Market Tote

I have begun the market tote batch. It is a little bit of a work in progress being that it is a new material to me. It is made from a utility fabric, aka "bag fabric". You know, that mesh like fabric so many of the tote bags in the stores are made from? Jo-Ann started carrying the fabric last year and I picked some up.

The seams are something I may play with a little more. This tote has the seams pinched or "sewn in" with a topstitch. It does help the bag stand up. But I may make another with the seams edges folded under. Not sure.

I am keeping them unlined. It will keep the price down and speed up the making. But then I am left with these stitch lines inside...

The handles are nylon webbing that wrap entirely around the bag, lending some extra support.

Here you can see what can fit inside. Not that this is all, but it shows the height and width better. And this is the smaller of the two sizes.

I have one more this size and then two more larger. I hope to have them all done by the end of Wednesday. Wish me luck :)

Oh - and as a buyer - do the exposed stitching lines left from being unlined bother you? Not that there is a way around it if they remain unlined, but I am curious. Personally, since I'd use them for the grocery store, I wouldn't care. But that's just me.

Winter in Style

Winter in STyle

Curated By: tiltcreations

ArtFire.com

Vintage Fashion

Paler Pink Duo

More pink pillows. This time a duo. These are for 16 inch pillows. I can't wait until the inserts arrive so I can see how they look full.

I went back and forth on what to do for the decorative stitching. I like where I settled...little bursts to match the print.


The bolder pink pillow I made last had that small concern of enough fabric to cover the backside, so I added the strip of print. Well, I really liked it, so I did it again.

Once in the middle of one panel...

And the other on the edge of a panel...

Next up...blues!

Pretty in Pink

I got started on that batch of pillows slated for circular cut outs. This first one is a single. The material is a bit stretchier than the rest I have made and therefore came with a few choice words that make it even more original :P

I only had enough fabric for one pillow, but I loved the combo with this print too much to pass it by. It is also a biggie...made for an 18 inch pillow insert.


The color was difficult to capture well, but this shot shows the stitched matching bead pattern well enough. Some circles have a single stitch line around it and others are doubled. No reason, I just liked the look.

Remember I said I only had enough fabric for one pillow? Well, that was pushing it. I added a strip of the print on the backside...and loved the result. I liked it enough to make 2 strips. Which also gives me the bonus of more fabric for some hair pieces to match.

This pillow is a bit larger than the last batch of 14 inchers, but I think the snap closure piece still works well. If I were to make a super large one, I'd have to forgo the snap & go with a zipper.

Next up...more pink. Read: easier to keep going with the same thread :P

My Son Has Picked Up My Slack

I have not been active on the creative ends of things. I have been creative in directing others. Redoing a house can do that. Our kitchen cabinets are now in, our old floors are in the midst of being yanked out and the walls will be fixed and painted before the new pretty floors go in. And since it is the whole main level...and it is a bungalow...I have no more sew space at the moment.

Good thing my son has been duct taping things again so I have something to show off. I have shown his jacket - which is now sleeveless - his pants, his belt, his hat and his flowers. Now - shoes.

Yes, shoes. He took apart his old Converse for the template.

It even has his own logo...

And for the whole duct tape look....

Monsters in Progress

As always, I have more than one thing I am working on. I talked about the clothes I am making for myself...most of which are now cut. Woo hoo for me :) But I also have the monster mayhem thing going on.

The monsters are great because they are hand sewn. So when the day is ending, the littlest is in bed and the others are off doing there own thing - I can veg to the tv and stitch on the couch.
This one eyed creature is a tad psychedelic. I just love the colors. I got a grab bag of goodies from Sol Sisters a while back & am finally making use of it. The majority of the bag will be used for a mixed media piece or art quilt, but this piece just said "monster".

And then there is Squidy...which actually does better resemble a jellyfish like my youngest said. All he needs is some fluff 'n stuff.

Brown Daisy Wristlet Duo

I took my sewing machine in for a tune up and to fix some minor concerns last Friday. Firstly - the shop I took it to rocks! It was done that same day. Now I know that it was part luck, but he also did a fab job. So, many thanks to Dan at Clawson Vacuum & Sew!
Now onto the goods...

I wanted to make something before I took the machine in. The last time I had a tune up (at some other place) it took over 2 weeks. Ugh. So I finished off more some grocery totes for myself and a wristlet I had sitting around. I didn't forget about it. Really. It was just under some other things. It never left my mind. Honest. *cough* What? You don't believe me? Me neither :P But I did finish it. Rather quickly too.I decided to have some fun and embellish the front with some brown duck cloth I used for the lining. There were a couple strips cut & sitting with the rest of the material. It had been so long that I am not sure what it was supposed to be. But it worked like this :)


It even has a little buddy to match.

Maybe I need to take my machine in more. Gets my rear in gear.

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.

Nature Tooth Fairy Pillow

Another one done. My original idea for this one was to have the tooth riding a big bug. It just looked odd. So the tooth is just taking a hike through the woods.

I showed off the front before it was finished earlier, but at the time I was not sure about the back. I went with a stump and button caterpillar.

Monster Mayhem WIPs

I have my next batch of to-do's cut and ready to go. These are handsewn, so it is also a great time to take in the sewing machine for a tune up. A while back I posted my monsters and the sketches they grew from. Well, these are more. And in different sizes. I am making a small (keychain size) medium (hand size) and larger size. I may super size two or three of my faves. Not yet sure.
The white cat faced one in the upper right...that is going to be my son's vampy cat...which he has patiently (mostly) been waiting for. Vampy cat is a small teddy bear from the Buffy comics...so cute...not so sweet, but cute :)

Tooth Fairy Pillows Faced and Stuffed

Faced? Hmmm...not the best choice of words. But I put their faces on, so they were "faced". Sort of. The stuffed part is pretty self explanatory.
Last time I showed them in progress. I was not quite sure what do do for the pocket portions. I wanted something that went with the theme rather than a simple pocket or envelope.

The fronts - fully "faced"...

And the back sides...

I am assuming the tooth fairy leaves something other than a quarter nowadays. So the pockets are sized to fit a folded up dollar bill. Do people...um, I mean tooth fairies...leave more than that?

And this is the next one up. Perfect for the kid who loves nature & bugs. Can you tell those are supposed to be ants...or some such bug... on the log? The back pocket is going to be a stump and caterpillar.