New Old Bags

My good friend Jolie is moving to the big apple tomorrow, and we got together tonight to drink a little wine (okay, a little more than a little) and take some photos before she locked up her house for the last time. It gave me an opportunity to also take some photos of these two bags I made for her a while back.

This one I gave to her for her birthday last year. It's actually the first bag I ever made (a tube bag for my first try?! what was I thinking?) and it turned out pretty good, all things considered. The middle section is deadstock vintage cotton kimono fabric. Jolie has used this bag so much that she actually wore out the lining! I whipped up a new lining so she could get more use out of the bag.


This one she bought from me back in December at a craft show I was doing. It's one of my all time favorites. The bunny material is pre-world war two cotton cloth from a child's kimono. I just love the leapfrogging bunnies!



Jolie invited a bunch of her friends over so she could take photos of us for her new job. She wanted girls from all different sizes and shapes in order to have some stock photos of 'real women.' Here she is taking a couple of snaps of me.


For the record, I do appreciate Jolie not saying out loud that I was there to fullfill a requirment for a body type most resembling a 12 year old boy. Curves? Anywhere? Nope.

I found out that I have been tagged by Beth but I'm too tired tonight to think of seven interesting things. I promise to get that posted early next week. In the meantime, I'm going to enjoy a lovely weekend with my husband (sans kids) and some friends up at Kelly's Island.

Two new totes

So, true to my word, I'm back on the sewing-wagon. I made myself sit down Sunday night and try a new tote idea that was floating around in my head. I had this great leftover cherry fabric from a diaper bag that I made for a friend over a year ago. I recently used some of it in a bag for my friend's wife for Mother's day. The whole time I was sewing that bag I was thinking about how my sister would just *love* this fabric. She's been faithfully carrying around a bag that I made for her back in the fall. And all the orange and deep blues look a bit off in the Spring. I can't wait to give this to her when I see her later in the week!

I love the wooden button and the white piping. But I thought that maybe the bag itself was a bit long. Hard to reach all the way to the bottom for your keys....

So, Monday night, I tried again and came up with this. I've been waiting to use a bit of this fabric since I brought it back from New York in February (why, oh why did I only buy one yard?!) and am reallly happy with how this one came together. I found fabric for the lining that almost completely matches the blue on the exterior. There are two inside pockets. One closes with velcro. But, it's a little short.


I'm feeling a bit like Goldilocks now, but tomorrow I might try one that is just an inch or so longer in both the bag and the handle. Maybe that one will be just right.

Working and Playing

We'll it's been another three weeks with no blog updates. I think I need to make a Spring resolution to get back on the blog-wagon!

We've been enjoying a lovely Spring here in Ohio, and it's kept me from my sewing machine. I just love being able to get out of the house after a long winter and tend to the flower gardens and play in the yard. And with daylight savings coming three weeks early this year, I've been spending a lot of time outdoors in the evenings. I've also started running (me! lazy me!) and am really enjoying it.

I've also been:

Playing with my little Xander (the Bunny - who always comes over to his Mom for a quick snuggle).


Playing with my little Quinn (the Birdie - who is always trying to fly away).


Making this purse for my friend Tim, who gave it to his wife for Mother's Day. I love the cute cherry fabric and the leather button.


Making this purse for my friend Patty, who gave it to her sister for her Birthday. This one is fully quilted and has lots of inside and outside pockets.


Throwing a going away party for our good friends Jolie, Alan and Sadie, who are moving to New York in two weeks. I was finally able to give Jolie her armwarmers, made by the lovely and talented woman over at Treehouse28 (she loved them!)

Shopping for fabric. Getting inspired. And working very, very hard at my day job.

But, I do have a few new messenger bag and tote ideas floating around in my head that I'm eager to try, so I think I'll send out for a new batch of movies from Netflix and dedicate some time to sewing this week.