pleased with the way it turned out, it should make the retirement of my previous go-to bag much easier.  Mission accomplished!  Hope you had a lovely weekend!

 UPDATE:  See the new and improved strap here!

Fashion for Fido

As I'm sure you've noticed from this post (not to mention this post) Oliver likes to look good.  So, as per his request, I whipped up some bow-ties to add to his wardrobe.  I just sewed simple bows with Velcro loops at the back, so that the bows can be attached to his normal collar.  Since they just go onto the collar he's used to wearing, he doesn't mind wearing these little beauties one bit! 

Since I scheduled this photo shoot during his previously scheduled nap time (which usually lasts most of the day) Oliver refused to get out of bed for the fashion show.  But I'd say my little gentleman looks pretty dapper!  These little bow-ties are definitely one of my all-time favorite scrap busting projects, and they were a cinch to put together!  In fact, these little bow-ties were such a great project, I'm thinking they will be the subject of my very first tutorial!  I'm still working on putting everything together, but look out for details!  Happy Tuesday!

UPDATE: Check out the tutorial here!

Fav fab finds

I just wanted to pop in and share a few of my favorite fabric finds...

One: Timeless Treasures Washi Waves Cream/Aqua

Two: Heirloom Fez Indigo

Three: Lanikai Chevron Teal

Four: Woodland Trails Owl Blue

Five: Amy Butler Lark Dreamer Kasbah Midnight Blue

Six: Amy Butler Lark Dreamer Nanna Chic Cloud Blue

Seven: Michael Miller It's a Boy Thing Thar She Blows Sea

Eight: Michael Miller Lush Modern Lotus Sky

Nine: Anna Maria Horner LouLouThi Velveteen In The Clearing Jade

Ten: Hello Pilgrim Dotted Circles Blue

I must have been feeling blue today!  I know I can't get them all, but it certainly will be hard to choose!  What do you all think?

Lace-pocket cardigan

Today was a great day!  I had a delicious lunch at a favorite downtown spot with my mom, and we've had quite a few bouts of beautiful sunshine.  Now we have a cozy fire crackling in the fireplace and I'm brainstorming some more sewing projects.

I'm steadily working through my reject clothing pile by making some small improvements to make me want to wear those things again.  Today, I used some of that gorgeous teal lace I picked up yesterday and dressed up a plain grey cardigan I've had for a few years.  Here is what I started with:

I do love long sweaters-and cardigans are a real wardrobe staple for me-but this was a little boring for my taste.  And in case you haven't already been tipped off to the fact that I don't like long sleeves (because I hem the sleeves of just about everything I wear) I also took up the sleeves on this little number.  Apart from the sleeves, all I did was stick some lace to the pockets and call it a day.  Here is how it turned out:

 

I re-used the original cuff by trimming some fabric from the middle of each sleeve and re-attaching the cuff a little higher up.  Super easy way to have a nicely finished (but shorter) sleeve!  Here is a close-up of one of the lace pockets:

I love that the scallop design of the lace almost creates a chevron design on the pockets.  And isn't the color just amazing??  It was a challenge, but I resisted the urge to just keep adding and adding (I thought about putting some more lace on the sleeves, collar, down the front, and just all over the place!)  but I think I made the right choice.  Simple is good!

I hope you all had wonderful Fridays, and thanks for stopping by!

Handmade headbands

Since I have always had straight hair and I have also always had trouble doing any complicated hair-styling maneuvers, I love having bangs.  But I'm the worst about getting haircuts regularly, so I seem to spend a lot of time either pushing them out of my eyes, or awkwardly clipping them back so that I look a little like an unkempt girl-version of Donald Trump.  So lately, headbands have been a staple for me.  My favorites are the elastic ones, rather than the stiff ones (man do those pinch behind the ears!) so I used some more of my trim scraps today to make two simple elastic headbands.  Here is how they turned out:

The white one is made of some store-bought trim (you may recognize it from this post!) I just hand-sewed some elastic between the two ends and that was it!  For the grey headband, I used some store-bought double-fold bias tape that was left over from another project.  I made a simple little bow-tie, and I also sewed this one by hand. 

These were so simple (I'm a sucker for instant gratification) I may just make some more later in the week!  They were the perfect project to do while plopped in front of the television, watching the post-Oscar talk show gossip this morning (I'm also a sucker for morning talk shows.)  This week I'll be finishing up a long run of shows I played in State College, and this weekend I'll be traveling to New York for my last two auditions of the year!  I'm thrilled that things are wrapping up, and I can't wait for my schedule to slow down a bit so that I can get back to some bigger projects next week.       

Happy Monday, everybody!  Thanks for stopping by! 

New Year, Old Projects

Hello, world!  I'm taking the beaten path this year, and using the new year as an opportunity to cross some things off of my to-do list that seem like they might have made that list their permanent home.  For one, since I discovered the world of craft blogging within the last couple of years, I have been suffering from some serious blog envy.  Last year (for New Year's) I resolved to start my own blog.  Lo and behold, that task sat on my to-do list for an entire year.  So, with this new year, I decided to take the plunge, and here I am!  I plan to use this blog to keep track of my projects, to share things that I find, and (hopefully) to join in the online sewing community.  So without further ado...

Along with the creation of this blog, I am making an attempt to work through my ridiculous fabric stash.  I have an embarrassingly large number of projects that I seem to have started and abandoned, and a plethora fabrics that I seem to have purchased with no project in mind.  How did I let it get so out of control, you may ask?  I love fabric!  And sometimes my stomach is bigger than my eyes, so to speak.  

While I am still attempting to corral my fabric stash into some usable state, I've decided to share a knitting project that I just finished this afternoon.  I started this infinity scarf a few months ago and ditched it shortly thereafter (I usually don't have the patience to finish knitting projects...) and picked it up the other day with a few new ideas about the design.  For the sake of interest, I switched up the plain garter stitch with a few thick stripes in the stockinette stitch, as well as switching the color from pink to grey.  As a bow-lover, I couldn't help myself from knitting up a few and using them to connect the two ends.