Testing, Testing....1, 2, 3

I couldn't help myself. I'm a sucker for pleats, so tested a second bag (there are 4 variations...see my first bag here) from Michelle's soon-to-be-released Pretty Pleats Tote pattern. I actually finished it at our girly weekend, and have been toting it around town ever since.

This time I went for the pleated center panel, and finally broke out my long-hoarded Echino Sunglasses print. I always knew I wanted to make a summer bag with it, but couldn't settle on a pattern. But you know what they say - good things come to those who wait! I honestly couldn't be happier with how this bag turned out...and I've been getting mad requests from friends & fam for one just like it (which is no surprise, because Michelle is a bag-designing genius!)

Oh, and in case you're wondering, I used "Woven in Navy" from Lotta Jansdotter's Echo line for the lining.

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Pretty Pleats Tote

My friend Michelle has been working on an awesome new tote pattern, and I tested it out for her this weekend. The pattern offers 4 variations of the same bag, and I chose to do option #1, which has a ruffled body. Here's a peek at some of her samples so you can see all the different variations the pattern will offer...

I'm a sucker for ruffles, so as soon as I got the pdf from her, I knew this is the one I'd be making! I used an Amy Butler Love print for the main exterior fabric, a green houndstooth print from Urban Chik's 1974 line for the lining, and the fussy cut center panel is from one of my all-time favorite Japanese prints ever - a Strawberry fabric from Kokka (thanks Ayumi!).

 

I know it leans toward the childish side and looks like something a 6 year old girl might carry, but I don't care! I think it's adorable and I can't stop staring at it or parading it out of my sewing room and forcing Ray to praise it yet again, LOL.

What's really nice about this bag is that in addition to having 4 different options, it's fully reversible and also looks the same on the front & back...so when you pick up your purse, you don't have to worry about finding the "front" before putting it on your shoulder.

This is technically the "back" of the tote. See? Looks exactly the same on either side!

Michelle's pattern should be ready soon, so if you want to scope out more examples of this pattern before it hits her shop, check out Kelly's version here, and Ali's version here!

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Spoiled.

I am beyond spoiled by my online friends. Not only did all those awesome care packages trickle in two weeks ago, but I got even more happy mail last week!

Remember when I gushed about Mark Cesarik's new line Cosmic Burst a while back? Well his awesome wife Cara sent me a surprise package of charms and I got it in the mail on Saturday! She's so nice, and when I was emailing back and forth with her a little while back, I mentioned that I was itching to buy one of his prints in particular, because I thought it would look amazing with the mustard Echo print. And guess what? Now that I have the real thing in my covetous raccoon paws, it totally does! I'm gonna have to buy some serious yardage of that print because I can't wait to make myself a bohemian summer bag to strut around New Orleans with...and maybe a hair wrap for my curly mop (my hair gets HUGE in the summer humidity...attempting to tame it is a pointless endeavor, so I've learned to embrace the madness).

Thanks for thinking of me Cara! Can't wait to sew up a saucy little number with these guys...I think I hear a mini quilt calling me ;)


My friend Kristy (Handmade Retro) was also sweet enough to pick up some Daisy Mae prints for me that are exclusive to Aussieland - yay!

Is all this bright, happy fabric making anyone else anxious for Spring & Summer? We had a really mild winter this year (it never dipped below 50 degrees), so our Blood Orange tree out front is already blooming, and it smells divine. Last year it produced about 500 oranges, so pretty soon I'll have them coming out my eyeballs....which for some reason, makes me think that Ray and I should go out in the yard and have orange fights with the excess oranges/gross ones that drop on the ground...because that's what we used to do as kids on my grandpa's farm...except that we did it with Concord grapes instead of oranges...and we didn't just pick up the rotten ones on the ground, but started ripping them off the vine when we ran out of nasty ones. I never recommend wasting hundreds of grapes that a decorated WWII veteran spent years cultivating. Never. He was not happy with us!

And I totally saved the best package for last! Remember waaaay back when when I found a copy of 318 Patchwork and suckered my new acquaintance Ayumi into forwarding it to me in the States? Welllll...she's so sweet that I couldn't help but slowly trick her into being my friend, and we've emailed back and forth the past few months about my obsession with all things Japanese, how Ray and I want to eventually move there as missionaries, how I want to steal every piece of fabric in her stash, and other random things like the Japanese tradition of eating KFC on Christmas day, which I think is pretty fantastic (and hilarious). Mainly because the original KFC restaurant is in my home county, and they have a "World Chicken Festival" every year in celebration of it (try not to be too jealous that I got to witness a Harlan Sanders look alike contest and eat fried chicken out of the world's largest skillet every year of my childhood).

But less about chicken, and more about Ayumi and her awesomeness. Where do I begin? Basically - Ayumi is amazing, and I wish I could siphon all her crafty powers like Rogue in X-Men.

Feast your eyes on this package full of happiness...

This little dish towel is so cute I can hardly stand it! It reminds me of that scene in Napoleon Dynamite when he finds the brown suit on the mannequin, and looks away at the end as if the suit's awesomeness is blinding him, lol! This dish towel is kind of like that. I have it hanging near my kitchen window where no one will soil it, and where I can stare at it in short snatches while I'm scrubbing. It makes me that happy :)

And she also made me this awesome pink & navy bag *swoon*. The inside is navy & white polka dot, with a wee little pocket.

And being well versed in my obsession with Scottie dogs (a few months ago she sent me a Suzuko Koseki paper piecing pattern that had a hidden Scottie in it!), she sewed a precious wee Scottie tag into the side of my bag. Be still my heart....

P.S. Is it bad that for a few wild seconds, I considered putting Whiskers inside the bag because I thought it would make for the most adorable photo ever? I quickly came to my senses when I had a second vision of me chasing Whiskers around the house with it hanging off his hind parts like some kind of strange doggie sack race.

P.S.S. Anyone else think it's only appropriate that two of Whiskers hairs somehow found their way below the tag, not 2 minutes after I pulled this out of the box? *sigh*

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A Griswold Family Christmas

The holiday weekend got off to a rough start for me. After experiencing a situation eerily similar to this, the Griswold Christmas Vacation continued when I was up in the attic and accidentally put my foot through the bathroom ceiling. The whole family was over for Christmas Eve and we were short a stocking, so I went up in the attic to grab one. I didn't bother to turn on the light because I knew the location of the box I needed, and while stumbling around in the dark, my idiot self thought there was a board over one section (where there obviously wasn't, lol!) and I stomped right through the ceiling. I let out a yell, and when Ray and his brother came running, my size 11 foot and part of my calf were dangling through the bathroom ceiling. Aside from a small bruise on my knee (and ego), I was completely fine, and we all got a pretty good laugh out of it! ;)

The good news is, it's not as big a deal for us as it would be for most, because my father-in-law and brother-in-law both work at the family roofing & drywall business, so fixing it should be quick & painless :)

The hubs and I are currently laying on the sofa watching mindless reality TV (Ice Road Truckers - woot woot!), so here's a quick Telschow 2011 Christmas in review...

These are the handmade gifts I mailed to my family in Kentucky. The Echino bag & Strawberry clutch were for my sister, the houndstooth bag for my mom, the box pouch sets for my aunts, and the coffee coozies for my mom and dad.

This is a plaid yoga mat carrier I designed for my dad. It wraps around and velcros in place. I didn't know the circumference of his mat, so I made the velcro strips pretty long to allow for adjustment. The inside is flannel to keep the mat from sliding around.

Another Sidewalk Satchel for my future sister-in-law. The purple Keyka Lou clutch was also for her, and the Amy Butler one was for my cousin.

Puppy Adventures...

Human Adventures...

 Zoolander.

 Blue Steel.

 I made homemade cinnamon buns - yum!

My mother-in-law drinking eggnog out of a gravy boat. Long story, but my husband's usual shenanigans are to blame ;)

My new cutting mat wouldn't lay flat, so naturally the logical solution was to lay on it (rather than re-rolling it in the opposite direction)

We're a crazy & colorful bunch, but we always manage to have a good time ;) 

Hope you all had a Merry Christmas with your loved ones (and Santa brought you all the quilting supplies on your list!)

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Goodie Bag Swap, Round 2

I received my new bag from my partner wen_ot in the Goodie Bag Swap yesterday! I took photos as soon as I got home from work today, because I'm anxious to cram all my stuff in there and start using it! This bag is so perfectly me...I love the wool, the cute wonky yellow stitching, and especially the "secret" front pocket :)

That little hole in the front isn't just a cool design element - it's a giant pocket! I'm going to keep my phone, iPod, and a few other frequently used items in there :) My brother-in-law thought this bag was about the coolest thing since sliced bread....I think that concealed pocket in the front was transporting him back to his Hardy Boys mystery days, lol.

And he was even more impressed when I told him it was reversible. And because Wendy thinks of everything, she put a cute summery print on the inside so that I can use my new bag year round! The striped fabric is a really thin, soft cotton that's perfect for the blazing inferno summer days down here in New Orleans :)

Thanks Wendy! I absolutely love it!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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Goodie Bag Swap

November is always our busiest time of year at work, because most of our clients renew their policies January 1st (which means we're working behind the scenes putting everything in place 2-3 months in advance of that). I worked roughly 8 hours of overtime last week, so it was a real rat race trying to get my swap bag finished and to the post office in time! I really need to reform my procrastinating ways - argh!

This bag is very simple in appearance, and a departure from the bright colors and busy patterns I'm drawn to, but I had a really hard time letting this go at the post office! To date, I think this was my hardest swap item to part with, mostly because I'm madly in love with how the B&W plaid and mustard yellow look together - it's got a cool, retro vibe to it. Plus I'm a sucker for a good wintery plaid, and the Moda Bella Solid I used for the outside was so buttery soft. I just wanted to rub it on my face, lol! (don't worry partner, I didn't actually do that). I love this bag so, so much and feel like it's the most "professional" looking one I've made. Hopefully my partner likes it - I'm worried it might be a little too simple.

As you can see in the photos below, I decided to alter the pattern a bit and add a zipper pocket. I don't know how the rest of you feel, but if I'm going to go to the trouble of making a fancy bag, I'm gonna make it worth the effort by adding hardware that's durable and polished looking - especially if it's for someone else!

I left in the large pocket that was called for in the pattern, and eliminated the smaller pocket that is supposed to lay over it, so now my partner will have storage on both sides of the purse - a zipper pocket on the side closest to her body, and a large pocket with two sections for her phone, keys, etc. opposite that.

I've been wanting to try this pattern for a while, and even bought the fabric used on the cover, but hadn't gotten around to it in the year+ that I've had it. I'm always at the bottom of my To Do list - but I think it's safe to say we're all like that :)

This pattern is a bit tedious with a lot of detail work, but overall I thought it was well-written and easy to follow (I've always had good luck with her patterns). I did find one error though, which I'll pass on so you all don't make the same mistake. When you get to the point where you're supposed to make two gathering seams 1/4" and 3/4" away from the top and bottom of the exterior panels, you should make the second seam only 1/2" away from the edges. The finishing seam when sewing the exterior of the bag together is only 5/8", so if you place the gathering seam 3/4" away (rather than 1/2"), it will show when you turn the bag right side out. I wondered about that while I was making the 3/4" seam (since most of the seams up until that point had been 5/8"), but instead of reading ahead to make sure, I trusted that the directions were correct, and ended up having to rip out both seams. Make a mental note on this, because picking out stitches between a million tiny gathers is not fun!

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Pretty Little Pouch Swap

I love tiny wee pouches so much, that I broke my "no swaps for a year" rule again *sheepish grin*. I signed up for Kelly and Michelle's Pretty Little Pouch Swap because it's one of my favorites!

I just finished my pouch for my partner, and I'm proud of myself because I actually finished two whole days ahead of the mailing deadline. That's gotta be some kinda record for me :)

I love playing with texture and odd techniques, and I've been wanting to try my hand at finding a way to "weave" fabric without having a bunch of raw seams. My solution was buttonholes! I made a total of 42 buttonholes on each side of the pouch so that I could weave fabric strips in and out....I kinda screwed the pooch on the placement of the buttonholes on the alternating rows, because I off-set them instead of directly lining them up with the previous row. Oh well. Things still turned out okay (I think) - hopefully my partner likes it because I saw a lot of linen and rainbow colors in her mosaic and photostream :)

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Bag Remix

(pattern here)

My friend at work kept passing by my cube and eyeing my bag, so she finally asked me to make one for her in black and gray. She liked the look of the cheater print I used for mine, so I pieced it using some Echino and Lecien prints I had on hand. The gray pin dot is from one of my favorite Etsy sellers, stefaniexu. I'm fighting the urge to order more because I used the last of what I had...gotta stay strong because I need to be better about using what I have, rather than constantly ordering more fabric! Gah!

I also reinforced the piecing with some topstitching. I wish I'd used a light gray thread instead, because I feel like the black stands out too much! 

She wanted corduroy for the handles and top panel like mine, and I lined it with some gray Michael Miller Ta Dot. I do need to order more of that print though, because it's an awesome basic to have on hand.

I'm gonna try and post the rest of my photos from the retreat tomorrow...I keep getting sidetracked by sewing projects and my Hulu Plus Queue, lol!

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