There may have been tears…

…there was definitely some swearing. And there was quite positively some seam ripping and starting over….

I got the chance to complete a custom order for a lady who wanted a replica of this bag. We decided on the fabrics I’d use (she didn’t want leather) and I came up with a pattern….eventually….and this is what I made. Phew! I must admit there were a few sleepless nights there when nothing I could do would look pretty or turn out right. It was just the overall shape that was tricky to achieve, but I’m finally happy with the end result. I hope the buyer is too. …

Robot Boy Bag

Here is the small messenger style bag I made for my boy. He carries his gym clothes in it. Sometimes there are dinosaurs in it. My girl is a bit put out she didn’t have a bag but I have something in mind for her when the time comes.

Messenger bags

3 large messenger bags using the Echino fabric from my spress to Sew LA. I think I’m going to have to go there again soon.

And in an attempt to make February ‘Boy’ month, I did make my son a small messenger bag using grey corduroy and lined with Alexander Henry Monkey Bizness Robots and a couple of iron-on robot appliques. The photo will have to wait until my next post because my boy has squirreled his special bag away somewhere and I can’t find it. At least he likes it 🙂

One of my favorite blogs is holding a ‘Celebrate the boy’ month for the ‘boys in our lives who often get overlooked in our crafty endeavors’. For the month of February there will be tutorials, round-ups and ideas for boy-related sewing and crafts. I can’t wait. I always have so many ideas for things to make my little girl, but my poor boy does get neglected. I’m going to join in and hopefully be inspired by some new ideas and learn some new things.

Some of the fabric I bought at Sew LA. I can’t wait to be using these for something, but I have a couple of unfinished projects I told myself I need to get done before I can start. Such as these….iphone/smart phone pouches, cut and ready to sew…

Here are some pictures of the finished ones…

Beautiful cotton/linen blend by Echino – Flower Bed in grape…

….and again on top of this pile in lemon…

These pouches use fabric from the Love line by Amy Butler….

I got the chance to visit Sew LA this week which is on the trendy Silver Lake Blvd in, you guessed it, LA! It’s a pretty lovely tree lined street,  shabby in a hippy cool kind of way. The store was beautiful – a sewer’s paradise. I had my children with me and the lovely shop assistant didn’t even flinch (they were clean, were carrying no snacks, no drinks and were informed by me, NOT TO TOUCH A SINGLE THING) and in fact was very welcoming and entertained them while I browsed. They have lots and lots of Japanese fabrics – especially the Echino line which I am really into right now. The linen/cotton blend is a great weight for making bags. I was careful not to hang around too long and push my luck (I want to be allowed back into this place) so before the kids could ruin anything I made some quick choices, bought a couple of yards of this and that, and got out of there. They also do classes and private instruction for all sewing levels, which I will remember for when my life isn’t as busy as it already is. They have quite a stock of fabrics (Nani Iro, Alexander Henry, Amy Butler, Heather Ross…) to say nothing of the patterns, tools, supplies and sewing machines.

Speaking of sewing machines, as I was driving to Sew LA I spotted an old sewing machine on the sidewalk outside someone’s house. Here in Orange County, if something is discarded and left on the sidewalk it means that that item is for the taking. I hope that’s what it means in LA. Because I took it.* It’s pretty wet and stinky (we’ve had ALOT of rain here this last week and I’m pretty sure this machine got to experience it, first hand) but it’s very handsome. It even has a plug and a pedal. I think I’ll let it dry out before I plug it in.

I do love LA.

*If you are the owner and you think I might have stolen your sewing machine please let me know and I will return it to you.

Well hello there. Come on in and join me.

I have spent the last few years reading crafting blogs and have been really inspired by so much that I have seen. I have learned an awful lot too. I’m really grateful for the free patterns and helpful tutorials I have used and I hope that with this blog, I can give a little of what I have taken, back.

In general I’ll have a go at almost anything craft-wise, but in particular I like sewing bags and dabble in a bit of crochet when the mood takes me. At the moment I am very much in a bag sewing mood and hope to get some patterns, tutorials and helpful links up on here and spread the love around!