Absence Make the Heart Grow Fonder

Sorry to disappear there folks, but I've had a couple of very exciting and very busy weeks. I started a new job, I may have found the perfect apartment (if I can just get the landlord to send me the lease) and I took a trip out to the far suburbs and got hopelessly sunburned. Suffice it to say, blogging was not a top priority! I've missed it though, and I'm brimming with things to share, so here I am, back and better than ever (except for the aforementioned skin issue).


Thanks to those of you who played along last post. The mysterious packet was, in fact, a grocery tote! Congrats to Sarah C. who was 100% correct! I love to use reusable bags, but so often I find myself stopping last minute after work, or forgetting my bags at home, etc. My roommate and I, despite the best of intentions have still accrued quite a collection of plastic bags. I'm trying to design a bag that can be easily folded up and placed in a purse, so its always available!


They're fun to make and I would imagine that they'd be great stash-busters. My mom was telling me how she has more florals left over from a Grandmother's Flower Garden project than she'll ever be able to use. Florals would be so cute in a project like this. Pair them up with plain canvas, and voila! Instant earth-friendly chic!


I still have quite a few kinks to work out and unfortunately not a lot of time to work with, but hopefully I'll have a pattern for these babies ready soon!

Etta Says it Best

AT LAST!

This tutorial for the Strip Tease Bag has been in the works for so long. It is a relief to finally get it finished and published!

This is definitely my favorite bag to date. I used a round bottom of vinyl which not only looks cute, but is durable and water resistant. The new handle style is also a big plus. They are much stronger than my other designs.

Durable and darn cute...a pretty good combination in my opinion! Get the tutorial pdf here, and let me know what you think!

EDITED TO ADD: I have been told that some people are having trouble opening the file. It works for me, so I'm not really sure why that is happening. I'll try to figure it out, but in the meantime, if you can't open the download, email me at smithie09@gmail.com and I will send you the file.

I Lie Like a Rug

I know I said I wasn't going to be crafting much until I finished all my massive amounts of work, but I got inspired in religion class again! What's a gal to do?

Behold the Strip Tease Bag. I'm in love...I need to make another one! I have lots of scraps that are begging to but to good use. A tutorial is in the works, I just have a few kinks to work out!

Lets Not Quibble Over Definations

I've been making a lot of bags lately. Some might say I'm on a roll. Others might respond that I'm in a rut. Maybe, I'm rolling in a rut...or rutting in a roll. Oh crud, I just said rutting...rapidly retreating here...

Okay, the point is, I'VE BEEN MAKING A LOT OF BAGS LATELY.


This first one is for my mother. Its another variation on my Be Prepared Bag. I added the zig-zag pattern, and made it a bit smaller than usual. I'm pretty happy with it. There are certainly imperfections in the construction (it was my first attempt at zig-zags) but I hope to make another at some point. The fabric all came from my stash which was exciting as well. The blue with brown floral was a swap acquisition and the brown dot and blue swirl came from my scrap bag. I'm very cautious about letting my scraps get out of control (so messy), so I was very excited to find a perfect project to use some up!


This second one is a new pattern I'm working on. My friend Jessye wanted a tote after I showed her all the ones I've been making lately. She wanted hers to be longer than it was tall, however. I told her that could be arranged. As I was making this, it occured to me that its a more "grown up" bag design. I normally make my bags codex style because I intend to use them to carry books. This one's wider design is more suited to life beyond college (again as always, praise the lord above). Its a good size for a pair of high heels, a sack lunch, and a few other odds and ends. It makes me think of being in a city on the metro during the morning commute. In light of that, I wanted to name it The Working Girl's Bag, but then I thought some people might take that the wrong way. Therefore, in tribute to Dolly Parton in all her spangled, lipsticked and hairsprayed glory, I'm christening this The Nine to Five Bag. Bear it in good health Jess.


P.S. I have some more tweaking to do on this design (actually a lot) but sometime in the future, there may be another pattern. Pacify my inner control freak and all that jazz...you know...

In Case It Hasn't Yet Been Made Abundantly Clear...

I am a complete and utter control freak. COMPLETE.AND.UTTER.

Case in point, I love making patterns. Actually, I don't just love it, I luuuuuurrrrrrve it. Writing instructions, breaking things down into manageable steps, telling other people what to do and having them actually listen...its a dream come true!!! I wish I would have discovered the wonders of writing patterns earlier.

So anyways, here's another one. Humor me...I'm attempting to control the world one pencil case at a time.

Mwahaha.

Middle School Doodling All Grown Up

I think it was in middle school when paying attention in class all-of-a-sudden became uncool.

Who the heck needs to understand the basics of English grammar...drawing your initials in a heart with those of your latest crush is clearly more important! Jeez...everyone knows that.

One would think that by college, people would be over it though. But people would think wrong. My doodles in first-year statistics were a wonder to behold. Now, however, four years later as a SENIOR (praise the lord) my doodles have evolved. When I sit in my horrendously boring Introduction to Christianity class (which I am being forced to take and am very unhappy about) I make stuff like this...this is doodling all grown up.


I wanted to make something with the scraps from my Alexander Henry "Ready for Action" fabric, but I really had hardly any left. So between answering questions and participating fully in class discussion of course, I designed this little pencil pouch. I sat down and sewed it in just over an hour later in the day. It's cylinder-shaped and is the perfect size to showcase Lars (one of the hunky firemen from the fabric). Construction was a bit tricky, but I think it came out quite well.


Here's a picture of Lars, just because. Isn't he handsome?


Sadly, this is my last sewing project for a while. This week is midterm, and I am swamped. The sewing machine has been put away until after I'm done. Then its Spring Break though, so there is a light at the end of the tunnel!! I'm going to New York for the weekend, and then heading back to school for the duration. I'll sew and watch lots of movies and eat Chinese takeout. Maybe I'll get this little nugas written up in another tutorial. If I get too bored, I have a friend who lives nearby that I can visit. It should be fun...

Tutorial is Here!!!

I am so pleased and so excited to share my first original, start-to-finish project with you. The pattern can be found here. Please let me know if there are any problems downloading the pattern, or any confusion with the directions. Once you have finished creating your bag, please consider leaving a comment with a link to a picture. I would love to see what results!

In the Pursuit of Tote Bag Nirvana

Due in large part to the ever-increasing tedium of winter, the number of tote bags featured in the blogging world has recently exploded. I've been seeing them everywhere. Tote bags mean picnics in the park, afternoons at the beach, shopping at the farmer's market...sun! We're all desperate for it.

I'm no exception. I am currently engaged in a very serious quest to create the perfect tote bag. When summer finally rolls around, I'm going to be ready. I refuse to be one of those people caught flat-footed who have to carry stuff around in old plastic grocery sacks. No, when I go to jazz in the park this summer, I will be ready with my very own "Be Prepared" bag!


Last week I made my first sample with the Alexander Henry fireman pinup fabric. I absolutely loved it at the time and I still like it...its pretty dang cute...but I have since improved my pattern. The new sample I made this weekend is GLORIOUS. I widened the straps, tweaked the dimensions, added interfacing and more decorative elements. I am so close to tote bag nirvana that I can smell it!! .

Meet "Be Prepared" variation two..."KP Patches". (In case you haven't noticed by now, I name everything).



The tutorial that I mentioned previously is still in the works. I have the instructions all written up, I just need to take some process pictures to illustrate them! I hope to have it up by the end of next week.

The "Be Prepared" Bag

My absolutely favorite things to sew are quilts, hands down, but lately I've been finding it frustrating. My sewing machine (which in the interests of propriety shall remain unnamed) is fairly capable of sewing a straight line...most of the time. Trying to free motion quilt, however, is completely out of the question. This means that I can never really finish things. I have to wait to quilt my tops until I go visit my mom and can use her machine. I HATE not finishing things!

This weekend, therefore, I decided to take a break from my giant log cabin quilt and make something else. I used my Alexander Henry pin up fabric that I've been hoarding and made this start to finish...behold the "Be Prepared" bag!!!

On the whole, I'm really thrilled with the way this came out. I didn't follow a specific pattern, so I really got to make it precisely to my specifications. The straps are a tad longer than they need to be, and the lining would work better if it was a bit smaller, but other than that, I'm completely satisfied. I have another piece of canvas in my stash, so I'm going to make another tote and tweak this pattern a bit. With a few tiny changes, I think the bag could be even better! Then, after I have everything all worked out, I hope to put together a tutorial. As long as I went to all the effort of figuring out how to make it, I may as well share... :)

Forgive my crummy photography. The bag is actually much cuter in person, but for the life of me, I can't get it to translate to film. Boo.