Spring is on its way!

I am so excited that Spring is on its way, soon to be followed by summer, my favorite season!  I took my first run outside last week, it can only get better from here on out.  With spring and summer comes lots of events.  I am throwing my friend a baby shower in May (check back to see all the cool baby stuff I am making for it).  As well there are lots of weddings this summer (which I love).  

In all of this I am trying to plan another purse party spring edition.  I am making it my goal to have it in late May, possibly Sunday the 24th.  Once I set a final date I will be sure to post about it.  For that party I am going to try to have more beach bags, clutches, baby bags/blankets  and anything else you can think of for summer. 

I hope everyone can come!

Thanks!  

Busy Busy Busy

I feel like I have been so busy lately between, work and sewing, trying to keep up with working out as well as trying to sleep!  Blogging just seems to be pushed to the back burner.  So here is an update on some of the MANY projects I have been working on. 

I made a bag out of this red fabric and as soon as my friend Margaret saw it she feel in love!  So she wanted me to make her a clutch for all of the black and white dresses that she wears.

My friend Anne is going to Maui this month and she wanted a beach bag to carry all of her stuff to and from the beach.  Her favorite color is pink so we went to the store and she picked out this floral pattern that she loved and I found this great striped pink fabric to go with it.  This bag literally looks like pepto-bismol exploded all over it and she loves it! She also had me make a matching camera case to go with it since her first all pink one got lost or taken because it was so darn cute!

Last Wednesday was a big day.  I learned how to make simple A-line skirts!  This is the very first one I made, with yours truly as the model.  I can not WAIT for summer!  I am working on making a slew of these so I have a whole new wardrobe!  I never thought it would be so easy to make clothing but now I am figuring it out.

My boss' birthday was in January and for her gift I made her this great shoe bag.  She always carries her shoes to work so that they don't get ruined in the nasty winter weather.  Her favorite color is orange so I pulled together some of the great orange scraps I had and this is how it turned out.  She loved it and is making great use out of it.

Finally I used some of the left over pink fabric from Anne's bag to make a camera case for Tina's sister.  I love how the stripe is so simple.

I have also been helping Niki out repairing nearly ALL of her pants and I am not joking.  I am hemming or re-hemming 6 pairs of her pants, as well as a sweater.  I have never seen so many pants in disrepair!  I think she even has more for me in her closet she hasn't brought to me.   

Besides these projects that I have finished, I cut a bunch of things for other projects on my list and I plan on spending all day Wednesday working on them.  I won't have anything better to do since it will be freezing out!  Hopefully I will be good and blog about them right after I finish them.  

Have a great week!

New Bag for Sale!

I love having a day off, it gives me time to do some sewing in a relaxed setting, usually in my comfy clothes.  Today I pulled out some of my favorite black and white fabric.  I made this great bag with inset handles which makes it fun to carry.  The best news is that this bag isn't spoken for!  I am selling this bag for $75 if you are interested let me know. This has been a popular fabric so it could go fast!  Or I may change my mind an keep it myself! 

Inside is all black with two pockets on one side.

What's Black, White & Red All Over?

I had a request for a large bag that was mostly red with white and black.  It is very hard to find an interesting red print, but I found this great Asian inspired print that works great for a large bag.

I found this red polka dot fabric that works great for a fun interior.  I made lots of pockets so there is plenty of room to hold everything you could possibly carry.

Blue Jeans & Bling

My sister, Tricia, is involved in a volunteer program called The Junior League of St. Paul, which is an organization of women that volunteers around their community.  On February 28th they are throwing their annual event called 'Blue Jeans & Bling' which is a fundraising event to benefit kids.  There will be a silent auction and I decided to contribute one of my bags to hopefully start a bidding war and raise some money for the cause.  

Tricia really likes my bags with the inset handle so I picked this bright and cheery print perfect for spring.

The inside is a navy blue with white polka dot.

Check out the JLSP Blue Jeans & Bling event and come if you can, it's for a great cause, it's going to be a lot of fun and of course I will be there taking part!

Shoe whore meet bag hag

My friend Pat contacted me with a great idea to solve a problem that she, me and I know many women have who live in places like Minnesota.  Carrying a ugly plastic cub bag to bring our cute shoes back and forth to work while we are wearing our snow boots to trudge through the snow.  Pat asked me to make her a bag that was cute and this is what I came up with:

I got new black and white fabric and it was perfect for this job.  Inside the bag is black since we all know shoes get very dirty.  Also inside the bag is a 'sleeve' so you can stick one shoe one one side and one on the other and so they don't scratch or scuff each other.
Finally I made it a drawstring bag so that it is easy to get in and out of as well as you can throw it over your shoulder and have your hands free.  I know that I am always carrying a ton of stuff with me to and from work, especially in the winter.  Let me know if you are interested in a bag like this, winter is far from over and we all know that spring is wet, sloppy and hard on expensive heels!

Messenger Bag

A couple of weeks ago I finished this messenger bag for my friends daughter.  She plays volleyball for Hopkins so she wanted a bag that she could put all of her sports stuff in when she went to games.

In Chanhassen there is a places called hoops and threads and they do embroidery.  I gave them the fabric and a couple of days later I had the perfect piece for the front of the bag.  The strap is adjustable, you would not believe how hard it is to find a two inch black plastic slider!  I searched everywhere for this one small piece and finally when I almost gave up my favorite store, Crafty Planet, had a bunch of them!  I should have figured that if anyone would have it they would.