Bye Bye Buffy

It was a little hard to package this one up. Every time I check my shop and see this red bag still there, I wonder if I should keep it for myself. I just love it. And I put so much into it. But it has gone off to a new home. I hope it is a happy place. Full of fun & whimsy :)

I also had to say goodbye to these pretties...

I wondered if she had been to the sale in Ypsilanti at the Riverside Arts Center since she lives about one town over. I suppose I could ask, but it'd be weird to bring it up now that I have already acknowledged the order & thanked her.

I must admit - I needed that. It is easy to get discouraged...especially when I haven't been producing as much as I would like. This little boost and the spark I am feeling lighting up inside...I have a good feeling for next year. Here's to creating!

A New Bag...For Me!

I don't make as many things for myself anymore. So when I sat down to my machine the other day, I decided it was time.
I had one embroidered piece that was a bit small for a large messenger bag or pillow. The fabric piece it was on was quite large since I was not sure what I was going to create. I decided on a bag for myself. I have had the pieces cut for a while now, but kept putting it off to make stuff for other people.I have a new idea for a tab closure that incorporates an area for holding credit cards...okay, it's not "new" new, but it is for me to make. The front of my bag was kind of a trial run for a card holder design. It sort of worked. I left this one kind of raw on the edges...a look I tend to prefer. Which is a good thing since this bag was made sans pattern & had many portions that needed tweaking. And I like the resulting look...but I do know that if I make this for others I will have to do without the visible contrast stitching & patched in piecing.

The inside has a back wall zippered pocket, which I have not yet even used :P A clasp hanging on the side for my keys...this does get used. Always easy to retrieve my keys now. And there is a diving wall to, well, divide my stuff. I like to put my receipts, coupons & notepad in the front.

I had some fun with the flap closure. My messenger bags have the typical clasp & D-ring. This one just called out "key" to me. I have a few old keys around for other project ideas & decided to use one. If I make this again, I will make the strap portion thinner or at least slipperier so it is easier to slide through.

Holidays Equals Vacation

Hmmm...actually, looking at my recent posts, I'd have to say I already hit vacation made. With my blogs at least. They have been neglected while I gave my attention to the sewing machine. There have been 2 hand painted messenger bags, 3 custom backpacks, one altered backpack, 2 zip pouches, a pillow and a 6 bag set (pictures will be coming later for these 6 & the most recent backpack). So vacation...not really. But it is now, because for the next week there will be no sewing or blogging...well, not much anyway :)


These are the completed messenger bags. I think I may start making more of these...some in a half size. I was thinking about the smaller size for a while...ever since the summer zoo trips. I think it would be a perfect hands free was to carry my wallet, keys, camera & small snacks.

This pink bag was a bit challenging. The customer will be using it as a ballet bag. There needed to be 2 mesh pockets for the shoes and a box pocket on the outside for keys & small wallet. Not having the actual shoes in front of me made it tough to get the pocket size correct. I did have the basic measurements, which helped, but it would be nice to have the actual shoe for testing. She sent me a pic of the bag with the shoes in the pockets - it looked like a great fit. woo hoo!

Have a Happy Holiday! See you in a week or so.

Hand Painted Custom Order

I was so excited recently when I was asked if I could make another Serenity & Grr Arrgh bag...only painted instead of embroidered. It is always fun to make something in a different medium. The woman had seen my Serenity pillow that was hand painted, so she knew I knew how.

The bags are done, but I still need to click some pics. I do have pics of the painted portion I am going to show off though....

Who Watches the Watchmen? September Challenge Day 20...and 21

Day 20 was a biggie and it bled into day 21. I would like to say it was all because of needles breaking, thread popping, sizing being off & needing to be altered as I sewed (which is all true) but the real reason...I was just to darn tired at the end of the night to sew the lining into the main piece & attach the strap. Oh yes, and we were at my in-laws for a family get together in the afternoon. So all in all, I think I did okay with it only bleeding into 1 day and not 2.

This bag is for my hubby when he goes downtown to the coffee shop to read & write...and people watch...and chat with the regulars. It was in my head to make a couple months back, but one thing after another kept pushing it further on down the list. Thank goodness September's Craft a Day came along (thank you Peacocks & Dragonflies!). I took quite a few pics to share, so let's get started...


This next pic is under the flap. I need to ask hubby what kind of closure, if any, he wants on the pocket flap. I sewed a slot for his pen and there is a separate zip pocket on the front of the front pocket - follow that? - just the right size for ID & money...right now it is full of my biz cards :)

I put another, larger, zip pocket inside the bag made the same way as the small one in the front.


The top seemed too floppy, so I stitched some of the nylon webbing used for the strap along the top where the flap folds over.

And the strap kind of continues down along the gusset to cradle the bag. I do this with most of my messenger bags. I think it gives more support than just a tab at the top of the sides. I think of it like holding a baby...always better to put your arm under their bum that just around their waist.


Plus, I did do more crafting on Day 21 than just finish the bag...but no pics. I sew for the colorguard (those are the girls, mostly, that do all the fancy dancing & flag waving with the marching band) and we got together tonight to get going on the second flag. We finished the 1st one - which was 9 feet long...yes, you read that right - before their 1st competition. Now we are onto the second smaller flag - about 4 feet or so and 6 pieces. There are 4 of us sewing and 27 girls...luckily, it is fun & a bit of a chatfest :) I will snap some pics next Monday of both flags for you.

Clutchapalooza, Grr Argh and a Pink Skull

I had a craft show in Ann Arbor yesterday ... thus the every night sewing last week. On Friday I spent the day making clutches. They were one of the most looked at items at the show...along with the messenger bags. I think I will make another batch of these for my next show...whenever that is.

note: these pics were taken before ironing...thus the wrinkles...

I finished up the Grr Argh messenger bag Saturday. That bag helped bring in a sale ...from the male half of a couple. He is a Whedon fan and stopped to look at the bag ...then brought his wife over. She went home with one of my clearance bags - the Red Grosgrain Ribbon handbag.


Bye bye Red handbag....


I almost got this bag done Saturday night, but I was afraid that if I spent any more time on itI would be up way too late double checking my stuff for the show.

Iron, Sew and Go Go Go

Four hours. FOUR hours!!! That is how long it took me to fuse all the interfacing onto the bags I cut last week. Last week? I think it was last week. I steamed my brains, so not sure anymore :P I wonder if a newer, better iron would help...or if all that interfacing would just take that long anyway. I think it was like 15 bags worth or something. But it is done. And I am only a week'ish behind. Not bad for me.

I did sew another messenger bag and some other odds 'n end finishing touches on stuff. The Sunnydale embroidery piece is also complete.



Now I just have to decide how much, if any, I want to try & complete before the show on Sunday. Or do I just want to make sure I have all the final touches done & all my stuff together & up to date....plus figure how to price the messenger bags. Those alone take me hours...usually the day/night before. Guess it depends on the little guy.

I also fixed the fix for my Zombie Worker. The bag is a tad shorter top to bottom than I originally planned, but I still like it. At least the flap is no longer too long. It's a great size for sketchbooks or other craft stuff since it is more like a wide rectangle than tall or a square. I may just keep it for myself if nobody likes it :)


Now I just need to step away from the computer & go go go....

Done and To Do

My progress from last week's to do list...eh, not so much.

• Bike ride was a go, twice
• Library - check
• Clean upstairs - check
• Embroider - check
• Playground - check & check
• Sew bags - half checked
• Iron interfacing - nope

Not too bad I guess. I plan to do the ironing tonight while (re)watching Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.

So...the bags: The first one had lots of problems & still needs some reworking. Thankfully my "problems" led to a neat idea. Since the bag's image is a zombie - I did the bag purposefully patchy so the ends looked frayed...although it's on the back side, so you can't see it here. But in the process, the sizing got out of whack. So I need to "trim it down". You can see it in the front view picture...the flap is too long. Should be an easy fix.



I went back to the messenger bags I had already cut and fixed the gusset lengths...turned out it was an easy fix. I still don't know how I cut them the wrong length. Oh well, the measurements are now correctly noted. This is the Firefly bag:



Both bags still need to be ironed - they will look less puffy then. I plan to do that when I am ironing the interfacing I did not get to last week.

So... embroidery: It's turning out pretty good. It took a while to find the right quote. The first few were too long. I liked

• "This being Sunnydale and all, I guess we can rule out something good" ...not too long, but not quite right either
• "...you gotta stand up and salute their death rate"...needed something more, although looking at it now, it would have worked. Maybe I'll use it on something else later.
• "…he's some kind of demon looking for an all-powerful thingamabob and I've got to stop him before unholy havoc's unleashed and it's another Tuesday night in Sunnydale." ...much too long

This is what I ended up with:


So, my to do for this week....


I think it's doable.

Serenity Messenger Bag

Well - I decided to go with a messenger bag for my Serenity embroidery. I thought it made the most sense with the show. I even left to edges out and raw looking for that space cowboy feel. Rugged, yet durable.




I now have to decide...keep it for myself or put it in my shop? Do you think it'd have a chance of selling.

Team Challenge Creation

I am part of the etsy team Big Damn Crafters. It is for fans of Firefly and Serenity...TV show and movie by Joss Whedon. Last month we had a Secret Santa serenity challenge and my character was Wash, the pilot. He loves to play with his plastic dinosaurs and wears Hawaiin shirts. So I created this messenger bag for him to discreetly carry his dinosaurs while camouflaged with a Hawaiin floral print.

I did not take a lot of before and during pictures because I had started the bag before this blog. But since it was my first bag completed since starting this blog, I decided to post what I have.

This first picture is of the bag's exterior. Denim was used for the bag so it would be sturdy. I had used an old Hawaiin shirt of my dad's for the "camouflage" aspect of the bag. This was the first time I had upcycled an article of clothing for one of my bags.


The lining I added was a simple navy and white striped cotton. I put a denim pocket on the back wall...I tend to put pockets in all my bags that are large enough for one. There are pockets on the exterior sides and under the flap as well. I would normally line the pockets, but being denim I felt this was not necessary. I did use turquoise bias tape to cover the raw edges. The side pockets turned out to be a perfect size for the small plastic dinosaurs. You can see them in all the "after" pictures below. There is even a pocket on the flap...the original pocket from the shirt :)




This bag is for sale in my Etsy shop if you are interested.